JPH1170675A - Ink-jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce bubbling of an ink in an ink suction operation or with respect to the nozzle opening, and to prevent destruction of the meniscus when an atmosphere opening valve is opened by providing the atmosphere opening valve directly on a cap member for directly opening or closing an atmosphere introduction opening formed on the cap member. SOLUTION: An atmosphere opening valve 60 is mounted directly on cap members 31, 32 so as to open or close atmosphere introduction openings 31b, 32b formed on the cap member 31, 32. In this case, since a pipe channel is not provided from the atmosphere introduction openings to the atmosphere opening valve, bubbling of an ink generated by the air sucked from the pipe channel and the ink sucked from the recording head being mixed, can be prevented. Moreover, since the atmosphere introduction openings 31b, 32b are provided between the nozzle openings of recording heads 7, 8 so that the atmosphere to be introduced into the cap members 31, 32 cannot come in direct contact with the nozzle openings of the recording heads 7, 8 at the time of opening the atmosphere opening valve 60, the meniscus at the nozzle opening cannot be destroyed.

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, and more particularly to an ink-jet recording apparatus having an ink suction operation performed by bringing a cap member into close contact with a recording head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus having an ink suction operation function of bringing a cap member into close contact with a recording head and an operation method of the ink suction operation are described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-61593. ing.

In the ink suction operation described in this publication, a cap member is brought into close contact with a nozzle opening of a recording head for discharging ink, and a negative pressure is applied to the inside of the cap member so that the recording head is discharged through the nozzle opening. Suction the ink inside. Next, the atmosphere release valve is opened, and the inside of the cap member is communicated with the atmosphere to suck ink remaining in the cap member. Further, the method comprises a step of separating the cap member from the recording head.

In this ink suction operation, a step of sucking ink remaining in the cap member by communicating the inside of the cap member with the atmosphere after the suction is provided, so that when the cap member is separated from the recording head, it is moved into the nozzle opening. Of the air bubbles and scattering of the ink from the cap member can be considerably prevented.

[0005]

In the above-described ink suction operation, the cap member is brought into close contact with the nozzle opening of the recording head which discharges the ink, and the pressure in the cap member is reduced to a negative pressure through the nozzle opening. When the ink in the recording head is sucked, if the pipe from the air introduction port of the cap member to the air release valve is long, the air sucked from the pipe and the ink sucked from the recording head become the cap member. And ink foaming occurs. When the air release valve is opened in a state where the foamed ink adheres to the nozzle opening of the recording head, fine bubbles of the ink may flow back into the nozzle opening, resulting in defective ejection of the nozzle opening. It is also conceivable to open the air release valve gently so that the microbubbles of ink do not flow back into the nozzle opening. is not.

In a conventional ink jet recording apparatus, when a cap member is brought into close contact with a nozzle opening, an air introduction port provided in the cap member and a nozzle opening of a recording head have a vertical relationship. Since the ink is arranged at the same position, the bubbling ink easily adheres to the nozzle opening of the recording head, and when the air release valve is opened, the airflow flowing into the cap member is directly transmitted to the nozzle opening of the recording head. In some cases, the meniscus formed on the nozzle may be broken.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, and a first object of the present invention is to minimize bubbling of ink in an ink suction operation, and furthermore, to prevent a nozzle from opening in a recording head. A second object is to prevent the meniscus from being destroyed when the air release valve is opened.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention has an ink jet recording head, an ink suction port for covering a nozzle opening of the recording head, and an air introduction port. A cap means having a cap member, a suction pump connected to the ink suction port of the cap member to make the inside of the cap member a negative pressure, and a cap member formed to control the internal pressure of the cap member. In the ink jet recording apparatus including an air release valve connected to the air introduction port, the air release valve is provided directly on the cap member so as to directly open and close the air introduction port formed on the cap member. It is characterized by being. Thus, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, the air release valve directly opens and closes the air inlet formed in the cap member,
Since it is provided directly on the cap member and there is no pipe from the air inlet of the cap member to the air release valve,
Bubbling of the ink generated by mixing of the air sucked from the pipeline and the ink sucked from the recording head in the cap member can be suppressed as much as possible.

