JPH10258516A - Ink-jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent colors from being mixed at the time of wiping and to perform miniaturization by moving in parallel a wiper to a plurality of recording heads and wiping them from a plurality of directions. SOLUTION: When wiping is performed and a carriage case 13 is moved in the arrow mark A direction, the projected part 13b of the case pushes the projected part of a set lever 26a. In this instance, when the elliptical part of the lever 26a is brought into contact with the projected part 25a of a hoisting/ lowering base 25, the base is elevated by being energized upward. The movement is continued furthermore to wipe the nozzle face of a recording head 12a by means of a wiper 28. After movement thereafter, the projected part 13b of the case is brought into contact with a right reset lever 34a. Being accompanied with this, when the lever 34a pushes the right rod 36a and the projected part of the lever 26a is pushed up in the direction E, the elliptical part of the lever 26a is brought into contact with the projected part 25a of the base and is returned to the original position. Then, when the case 13 is moved in the direction B, the projected A part 13b of the case is brought into the lever 26a and under a condition where the base 25 is elevated, the nozzle face of the recording head 12b is wiped by means of the wiper 28.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus used for a printer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ink-jet recording apparatus, in order to stably supply ink from an ink-jet recording head to a recording material over a long period of time, a pump sucks a nozzle in a recording head periodically or at regular intervals. . At this time, most of the ink sucked from the nozzle is collected through the pump, but a part of the ink adheres to the nozzle or its peripheral portion.

[0003] The ink adhering to the nozzles or the peripheral portion thereof hinders the ejection during the printing operation, whereby the ejection direction of the ink becomes unstable, or the satellite (a very large ink jetting out following the main ink droplet). Fine droplets) may be generated or ink may not be ejected, thereby deteriorating recording quality. Further, satellites generated during the recording operation adhere to the peripheral portion of the nozzle, and paper dust in the air adheres to the nozzle, thereby deteriorating the recording quality as described above. For this reason, the nozzle surface has been regularly wiped with a wiper conventionally.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a recording head and a wiping device in an ink jet recording apparatus. The ink jet recording heads 101a and 101b arranged with the nozzle surface facing downward are the carriage case 1
02. The carriage case 102 meshes with the belt 103 and penetrates the guide shaft 104, so that the carriage case 102 can move in the directions indicated by arrows A and B in the figure.

[0005] A wiping device is arranged below the carriage case 102. The wiping device is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a guide base 105 serving as a base, a set engaging portion 106 for engaging with the carriage case 102 to set the wiper at the wiping position, and a wiper 107 for wiping the nozzle surface. A reset engagement portion 108 for engaging with the carriage case 102 to reset the wiper 107 from the wiping position, a set engagement portion 106, the wiper 107, and the reset engagement portion 1
08 is provided, and mainly comprises a lifting base 109 which can move up and down in relation to the guide base 105.

FIGS. 9A to 9D and FIG.
FIGS. 10A and 10D are diagrams for explaining a wiping operation between a print head and a wiping device for wiping a nozzle surface of the print head in the ink jet printing apparatus.

First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the carriage case 102 is located at a position shifted from the wiping device. At this time, the convex portion 109a provided on the outer surface of the bottom of the elevating base 109 and the concave portion 105a provided on the inner surface of the bottom of the guide base 105 are fitted to each other.
7 is not set, that is, the wiper 107 is lowered to a position where the wiper 107 does not contact the recording heads 101a and 101b.

Next, when the carriage case 102 is moved in the direction of arrow A along the guide shaft 104 by a rotating power source (not shown) connected to the belt 103, as shown in FIG. The end on the right side of the abutment comes into contact with and engages with the set locking portion 106 of the elevating base 109.

Further, the carriage case 102 is
When the carriage case 102 is moved in the direction A, the carriage case 102 moves in the direction of the arrow A while engaging with the elevating base 109. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9C, the protrusion 109a provided on the bottom outer surface of the elevating base 109 is connected to the guide base 105.
Is moved along the slope of the concave portion 105a provided on the inner surface of the bottom of the resetting portion 1 of the lifting base 109.
08 side goes up. Accordingly, the wiper 107 moves up.

