JPS59227460A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance reliability, by accurately performing the treatment of ink adhered to the nozzle surface of an ink jet head. CONSTITUTION:An absorbing body 42 separated from a head is stopped so as to be positioned between squeeze plates 50, 51. The rotation of a motor 55 is transmitted to a shaft 54 through gears 56, 57 while a squeeze member driving cam 53 is cooperated with the rotation of the shaft 54 to reach a horizontal state from a vertical state and the upper parts of the squeeze plates 50, 51 approach with each other. Therefore, the ink liquid in the absorbing body 42 squeezed between the squeeze plates 50, 51 is flowed out from the absorbing body and flowed along the lower end parts 50a, 51a of the squeeze plates 50, 51 to be stored in the bottom part of a box body 40. The absorbing body 40 from which the ink squeezed out by the above mentioned squeeze plates 50, 51 again restores capacity for absorbing the leaked ink from the nozzle 1a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink droplets from a plurality of ejection nozzles onto recording paper at high speed.

Prior Art Among the various recording methods currently known, this is a non-impact recording method that generates almost no noise during recording, is capable of high-speed recording, and does not require any special fixing treatment on plain paper. The so-called inkjet recording method that can be used is an extremely useful method for realizing printing devices such as various printers, copying machines, and word processors.

Regarding this inkjet printer recording method, various methods have been proposed so far, and some have been improved and commercialized, while others are still being put into practical use.

The inkjet printer recording method uses various operating principles to fly small droplets of ink, which are then attached to a recording material such as paper to perform recording.

Such an inkjet recording apparatus generally includes an inkjet head for forming ink droplets, a means for supplying ink to the inkjet head, a means for collecting ink discharged from the head at times other than during recording operations, and a means for collecting and processing ink discharged from the head at times other than during recording operations, and the head. It consists of a clogging recovery processing means that eliminates clogging of the injection nozzle and flow path.

As mentioned above, the inkjet recording method is an extremely excellent recording method with a simple device configuration, but there are also problems with its performance.

One of the problems is clogging of the injection nozzles. There are two causes of clogging. One is that the viscosity of the ink at the tip of the nozzle increases due to evaporation of the solvent from the jet nozzle surface, causing ejection failure.

The other problem is that fine dust in the ink liquid enters the ejection nozzle and causes ejection failure.

Another problem is that when air bubbles in the ink liquid enter the ejection nozzle, the air bubbles absorb the flying energy, resulting in non-ejection or dispersion of droplets, so-called splash.

1- As a means for dealing with the above-mentioned problem, the above-mentioned membrane clogging recovery treatment means is generally provided with an L stage of the pump interposed therebetween. There are two ways of intervening the pump means included in the ink flow path system. One is between the ejection head and the ink tank, pressurizing the ink in the ink tank to the head, and pumping the ink in the nozzle and flow path. High viscosity ink is treated by discharging fine dust or air bubbles in the ink liquid from the tip of the nozzle as waste ink.

The other method is to use a suction pump to suck ink from the nozzle tip to remove high viscosity ink or fine dust or air bubbles in the ink liquid from the head and the flow path that supplies ink to the system as waste ink. It's about processing.

During the recovery operation by the recovery treatment means, the nozzle surface is covered with waste ink leaked from the nozzle.

In the case of a head nozzle in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row on the nozzle surface, if the ink ejected from the two-part nozzle covers the lower nozzle, the ink ejection from the lower nozzle during recording operation may be interrupted. It will no longer be done.

In addition, if the ink described in "-" is left for a long time with the nozzle surface covered, the ink solvent will eject and the remaining pigment will form a thin film on the nozzle surface, so nozzles covered by the film will not eject. There were disadvantages such as causing

The present invention aims to provide an inkjet recording device ξ which can accurately treat ink stuck to a nozzle surface and is highly reliable.

Example The present invention will be described in detail below based on the drawings.

FIRST EMBODIMENT FIGS. 1 to 6 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 shows details of the ink supply system.

This ink supply system includes a recording head 1, a pump 9, and an ink cartridge 18.

The IXT details of each part are as follows.

The recording head 1 consists of two parts: a substrate 1e and a cover 1g.
It is composed of.

