JPS58194555A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to carry out head cleaning perfectly, in an ink jet printer, by moving a head cleaner to plural directions in contact relation to the nozzle of a recording head to carry out cleaning. CONSTITUTION:When a recording head is cleaned, each nozzle of a recording head 7 on a carriage 6 is moved to a position opposed to each head cleaner 31 and a grooved cam shaft 52 is rotated by driving a motor 56 or by manually rotating of a knob 61 to move a base table 40 to the slide of the recording head 7 through a spiral groove 53 and a pin 51 while a cleaner 31 comprising a porous member good in ink absorbability is brought into contact with each nozzle through a spring 37 and rubbed up by the upward movement of the top part C of the string 37. In the next step, the pin 51 is contacted with a stopper 54 to rotate the base table 40 around a slide shaft 42 and the cleaner 31 is twisted at a predetermined angle with respect with each nozzle to carry out perfect cleaning.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a recording device, and is particularly suitable for an inkjet printer equipped with a multi-nozzle head and an ink tank.

As such an inkjet printer, one having a configuration as shown in FIG. 1, for example, has been proposed. Here, l is the recording paper, K is the paper feed roller that feeds the recording paper l in the sub-scanning direction, and J is
is a 6 paper feed pulse motor that drives the paper feed roller, 4I
-and! is a guide roller that forms a recording plane.

The base is a carriage on which are mounted color recording heads 7Y, 7M, 70 and 7BK (collective number 7), which is driven by a head feed pulse motor via a timing belt l, and is moved along a guide rail 10. It reciprocates in the main scanning direction. // is each head 7Y~7B
An ink supply pipe that supplies ink every K, lλY,
12M.

/JQ and /BK (overall numbers are / and 2) are yellow Y, magenta M, negative 0, and black BK ink tanks, respectively, and communicate with heads 7Y to 7BK via pipes //, /3 Is each head 7Y~? B
This is a flexible printed wiring board that supplies drive pulses to each nozzle in K.

7Y, 7M, 70 and 7BK are yellow Y respectively.

This is a multi-nozzle inkjet head for magenta M, cyan C, and black BK.Each head has a large number of nozzles arranged in a straight line in the sub-scanning direction at an interval (pitch) of, for example, 1/■, and each prints 7 lexiple prints. In this ink ejection method, ink of each color is ejected from nozzles toward the recording paper l by driving pulses supplied via the wiring board 3. Printing devices with multi-nozzle heads, such as those described above, use a bubble jet method that ejects ink using bubbles that are generated. Compared to printing devices with a single or a small number of nozzles, printing devices can produce images at much higher speeds. Records can be made. However, since the diameter of each nozzle (ejection port) of the recording head 7 is extremely small,
Impurities in the ink, dried paper powder, and dust in the air can easily cause clogging in the nozzle, and once clogging occurs, cleaning or restoring its function is difficult because there are many nozzles. In addition, in the color recording device as mentioned above, Ki#! Since the amount of each color ink used differs depending on the aspect of the image, there is a problem in that the liquid level in each ink tank is uneven, resulting in fluctuations in ink pressure and deterioration of image quality. Furthermore, since the ink tank requires a large volume, it becomes an obstacle to effective use of space, and the overall size of the apparatus cannot be sufficiently miniaturized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus in which a head cleaner is brought into contact with the nozzles of a recording head so that complete leaning can be obtained by cleaning the head.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Components common to those of the conventional device shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

Figures 7 to 7 show an example of the configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, where ko/ is the subtank l- with the carriage 6 in between.
The main tank is provided on the opposite side of the main tank 2, and both tanks 2/ and /λ communicate with each other at the bottom via a flexible communication pipe as shown in FIG. n is tankko/and/-
It is a nitrogen vent that passes through the ceiling of the building. The reviews are for each subtankko/
It is an inverted-shaped angle that serves as a liquid level adjustment means (level adjustment mechanism) that independently adjusts the height of each. Then fix it at the desired height using the locking screw. 2g is a locking screw mounting plate which is fixed to the fixed plate and the tooth I after a part of each guide groove. Also.

A transparent plate or liquid inspection hole is installed on the back of each main tank to allow the position of the liquid level to be detected.

