JPH0768791A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent dust arc thickened ink from being pulled out of delivery ports or returned into the delivery ports at the wiping of a delivery port surface of a head, prevent mixture of colors at the wiping of two or more heads, and prevent occurrence of an uneven recording and a defective delivery to stabilize delivery characteristics and enhance a reliability. CONSTITUTION:A capillary structure 23 consisting of grooves and tunnel holes having a capillary force is opened on an end face 29 disposed to be fulsh with a delivery port surface 81 of a head 3, of a chip tank 21. A porous member 24 is disposed in contact with the other end of the capillary structure 23. Foreign particles adhering to a wiping blade coming into slide and rub contact with the delivery port surface 81 are absorbed into the porous member 24 together with ink through the capillary structure 23.

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.

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 the IC technology and the micro processing technology, it is easy to make the recording means long or planar (two-dimensional), and it is easy to make the recording means long and high density. .

In the above ink jet recording apparatus,
Ink mist that occurs when ejecting ink from the recording head, wet ink on the ejection port surface due to satellite ink that occurs when refilling the ink, and suction residual ink that occurs during recovery processing such as ink suction from the ejection port, A recovery device is provided to remove the above. The recovery device mainly includes, for example, a suction device for forcibly discharging the ink from the ejection port, and a wiping device (cleaning device) for wiping and cleaning the ejection port surface (ejection port array surface). .

In the wiping device, in order to maintain the ejection stability by cleaning the ejection port of the recording head and its peripheral portion, a blade made of an elastic material or the like is brought into direct contact with the ejection port surface of the recording head. The ejection port surface is rubbed while moving relative to the recording head to wipe and clean the ejection port surface (usually a plurality of ejection ports are arranged).

On the other hand, various improvements have been made to the ink jet recording head in order to improve the ejection stability. However, in the recent head construction, the shape of the ejection port and the liquid path (ink for guiding the ink to the ejection port). It has been found that the shape of the flow path plays an important role in controlling the ejection characteristics (particularly the twist). In particular, in the case where the discharge port forming member is used to punch (drill) the discharge port with a laser beam, the kicking at the time of punching the hole and the flow near the discharge port (the tip of the liquid passage) Resistance has become a problem, and the shape of the liquid path and the shape of the discharge port have become complicated.

[0009]

The above wiping (cleaning) is performed on a recording head having a discharge port having such a complicated shape, or a discharge port or liquid path having a special shape in consideration of stabilization of discharge characteristics. In carrying out the above, in the related art, if the wiping process is not appropriate, the following inconvenience (detrimental effect) may occur.

First, there is an adverse effect due to dust and thickened ink returning to the inside of the liquid path of the recording head due to wiping. That is, dust (dust, paper fluff, etc.) and thickened ink (ink in which volatile components have evaporated) adhering to the surface near the ejection port of the recording head (ejection port surface) or the sliding surface of the wiping blade wipes. If it enters inside the ejection port of the recording head or adheres to the periphery of the ejection port, the dust and thickening ink increase the recording deviation,
Discharge failure may increase. In addition, there is a possibility that an element that generates energy used for ejecting ink is adversely affected (for example, a heating element is burnt).

Secondly, there is an adverse effect due to the ink being drawn out from the ejection port during wiping. That is, when the meniscus formed by the surface tension of the ink inside the ejection port during wiping is rubbed by the elastic blade or the like (cleaning member), the blade comes into contact with the ink and the ink is drawn out from the ejection port. Therefore, there is a possibility that recording misalignment or ejection failure may occur due to the drawn ink. Also, the wiping failure may occur due to the sticking of the drawn ink.

Thirdly, there is an adverse effect that color mixing occurs when a plurality of recording heads are continuously wiped. For example, in a recording apparatus that uses a plurality of recording heads corresponding to inks of different color tones, when wiping these recording heads one after another, after ink suction or recording, ejection of the heads on the upstream side of wiping is performed. Ink (wet ink) adhering to the vicinity of the outlet may be transferred to the blade side by wiping, and ink of different colors may enter the inside of the ejection port of the head on the downstream side of the wiping.
When such an invasion of ink occurs, there is a possibility that color mixing may occur due to mixing of different color inks or ejection failure may occur due to mixing of inks having different components.

