JPH10272786A - Recording head unit for ink jet recording apparatus and forming method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recording apparatus with a recording head unit that is free from leakage of preservative liquid in a preservation cap on an occation of shipment or the like, and to provide a method for forming such a recording head unit. SOLUTION: Each of jetting nozzles 21 for jetting inks in various colors provided at a recording head 18 has a number of channels 41, and all of the channels 41 are made to communicate with a manifold 42 at the ink inflow side. When an ink jet printer is put under the state of being ready for shipment, with its recording head unit 17 mounted on a carriage with its jetting side sealed with a preservation cap 27 while its side of ink cartridge mounting being blocked with an ink supply passage blocking member 40, the inside of the recording head 18 is not filled, contrary to the conventional way, with the preservative liquid, and presence of the preservative liquid therein is scanty. Namely, the preservative liquid just moistens the inner circumferential faces of the channels 41 and the manifold 42.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, for example, a recording head unit of an ink jet recording apparatus in which an ink cartridge mounted on a carriage is replaceable, and a method of forming the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an ink jet printer is known as an ink jet recording apparatus for performing recording such as printing by ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as paper. In this ink jet printer, a recording head for ejecting ink is incorporated in a recording head unit mounted on a carriage. Then, the ink cartridge is provided in a replaceable manner with respect to the recording head unit, and ink is supplied to the recording head from the replaced ink cartridge.

In the ink jet printer having the above-described structure, when shipped from a factory, the recording head unit is mounted on the ink jet printer, and the recording head is filled with a storage liquid. That is, at the time of shipment, as shown in FIG. 4, the initial introduction of the ink at the start of use is performed without causing bubbles in the ink. The channel (not shown), which is the ink flow path, and the manifold P3 are filled with a storage liquid having the same characteristics as the ink except for the dye and pigment of the ink.

The ink jet printer is maintained on the nozzle surface P4 of the injection nozzle P2 so as to cover the nozzle surface P4 with a predetermined gap for the purpose of preventing the leakage of the preservation liquid and protecting the nozzle surface P4. -The storage cap P5 provided in the recovery mechanism is covered. Further, on the ink supply side of the recording head P1, that is, on the cartridge mounting side,
In order to seal the ink supply path P6 at the time of shipment, the ink supply path sealing member P6 to which the ink supply path sealing member P6 is attached
When the inkjet printer is used, it is removed by the user and a cartridge is mounted in place of the ink supply path sealing member P6.

[0005]

However, the main purpose of the above-described storage cap P5 is to allow the ink on the nozzle surface P4 to be used when the ink jet printer is not in use or on standby, that is, when the recording operation is not being performed. Since this is for preventing drying, using the storage cap P5 at the time of shipping may cause a problem.

That is, since the inside of the recording head P1 is filled with a liquid storage liquid, if there is more vibration at the time of transportation than expected, or a change in air pressure or temperature during shipping, the nozzle is The preservation liquid sometimes leaked into the preservation cap P5 from an ejection hole (not shown) opened on the surface P4.

[0007] Once the storage liquid has accumulated in the storage cap P5, the nozzle surface P4 is not used when the recording operation is stopped.
When the storage cap P5 is put on the nozzle, there is a problem that the nozzle surface P4 is entirely wet by the storage liquid, and suitable recording cannot be performed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a recording head unit of an ink jet recording apparatus in which a storage solution does not leak into a storage cap during shipping or the like, and a method for forming the same.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording head for ejecting ink to a recording medium for recording, and a recording head for sealing the ink ejection side of the recording head. In a recording head unit of an ink jet recording apparatus including a sealing member and a supply-side sealing member that seals an ink supply side of the recording head, the filling liquid is removed from inside the recording head, and the ink in the recording head is removed. A recording head unit of an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the flow path is wetted with a filling liquid.

That is, in the present invention, since the filling liquid is removed from the inside of the recording head, that is, the recording head is not filled with, for example, a preservative liquid as in the prior art. The storage liquid does not leak to the ink ejection side even if the vibration of the conveyance is large or the change in the atmospheric pressure or the temperature is large. Therefore, the inside of the ejection-side sealing member (for example, the inside of the storage cap) does not get wet, so that recording such as printing can be performed favorably even during the subsequent recording operation.

In the present invention, since the inner peripheral surface of the ink flow path (for example, the manifold) in the recording head is wet with the filling liquid, the ink is introduced from the ink cartridge into the recording head at the start of use. In this case, the ink can be smoothly introduced without generating bubbles in the ink.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a filling liquid is filled in a recording head for performing recording by ejecting ink to a recording medium, and thereafter, the filling liquid is removed. A method for forming a recording head unit of an ink jet recording apparatus, characterized in that a surface is made wet.