Further, the carriage case 102 is
When the carriage case 102 is moved in the direction of arrow A, the carriage case 102 moves in the
As shown in (d), the end portion of the lifting base 109 stops when it comes into contact with the inner surface of the end portion of the guide base 105. In this state, the wiper 107 is set at the wiping position.

Next, when the carriage case 102 is moved in the direction of arrow B, as shown in FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b), the nozzle surfaces of the print head 101a and the print head 101b are arranged in the order of the wiper 107. Wiping.
At this time, the elevating base 109 is in a stopped state even if the carriage case 102 moves in the direction of arrow B due to the frictional force with the guide base 105.

Further, the carriage case 102 is
10 (c), the left end of the carriage base 102 with respect to the paper surface comes into contact with the reset engaging portion 108 which is rising with the elevation of the elevating base 109, and is engaged. Combine.

Further, the carriage case 102 is
10D, the lift base 109 engaged with the end of the carriage case 102 at the reset locking portion 108 is pulled by a force greater than the frictional force between the guide base 105 and the lift base 109 as shown in FIG. And move in the direction of arrow B. At this time, the convex portion 109a provided on the outer surface of the bottom of the elevating base 109 slides down along the concave portion 105a provided on the inner surface of the bottom of the guide base 105, and the entire elevating base 109 descends. Thereby, the convex portion 1 of the lifting base 109 is formed.
09a fits into the concave portion 105a of the guide base 105, and the wiper 107 descends to retract from the wiping position. Then, the engagement between the reset locking portion 108 and the end of the carriage case 102 is released. In this manner, the wiping of the nozzle surface of the recording head is performed.

[0014]

Generally, in an ink jet recording head for recording a high quality image,
It has a structure in which a recording head having yellow, cyan, and magenta nozzle groups and a recording head having black nozzle groups are arranged in parallel.

When the wiping is performed on the nozzle surfaces of the recording heads having such an arrangement as described above, there is a problem that the moving distance of the recording head required for the wiping becomes long. There is a problem that the size is increased. Further, in the above configuration, since the nozzle surfaces of the two recording heads are wiped at a time, the ink adhered to the preceding nozzle in the wiping direction is taken out by the wiper 107 and adhered to the subsequent nozzle. There is a problem that color mixing occurs.

In order to solve such a problem, it has been proposed to provide a wiper for each nozzle group of the recording head or to arrange all the nozzle groups in parallel. However, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus which does not cause color mixture of inks at the time of wiping and which can be reduced in size.

[0018]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following measures. According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least two recording heads having nozzles for ejecting ink to a recording material, and relative movement with respect to the recording head, can be wiped from a plurality of directions. A configuration including wiping means is adopted.

According to this configuration, since the nozzle surface of the recording head can be wiped in different wiping directions corresponding to the moving direction of the recording head, the moving distance of the recording head required for wiping can be shortened. it can. Thus, the size of the wiping unit can be reduced. As a result, the space inside the device can be effectively used, and the device can be reduced in size.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the wiping means has a structure having a mechanism for changing a wiping direction with respect to the nozzle surface of the recording head.

According to this configuration, the wiping direction can be easily changed, and the moving distance of the recording head required for wiping can be shortened.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or the second aspect of the present invention, the wiping means moves between the print head and the print head when the wiper moves parallel to the print head. A configuration is employed in which the distance is changed so that contact and non-contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head become possible.

According to this configuration, the wiper is brought into contact with and non-contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head by changing the distance between the recording head and the wiper serving as the wiping member only by the parallel movement between the recording head and the wiping device. Since the state can be set, there is no need to provide a means for changing the distance between the recording head and the wiper, and no special power source is required.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects of the present invention, the wiping means has a wiping member having a plurality of edges, and the recording head has an edge corresponding to the wiping direction. Is adopted to wipe the nozzle surface.

According to this configuration, since the wiper, which is the wiping member, wipes the nozzle surface of the recording head with the edge corresponding to the wiping direction, the edge of the wiper can be uniquely associated with the nozzle group of the recording head. . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of color mixture with other nozzle groups during wiping.

The invention according to claim 5 employs a configuration in which wiping is performed from a plurality of directions on the nozzle surfaces of at least two recording heads having nozzles for ejecting ink to a recording material.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fifth aspect, a configuration is employed in which wiping of the nozzle surface of the recording head is performed in both directions in the moving direction of the recording head.

