JPH10211710A - Capping device and ink jet-type recording device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To weaken the force of releasing a cap from a recording head and provide the secure sealing force by connecting the cap stored in a holder supporting member with an atmosphere release valve or the like by a tube provided with twist so that the cap is in parallel with a plane including the moving direction of the cap. SOLUTION: Twist is provided for respective tubes 54 and 56 so that the tubes take the posture horizontal to a face including the moving direction of a carriage by elasticity. Such twist is provided in a manner of facing the tubes in the same direction or facing them outward. The tubes 54 and 56 are caused to tend to take the horizontal direction so that the generation of moment inhibiting the bonding force can be prevented without inhibiting the moment of a slider, and also the overall height can be lowered. Also the force of facing the tubes in the horizontal direction is not actuated as the force of releasing the cap off the recording head, and also the force of facing horizontally is received as the reaction by a holder supporting member.

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 having a recording head which moves in the width direction of a recording sheet, and ejecting ink droplets onto the recording sheet in accordance with print data to form an image. The present invention relates to a capping device suitable for a recording device equipped with a head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording apparatus for recording print data by ejecting ink pressurized in a pressure generating chamber from a nozzle as ink droplets onto a recording sheet is an ink jet recording apparatus in which ink is evaporated due to evaporation of an ink solvent from a nozzle opening. Of the ink, solidification of the ink, adhesion of dust, mixing of bubbles into the nozzle openings, and the like, resulting in poor printing. For this reason, an ink jet recording apparatus is usually
The apparatus is provided with capping means for sealing the nozzle openings of the recording head during non-printing, and cleaning means for cleaning the nozzle plate if necessary. For example, as seen in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-8460, a cap that is arranged outside the printing area and is pressed by a recording head or a carriage that carries the recording head to move between a non-capping position and a capping position, and a recording head includes: There has been proposed a capping device including a cam surface and a cam follower for moving a cap to a nozzle plate side of a recording head in a process of moving from a non-capping position to a capping position.

[0003]

According to this method, the cap can be reliably brought into contact with the nozzle plate only by moving the carriage, and the cap can be securely sealed. However, the black ink is required for high-density and high-speed printing. As the number of nozzle openings of the black recording head that discharges and the color recording head that discharges three types of colored inks increases and the size in the paper feeding direction and the paper width direction increases, the size of the cap that seals each recording head also increases. Inevitably, the size has increased, and inconveniences such as a decrease in sealing performance have come to be seen.

[0004] The recording head is filled with ink,
A pump unit that supplies a negative pressure to the cap during cleaning uses a tube pump in terms of cost and reliability, and a part of the tube that constitutes the pump is used as it is as a connection flow path with the cap. I have.
In addition, the tube must be placed in a limited space, and since it functions as a pump tube and is made of a material that is relatively rigid to withstand handling by rollers, the repulsive force of the tube is large. There is a problem that a force that inhibits the adhesion acts on the cap and the adhesion decreases. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a capping device capable of reliably sealing two recording heads mounted on the same carriage, and a capping device having the same. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet type recording apparatus using the same.

[0005]

In order to solve such a problem, according to the present invention, a cap accommodated in a recording head or a holder receiving member which is moved by being pressed by a carriage carrying the recording head is provided. A tube twisted so as to be parallel to the plane including the moving direction was connected to the atmosphere release valve and the pump unit.

[0006]

Since the tube is bent parallel to a plane including the moving direction of the recording head, the tube does not act as a force for peeling off the cap from the recording head. I can take it.

[0007]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. A carriage 1 is connected to a motor 3 by a timing belt 2, and is configured to be guided by a guide member 4 and move in parallel with a platen 5. Have been. A recording head 7 for ejecting black ink and a recording head 8 for ejecting color ink are provided on the surface of the carriage 1 facing the recording paper 6, and the recording heads 7 and 8 are provided with ink cartridges 9 and 10, respectively. In response to the supply, ink droplets are ejected onto the recording paper 6 to print characters and patterns.