Here, it is desirable that the air introduction port is formed at a position that does not face the nozzle opening of the recording head, and the air introduction port is formed at the bottom or side wall of the cap member. It is desirable. As described above, since the air introduction port is formed at a position that does not face the nozzle opening of the recording head, even if ink bubbling occurs, adhesion of the nozzle opening of the recording head can be minimized. As a result, when the air release valve is opened,
It is possible to prevent the adverse effect that the minute bubbles of the ink flow back into the nozzle opening and cause the nozzle opening to discharge poorly. In addition, the meniscus can be prevented from being destroyed due to the airflow from the air opening directly blowing on the nozzle.

The air release valve is engaged with an operation lever rotatably formed in accordance with the movement of a carriage on which the recording head is provided, and one end of the operation lever, and introduces air into the cap member. A valve shaft inserted into the mouth, a groove continuously formed from one end to the other end along the axis of the valve shaft, and a valve body formed at a substantially intermediate outer peripheral portion of the valve shaft; A spring that presses the valve body against the outer bottom surface of the cap member and keeps the air introduction port closed at all times, wherein the rotation of the operation lever opens the valve body against the repulsive force of the spring. It is desirable to be configured.

Further, the air release valve has an operation lever rotatably formed in accordance with the movement of the carriage on which the recording head is provided, and one end of the operation lever abuts on the operation lever to rotate the operation lever. A valve shaft that moves up and down in the air inlet with the valve body, a valve body that is formed at the upper end of the valve shaft, and opens and closes the air inlet with the up and down movement of the valve shaft, and caps the valve body. It is preferable that a spring for always closing the air inlet of the member is provided, and the valve body is opened against the repulsive force of the spring by rotating the operation lever. Preferably, the valve body is formed in a mushroom shape so that air entering the cap member does not directly hit the nozzle opening, and the operation lever is pivotally attached to the cap member so as to be rotatable. Preferably, a valve body formed at one end of the operation lever opens and closes an air inlet formed on a side wall of the cap member.

Further, according to the present invention described in order to solve such technical problems, an ink jet recording head, an ink suction port for covering a nozzle opening of the recording head, and an air introduction port are formed. A cap means having a cap member, a suction pump connected to an ink suction port of the cap member to make the inside of the cap member a negative pressure, and a cap member formed to control the internal pressure of the cap member. In the ink jet recording apparatus provided with an air opening valve connected to the air introduction port, the air introduction port is formed at a position that does not face the nozzle opening of the recording head. As described above, since the air introduction port is formed at a position not facing the nozzle opening of the recording head, the air flow flowing into the cap member when the air release valve is opened may directly hit the nozzle opening of the recording head. In addition, it is possible to prevent the meniscus formed in the nozzle from being destroyed.

Here, it is preferable that the air inlet is formed at a position not opposed to the nozzle opening of the recording head, and that the air inlet is formed at a side wall of the cap member.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of the present invention will be described below based on illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows an outline of the periphery of a printing mechanism of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a carriage, which is supported by a guide member 2 and is connected via a timing belt 3. It is connected to a pulse motor 23 and is configured to be able to reciprocate in parallel with the platen 5.

A recording head provided with a row of nozzle openings for discharging ink having different evaporation speeds of the ink solvent on the carriage 1. In this embodiment, a row of nozzle openings for discharging black printing ink having a relatively high degree of ink drying. And a second ink jet recording head 8 (FIG. 5) having a row of nozzle openings for ejecting color printing ink is fixed in the printing direction and the moving direction of the carriage 1. These recording heads 7 and 8 are provided at intervals.
A black printing ink cartridge 9 and a color printing ink cartridge 10 are detachably mounted on the upper part of the printer. Outside the printing area, a cap device 12 is provided for receiving the ejection of ink from each of the recording heads 7 and 8 and sealing the recording heads 7 and 8 during non-printing.

