JPH08112914A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To increase the ink absorbing speed by expanding the ink absorbing area of a waste ink tank without scaling up a recording apparatus by a simple and inexpensive constitution, prevent the leakage of ink before the ink holding limit of an ink absorbing member and let the ink absorbing member absorb ink up to the ink holding limit. CONSTITUTION: An ink absorbing member 26 is received in a waste ink tank 22 storing unnecessary waste ink and grooves 29 for diffusing waste ink throughout the waste ink tank 22 are provided to the inner wall surface coming into contact with the ink absorbing member 2b of the waste ink tank 22 or ink inflow ports 23 are provided thereto at a plurality of places and the ink absorbing member 26 is formed into such a structure that a material high in ink diffusibility and a material high in ink holdability are alternately superposed alternately.

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. Images (including characters and symbols) on recording materials (recording media) such as (sheets for OHP)
Is configured to record. 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. On the other hand, there are various requirements for the material of the recording material, and in recent years, in addition to the ordinary recording material such as paper and resin thin plate, thin paper and processed paper (paper with punch holes for filing and perforation). Paper, paper of any shape, etc.)
It has been required to use such as.

In the above ink jet recording apparatus,
The ink in the ink ejection port becomes dry and thickened or sticks, and dust such as paper dust enters or bubbles are generated, resulting in clogging of the ejection port or ejection failure (no ejection). Including). Therefore, in order to remove (eliminate) such a cause of ejection failure, an ejection recovery operation is performed in which ink (waste ink) and the cause of non-ejection such as fixed ink are removed by ejecting ink from the ejection port. Be seen. As this discharge recovery operation, a suction recovery operation in which a negative pressure is applied to the discharge port by a suction pump or the like to suck the ink is generally used, but in addition, a pressure recovery for pressurizing and discharging the ink from the inside of the discharge port. motion,
Alternatively, there is an ejection recovery operation for driving the ejection energy generating means to eject ink.

The ink (waste ink) discharged during the recovery operation of the recording head is introduced into the waste ink tank from the cap (recovery system cap) or the preliminary ejection port through the inflow port, and is held in the waste ink tank. It This waste ink tank has a structure in which an ink absorber is housed in a case, and the introduced waste ink is absorbed and held in the ink absorber. The ink absorber is made of a material such as pulp or sponge having excellent ink absorbing ability. The waste ink tank is usually provided with a vent for promoting the evaporation of ink.

[0008]

However, in the waste ink tank of the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, the introduced waste ink is absorbed and held by the ink absorber, but the ink is not absorbed by the ink absorber. Along with this, a phenomenon occurs that the absorption rate gradually decreases. This decrease in absorption rate is due to the influence of the ink diffusivity of the material of the ink absorber. Therefore, when the ink is absorbed by the ink absorber, the ink is collected at the inlet of the waste ink tank, even before the ink holding limit of the ink absorber, and in the worst case, the reverse flow of the ink from the inlet. May occur, or ink may leak from a gap in the waste ink tank (for example, a vent or a gap between the upper and lower cases).

Further, if an ink absorber made of a material having a good ink diffusion property is used to solve the above problems, the volume of the ink absorber must be increased because the ink holding property is low. There is an inconvenience that the occupation rate of the waste ink tank in the apparatus increases and the size of the recording apparatus also increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to increase the number of parts, to prevent an increase in the size of a recording apparatus, and to provide a simple and inexpensive structure. Waste ink that can improve the ink absorption speed inside the waste ink tank, prevent ink leakage before the ink holding limit of the ink absorber, and allow the ink absorber to absorb ink up to the holding limit An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording device including a tank.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the invention, in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, a waste ink tank for storing unnecessary waste ink is provided, An ink absorber that holds ink is housed inside the ink tank, and a groove line for diffusing the waste ink throughout the waste ink tank is formed on the inner wall surface of the waste ink tank that is in contact with the ink absorber. With the configuration, the above object is achieved.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, a waste ink tank for storing unnecessary waste ink is provided, and the waste ink tank is provided inside the waste ink tank. Is configured to accommodate an ink absorber that holds ink and to provide waste ink inlets at a plurality of positions in the waste ink tank in order to diffuse the waste ink throughout the waste ink tank. Is achieved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, a waste ink tank for storing unnecessary waste ink is provided, and the waste ink tank is provided inside the waste ink tank. Is configured such that two or more ink absorbers are accommodated at least partially overlapping each other, at least one ink absorber is a material having a good ink diffusion property, and the other ink absorbers are a material having a good ink holding property. By doing so, the above object is achieved.