According to these constructions, the nozzle surface of the recording head can be wiped in different wiping directions corresponding to the moving direction of the recording head. Therefore, the moving distance of the recording head required for wiping can be shortened. Can be. As a result, the time required for wiping can be shortened, and the printing state can be quickly entered.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fifth or sixth aspect of the invention, the wiping means for wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head is moved in parallel with the recording head. By changing the distance between the wiping unit and the recording head, contact / non-contact between the wiping unit and the nozzle surface of the recording head is adopted.

In the above arrangement, the distance between the wiping unit and the recording head can be changed at the same time as the wiping unit is moved parallel to the recording head, so that the wiping operation can be performed quickly.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the wiping member according to the fifth to seventh aspects, wherein the wiping member having a plurality of edges is used to wipe the nozzle surface of the recording head at the edge corresponding to the wiping direction. It adopts the configuration to do.

According to this configuration, since the wiper, which is the wiping member, wipes the nozzle surface of the recording head with the edge corresponding to the wiping direction, the edge of the wiper can be uniquely associated with the nozzle group of the recording head. . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of color mixture with other nozzle groups during wiping.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fifth to eighth aspects, a configuration is employed in which a subsequent recording head is wiped in the moving direction of the recording head.

According to this configuration, in the one-direction wiping, the preceding print head in the moving direction of the print head is not wiped, so that the color mixture between the nozzle group of the preceding print head and the nozzle group of the subsequent print head is eliminated. It can be reliably prevented.

[0035]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

In the drawing, reference numeral 1 denotes a cassette for accommodating recording paper 2 as a recording material. At both ends of the cassette 1 on the device side,
Cams 3a and 3b are attached, and a pickup roller 4 for feeding out the recording paper 2 one by one is inserted through the cams 3a and 3b. The pickup roller 4 is attached to a body cover (not shown). A feed roller 5 for transporting the recording paper 2 fed by the pickup roller 4 is attached to the main body cover.
A gear box 6 for switching the rotation transmission of the motor is mounted. Further, a feed motor 7 for rotating the feed roller 5 is mounted outside the gear box 6.

On the plate 8 connected to the cams 3a and 3b, three pinch rollers 9 are arranged at equal intervals, and the recording paper 2 is sandwiched between the pinch roller 9 and the feed roller 5 so that the recording paper is sandwiched. 2 is provided with a conveying force. The plate 8 is provided with a position sensor 10 for detecting the leading end of the conveyed recording paper 2. Also,
The pickup roller 4, the feed roller 5, and the pinch roller 9 are installed such that their roller axes are substantially parallel to each other.

The guide shaft 11 is attached to the main body cover so as to be substantially parallel to the above-mentioned roller shaft. The guide shaft 11 has an inkjet recording head 12 a having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting three color inks of yellow, cyan and magenta toward the recording paper 2, and a plurality of nozzles for ejecting black ink toward the recording paper 2. A carriage case 13 mounted with an ink jet recording head 12b having a nozzle is attached so as to penetrate.

The recording heads 12a and 12b are provided with nozzles (ink ejection ports) for ejecting ink toward the recording paper 2, respectively. The arrangement of this nozzle is shown in FIG.
Shown in That is, the recording head 12a is composed of eight yellow, cyan, and magenta nozzles arranged in a zigzag pattern, and the recording head 12b is composed of 24 black nozzles arranged in a zigzag pattern. A groove 13a is provided between the recording heads 12a and 12b.
Are provided with protrusions 13b and 13c at their respective ends.

In the case of color printing, in order to keep the conveyance amount of the recording paper 2 constant, eight continuous nozzles out of 24 black nozzles are used. These eight nozzles are shown in FIG.
Each of the eight yellows, arranged in a zigzag, as shown in
Cyan and magenta nozzles and recording heads 12a and 12b
Are arranged so that they do not overlap in the moving direction of the carriage case 13 on which is mounted. Note that all eight nozzles are used for yellow, cyan, and magenta, respectively.