[0008] The capping device 11 characterized by the present invention.
Is provided with caps 12 and 13 of a size that can seal the nozzle opening surfaces of the recording heads 7 and 8 in independent sealed spaces, and seals the nozzle plates of the recording heads 7 and 8 during non-printing to form a nozzle opening row. It has a function of preventing drying of ink and a function of forcibly discharging ink from the recording heads 7 and 8 by receiving a supply of negative pressure from the pump unit 14 at the time of an ejection capacity recovery operation. Capping device 11
In the vicinity of, a wiping blade 15 made of an elastic material such as rubber for elastically contacting the recording heads 7 and 8 and removing ink and ink residue is disposed so as to be able to advance and retreat on the movement locus of the recording heads 7 and 8. I have.

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 3 are a perspective view and an assembled perspective view, respectively, showing an embodiment of the capping device 11 according to the present invention. The slider 20 follows the movement of the carriage 1 when the carriage 1 moves from the print area to the non-print area, and moves the upper surface of the base 30 in the non-print direction,
In this embodiment, it moves upward.

The slider 20 has a contact piece 21 formed at an end on the non-printing area side, and the first guide surface 3 of the base 30.
1 and is supported by the other end of an arm 50 rotatably provided on the base 30 at one end on the tip side of the center (the right side in FIG. 2A and the left side in FIG. 2B). Have been.

The slider 20 is also provided above the contact piece 21.
The other end of the tension spring 51, one end of which is fixed to the base 30, is fixed, and is constantly urged in the printing area direction and in the direction away from the recording heads 7 and 8, in this embodiment, downward.

The cap holder receiving member 40 accommodates the first cap holder 60 and the second cap holder 70. The cap holder receiving member 40 includes compression springs 61 and 62 for biasing the center portion, preferably the cap holder 60, and the cap holder 70. The shaft 4 is located at a position where the moment with the biasing springs 71 and 72 is balanced.
1 is provided.

The shaft 41 is rotatably supported by a receiving portion 22 provided at the leading end of the slider 20 on the printing region side, and is extended by a tension spring 53 stretched between the slider 20 on the printing region side. At all times, the rear end side (the left side in FIG. 2A and the right side in FIG. 2B), that is, the non-printing area direction side, and the direction away from the recording heads 7 and 8, that is, in this embodiment, downward. Being energized.

The first cap holder 60 and the second cap holder 70 each have a bottom face on the cap holder receiving member 4.
The cap holder is always urged by the compression springs 61, 62 and 71, 72 which are distributed and inserted at two locations in the longitudinal direction substantially on the center line of the head holder 0, that is, in this embodiment, in the state of being urged upward. It is housed in the member 40.

The first and second cap holders 60 and 70 are made of a plurality of, in this embodiment, two, porous materials.
Caps 65 and 75 containing the second ink absorbing sheets 63 and 64 and 73 and 74 are fitted.

The structure of each member will be further described. The base 30 has the above-described first guide surface 31 on the rear end side and the second guide surface 32 on the front end side.
A low portion 31a is provided at the front end, and a horizontal high portion 3 is provided at the rear end.
1b is further formed with three areas of a slope 31c connecting these.

The second guide surface 32 has a low portion 32
a, a horizontal high part 32b on the rear end side, and three areas of a slope part 32c are formed so as to connect them.

As shown in FIG. 4, the amount of rise ΔH1 by the second guide surface 32 is set to be larger than the amount of rise ΔH2 by the first guide surface 31, and the slope 31c of the first guide surface with respect to the horizontal plane. The angle α is set to be smaller than the angle β connecting the support shaft 28 of the slider 20 and the contact piece 21.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 5A, the resistance R when the slider 20 rises on the slope 31c includes a component R1 directed upward from the slope 31c. On the other hand, when the angle α of the slope 31c of the first guide surface with respect to the horizontal plane is larger than the angle β connecting the support shaft 28 of the slider 20 and the contact piece 21, as shown in FIG.
Includes the component R3 directed downwardly of the slope 31c, so that the load resistance of the carriage 1 for moving the slider 20 increases.