The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to draw dust or thickened ink together with ink from an ejection port or to eject the inside of the ejection port when wiping an ink jet recording head. The possibility of ink color mixing when wiping multiple printheads is reduced, the occurrence of print misalignment and ejection defects is reduced, and ejection characteristics are stabilized and reliability is improved. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording apparatus capable of realizing the above and maintaining the stability of recording image quality.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means onto a recording material, an end surface of a chip tank on the same surface as an ejection port surface of the recording means. To form a structure having a capillary force along the tip tank, and disposing a porous member at the other end of the structure having a capillary force, and foreign matter attached to the cleaning member that selectively contacts the discharge port surface. The above-mentioned object is achieved by making the porous member absorb through the structure having the capillary force.

In addition to the above structure, the structure having the capillary force is provided on the surface of the chip tank opposite to the surface in contact with the base plate, or In addition to the above purpose, the structure having the capillary force is formed integrally with the tip tank, so that a porous member, which is a separate member from the conventional tip tank, is directly attached to the cleaning member (wiping member). Eliminates problems such as excessive abrasion of the porous member due to variation in dimensional accuracy and surface roughness of the fracture surface that occurs during water-absorbent resin molding, such as wear of the cleaning member and clogging of the porous member. Alternatively, the present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus that can reduce the number.

In addition to the above structure, the cleaning member is selectively brought into contact with the end portion of the structure having the capillary force on the same end face side as the discharge port face. The structure in which the porous member is in contact with the opposite end of the structure having the capillary force, and the structure having the capillary force is
A structure that conveys ink containing solid matter such as dust from one end to the other end by a capillary force. The cleaning member that selectively contacts the discharge port surface wipes and cleans foreign matter adhering to the discharge port surface. A configuration that is a wiping member,
The structure having the capillary force has a groove shape, the structure having the capillary force is a tunnel hole having a circular cross section, or the structure having the capillary force is a tunnel hole having a polygonal cross section. By doing so,
The above object is achieved.

According to the tenth and eleventh aspects of the present invention, in addition to the above structure, in the structure having the capillary force, the end surface on the side of the porous member is formed by an inclined surface which is inclined in a tip downward direction, and the inclination is A configuration in which a porous member is in contact with the surface, or a configuration in which the surface of the porous member in contact with the structure having the capillary force is an inverted inclined surface that is in close contact with the inclined surface of the structure having the capillary force; By doing so, in addition to the above purpose, even if there is some variation in the structure having the capillary force and the dimensional shape of the porous member, it is possible to ensure contact between the two, and a structure having the capillary force. Provided is an inkjet recording device capable of reliably guiding ink from a porous member to a porous member.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The same reference numerals in the following drawings indicate the same or corresponding portions. In the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of FIG. 1, the inkjet cartridge 2 is a carriage 5
The carriage 5 is connected to a driving force transmitting means 7 such as a wire or a belt for transmitting the driving force of the carriage motor 6, and the two guides arranged in parallel with each other. It is guided and supported along the rails 8 and 9 so as to be capable of reciprocating. The inkjet cartridge 2 is composed of a disposable (disposable) replaceable cartridge in which a recording head (recording means) 3 and an ink tank (ink storage portion) 4 are integrated.

In the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 1, the carriage 5 moving along the guide rails 8 and 9.
Although the inkjet cartridge is mounted on the above, the inkjet cartridge itself may be directly guided and supported by the guide rails 8 and 9 without using the carriage 5. In that case, the driving force transmission member 7 such as a wire or a belt is also directly connected to the cartridge. Further, in the flexible cable for transmitting an electric signal from the control circuit of the apparatus main body to the inkjet cartridge, the contact portion thereof is directly connected to the head substrate in the cartridge.

The recording head (recording means) 3 of the ink jet cartridge 2 is an ink jet recording means for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy, and is provided with an electrothermal converter for generating heat energy. is there. In addition, the recording head 3 utilizes a pressure change caused by growth and contraction of bubbles due to film boiling generated by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter,
Ink is ejected from the ejection port to perform recording.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection portion of the recording means (recording head) 3.
In FIG. 2, the ejection port surface 81 facing a recording material (recording paper or the like) with a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.5 to 2.0 mm) has a plurality of ejection ports at a predetermined pitch. 82
And an electrothermal converter (heat-generating resistor, etc.) 85 for generating energy for ejecting ink is disposed along the wall surface of each liquid passage 84 that connects the common liquid chamber 83 and each ejection port 82. Has been done. In this example, the recording head 3 is mounted on the carriage 5 in such a positional relationship that the ejection ports 82 are arranged in a direction intersecting the scanning direction of the carriage 5. In this way, the corresponding electrothermal converter 85 is driven (energized) based on the image signal or the ejection signal, and the liquid passage 84 is driven.
The recording head 3 is configured to cause the ink inside the film to boil and eject the ink from the ejection port 82 by the pressure generated at that time.