The cover 1g is formed as a flat housing with one side open, and along this open end there are formed injection nozzles la formed as multiple grooves, and ventilation nozzles lb also formed as grooves. It is formed.

These injection nozzles la and ventilation nozzles 1b are
It communicates with the ink chamber IC occupying the center of -1g.

Furthermore, an ink passage 1h is formed on the other side of the ink chamber IC, the upper end of which communicates with the ink chamber IC via the passage, and the lower end connected to the pump side, which will be described later, via a small hole. be done.

On the other hand, on the substrate le side, the injection nozzles la, ! =1 to l
Multiple heating elements (not shown) at positions corresponding to
are formed, and furthermore, liquid level detection electrodes 1f are arranged vertically at a certain distance apart.

The heating element 1h and the level detection electrode If described above can be extremely easily formed using materials suitable for their respective purposes on the substrate 1e by thin film forming means such as vapor deposition or sputtering.

Substrate 1e and cup-1g having the structure as shown below-1-
The injection nozzle 1a and the heating element are integrated in a superimposed state.

Then, cover 1g with one side open
is closed by the substrate 1e.

Note that the level detection electrode if is made separately and attached to the substrate l.
Of course, it may be provided on e by adhesion or other means.

When a predetermined pulse voltage is applied as an application signal to the recording node 1 having such a structure, a predetermined heating element generates heat, and the ink guided into the ejection nozzle la instantaneously expands by 1. , is ejected from the tip of the ejection nozzle 1a toward the recording paper.

By the way, heating elements are not only used for ejecting ink;
It is also used for the following purposes:

That is, in order to make the ink used in ink shed printers have as low a vapor pressure as possible, a medium with a large molecular weight is used. For this reason, in many cases, the viscosity of ink increases when the temperature is below io'o.

Since an increase in ink viscosity causes ink failure to be ejected, it has been proposed in the past to heat the vicinity of the recording head or the inside of the printer at low temperatures.

However, it takes an extremely long time and a large amount of energy to heat areas with a large heat capacity, such as the vicinity of the recording head or inside the printer, to reach a predetermined temperature.

Therefore, in the present invention, a current is applied to the heating element to heat it to a temperature that does not cause ink to be ejected, so that it is possible to heat the ejection nozzle 1a and the ink chamber 1c in a short time with a small amount of energy. It is configured.

On the other hand, the ink passage ih is connected to the head holder 3 via an O-ring 4 that blocks the ink passage from outside air.

The head pedestal 3 has a liquid path 3a connected to the ink path 1h and a liquid path 3b continuous thereto, and a filter 3C separates the two.

The filter 3c is for removing fine dust in the ink 2, and is made of a thin hollow side of a crow with a diameter of about 20 to 30 gm tied together and cut into rings. In addition to the role of removing dust, this filter 3C has the effect of increasing the hydraulic resistance in the liquid path of the rear blade of the injection nozzle la when ink is ejected from the injection nozzle la.

On the other hand, a cap 7 is provided corresponding to the recording head 1. This cap 7 is rotatable about a shaft 7b, and can be moved between a state covering the injection nozzle la and a state away from it.

The cap 7 has an absorber 8 that absorbs ink leaked or jetted from the injection nozzle la and the ventilation nozzle lb, and a large number of small holes 7a formed on the back surface of the absorber 8 for collecting ink from the absorber. have

On the other hand, the pump 9 is constructed as follows.

The motor 1 is located inside the circular space formed in the housing of the pump 9.
A rotor 9a rotated by a rotor 9a is rotatably attached to the rotor 9a, and a plurality of rollers 9C are rotatably supported on the rotor 9a via a shaft 9b at equiangular intervals in the circumferential direction.

Although there is a difference between the inner diameter of the circular space of the pump 9 and the diameter of the rotor 9a, the roller 9C is configured to be able to rotate in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the circular space.

Arc wall 9d located above the circular space of this pump 9
A tube 5 is guided between the rotor 9a and the rotor 9a.

One end of the tube 5 communicates with the liquid path 3a on the side of the head holder 3, and a hollow needle 16 is attached to the other end to be inserted into a rubber stopper of an ink cartridge, which will be described later.