On the other hand, the cap holder receiving member 40 has a contact piece 42 formed on the lower portion on the distal end side thereof, which is guided by the second guide surface 32.
And guide pieces 43, 43, and 44, 44 that abut against the side surfaces of the caps 65 and 75 to guide the caps 65 and 75 to predetermined positions.
Is provided.

On the tip end surface facing the wiping blade 15, an ink splash shield plate having a width about the printing height of the recording heads 7, 8 and positioned so as not to contact the recording heads 7, 8 is provided. 45 are provided separately or integrally. The ink splash shielding plate 45 is desirably made of a polymer material having an ink absorbing property.

At the rear end of the slider 20, a flag piece 27 which is pressed against the recording head on the non-printing area side, in this embodiment, the side wall of the recording head 8 or the side wall of the carriage 1 is formed. On the side, a valve seat 25 having two openings 23 and 24 on the rear side is fixed via a holder 26.

On the other hand, when the slider 20 moves to the vicinity of the limit point at the rear end, springs 34, 34 inserted through the guide shafts 33a, 33a move the slider 20 to a position facing the valve seat 25.
A valve body 33 constantly urged to the distal end side is provided on the base 30 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first cap holder 60 has a "T" shaped retaining portion 66 on the center line at one end in the moving direction of the carriage 1 and an "I" at the other end. A letter-shaped retaining portion 67 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second cap holder 70 has a "T" shaped retaining portion 76 at one end in the moving direction of the carriage 1 so as to pass through the center line at the other end. Is formed with an “I” -shaped retaining portion 77.

These "T" shaped retaining portions 66, 76
Has branches 66a, 66b and 76a, 76b extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the carriage 1, and each of the branches 66a and 76a has a surface, that is, a recording head in this embodiment. The side surface is the other branch piece 66
b and the branch 76b are formed so as to be located on the recording head side, in this embodiment, above.

As described above, the cap holders 60 and 70 are accommodated in the holder receiving member 40 in a state of being urged upward by the springs 61, 62 and 71 and 72, and these retaining portions 66, 67 and 76 are provided. , 77 are swingably engaged with and held by the concave portions of the cap holder receiving member 40. As a result, the rear side slightly widens at θ1 and θ2 with respect to the recording heads 7 and 8 as shown in FIG. 8A, and also at an angle with respect to the width direction as shown in FIG. Holder receiving member 40 with one end side expanded at θ3
Is housed in

The springs 61, 62 and 71, 72 for urging the cap holders 60, 70 are shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the outer shape D1, D2 is at least one of the width W1, W2 of the short side of each cap holder 60, 70.
/ 3. As a result, as an example of the cap holder 60, even if the cap holder comes into contact with the recording head 7 with the cap holder slightly inclined as shown in FIG. Hold your posture so you can.

The springs 61, 62 and 71, 72
As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the cap holder 6
It is arranged so as to be located at the end of the long side of 0, 70. These springs 61, 62 and 71, 72 are preferably smaller than a triangular area (area indicated by hatching in the figure) connecting the points where the retaining portions 66, 67, 76, 77 abut on the holder receiving member 40. It is arranged inside or at a position hanging on it.

As described above, since the caps 65 and 75 are inclined with respect to the surfaces of the recording heads 7 and 8 at angles θ1, θ2 and θ3 so that one end side is widened, the caps 65 and 75 are inclined.
Since the contact forces of the recording heads 7 and 8 with the recording heads 7 and 8 are unbalanced, that is, the gaps between the recording heads 7 and 8 vary, as shown in FIGS. The springs 62 and 72 located at P2 are offset from the center line by ΔS1 and ΔS2 toward these regions P1 and P2, and preferably those having large resilient pressure are used for these springs 62 and 72.