That is, since the filling liquid is removed from the inside of the recording head by the method of the present invention, even if the vibration of conveyance or the change of the atmospheric pressure or the temperature is large at the time of shipping, the preservation liquid can be removed. Does not leak to the ink ejection side. Further, since the inner peripheral surface of the ink flow path in the recording head is wet with the filling liquid, bubbles are less likely to be generated at the start of use, and the ink can be smoothly introduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a recording head unit of an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the method for removing the filling liquid is suction removal. Therefore, by the suction, the filling liquid can be efficiently removed from the inside of the recording head, and the inner peripheral surface of the ink flow path in the recording head can be easily wetted with the filling liquid.

[0015]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a recording head unit of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; The print head unit according to the present embodiment is mounted on a carriage when shipped from a factory, and when used, an ink cartridge is mounted, and a print operation such as printing is performed by a print head.

A) First, the configuration of an ink jet printer using the recording head unit of this embodiment will be briefly described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an internal configuration when the inkjet printer 1 is used. As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage 8 on which the recording head unit 17 is mounted
Is slidably supported by a guide rod 11 and a guide member 12, respectively, is fixed to a belt 13, and is reciprocated by a CR motor 16.

The recording head unit 17 records a plurality of colors (four colors) of ink (cyan c, magenta m, yellow y, black b) on a recording paper P as a recording medium by discharging ink droplets. In order to eject ink of each color, a plurality of (four) ejection nozzles 21 (one ejection nozzle in FIG. Shown). Also, at the rear of the recording head unit 17,
Four cartridges 22y, 22m, 22c, and 22b for supplying ink of each color are detachably mounted on each ejection nozzle 21.

At a position facing the recording head 18,
A transport mechanism LF for transporting the recording paper P is provided, and a maintenance / recovery mechanism RM for maintaining / recovering the ink ejection operation of the recording head 18 is provided beside the transport mechanism LF. The maintenance / recovery mechanism RM includes a suction unit 26 having a suction pump 34 for suctioning ink via a suction cap 33 in order to eliminate ejection failure of the recording head 18.
When the ink jet printer 1 is not used, the nozzle surface 23
A storage cap 27 for covering the ink (see FIG. 2) to prevent drying of the ink, and a wiper member 28 for wiping the nozzle surface 23 are provided.

The storage cap 27 is used at the time of shipment as will be described later.
7 moves to a position (home position) opposite to the storage cap 27 and the nozzle surface 2 is moved by the storage cap 27.
3 is covered. b) Next, the recording head unit 1 which is a main part of this embodiment
7 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows the recording head unit 1 at the time of shipment.
7 shows a broken state, and FIG. 3 shows a usage state of the storage cap 27 and the like. FIG. 2 shows a main part in an enlarged manner.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ejection nozzles 21 of each color provided on the recording head 18 are actuators formed by cutting a material which is a piezoelectric element. A passage is formed. All of the channels 41 communicate with the manifold 42 on the ink inflow side (the right side in FIG. 2), and the ink inflow side of the manifold 42 is provided with a filter 43 for removing dust and the like. . A connection member 44 made of an elastic material such as rubber used for connection of the cartridge 22 and the like is provided on an outer edge of the filter 43. Note that an ink supply path 48 is formed at the center of the connection member 44.

At the time of shipment, the mounting side (the right side in FIG. 2) of the cartridge 22 is sealed by the ink supply path sealing member 40, and the ejection side is the storage cap 27.
Sealed. The ink supply path sealing member 40 includes:
The ink supply path 48 corresponding to each ejection nozzle 21 is sealed at a time. When the ink jet printer 1 is used, the ink supply path sealing member 40 is removed, and the ink cartridge 22 corresponding to each color is mounted instead.

On the other hand, a storage cap 27 for sealing the ejection side
Are made of an elastic material such as rubber, and as shown in FIG. 3A, a plurality (four) are arranged on the substrate 31 corresponding to the respective injection nozzles 21. Each storage cap 27 has a rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of the nozzle surface 23, and has a surface surrounding the nozzle surface 23, that is, all the ejection holes 24.
An annular rib 27a is provided upright so as to surround the outer periphery of (see FIG. 2).

The substrate 31 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 53, and as shown in FIG. 3B, the recording head unit 17 mounted on the carriage 8 is moved in the direction of arrow A to It is locked by the locking lever 31a and moves in the same direction. During this movement, the substrate 31 itself rotates in the direction of arrow B by the cam member 31 b behind the substrate 31, and the storage cap 27 is pressed against the nozzle surface 23. When the carriage 8 moves to the recording area, the substrate 31 is separated from the nozzle surface 23 by the action of a spring (not shown).