When a drive signal from a head drive circuit (not shown) is received via the flexible cable 11 with the above-described configuration, the recording heads 7 and 8 receive ink from the ink cartridges 9 and 10 and the recording paper 6 ,
And colored dots.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the upper surface of the vicinity of the cap device described above. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a paper feed roller which performs paper feed and pump drive by a gear 22 fixed to one end of a rotating shaft 21. Connected to the pulse motor 24 which also serves as
The recording paper 6 is transported in accordance with the printing process.
In the figure, reference numeral 12 denotes the aforementioned cap device,
The slider 30 occupies two positions: a capping position covering the nozzle opening surfaces of the two recording heads 7 and 8 in conjunction with the movement of the nozzles, and a non-capping position away from the nozzle opening surfaces.
In addition, a first cap member 31 and a second cap member 32 formed in a cup shape by an elastic material are provided. These cap members 31 and 32 respectively correspond to the first
The opening area is set such that the recording head 7 and the second recording head 8 can be sealed, and the ink droplets ejected from the recording heads 7 and 8 can be reliably received in a separated state.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first and second cap members 31 and 32 have their suction ports 31a and 32a connected to one ends of tubes 33 and 34 which form part of pumps 37 and 38, respectively. It is designed to receive suction.

First and second tube pumps 37 and 38
Is selectively connected to the pulse motor 24 via the train wheel 40 (FIG. 2). When the motor 24 rotates in the reverse direction, only the first tube pump 37 performs a suction operation, and when the motor 24 rotates in the normal direction, only the second tube pump 38 operates. A suction operation is performed.

Next, the carriage 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
And the cap device 12 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cap device, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the carriage and the cap device.

In the figure, reference numeral 30 denotes a slider,
The first and second cap members 31, 32 are adjusted to match the distance between the two recording heads 7, 8 mounted on the shaft 31c,
32c so as to be swingable. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, absorbing materials 31d and 32d are accommodated in the cap members 31 and 32, respectively.

In the drawing, reference numerals 41 and 42 denote first and second guide pieces, which are arranged on both sides in accordance with the width of the first and second recording heads 7 and 8 of the carriage 1, and which position the carriage 1 at a predetermined position. When set, the recording heads 7 and 8 are spaced apart from each other. An engagement piece 46 is provided at the tip of the slider 30 so as to abut and separate from a guide member 47 attached to the base 53. Further, the carriage 1 is provided with the first and second cap members 3.
When the first and second recording heads 7 and 8 move to a position where they face each other, a flag piece 45 that contacts the projection 44 at the lower end of the carriage 1 is provided on the slider 30. .

The guide member 47 has a convex portion 47a for preventing the slider 30 from coming off, a flat surface 47b for forming the slider 30 at a fixed distance from the lower ends of the recording heads 7 and 8 and suitable for idle discharge, and a cap. The members 31 and 32 are connected to the recording head 7,
8 and a flat surface 47c that forms a position where it is elastically contacted. At the left end of the guide member 47, a pressing element 47d for pressing an operation lever 60a of an atmosphere release valve 60 described later is formed.

On the other hand, the slider 30 is provided at its lower center with a shaft 50 orthogonal to the moving direction of the carriage 1. Both ends of the shaft 50 are connected to the shaft 54 of the base 53 via the long groove 52a. Lever 5 swingably attached to
2 is loosely fitted. The slider 30 is attached to the upper end of a coil spring 56 whose lower end is fixed to the base 53 and inclined toward the print area and set to buckle toward the non-print area.

When the cap 30 is not capped, as shown in FIG. 6, the slider 30 has one end positioned at the lowermost end of the inclined surface 47b of the guide member 47 and the center portion controlled by the lever 52 while the coil spring 56 controls the print area. , The cap members 31 and 32 can maintain the position where the gap g suitable for the idle discharge can be formed without contacting the recording heads 7 and 8. At the time of non-capping (during empty discharge), ink is discharged to the outside of the cap members 31 and 32 by the suction operation of the tube pump described above.