Further, one end of the tube 6 is connected to the cap 7 side, and the other end is connected to the ink cartridge side.

On the other hand, a through hole 9f is formed on the side of the pump 9,
A pin 11 is slidably fitted into the through hole 9f.

The inner end of the pin 11 is located on the side of the arcuate space of the pump 9, and the other end protrudes outside the pump 9 and is in contact with the lever 12a of the microswitch 12.

Therefore, the rotor 9a rotates and the roller 9c
1, the pin 11 protrudes in the direction away from the arc-shaped space, that is, to the outside of the pump 9, L//<-1
2a can be pressed to turn on the microswitch 12.

Therefore, the microswitch 12 can detect the rotational position of the roller 9c, and by counting this signal, the rotational speed of the rotor 9a can also be detected.

Further, the microswitch 12 and the motor lo are connected to a motor drive circuit 19.

On the other hand, the reference numeral 18 indicates an ink cartridge, which has an upper limit space 18a defined by a partition wall 18c.

It is divided into 18b, and the ink bag 13 is accommodated in the upper space 18a.

The ink bag 13 is formed by laminating aluminum foil with a polymer film such as nylon or polyethylene, and has one end sealed and a pipe 14 and a rubber stopper 15 provided at the other end. By inserting the hollow needle 16 of the tube 5 into the rubber stopper 15 and inserting it into the vibrator 14, the ink 2 in the ink bag 13 can be guided through the tube 5 to the recording head side.

On the other hand, an ink absorber 17 is housed in a space 18b below the ink cartridge 18, and absorbs the waste ink sucked through the tube 6.

On the other hand, FIG. 2 schematically explains the mechanical parts of a printer equipped with the above-described ink supply system, and the same parts as in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 2, the reference numeral 24 is a carriage;
This carriage is slidably fitted to the kite rails 25 and 26. The carriage 24 includes a pulley 29 fixed to the tip of the output shaft of a motor 28 for driving the carriage;
It is partially connected to a wire 31 stretched endlessly between the driven pulley 30 and the guide rail 25.26.
can move freely along the

On this carriage 24, the above-mentioned ink supply system, recording head, etc. are mounted.

On the other hand, what is indicated by the reference numeral 27 is a platen, along which the recording paper 32 is guided.
By rotating the recording paper 32, it is possible to feed the recording paper 32 in the direction of the printing digit.

Next, the operation of the inkjet printer configured as above will be explained.

First, the ink supply operation will be explained.

A control device (not shown) monitors the level of ink in the ink chamber IC in the recording drum 1 via the level detection circuit 20 every time the printing operation for one page is completed.

When it is detected via the level detection circuit 20 that the level of ink in the ink chamber IC is below a predetermined level,
The control device rotates the motor 10 via the monitor drive circuit 19 to operate the pump 9.

When the ink level in the ink chamber IC reaches a preset level, the pump 9 rotates a predetermined number of revolutions and then stops.

The reason why the pump 9 is rotated at a predetermined number of rotations in this manner is to improve the volume of the ink chamber IC above the electrode If and to supply an extra amount of ink ejected from the nozzle.

On the other hand, based on the roller position signal generated from the microswitch 12 caused by the contact between the roller 9c of the pump 9 and the sliding pin 11, the control device determines whether the roller 9C moves the sliding pin 11 as shown in FIG. Make sure to stop at a position where it is not in contact with the tube 5.

In this state, the tube 5 is not crushed by the roller 9c, and the liquid path of the tube 5 is open.

By the way, during the printing operation of 17 to record 1, the ink flows from the ink bag 13 to the tube 5 due to capillarity due to the surface tension of the ink 2 and the negative pressure in the ink chamber lc generated by the ejection of ink from the ejection nozzle la. The ink is supplied into the ink chamber lc through the ink chamber lc.

If the level detection circuit 20 determines that the ink level is set, the above-mentioned operation is not performed.

Next, detection of ink shortage and recovery operation are performed as follows.

If the ink does not reach the level detection electrode If even after performing the above-described ink supply operation for a certain period of time, and the level detection circuit 20 does not detect the ink, the control device detects that there is no ink in the ink bag 13. I judge that there is no.

