JPH10211713A - Capping device and ink-jet type recording device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To bring two caps into contact elastically and uniformly with recording heads and seal surely by storing two caps in a holder receiving member in a manner of urging the caps to the recording head side in the moving direction of a carriage on two sites by springs so that they are almost symmetrical to the axis. SOLUTION: A fist cap holder 60 and a second cap holder 70 are stored in a cap holder receiving member 40 in the state of being urged upward on the recording head side at all times by compression springs 61, 62 and 71, 72 respectively inserted dispersedly on two sites in the longitudinal direction almost on a central line of the cap holder receiving member 40. Caps 65 and 75 storing first and second ink absorbing sheets 63, 64 and 73, 74 are fitted on respective cap holders 60 and 70. After two caps are brought into contact with each other, the caps are brought into contact uniformly and elastically with the recording heads by the springs on two sites in the longitudinal direction on the recording heads to seal the recording heads.

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. 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.

[0004]

In order to solve such a problem, according to the present invention, the central portion is rotated by an axis perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage in conjunction with the movement of the recording head or the carriage carrying the recording head. A holder receiving member movably supported, a first holder and a second holder accommodated in the holder receiving member, and the shaft urged toward the recording head by springs at two positions in a moving direction of the carriage. And the first and second caps accommodated in the holder receiving member so as to be substantially symmetric with respect to.

[0005]

The two caps uniformly contact the recording head while being balanced by the holder receiving member in the direction in which the recording heads are arranged. After the two caps abut, the two caps are evenly applied to the recording head by the two springs in the longitudinal direction of the recording head. Resiliently seal.

[0006]

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.

[0007] 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.

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 the 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.
2 is rotatably supported by a receiving portion 22 provided at the front end portion of the print area side, and is always at the rear end side (FIG. 2), that is, the right side in FIG. 2B), that is, the non-printing area direction side, and the recording head 7,
8, i.e., downward in this embodiment.

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.

Each of the cap holders 60 and 70 includes first and second ink absorbing sheets 63, 64 and 73, respectively.
Caps 65 and 75 accommodating 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.

On the other hand, the cap holder receiving member 40 has an abutting piece 42 guided by the second guide surface 32 on its distal end side.
Are formed, and each of the recording heads 7 and 8
Guide pieces 43, 43, 44, 44 for contacting the side surfaces of the caps 65, 75 to guide the caps 65, 75 to predetermined positions are provided.

At the rear end of the slider 20, there is formed 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. 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 the 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. 4, 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. 5, 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.

The cap holders 60, 70 are housed in the holder receiving member 40 in a state of being urged upward by the springs 61, 62, 71, 72 as described above, and these retaining portions 66, 67, 76 are provided. , 77 are swingably engaged with and held by the concave portions of the cap holder receiving member 40. As a result, as shown in FIG. It expands slightly at θ2,
Further, it is accommodated in the holder receiving member 40 in a state where one end side is expanded at an angle θ3 with respect to the lateral width direction.

The first cap holder 60 has a locking member for the cap 65, the pump unit 14, and the valve seat 25 at its bottom.
And two tubular bodies 80 and 81 which also serve as connection conduits for the connection. As shown in FIG. 7, the tubular body 80 has a pump connecting portion 100 formed integrally therewith and connected to the pump unit 14 by a tube (not shown), and the tubular body 81 has an air communication formed integrally therewith. The mouth connection part 101 is connected to the opening 23 of the valve seat 25 by a tube 54.

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. 8, the cylindrical body 90 is connected to the pump unit 14 by a tube (not shown).
Is connected to the opening 24 of the valve body 25 by the tube 55 at the air communication hole connecting portion 111 formed integrally therewith.

The second cap holder 70 having a large size has receiving portions 93, 93 for holding tacks 92, 92 for securely holding the ink absorbing sheets 73, 74.
The studs 92, 92 are formed so as to be fixed at positions not opposed to the nozzle opening row N2, and dummy cylindrical bodies 90 ', 91' are formed at positions symmetrical to the cylindrical bodies 90, 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 an outer peripheral side surface thereof, and a cap 65 described above on a bottom surface thereof. 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.

The cap holder 70 has a plurality of claws 78, 78 formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof. The cap 75 has concave portions 79, 79 which engage the claws 78 on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and the above-described cylindrical member 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 an ink-repellent treatment is applied thereto. 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 an ink-repellent treatment is applied thereto. 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.