Further, the cap members 31 and 32 and the air release valve 60 constituting the cap device 12 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4A is a plan view of the cap members 31 and 32. In FIG. 4A, the nozzle openings of the recording head when the recording members 7 and 8 are covered with the cap members 31 and 32 (close contact state). The position is indicated by a two-dot chain line. As shown in the figure, the air introduction ports 31b and 32b are disposed between the nozzle openings of the recording heads 7 and 8 (indicated by two-dot chain lines in the figure). That is, the air inlets 31b and 32b are arranged at positions not located directly below the nozzle openings of the recording heads 7 and 8. Since the recording heads 7 and 8 are not disposed immediately below the nozzle openings, the air (atmosphere) introduced into the cap members 31 and 32 when the air release valve 60 is opened.
Does not directly hit the nozzle openings of the recording heads 7 and 8, so that the meniscus formed in the nozzle openings is not destroyed.

As shown in FIG. 4 (b), the air release valve 60 has an operation lever 6 pushed by a pusher 47d.
Reference numeral 0a is formed to be rotatable about a shaft 60b having both ends fixed to the slider 30. The operation lever 60
A valve shaft 61 is engaged with one end 60c of the valve shaft 61. The distal end of the valve shaft 61 is inserted into the air inlets 31b and 32b, and is configured to be vertically movable in the air inlets 31b and 32b. ing. As shown in FIG. 4 (c), the valve shaft 61 is formed with a groove 61a continuously from one end to the other end along the axis thereof.
As shown in (b), a valve body 62 is formed at a substantially middle outer peripheral portion of the valve shaft 61.

Further, a spring 64 is interposed between the valve body 62 and a support 63 fixed to the slider 30.
It is placed in a state where it is pressed against the outer bottom surfaces of the first and the second. That is, the atmosphere release valve 60 is always closed.

Since the atmosphere release valve 60 is thus constructed, the operating lever 60a is centered on the shaft 60b by the pressing element 47d pressing the operating lever 60a against the repulsive force of the spring 64. , And the valve shaft 61 slides downward. When the valve shaft 61 slides downward, the valve body 62 is
32, the air (atmosphere) passes through the valve shaft 6
The cap members 31 and 32 are introduced into the inside of the cap members 31 and 32 via the one groove portion 61a, and the inside of the cap members 31 and 32 is released from the negative pressure state and becomes the same state as the atmosphere.

That is, as shown in FIG.
In the state where 0 has been moved to the capping position,
The inside of the cap members 31 and 32 is sealed by the air release valve 60 which is normally closed, and the evaporation of the ink solvent is prevented. Then, as shown in FIG.
Is further moved to the right so that the presser 47d rotates the operation lever 60a in the direction of the arrow,
The air release valve 60, which is normally closed, is opened to open the air introduction ports 31b, 32b so that the cap members 31, 32 are in the same state as the air.

Next, the recovery operation of the ink jet recording apparatus having the above configuration will be described.

When the carriage 1 on which the two recording heads 7 and 8 are mounted moves in a direction indicated by an arrow C in FIG. 6, the carriage 1 rotates about an axis 100 provided below the carriage 1 as shown in FIG. The rotating lever 102 comes into contact with the inclined surface 103 and is rotated. With this rotation, the slide gear 104 moves against the spring 105 and the paper feed / pump motor 24 is moved.
Is transmitted to the pump unit 13. In this way, the slider 30 whose carriage 1 is located outside the recording area
, First, the recording head 7 is engaged with the second guide 42 provided on the slider 30. When the carriage 1 moves further in this state, the first recording head 7 engages with the first guide 41 and the second recording head 8 engages with the second guide 42. Thereby, the slider 30 is aligned in a posture corresponding to the carriage 1. When the carriage 1 further moves in this state, the convex piece 44 provided at the tip of the carriage 1 comes into contact with the flag piece 45 of the slider 30. As a result, the first,
The second cap members 31 and 32 face the position of the carriage 1 at which the first and second recording heads 7 and 8 can be accommodated at a predetermined interval g (FIG. 6).

When the carriage 1 further moves to the right from this state, the slider 30 receives the force from the carriage 1 via the projections 44 of the carriage 1 and the upper portion thereof in the moving direction of the carriage 1. Since the resistance force of the lever 52 receiving the urging force of the buckled coil spring 56 is received, a force is applied to lift the rear end of the slider 30 upward, acting as a forward bending.