A belt 15 stretched over two pulleys 14a and 14b is stretched near the carriage case 13. A carriage motor 16 for rotating the belt 15 forward and reverse is connected to one pulley 14b. I have. With such a configuration, the carriage case 13 on which the recording heads 12a and 12b are mounted is reciprocated in parallel (moves in the directions of arrows A and B) along the guide shaft 11. In the vicinity of the belt 15, the carriage sensor 1
7, a member to be detected (not shown) attached to the carriage case 13 is detected to confirm the initial position of the carriage case 13.

In a region below the parallel movement region of the carriage case 13, the caps 19a, 19
A cap storage member 18 that moves up and down b is installed. The cap storage member 18 has caps 19a,
19b is stored with its opening facing upward. A suction pump 20 is connected to the cap 19a as suction means for depressurizing the inside of the cap and sucking the inside of the nozzle during nozzle cleaning.

A wiping device 21 for wiping the nozzle surfaces of the recording heads 12a and 12b is arranged below the parallel movement region of the carriage case 13. Further, a transport roller 22 that transports the recording paper 2 on which recording has been completed and a shaft 24 that penetrates a holding gear 23 are attached to the main body cover. Further, the ink jet recording heads 12a, 12
A control circuit unit for controlling b and other mechanism units is built in.

Next, a wiping device in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 3 and 4 show the state viewed from the X direction in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the wiping device 21 is provided below the nozzle surfaces of the recording heads 12a and 12b accommodated in the carriage case 13 which can be moved in the directions of arrows A and B in the directions of arrows A and B. Are arranged so as to be able to move in parallel.

As shown in FIG. 4, a curved convex portion 25a is provided at the center of the lifting base 25 which is pressed upward by a biasing means (not shown) and moves up and down by parallel movement. Set levers 26a and 26b each including an elliptical portion and a protruding portion are provided on the convex portion 25a.
3a. The set levers 26a and 26b rotate about the set lever shaft 27 while being in contact with the convex portion 23a to set / reset the wiper 28 and to move the elevating base 25 up and down.

A left plate 29 is attached to the left end of the wiping device 21 as viewed in the drawing. The left reset levers 31a and 31b are rotatable about a left reset lever shaft 30 provided above the left plate 29. Is attached. A right plate 32 is attached to the right end of the wiping device 21 with respect to the paper surface, and right reset levers 34a and 34b are attached so as to be rotatable around a right reset lever shaft 33 provided above the right plate 32. ing.

Also, left lots 35a, 35b are attached to the left reset levers 31a, 31b, respectively, with the tips thereof being inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so that the tips face the tips of the projecting portions of the set levers 26a, 26b. Right reset levers 34a and 34b have right lots 36a and
36b is attached so as to be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction so that the tip thereof faces the tip of the projecting portion of the set lever 26a, 26b.

Therefore, the left reset levers 31a, 31
1b rotates around the left reset lever shaft 30 and rotates counterclockwise, so that the left reset lever 31a,
31b pushes the left lots 35a and 35b, respectively, whereby the left lots 35a and 35b move the set levers 26a and 35b.
The projection of 26b is turned clockwise. When the right reset levers 34a and 34b rotate around the right reset lever shaft 33 and rotate clockwise, the right reset levers 34a and 34b push the right lots 36a and 36b, respectively. ,
36b turns the projections of the set levers 26a, 26b counterclockwise.

Next, the operation of the ink jet recording apparatus provided with the wiping device having the above configuration will be described.

First, when the power is turned on, the output of the carriage sensor 17 is checked by a control circuit (not shown) to check whether the carriage case 13 on which the recording heads 12a and 12b are mounted is at the initial position. If the carriage case 13 is not at the initial position, the carriage motor 16 on which the recording head is mounted is operated to move the carriage case 13 and return the carriage case 13 to the initial position. The return of the carriage case 13 to the initial position indicates that the carriage sensor 17 has
Is determined by detecting a not-shown detected member attached to the device.

With the movement of the carriage case 13 on which the recording heads 12a and 12b are mounted to the initial position, the caps 19a and 19b come into close contact with the recording heads 12a and 12b, thereby closing the nozzle side of the recording head. Then, the nozzle side of the recording head is sealed to clean the nozzle.