The moment M1 = () acting on the shaft 41 by the spring forces F11 and F12 of the springs 61 and 62 for pressing the cap holder 60 and the spring forces F21 and F22 of the springs 71 and 72 for pressing the cap holder 70. F11 × L11 +
F12 × L12) and M2 = (F21 × L21 + F22 × L22) are selected to be substantially equal (FIG. 11).

The first cap holder 60 is formed at its bottom with two cylindrical bodies 80 and 81 which also serve as connecting pipes for the locking member of the cap 65, the pump unit 14, and the valve seat 25. As shown in FIG. 12, the tubular body 80 is connected to the pump connecting portion 100 formed integrally therewith by the tube 5.
The cylindrical body 81 is connected to the opening 23 of the valve seat 25 by a tube 55 with the air communication port connecting part 101 formed integrally therewith.

The second cap holder 70 has a locking member for the cap 75, a pump unit 14, and a valve seat 2 on its bottom.
5, two cylindrical bodies 90 and 91 are formed which also serve as connecting pipes. As shown in FIG. 13, the cylindrical body 90 is connected to the pump connecting portion 110 formed integrally therewith by the tube 5.
6, the cylindrical body 91 is connected to the opening 24 of the valve body 25 by the tube 57 at the air communication hole connecting portion 111 formed integrally therewith.

FIG. 14 shows the connection between the pump unit 14 and the cap holders 60 and 70. In this embodiment, the pump unit 14 is formed as a double pump tube, and one end thereof is provided. Tubes 54 and 56 that are drawn out to the suction port side and serve as connection conduits are configured.

Due to the structure of the pump unit 14, the tubes 54 and 56 are connected to the guides 14a as shown in FIG.
Is drawn out so as to be parallel to a plane orthogonal to the plane including the moving direction of the carriage 1 and to be inclined at an angle γ.

In addition, since a material having a relatively high rigidity has to be disposed in a limited space and functions as a pump tube and is resistant to handling by a roller, the tube 54, The repulsive force of 56 is large, and gives a moment to the cap holders 60 and 70 in the direction indicated by the arrow A in the figure. Needless to say, this moment is caused by the caps 65 and 75 and the recording head 7,
8 acts to inhibit the adhesion.

In order to alleviate such a problem, as shown in FIG. 16, each of the tubes 54 and 56 is elastically twisted so that the surface including the moving direction of the carriage 1 becomes horizontal. . Such a twist is shown in FIG.
They are provided so as to face each other in the same direction as shown in (a), or to face each other outward as shown in FIG. 14 (b).

By forming the tubes 54 and 56 in the horizontal direction in this manner, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a moment that impedes the adhesion without impeding the movement of the slider 20, and to reduce the overall height. be able to.

On the other hand, of the tubes connected to the valve body 25,
The tube 55 connected to the first cap holder 60 remote from the valve body 25 is connected to the side wall of the holder 26 by the slider 20.
One end 55a is connected to a connection port 26a formed in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of the slider 20, the main body region 55b is fixed to the side surface of the slider 20, and the other end 55c is formed vertically to the bottom surface of the holder 60. It is inserted into the connection part 101 of the body 81.

The tube 57 connected to the second holder 70 located closer to the valve body 25 has one end 57a connected to a connection port 26b formed in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage 1 from the side wall of the holder 26. The curved portion 57 is substantially parallel to a plane orthogonal to the moving direction of the slider 20.
b, and the other end 57 b is
0, the connecting portion 1 of the cylindrical body 91 formed vertically on the bottom surface
11 is charged.

Large second cap holder 70
Are formed so that the receiving portions 93, 93 holding the tacks 92, 92 for securely holding the ink absorbing sheets 73, 74 can fix the tacks 92, 92 at positions not opposed to the nozzle opening row N2, Further, dummy cylindrical bodies 90 'and 91' are formed at positions symmetrical to the cylindrical bodies 90 and 91.

