JPH07246709A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure that a recording head has a long service life by reducing a space required for a discharge recovery mechanism which cleans the recording head to miniaturize a recording device and at the same time, maintaining the satisfactory discharge performance of the recording head for a long time. CONSTITUTION:A frictional sliding member 19 of an ink absorbent which slides frictionally over the surface of a discharge orifice in a recording head and the wipe-off member 18 of a sheet-like rubber elastic body which wipes the surface of the discharge orifice are assembled together integrally. In addition, the intrusion amount of the frictional sliding member 19 over the surface of the discharge orifice is set larger than that of the wipe-off member 18 over said surface. Thus the ink attaching to the wipe-off member 18 is absorbed by the frictional sliding member 19.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means onto a recording material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device having functions such as a printer, a copying machine and a facsimile, or a recording device used as an output device of a multifunction machine or a workstation including a computer, a word processor, etc., is a sheet or a plastic thin plate based on image information. An image (including characters and symbols) is recorded on a recording material (recording medium) such as (OHP). The recording device can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a heat sensitive type, a thermal transfer type, a laser beam type and the like depending on the recording system of the recording means used.

In a serial type recording apparatus which employs a recording system in which a main scanning is performed in a direction intersecting a conveying direction (sub-scanning direction) of a recording material, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position and then the recording material is set. An image (including characters, symbols, etc.) is recorded by a recording unit (recording head) mounted on a carriage that moves (main scanning) along, and after one line of recording is completed, a predetermined amount of paper is fed (sub-scan). An image is recorded in a desired range of the recording material by repeating the operation of performing (scanning) and then recording (main scanning) the image of the next row. On the other hand, in a line type recording apparatus that records a recording material only in the sub-scanning direction in which the recording material is fed in the transport direction, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position, and one line of recording is continuously performed at one time. A predetermined amount of paper feed (pitch feed) is performed, and an image is recorded on the entire recording material.

Among them, the ink jet type (ink jet recording apparatus) is a means for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording material, and it is easy to make the recording means compact and high definition. Images can be recorded at high speed, plain paper can be recorded without requiring special processing, running costs are low, and the non-impact method reduces noise and uses multicolor inks. Therefore, it has an advantage that it is easy to record a color image. Above all, a line type recording apparatus using a line type recording means in which a large number of ejection ports are arranged in the paper width direction can further speed up recording.

In particular, an ink jet type recording means (recording head) for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy,
Through the semiconductor manufacturing process such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering, the electrothermal converter formed on the substrate, the electrode,
By forming the liquid passage wall, the top plate, and the like, it is possible to easily manufacture a liquid discharge device having a high-density liquid passage arrangement (ejection port arrangement), and to further reduce the size. Further, by utilizing the advantages of IC technology and micro processing technology, it is easy to make the recording means long and planar (two-dimensional), and it is also easy to make the recording means full-multi and high-density mounting. is there.

In an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink droplets from a fine ejection port formed on a recording head onto a recording material, when an ink droplet is ejected from each ejection port during recording operation or the like, the recording target is recorded. In addition to the main liquid droplets flying to the material, an ink mist composed of fine ink droplets that are secondarily generated may be generated. Then, the ink, such as the ink mist, that has not reached the recording material floats and adheres to the ejection port surface of the recording means, and the adhered ink grows jointly to cause "wetting" on the ejection port surface. When “wetting” comes into contact with the ejection port, the ejection direction of the ink droplet (main droplet) from the ejection port may be bent to deteriorate the recording quality, or the ejection itself may be hindered to cause ejection failure.

If the above "wet" is left as it is,
The ink dries and sticks to the ejection port surface, or may cause clogging of the ejection port. Therefore, in order to prevent the ejection failure due to the above-mentioned "wetting" and to remove the adhered ink, the ejection port surface is cleaned. That is, in an inkjet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink droplets from a minute ejection port, a cleaning unit for performing a cleaning operation for cleaning and removing ink adhering to the ejection port surface of the recording head is indispensable. .

If clogging occurs due to adhered ink or bubbles in the ejection port, or if there is a risk of clogging, it is necessary to eliminate the clogging to recover the ink ejection performance. As a suction recovery operation, a negative pressure is generated in the cap by a suction pump in a state where the ejection port surface is sealed with a cap (capping state), and the negative pressure ejects bubbles and adhered ink together with ink from the ejection port. Has been done. That is, the cleaning operation is also used in combination with the suction recovery operation.