Furthermore, it is preferable to provide indicator means for indicating a predetermined liquid level position. In this case, the indicator means may be a thin string with one end fixed. Also, each main tank/
is attached near the top of the base, which will be described later, via angle adjustment.

Jl is a head cleaner that comes into contact with the nozzle (jet port) # of each recording head 7, cleans the nozzle, eliminates its clogging, and restores the ejection characteristics. [It consists of a porous plate.] 3 are supports that attach each head cleaner 31 interchangeably (
a) with cleaner holder).

As shown in Fig. 7, there is a steel stopper plate 33 at the top of the front and a stopper plate J41 at the bottom. It has side stoppers 33 and a back plate 34 on both sides. Reference numeral 37 is a leaf spring whose bent top part is fixed to approximately the center of the back surface of the supporter 32.

It is attached to the base via the guide screw 31 and fixing screw 39. Therefore, each head cleaner 3/ is mounted on the same base t10.
It is attached via one supporter 31 or the like. Leaf spring 3
7 is the guide screw 3 at the top as shown in Figure (1).
It has a long hole nail for a vertical guide that freely slides and engages with 1, and when it is pressed between the support taco and the base, it is guided along the long hole and is shown in Figure 1 of IH1. As shown by the chain line, the head cleaner J/, which extends upwardly and is in contact with the recording head 7, is moved relatively upward by a distance of 1 via the supporter.

The base for moving the head cleaner 3/ in the direction of the 2nd nozzle 7 toward recording is arranged on one side or on both sides of the movement end of the carriage t that has passed the position of the recording paper /, as shown in the figure. The slide shafts (c, guide shaft) guide the movement of the base (q), which has an inverted cross-section, and one of the slide shafts (t) is a pair of legs (←) provided on one side of the base. They are engaged via a slide bearing aS, and the other slide shaft q supports the lower surface of the slide bearing provided on the opposite side of the base eo from below and freely slides into contact with the slide bearing. Da 7 is a return spring that returns the base plate to its original position when the base is tilted in the direction of the arrow; point). 4Ig is an L-shaped rotation stopper that regulates the inclination of the base, one end of which is fixed to the bottom of the base, and the other end bent below the slide shaft 41.7 to prevent the base from tilting at a predetermined angle or more. When the base is tilted, it comes into contact with the slide shaft to limit the tilt of the base.

jl is a pin centrally installed on the bottom surface of the leg pot of the base U, and is a grooved cam shaft! It engages with the spiral groove 3 and slides.

The evaluation is below the notched cylindrical stopper/sagging 4 member C fixed in the center of the grooved cam shaft j with a fixing screw jj.

(referred to as a stopper), and the bottle toward the recording head!
At the same time as limiting the movement of l, as shown in Figure 9, the axis j
By rotating together in the direction of arrow B, the bottle j/ that is in contact with the notch is rotated using the Squid shaft geko as a fulcrum, thereby causing the base to move as shown by the chain line in Fig. Rotate in the direction of arrow A. ! 6 is reducer n, Guri I,
This is a motor that freely drives the grooved camshaft j in forward and reverse directions and stops via a belt and a pulley V, and 61 is a manual knob (handle) coaxially connected to the grooved camshaft n. The slide shaft shaft is provided parallel to the groove cam shaft shaft, and is also arranged at a substantially right angle to the moving direction (main scanning direction) of the carriage 4, so that the nozzles of each recording head 7 and the head cleaner J are parallel to each other. so that it can come into contact with the The grooved cam shaft n is rotatably supported by the fixed plates 6 and 63 via a pair of bearings 6λ, while the slide thin shaft is directly fixed to the fixed plates j and ρ. 614 is a stay shaft that supports the fixed plate n and 63.

Next, the operation of the recording apparatus of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS.