On the other hand, the first cap holder 60 and the second
If the cap holder 70 is described using the second cap holder 70 as an example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the cap holder 70 can maintain a sealed state between the cap holder 70 and the outer peripheral surface of the cap 70. Gap a1, which can absorb the bulge of the cap 75,
b1 is formed. The gap b1 on the long side having relatively low rigidity is set smaller than the gap a on the short side.

The gap b1 on the long side is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, wide projections 70a, 70a protruding toward the cap in the central region of the holder receiving member 70, and convex portions 70b, 70b as shown in FIG. Gap b2, b in the central region of the long side that is easy to bend
It is desirable to suppress the number 3 and make the rigidity of the thin portion 112 of the entire cap 70 uniform. And it is clear that the same action is exerted even when such a gap adjusting projection 70a and projection 70b are formed on the outer peripheral surface side of the cap 75.

The ink absorbing sheets 63, 64 and 73, 74 accommodated in the cap 65 and the cap 75 are
A plurality of relatively large through-holes 103, 104, and 1 are located at positions that do not particularly hinder the ink absorption function in common.
A small number of holes 13 and 114 are provided, a large number of minute through-holes 121 are uniformly formed in the ink absorbing sheet 120 as shown in FIG. Notches 123, 123 are provided to reduce the volume swollen by the ink through these holes 1
03, 104, 113, 114, 121 and the notch 12
A measure is taken to prevent the ink absorbing sheets 63, 64, 73, 74 and 120 from being turned up due to swelling.

The ink absorbing sheet 64 accommodated in the lower layer of the cap 65 is provided with a relatively large through hole 105 communicating with the concave portion 86 of the cap 65, and the ink absorbing sheet 63 accommodated in the upper layer is provided with a through hole. The through hole 106 having a relatively small diameter is formed at a position opposite to the through hole 85 at a position opposite to the through hole 105. And these through holes 10
Reference numerals 5 and 106 denote central portions where the intervals between the nozzle opening rows N1 are relatively large as shown in FIG. 7A, do not face the nozzle opening rows N1, and define the openings of the cylindrical body 80 with these. The connecting lines are positioned so as not to cross each nozzle opening row N1.

The ink absorbing sheet 74 accommodated in the lower layer of the cap 75 has an elongated through hole 115 such that one end thereof is hooked on the concave portion 97, and the ink absorbing sheet 73 accommodated in the upper layer does not face the through hole 95. And a through-hole 116 is formed. And these through holes 115, 11
Reference numeral 6 denotes a central portion where the interval between the nozzle openings N2 of the recording head 8 is relatively large as shown in FIG. 8, and does not face the nozzle openings N2. It is positioned so as not to cross the nozzle opening row N2.

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,.
, 117, 117, 117, and 形成 are formed, and the ink absorbing sheet 73 will be described with reference to an example.
As shown in the figure, the tip 117a is the thin portion 1 of the cap 75.
12 near the bottom of the tongue 117
7b is accommodated in contact with the side surface of the claw 98 of the cap 75 as shown in FIG.

Further, taking the ink absorbing sheet 73 as an example, the tongue piece 117 # has two claws 98, 9 previously positioned on both sides thereof, as shown in FIG.
It is desirable that the two pawls 98, 98 be elastically contacted with the two claws 98, 98 in a state where both side surfaces 117b are in elastic contact with the at least 8, and at least in a state where the ink is swollen by absorbing ink.

Preferably, as shown in FIG. 11, the tongue pieces 12 are located at positions facing the four corners of the caps 65 and 75.
2, 122, 122, ‥‥, and the cap 60,
It is desirable that the ink that easily accumulates in the corners of the thin portions 102 and 112 of 70 is guided to the main body of the ink absorbing sheet 120 by the tongue piece 122.

Further, these tongue pieces 107, 117, 12
2 is desirably formed at a position that does not face the nozzle opening rows N1 and N2 when the recording heads 7 and 8 are flushed or capped.

On the other hand, in order to ensure that the negative pressure from the pump unit 14 acts on the ink absorbing sheets 63, 64, 73, 74 contained in the caps 65, 75, the communication with the pump unit 14 is performed. Holes 84, 94
Also, there are some restrictions on the positions of the claws 87 and 98 in the vicinity thereof.