The first cap holder 60 has a plurality of claws 68 formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof, and the cap 65 has concave portions 69, 69 engaging with the claws 68 on the outer peripheral side surface thereof and the above-mentioned cap formed on the bottom surface. Through-holes 84 and 85 that engage with cylindrical bodies 80 and 81
Are formed, and these are engaged so that the cap 65 is attached to the holder 6.
It is held at 0.

As shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), the thin portion 102 having the tip 46a forming the sealing surface of the cap 65 is formed on the side surface facing the wiping blade 15.
The ink absorbing plate 46 is arranged so as to be in contact with. The ink absorbing plate 46 is folded into the bottom surface of the holder 60 and is sandwiched by the cap 65.

The cap holder 70 has a plurality of claws 78, 78 formed on the inner peripheral surface. The cap 75 has concave portions 79, 79 for engaging with the claws 78 on the outer peripheral side thereof, and the above-described cylindrical shape on the bottom surface. Body 90, 91, dummy cylindrical body 90 ', 9
Through holes 94, 95 and 94 ′, 95 ′ engaging with 1 ′ are formed, and these are mutually engaged to hold the cap 75 in the holder 70.

In the cap 65, a thin portion 102 is formed so as to have a rigidity smaller than that of other regions so that the opening surface can function as a sealing portion, and is subjected to an ink-repellent treatment. Further, a plurality of claws 87 for locking the surface of the ink absorbing sheet 63 of the upper layer are formed on the bottom side of the thin portion. In addition, a concave portion 86 communicating with the cylindrical body 81 is formed on the bottom surface.

In the cap 75, a thin portion 112 is formed so as to have a rigidity smaller than that of other regions so that the opening surface can function as a sealing portion, and is subjected to an ink-repellent treatment. On the bottom side of the thin portion 112, claws 98, 98 for locking the surface of the ink absorbing sheet 73 are formed. On the bottom surface, elongated concave portions 95 and 96 communicating with the tubular bodies 90 and 91 are formed.

Of the plurality of ink absorbing sheets housed in the caps 65 and 75, the ink absorbing sheets 63 and 73 arranged on the uppermost layer are tongue pieces 107, 107,.
And 117, 117, 117, 117,... Are formed.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, the carriage 1 is in the non-printing direction (direction indicated by arrow D in the figure).
In the state where the slider 20 does not move even if the slider 20 moves even if the slider 20 moves to the flag piece 27 of the slider 20, the first cap 65 and the second cap 75 have a certain gap with respect to the recording heads 7 and 8 to be sealed respectively. They face each other with ΔL. Therefore, in this state, when a drive signal is supplied to the recording heads 7 and 8 to eject ink droplets from the nozzle opening arrays N1 and N2 for restoring the ink droplet ejection capability regardless of print data, these ink droplets are recorded. Each of the caps 6 can be formed without causing minute ink droplets of ink to adhere to the heads 7 and 8.
The ink is absorbed by the ink absorbing sheets 63 and 73 in the upper layers of the layers 5 and 75.

When the carriage 1 further moves to the rear end side (right side in the figure) (FIG. 19I), the slider 20
The arm 50 is moved obliquely while rotating the arm 50 against the tension of the tension spring 51, and at the same time, the holder receiving member 40 is moved.
The cap 75 rotates in the direction of arrow B in the figure around the shaft 41 supported at the center by the slider 20, and the cap 75 contacts the recording head 8 (FIG. 19 (II)).

