JPH10258515A - Recovering device for ink-jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate waste of amt. of consumption without bubbling ink and to shorten purging time by controlling a suction pump means and making selectively a specified suction operation among a plurality of suction operations disappear. SOLUTION: A purge mechanism sucks ink in a recording head through a suction cap 41 being brought into releasable contact with the nozzle face of the recording head. For this purpose, a suction pump 42 can perform a plurality of suction operations and a CPU controls rotation of a cam member 43 to make selectively a specified operation among a plurality of suction operations disappear. That is, the suction pump 42 performs the first suction operation A with small suction force and long suction time and the second suction operation B with large suction force and long suction time. In addition, the CPU selects the first and the second suction operations when an ink cartridge is exchanged not to make both operations disappear. On the other hand, when an ordinary purge operation is performed, the first suction operation is made to disappear and only the second suction operation is selected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a recovery device for an ink jet printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording head for ejecting ink to a recording medium to perform recording, and a suction cap which comes into contact with a nozzle surface of the recording head so as to be able to come in contact with and separate from the recording head, are used to suck ink of the recording head through the suction cap. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known an ink jet printer including a suction pump unit for performing the operation and a control unit for controlling the drive of the suction pump unit.

In such an ink jet printer,
The control means controls the suction pump means to perform a suction operation. Generally, the suction operation generates one large suction negative pressure, and sucks the ink in the recording head at a stretch through the suction cap. Has been done.

However, in the use of such an ink jet printer, when the ink cartridge is replaced, including when the ink cartridge is first connected to the recording head, the ink passage between the recording head and the ink cartridge is filled with air. Can occur,
In such a state, a large suction force is applied through the suction cap to suck the ink of the print head at a stretch, as in the case of the normal purge operation for recovery of ejection failure during the printing operation. The ink rapidly flows from the ink cartridge to the recording head in a state of being mixed with air, and the ink foams, and the ink in the ejection channel of the recording head contains bubbles. In particular, this tendency is remarkable when a filter member is provided at a connection portion between the recording head and the ink cartridge (for example, an ink supply hole of the ink cartridge) so that dust and the like do not move with the ink toward the recording head. .

Therefore, when the ink cartridge is replaced or the like, apart from the ink introduction mode at the time of the purge operation in the case of a discharge failure, there is a demand that the ink be sucked from the recording head in such a manner that the foaming does not occur. There is.

Accordingly, first, a first suction operation is performed with a small suction force to make the ink passage filled with ink, and then a second suction operation is performed with a large suction force, and each channel of the recording head is It was conceived that the ink can be sucked from the recording head in such a manner that the above-mentioned bubbling does not occur when the ink cartridge is exchanged.

[0007]

However, in this case, although the above-described bubbling does not occur at the time of replacing the ink cartridge, the first suction operation is performed at the time of the normal purging operation for eliminating the ink ejection failure. Even if the operation is not performed, the problem of bubbling described above does not occur as in the case of exchanging the ink cartridge. Therefore, the consumption of the ink by the first suction operation is wasted, and the purge time is lengthened by the time required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when introducing ink from an ink cartridge to a recording head, without bubbling the ink, and when recovering the ejection, waste of ink consumption is eliminated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recovery device for an ink jet printer that shortens a purge time.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording head for ejecting ink onto a recording medium to perform recording, and a suction cap which comes into contact with a nozzle surface of the recording head so as to be able to come and go. In a recovery device for an ink jet printer, comprising: suction pump means for sucking ink of a recording head through a suction cap; and control means for driving and controlling the suction pump means, the suction pump means performs a plurality of suction operations in a series of operations. An operation, wherein the control means controls the suction pump means to selectively eliminate a specific suction operation among the plurality of suction operations.

Therefore, a plurality of suction operations can be executed in a series of operations by the suction pump means, and a specific suction operation among the plurality of suction operations is eliminated, thereby wasting ink. And purge time is shortened.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the recovery device for an ink jet printer according to the first aspect, the suction operation performed by the suction pump means includes a first suction operation having a small suction force and a short suction time, and a suction force. This is a second suction operation in which the suction time is large and the suction time is long, and the control means selects the first and second suction operations in the suction operation performed when exchanging the ink cartridge, and neither of them is extinguished.