The cleaning operation of the discharge port surface is performed by wiping the vicinity of the discharge port with a wiping member (wiper blade) made of a sheet-like rubber-like elastic body or near the discharge port with a sliding member made of an ink absorber. It is executed by the operation of rubbing. In that case, the wiping by the blade is an operation suitable for mainly removing the ink before drying by abutting with a relatively weak force, and the rubbing by the ink absorber is applied by a relatively strong force. This is an operation suitable for mainly removing dry ink by bringing them into contact with each other, and it is also used properly according to the purpose.

The rubbing member is for scraping off the ink viscous material which is adhered to the ejection port surface without damaging it and is deposited, for example, a porous material (such as urethane foam) or a fibrous structure or It is formed of an ink absorber such as a non-woven fabric. The rubbing operation of the rubbing member is configured to be performed every predetermined operation of the recording apparatus. As the predetermined operation of the recording apparatus, for example, the timing before the ejection failure becomes apparent, the timing at which the peeling strength of the ink film that causes the ejection failure can be prevented in advance,
Alternatively, an operation that is performed at a timing at which ink ejection can be stabilized without the user's awareness is selected, and when an ink tank is replaced, a set time managed by a timer, or when the power is turned on is selected. To be executed.

[0011]

By the way, in order to maintain the normal ejection characteristics of the recording head and extend the life of the recording head, an operation of wiping the periphery of the ejection port of the recording head with a wiping member at a predetermined timing and a sliding operation are performed. It is desirable to prevent ejection failure by using the operation of pressing and rubbing with a rubbing member. This is an important technique especially in the permanent type recording head. However, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, since the wiping member and the rubbing member are independently arranged, it is necessary to use them together to prevent ejection failure, because the space required for the ejection recovery mechanism is increased. There is a problem in that the size of the recording apparatus becomes large and the miniaturization of the recording apparatus is hindered. That is, in the prior art, the wiping member and the rubbing member cannot be used together without increasing the required space and increasing the size of the recording apparatus.

The present invention has been made in view of the above prior art, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the required space of the ejection recovery device and to reduce the size of the recording device. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording apparatus that can maintain the ejection characteristics of the head and can extend the life of the recording head.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording unit onto a recording material, an ink absorber that slides on an ejection port surface of the recording unit is slid. The above object is achieved by having a cleaning means in which a rubbing member and a sheet-like rubber-like elastic member wiping member for wiping the discharge port surface are integrated.

In addition to the above-mentioned structure, in the invention of claims 2 and 5, the amount of penetration of the cleaning means with respect to the discharge port surface is relatively large when the rubbing member is used, and the wiping member is When used, it is set to be relatively small, the ink adhering to the wiping member penetrates into the rubbing member, the ink adhering to the wiping member is absorbed by the rubbing member, or the wiping member The above-described object can be achieved more efficiently by adopting a configuration in which the ink attached to the ink is cleaned and removed by the cleaning member arranged on the recording means side.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a main configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a plurality (four) of head cartridges (recording means) 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D are mounted on a carriage 2 in a replaceable manner. In addition, when referring to all or any one of the plurality of recording units 1A to 1D, it is simply referred to as the recording unit (recording head or head cartridge) 1.

Each recording means (head cartridge) 1 is
Each of them has an ink tank section in the upper part and a recording head section (ink ejection section) in the lower part, and has a structure in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated. Each recording means 1 is mounted on the carriage 2 so as to be positioned and replaceable,
Each of the recording means 1 is provided with a connector (not shown) for receiving a signal or the like for driving the recording head unit. On the other hand, the carriage 2 is provided with a connector holder (electrical connection portion) for transmitting a drive signal or the like to each recording means 1 through the connector. Then, each recording means 1 on the carriage 2 and the control circuit on the apparatus main body side are connected by a flexible cable for flowing a signal pulse current or a temperature control current.

On the surface of the recording head portion of each head cartridge 1 facing the recording material 8 (downward ejection opening surface in the illustrated example), ejection openings for ejecting ink droplets form a predetermined array. Has been formed. The plurality of head cartridges 1 respectively record with different inks, and in the case of color recording, different inks such as black, cyan, magenta, and yellow are stored in their ink tanks.