Then, the control device notifies the user that the ink is running out by lighting a light emitting element (not shown) or generating an alarm sound, and stops the recording operation.

On the other hand, the operation when replacing the ink cartridge 18 is as follows.

When a cartridge with no ink is removed and a new cartridge containing ink is installed, the motor 10 rotates.
The pump 9 is activated, and the ink 2 in the ink bag 13 is sent to the ink chamber 1c through the tube 5 or the like. Then, when the ink reaches the inlet of the ventilation nozzle 1b, the pump 9 stops at a predetermined position.

During this operation, the ventilation nozzle lb and the injection nozzle l
The ink leaking from a is absorbed by the absorber 8, and the absorbed ink is discharged into the absorber 17 of the cartridge 18 through the vibro.

Next, the first recovery operation after no printing is performed for a long time will be described.

If the device has been turned off and has not been used for a long time,
Also, if the power is on but no printing has been performed for a long time, the first print may not be printed, or
Accidents may occur, such as the print density being low or ink splashing causing dirt to land on the recording paper.

This is because the viscosity of the ink at the tip of the injection nozzle increases due to evaporation of the ink solvent from the tip of the injection nozzle 1a.

If printing has not been performed for a long time,
The control device first detects that no printing operation is performed for a predetermined period of time, and also detects the ink level via the level detection circuit 20. If the ink level has not reached a predetermined level, the ink supply operation described above is performed.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the ink level is at a predetermined level, the pump 9 is rotated a predetermined number of times and then stopped. This is because, as described in the ink supply operation, the level detection electrode if takes into consideration the volume of the ink chamber lc and also supplies an extra amount of ink to be ejected from the nozzle.

Next, the operation of the cap 7 and the suction operation of waste liquid by the cap 7 will be explained.

The camp 7 is rotated about the shaft 7b by driving a motor (not shown) at a position other than the printing operation, that is, within the range of the home position, and covers the entire surface of the injection nozzle la. In this state, the evaporation of the ink solvent from the injection nozzle la and the adhesion of dust to the nozzle surface can be prevented.

On the other hand, when the cap 7 is fitted, the ink absorber 8 absorbs ink leaking from the jet nozzle la, and the pump 9 is operated to force the ink in the cap 7 through the tube 6. The absorber 17 in the space 18b for storing waste liquid of the ink cartridge 18
Let it drain inside.

The specific operation of the cap 7 is as follows.

That is, when the operation of the pump 9 is started as described above, the cap 7 is fitted to the injection nozzle la, and when the recovery operation is finished, the operation of the pump 9 is stopped and the cap 7 is
leaves the nozzle la.

On the other hand, when the recording operation for one page is completed, the recording head 1 has returned to the home position, but when the recording head returns to the home position, the cap 7 is fitted onto the tip of the injection nozzle la. Ru. Immediately before the printing operation for the next page is started, the cap 7 is separated from the injection nozzle la, and a normal printing operation is performed.

By the way, the pump 9 during the recovery operation as described above
If the ink cartridge 18 is not installed during operation, waste liquid will be discharged into the device, so the pump 9
This operation is performed only when a signal indicating that the ink cartridge 18 is installed is output.

Next, details of one embodiment of the cap device section applied to the present invention will be explained using FIGS. 3 to 6.

A bearing provided on the base plate 33 is pivotally supported by members 34 and 35, and a screw shaft 36 is provided. The rotation of a motor 39 is transmitted to the screw shaft 36 via gears 37 and 38. The screw shaft is connected to the leg portion 40 of the box body 40.
a and 40b, the motor 39 rotates (thereby, the box body 40 approaches or retreats from the head l).

Reference numeral 41 denotes an elastic member made of rubber or the like, and N! This also serves to increase the airtightness when the box body 40 is joined to the box body 40 relatively side by side.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the ink liquid absorber 42 is made of hardened synthetic fibers or synthetic resin in the form of a water-absorbing sponge. The absorber 42 is a plate member 4
3 to the moving shaft 44.