When the nozzle side of the recording head 12b is closed, the movement of the carriage case 13 is stopped, the ejection failure of the nozzles of the recording head 12b is eliminated, and dust adhering to the nozzles is removed so that the ejection becomes possible. Then, the suction circuit 20 connected to the cap 19a is operated for a short time by the control circuit to reduce the pressure inside the cap 19a, thereby sucking ink from the nozzles of the recording head 12b and mixing with the ink dried on the nozzle surface and the nozzles. Remove air bubbles.

Next, the wiper 21 is set at the wiping position, and the carriage motor is operated, whereby the carriage case 13 on which the recording heads 12a and 12b are mounted is mounted.
Is further moved and the wiping device 21 performs wiping.

More specifically, the wiping is performed as shown in FIGS. First, FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a state where the carriage case 13 and the wiping device 21 are separated from each other. When the carriage case 13 is moved in the direction of arrow A from this state, as shown in FIG. 5B, the projection 13b of the carriage case 13 comes into contact with the projection of the set lever 26a.

When the carriage case 13 is further moved in the direction of arrow A, as shown in FIG. 5C, the projection 13b of the carriage case 13 pushes the projection of the set lever 26a. At this time, the set lever 26a rotates clockwise (in the direction of arrow C) about the set lever shaft 27,
The elliptical part of the set lever 26a is the convex part 2 of the elevating base 25.
The protruding portion falls down in the direction of arrow C while making surface contact along 5a.

Since the lift base 25 is urged upward, the lift base 25 is raised by rotating the set lever 26a in the direction of arrow C. As the lift base 25 rises, the tip of the wiper 28 is moved into the groove 1 of the carriage case 13.
3a. As a result, the wiper 28 comes into contact with the nozzle surfaces of the recording heads 12a and 12b so that wiping can be performed. Further, as the lifting base 25 moves up, the left reset lever 31a and the right reset lever 34a come into contact with the projection 13b of the carriage case 13.

In this state, the carriage case 13 is pointed by the arrow A.
Then, the nozzle surface of the recording head 12a at the subsequent stage in the direction of arrow A which is the moving direction of the carriage case 13 is wiped by the left edge of the wiper 28. Further, when the carriage case 13 is moved in the direction of arrow A, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the projection 13b of the carriage case 13 contacts the right reset lever 34a.

When the carriage case 13 is further moved in the direction of arrow A, the right reset lever 34a rotates clockwise (in the direction of arrow D) about the right reset lever shaft 33 as shown in FIG. Fall down. Accordingly, the right reset lever 34a pushes the right lot 36a. The right lot 36a contacts the protrusion of the set lever 26a and pushes up the protrusion in the direction of arrow E. As a result, the set lever 26a rotates counterclockwise (in the direction of the arrow F) about the set lever shaft 27, and the elliptical portion of the set lever 26a comes into surface contact along the convex portion 25a of the elevating base 25, and the first time. Return to the position.

Next, when the carriage case 13 is moved in the direction of arrow B, as shown in FIG. 6B, the projection 13b of the carriage case 13 comes into contact with the projection of the set lever 26a. Thereafter, the operation is performed as shown in FIGS. 5B to 6A. That is, by further moving the carriage case 13 in the direction of arrow B, the protrusion 13b of the carriage case 13 pushes the protrusion of the set lever 26a. At this time, the set lever 26a rotates counterclockwise about the set lever shaft 27, and
The elliptical portion 6a comes into surface contact along the convex portion 25a of the lifting base 25, and the protruding portion falls counterclockwise.

Since the lift base 25 is urged upward, the lift base 25 rises when the set lever 26a rotates counterclockwise. As the lifting base 25 rises, the tip of the wiper 28 is located in the groove 13 a of the carriage case 13. As a result, the wiper 28 moves the recording head 12
The wiping can be performed by contacting the nozzle surfaces a and 12b. Further, as the lifting base 25 rises, the left reset lever 31a and the right reset lever 34
a comes into contact with the convex portion 13b of the carriage case 13.

In this state, the carriage case 13 is moved
Then, the nozzle surface of the recording head 12b at the subsequent stage in the direction of arrow B which is the moving direction of the carriage case 13 is wiped by the right edge of the wiper 28. Further, when the carriage case 13 is moved in the direction of arrow B, the protrusion 13b of the carriage case 13 comes into contact with the left reset lever 31a.