In FIG. 1, the ejection port surface 8 of the recording head 3
A platen 10 is arranged at a position facing 1
The recording material fed to the recording unit is recorded by the inkjet cartridge 2 while being positioned by the surface (platen surface) of the platen 10. That is, the recording material held on the platen 10 is recorded, and each time one row of recording is performed, the recording material is conveyed by a predetermined pitch (paper feed) and the next one row is recorded again. The recording operation is repeated to record an image on the entire area of the recording material.

In the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG.
A recovery device 11 for eliminating ejection failure of the recording head 3 is arranged at a predetermined position (for example, a home position) within the reciprocating range of the inkjet cartridge 2 (recording head 3) and outside the recording area. ing. The recovery device 11 is driven by the recovery motor 12 in the contact / separation direction with respect to the ejection port surface 81 of the inkjet cartridge 2 (recording head 3) via the transmission mechanism 13.
A cap 14 for capping (sealing) the ejection port surface 81 is provided on the front surface of the recovery device 11. The recovery device 11 includes a cap 14 and a discharge port surface 81.
Is hermetically sealed and the ink can be forcibly discharged from each ejection port 82. In this case, the ink is forcibly discharged by an ink suction operation by a suction pump connected to the cap 14 or an ink pressure feeding operation by a pressurizing means in the ink supply path.
By sucking (discharging) the ink in this way, foreign substances such as thickened ink, adhered ink, dust, and air bubbles in each discharge port 82 are discharged together with the ink, thereby restoring the ink discharge function of the recording head 3 to a normal state. Or it can be maintained.

Further, a wiping blade (cleaning member) 15 formed of a plate material of a rubber-like elastic body such as silicon rubber is arranged on the side surface of the recovery device 11 on the recording area side. The wiping blade 15 is also movable in the front-rear direction by the recovery motor 12 and the transmission mechanism 13, and comes into contact with the ejection port surface 81 at the forward position. The wiping blade 15 wipes and removes ink, thickened ink, dust, and the like adhering to the ejection port surface 81 of the recording head 3 to prevent defective ejection of ink due to these adhering substances.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the ink jet cartridge 2 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the recording head 3 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the ink tank 4 is mechanically integrated with the inkjet recording head 3 that performs monochrome recording. Figure 3
4, the recording head 3 is provided with a chip tank (sub-tank) 21 different from the ink tank (main tank) 4, and the ejection port surface 8 of the recording head 3 is provided.
A structure 23 having a capillary force is formed along the chip tank 21 from the end surface 22 of the chip tank 21 on the same plane as 1. The porous member 24 is provided at the other end of the structure 23 having the capillary force. It is installed.

An arrow A in FIG. 3 indicates a direction in which the ejection port surface 81 of the recording head 3 is wiped and cleaned (rubbed) by the cleaning member (wiping blade) 15 shown in FIG. 1, and hatching (oblique lines) in the vicinity thereof. A region indicates a wiping range by the cleaning member 15. Thus
The cleaning member 15 that selectively contacts the ejection port surface 81
Adhered to the rubbing surface (was wiped from the discharge port surface 81)
Foreign substances such as ink, dust (dust, paper fluff, etc.), thickened ink (ink in which volatile components have evaporated) move through the structure 23 having a capillary force, and are absorbed by the porous member 24. It is configured.

In the first embodiment, the structure 23 having the capillary force is formed as a plurality of groove structures as shown in the drawing. Further, the structure 23 having the capillary force is a surface (lower surface) that contacts the base plate 25 of the chip tank 21.
The chip tank 21 is integrally formed on the opposite surface (upper surface) as the same member. The end surface 22 of the structure 23 having the capillary force is the same as the discharge surface 81.
The cleaning member 15 selectively rubs (contacts) the end portion on the side, and the porous member 24 contacts the end portion on the opposite side of the structure 23 having the capillary force. With such a configuration, the cleaning member 15 rubs against each other,
The ink containing solid matter such as dust transferred from the cleaning member 15 to the end surface 22 of the chip tank is conveyed by the capillary force through the structure 23 having the capillary force, and is in contact with the other end of the porous member (ink. It is absorbed by the absorber 24.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the inlet side (the side that slides against the cleaning member 15) of the groove structure (structure having a capillary force) 23 in the first embodiment, and a plane shape in the lengthwise direction.
It is a schematic diagram which shows the exit side (the porous member 24 side) front shape, respectively. In this embodiment, the width of the groove structure 23 is represented by w, the height (depth) thereof is represented by h, and the length thereof is represented by 1. Then, in the present embodiment, these dimensions (unit: mm) are 0.02 ≦
w ≦ 0.5, 0.1 ≦ h ≦ 0.5, 1.0 ≦ l ≦ 5.0
When the test is conducted by changing the range of 0.1, 0.1 ≦ w
≦ 0.30, 0.4 ≦ h ≦ 0.5, 3.5 ≦ l ≦ 4.5
It has been found that it is desirable to form the groove structure 23 with a combination within the range. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5D, it was also found that it is desirable to narrow the groove shape toward the porous member 24.
The value of the inclination (dw / dl) of the narrowing at this time is -4/30
It has also been found that the case where ≦ dw / dl ≦ −6 / 80 is optimal is optimum.

