JPH11320900A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To easily perform cleaning without using a washing soln. by bonding a cleaning tape having ink absorbing properties and stickiness to an ink jet nozzle surface to remove a contaminant in a dry system. CONSTITUTION: A roller on a main body side is inserted into the slot 9 of a cleaning cassette 1 constituted so as to be freely detachable with respect to the main body of an ink jet recording apparatus and the new cleaning surface of a cleaning tape 2 is drawn out of a supply reel 3. The drawn-out cleaning tape 2 is pressed to the ink jet recording head positioned in opposed relation to an opening part 1a to be bonded thereto by a roller 7. The tape 2 bonded to the head is peeled off and taken up by a taking-up reel 5 to remove a contaminant.

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 in which a cleaning tape is attached to the surface of a print head to clean the print head during recording.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional ink jet recording apparatus, in order to remove dirt such as ink mist and paper powder attached to an ink jet nozzle surface during printing, the ink itself or a cleaning liquid is jetted from the ink nozzle to wash the dirt. In some cases, a cleaning liquid is sprayed on the surface of an ink jet nozzle.

[0003]

However, in such an ink jet recording apparatus, there are problems that the handling of the cleaning liquid is troublesome and that the waste liquid treatment is troublesome.
What can clean the print head without using a cleaning liquid is desired.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an ink jet recording method in which cleaning and maintenance of a print head can be easily performed by attaching a cleaning tape having an ink absorbing property and an adhesive property to an ink jet nozzle surface and removing dirt by a dry method. It is intended to provide a device.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises a supply reel on which an absorbent and adhesive cleaning tape is wound, and a cleaning tape from the supply reel. Take-up reel, pressing roller means movable in a direction to contact the head to press the cleaning tape against the head at the time of cleaning, abut on the cleaning tape between the supply reel and the take-up reel, A tape travel path variable unit that reversibly moves so as to vary the travel path length of the cleaning tape with the movement, and by moving the tape travel path variable unit, pulls out the cleaning tape from the supply reel, Alternatively, the cleaning tape attached to the head is peeled off. Is shall.

[0006]

In the above arrangement, at the time of cleaning, a new cleaning surface pulled out from the supply reel by the tape running path variable means is attached to the surface of the head to be cleaned by the pressing roller means. Then, by driving the tape travel path varying unit again, the cleaned dirty tape that has been peeled off from the head is wound on a take-up reel, and the cleaning is completed.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a cleaning cassette used for cleaning a print head of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a driving mechanism provided on the ink jet recording apparatus main body side for driving the cleaning cassette. FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a tape cassette which is detachably attached to an ink jet recording apparatus main body, and has an opening 1a formed on a side surface facing an ink jet recording head (not shown) during cleaning. Reference numeral 2 denotes a cleaning tape (for example, No. 898 manufactured by Sumitomo 3M) having an adhesive and absorptive surface, and engages with the claw of the supply stopper 4 to rotate the cleaning tape 2 except during cleaning. It is wound on the supply reel 3 to be regulated. Reference numeral 5 denotes a take-up reel that is driven by a driving mechanism on the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus and winds the cleaned tape. Reference numeral 6 denotes a take-up stopper that restricts rotation of the take-up reel 5.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a pressing roller driven by a driving mechanism provided on the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus so as to press the cleaning tape 2 against the ink jet recording head positioned opposite to the opening 1a. The surface is covered with an elastic material so as not to damage the surface of the head. Reference numeral 8 denotes a plurality of traveling rollers for guiding the cleaning tape 2 when traveling from the supply reel 3 side to the take-up reel 5 side. 9 is a cleaning cassette 1
Slot formed in the lower surface of the cleaning tape 2
In order to draw out a new cleaning surface from the printer, a stripping roller provided on the ink jet recording apparatus main body side described later is inserted. Reference numeral 10 denotes a hole provided on the main body side, into which a later-described lever is inserted for releasing the supply stopper 4 for restricting the rotation of the supply reel 3.