During recording head cleaning, the carriage 6 is moved to the running end and stopped at a position where each nozzle of the recording head 7 on the carriage 6 faces each head cleaner J/ which is a recovery system. Next, by driving the motor j6 or turning the knob 61 by hand, the grooved cam shaft! Rotate. Slut cam shaft! By rotating in the direction of arrow B in step 2, pin! l
Also, the spiral groove of camshaft 4.2! ``slide J'' and that bottle j
The base moves toward the recording head 7 along the slide axis via / in the < direction, and brings the head cleaner 31 into contact with the recording head 7 . Furthermore, move the four units to the recording/soto side, press the leaf spring 3, and move its apex C in the direction directly above the temple (see Figure 3 and Figure 1 (G)).
. Therefore, the head cleaner 3/ is pushed against the nozzle (ink ejecting part) of the brass head 7 and is rubbed upward along the nozzle surface. At this time, since the head cleaner 3/ uses a porous member with good ink absorbency, the nozzles of the head 7 can be cleaned well and the clogging can be cleared, and then the pin si comes into contact with the stopper plate. , when the stopper j≠ rotates together with the grooved cam shaft j in the direction of arrow B (see the diagram), the bottle! Since l engages with one end of the notch in the stopper, the base rotates in the direction of the arrow M about the thin slide shaft as a fulcrum via pin j/ (see Figure 1). Therefore, the head cleaner 3/ is twisted at a predetermined angle relative to the nozzles of the recording head 7. In this way, since the head cleaner 3/'' is applied to the nozzle and then moved in multiple directions to perform cleaning or functional recovery, more complete cleaning can be achieved. Next, when the motor J6 is stopped or the rotation of the knob 61 is stopped, the base returns to its original position due to the biasing force of the spring 417, and the slider 476 is seated on the slide shaft j3. Next, the head cleaner 3/ is separated from the recording head 7 by rotating the motor j6 or the knob 6/ in the reverse direction and returned to the initial position. One or more cleaning nymph γ operations are repeated multiple times depending on the state of nozzle clogging. It is also suitable. In addition, instead of the stopper J/, there is a microswitch (not shown) that detects the movement position of the base or the jig, and a glazing/jar (not shown) that extends upward in response to the detection signal of the microswitch. ), and the plunger is connected to the slider 4!6.
Place it below the base θ near .

When the base reaches a predetermined position, the plunger may be driven to rotate the base yo in the direction of the arrow M.
Furthermore, it is also preferable to apply vibrations such as ultrasonic vibrations to the head cleaner 3/. When replacing the head cleaner J/, which is a cleaning member, only the head cleaner 31 to be replaced is pulled out from the supporter 3-, and a new head cleaner 31 is inserted into the removed location to complete the replacement work. As described above, since the head cleaner 3/ is provided with the supporter 3λ which allows the head cleaner 3 to be freely replaced, it is extremely easy to replace the head cleaner 3 with a new one, and maintenance work is simplified. Therefore, the cleaning work can be carried out using the cleaner 3/ which is always in its worst state, and the optimum nozzle function can be maintained. Furthermore, since a plurality of head cleaners 3 are mounted on the same base, the mechanism is simple and the head cleaning operation can be performed using the same drive source, making the operation easier.

The head cleaning mechanism (recovery system) of the present invention described above
70 can be provided at both left and right ends in the main scanning direction as shown in the second figure. In this way, the head cleaning mechanism 70
When a digit is provided, even if one of the head cleaners 37 becomes unusable, the head cleaning operation can be continued, and a new head cleaner 31 can be replaced during that time.

Therefore, maintenance and inspection work becomes easy, and there is no need to interrupt the inkuri work for a long time to replace the head cleaner 3/. - There is no need to always return the carriage 6 to the position of the head cleaning mechanism 70 on one side before performing head cleaning work, and when the recording head 7 becomes clogged, the head cleaning mechanism located at position b closest to the carriage 4 is moved. 70 can be used, the head cleaning work time can be shortened. Furthermore, the right
The properties of the helad cleaner 3/ of the side mechanism 70 and the properties of the helad cleaner 31 of the left machine @70 are made different, for example, one cleaner 31 has relatively good ink absorption, and the other cleaner J/ Since the grades of the inks can be made to be different, such as those with relatively poor ink absorption properties, it is possible to carry out more appropriate cleaning in response to nozzle clogging conditions.

In addition to cleaning the recording head 7 when the nozzles are clogged, it may be preferable to clean the recording head 7 automatically at regular intervals or when the power is turned on. It is also possible to provide more than one. +1 Next, I will discuss the points regarding the ink tank, 2/top/2. The ink E in each main tank enters the corresponding sub-tank through the communication pipe, and is supplied to the recording head through the ink supply pipe. Discharge accordingly. At this time, the supply of ink E is mainly performed by the siphon effect.