In addition to the structure of claim 3, the inventions of claim 4 and claim 5 have a structure in which an ink absorber having a good ink diffusion property and an ink absorber having a good ink holding property are alternately superposed. By configuring the ink absorber that first absorbs the waste ink to be a material having a good ink diffusibility, the above object can be achieved more efficiently.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, a waste ink tank for storing unnecessary waste ink is provided, and the waste ink tank is provided inside the waste ink tank. In order to achieve the above object, an ink absorber made of a material having a dense and dense layer of fibers is housed.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG.
In the apparatus main body 1, a lead screw 3 having a spiral groove 2 engraved therein is rotatably supported, and the lead screw 3 is interlocked with forward and reverse rotations of a drive motor 4 and via transmission gears 5 and 6. Driven to rotate. The carriage 7 has a pin (not shown) provided on a supporting portion (not shown) thereof engaged with the spiral groove 2 and is slidably guided by a guide rail 9. By rotation, arrows a and b
Move back and forth in the direction. A recording material 10 such as a sheet of paper or a plastic thin plate is fed by a platen roller 11,
At the recording position, the paper pressing plate 12 extending in the carriage movement direction
Is pressed against the peripheral surface of the platen 11.

The photocouplers 13 and 14 are connected to the carriage 7.
The home position detecting means for confirming the existence of the lever 15 in this area and performing reverse rotation of the rotation direction of the drive motor 4 and the like is configured. An ink head cartridge 16 forming a recording unit (recording head) is mounted on the carriage 7. FIG. 2 shows the ink head cartridge 16
3 is an external perspective view of the ink head cartridge 16 shown in FIG.
Has a structure in which a recording head portion 18 including an ink ejection portion 17 and an ink tank portion 19 forming an ink storage portion are integrated.

The ink head cartridge (recording head) 16 is an ink jet recording means for ejecting ink by utilizing thermal energy, and has an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. Further, the recording head 16 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.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection portion 17 of the ink head cartridge 16. In FIG. 3, the ejection port surface 81 facing the recording material (recording paper or the like) 10 with a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.5 to 2.0 mm) ejects a plurality of ejections at a predetermined pitch. An electrothermal converter (heat-generating resistor, etc.) for forming energy for ejecting ink along the wall surface of each liquid passage 84 which has the outlet 82 and communicates the common liquid chamber 83 with each ejection port 82.
85 is provided. The plurality of ejection openings 82 are arranged in such a positional relationship that they are arranged in a direction intersecting with the moving direction (main scanning direction) of the recording head 16. In this way, the corresponding electrothermal converter 85 is based on the image signal or the ejection signal.
An ink head cartridge (recording unit) that drives (energizes) the ink in the liquid path 84 to film-boil and ejects the ink from the ejection port 82 by the pressure generated at that time.
16 are configured.

In FIG. 1, at a position (for example, a home position) within the moving range of the carriage 7 and out of the recording area, the ejection port surface of the recording head portion 18 (the front face where the ejection ports are arranged) is hermetically sealed. A cap 20 for (capping) is provided, and the inside of the cap 20 is connected to a suction port of an ink suction pump 21. Further, the discharge port of the ink suction pump 21 is an inlet port 23 of a waste ink tank 22 which is detachably attached to the apparatus main body.
It is connected to the. Further, at a position adjacent to the recording area side of the cap 20, a wiping blade 2 is used for wiping and cleaning ink, dust or the like adhering to the vicinity of the ejection port 82 of the recording head 16 by using the movement of the carriage 7.
8 are provided.