The carriage 2 is guided and supported so as to be capable of reciprocating along a guide shaft 3 which is extended in the main scanning direction and installed in the apparatus main body. And the carriage 2
Is driven by a main scanning motor 4 via a motor pulley 5, a driven pulley 6 and a timing belt 7, and its position and movement are controlled. A recording material 8 such as a sheet of paper or a thin plastic plate is sandwiched between two sets of conveying roller pairs 9, 10 and 11, 12 and a position facing the ejection port surface of the recording head 1 by the rotation of these conveying rollers ( It is conveyed (paper feed) through the recording unit. The recording material 8
Has a back surface supported by a platen (not shown) so as to form a flat recording surface in the recording portion. In this case, the head cartridges 1 mounted on the carriage 2 are held so that their ejection port surfaces project downward from the carriage 2 and are parallel to the recording material 8 between the two pairs of the transport rollers. ing.

The recording head (recording means) 1 is an ink jet recording means for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy, and is provided with an electrothermal converter for generating heat energy. In addition, the recording head 1 performs recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port by utilizing a pressure change caused by growth and contraction of bubbles due to film boiling generated by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. is there.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection portion of the recording means 1. In FIG.
A plurality of ejection openings 82 are formed at a predetermined pitch on the ejection opening surface 81 facing the recording material 8 with a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.5 to 2.0 mm), and the common liquid chamber An electrothermal converter (heat-generating resistor, etc.) 85 for generating energy for ejecting ink is arranged along the wall surface of each liquid passage 84 that communicates 83 with each ejection port 82. In this example, the recording unit (head cartridge) 1 is mounted on the carriage 2 in such a positional relationship that the ejection ports 82 are arranged in a direction intersecting the scanning direction of the carriage 2.
In this manner, the corresponding electrothermal converter 85 is driven (energized) based on the image signal or the ejection signal to cause the ink in the liquid passage 84 to film-boil, and the pressure generated at that time causes the ink to be ejected from the ejection port 82. Recording means 1 is configured.

In FIG. 1, an ejection recovery mechanism 14 is arranged at the home position of the recording head 1 (carriage 2) installed on the left side of the recording apparatus. The ejection recovery mechanism 14 includes a plurality of (four) caps 15 arranged corresponding to the ejection port surfaces 81 of each head cartridge 1.
And a suction pump 16 connected to each cap 15 with a tube 19 or the like.
The cap unit (each cap 15) can be moved up and down in accordance with the movement of the carriage 2 when the carriage 2 is approaching, and when the carriage 2 is at the home position, the cap unit (each cap 15) is brought into close contact with the ejection port surface 81 of each recording head 1. Outlet 8
2 is configured to be sealed (capped).
By this capping, thickening or sticking due to evaporation of ink in the ejection port 82 is prevented, and ejection failure is prevented from occurring.

In the unlikely event that the recording head 1 is defective in ejection, the pump unit 16 is operated under the capping state to generate a negative pressure, and the negative pressure suction force sucks out ink from the ejection port 82. Thus, the operation for recovering the ejection performance, that is, the ejection recovery process is performed. Further, the discharge recovery mechanism 14 includes a cleaning unit 20 including a wiping member 18 and a rubbing member 19 held by a holder 17 located between the cap 15 and the recording material conveying portion.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the cleaning 20. In FIG. 3, the wiping member 18
Is for wiping and cleaning the discharge port surface 81, and is formed by a wiper blade (wiping member) of a sheet-like rubber elastic body. On the other hand, the rubbing member 19 is for rubbing (cleaning) the ejection port surface 81 under a predetermined pressure contact force, and is made of a porous material, a fibrous structure, a non-woven fabric, or the like. ) Is formed of an ink absorber. The wiping member 18 and the rubbing member 19 are held by the holder 17 in an integrally assembled state (in an integrated state).

The cleaning means 20 is the carriage 2
Is configured to be used to clean the discharge port surface 81. That is, in the present embodiment, the holder 17 is moved up and down by an elevating mechanism (not shown) driven by using the movement of the carriage 2, and thus the holder 1
The wiping member 18 and the rubbing member 19 supported by 7 are protruded (raised) to wipe the ink adhering to the ejection port surface 81, and the ejection port surface 8
In order to remove the ink film adhered to No. 1 by rubbing, there are a rubbing position further protruding from the wiping position and a standby position (retracting position) retracted (lowered) so as not to interfere with the ejection port surface 81. It is configured to be configurable.