When the carriage 1 further moves, the front end of the holder receiving member 40 is guided by the abutting piece 42 to the slope 32c of the base 30, so that the holder receiving member 40 reverses in the direction of arrow C in FIG. The posture is corrected in parallel with the heads 7 and 8, and the head is moved together with the slider 20 toward the recording head. And a high part 31b of the first guide surface 31 and the second guide surface 32,
32b allows the holder receiving member 40 to move the recording heads 7, 8
Are positioned so as to be parallel to the surfaces of the two recording heads 7 and 8 provided on the carriage 1, even if there is a slight step ΔH on the surfaces of the two recording heads 7 and 8. Securely seal (Fig. 19 (II
I)).

As described above, since the holder receiving member 40 is positioned parallel to the surfaces of the recording heads 7 and 8, FIG.
As shown in (a), when a change ΔP occurs in the platen gap according to the thickness of the recording paper, that is, when the recording heads 7 and 8 are relatively displaced with respect to the caps 65 and 75. Also, the recording heads 7 and 8 are securely sealed.

FIG. 20B shows a case where a gap ΔN is generated in the sealing surface between the two recording heads 7 and 8 due to a variation in the accuracy of attachment to the carriage 1.
, The recording heads 7, 8 on both sides of the shaft 41 this time.
Holder receiving member 4 so as to balance the reaction force received from
0 rotates by an angle η. Thereby, the caps 65, 7
The spring forces of the springs 61, 62 and 71, 72 for pressing the recording head 5 are averaged, the mounting errors of the recording heads 7, 8 are absorbed, and the caps 65, 75 can be reliably sealed.

Immediately before contact with the recording heads 7 and 8, the caps 65 and 75 urged upward by the springs 61 and 62 and the springs 71 and 72 disposed in front and rear, respectively, are shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the rear end side is downward and the one end in the width direction is slightly downward.
12 comes into contact with the recording head 7 and the recording head 8 while gradually increasing the contact area from one end on the tip side.

At the stage where the caps 65 and 75 have been completely sealed in this way, the valve seat 25 resiliently contacts the valve body 33 provided on the base 30 as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 75 designates a state in which the communication with the atmosphere is cut off, the airtight state is established, the evaporation of the ink from the nozzle opening rows N1 and N2 is suppressed, and the clogging is prevented for a long time.

In this sealed state, as described above, the tubes 54 and 56 having relatively high rigidity are set in parallel to a plane including the moving direction of the recording heads 7 and 8, so that the caps 65 and 75 are attached. No force is exerted to peel off the recording heads 7 and 8, and tubes 55 and 5 connected to the valve seat 25 are not used.
7 are vertically connected to the cap holders 60 and 70, so that the caps 65 and 75 are
No force is exerted to peel it off. In addition, the tube 54,
Since the horizontal force by 56 is received by the holder receiving member 40, the sealing force is not hindered.

On the other hand, the nozzle opening rows N of the recording heads 7 and 8
When clogging occurs in N1 and N2, or when ink is forcibly discharged from the recording heads 7 and 8 due to replacement of a cartridge or the like, the pump unit 14 is operated in the above-described capping state.

The negative pressure from the pump unit 14 is applied to the caps 65 and 75 through the openings 84 and 94 of the caps 65 and 75.
A negative pressure acts in the nozzle 75, and ink is sucked out from the nozzle opening rows N1 and N2. Thereby, the nozzle opening row N1,
Dust and paper dust adhering in the vicinity of N2 are cleaned, and air bubbles in the recording heads 7 and 8 are discharged to the caps 65 and 75 together with ink.

The ink discharged from the recording heads 7 and 8 is absorbed by the upper ink absorbing sheets 63 and 73 and then to the lower ink absorbing sheets 64 and 74 having smaller pore diameters than the sheets 63 and 73. It is sucked up by capillary force. As a result, the upper ink absorbing sheets 63, 7
The ink impregnating amount of No. 3 is made as small as possible to improve the absorbing power, thereby preventing the ink from adhering to the recording heads 7 and 8, and reducing the ink rebound at the time of forced ejection. .