Therefore, in the suction operation performed when replacing the ink cartridge, the first suction force and the suction time are short.
Suction operation and a second suction operation having a large suction force and a long suction time.
Are not eliminated, the first suction operation causes the ink to flow into the ink passage between the recording head and the ink cartridge while expelling the air in the ink passage, and the subsequent second suction operation As a result, the operation of flowing the ink into the recording head is performed, and a good dischargeable state is set.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the recovery device for an ink jet printer according to the second aspect, the control means eliminates the first suction operation in a suction operation when the ink cartridge is not replaced.

Therefore, in the suction operation when the ink cartridge is not replaced, the first suction operation is extinguished, only the suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time is performed, the ink is suctioned at a stroke, and the ink is not discharged. Discharge or defective discharge is recovered.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the recovery device for an ink jet printer according to the second aspect, in the suction operation performed when the control unit replaces the ink cartridge,
Repeat the series of operations a plurality of times, at least in the first series of operations to select the first and second suction operation,
In the subsequent series of operations, the first suction operation is eliminated.

Therefore, in the suction operation performed when the ink cartridge is replaced, a series of operations is repeatedly performed a plurality of times, and at least the first and second suction operations are selected in at least the first series of operations. The ink flows into the passage while expelling the air inside, and then the recording head is filled with the ink. Then, by a suction operation in which the suction force of the subsequent series of operations is large and the suction time is long, the discharge can be reliably performed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the recovery device for an ink jet printer according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the suction pump means has two independently movable piston members in the cylinder body. In addition, said 2
A cam member associated with one piston member; and driving means for driving the cam member to rotate, wherein the control means is associated with the driving means.

Therefore, the driving means is controlled by the control means, the cam member is driven to rotate at a predetermined timing, and the suction pump means is controlled to selectively perform a specific suction operation among the plurality of suction operations. Be extinguished.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the recovery device for an ink jet printer according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the cam member has a cam portion corresponding to the plurality of suction operations. The means selects or eliminates a specific suction operation by changing the rotation speed of the cam member.

Therefore, by changing the rotation speed of the cam member having the cam portions corresponding to the plurality of suction operations, a specific suction operation is selected or eliminated. As a result, the suction pump means is controlled, the mode of ink introduction is changed,
The ink is introduced according to the state of the nozzles of the recording head.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration of an ink jet printer. In FIG. 1, an inkjet printer 1 has a rotating shaft (not shown) extending in the left-right direction.
And has a cylindrical platen roller 3 rotatably supported on the frame 2 by the roller. The platen roller 3 is provided with a printing paper 4 supplied from a paper cassette or a manual paper feeding unit.
The recording medium is conveyed while facing the recording head 5, and constitutes a part of a so-called paper feed mechanism LM. The recording head 5 is of an ink jet type having a nozzle for ejecting ink droplets on the printing paper 4 and performing a recording operation on the printing paper 4, and a paper feeding mechanism LM drives the paper feeding mechanism LM. An LF motor 14 (see FIG. 5) as a paper feed motor for transporting the printing paper 4 is provided.

The printing paper 4 is supplied in the direction of arrow A from a paper supply port (not shown) behind the frame 2, is fed in the direction of arrow B by rotation of the platen roller 3, and is discharged from the paper discharge port (not shown). ) Is discharged in the direction of arrow C. A carriage 6 is provided in front of the platen roller 3 so as to be movable in the direction of arrow D along the axis of the platen roller 3.

The carriage 6 has a recording head 5 and an ink cartridge 7 containing ink supplied to the recording head 5 detachably mounted thereon. In this example, the recording head 5 and the ink cartridge 7 each having a head portion for four colors of yellow, black, cyan, and magenta are mounted.

As shown in detail in FIG. 2, when the ink cartridge 7 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 6a of the carriage 6, the recording head supported by the head supporting member 16 via the manifold member 15 is provided. 5. The manifold member 15
The rear end of the cartridge penetrates the vertical wall portion 6b of the cartridge mounting portion 6a and is connected to the ink cartridge 7 via the joint member 17. In the connection part, an adapter 18 is provided in the ink supply hole 7a of the ink cartridge 7, and a net-like filter member 19 is provided on the recording head 5 side so that dust and the like do not move together with the ink.