In this embodiment, the carriage 2 is shown in FIG.
When moving from the left side (the home position side where the discharge recovery mechanism 14 is present) to the right side, wiping by the wiping member 19 is performed. The reason is that the wiping member 19 is disposed between the cap 15 and the transport system (paper transport system) for the recording material 8, and conversely, when wiping is performed when moving from the right side to the left side in FIG. This is because there is a risk that the ink wiped by the elastic force of the wiping member 19 may be scattered on the conveying portion of the recording material 8 and the recording material 8 may be carelessly soiled. If there is no such adverse effect, wiping may be performed in both directions.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the wiping member 18 during wiping, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the sliding rubbing member 19 during rubbing. As described above, the wiping operation is performed in the direction in which the recording head 1 moves from the home position side to the recording material conveyance system side when necessary. FIG. 4A shows a state immediately before the wiping operation is performed. First, when wiping is performed, the holder 17 is raised from the standby position Q ₁ shown in (a) in the direction of the arrow X and fixed at the wiping position Q ₂ shown in (b), so that the wiping member 18 is discharged. It is set so as to have an optimum approach amount for wiping the surface 81.

By moving the recording head 1 rightward in the drawing at the wiping position shown in FIG. 4B, the ejection port surface 81 is wiped as shown in the drawing. When the wiping is completed, the holder 17 is lowered in the direction of the arrow Y and returned to the original standby position Q ₁ , and the wiping member 18 is set in a position where it does not interfere and stands by. In this series of operations (wiping operation), the wiping member 18 and the rubbing member 19 held in the same holder 17 do not come into contact with the ejection port surface 81, but the wiped ink wipes the wiping member 18.
There is an action of penetrating from the rubbing member 19 into the rubbing member. That is, the rubbing member 19 plays a role of absorbing the ink wiped off by the wiping operation.

Next, the rubbing mode by the rubbing member 19 will be described with reference to FIG. In the rubbing mode, the holder 17 is further moved (raised) in the X direction from the wiping position Q ₂ and fixed at the rubbing position Q ₃ , so that the rubbing member 19 can be rubbed with the ejection port surface 81. The amount of penetration of the wiping member 18 to the ejection port surface 81 is set to be deeper than the amount of penetration of the wiping member 18 during normal wiping. After setting the rubbing position Q ₃ as described above, the carriage 2 is moved from the left side to the right side in the figure to perform rubbing (forward rubbing) of the ejection port surface 81, and this time, from the right side to the left side. Then, the discharge port surface 81 is rubbed (backward rub).

Such a reciprocating rubbing operation is performed twice, for example.
It is carried out three times, and when it is completed, the holder 17 is moved in the direction of the arrow Y and returned to the standby position Q ₁ , both the wiping member 18 and the rubbing member 19 are set to the retracted position where they do not interfere with the recording head 1, and the carriage 2 is set. Return to home position. In such a rubbing operation, the rubbing member 19
By pressing and sliding on the ejection port surface 81, it is possible to remove (clean) the adhered matter such as the ink film that cannot be wiped off during normal wiping. Although the rubbing operation as described above may be performed once, preferably the cleaning effect can be further enhanced by performing the rubbing operation twice or more continuously.

Here, a series of wiping operation and a series of rubbing operation have been described for one recording head 1, but the same operation is performed for other recording heads. At that time, the ink may be retransferred to the ejection port surface 81, but in that case, a sequence of performing a normal wiping operation or a preliminary ejection operation after a series of rubbing operations may be adopted. preferable.

Here, various conditions when this embodiment is actually carried out are shown below. First, regarding the wiping member 18,
Thickness 0.7mm, width 12.0mm, free length 8.0
The amount of penetration into the ejection port surface was 1.5 mm when wiping and 4.0 mm when rubbing. The moving speed of the carriage 2 is 200 mm / sec during wiping,
It was set to 100 mm / sec during rubbing. On the ejection opening surface of the recording head used, 128 ejection openings were formed at 400 dpi. Wiping operation sequence is A4
The size was recorded every time one sheet was recorded, and the sequence of the rubbing operation was performed every time 100 sheets of A4 size were recorded. The test environment was high temperature (35 ° C.) and low humidity (10%).