In Figure 4, the motor access at the rear of the box body 40 is located at part 4.
A motor 45 is provided at 0c, and the cam disk 4 is connected via gears 46 and 47 provided on the motor shaft.
The rotation of the motor 45 is transmitted to the motor 8.

The cam disk 48 is connected to the rear end rising portion 44 of the moving shaft 44.
a is engaged.

The upper end 44b of the rising portion 44a and the end 40 of the box body 40
Since the spring 49 is stretched between the positions d and d, a biasing force is always exerted on the absorber 42 in a direction toward the head 1 via the moving shaft 44.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 50.51 is an aperture plate, 52 is a shaft member that rotatably supports the aperture plate, and 53 is a lower end portion 50 of the aperture member 50.51 fixed to a shaft 54.
This is a diaphragm member drive cam inserted between a and 51a.

The rotation of motor 55 is transmitted to shaft 54 via gears 56,57. The tip of the L-shaped hollow tube section 40e provided at the bottom of the box body 40 enters into the waste ink storage section entrance 18d of the ink cartridge 18 when the carriage 24 is located at the home position as shown in FIG. do.

58, the ink accumulated at the bottom of the box body 40 is transferred to the hollow tube portion 40e.
The valve is opened and closed in conjunction with an attractor 59 driven by an electromagnet 60.

In FIG. 3, the screw shaft 36 provided between the shaft supporting members 34 and 35 is connected to the leg portions 40a and 40 of the box body 40.
It penetrates the bearing provided in b, and guides the rectilinear movement of the box body 40 relative to the head 1.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned cap device section will be explained for each operation item.

(1) Capping operation When the carriage 24 stops at a predetermined position of the home position in FIG. 2, the motor 39 in FIGS. 3 and 4 rotates, and then the screw shaft 39 rotates.

The box body 40 screwed to the screw shaft 36 approaches the head l by the rotation of the screw shaft 36, contacts the peripheral part of the nozzle 1a via the rubber elastic member 41, and then the movement of the box body 40 stops. do.

In this state, the nozzle 1a is blocked from the outside air by the rubber elastic member 41, so that the ink solvent at the tip of the nozzle 1a is prevented from evaporating.

(2) Leakage ink suction operation When the rotation of the motor 45 is transmitted through the gears 46 and 47, the cam disk 48 rotates, and the rising portion 44a of the moving shaft 44 that follows the cam disk 48 is shown in FIG. It is moved by the force of the spring 49 from the position shown by the two-dot chain line to the position shown by the solid line. As the shaft 44 moves, the entire surface of the absorber 42 comes into contact with the ejection opening surface of the nozzle 1a of the head 1. In the above state, the pump 9 shown in FIG. 1 operates and the ink 2 is supplied to the nozzle 1.
When the ink leaks from the tip of the nozzle 1a, the absorber 42 absorbs the leaked ink and does not leave any ink liquid on the ejection surface of the nozzle 1a.

(3) Operation of squeezing out the ink in the absorber 42 When the absorption capacity of the absorber 42 is saturated due to leaked ink, or after absorption has been carried out a predetermined number of times, the motor 45 reverses, and the moving axis 44 is drawn as a solid line. Return from the position to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line. Therefore, the absorber 42 moves away from the head 1 in conjunction with the moving shaft 44.

On the other hand, the absorber 42 remote from the head 1 has a diaphragm plate 50.5.
It stops between 1 and 1.

The rotation of the motor 55 is transmitted to the shaft 54 by gears 56 and 57, and the aperture member drive cam 53 is interlocked with the rotation of the shaft 54.
When the aperture plates 50 and 51 change from a vertical state to a horizontal state, the upper portions of the aperture plates 50 and 51 become close to each other.

Therefore, the ink liquid in the absorber which is squeezed between the aperture plates 50 and 51 flows out from the absorber 42 and is squeezed by the aperture plates 50 and 51.
The box body 40 passes through the lower ends 50a and 51a of 0.51
It collects at the bottom of the.

The absorber 42, from which the ink has been squeezed out by the aperture plates 50 and 51, regains its ability to absorb ink leaking from the nozzle la.