In other words, taking the cap 65 as an example, if a through hole 84 ′ communicating with the pump unit 14 is formed close to the side wall of the cap 65, FIG.
(A) As shown in (B), even if the ink absorbing sheets 63 and 64 are in close contact with the bottom of the cap 65 by the claws 87, the ink absorbing sheet 64 does not cover the entire through hole 84 'and the gap ΔG1 Is generated, causing an empty suction.

On the contrary, as shown in FIGS. 13 (c) and 13 (d), a through-hole 84 ″ communicating with the pump unit 14 is provided.
Is formed at a position away from the wall of the cap 65 or the claw 87, the ink suction sheets 63, 64 float between the through holes 84 ″ and the ink absorbing sheets 63, 64 due to swelling or the like. A gap .DELTA.G2 is formed at the end, and idle suction also occurs.

Therefore, at least the pump unit 1
It is desirable to form the holes near the claws 87 and 98 of the caps 65 and 75 and at least a distance of at least about the diameter of the holes 84 and 94 from the wall of the cap.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, when the carriage 1 contacts the flag piece 27 of the slider 20 and the slider 20 does not move, the first cap 65 and the second cap 75 are sealed. The recording heads 7 and 8 to be opposed to each other with a constant gap 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. The fine ink droplets of the ink are not attached to the heads 7 and 8, and are absorbed by the ink absorbing sheets 63 and 73 in the upper layers of the caps 65 and 75.

When the carriage 1 further moves to the rear end side (the right side in the figure), the slider 20
The rear end slides on the inclined surface 31c of the base 30 with the contact piece 21 while the front end (left side in the figure) of the base 30 slides the contact piece 42 of the holder receiving member 40 against the tension of the base 30. The holder receiving member 40 rises to a horizontal state while being guided by the inclined surface 32c of FIG.
Thereafter, the horizontal state is maintained and the ascent further rises.

In the course of the upward movement, the caps 65 and 75 urged upward by the springs 61 and 62 and the springs 71 and 72 disposed at the front and rear, respectively, have their rear end sides as shown in FIG. The recording head 7 and the thin-walled portions 102 and 112 gradually increase the contact area from one end on the leading end side because the thin-walled portions 102 and 112 are gradually inclined from one end on the leading end side. Recording head 8
Abut.

When the carriage 1 moves to a position where the recording heads 7 and 8 are sealed, the cap 65 and the cap 75 are rotated by the center shaft 41 of the holder receiving member 40 as a center, and The height of the rear end and the pressing force are balanced, and the convex pieces 66, 67, 76, and 7
7, a holder 60 supported at three points, and a holder 70
The thin portions 102 and 112 forming the sealing surfaces by the swing of the recording heads 7 and 8 are closely adhered to the recording heads 7 and 8 while following the recording heads 7 and 8.

Further, gaps a1 and b1 (FIGS. 9A and 9B) are formed between the outer peripheral surface of the cap 70 and FIG.
The gap b1 on the long side having relatively low rigidity is the gap a on the short side.
Since it is smaller than 1, the elastic pressures on the short sides and the long sides of the caps 65 and 75 are substantially constant, and the recording heads 7 and 8 are securely sealed.

At the same time, the valve seat 25 resiliently contacts the valve body 33 provided on the base 30, so that the caps 65 and 75 are disconnected from the atmosphere and become airtight, and the nozzle openings N1 and N1 are closed.
The ink is prevented from evaporating from N2 to prevent clogging for a long time.

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.

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 slightly to the front end side to separate the valve seat 25 from the valve body 33 as shown in FIG. Through holes 85 and 95 are communicated with the atmosphere.

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.

In this embodiment, the cylinders 80, 90 communicating with the pump unit 14 of the caps 65, 75 for sealing the recording heads 7, 8 and the cylinders 81, 91 communicating with the atmosphere. Is formed so as not to face the nozzle opening rows N1 and N2 when the recording heads 7 and 8 are sealed, and to be positioned between the rows, so that bubbles generated when air flows into the nozzle opening Adhesion to the columns N1, N2 is prevented.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
When the suction port 130 and the air communication port 131 are arranged so as to cross the nozzle opening row N, the ink bubbles B, B, B,. Later, the meniscus of the nozzle opening row N is destroyed.