Regarding the wiping speed, the higher the speed is, the more the wiping effect is lowered due to slipping or the like, and the ink absorption effect is lowered, but it is confirmed that there is no problem if the wiping speed is 300 mm / sec or less. Was done. On the other hand, it is preferable that the speed during rubbing is slower than that during normal wiping. The reason is that the ink adhering to the ejection port surface is thickened by evaporation,
This is because the absorption speed to the rubbing member becomes slow. The test environment was set under severe conditions such that the discharge amount increased and the wetting amount also increased, that is, the temperature was high, and the conditions were high temperature and low humidity, which was easily dried and evaporated. In addition, the first of FIG.
In the embodiment, the case of the color recording apparatus in which the four head cartridges 1 are mounted on the carriage 2 has been described, but the number of head cartridges (recording means) is not limited to this, and the number is one. Also, there may be a plurality of other types.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a second embodiment of the cleaning means according to the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the cleaning operation of the cleaning means of FIG.
The cleaning means of this embodiment is one in which a wiping member and a rubbing member which also serves as a cleaning member for cleaning the wiping member are integrated. Generally, the ejection port surface 8 of the recording head 1
When 1 is wiped, a part of the ink droplets wiped off is scattered by the elastic force of the wiping member 18 to stain the recording apparatus, and most of the ink droplets wiped off is wiped off (wiper blade) 18 Remains attached to.

If the ink remains attached to the wiping member 19, it may cause undesired effects of unwiping at the time of the next wiping, or the water content of the ink evaporates and the viscosity increases.
It adheres and accumulates on the discharge port surface along with paper powder,
This is moved to the vicinity of the ejection port, which may cause ejection failure such as ejection failure or twisting. Further, in a recording apparatus for recording a color image by arranging two or more recording heads that use different color inks in parallel, the ink transferred to the wiping member (wiper blade) by the first wiping causes the recording of the next different color. When wiping the head, the ink may be mixed with the ink of the recording head, and the image quality may be degraded.

Further, in the case of a color ink jet recording apparatus, when a plurality of recording heads are wiped by one wiping member (wiper blade), the amount of ink adhering to the wiping member also increases, so that the wiping member 18 is adversely affected. It will grow accordingly. Therefore, a configuration in which a dedicated wiping member is provided for each recording head 1 is conceivable, but this is extremely expensive, and a large space is required to provide them. Therefore, in the inkjet recording apparatus, there is a demand for a configuration in which a cleaning unit for removing the ink adhering to the wiping member (wiper blade) 18 is provided inside the apparatus main body.

When the recording head 1 is wiped by the wiping member 18, the wiping member is contaminated with ink in a range larger than the area in contact with the recording head. Therefore, the wiping member is at least in a portion in contact with the recording head, and more preferably in the portion. It is desired to clean a wide range cleanly. Next, the cleaning operation of the second embodiment of the cleaning means according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 7 shows a series of cleaning of the ejection port surface 81, which includes wiping the ejection port surface 81 with the wiping member (wiper blade) 18, cleaning the wiping member 18, and rubbing the ejection port surface 81 with the rubbing member 19. It shows an operation.

As described above, the wiping operation is performed in the direction in which the carriage 2 moves from the home position side (left side in FIG. 7) to the recording material conveying system side (right side in FIG. 7) when necessary. First, FIG. 7A shows a state immediately before the wiping operation is performed. First, raise the holder 17 in the arrow X direction from the standby position P ₁ shown in (a),
The wiping position P ₂ shown in (b) is fixed. As a result, the wiping member 18 is set to the wiping position that provides the optimum amount of entry for wiping the ejection port surface 81. At this point, the rubbing member 19 moves in the same manner as the holder 17 and the wiping member 18, and similarly moves in the arrow X direction by the same amount.

By moving the recording head 1 rightward in the drawing at the wiping position shown in FIG. 7B, the ejection port surface 81 is wiped as shown in the drawing. When the wiping is completed, the holder 17 is lowered in the direction of the arrow Y and returned to the original standby position P ₁ , and the wiping member 18 does not interfere with the recording head 1 and stands by. In the above-described series of operations (wiping operation), the rubbing member 19 held in the same holder 17 together with the wiping member 18 causes the ejection port surface 8 to move.
There is no contact with 1.