(4) Absorbed ink flows into the ink cartridge. When the valve 58 is opened with the hollow tube 40e of the box 40 inserted into the ink discharge port 18d of the ink cartridge 18, the bottom of the box 40 The ink accumulated in the hollow tube section 40e
The ink flows out from the tip of the ink cartridge into the absorber 17 of the cartridge 18.

When the valve closes after a predetermined period of time, the ink stops flowing into the absorber 17. Further, when the valve 58 is closed, the inside of the box 40 is isolated from the outside air, so that the vapor pressure inside the box 40 becomes the same as the vapor pressure of the ink, so that ink evaporation from the nozzle 1a is minimized.

Further, the waste ink liquid absorbed by the absorber 17 of the ink cartridge can be disposed of for each ink cassette when the ink in the ink bag 13 is used up, and there is no need to provide a tank for special treatment of waste liquid. It is possible to provide a device δ that is extremely convenient for the user.

(5) State of the cap device section when the printing operation is stopped and when the recording device is not used When the recording device is in the rest state, the absorber 42 is always separated from the nozzle surface of the head 1. On the other hand, since the elastic body 41 is electrodeposited around the nozzle 1a, the elastic body 41 is electrodeposited around the nozzle 1a.
is shielded from the atmosphere, and evaporation of ink from the ejection opening of the nozzle 1a is suppressed to a minimum.

In the ink squeezing mechanism of the absorber 42 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the width LL of the absorber 42 can be made equal to the width L2 of the aperture plate 50, 51 shown in FIG. Therefore, the absorbent body 42 can be pressed over a wide area, and therefore has a feature that the liquid squeezing effect is large. In addition, since the aperture plates 50.51 are thin plates with spring properties, when the aperture drive member 53 rotates, if there is not enough room for crushing the absorber 42, the aperture plate 50.51 will bend, causing the aperture drive member 53 to rotate. It has the excellent feature of not being inhibited.

Second Embodiment Next, another embodiment of the cap device will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10.

In addition, in the second drawing, members having the same functions and shapes as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 are designated by the same reference numerals, and explanations of their functions and operations will be omitted.

In FIGS. 7 and 9, 61 is an ink absorber, 62 is a hollow tube for holding the absorber, and the tip 62a of the hollow tube 62 is inserted into the absorber 61. The two are combined.

Reference numeral 63 denotes an O-ring which is interposed between the outer periphery of the hollow tube and the wall of the box 40 to ensure a tight seal between the outer periphery of the hollow tube 62 and the wall of the box 40. It also functions as a bearing when the tube 62 swings.

Reference numeral 64 denotes a piston shaft, and a bearing provided on the side surface of the box body 40 is slidably provided in the portion 4Of.

The tip portion 64a of the piston shaft is annular, and the hollow tube 62 is inserted inside this annular portion.

A guide member 64b having a slide guide groove is provided at the other end of the piston shaft 64.

The slide pin 65 mounted on the gear 47 is engaged with the groove of the guide member 64b.

Next, the operation of discharging the absorbed ink liquid from inside the absorber 61 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

When the motor 45 rotates in the state shown in FIG. 7, the gear 46.
47, the guide pin 65 is displaced to the position shown in FIG.

In conjunction with the guide pin 65, the guide member 64b also has an eighth
As it moves to the right as shown in the figure, the hollow tube 62 rotates counterclockwise via the tip 64a of the piston shaft 64 using the O-ring 63 as a fulcrum.

Therefore, the rear end 61b of the absorber 61 is connected to the wall 40 of the box 4o.
g, the rear end of the absorber is crushed, so the rear end 6
The ink liquid in 1b is squeezed out to the outside.

The ink liquid squeezed out from the absorber 61 is transferred to a hollow tube 62.
It passes through the inside and accumulates at the bottom of the box body 40.

The ink liquid accumulated at the bottom is discharged into the ink cartridge 18 through the L viewing tube member 40e and the hole 18c of the ink cartridge 18. By rotating the hollow tube 64 in the counterclockwise direction, the front surface 61a of the absorber 61 is simultaneously separated from the nozzle surface of the spatula l.