At the time of such forced ink discharge,
The thin portions 102 and 112 of the caps 65 and 75 are rebounded from the ink absorbing sheets 63 and 73 or splashed.
Is easy to accumulate in the vicinity of and the claws 87, 98,
Since the tongue pieces 107 and 117 are in contact here, the tongue pieces 1
It does not remain after being absorbed by 07 and 117. This prevents the ink from unnecessarily adhering to the nozzle plate or the like of the recording head.

When the forcible discharge of ink from the recording heads 7 and 8 is completed, the carriage 1 is moved by a small amount .DELTA.V toward the leading end (in the direction of arrow E in the figure) to move the valve seat 25 to the valve body as shown in FIG. The through holes 85 and 95 of the caps 65 and 75 are communicated with the atmosphere at a distance from the opening 33.

Next, when the pump unit 14 is operated, the negative pressure acting on the caps 65 and 75 causes the through holes 85 and
95, air is taken in from the through holes 23, 24 of the valve seat 25, and the ink absorbing sheet 63, without using unnecessary negative pressure on the nozzle opening rows N1, N2 of the recording heads 7, 8.
The ink remaining in the caps 64, 73, 74 and the caps 65 and 75 is sucked to the through holes 84, 94 communicating with the pump unit 14 and discharged to the outside.

When the discharge of the waste ink from the caps 65 and 75 has been completed, the pump unit 14 is stopped and the recording heads 7 and 8 are moved to the printing area. The base 3 by the contact piece 21 on the side
The slider 50 slides on the inclined surface 31c of the base 30, and the leading end side is guided by the abutting piece 42 of the holder receiving member 40 on the inclined surface 32c of the base 30, and descends while the center portion is supported by the rotation of the lever 50.

In the course of the lowering, the caps 65 and 75 urged upward by the springs 61 and 62 and the springs 71 and 72 disposed forward and backward, respectively, have the rear end side downward and the width direction. Imitation is given to take a slightly inclined state posture with one end side downward,
In addition, the height and the pressure contact force on the front end side and the rear end side are balanced by the rotation about the central shaft 41 of the holder receiving member 40, and the convex pieces 66, 67, and 76, 77 are used at three points. The thin portions 102, 112, which are sealing surfaces, are moved to follow the recording heads 7, 8 by the swing of the supported holder 60 and holder 70. Accordingly, the caps 65 and 75 are separated from the surfaces of the recording head 7 and the recording head 8 while gradually increasing the opening area from one end on the rear end side.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the tube forming the pump is used as the connection conduit, but the same applies to the case where another tube is used for connection. It is clear that the action of

[0065]

As described above, in the present invention, the cap accommodated in the recording head or the holder receiving member which is moved by being pressed by the carriage carrying the same is parallel to the plane including the moving direction of the carriage. Since the tube was twisted so that it was connected to the atmosphere release valve and the pump unit, the force for peeling off the cap from the recording head was reduced, and the force acting in the horizontal direction by the recoil could be received by the holder receiving member. Thus, a reliable sealing force can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus using a capping device of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of one embodiment of the capping device of the present invention as viewed from both sides.

FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the same capping device.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the relationship between the amount of elevation by the first and second guide surfaces of the capping device, the angle of the first guide surface, and the angle between the rotation axis of the slider and the first guide surface.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams showing the relationship between the angle of the first guide surface and the load resistance of the slider depending on the angle between the rotation axis of the slider and the first guide surface. .

FIG. 6 is an assembled perspective view of one embodiment of the first cap.

FIG. 7 is an assembled perspective view showing one embodiment of a second cap.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show the attitude of the carriage of the first cap and the second cap at the time of non-capping, respectively, and the inclination of the carriage to the recording head in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction and in a direction parallel to the moving direction. FIG.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing contact positions of springs for elastically supporting the first and second cap holders, respectively, and FIG. 9C shows a state where the cap holder is supported by the springs; FIG.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing another embodiment of a contact position of a spring for elastically supporting the first and second cap holders, respectively.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a moment by a spring that elastically supports the first and second cap holders.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are diagrams illustrating an upper surface structure of a first cap and a cross-sectional structure taken along line AA, respectively.