FIG. 4 shows a waste ink tank 2 to which the present invention is applied.
It is an exploded perspective view which shows typically the 1st Example of No. 2. FIG.
In the above, 22 is a waste ink tank, 23 is an inflow port leading into the waste ink tank 22, 24 is an upper case constituting the waste ink tank 22, 25 is a lower case constituting the waste ink tank 22, and 26 is the waste ink tank 22. An ink absorber 27 housed (filled) therein is an air vent formed in the upper case 24 for promoting evaporation of the ink absorbed in the ink absorber 26. The inflow port 23 is connected to the recovery system cap 20 via a suction pump 21 as shown in FIG. 1, or in some cases, directly connected to a preliminary discharge receiver or the like.

In this way, the waste ink discharged during the ejection recovery operation of the recording head 16 flows into the waste ink tank 22 through the inflow port 23, and is absorbed and held by the ink absorber 26 in the waste ink tank 22. . The ink absorber 26 is made of a material having an excellent ink absorbing ability such as pulp or sponge.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the lower case 2
A large number of grid-shaped grooved lines 29 are formed on the inner wall surface of No. 5 which is in contact with the ink absorber 26. The groove 29 allows the waste ink introduced from the inflow port 23 to pass through the waste ink tank 22.
It is intended to spread throughout. That is, in the conventional example, the waste ink flowing from the inflow port 23 is treated as the waste ink.
6 is absorbed and held, the ink diffusivity of the ink absorber 26 is inferior (insufficient) as compared with the inflow amount of the waste ink, so that the absorption speed is reduced and the ink is accumulated at the inflow port 23. However, in this embodiment, since a large number of groove stripes 29 are formed on the inner wall surface of the waste ink tank 22, the waste ink that is about to collect in the inflow port 23 is formed into the ink absorber 26 and the groove stripes 29 due to the capillary phenomenon. Spread through the gap.

Therefore, in the conventional example, the waste ink which was absorbed only near the inflow port 23 is the groove 2 of the lower case 25.
It is possible to absorb the ink in the entire area of the ink absorber 26 which is in contact with the ink absorber 9, the ink absorption speed is improved, and there is no problem that the ink is accumulated in the inflow port 23 before the ink holding limit of the ink absorber 26.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing another structural example of the grooved line 29 formed on the inner wall surface of the lower case 25. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the parts other than those shown is substantially the same as the configuration of FIG. In this embodiment, an ink reservoir 30 is formed on the inner wall surface of the lower case 25 in the vicinity of the inflow port 23 (FIG. 4) as shown in the drawing, and a groove line 29 extending radially from the ink reservoir 30. Are formed. Also with this configuration of FIG. 5, the waste ink that is about to collect in the inflow port 23 can be diffused through the space between the ink absorber 26 and the groove 29 due to the capillary phenomenon.
The waste ink flowing in from can be absorbed in the entire area of the ink absorber 26 in contact with the groove 29 of the lower case 25. Therefore, as in the case of the embodiment of FIG. It is possible to obtain the effect that it is possible to prevent ink from accumulating at the inflow port 23 before the ink holding limit of the ink absorber 26.

FIG. 6 shows a waste ink tank 2 to which the present invention is applied.
It is a partially broken perspective view which shows 2nd Example 2 of 2 typically.
In the present embodiment, the inflow port 23 is provided at a plurality of branches as shown in the figure. In addition, the lower case 25 is shown in FIG.
Alternatively, the groove streaks as shown in FIG. 5 may not be provided and may be provided as needed. The configuration of the present embodiment is different from the configuration of FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 in this point, but has substantially the same configuration in other points. Therefore, corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and their details will be described. The description is omitted.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 6, the surface area of the ink absorber 26 in contact with the inflowing waste ink can be increased by branching the inflow port 23 into a plurality of places, whereby the absorption of the ink absorber 26. The area can be expanded. That is, also according to the present embodiment, it is possible to expand the ink absorption area inside the waste ink tank and improve the ink absorption speed with a simple and inexpensive configuration without increasing the number of parts, and the ink retention limit of the ink absorber. (EN) An ink jet recording apparatus provided with a waste ink tank capable of preventing ink leakage in the front and absorbing ink to a holding limit in an ink absorber.

Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the amount of waste ink flowing in from each inflow port 23 is the number of branches (the number of inflow ports).
The amount of waste ink is adjusted so that the amount of waste ink matches the lower limit of the absorption speed even if the absorption speed of the ink absorber 26 decreases. It becomes possible to absorb the ink up to the ink holding limit of 26. Further, by increasing or decreasing the number of branches of the inflow port 23, the amount of waste ink corresponding to the ink absorption speed of the ink absorber 26 (inflow amount of waste ink per inflow port) can be adjusted. It is possible to further enhance the safety against backflow.

FIG. 7 shows a waste ink tank 2 to which the present invention is applied.
It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows 2nd 3rd Example typically. In this embodiment, two types of ink absorbers 31 and 32 are stored in the waste ink tank 22 in a state of being alternately stacked. That is, two or more ink absorbers are accommodated in the waste ink tank 22 so as to at least partially overlap each other, and at least one ink absorber 31 is a material having a good ink diffusion property, and the other ink absorbers 32. Is a material with good ink retention. As the material having good ink diffusibility, for example, melamine (product name), sponge or the like is used. On the other hand, for example, rayon, pulp, or the like is used as the material having a good ink holding property.

In the third embodiment of FIG. 7, the two types of ink absorbers 31 and 32 are alternately superposed on each other, so that the poor ink diffusibility that is likely to occur in the ink absorber 32 having good ink holding property can be prevented. It can be supplemented by the ink absorber 31 having good properties. That is, in the case of a normal ink absorber, a phenomenon occurs in which the ink permeation speed (propagation speed) is not in time for the inflow speed of the waste ink, so that the ink partially accumulates, but according to the configuration of FIG. The ink pool generated by the ink being retained in the ink absorber 32 having a good ink holding property is propagated to the ink absorber 31 having a good ink diffusing property, and the propagated ink is again passed through the absorber 31. It quickly propagates to the ink absorber 32 having a good ink holding property.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, an ink absorber 31 having excellent ink diffusibility and excellent ink propagation is disposed near the waste ink inflow port 23. The reason for adopting such an arrangement is that the ink absorber that first absorbs the waste ink is made of the material 31 having a good ink diffusion property so that the inflowing waste ink is immediately propagated to the ink absorber. This is to eliminate problems such as backflow of ink due to a decrease in propagation. Although the configuration of the present embodiment is different from the configuration of FIGS. 4 to 6 in the above points, it has substantially the same configuration in other points, and accordingly, corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, respectively, and Detailed description is omitted.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 7, the waste ink tank 2
As the ink absorber to be housed in 2, an absorber having a good ink diffusion property and an absorber 32 having a good ink holding property are alternately stacked, and an absorber that absorbs the inflowing waste ink first is used. Since the body is made of the material 31 having good ink diffusibility, the ink absorbing speed can be improved and the ink can be absorbed by the entire ink absorbing bodies 31, 32. That is, also according to the present embodiment, it is possible to expand the ink absorption area inside the waste ink tank and improve the ink absorption speed with a simple and inexpensive configuration without increasing the number of parts, and the ink retention limit of the ink absorber. (EN) An ink jet recording apparatus provided with a waste ink tank capable of preventing ink leakage in the front and absorbing ink to a holding limit in an ink absorber.

FIG. 8 shows a waste ink tank 2 to which the present invention is applied.
It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows 2nd 4th Example typically. In the present embodiment, as the ink absorber 26 housed inside the waste ink tank 22, an absorber made of a material in which the density of fibers is made coarse and dense in layers is used. In FIG. 8, 26A indicates a layer having a low fiber density, and 26B indicates a layer having a high fiber density. As described above, by using one ink absorber 26 having a structure including the dense and dense layers 26A and 26B of fibers, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the third embodiment shown in FIG. .