A carriage shaft 8 is provided in parallel with the axis of the platen roller 3, and a carriage 6 is slidably fitted on the carriage shaft 8. The engaging portion 6c of the carriage 6 is guided by a guide rail 9 extending parallel to the carriage shaft 8.
Thereby, the recording head 5 mounted on the carriage 6
Is reciprocally movable by sliding along the axis of the platen roller 3. The carriage 6 is fixed to a part of a timing belt 11, and the timing belt 11 is wound around timing pulleys 12, 13 to constitute a carriage mechanism CM. Motor). Therefore, when the CR motor 10 is rotationally driven, the carriage 6 reciprocates in a recording area where recording is performed on printing paper via the carriage mechanism CM. In addition, the carriage area CM and the CR motor 10 allow the recording area to be
Moving means for moving between a recovery area where a recovery operation is performed by a suction cap 41, a suction pump 42, and a wiper member 32, which will be described later, is configured. As the CR motor 10, a step motor or a DC motor is used. Although not specifically shown, the carriage 6 is provided with a cartridge replacement detection switch 21 for detecting replacement of the ink cartridge 7 (see FIG. 5).

On the right side of the recording area corresponding to the platen roller 3, there is formed a recovery area provided with a purge mechanism RM for recovering from non-ejection or ejection failure of the recording head 5. Such a purge mechanism RM
Is provided by the ink jet recording head 5
The reason is that a discharge failure occurs due to a cause such as generation of bubbles inside the ink or drying of the ink during use, and this is to recover the discharge state to a favorable discharge state.

On the left side of the printing area corresponding to the platen roller 3, a flushing area in which a waste ink receiving member 22 is provided is formed. Such a waste ink receiving member 22 is provided just before the printing operation by the print head 5 in order to eliminate clogging of the nozzles of the print head 5 and to remove bubbles mixed with ink in the nozzles. This is for preliminarily discharging ink.

The purge mechanism RM is movable between a protruding position protruding into the moving path of the recording head 5 and a standby position retracted from the moving path of the recording head 5. When the suction cap 41 is in close contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 at the protruding position, the ink in the recording head 5 is suctioned and removed through the suction cap 41. Suction means 3 having suction pump 42
1 is provided.

When a wiper member 32 adjacent to the suction means 31 and movable relative to the recording head 5 so as to wipe the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 toward the recording area is not used for recording on the opposite side. A storage cap device 33 is provided to cover the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 to prevent ink evaporation and prevent the nozzle surface from drying.

The wiper member 32, the suction cap 41, and the suction pump 42 are associated with a cam member 43 that is driven to rotate. The movement of the wiper member 32, the movement of the suction cap 41, and the operation of the suction pump 42 are as follows. It is configured to be controlled by the rotation of the common cam member 43.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the cam member 43 has a driving gear 46 provided integrally, and is driven to rotate by a driving means such as a motor. For example, the drive gear 46 is configured to be removably meshed with a drive gear (not shown) that is rotationally driven by the LF motor 14 of the paper feed mechanism LM. Are driven to rotate.
Further, the wiper holder 3 for supporting the wiper member 32
4 is movably engaged with the first cam groove 43 a of the cam member 43, whereby the wiper member 32 is moved to a position where the wiper member 32 projects into the movement path of the recording head 5, and It is possible to reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the moving path of the recording head 5 between a standby position retracted from the moving path of the head 5 and to wipe the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 at the protruding position. Is done.

The suction cap 41 is supported by a cap holder 44, and the rear end (cam follower) of the cap holder 44 has a second cam member 43 on the same surface as the first cam groove 43a. Movably engaged with the cam groove 43b.

The suction pump 42 includes a frame member 51
The first and second piston members 53 and 54 are independently and movably fitted in a cylindrical pump housing 52 attached and fixed to the pump housing 52. In the pump housing 52, a suction port 52a and a discharge port 52b are provided at regular intervals in the axial direction, and the suction port 52a is connected to a suction cap 41 via a suction pipe 55.
2b is linked to a waste ink tank 58 containing an ink absorbing material 57 (see FIG. 1). Further, an atmosphere opening portion 5 in which one end side of the pump housing 52 is opened to the atmosphere.
The first piston member 53 is disposed on the side of the atmosphere opening portion 52c.