FIG. 6 shows a structure 23 having a capillary force in the second embodiment of the ink jet cartridge 2 according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an inlet side front shape, a length direction plane shape, and an outlet side front shape of each of several examples. The structure 23 having a capillary force in the present embodiment is formed of a tunnel hole having a circular cross section, as shown in FIG. The hole radius and the length of the tunnel hole 23 are represented by r and l, respectively. Then, in this embodiment, as in the case of the above-described first embodiment, as a result of studying various shapes and dimensions including the shape shown in FIG. 6, these dimensions (mm) are 0.3 ≦. r ≦ 0.5,
It has been found optimal that 3.5 ≦ l ≦ 4.5. Further, as shown in (b) and (d) of FIG.
It is desirable to make the tunnel holes thinner toward the porous member 24, and the narrowing slope (dr / d) at that time.
It has been found optimum that the value of l) is −0.14 ≦ dr / dl ≦ −0.06.

FIG. 7 shows a structure 23 having a capillary force in the third embodiment of the ink jet cartridge 2 according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an inlet side front shape, a length direction plane shape, and an outlet side front shape of each of several examples. As shown in FIG. 7, the structure 23 having a capillary force in this embodiment is formed by a tunnel hole having a polygonal cross section. This tunnel hole 23
R _S is the true circle equivalent radius of the cross-section polygon and the tunnel length is l
In this case, as in the case of the first and second embodiments described above, various shapes and dimensions including the shape shown in FIG. ) Is 0.25 ≦ r _S ≦ 0.5, 3.5
It has been found optimal that ≦ l ≦ 4.5. Furthermore, as shown in (b) and (d) of FIG. 7, it is desirable that the tunnel hole 23 becomes thinner toward the porous member 24, and the narrowing slope (dr _S / d) at that time.
It has been found optimum that the value of l) is −0.14 ≦ dr _S /dl≦−0.05.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the recording head 3 (inkjet cartridge 2) of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 9 shows the mounting structure of the porous member in FIG. It is a schematic diagram. In this embodiment, the structure 23 having a capillary force has a groove structure, and a mechanical fixing means for mechanically manually operating the porous member 24 with respect to the chip tank 21 is used.

As a means for fixing the porous member 24 to the chip tank 21, adhesion or heat caulking is generally adopted, but in this embodiment, the chip tank 21 has a shape as shown in FIG. Porous member fixing pin (hook pin)
31 and the through hole 32 is formed in the porous member 24.
Is formed in advance, and the hole 32 is inserted into the pin 31, so that the porous member 24 is hooked and fixed to the pin 31.

According to the fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, it is possible to simplify the process, improve the workability, and improve the tact time, as compared with the case where the fixing is performed by adhesion or heat crimping. Further, when the porous member 24 becomes heavily soiled with ink or the like, the porous member 24 can be replaced more easily, and the hygroscopic force and cleanliness can always be ensured.

FIG. 10 shows the recording head 3 (inkjet cartridge 2) of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.
11 is a schematic perspective view showing the main part of the fifth embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 11 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view showing a contact portion between the structure 23 having a capillary force and the porous member 24 in FIG. 10. In the present embodiment, the end face on the outlet side of the structure 23 having a capillary force and the porous member 24 are in contact with each other by aligning with the inclined surface as illustrated. In addition, the structure 23 having the capillary force of the present embodiment.
Are formed in the same groove structure as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the outlet side end face (end face on the porous member 24 side) 33 of the groove structure (structure having a capillary force) 33.
Is formed as an inclined surface inclined in the downward direction of the tip, and the surface 34 of the porous member 24 that contacts the groove structure 23 is formed as an inverted inclined surface 34 that is in close contact with the inclined surface 33 of the groove structure.