In the fourth embodiment of FIG. 8, the layer 26A having a low fiber density is a layer having a good ink diffusion property (propagation), and the layer 26B having a high fiber density is a good ink retention property (absorption property). It is a layer. In other words, in the present embodiment, the layers 26A and 26B having different fiber densities are alternately formed so as to overlap each other, so that the poor ink diffusibility that is likely to occur in the high density portion 26B having good ink holding property can be prevented. It can be supplemented by a good low density portion 26A. That is, in the case of a normal ink absorber, a phenomenon occurs in which the ink permeation speed (propagation speed) cannot keep up with the inflow speed of the waste ink, and thus the ink partially accumulates. The ink pool generated by the ink being retained in the high density portion 26B having good ink holding property propagates to the low density portion 26A having good ink diffusing property, and the propagated ink passes through the low density portion 26A. It is rapidly propagated again to the high density portion 26B having good ink retention. In this way, the inflowing ink is quickly absorbed by the entire ink absorber 26.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a low density portion 26A excellent in ink propagating property (diffusing property) is arranged near the waste ink inflow port 23. By adopting such an arrangement, the layer that first absorbs the waste ink can be the portion 26A having a low fiber density and good ink diffusivity, and therefore, the waste ink that has flowed in can be immediately propagated inside the ink absorber. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate a problem such as ink backflow due to a decrease in ink transferability. Although the configuration of the present embodiment is different from the configuration of FIGS. 4 to 6 in the above points, it has substantially the same configuration in other points, and accordingly, corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, respectively, and Detailed description is omitted.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 8, the waste ink tank 2
As the ink absorbers 26 to be housed inside 2, the layers 26A having a low fiber density and the layers 26B having a high fiber density that are alternately formed
A structure having a dense and dense layer of fibers is used, and since the layer of fibers that absorbs the inflowing waste ink first is the low density portion 26A with good ink diffusion, The ink can be improved and the ink can be absorbed by the entire ink absorber 26.

That is, according to the present embodiment as well, the ink absorption area inside the waste ink tank can be expanded and the ink absorption speed can be improved with a simple and inexpensive structure without increasing the number of parts. (EN) An ink jet recording apparatus provided with a waste ink tank capable of preventing ink leakage before the ink holding limit and allowing an ink absorber to absorb ink up to the holding limit. A more effective configuration can be obtained by appropriately combining the configurations of the respective embodiments described with reference to FIGS.

In the above-described embodiment, the case of the serial recording method 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 the entire width or a part of the recording material. The same can be applied to the case of the line recording method in which the line recording unit having a length covering the above is used to perform recording only in the sub-scan, and the same effect can be achieved. The present invention also provides a color recording apparatus for recording in different colors having one or a plurality of recording heads, a gradation recording apparatus using inks of the same color and different densities, Can be similarly applied to a recording device or the like in which these are combined, and the same effect can be achieved.

The present invention is also applicable to the forms of the recording means and the ink tank, such as the case where the recording means is a separate body from the ink tank and the case is a replaceable ink head cartridge in which the recording means and the ink tank are integrated. It can be applied regardless of, 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. 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.

[0041]

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 the ink from the recording means to the recording material, the waste ink which stores unnecessary waste ink An ink absorber that holds ink is stored inside the waste ink tank, and the waste ink is diffused over the entire waste ink tank on the inner wall surface of the waste ink tank that is in contact with the ink absorber. Since the groove streak is formed, it is possible to improve the ink absorption speed inside the waste ink tank with a simple and inexpensive structure without increasing the number of parts and without increasing the size of the recording apparatus. A waste ink tank that can prevent ink leakage before the ink holding limit of the ink absorber and allows the ink absorber to absorb ink to the holding limit. An ink jet recording apparatus is provided with.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from the recording means to the recording material, there is a waste ink tank for storing unnecessary waste ink, and the waste ink tank is An ink absorber that holds ink is housed inside, and waste ink inflow ports are provided at a plurality of positions in the waste ink tank in order to diffuse the waste ink throughout the waste ink tank. It is possible to improve the ink absorption speed inside the waste ink tank without increasing the number of points and without increasing the size of the recording apparatus, and to improve the ink absorption before the ink holding limit of the ink absorber. (EN) An ink jet recording apparatus provided with a waste ink tank capable of preventing leakage and allowing an ink absorber to absorb ink up to a holding limit.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from the recording means to the recording material, there is a waste ink tank for storing unnecessary waste ink, and the waste ink tank is Two or more ink absorbers are housed inside at least partially overlapping,
Since at least one ink absorber is made of a material having a good ink diffusion property and the other ink absorbers are made of a material having a good ink holding property, it is possible to increase the size of the recording apparatus without increasing the number of parts. With a simple and inexpensive configuration, it is possible to improve the ink absorption speed inside the waste ink tank, prevent ink leakage before the ink retention limit of the ink absorber, and retain ink in the ink absorber. Provided is an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a waste ink tank that can absorb the ink to the limit.