First and second piston members 53, 54
Are connected to one ends of the first and second drive shaft members 61 and 62, respectively, and are driven by the drive shaft members 61 and 62, so that the pump chamber 52 is formed between the piston members 53 and 54 in the pump housing 52. Is formed.

The first drive shaft member 61 is slidably fitted in the second drive shaft member 62, and each drive shaft member 6
The other end portions of the first and second cam members 43 and 43 are opposite to the third and fourth cam grooves 43c and 43c of the cam member 43 on the side opposite to the cam grooves 43a and 43b.
43d so as to be movable. The cam grooves 43c and 43d (cam portions) of the cam member 43 correspond to a plurality of suction operations (see FIGS. 8A and 8B), and the rotation of the cam member 43 temporarily stops as described later. By stopping or performing continuously, a specific suction operation is selected or eliminated.

Therefore, by rotating the cam member 43 at a constant timing, capping of the suction cap 41, suction of ink by the suction pump 42, and wiping of the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 by the wiper member 32 are sequentially performed. The ink sucked by the suction pump 42 is discharged to the waste ink tank 58 via the suction pump 42, and the ink absorbing material 57 in the waste ink tank 58
Is absorbed by

As shown in FIG. 1, the storage cap device 33 has a storage cap 71 that covers each head portion of the recording head 5, and a casing 72 that supports the storage cap 71 moves in the moving direction of the carriage 6. A guide rod member 73 extending in parallel with is supported so as to be able to slide and rotate. The casing 72
The engaging projection 72a for engaging with the carriage 6 when the carriage 6 moves to the outside of the recording area and sliding integrally with the carriage 6 protrudes forward. Then, when the carriage 6 moves from the recording area to the recovery area, the carriage 6 engages with the engaging projection 72a of the casing 72, so that the storage cap 71 slides following the movement of the carriage 6 (FIG. 1). At right). At the time of this sliding movement, the storage cap 71 rotates around the guide rod 73 by the action of the not-shown inclined cam means, and as a result, the storage cap 71 rotates in a direction approaching the recording head 5, and the storage cap 71 Capping is performed by contacting the nozzle surface of the nozzle. Thereafter, when the carriage 6 moves in the recording area direction again, the storage cap 71 moves away from the recording head 5 while moving to the recording area side, and returns to the initial state when the carriage 5 comes out of the recovery area.

Next, the control section of the ink jet printer 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. This control unit is a well-known arithmetic processing unit C
The PU 100 is mainly configured. The CPU 100 is connected to a host computer 102 such as a personal computer via an interface 101, and the host computer 110
2, and various printings are executed in accordance with the instructions.

A typical example of the functional configuration of the host computer 102 is a window system. Various applications (A) on this window system
(B)... (N) are provided, and a font driver, a CRT driver, a keyboard driver, a mouse driver, a printer driver, and the like are incorporated. When printing is performed using the inkjet printer 1 during execution of various applications, the printer driver creates output data relating to an image suitable for the printing function of the printer.

The CPU 100 has an operation panel 10
3, ROM 104 and RAM 105 are connected. The operation panel 103 sets various parameters such as a paper size and displays them. ROM10
Reference numeral 4 stores various programs necessary for controlling the inkjet printer 1. RAM 105
It temporarily stores print data transferred from the host computer 102 and various numerical values necessary for controlling the ink jet printer 1, and has a backup memory 105a.

The CPU 100 includes an LF drive circuit 11
1. The drive of the LF motor 14, the CR motor 10, and the recording head 5 is controlled via the CR drive circuit 112 and the head drive circuit 113. Further, a signal from a cartridge replacement detection switch 21 provided on the carriage 6 for detecting replacement of the ink cartridge 7 is also input.