As a result, the rear portion of the slider 30 is lifted around the shaft 50 as a rotation fulcrum, and the second cap member 32 located rearward (on the recording area side) of the shaft 50 comes into contact with the second recording head 8 first. At this time, the cap member 32
Is pivotally attached to the slider 30 to some extent, and the slider 30 can also pivot on the base 53 via the lever 52, so that the slider 30 rises while being guided by the second recording head 8 and The recording head 8 comes into contact with a position where the recording head 8 can be sealed.

Further, when the carriage 1 moves to the case 13 side, the coil spring 56 can no longer withstand the force from the carriage 1 and starts to buckle, lifting the slider 30 upward. As a result, the slider 30 is lifted on its case 13 side with the second cap member 32 fitted on the second recording head 8, and the first cap member 31 is fitted on the first recording head 7. Will do. Needless to say, the slider 30 swings with respect to the base 53 and the first and second cap members 3
The recording heads 1 and 32 can swing to some extent with respect to the slider 30 and are made of an elastic member.
The recording head 7 is inserted into the recording heads 7 and 8 so as to be guided by the edge of the recording head 8.

In this state, since the coil spring 56 buckles greatly, the slider 30 is lifted upward by the elastic force of the coil spring 56, so that the cap members 31, 3
Numeral 2 resiliently contacts the recording heads 7 and 8 to securely seal them. At this time, since the atmosphere release valve 60 is always in a closed state, the insides of the cap members 31 and 32 are sealed, and the evaporation of the ink solvent can be prevented (FIG. 5).

In the state shown in FIG. 5, by driving the suction pumps 37, 38, the cap member 31,
32 can be in a negative pressure state, and the recording heads 7, 8
Is sucked from the ink.

When the carriage 1 moves further to the right, the atmosphere release valve 60 is opened as described above, and the atmosphere is introduced into the cap members 31 and 32 in a negative pressure state (FIG. 7). In this state, the suction pump 37,
By driving the ink 38, the ink sucked from inside the cap members 31 and 32 can be discharged to the outside. This ink suction operation will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. When the carriage is moved to the capping position (FIG. 5), the recording head 1 is sealed with the cap member 12 (FIG. 11A). Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, the suction pumps 37 and 38 are driven at a high speed for a predetermined time to bring the inside of the cap member 31 into a negative pressure state.

Due to this negative pressure, a large amount of ink is discharged from the recording head 1 as shown in FIG.
Discharge to 1, 32. At this time, the cap members 31, 3
Since the air release valve 60 has no conduit, the air in the conduit and the ink sucked from the recording head 1 have a cap member, compared to the configuration connected to the air release valve via a tube. In the ink, and the ink does not foam. Even if bubbles occur, since the air introduction port is provided between the nozzle openings of the recording heads 7 and 8, adhesion of the bubbled ink to the nozzle openings of the recording heads 7 and 8 can be prevented.

In this manner, the cap member 31 is filled with the ink discharged from the recording head 1 after a predetermined time has elapsed.
When the negative pressure is reduced to about the atmospheric pressure, the discharge of the ink from the recording head 1 is stopped as shown in FIG.

After a large amount of ink has been sucked, the cap member 3
When the sliders 1 and 32 have returned to approximately the atmospheric pressure, the slider 30 is further moved to the right (the state shown in FIG. 7) to release the atmosphere communicating with the cap member 31 as shown in FIG. The valve 60 is opened, and the suction pumps 37 and 38 are opened.
Is driven at high speed again.

Since a large amount of ink stagnates in the cap members 31 and 32, the ink in the cap members 31 and 32 initially generates bubbles by opening the air release valve 60 as shown in FIG. The ink is sucked by the suction pumps 37 and 38 while being discharged to the waste ink tank. At this time, the air flowing in from the air opening port passes through the groove 61a formed in the valve shaft 61, so that the insides of the cap members 31 and 32 are kept somewhat lower than the atmospheric pressure due to the flow path pressure loss. This prevents bubbles from flowing back into the nozzle opening. Furthermore, since the air inlet ink suction port is provided between the nozzle openings of the recording heads 7 and 8, it is possible to minimize the adhesion of foamed ink to the nozzle openings of the recording heads 7 and 8.