To maintain the specified supply ink pressure, each main tank/
It is necessary to maintain the liquid level at a predetermined distance downward from the lowest nozzle position corresponding to the lowest surface of the recording head 7. However, since the amount of ink used differs for each color, if printing continues, the liquid level in each main tank 1 will become uneven via the nap tank 1. If you leave part 11 alone, each head will be 7Y.

There will be a large difference in the ink ejection pressure for 7M, 70, and 7BK, making it impossible to obtain a faithful color tone, but by adjusting the position of the angle coder, the liquid level in each main tank J/ can be adjusted as shown in Figure 4. Such inconvenience can be easily solved by adjusting the height to a predetermined liquid level position. Also.

In this way, since a means for adjusting the height of the ink liquid level is provided to adjust the position of the liquid level with respect to the recording head 7, the ink pressure can be kept constant without the need for ink supply. And you can always get good image quality.

Furthermore, since the ink tank 2/ is arranged in a vacant space near the head cleaning mechanism 70, which is a recovery system,
Effective use of space; as a result, the entire recording process can be downsized, and the number of parts required for supporting the ink tank can be significantly reduced. Further, since the head cleaning mechanism 70 and the ink tank are located close to each other, there is an advantage that there is only one inspection port for maintenance and inspection. Also, since the head cleaning mechanism 70 generates vibrations during operation, the pigment type ink in the ink tank may
This vibration can also be applied to obtain a stirring effect.

Furthermore, in addition to the ink tank 12, another ink tank 12 is provided, and the two tanks 12 and 12 are placed on separate sides with the carriage 6 in between, and the two tanks and the tank 12 are connected to each other. Since the two pipes communicate with each other, the volume of one of the sub-tank saws can be reduced by /J%, and as a result, there is no restriction on the place where the sub-tank saw can be placed, so the ink supply (if // its own 911! [turning is free) In addition, since the number of ink tanks increases, the overall ink storage capacity also increases.Since the unap tank can be fixed and the height of one main tank can be adjusted, the liquid level of the sub tank can be adjusted. The position can be adjusted freely, and the ink liquid pressure can be easily adjusted to 1iiju.

It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a monochromatic recording apparatus. Additionally, the invention is not limited to multi-nozzle inkjet printers.

As described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, complete head cleaning can be achieved because a head cleaner is brought into contact with the nozzles of the recording head and is provided with means for moving the head cleaner in a plurality of directions.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of conventional processing, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the main part configuration of the recording device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a front view showing the main part of FIG. 2 in detail with a part cut away. Figures and museum references are the left side view of Figure 3, Figure 5 is a front view showing the main parts of Figure 1 in detail, Figure 4 is a right 1I11 view showing the main parts of Figure 3, Figure 7 The figure is a partially enlarged view of Figure 2. Figure rC
), G) are a side view and a front view showing the leaf spring portion in FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the stopper portion in FIG. 3. l... Recording paper, , 2 Paper feed roller, 3
...Paper feed repulse motor, ge! ...Guide roller, t...Carriage, 7,
(7Y, 7M, 7G!17BK)-Ft+i recording head. l...Timing belt. ? Pulse motor 10 that sends the head... Guide rail, // Ink supply pipe, Kuko, (/koY, /-M, /2C, /2BK
")・Ink tank (sub tank), /J...Flexible printed wiring board. J/...Main tank (ink>ink). -1.Communication pipe, 23..Air hole, main angle, correction...・Fixing plate. Easy...guide groove, 27...locking screw.
11 comments...Null stop plate, 3S side paddle, J to... back plate, 37... leaf spring. 3t...Guide screw, 39...Fixing screw, Su...Base, 4I/...Long hole, II, 413...Slide shaft, Elevation...Leg, 4
IS...slide bearing, reference...x5ida. 4t7...Spring, What...Rotation stop, s
T bottle, j...groove cam shaft, j3
...Spiral groove s4I...Stotsuno<. n...fixing screw, j6...basket, n...
Reducer, nr...pulley. De...belt 6o boo IJ. 61...knob, 4 pieces...bearing, 63...
・Fixing plate, 64L...stay, 70...head cleaning mechanism. Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 1 Figure 8 CA) (B)

Claims (1)

[Claims] A marking device characterized in that the ink jetting part of the sickle head is further provided with a means for moving the head cleaner in a plurality of directions while still touching the head cleaner, thereby cleaning or restoring the function of the ink jetting part. .