The LF motor 14 is configured to drive either the purge mechanism RM or the paper feed mechanism LM via a switching mechanism 121 including a gear that can be disengaged from the drive gear 46. . And the CPU
The control means 100 controls the operation of the suction pump 42 to perform the purge operation. That is, the suction pump 42 can perform a plurality of suction operations in a series of operations.
Numeral 0 controls the suction pump 42 to selectively eliminate a specific suction operation from the plurality of suction operations. That is, the suction pump 42 is provided as shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the first suction force is small and the suction time is short.
And a second suction operation B (a large negative pressure peak) having a large suction force and a long suction time, and the CPU 100
At the time of ink cartridge replacement which receives a signal from the cartridge replacement detection switch 21, the first and second suction operations are selected so that neither of them is extinguished (see FIG. 8 (a)). The rotation of the LF motor 14, which is the driving source of the cam member 43, is controlled so that the first suction operation A is extinguished and only the second suction operation B is selected (see FIG. 8B).

The CR motor 10 drives the carriage mechanism CM, and the carriage 6 of the carriage mechanism CM
, The switching mechanism 121 is switched.

The purge mechanism RM, the paper feed mechanism LM, and the carriage mechanism CM have respective sensors.
A detection signal from the sensor is input to the CPU via a group of counters 122. The purge mechanism RM has a purge HP sensor 131. When the suction pump 42 is at the home position, the purge HP sensor 131 notifies the purge position counter 122a of the counter group 122 of the fact. This signal is used as a reference for the purge operation by the purge mechanism.

The paper feed mechanism LM has a PE sensor 132, which emits a signal at the leading end of the newly supplied printing paper 4 and notifies the LF position counter 122b of the counter group 122. This signal serves as a reference for controlling the recording position in the vertical direction.

The carriage mechanism CM includes the CR position sensor 1
33, and the CR position sensor 133 is a CR motor 1
The position of the carriage is detected by counting the number of drive pulses of 0, and is notified to the CR position counter 122c of the counter group 122. The position information serves as a reference for maintaining the horizontal position, and also as a criterion for determining whether or not a new feeding operation of the printing paper 4 and a discharging operation of the printed paper are possible.

The operation of the ink jet printer 1 configured as described above will be described.

First, in the ink jet printer 1, the recording head 5 is usually at a standby position in a state where the recording head 5 is covered with the storage cap 71. When recording data is input, recording is performed.

The printing paper 4 is supplied between the platen roller 3 and the recording head 5, and the recording head 5 is moved from the standby position to the recording start position by the operation of the CR motor 10. Then, the recording head 5 is reciprocated in the recording area while ejecting ink based on the recording data, so that printing is performed on the printing paper 4.
When printing is completed, the recording head 5 is moved to the standby position, covered with the storage cap 71 that has been advanced, and drying of the nozzle surface during use is prevented.

When a purge switch on the operation panel 103 is operated and a purge command is input according to a user's judgment, a purge mode for operating the purge mechanism RM is entered, and a suction operation program is executed as described later. You.

By the way, the purge switch is operated when an ink discharge failure occurs, whereby the suction operation is performed by the suction pump 42 as described above. This is also performed when the ink cartridge 7 is replaced and ink needs to be introduced into the recording head 5. In other words, when the ink cartridge 7 is replaced, the cartridge replacement detection switch 21 provided on the carriage 6 detects that, and under the control of the CPU 100, a suction operation for ink introduction by replacement of the ink cartridge 7 is performed. . The suction operation for ink introduction at the time of ink cartridge replacement includes a first suction operation with a small suction force and a short suction time, and a second suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time. (FIG. 8
(See FIG. 8A.) In the suction operation when the ink cartridge is not replaced, the CPU 100 cancels the first suction operation (see FIG. 8B) and changes the ink introduction mode.

When the purge mode is set, the carriage mechanism C by the CR motor 10 via the CR drive circuit 112 is first controlled by the CPU 100 based on the suction operation program.
By driving M, the recording head 5 moves the storage cap 71
Is moved from a position facing the suction cap 41 to a position facing the suction cap 41. When in this recovery area,
The switching mechanism 121 switches the LF motor 14 to a state where the driving force can be transmitted to the purge mechanism RM.
Then, the cam member 43 is rotated by the driving force from the LF motor 14, and the wiper member 32, the suction cap 41, and the suction pump 42 are controlled. The recovery operation, that is, the operation of bringing the suction cap 41 and the wiper member 32 into and out of contact with each other, and the suction pump 42 perform the suction / discharge operation. Here, the suction operation includes the operation of bringing the suction cap 41 into close contact with the nozzle surface and sucking ink from the recording head 5 by the suction pump 42, and the operation of suctioning the suction cap 41 by separating at least a part of the suction cap 41 from the nozzle surface. A so-called idle suction operation of sucking ink from the inside of the cap 41 is included.