Each of these ink absorbing sheets 63, 6
4. The caps 65 and 75 containing the ink absorbing sheets 73 and 74 are located at least in the vicinity of the tubular bodies 80 and 90 communicating with the pump unit 14 to repress the upper ink absorbing sheets 63 and 73. Claws 87, 98 are formed, and the through holes 84, 94 are also formed in the ink absorbing sheet 63,
Since the ink is covered with the ink absorbing sheets 73 and 74, the ink can be surely sucked without idle suction.

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 rearward, 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.

By opening the recording head 7 and the recording head 8 from the cap 65 and the cap 75 while gradually increasing the opening area in this manner, the nozzle plate of the recording head 7 and the recording head 8 is forcibly discharged with the ink. The ink remains at the boundary between the sealing surface 65a and the sealing surface 75a due to capillary force or the like. Even if an attempt is made to form a film by surface tension, the ink moves following the gradual enlargement of the opening area.

Therefore, finally, the caps 65, 75
Can be finally moved to one point of the end portion away from the surfaces of the recording heads 7 and 8, and disappears here. Further, even if the ink film does not disappear, the ink film ruptures when the area becomes smaller as compared with the case where it is opened at a stretch, so that the amount of adhesion to the nozzle plate can be reduced and the deterioration of print quality can be suppressed to a small extent. . Thus, the cap 6
Even if the ink adheres to the corners of 5, 75, it can be easily eliminated by disposing the tongue piece 122 (FIG. 11) so as to face the corner.

On the other hand, when the cap is opened all at once, an ink film is easily formed while closing the entire opening surface of the cap. Scatter over the area and cap 6
It adheres to not only 5, 75 but also a wide area of the nozzle plate, which affects the wettability of the ink in many of the nozzle opening rows n1 and N2, resulting in deterioration of print quality.

In the above-described embodiment, the caps 65 and 75 have the through holes 84 communicating with the pump unit 14.
Although a pair of holes 94 and holes 95 and 95 communicating with the atmosphere are provided, especially in the case of a cap 75 having a large size, dummy holes 94 ′ and 95 ′ are formed as shown in FIG.
Are connected to the pump unit 14 and the opening 24 of the valve seat 25 by tubes, respectively.
By forming the through holes 11 'and 115' corresponding to the holes 3 and 74, the waste ink on the ink absorbing sheets 73 and 74 can be reliably discharged regardless of the size.

[0063]

As described above, according to the present invention, the center of the holder is rotatably supported by an axis perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage in conjunction with the movement of the recording head or the carriage carrying the recording head. A receiving member, a first holder and a second holder housed in the holder receiving member, and a holder receiving member urged toward the recording head by a spring at two positions in the moving direction of the carriage so as to be substantially symmetric with respect to the axis. Since the first and second caps are accommodated in the member, the two caps can evenly contact the recording head while maintaining the balance in the arrangement direction of the recording heads by the holder receiving member. Thereafter, the recording head can be evenly and elastically contacted by two springs in the longitudinal direction of the recording head to reliably seal the recording head.

[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 an assembled perspective view of one embodiment of the first cap.

FIG. 5 is an assembled perspective view showing one embodiment of a second cap.

FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) show the attitude of the carriage of the first cap and the second cap at the time of non-capping, respectively, and the inclination to the recording head in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction and in a direction parallel to the moving direction. FIG.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating an upper surface structure of a first cap and a cross-sectional structure taken along line AA, respectively.

FIGS. 8A to 8C are diagrams respectively showing a top structure of the second cap, a cross-sectional structure taken along line BB, and line CC.

FIGS. 9A to 9C are views showing a gap formed between the cap holder and the cap, and an operation of the gap. FIGS.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are top views each showing another embodiment of the cap holder. FIG.

FIG. 11 is a view showing another embodiment of the ink absorbing sheet disposed on the upper layer of the cap.

FIG. 12A is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a tongue piece of an ink absorbing sheet and a thin portion of a cap, and FIGS.

FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b) show problems that occur due to the positional relationship between the through hole communicating with the pump unit and the ink absorbing sheet, and FIGS. It is a figure explaining the malfunction which arises by the positional relationship with a hole.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the recording head has moved to a flushing position.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the recording head has moved to a capping position.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the recording head has moved to a position where ink is discharged from the capping device.