In this embodiment, the operation of squeezing the absorber and the operation of separating the absorber 61 from the surface of the head 1 are performed by a single drive source, so that the apparatus is simple. Furthermore, since the hollow tube 62 and the absorbent body 61 are connected in a simple structure, the absorbent body 61 has an excellent feature that it is easy to replace the absorbent body 61.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another means for coupling the hollow tube 62 and the absorbent body 61, in which a plate 62b having a plurality of pores 62c is provided at the end 62a of the hollow tube 62, and the right side of the plate 62b is provided with a plate 62b having a plurality of pores 62c. An absorbent body 61 is provided on the left side, and an absorbent body 66 is provided on the left side.

Since the absorbent body 61 is made of a material that is difficult to decompose, pieces or fibers of the absorbent body 61 do not enter the nozzle la of the head 1.

On the other hand, since the absorbent body 66 is made of a soft material, it is easily crushed by pressure and the ink liquid can be easily squirted out.

Third Embodiment Next, another embodiment of the cap device will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 15.

In the above drawings, members having the same functions and shapes as those described in FIGS. 1 to 10 are designated by the same reference numerals, and explanations of their functions and operations will be omitted.

In FIGS. 11 and 13, reference numeral 67 denotes an absorbent body, which is held by a frame 68.

69 is a support shaft when the frame 68 swings; 70 is a rubber plate for reducing wear between the side wall inside the box body 40 and the absorber 67; and 71 is a rubber plate that slides on the bottom surface of the box body 40 to collect ink liquid. The ink liquid discharge port 40 of the box body 40 has the role of discharging the ink to the outside.
This is a shoe member that covers h and also serves as a valve.

A spring member 72 rotates the frame 68 in a clockwise direction.

73 is a sliding pin that transmits clockwise rotation to the frame 68, and 74 is a cam disc that drives the sliding pin 73 in conjunction with the gear 47.

In FIG. 11, the absorber 67 is brought into contact with the surface of the head 1 via a frame 68 by the force of a spring 72. The ink liquid leaking from the nozzle la is absorbed by the absorber 67 in the above state.

When the motor 45 rotates in the above condition 11), the gear 46
．． 47, the cam disk 74 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. The sliding pin 7 is rotated by the rotation of the cam disk 74.
3 moves to the right, so it rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 69 against the force of the frame 68 spring 72.
The lower side 67a of the absorber 67 and the plurality of pore surfaces 40i provided on the inner wall of the box body 40 come into contact and the lower part 67a of the absorber collapses, so that the ink liquid in the absorber 67 is squeezed out. The ink is discharged into the ink cartridge 18 through the liquid path 40j connecting the pores 40, the discharge port 40h, and the L-shaped nozzle 76.

The ink liquid accumulated at the bottom is forcibly discharged to the outside from the discharge port 40h by the shoe member 71 when the frame 68 repeatedly swings.

Further, when no recording operation is performed, the absorber 67 is separated from the head 1, while the shoe member 71 is connected to the discharge port 40.
Since the ink inside the box body 40 is closed, the ink inside the box body 40 does not leak outside.

Of course, the material of the portion of the absorber 67 that contacts the head 1 and the portion of the box body 40 that contacts the wall portion 40i may be changed as explained in FIG. 10.

Next, the L-shaped nozzle 76 provided at the bottom of the box 40 and the shutter that covers the opening of the box 40 facing the head 1 will be explained using FIGS. 14 and 15.

77 is a shutter plate that covers the elastic member 41 provided around the open area of the box body 40 when the carriage 24 in FIG. fall back.

The shirt shirt plate 77 is held by a guide member 78 so as to be movable left and right. End portion 78a of the guide member
is fixed to the outer surface of the box body 40.

Further, since a spring 79 is stretched between the bent end 78b of the guide member 78 and the bent end 77a of the shutter plate 77, the shutter plate 77 always has the habit of covering the opening.

80 is a pin provided near the head 1 on the carriage 24. 77b is a bent portion at the other end of the shutter plate 77.

In FIG. 15, when the carriage 24 is in the recording operation, the pin 8 is
0 is at least to the right of the position 80' indicated by the two-dot chain line, the bent portion 77b of the shutter is at the position 77b' indicated by the two-dot chain line, and therefore the shutter plate 77
is at the position indicated by the two-dot chain line 77', so the box 4
Since the opening of the absorber 67 is covered by the shutter plate 77, dust is prevented from entering, and the surface of the absorber 67 that contacts the head surface is protected from dust.