Then, by moving the slider 30 to the left (the state shown in FIGS. 5 and 6),
As shown in (c), the recording head 1 is released from the sealing of the cap member 1, and the atmosphere release valve 60 is closed again.

Next, another embodiment of the air release valve will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8A is a plan view of the cap member as in FIG. 4A, and the air inlet 31b is similar to the air inlets 31b and 32b shown in FIG.
b and 32b are nozzle openings of the recording heads 7 and 8 (2 in the figure).
(Indicated by a dashed line). As described above, at a position that is not located immediately below the nozzle openings of the recording heads 7 and 8,
Since the air introduction ports 31b and 32b are provided, when the atmosphere release valve 60 is opened, the introduced air (atmosphere) does not directly hit the nozzle openings of the recording heads 7 and 8, but is formed at the nozzle openings. The destruction of the meniscus can be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 8 (b), the air release valve 60 is provided with an operation lever 7 which is pushed by the pusher 47d.
Reference numeral 0a is formed to be rotatable about a shaft 70b having both ends fixed to the slider 30. The operation lever 70
a end of the valve shaft 71a is in contact with one end 70c of the
The air inlets 31b and 32b are configured to be vertically movable. A valve body 71b is formed at the upper end of the valve shaft 71, and the open-to-atmosphere valve 70 is opened and closed as the valve shaft 71a moves up and down. This valve body 71b is formed in a mushroom type, and is called a diffuse.
The nozzle is configured so that air entering the cap member does not directly hit the nozzle opening.

Further, a spring 72 is interposed between the outer bottom surfaces of the cap members 31 and 32 and the valve shaft 71. The valve body 71b keeps the air introduction ports 31b and 32b constantly closed by the spring 72.

Since the air release valve 70 is configured as described above, the operating lever 70a is centered on the shaft 70b by the pressing element 47d pressing the operating lever 70a against the repulsive force of the spring 72. , And the valve shaft 71 slides upward. When the valve shaft 71 slides upward, the valve body 71b separates from the air inlets 31b and 32b of the cap member, and the air inlet 31b and
Air (atmosphere) is introduced into the cap members 31 and 32 from 32b, and the interior of the cap members 31 and 32 is released from the negative pressure state and becomes the same state as the atmosphere. At this time, the introduced air (atmosphere) flows in the horizontal direction by the valve body 71b as shown by the arrow in the figure.

In the atmosphere release valves shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the valve shafts are inserted into the atmosphere introduction ports 31b and 32b. However, as shown in FIG.
The valve shaft may not be inserted into 32b. That is, the atmosphere release valve 80 is configured to open the atmosphere release valve 80 by moving the valve 80 a downward while resisting the repulsive force of the spring 81.

In the air release valve shown in FIGS. 4, 8 and 9, the air release valve is provided with cap members 31 and 32.
10 is shown on the outer bottom surface of FIG.
As shown in (1), it may be formed on the outer side wall of the cap members 31 and 32. In this case, the operation lever 85 is pivotally attached to the cap members 31 and 32 so as to be rotatable.
85 is formed at one end of the air inlet 31.
b and 32b are opened and closed. A spring 87 is interposed at the other end 85b of the operation lever 85, and the valve body 85a is always closed. Therefore, the valve body 85a is opened only when the operation lever 85 is pressed by the presser 47d, similarly to the above-described atmosphere release valve.

As described above, since the air release valve is formed on the outer side wall of the cap member, the air flow when the air release valve is opened does not directly hit the nozzle opening of the recording head, but is formed on the nozzle. The destruction of the meniscus can be prevented. In addition, since the ink does not bubble in the cap member, the minute bubbles of the ink do not flow back into the nozzle opening.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the air release valve is provided on the cap member, in the ink suction operation, the bubbling of the ink is suppressed to the utmost, and the influence of the bubbling of the ink on the nozzle opening of the recording head is obtained. Can be reduced as much as possible. As a result, it is possible to prevent the backflow of the microbubbles of the ink into the nozzle opening, and to prevent the ejection failure. Further, since the air inlet is not provided at a position corresponding to the nozzle opening of the recording head, the air flow introduced into the cap member directly hits the nozzle opening of the recording head when the air release valve is opened. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the meniscus formed at the nozzle opening from being broken.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline around a printing mechanism of an ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an upper surface near a cap device.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing an upper surface of the cap device shown in FIG. 2;

4A and 4B are views showing an atmosphere release valve provided on a cap member, wherein FIG. 4A is a plan view, FIG. 4B is a side sectional view, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a valve shaft.