Next, the operation of bringing the suction cap 41 and the wiper member 32 into and out of the recording head 5 and the operation of suctioning / discharging by the suction pump 42 will be described with reference to FIGS. A description will be given along the change of the rotation angle.

First, when the rotation angle of the cam member 43 is near 0 °, both piston members 53, 54 of the suction pump 42 are set.
Means that the pump chamber between them is minimized,
While the suction cap 41 is located near 2b, the suction cap 41 is in an initial state located at the standby position (see FIG. 6A).

Then, when the cam member 43 is driven to rotate, the first and second piston members 53 and 54 gradually move integrally from around 6 ° to around 97 ° (FIG. 6). (See (b))) to slightly increase the moving speed.

When the rotation angle of the cam member 43 becomes about 114 °, the two piston members 53 and 54 stop moving, and the vicinity of the boundary between the two piston members 53 and 54 becomes the vicinity of the suction port 52a (FIG. 6C). reference).

On the other hand, when the rotation angle of the cam member 43 approaches 57 ° during the movement of the piston members 53 and 54, the suction cap 41 is moved from the standby position to the position of the recording head 5 as shown in FIG. The recording head 5 is gradually advanced toward the moving path side, and the suction cap 41 is
Nozzle surface.

After the suction cap 41 completely covers the nozzle surface of the recording head 5, the rotation angle of the cam member 43 is maintained in the state shown in FIG. 6C from 114 ° to 122 °. While changing from １ to 129 ゜
While the first piston member 53 remains stationary, the second piston member 54 is moved in the direction in which the distance between the first piston member 53 and the first piston member 53 increases, and the first and second piston members 53, 53 are moved.
54, the pump chamber 52e is enlarged, and the suction port 5
2a is opened to the same room (see FIG. 6D), and the first suction operation is started.

Then, the rotation angle of the cam member 43 is 129.
The state is maintained from ゜ to 145 °, but when the ink cartridge 7 is replaced, the CPU 100 receives 136 ° (position 3A) by a signal from the replacement detection switch 21.
), The power supply to the LF motor 14 is stopped for about 3 seconds, and the rotation of the cam member 43 is stopped. As a result, the first suction operation is performed for about 3 seconds (see A in FIG. 8A). The amount of ink sucked by the first suction operation may be such that the ink flows from the ink cartridge 7 through the filter member 19 into the manifold member 15. On the other hand, at times other than when the ink cartridge 7 is replaced, the cam member 43 is not stopped at the above-mentioned position 3A, and the cam member 43 is not moved from 122 °
9A is passed in about 0.225 seconds, and the first piston member 53 immediately closes the suction port 52a (see FIG. 6E). Therefore, as shown in FIG. Although the suction operation appears instantaneously, the first suction operation substantially disappears with almost no suction operation.

Then, during a period from 145 ° to 171 °, the first and second piston members 53 and 54 maintain the volume of the pump chamber as shown in FIG. The first piston member 53 is moved in a direction to close the suction port 52a. At this time, the second piston member 53 closes the discharge port 52b.

Thereafter, the above-mentioned state is maintained until the rotation angle of the cam member 43 is from 171 ° to 179 °.
From 79 ° to 205 °, the first piston member 53 is moved in a direction to open the suction port 52a while the discharge port 52b is closed by the second piston member 54 (FIG. 6).
(F)), the pump chamber 52e is expanded to increase the negative pressure,
Finally, the suction port 52a is opened, and the state is maintained until the rotation angle of the cam member 43 becomes 239 °.
In the vicinity of 11 ° (see position 3B), the cam member 43
Then, the second suction operation (see FIG. 8B) having a larger suction force and a longer suction time than the first suction operation is performed. The amount of ink sucked by the second suction operation exceeds the amount of filling each channel of the recording head 5 with new ink, and is an amount by which a good ejection state is restored.