FIGS. 13A to 13C are diagrams respectively showing a top structure of the second cap, a cross-sectional structure taken along line BB, and line CC.

FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b) are top views each showing a form of a tube for connecting a pump and a cap holder.

FIG. 15 is a side view illustrating a form of pulling out a tube from a pump and a force exerted by the tube on a cap holder.

FIG. 16 is a side view showing a form of a tube connecting a pump and a cap holder.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are a perspective view and an enlarged cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of a cap and a cap holder disposed on the wiper blade side, respectively.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the recording head has moved to a flushing position.

FIGS. 19 (I) to (III) are views showing the movement of the cap holder, respectively.

FIGS. 20A and 20B are explanatory views showing a capping operation associated with a change in a platen gap and a capping operation corresponding to a mounting tolerance of a recording head.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the recording head has moved to a capping position.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the recording head has moved to a position where ink is discharged from the capping device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Carriage 7, 8 Recording head 11 Capping device 12, 13 Cap 14 Pump unit 15 Wiping blade 20 Slider 21 Contact piece 25 Valve seat 30 Base 31, 32 Guide surface 33 Valve body 40 Holder receiving member 42 Contact piece 45 Ink splash shielding plate 51, 53 Tension spring 54, 56 Tube connected to pump unit 55, 57 Tube connected to air release valve 60, 70 Cap holder 63, 64, 73, 74 Ink absorption sheet 65, 75 Cap

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Seiji Mochizuki 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Inside Seiko Epson Corporation (72) Inventor Masahiro Isono 3-3-5, Yamato Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson Inside the corporation

Claims (14)

[Claims] A cap, which is accommodated in a holder receiving member which is moved by being pressed by a recording head or a carriage carrying the recording head, is compressed by a tube twisted so as to be parallel to a plane including the moving direction of the carriage. Capping device connected to an opening valve and a pump unit. 2. The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the tubes connected to the atmosphere release valve or the pump unit are twisted so as to face in the same direction. 3. The capping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said tubes are twisted so as to face outward. 4. The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the pump unit is constituted by a tube pump. 5. The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the other end of the tube connected to the air release valve is connected perpendicularly to a bottom surface of the holder. 6. A center portion of the holder receiving member is rotatably supported by an axis perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage in a plane parallel to a plane including the moving direction of the carriage, and the holder receiving member sandwiches the shaft. The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the two caps are accommodated in the capping device. 7. A tube connected to the holder located farther from the atmosphere release valve is fixed to a side surface of the slider, and a tube connected to the holder located closer to the atmosphere release valve is the slider. 7. The capping device according to claim 6, wherein the capping device is curved so as to be substantially parallel to a plane orthogonal to the moving direction of the capping member. 8. A cap housed in a holder receiving member which is moved by being pressed by a recording head or a carriage which carries the recording head, by means of a tube twisted so as to be parallel to a plane including the moving direction of the carriage. An ink jet recording apparatus in which a capping device connected to an opening valve and a pump unit is disposed in a non-printing area. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the tubes connected to the atmosphere release valve or the pump unit are twisted so as to face in the same direction. 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said tubes are twisted so as to face outward. 11. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said pump unit is constituted by a tube pump. 12. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the other end of the tube connected to the atmosphere release valve is vertically connected to a bottom surface of the holder. 13. The holder receiving member is rotatably supported at a central portion by an axis perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage in a plane parallel to a plane including the moving direction of the carriage, and sandwiches the shaft. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein two caps are accommodated. 14. A tube connected to the holder located farther from the air release valve is fixed to a side surface of the slider, and a tube connected to the holder located closer to the air release valve is the slider. 14. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the recording apparatus is curved so as to be substantially parallel to a plane orthogonal to the moving direction of the recording medium.