According to the fifth embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11, since the structure 23 having the capillary force and the porous member 24 are brought into contact with each other through the inclined surfaces 33 and 34 which are in close contact with each other as described above, these Even if there is some variation in the size and shape of the ink, it is possible to surely bring them into contact with each other, and it is possible to more smoothly and reliably introduce the ink from the structure 23 having a capillary force into the porous member 24. Become.

According to each of the embodiments described above, the dirt and ink attached to the cleaning member 15 for wiping and cleaning the discharge port surface 81 of the recording head 3 is passed through the porous member 24 through the structure 23 having a capillary force. Therefore, the porous member 24 can be downsized and the cost thereof can be reduced as compared with the conventional method of directly contacting the porous member.

Further, since the solid dust and the like are easily washed away with the ink by the capillary force of the structure 23 having the capillary force, there is a possibility that the dust once pressed against the porous member will adhere to the cleaning member again. Greatly reduced. This reduces the phenomenon that dust adhering to the cleaning member 15 reattaches to the ejection port surface 81, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in recording yield due to dust.

Further, since the structure 23 having a capillary force is formed integrally with the chip tank 21, the porous member due to the variation in dimensional accuracy is compared with the conventional method of directly applying the cleaning member to the porous member of another member. It is possible to reduce adverse effects such as abrasion of the cleaning member and clogging of the porous member caused by excessive protrusion and surface roughness of the fracture surface generated at the time of molding the water absorbent resin.

Furthermore, it is possible to prevent backflow of ink, stagnation, lateral leakage, etc., which are caused by non-contact states due to dimensional accuracy variations of the structure 23 having a capillary force and the porous member 24. Structure 23 with capillary force
It is possible to surely introduce the ink from the porous member 24 into the porous member 24. As described above, according to each of the above-described embodiments, a dramatic effect is achieved mainly in terms of an improvement in recording yield due to an improvement in ejection stability of the inkjet recording head, an improvement in durability of the recording head, and a cost reduction. There is provided an inkjet recording device that can obtain the above.

In the above embodiment, the recording head 3
The case of a serial recording device in which the (inkjet cartridge 2) is mounted on the carriage 5 has been described as an example, but the present invention uses a recording head having a length that covers the whole or a part of the width of the recording material. The same can be applied to the case of a line recording apparatus that records only by paper feed scanning, and similar effects can be obtained. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case of recording with one recording head 3 is illustrated, but the present invention is a color recording apparatus using a plurality of recording heads for recording with different colors, or an ink having the same color but different density. The present invention can be widely applied to a recording apparatus for gradation recording that uses a plurality of recording heads for recording, and the same effect can be obtained regardless of the number of recording heads or recording colors.

Further, the present invention uses the replaceable ink jet cartridge in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated as described above, and the recording head and the ink tank are separated and connected by a tube or the like. No matter what the arrangement of the head and the ink tank is, the same can be applied and the same effect can be achieved.

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. In this way, an excellent effect is brought about in an ink jet recording apparatus of the type that ejects ink. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

With regard to its typical structure and principle, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740 are applicable.
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, the 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 linear 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 and 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 above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and 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,
Whether the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively used as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink that solidifies when left standing for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the ink is used. 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.

[0052]

As is clear from the above description, according to the first aspect of the invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from the recording means to the recording material, the same as the ejection port surface of the recording means. Forming a structure having a capillary force along the tip tank from the end surface of the tip tank on the surface,
A porous member is arranged at the other end of the structure having the capillary force,
Since the foreign material adhering to the cleaning member that comes into selective contact with the ejection port surface is absorbed by the porous member through the structure having the capillary force, dust or thickened ink may be generated when wiping the inkjet recording head. It is possible to reduce the possibility of ink color mixing when wiping multiple print heads, and reduce the occurrence of print misalignment and discharge defects by reducing the possibility of ink being drawn out of the discharge port and returned to the inside of the discharge port. Provided is an inkjet recording apparatus capable of stabilizing ejection characteristics and improving reliability and maintaining stability of recording image quality.