Then, the rotation angle of the cam member 43 is set to 221.
°, the suction cap 41 starts to separate from the recording head 5 while the first piston member 42 keeps the suction port 41a open for a second time from 239 ° to 272 °.
The piston member 54 is moved backward just before releasing the discharge port 41b (see FIG. 6G), and the pump chamber 52 is moved.
The suction operation is performed while e is further enlarged. Thereby, the residual ink in the suction cap 41 and the suction pipe 55 is sucked (so-called idle suction).

Then, during the period from the cam members 272 # to 282 #, the second piston member 54 continues to move in the direction to open the discharge port 52b, while the first piston member 53 closes the suction port 52a. Move in the direction you want. Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (h), the second piston member 54 moves to a position where the pump chamber 52e opens to the discharge port 52b, and stops moving when the rotation angle of the cam member 43 is around 282 °. The first piston member 53 continues the movement until the rotation angle of the cam member 43 becomes about 338 °, compresses the pump chamber 52e, and positively performs the discharging operation (FIG. 6).
(See (i)). As a result, the ink in the pump chamber 52e is discharged to the waste ink tank 58.

After the discharging operation, the piston members 53 and 54 keep the stopped state while the cam member 43 is between 338 ° and 345 °, and thereafter, the both piston members 5 and 54 are maintained until 354 °.
3 and 54 are slightly returned, as shown in FIG.
The state is returned to the same state as the initial state, and the state is maintained from 354 ° to 360 ° (0 °), and the state becomes the initial state.

Further, the wiper member 32 maintains the standby state from the rotation angle of the cam member 43 of 0 ° to 269 °.
It gradually advances from 9 ° to 290 °, reaches a projecting position at 290 °, maintains the projecting position from 290 ° to 310 °, and wipes the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 moving to the recording area side (FIG. 7). It gradually retreats from 310 ° to 331 °, becomes the standby position, and remains at 360 °.

After the nozzle surface of the recording head 5 is wiped by the wiper member 32, first, the recording head 5 is moved to the flushing area, and ink is transferred from all the nozzles of the recording head 5 to the waste ink receiving member 22. Preliminary ejection for ejecting ink is performed, and then the recording head 5
Is moved to the recording start position.

The control of the suction pump 42 by the cam member 43 includes two suction operations having different suction forces for sucking ink from the recording head 5, that is, a first suction operation having a small suction force, and The second suction operation having a larger suction force and a longer suction time than the first suction operation is performed. However, such two suction operations are performed because ink is contained in the recording head 5. When a suction operation is performed by the suction pump 42 in a state where the ink path between the recording head 5 and the ink cartridge 7 is filled with air, a large negative pressure is applied through the suction cap 41. When the ink of the recording head 5 is sucked at a stroke, the ink rapidly flows from the ink cartridge 7 toward the recording head 5 in a state of being mixed with air, and the ink is bubbled. Chi, is because the fact to include bubbles in the ink in the ejection channels of the printhead 5,
With the above configuration, the first suction operation allows
The ink flows into the ink passage while expelling the air in the ink passage, and by the subsequent second suction operation, the operation of filling the ink in the recording head is performed. Is secured. Especially,
At the connection between the recording head 5 and the ink cartridge 7,
As described above, when the filter member 19 is provided so that dust and the like do not move together with the ink on the recording head 5 side, the tendency of bubbling is particularly remarkable, so that this embodiment is particularly effective.

A series of operations including the first and second suction operations are performed a plurality of times according to the purpose. For example, after the ink cartridge 7 is replaced, the printing is performed six times on the same recording head 5 continuously. The first series of operations includes the first and second suction operations, and the ink is introduced into the recording head without foaming as described above. However, since the ink is not foamed after the second time,
The first suction operation is extinguished, and only the second suction operation is repeated. By doing so, the recording head 5 can be reliably filled with new ink and can be ejected. The operation for recovering the ejection may be appropriately performed by the user's key operation as described above, or may be automatically performed by the printer based on the timekeeping operation. The number of times of repeating a series of operations (only the first suction operation and the second suction operation) can be determined according to the length. In this case, by eliminating the first suction operation, it is possible to save ink consumption and time due to the operation.