Although the wiping ink adheres to the wiping member (wiper blade) 18 by the wiping operation described above, in the present embodiment, the adhering ink on the wiping member 18 is removed by the following cleaning operation. That is, when the wiping member 18 is cleaned (cleaning), the rubbing member 19 is raised from the standby state in (a) to the position shown in (c) in the arrow X direction. At this time, the wiping member 18 is on standby at the same position as in the standby state of (a). Then, from the state of (c), the rubbing member 19 is lowered in the arrow Y direction to return to the standby state shown in (a). In this way, by moving the sliding member 19 of the ink absorber in the vertical direction relative to the wiping member 18, the ink, paper dust, etc. adhering to the wiping member 18 are effectively cleaned and removed.

Next, the rubbing operation of the ejection port surface in this embodiment will be described. When rubbing the discharge port surface 81, (a)
From the standby state, the rubbing member 19 rises in the arrow X direction,
The discharge port surface 81 is moved to a position (sliding position) that is most suitable for sliding, and is fixed at that position. The rubbing position (projecting position) is the same as the state (c), in the illustrated example, P ₃ from P ₁ relative to the rubbing member 19 is a holder 17
Move up to. After moving to this rubbing position, the carriage 2 is moved from the left side to the right side in the figure to rub against the ejection port surface 81, and conversely, it is moved from right to left side to rub against the ejection port surface 81.

Such a reciprocating rubbing operation is performed two to three times, and when the rubbing operation is completed, the rubbing member 19 is lowered from the protruding position (rubbing position) of (c) to the standby position of (a). To be After returning to the standby state in this way, the carriage 2 is returned to the home position. In such a rubbing operation, by sliding the rubbing member 19 in pressure contact with the ejection port surface 81, it is possible to remove (clean) an adhered matter such as an ink film which cannot be wiped off during normal wiping. The reciprocating rubbing operation may be performed once, but it is preferable to perform the reciprocating rubbing operation twice or more in succession to further enhance the cleaning effect. Here, the series of wiping operations and the series of rubbing operations have been described for one recording head, but similar operations are performed for other recording heads.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the structure and operation of the third embodiment of the cleaning means according to the present invention. In the third embodiment of FIG. 8, as the cleaning means 20 for cleaning the ejection port surface 81 of the recording head 1, the cleaning means 20 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described in FIGS. 1 to 5 is used. In addition to this, the carriage 2
A cleaning member 31 for cleaning the wiping member (wiper blade) 18 of the cleaning means 20 is provided on the side.

In this embodiment, the cleaning member 31 is used.
(Five in total) are attached so as to be arranged on both sides of the ejection port surface 81 of each recording head 1 as shown in the drawing. Further, each cleaning member 31 is formed of a member having excellent ink absorbability such as a porous material having a high ink absorbency and having a high ink absorbency, a fibrous structure, a non-woven fabric, etc. Further, each cleaning member 31 is disposed so as to be slightly retracted from the ejection port surface 81 of each recording head 1 so as not to rub against the recording material 8 during recording.

Next, the operation of the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8 will be described. In FIG. 8, (a) shows the state before the cleaning operation of the ejection port surface 81, (b) shows the state when the ejection port surface 81 is wiped by the wiping member (wiper blade) 18, and ( 6C shows a state in which the sliding surface 19 is being rubbed (cleaned) by the sliding member 19 and the wiping member 18 is being cleaned by the cleaning member 31 on the carriage 2 side at the same time. The configurations of the wiping member 18 and the rubbing member 19 and the cleaning operation of the ejection port surface 81 are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. Further, in this embodiment, cleaning of the wiping member (wiper blade) 18 by the cleaning member 31 of the ink absorber is added.

By the series of cleaning operations described with reference to FIG. 8 above, the ejection port surface 81 of the recording head 1 and the wiping member 18 can be cleaned, and the ejection port surface 81 can be cleaned more effectively and further. It is possible to maintain a normal ink ejection state for a long period of time, which makes it possible to maintain a state in which the recording head 1 can perform normal recording for a longer period of time.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which ink is attached to the ejection port surface 81 of the recording head 1. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the ejection port surface 81 is wet by the ink droplet ID. It is a side view shown, (b) is the discharge port surface 81 of (a).
FIG. 6C is a side view showing a state in which the thin film Id of the thickened ink adheres to the ejection port surface 81.
(D) is a front view of (c). When the ink droplet ID and the thin film ink Id are generated at the position in contact with the ejection port 82, a deviation occurs in the flight direction of the ejection ink or ejection failure due to clogging occurs, so that the recording quality deteriorates. .