In this embodiment, the state of the inkjet printer 1 as shown in FIG.
The recording head unit 17 is mounted on the carriage 8, and its ejection side is sealed with a storage cap 27.
When the mounting side of the ink cartridge 22 is sealed by the ink supply path sealing member 40, the recording head 18 is
Inside is not filled with storage solution as before,
This is a state in which only a preservative solution is present.

That is, the preservation liquid is only wet the inner peripheral surface of the channel 41 and the inner peripheral surface of the manifold 42. Since the channel 41 has a small diameter, the channel may be filled with a preservative liquid to some extent. In order to obtain such a state of the storage solution, the storage solution is temporarily stored in the recording head 18 by a known method, for example, by suctioning from the ejection side or the like, and introducing the storage solution from the mounting side of the ink cartridge 22. This can be achieved simply by filling the liquid and then removing the storage liquid by suction. For example,
For example, a method of sucking and removing the storage liquid from the ejection side or the mounting side of the ink cartridge 22 by a pump (not shown) can be adopted. The suction cap 33 and the suction pump 3
4 to remove by suction.

As described above, in this embodiment, at the time of shipment, the ejection side is sealed by the storage cap 27, and the mounting side of the ink cartridge 22 is sealed by the ink supply path sealing member 4.
0, and the recording head 18 is not filled with the preservative liquid as in the prior art, but is slightly filled with the preservative liquid. Therefore, even when the vibration during transport, or the change in air pressure or temperature is large,
The preservation liquid does not leak from the injection holes 24. Therefore,
Since the storage liquid does not accumulate in the storage cap 27 at the time of shipping, good recording can be performed without the nozzle surface 23 getting wet with the storage liquid at the time of subsequent recording.

In the present embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the channel 41 and the inner peripheral surface of the manifold 42 are wet with the preservation liquid at the time of shipment.
When performing initial introduction (initial purge) in which the ink cartridge 22 is mounted and ink is sucked from the ejection side,
Air bubbles are hardly generated in the ink, and the ink can be smoothly introduced into the recording head 18.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present embodiment. (1) For example, in the above-described embodiment, an ink jet printer has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to other various recording devices such as a facsimile.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the storage cap used for waiting for normal recording or the like is used as a member for sealing the ejection side. However, the storage cap provided separately from this storage cap is used for transportation. The present invention can be applied to a case where a cap is used, and the same effects can be obtained.

[0030]

As described in detail above, in the first aspect of the present invention, the filling liquid is removed from the inside of the recording head. Does not leak to the ejection side even if the change of the preservation amount is large. Therefore, since the inside of the injection side sealing member does not get wet,
Favorable recording can also be performed during the subsequent recording operation. Further, since the inner peripheral surface of the ink flow path in the recording head is wet with the filling liquid, it is possible to make it difficult to generate bubbles in the ink and to smoothly introduce the ink.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the filling liquid is removed from the inside of the recording head, the preservation liquid is ejected at the time of shipment even if the vibration of conveyance is large or the pressure and the temperature change are large. No leakage to the side. Also, since the inner peripheral surface of the ink flow path in the recording head is in a wet state with the filling liquid, it is difficult to generate bubbles at the start of use,
Ink can be smoothly introduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the filling liquid is removed by suction, the filling liquid can be efficiently removed from the recording head, and the inner peripheral surface of the ink flow path in the recording head can be removed. It can be easily wetted with the filling liquid.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal structure of an ink jet printer.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a recording head unit at the time of shipment is cut away.

FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a substrate provided with a storage cap, and FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a recording head unit to which the storage cap is attached.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ink-jet printer 8 ... Carriage 17 ... Recording head unit 18 ... Recording head 21 ... Injection nozzle 22 ... Ink cartridge 27 ... Storage cap 40 ... Ink supply path sealing member 41 ... Channel 42 ... Manifold 50 ... Substrate

Claims (3)

[Claims] A recording head that ejects ink onto a recording medium to perform recording, an ejection-side sealing member that seals an ink ejection side of the recording head, and a supply that seals an ink supply side of the recording head. A recording head unit of an ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a side sealing member; and a state in which the filling liquid is removed from the inside of the recording head, and the inner peripheral surface of the ink flow path in the recording head is wet with the filling liquid. A recording head unit for an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: 2. A recording head for performing recording by ejecting ink to a recording medium is filled with a filling liquid, and thereafter, the filling liquid is removed to wet the inner peripheral surface of the ink flow path in the recording head. A method for forming a recording head unit of an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the method of removing the filling liquid is suction removal.