According to the inventions of claims 4 and 5,
In addition to the configuration of claim 3, a configuration in which an ink absorber having a good ink diffusibility and an ink absorber having a good ink holding property are alternately stacked, or the ink absorber that first absorbs waste ink is an ink diffuser Since it is a material with good properties, it does not increase the number of parts, does not increase the size of the recording device, is simple and inexpensive, and improves the ink absorption speed inside the waste ink tank more efficiently. An ink jet recording apparatus provided with a waste ink tank capable of preventing ink leakage before the ink holding limit of the ink absorber and allowing the ink absorber to absorb ink to the holding limit. .

According to the invention of claim 6, an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material has a waste ink tank for storing unnecessary waste ink. Since the ink absorber made of a material having a dense and dense layer of fibers is housed inside, the number of parts is not increased, the size of the recording apparatus is not increased, and the configuration is simple and inexpensive. Waste ink that can improve the ink absorption speed inside the waste ink tank, prevent ink leakage before the ink holding limit of the ink absorber, and allow the ink absorber to absorb ink up to the holding limit An inkjet recording apparatus including a tank is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

2 is an external perspective view of an ink head cartridge as a recording unit in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection portion of the recording means in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a first embodiment of a waste ink tank of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

5 is a schematic plan view showing a modified embodiment of the lower case of the waste ink tank of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a second embodiment of the waste ink tank of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a third embodiment of the waste ink tank of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a fourth embodiment of the waste ink tank of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Recording Device Main Body 3 Lead Screw 4 Drive Motor 7 Carriage 9 Guide Rail 10 Recording Material 11 Platen Roller 16 Recording Means (Ink Head Cartridge) 17 Ink Ejection Section 18 Recording Head Section 19 Ink Tank Section 20 Cap 21 Ink Suction Pump 22 Waste Ink tank 23 Inlet port 24 Upper case 25 Lower case 26 Ink absorber 26A Low fiber density layer 26B High fiber density layer 27 Vent hole 29 Groove 30 Ink reservoir 31 Ink absorber with good ink diffusion 32 Ink retention Good ink absorber 81 Discharge port surface 82 Discharge port 83 Common liquid chamber 84 Liquid path 85 Electrothermal converter

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page (72) Inventor Tetsuya Ishikawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Akira Miyagawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Hitoshi Nakamura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Atsushi Noda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. ( 72) Inventor Soichi Hiramatsu 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Inoue 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Takashi Nojima 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hideaki Kawakami 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo In Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Takeshi Iwasaki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, which has a waste ink tank for storing unnecessary waste ink, and holds the ink inside the waste ink tank. An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein an ink absorber is housed, and a groove line for diffusing the waste ink over the entire waste ink tank is formed on an inner wall surface of the waste ink tank in contact with the ink absorber. 2. An ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, having a waste ink tank for storing unnecessary waste ink, and holding the ink inside the waste ink tank. An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein an ink absorber is housed, and waste ink inflow ports are provided at a plurality of positions of the waste ink tank in order to diffuse the waste ink to the entire inside of the waste ink tank. 3. An ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, which has a waste ink tank for storing unnecessary waste ink, and two or more waste ink tanks are provided inside the waste ink tank. Inkjet recording, characterized in that the ink absorbers are accommodated at least partially overlapping each other, at least one ink absorber is a material having a good ink diffusion property, and the other ink absorbers are a material having a good ink holding property. apparatus. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ink absorber having a good ink diffusion property and the ink absorber having a good ink holding property are alternately stacked. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ink absorber that first absorbs the waste ink is a material having a good ink diffusion property. 6. An ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, comprising a waste ink tank for storing unnecessary waste ink, and the waste ink tank is provided with a dense and dense fiber. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising an ink absorber made of a material having a layer. 7. 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. Any inkjet recording device. 8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, 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. .