Further, when the carriage case 13 is moved in the direction of arrow B, the left reset lever 31a rotates counterclockwise about the left reset lever shaft 30 and falls. Along with this, the left reset lever 31a pushes the left lot 35a. The left lot 35a contacts the projection of the set lever 26a and pushes the projection clockwise. As a result, the set lever 26a rotates clockwise about the set lever shaft 27, and the elliptical portion of the set lever 26a comes into surface contact along the convex portion 25a of the elevating base 25 and returns to the initial position.

Thus, the wiping operation is completed. In the above description, the carriage case 13
13b, the set lever 26a, the left reset lever 31a, the right reset lever 34a, the left lot 35a, and the right lot 36a are described, but the convex 13c of the carriage case 13, the set lever 26b, the left reset lever 31b, Right reset lever 34b, left lot 35
b, the right lot 36b operates in the same direction as above.

Thereafter, the carriage motor is operated to move the carriage case 13 again in the direction of arrow A, and the carriage case 13 is returned to the initial position again.
a and 19b come into close contact with the recording heads 12a and 12b to enter a standby state, and the control circuit unit continues to wait for recording to start.

Hereinafter, the operation of recording an image on a recording material by the ink jet recording apparatus having the above-described recording head wiping device will be described in detail. First, when a recording start signal is output to the control circuit unit through an interface or the like (not shown), the feed motor 7 operates (the connection cable is not shown in FIG. 1) and the gear box 6
, The pickup roller 4 and the feed roller 5 rotate. When the pickup roller 4 rotates, the cams 3a and 3b provided at both ends rotate, and the tip of the cassette 1 which is urged upward rises with the rotation of the cams 3a and 3b. The recording paper 2 is extruded in contact with the sheet.

When the leading edge of the recording paper 2 passes through the position sensor 10, the passage information of the recording paper 2 is sent to the control circuit, and the control circuit starts counting until the recording paper 2 reaches the recording start position. The leading end of the recording paper 2 that has passed through the position sensor 10 reaches the pinch roller 9, is sandwiched between the pinch roller 9 and the feed roller 5, and is transported by the transport force of the feed roller 5. Thereafter, the recording paper 2 moves to the recording start position. move on. The extruded recording paper 2 is composed of a pinch roller 9 and a feed roller 5.
Almost at the same time when the transfer starts due to the transfer force of the cam 3a,
The tip of the cassette 1 is lowered by the action of 3b, and the driving force of the pickup roller 4 is eliminated.

When the control circuit detects that the leading end of the recording paper 2 sandwiched between the pinch roller 9 and the feed roller 5 has reached the recording position, the feed roller 5 stops.
The recording paper 2 stops. When the recording paper 2 stops, the carriage motor 16 rotates at a constant speed in response to a signal from the control circuit, and the carriage case 13 fixed to the belt 15 moves in the direction of arrow B. Then, by detecting the detected member of the carriage case 13 by the carriage sensor 17, the carriage case 13 is fed along the guide shaft 11 from a preset initial position to a predetermined recording start position. This movement amount is controlled in advance as a fixed time for operating the carriage motor 16 or the number of motor drive steps in the control circuit unit.

When the carriage case 13 on which the recording heads 12a and 12b are mounted reaches the recording start position, the control circuit synchronizes with a drive signal of the carriage motor 16 at a constant period (the dot formation density of ink is 8 dots / mm). , An ejection control signal is sent to the recording head 12 for each rotation cycle of the carriage motor 16 corresponding to the movement of the belt 15 by １ ／ mm, and the carriage case on which the recording heads 12 a and 12 b are mounted along the guide shaft 11. 13 forms an image while moving across the recording paper 2 in the direction of arrow B in the figure.

First, in the first scan, cyan, magenta,
Without using the black nozzles, only an image having a width corresponding to eight yellow nozzles is formed. That is, the carriage motor 16 is rotated for a time (the number of drive pulses) determined in advance by the control circuit unit, and is stopped after the carriage case 13 forms an image of a fixed length. Thereafter, the control circuit rotates the feed motor 7 by a fixed amount so as to feed the recording paper 2 by a width corresponding to the eight nozzles. At this time, the discharge roller 22 also rotates at the same time, and sends out the recording paper 2 sandwiched between the holding gears 23.