The wiping member (wiper blade) 1
8 is formed of a sheet-like rubber-like elastic body, and is brought into contact with the ejection port surface 81 with a relatively low pressing force to wipe it, so that cleaning is mainly suitable for wiping and removing the ink droplet ID before drying. It is a member. On the other hand, the rubbing member 19 is formed of an ink absorber such as a porous material, and is rubbed against the ejection port surface 81 with a relatively strong pressing force to rub the ink film Id that is dried and fixed. It is a cleaning member suitable for removing by rubbing.

According to each of the above-described embodiments, the rubbing member 19 of the ink absorber that rubs the ejection opening surface 81 of the recording head 1 and the sheet-shaped rubber-like elastic wiping member 18 that wipes the ejection opening surface. The cleaning means 20 which is integrated with the cleaning means 20 is provided, and the amount of the cleaning means 20 entering the discharge port surface 81 is relatively large when the rubbing member 19 is used, and relatively small when the wiping member 18 is used. Since the setting is made so that the periphery of the ejection port 82 of the ejection port surface 81 can be reliably cleaned, the mechanism of the cleaning unit 20 is simplified, and the space required for disposing the cleaning unit is reduced. Ink jet printing capable of maintaining the performance of the recording head 1 for a long period of time and extending the life of the recording head 1 and further downsizing the recording apparatus. DOO recording apparatus can be realized.

In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ejection port surface 81 is cleaned by the rubbing member 19 and the wiping member (wiper blade) 1 is used.
Since the ink adhering to 8 is absorbed by the rubbing member 19, it is conceivable that the rubbing ability may be reduced due to the ink absorbed by the rubbing member 19 being condensed and solidified. In that case, the rubbing member 19 itself may be configured to be easily replaced. As a result, the recording head 1 can be kept in a normally recordable state for a longer period. Furthermore, the wiping member 18 may also be configured to be replaceable.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the case of the serial recording system in which the recording means (recording head) is moved in the main scanning direction has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the full width or one width of the recording material. Even in the case of a line recording method for recording only by sub-scanning using a line recording means having a length that covers a portion,
The same can be applied and the same effect can be achieved. Further, the present invention provides a color recording apparatus using a plurality of recording means for recording in different colors, a single color recording apparatus for recording by one recording means, or a plurality of recording means for recording with the same color but different densities. Gradation recording device used,
Furthermore, in the case of a recording device that combines these,
The same can be applied and the same effect can be achieved.

Further, according to the present invention, when a replaceable head cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrated is used, or when the recording head and the ink tank are provided separately and the space between them is connected by an ink supply tube or the like. The same can be applied to any arrangement of the recording head and the ink tank, and similar effects can be obtained.

The present invention can be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus using a recording means (recording head) using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, but among them, thermal energy is used. Then, an excellent effect is brought about in an ink jet recording apparatus which uses a recording means of a method of ejecting ink. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

Regarding its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
This is preferably done using the basic principles disclosed in 796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type, but particularly in the case of the on-demand type, a liquid (ink) is used.
By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which is stored, which corresponds to the recorded information and causes a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling. , Generates heat energy in the electrothermal converter to cause film boiling on the heat acting surface of the recording means (recording head), and as a result, bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink) in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal. So effective.

Due to the growth and contraction of the bubbles, liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make the driving signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be grown and contracted immediately and appropriately, and thus a liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be ejected. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, US Pat.
Those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,633,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Incidentally, US Pat. No. 43131 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise of the heat acting surface
If the conditions described in the specification of No. 24 are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the straight liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of No. 459600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 123670/1984 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of the electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a structure based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a structure in which the discharge section is associated with the discharge section. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, as described above, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording material (recording medium) which can be recorded by the recording apparatus. . As such a recording head,
Either a structure that satisfies the length by combining a plurality of recording heads or a structure as one recording head integrally formed may be used. In addition, even with the serial type as in the above example, the recording head fixed to the device main body,
Alternatively, a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be electrically connected to the device body and supply ink from the device body when mounted on the device body, or an ink tank is integrally provided on the recording head itself. The present invention is also effective when the cartridge type recording head described above is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means or preliminary auxiliary means to the recording head provided as a constitution of the recording apparatus in the present invention because the effect of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, in addition to the above-mentioned capping means, cleaning means, and suction recovery means for the recording head, a pressure-type recovery means, an electrothermal converter, or a heating other than this. It is also effective to perform stable recording by performing a preliminary heating means using an element or a combination thereof and a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection different from recording.