According to the inventions of claims 2 and 3,
In addition to the above structure, the structure having the capillary force is provided on the surface of the chip tank opposite to the surface contacting the base plate, or the structure having the capillary force is formed integrally with the chip tank. In addition to the above effects, the cleaning member wears and porosity caused by excessive protrusion of the porous member due to variation in dimensional accuracy and surface roughness of the fracture surface generated during water-absorbent resin molding. Provided is an ink jet recording apparatus capable of eliminating or reducing the adverse effects such as blurring of a quality member.

According to the inventions of claims 4 to 9, in addition to the above structure, the cleaning member selectively contacts the end portion of the structure having the capillary force on the same end face side as the discharge port face. However, the structure in which the porous member is in contact with the end portion on the opposite side of the structure having the capillary force, the structure having the capillary force allows ink containing solid matter such as dust to flow from one end to the other end. The cleaning member that comes into contact with the discharge port surface is a wiping member that wipes and cleans foreign matter adhering to the discharge port surface, and the structure having the capillary force has a groove shape. The configuration,
Since the structure having the capillary force is a tunnel hole having a circular cross section or the structure having the capillary force is a tunnel hole having a polygonal cross section, the inkjet recording capable of achieving the above effect more efficiently can be achieved. A device is provided.

According to the tenth and eleventh aspects of the present invention, in addition to the above structure, in the structure having the capillary force, the end surface on the side of the porous member is formed by an inclined surface inclined in the downward direction of the tip, The structure in which the porous member is in contact with the inclined surface, or the surface of the porous member in contact with the structure having the capillary force is a reverse inclined surface in close contact with the inclined surface of the structure having the capillary force. Since it is configured, in addition to the above effect, even if there is some variation in the structure having the capillary force and the dimensional shape of the porous member, it is possible to ensure contact between the two and to have the capillary force. Provided is an inkjet recording device capable of reliably guiding ink from a structure to a porous member.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an 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 showing a first embodiment of the inkjet cartridge of the inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the recording head (first embodiment) in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing several examples of a structure having a capillary force provided in the first embodiment of the recording head to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing several examples of a structure having a capillary force provided in the second embodiment of the recording head to which the invention is applied.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing several examples of a structure having a capillary force provided in a third embodiment of a recording head to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of a recording head to which the present invention is applied.

9 is a schematic diagram showing a mounting structure of a porous member in the recording head of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view schematically showing a main part of a fifth embodiment of the recording head to which the present invention is applied.

11 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing a contact portion between the structure having a capillary force and the porous member in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Inkjet recording device 2 Inkjet cartridge 3 Recording means (recording head) 4 Ink tank 5 Carriage 10 Platen 11 Recovery device 12 Recovery motor 14 Cap 15 Cleaning member (wiping blade) 21 Chip tank 22 Chip tank end face 23 Structure having capillary force 24 porous member 25 base plate 31 porous member fixing pin 32 through hole 33 inclined surface 34 reverse inclined surface 81 discharge port surface 82 discharge port 83 common liquid chamber 84 liquid channel 85 electrothermal converter

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. In an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, a capillary force is applied along the tip tank from the end surface of the chip tank on the same plane as the ejection port surface of the recording means. A porous member is formed at the other end of the structure having the capillary force, and foreign matter adhering to the cleaning member selectively contacting the discharge port surface is passed through the structure having the capillary force through the porous member. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized by being absorbed by a quality member. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the structure having a capillary force is provided on a surface of the chip tank opposite to a surface in contact with the base plate. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the structure having the capillary force is formed integrally with the chip tank. 4. The cleaning member is selectively brought into contact with an end portion of the structure having the capillary force on the same end surface side as the discharge port surface, and the porous member is formed on the opposite end portion of the structure having the capillary force. The quality members are in contact with each other.
Inkjet recording device. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the structure having a capillary force conveys ink containing solid matter such as dust from one end to the other end by the capillary force. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member that selectively comes into contact with the ejection opening surface is a wiping member that wipes and cleans foreign matter attached to the ejection opening surface. 7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the structure having a capillary force has a groove shape. 8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the structure having a capillary force is a tunnel hole having a circular cross section. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the structure having a capillary force is a tunnel hole having a polygonal cross section. 10. The structure having a capillary force is characterized in that an end surface on the side of the porous member is formed by an inclined surface inclined in a tip-down direction, and the porous member is in contact with the inclined surface. The inkjet recording device according to claim 4. 11. The inkjet according to claim 10, wherein a surface of the porous member that comes into contact with the structure having the capillary force is a reverse inclined surface that is in close contact with the inclined surface of the structure having the capillary force. Recording device. 12. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit is an inkjet recording unit including an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink. 13. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 12, 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. .