FIGS. 17 (a) to (c) are views showing a top structure, a cross-sectional structure taken along line BB, and line CC of another embodiment of the cap, respectively. It is a top view shown.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are diagrams showing the flow of ink bubbles generated by the ink absorbing sheet, respectively.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Carriage 7, 8 Recording head 11 Capping device 12, 13 Cap 14 Pump unit 20 Slider 21 Contact piece 25 Valve seat 30 Base 31, 32 Guide surface 33 Valve element 40 Holder receiving member 42 Contact piece 51, 53 Tension spring 60, 70 Cap holder 63, 64, 73, 74 Ink absorbing sheet 65, 75 Cap 87, 98 Claw 102, 112 for holding ink absorbing sheet Thin portion 103, 113 Cap through hole 107, 117 Tongue piece 80, 81, 90, 91 Cylindrical body serving also as cap fixing member and communication conduit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masahiro Nakamura 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Inside Seiko Epson Corporation (72) Inventor Jun Kobayashi 3-3-5, Yamato Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson Inside the corporation

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A holder receiving member having a central portion rotatably supported by an axis perpendicular to a moving direction of a carriage in association with the movement of a recording head or a carriage carrying the recording head, and a holder received by the holder receiving member. A first holder, a second holder, and a second holder which is urged toward the recording head by a spring at two places in the moving direction of the carriage and is accommodated in the holder receiving member so as to be substantially symmetric with respect to the axis. 1. A capping device comprising: a second cap; 2. An end of the slider on the side of the capping position and an end of the holder receiving member on the side of the non-capping position are guided on slopes having the non-capping side formed on the base upward. 2. The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the slider is supported at a center thereof by a rotatable arm provided between the slider and the base, and moves up and down in response to movement of the carriage. 3. The slider is urged to the non-capping position side and to the base side by a spring spanned between an end on the capping position side and a central region of the base,
The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the holder receiving member is biased toward the capping side by a spring spanned between an end on a non-capping position side and the slider. 4. The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second caps are accommodated in the holder receiving member in a state where the first and second caps are inclined so that the capping position side expands. 5. The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the holder receiving member is mounted on the slider such that only one corner of the first and second caps protrudes toward the recording head. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holder receiving member is located at a point at a central portion on one end side in the moving direction of the carriage, and the other end is located at a point on the other end.
The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the capping device contacts the slider at a point. 7. The holder receiving member is swingable at one point on a center line of one side wall in the moving direction of the carriage and at two points where the other side wall straddles the center line. The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the capping device is held. 8. The ink absorbing sheet contained in the holder is fixed to the holder by studs.
A capping device according to claim 1. 9. The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the ink absorbing sheet is provided with a through hole for absorbing a volume increase upon swelling. 10. The ink absorbing sheet is provided with a cutout for absorbing an increase in volume upon swelling.
A capping device according to claim 1. 11. A holder receiving member having a central portion rotatably supported by an axis perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage in conjunction with the movement of the recording head or the carriage that carries the recording head; A first holder, a second holder, and a second holder which is urged toward the recording head by a spring at two places in the moving direction of the carriage and is accommodated in the holder receiving member so as to be substantially symmetric with respect to the axis. 1. An ink jet recording apparatus provided with a capping device including a second cap in a non-printing area. 12. An end of the slider on the side of the capping position and an end of the holder receiving member on the side of the non-capping position are guided on slopes having the non-capping side formed on the base upward. 12. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the slider is supported by a rotatable arm provided at a center between the slider and the base, and moves up and down in response to movement of the carriage. 13. The holder is urged to a non-capping position side and to the base side by a spring which is stretched between an end on the capping position side and a central region of the base, and the holder receiving member is provided. 12. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the member is urged toward the capping side by a spring spanned between the end on the non-capping position side and the slider. 14. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first and second caps are accommodated in the holder receiving member in a state where the first and second caps are inclined so that the capping position side expands. 15. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the holder receiving member is mounted on the slider such that only one corner of the first and second caps protrudes toward the recording head. 16. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the holder receiving member is in contact with the slider at one point at a central portion on one end in the moving direction of the carriage and at two points on the other end. . 17. The holder receiving member can swing at one point on a center line of one side wall in the moving direction of the carriage and at two points on the other side wall straddling the center line. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, which is held. 18. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the ink absorbing sheet accommodated in the holder is fixed to the holder by studs. 19. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the ink absorbing sheet is provided with a through hole for absorbing a volume increase upon swelling. 20. The ink absorbing sheet according to claim 1, wherein the ink absorbing sheet is provided with a notch for absorbing an increase in volume upon swelling.
2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to 1.