A drive mechanism provided on the ink jet recording apparatus main body side in FIG. 2 is provided so as to be driven from the lower surface side of the cleaning cassette 1. Reference numeral 11 denotes a pressing arm for driving the pressing roller 7. A pressing roller shaft 11a provided at one end is inserted into the cleaning cassette 1 from a notch provided on the lower surface of the tape cassette, and the pressing roller 11 7 is rotatably supported, and a fulcrum 1
1b. f1 and f2 are pressing arms 1
This flag is formed integrally with 1 and is used together with the photosensors indicated by p1 and p2 to control the amount of rotation of the pressing arm 11. Reference numeral 12 denotes a cam for transmitting the driving force of the motor 13 to the pressing arm 11 through the gears 14, 16 and the clutch 15 with a gear, and rotates the pressing arm 11 in the direction of arrow A.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a stripping arm for pivotally supporting a stripping roller 18 for drawing a new cleaning surface from the cleaning tape 2. The stripping roller 18
Has a width wider than that of the cleaning tape 2 and is inserted into the cleaning cassette 1 through the slot 9 thereof.
It turns in the direction of arrow B following the shape of. 19 is the motor 1
3 is a stripping gear for transmitting the driving force of No. 3 to the stripping arm 17 through the gear 14 and the geared clutch 20, and is driven by a boss 19 a engaging with a long hole 17 a formed on the stripping arm 17 side. f3 and f4 are stripping arms 1
7 and a flag formed integrally with the photosensors p3 and p3.
Used together with p4 to control the amount of rotation of the stripping arm 17. Reference numeral 21 denotes a release lever that comes into contact with the supply stopper 4 by the rotation of the stripping gear 19 and releases the regulation of the supply reel 3. A shaft 21 a at one end of the release lever 21 is formed on the lower surface of the cleaning cassette 1. The hole 10 is inserted into the cassette. A take-up reel rotating gear 23 is driven through a geared clutch 22.

The operation of the thus configured ink jet recording apparatus will be described below. FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining the operation at the time of cleaning, and shows the movement of the rollers and the cleaning tape in the cleaning cassette. In the drawing, when the cleaning cassette 1 is mounted on the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus, the pressing roller shaft 11a on the main body side is located in the pressing roller 7, the peeling roller 18 is from the long hole 9, and the release lever 21 is from the hole 10. Inserted, take-up reel rotating gear 23
Are engaged with the take-up reel 5.

When cleaning the head, the head 27 mounted on the carriage is moved from a normal recording position to a position C opposite to the opening 1a of the cleaning cassette 1. First, in order to clean the head 27 with a new cleaning surface of the cleaning tape 2, the cleaning tape 2 is pulled out by the stripping roller 18. That is, the stripping gear 19 is rotated by rotating the motor 13 to connect the clutch 20 with gear. By the rotation of the stripping gear 19, the release lever 21 releases the regulation of the supply stopper 4, makes the supply reel 3 rotatable, and moves the stripping arm 17 from the position A in the figure, and the flag f 3 turns off the photosensor p 3. By rotating the cleaning surface to the position B, a new cleaning surface is pulled out to a position facing the head 27. Thereafter, when the clutch with gear 20 is disengaged, the stripping gear 19 is pulled by the spring 25 and remains at the position B.

Next, an operation of pressing the cleaning tape 2 against the surface of the dirty head 27 is performed. That is, when the geared clutch 15 is connected, the cam 12
Rotates, and the pressing arm 11 rotates. The pressing roller 7 moves from the position C in the drawing to a position D at which the flag f1 of the pressing arm 11 cuts off the photosensor p1. The cleaning tape 2 is pressed. In order to prevent the pulled out cleaning tape 2 from sagging, the stripping roller 18 stays at the position E by the spring 25 and applies tension to the tape without returning from the position B to the position A in the drawing. The pressing arm 11 is always in contact with the cam 12 by a spring 26.

Since the cleaning tape 2 is only partially adhered to the head 27, the head carriage is moved in the two directions indicated by chain lines while the pressing roller 7 is pressed against the head 27, so that the pressing is performed. The tape can be evenly applied to the entire surface of the head while the roller 7 rotates. At this time, the peeling roller 18
Moves from the E position to the F position.

The clutch 15 with a gear is connected, and the gear 16
To rotate the cam 12 until the flag f2 of the pressing arm 11 turns off the photosensor p2. The pressing roller 7 moves from the position D to the position C, and the cleaning tape 2 is still attached to the surface of the head 27.

Next, the cleaning tape 2 attached to the head 27 is peeled off, and an operation of removing dust and ink stains attached to the head 27 is performed. When the head carriage is returned in the direction C, the peeling roller 18 is moved from the F position to the E position by the tension of the spring 25. Thereafter, when the geared clutch 20 is connected again and the stripping gear 19 is driven to move the stripping roller 18 from the position E to the position B, the cleaning tape 2 is peeled from the head 27.