In the above embodiment, the detection switch 21 detects when the ink cartridge is replaced and when it is not.
Although the determination is made based on the presence or absence of a signal from the user, the user may be able to make a selection by key operation. Further, the suction pump means is not limited to one having two piston members, but may be one having one piston member. Further, not only can the piston member be temporarily stopped or driven, but also the speed of the piston member can be changed by changing the rotation speed of the motor. Further, not only the piston type but also other types of pumps can be used.

[0071]

The present invention is embodied in the form described above, and has the following effects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, as described above, the suction pump means having a plurality of suction operations in a series of operations is controlled by the control means to perform a specific suction operation among the plurality of suction operations. Since a selective suction operation is performed, a series of a plurality of suction operations can be executed, or a specific suction operation among them can be deleted and various suction controls can be performed. By eliminating the ink, it is possible to eliminate waste of ink consumption and shorten the purge time. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the suction operation performed when replacing the ink cartridge, both the first suction operation with a small suction force and a short suction time and the second suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time are used. Since the ink does not disappear, the first suction operation causes the ink to flow into the ink passage while expelling the air in the ink passage, and the subsequent second suction operation causes the ink to flow into the recording head. It is possible to achieve a dischargeable state without the problem of foaming.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the suction operation not at the time of ink cartridge replacement, the first suction operation is eliminated, so that the suction operation with a large suction force and a long suction time can be performed. It is possible to ensure a good ejection state.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the suction operation performed when the ink cartridge is replaced, a series of operations is repeated a plurality of times, and at least the first and second suction operations are selected in the first series of operations. In the first series of operations, the first suction operation is extinguished. Therefore, in the first series of operations, ink is sucked into the recording head while expelling air in the ink passage, and suction in the subsequent series of operations is performed. A suction operation with a large force and a long suction time makes it possible to reliably discharge.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a specific suction operation is selected or eliminated by making the rotation speed of a cam member having a cam portion corresponding to a plurality of suction operations variable. The manner of ink introduction can be easily changed according to the state of the nozzles of the head.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an ink jet printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a connection portion between a recording head and an ink cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a relationship among a wiper member, a suction cap, a suction pump, and a cam member according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a suction pump according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control unit of the inkjet printer.

FIGS. 6A to 6J are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the suction pump.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the rotation angle of a cam member and the operation of a suction cap, a wiper member, and a suction pump.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a mode of a change in negative suction pressure by a suction pump unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 inkjet printer 5 recording head 7 ink cartridge 14 LF motor 32 wiper member 41 suction cap 42 suction pump 43 cam member 43c cam groove 43d cam groove 52 pump casing 53 first piston member 54 second piston member 100 CPU 121 switching mechanism

Claims (6)

[Claims] An ink jet head for ejecting ink to a recording medium to perform recording; and a suction cap having a suction cap which comes into contact with a nozzle surface of the print head so as to be capable of coming into contact with and separating from the nozzle face. In a recovery device for an ink jet printer comprising a pump unit and a control unit for controlling the drive of the suction pump unit, the suction pump unit has a plurality of suction operations in a series of operations. An apparatus for recovering an ink jet printer, characterized by controlling a suction pump means to selectively eliminate a specific suction operation among the plurality of suction operations. 2. A suction operation performed by the suction pump means,
A first suction operation in which the suction force is small and the suction time is short;
The second suction operation is a suction operation having a large suction force and a long suction time, and the control means selects the first and second suction operations in the suction operation performed when replacing the ink cartridge, and does not eliminate any of them. The ink jet printer recovery device according to claim 1. 3. The ink jet printer recovery device according to claim 2, wherein said control means eliminates the first suction operation in a suction operation other than when the ink cartridge is replaced. 4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein in the suction operation performed when exchanging the ink cartridge, the series of operations is repeated a plurality of times, and at least in the first series of operations, the first and second suction operations are selected. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein in the subsequent series of operations, the first suction operation is eliminated.
A recovery device for an ink jet printer as described in the above. 5. The suction pump means has two independently movable piston members in a cylinder body, and further includes a cam member associated with the two piston members, and a drive for rotating the cam member. And means,
5. The ink jet printer recovery device according to claim 1, wherein said control means is associated with said driving means. 6. The cam member has a cam portion corresponding to the plurality of suction operations, and the control means selects or eliminates a specific suction operation by changing a rotation speed of the cam member. The recovery device for an ink jet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the recovery device is a printer.