At this time, the number of rotations of the discharge roller 22 is set to be slightly larger than the transport amount of the feed roller 7 so that the recording paper 2 is not loosened between the pinch roller 9 and the pressing gear 23. At 6, the number of rotations is set. Also, the pinch pressure of the holding gear 23 for holding down the discharge roller 22 is reduced so that the conveyance force of the discharge roller 22 is not stronger than the conveyance force of the feed roller 7 and the accuracy of the conveyance amount of the recording paper 2 does not decrease. .

When the recording paper 2 has been fed by a width corresponding to eight nozzles, the carriage motor 16 is then rotated in reverse at a constant speed, and the recording heads 12a and 12b are rotated in the direction opposite to the above-mentioned direction (arrow A in the figure). ), The ejection control signal synchronized with the drive signal of the fixed period of the carriage motor 16 is sent to the recording heads 12a and 12b, and the same operation as described above is performed using eight nozzles each for yellow and magenta. Then, the carriage motor 16 is rotated for a time (the number of drive pulses) determined in advance by the control circuit unit, and after the image of the same length is recorded, the carriage motor 16 is stopped. As a result, the magenta image is superimposed on the first recorded yellow image, and at the same time, a new yellow image is recorded for eight nozzles.

When the image formation is completed, the control circuit rotates the feed motor 7 by a fixed amount so as to feed the recording paper 2 by a width corresponding to eight nozzles, as described above. When the recording paper 2 has been fed by a width corresponding to eight nozzles, the carriage motor 16 is then rotated in reverse at a constant speed, and the carriage case 13 on which the recording heads 12a and 12b are mounted is moved in the direction of arrow B in the figure. However, this time, an image is formed using eight nozzles each of yellow, magenta, and cyan colors. Therefore, in this case, the cyan image is superimposed on the previously recorded yellow and magenta superimposed image.

Similarly, when the image formation is completed, the control circuit rotates the feed motor 7 by a predetermined amount so as to feed the recording paper 2 by a width corresponding to eight nozzles, as described above. When the recording paper 2 has been fed by the width corresponding to the eight nozzles, the carriage motor 16 is rotated in reverse at a constant speed, and the carriage case 13 on which the recording heads 12a and 12b are mounted in the direction of arrow A in FIG. While moving, an image is formed using eight nozzles of all the colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively. At this time, the black image is superimposed on the image on which yellow, magenta, and cyan are superimposed.

Hereinafter, the above-described operation is continued until the recording of the image over the entire length of one recording sheet 2 is completed. Since the length to be recorded is determined by the length of the recording paper 2, the data is input to the control circuit unit in advance. Therefore, the control circuit unit can predict that the trailing edge of the recording paper 2 will pass through the position sensor 10. If the trailing edge of the recording paper 2 cannot be detected even after the predicted time has elapsed, the recording paper 2
Alarm is generated when some trouble occurs in the transport of the product.

When the recording is completely completed as described above,
Alternatively, when a trouble occurs, the carriage motor 16 is rotated to return the carriage case 13 to the initial position, and the caps 19a and 19b are brought into close contact with the nozzle side of the recording head to complete the operation. The return of the recording heads 12a and 12b to the initial position is determined by the carriage sensor 17 detecting a detected member provided on the carriage case 13. Thus, the color recording is completed. Note that the wiping operation may be performed each time recording of one sheet of recording paper is completed, or may be performed during recording as needed.

In the above embodiment, the initial position is on the left side of the paper, but the initial position may be set on the right side of the paper. In this case, it goes without saying that the above-described operation is reversed. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where there are two recording heads is described similarly, but the present invention can also be applied to a case where there are three or more recording heads. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where the wiping device is fixed and the carriage case on which the recording head is mounted is moved is described. However, the present invention is also applied to the case where the carriage case is fixed and the wiping device is moved. can do.