When the carriage 24 approaches the home position, the pin 80 hits the bent portion 77b of the shutter, and while the carriage 24 reaches the home position, the pin 80 pushes the shutter bent portion 77b to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. As the operation continues, the shutter plate 77 retreats from above the opening surface.

Next, the rotational operation of the L-shaped nozzle 76 will be explained.

The tip of the L-shaped nozzle 76, which functions as a conduit for discharging the ink inside the box body 40 to the waste liquid storage section of the ink cartridge 18 mounted on the carriage 24, is provided parallel to the moving direction of the carriage 24, so that the carriage 24 24
While the ink cart 1 lunge 18 approaches the home position, the ink cart 1 lunge 18 naturally enters the discharge 1 column Bc.

In addition, in FIG. 12, the above-mentioned nozzle 76 is
It is rotatably provided at the discharge port of the pump via an O-ring 75.

The pin 82 planted in the above-mentioned nozzle 76 and the box body 4
A spring 84 stretched between pins 83 erected at the front of the nozzle 0 urges the L-shaped nozzle 76 to rotate counterclockwise.

76a is a cam protrusion provided on the L-shaped nozzle and the cam surface 7
6b. 85 is a cam driving member provided at the lower part of the carriage engine 24.

In FIG. 15, when the carriage 24 is away from the home position, the cam drive member 85 and the cam surface 76b are disengaged, so the L-shaped nozzle 76 is at the position indicated by the two-dot chain line 76'. Il. With this shape M, the ink inside the nozzle 76 will not spill downward.

On the other hand, as the carriage 24 approaches the home position, the cam drive member 85 moves 85' as indicated by a two-dot chain line.
When the left end of the cam drive member 85 hits the cam surface 76b' of the nozzle 76, the L-shaped nozzle 76 rotates to the position shown by the solid line. In this state, the discharge port 18c of the ink cartridge 18 approaches further, and finally the tip of the above-mentioned nozzle reaches the discharge port 18c.
Rush into C.

Effects As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, an ink absorber that absorbs ink leaking from the nozzle is provided in a cap that seals around the nozzle of an inkjet head, and the ink absorber is further provided with a volume change. Since the ink absorber is provided with a means for squeezing out the ink impregnated in the ink absorber by applying a
It can reliably absorb ink leaking from the nozzle and prevent ink clogging.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 6 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an ink supply system, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main parts of a recording apparatus, and FIG. 3 is an illustration of an ink supply system. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of the gear pump device, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the gear pump device, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ink suction device 1, and FIG. 7 to 10 illustrate other embodiments of the present invention, in which FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view, FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional side view, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the ink absorber, and FIG. 11 to 15 are perspective views showing other structural examples of the ink absorber, and FIGS. 11 to 15 are for explaining still other embodiments of the civil engineering invention. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the ink absorber, FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional plan view, and FIG. 15 is a front view. ■...Recording head 1a...Ejection nozzle 2
...Ink 5,6...Tube 70.・
Cap 9...Pump 18...Ink cartridge 36...Screw shaft 40...Box 41...Elastic member 42.61.67...Ink absorber Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Fig. 9 Fig. 11 Fig. 12 Fig. 14 Fig. 15 Procedural amendments phantom July 1, 1981 Mr. Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office 1, Display of the case 1982 Patent Application No. 102781 2,
Name of the invention Inkjet recording device 3, Relationship with the case of the person making the amendment Patent applicant name (100) Canon Co., Ltd. 4
, agent telephone 03 (268) 2481
(A06, Drawing 7 to be amended, Contents of amendment: Engraving of the drawing (no change in content)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a recording apparatus having a cap means that connects an inkjet head having an ejection nozzle and the periphery of the nozzle of a stiff head, an ink absorber that absorbs ink leaking from the nozzle is provided inside the cap means, and the ink absorber An inkjet recording device characterized by being provided with means for squeezing out ink by applying a volume change to the body. (2) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink absorber is provided so as to be freely movable so as to come into contact with the head only when absorbing ink.