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating a state in which the cap member and the carriage are in operation, and illustrates a state in which the cap member is in close contact with the recording head.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an operation state of the cap member and the carriage.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing an operation state of the cap member and the carriage, and showing a state in which the air release valve is opened when the cap member is in close contact with the recording head.

FIG. 8 is a view showing another embodiment of the atmosphere release valve.

FIG. 9 is a view showing another embodiment of the atmosphere release valve.

FIG. 10 is a view showing another embodiment of the atmosphere release valve.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining an ink suction operation.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining an ink suction operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Carriage 7 (1st inkjet type) Recording head 8 (2nd inkjet type) Recording head 9 Ink cartridge for black printing 10 Ink cartridge for color printing 12 Cap device 30 Slider 31 First cap member 31a Ink suction port 31b Air introduction Port 32 Second cap member 32a Ink suction port 32b Atmospheric inlet 47 Guide member 47d Presser 60 Atmospheric release valve 60a Operation lever 61 Valve shaft 61a Groove 62 Valve body 63 Support base 64 Spring 70 Atmosphere release valve 70a Operation lever 71 valve shaft 71b shaft 72 spring 80 air release valve 80a valve body 81 spring 85 operating lever 85a valve body 87 spring

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A cap means having an ink jet recording head, a cap member having an ink suction port for covering a nozzle opening of the recording head and an air introduction port, and
A suction pump connected to the ink suction port of the cap member to reduce the pressure inside the cap member, and an air inlet formed in the cap member to control the internal pressure of the cap member. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an air release valve; wherein the air release valve is provided directly on the cap member so as to directly open and close an air inlet formed in the cap member. apparatus. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the cap member, the air introduction port is formed at a position that does not face a nozzle opening of the recording head. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet is formed in a bottom surface or a side wall of the cap member. 4. An air release valve is engaged with an operation lever rotatably formed in accordance with movement of a carriage on which a recording head is provided, and one end of the operation lever. A valve shaft inserted into the mouth, a groove continuously formed from one end to the other end along the axis of the valve shaft, and a valve body formed at a substantially intermediate outer peripheral portion of the valve shaft; A spring that presses the valve body against the outer bottom surface of the cap member and keeps the air introduction port closed at all times, wherein the rotation of the operation lever opens the valve body against the repulsive force of the spring. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is configured. 5. An air release valve, comprising: an operation lever rotatably formed in accordance with the movement of a carriage on which a recording head is provided; and an abutment on one end of the operation lever to rotate the operation lever. A valve shaft that moves up and down in the air inlet with the valve body, a valve body that is formed at the upper end of the valve shaft, and opens and closes the air inlet with the up and down movement of the valve shaft, and caps the valve body. A spring for constantly closing the air inlet of the member, wherein the valve body is opened against the repulsive force of the spring by the rotation of the operation lever. An ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 6. The ink jet type recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the valve body is formed in a mushroom type so that air entering the cap member does not directly hit the nozzle opening. apparatus. 7. An operation lever is pivotally attached to a cap member so that a valve formed at one end of the operation lever opens and closes an air inlet formed on a side wall of the cap member. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 8. A cap means having an ink jet recording head, a cap member having an ink suction port for covering a nozzle opening of the recording head and an air introduction port,
A suction pump connected to the ink suction port of the cap member to make the inside of the cap member a negative pressure, and an air inlet formed in the cap member to control the internal pressure of the cap member. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising an air release valve, wherein the air inlet is formed at a position not facing the nozzle opening of the recording head. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the air introduction port is formed at a position not facing a nozzle opening of the recording head. 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the air inlet is formed in a side wall of the cap member.