As described above, regarding the type or number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, or a plurality of recording heads having different recording colors and densities are provided. A plurality of inks may be provided corresponding to the ink. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be either the recording head is integrally configured or a combination of a plurality of recording heads may be used. The present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of color colors or full colors by color mixing.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens or liquefies at room temperature, or an ink jet. In the method, the temperature of the ink itself is generally adjusted within a range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable ejection range. It may be in a liquid form. in addition,
To prevent the temperature rise due to the thermal energy from being positively used as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or to use the ink that solidifies in the standing state for the purpose of preventing the evaporation of the ink. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying the thermal energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink is ejected,
The present invention is also applicable to the case of using an ink that has a property of being liquefied only by thermal energy, such as one that has already started to solidify when it reaches the recording medium.

The ink in such a case is described in JP-A-54-54.
As described in JP-A-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, a mode in which it is held as a liquid or a solid in the recesses or through holes of the porous sheet and faces the electrothermal converter. May be In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as the form of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, besides the one used as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting / receiving function. And the like may be used.

[0062]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting the ink from the recording means to the recording material, the surface of the ejection port of the recording means is slid. Since the cleaning means has a structure in which the rubbing member of the ink absorber to be rubbed and the wiping member of the sheet-like rubber-like elastic body for wiping the ejection port surface are integrated, the space required for the ejection recovery device is reduced, (EN) Provided is an ink jet recording apparatus which can reduce the size of the recording apparatus and can maintain the ejection characteristics of the recording head and extend the life of the recording head.

According to the invention of claims 2 to 5, in addition to the structure of claim 1, the amount of penetration of the cleaning means into the discharge port surface is relatively large when the rubbing member is used. A configuration in which the wiping member is set to be relatively small when used, a configuration in which ink adhering to the wiping member penetrates into the rubbing member, a configuration in which ink adhering to the wiping member is absorbed by the rubbing member, Alternatively, since the ink adhered to the wiping member is cleaned and removed by the cleaning member disposed on the recording unit side, the space required for the ejection recovery device can be reduced more efficiently and the recording device can be downsized. (EN) An ink jet recording apparatus capable of maintaining the ejection characteristics of the recording head and extending the life of the recording head.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a main part of a first embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection portion of the recording means in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the first embodiment of the cleaning means according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a wiping operation of the cleaning means of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a sliding operation of the cleaning means of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of the cleaning means according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a cleaning operation of the cleaning means of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration and operation of a third embodiment of the cleaning means according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a state of an ink droplet and an ink film attached to the ejection port surface of the recording unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 recording means (recording head) 2 carriage 3 guide shaft 4 main scanning motor 7 timing belt 8 recording material 14 discharge recovery mechanism 15 cap 16 suction pump 17 holder 18 wiping member (wiper blade) 19 rubbing member (porous member) 20 Cleaning Means 31 Cleaning Member (Ink Absorber) 81 Ejection Port Surface 82 Ejection Port 84 Liquid Path 85 Electrothermal Converter

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Kentaro Yano 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kiichiro Takahashi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Kei Iwasaki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hitoshi Nishikori 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. In an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, a rubbing member of an ink absorber which rubs the ejection opening surface of the recording means and the ejection opening surface are wiped. An ink jet recording apparatus having a cleaning means integrated with a sheet-like rubber-like elastic member wiping member. 2. The amount of penetration of the cleaning means with respect to the discharge port surface is set to be relatively large when the rubbing member is used and relatively small when the wiping member is used. Item 1. The inkjet recording device according to item 1. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink adhering to the wiping member is permeated into the rubbing member. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink adhering to the wiping member is absorbed by the rubbing member. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink adhering to the wiping member is cleaned and removed by a cleaning member arranged on the recording unit side. 6. The ink jet recording means according to claim 1, wherein the recording means is an ink jet recording means provided with an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink. Inkjet recording device of either. 7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the recording unit ejects the ink from the ejection port by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter. .