[0078]

As described above, according to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the nozzle surface of the recording head can be wiped in different wiping directions corresponding to the moving direction of the recording head. The moving distance of the recording head can be shortened. Thus, the size of the wiping unit can be reduced. As a result, the space inside the device can be effectively used, and the device can be reduced in size.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the wiping direction can be easily changed, and the moving distance of the recording head required for wiping can be shortened.

Further, according to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the distance between the recording head and the wiper, which is a wiping member, is changed only by the parallel movement between the recording head and the wiping device, so that the nozzle surface of the recording head is Touch the wiper
Since it can be in a non-contact state, there is no need to provide a means for changing the distance between the recording head and the wiper, and a special power source is not required.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the wiper as the wiping member wipes the nozzle surface of the recording head with the edge corresponding to the wiping direction, so that the edge of the wiper and the nozzle group of the recording head are uniquely identified. Can be made to correspond. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of color mixture with other nozzle groups during wiping.

According to the wiping method of the present invention, the nozzle surface of the recording head can be wiped in different wiping directions corresponding to the moving direction of the recording head.
The moving distance of the recording head required for wiping can be shortened. As a result, the time required for wiping can be shortened, and the printing state can be quickly entered.

According to the wiping method of the present invention,
Since the distance between the wiping unit and the recording head can be changed at the same time as the wiping unit is moved parallel to the recording head, the wiping operation can be performed quickly.

According to the wiping method of the present invention,
Since the wiper, which is the wiping member, wipes the nozzle surface of the recording head with the edge corresponding to the wiping direction, the edge of the wiper can be uniquely associated with the nozzle group of the recording head. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of color mixture with other nozzle groups during wiping.

According to the wiping method of the present invention,
Since the preceding print head in the moving direction of the print head is not wiped in the one-way wiping, it is possible to reliably prevent color mixture between the nozzle group of the preceding print head and the nozzle group of the subsequent print head.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a nozzle arrangement of a recording head in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a recording head and a wiping unit in the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a wiping device in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are diagrams for explaining the first half of the operations of the wiping device and the recording head during wiping in the ink jet recording device of the present invention.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining the latter half of the operations of the wiping device and the recording head during wiping in the ink jet recording device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a recording head and a wiping unit in a conventional inkjet recording apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a wiping device in a conventional ink jet recording apparatus.

FIGS. 9A to 9D are diagrams for explaining the first half of the operation of the wiping device and the recording head at the time of wiping in a conventional ink jet recording device.

FIGS. 10A to 10D are diagrams for explaining the latter half of the operations of the wiping device and the print head at the time of wiping in a conventional ink jet printing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12a, 12b Recording head 13 Carriage case 19a, 19b Cap 25 Elevating base 25a Convex portion 26a, 26b Set lever 27 Set lever shaft 28 Wiper 29 Left plate 30 Left reset lever shaft 31a, 31b Left reset lever 32 Right plate 33 Right reset lever Shafts 34a, 34b Right reset lever 35a, 35b Left lot 36a, 36b Right lot

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A recording apparatus comprising: at least two recording heads having nozzles for ejecting ink to a recording medium; and wiping means capable of moving in parallel relative to the recording head and wiping from a plurality of directions. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping means has a mechanism for changing a wiping direction with respect to a nozzle surface of the recording head. 3. The wiping means changes a distance between the wiping means and the recording head when the wiping means moves in parallel with respect to the recording head. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism that enables the recording. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping means has a wiping member having a plurality of edges, and wipes a nozzle surface of the recording head with an edge corresponding to a wiping direction. 5. A wiping method for an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising wiping a nozzle surface of at least two recording heads having nozzles for ejecting ink onto a recording material from a plurality of directions. 6. The wiping of the nozzle surface of the recording head in both directions in the direction of movement of the recording head.
4. The wiping method in the ink jet recording apparatus according to item 1. 7. The wiping means by changing the distance between the wiping means and the recording head while moving the wiping means for wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head relatively parallel to the recording head. 7. The wiping method for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein contact and non-contact between the recording head and a nozzle surface of the recording head are performed. 8. The wiping method according to claim 5, wherein a wiping member having a plurality of edges is used to wipe the nozzle surface of the recording head at an edge corresponding to the wiping direction. 9. The wiping method for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a wiping operation is performed on a subsequent recording head in a moving direction of the recording head.