In order to wind up the cleaning tape 2 peeled from the head 27, the take-up reel 5 is rotated by rotating the take-up reel rotating gear 23 by connecting the clutch 22 with gear.
To rotate. As the cleaning tape 2 is wound, the peeling roller 18 is forcibly moved from the position B to the position A by the cleaning tape 2 and winds until the flag f4 of the peeling arm 17 turns off the photosensor p4. When the winding is completed, the claw of the supply stopper 4 meshes with the supply reel 3, and the slack of the cleaning tape 2 other than during the cleaning operation can be prevented.

Although the cleaning of the head is completed by the above operation, the cleaning tape 2 wound on the supply reel 3 is removed.
Has been used, it can be detected by the remaining amount sensor 28 shown in FIG. That is, when the remaining amount of the cleaning tape becomes small, the flag f5 is rotated in the direction of the arrow by the force of the spring 29 to stop cutting the photosensor p5 on the drive mechanism side.

In the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment described above, one motor and a stripping arm, a pressing arm, a winding gear, and a transmission mechanism driven by the motor are provided on the ink jet recording apparatus main body side. On the cleaning cassette side, a supply reel, a take-up reel, and a pressing roller are provided.

In this configuration, when the cleaning tape is attached to the head, only the pressing roller is moved to the outside of the cleaning cassette, and the entire cleaning cassette is attached to the head or the head is moved to the cleaning cassette side. There is no need for a simple configuration. Also, when a new cleaning surface is pulled out from the cleaning tape on the supply reel side or when the cleaning tape stuck to the head is peeled off, a large torque can be obtained using the rotating stripping arm. Can be used to enhance the cleaning effect.
When cleaning further, first use cleaning tape 2
After performing only the pull-out / winding-up operation, the cleaning operation of the above-described embodiment was performed to avoid using the part where the adhesive surface of the tape was exposed for cleaning, and the tape was stuck to the head. It does not stain or damage the head.

The cleaning cassette 1 is configured to be detachable from the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus, so that when the cleaning tape 2 is used up, it can be replaced with a new cleaning cassette.

Although the above embodiment has been described with reference to a single head, when a plurality of heads are mounted,
These operations can be repeated for each head. However, when there are a plurality of heads, the degree of contamination differs depending on the arrangement of each head and the frequency of use. For this reason, for example, when a plurality of heads are arranged in parallel to the scanning direction of the head, the head that scans the paper surface first has the worst dirt, so the number of cleanings is smaller than the other heads. Good to increase. Further, in order to change the number of times of cleaning of each head according to the frequency of ink ejection, a counter for accumulating the number of ejected dots is provided, and when the number of dots exceeds a predetermined number, the head can be cleaned. Efficient cleaning as described above can reduce tape consumption and cleaning time.

[0024]

As described above, according to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, dirt such as ink mist and paper powder adhering to the head surface can be easily cleaned by a dry method. In addition, by providing a drive mechanism for the cleaning cassette on the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus and a supply reel, take-up reel, and pressing roller for the cleaning tape on the cassette side, maintenance can be performed simply by replacing the cassette. And the cassette is inexpensive even if it is disposable.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a cleaning cassette used in an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part showing a drive mechanism on the apparatus main body side.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the cleaning cassette.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a remaining amount sensor of the cleaning cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 cleaning cassette 2 cleaning tape 3 supply reel 4 supply stopper 5 take-up reel 6 take-up stopper 7 pressing roller 8 running roller 9 long hole 10 release lever hole 11 pressing arm 12 cam 13 motor 14, 16 gear 15, 20 , 22 Geared clutch 17 Stripping arm 18 Stripping roller 19 Stripping gear 27 Head f1, f2, f3, f4 Flag p1, p2, p3, p4 Photo sensor

Claims (1)

[Claims] A supply reel on which an absorbent and adhesive cleaning tape is wound; a take-up reel for winding the cleaning tape from the supply reel; and a pressing reel for pressing the cleaning tape against a head during cleaning. Pressing roller means movable in the direction of contact with the head, and reversibly move so as to abut on the cleaning tape between the supply reel and the take-up reel and change the travel path length of the cleaning tape with the movement. An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the cleaning tape is pulled out from the supply reel or the cleaning tape stuck to the head is removed by moving the tape running path variable means. .