JPS62109652A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To conduct discharge recovery processing positively by forming an opening having a larger area independently of recording on the surface of a discharge opening and introducing a gas from the discharge opening and the opening through joining and separation to the discharge opening of a joining means. CONSTITUTION:A head 1 is capped by a joining section 3 at a home position, a lever 9 is ON-operated and a pump 6 is operated, a vent valve 5A is closed, ink is sucked from a discharge opening 2, the inside of a suction tube 4 is filled with ink by opening a solenoid valve 8, and the lever 9 is positioned at a neutral position and the pump 6 is stopped. Joining and separation between a cap 3A consisting of an elastic material and the head 1 are repeated several times under the closed state of the vent valve 5A, and air is introduced rapidly into the head 1 and further into a supply tube 17 from an opening 2A having a larger area and not related to recording and the discharge opening 2. The lever 9 is ON-operated and the pump 6 is operated, and ink is sucked together with air quickly, thus positively removing foreign matters such as bubbles remaining in a filter 30, etc. with the large suction force of ink.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device.

[Prior Art] In inkjet recording devices, droplets are ejected due to clogging of ink ejection ports such as orifices provided in the print head, or air bubbles entering the ink supply path leading to the ink ejection ports. Performance may deteriorate and ink ejection failure may occur.

Therefore, in conventional inkjet recording devices, a suction means is provided on the outside of the ejection port to face it, and the ink is caused to flow at a certain speed by suctioning the ink from the ejection port or by pressurizing the inside of the ink supply path. By discharging from the discharge port, the cause of the discharge failure is removed.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, in inkjet recording devices, ejection ports,
Because the flow velocity resistance is large at the print head, corners and steps in the supply path, and filters for removing foreign matter installed in the supply path, it is not possible to obtain a sufficient flow velocity. There was a problem in that only the ink was simply discharged without removing the accumulated air bubbles, etc., and the cause of the ejection failure could not be properly removed.

In addition, in order to eliminate such causes of discharge failure, it is possible to secure the flow rate by applying suction force by a suction means or pressurizing force by a pressurizing means.
For this purpose, a problem arises in that the size of the apparatus cannot be avoided.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention solves these problems and makes it possible to ensure a sufficient flow velocity without increasing the size of the device, thereby making it possible to perform reliable discharge recovery processing. The purpose is to provide an inkjet recording device.

In an inkjet recording device that performs recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port onto a recording medium, it is provided on a surface having an ejection port, has a cross-sectional area smaller than the ejection port, and communicates with an ink supply path to the ejection port. However, it is characterized in that it includes an opening that is not related to recording, and an introduction means that introduces gas from the surface side that has the opening and the discharge port.

[Operation] That is, according to the present invention, gas can be easily introduced into the ink supply path through the opening, so that the process of speeding up and discharging ink together with the gas introduced into the ink supply path can be performed quickly and reliably. Becomes exposed.

[Example code] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1(A) and 3(B) show an example of the external configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied and the configuration of an operation panel provided on the front of the apparatus, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are examples of FIG. ), and in this example, a so-called serial type inkjet recording device will be illustrated.

First, in FIG. 1(A), 1000 is the snowmaking main body 11
00 is a power switch, and 1200 is an operation panel. On the operation panel 1200, as shown in FIG.
In addition to command means such as an FF switch 1210, an LF switch 1220, which are used by the operator to command the conveyance of a recording medium such as paper, and an online switch 1230, which is used to give an online command to the mask device, the online status of the device is displayed. It is possible to provide display means such as an online lamp 1250 for notifying an abnormality, an alarm lamp 1260 for notifying an abnormality, and a ready lamp 1270 for notifying a ready state.

2 and 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a head having an ink discharge port on the front surface facing the recording paper P, and a sub-tank 12 that supplies ink to the liquid chamber in the head 1 via a tube 17, as well as a shaft. 23 is attached to a carriage 22 that moves in the S direction in the figure, and in the process of movement, ink droplets are ejected from the ejection ports to record on the recording paper P whose recording surface is regulated by the platen 21. . An ink cartridge 13 is detachably held in the main body 1200, and has an ink bag 20 and a stopper 19 made of an elastic member inside, and a supply tube is opened by inserting a hollow needle 18 into the stopper 19 to an appropriate position. An ink flow path communication state with the subtank 2 is established through the ink tank 14.

Here, the ink supplied to the head 1 is maintained at a negative pressure compared to the water head at the ejection port. The water head of the supplied ink is always kept substantially constant by the water level adjustment tube 15, and the ink is supplied toward the ejection port by surface tension, so that the ink does not retreat from the ejection port. Furthermore, it also prevents ink from leaking from the ejection ports due to vibrations or the like.

Reference numeral 100 denotes a cap device that is disposed, for example, at the home position of the carriage 22, and caps the head 1 when the carriage 22 is positioned at the home position. In this capping device 100, numeral 3 is an elastic member that can be joined to the front surface of the head 1, and 7A and 7B are joint parts each having a cap 3A for protecting the ejection port during non-recording. These are gears and cams for positioning the gears that constitute a joint conveyance mechanism for conveying in the T direction in the figure to perform joining/detachment with the head 1. This positioning of joining/detachment can be performed, for example, by turning on/off the contact 11B of the switch 11 using the cam 7B.

6 is a pump as a suction means, and tube 1 is used to maintain the ink level in the tube 4 and sub tank 12.
5 to the inside of the joint part 3 and the inside of the sub-tank 12, respectively, to perform suction. 8 is atmosphere release tube 5
This is an opening/closing means disposed in the joint part 3 for opening the inside of the joint part 3 to the atmosphere, and for example, a solenoid valve can be used. Also,
For example, a closable ventilation valve is provided between the electromagnetic valve 8 of the tube 5 and the junction 3. Reference numeral 9 denotes an operating lever, which has a portion that can close the vent valve and a protrusion 98 that engages with the pump contact 6A to drive the pump 6.

In this example, a lever control member including, for example, a spring or a latch is provided so that the lever 9 can be set to the on position, the off position, and an intermediate position therebetween, and after the lever 9 is moved from the off position to the on position. When the operation is released, it is held at an intermediate position, and when the operation is released after a movement operation from the intermediate position to the on position, it is returned to the off position. In the on position, the vent valve 5A is closed and the pump contacts 6A are lowered to the lowest position to perform suction operation, and in the intermediate position, the vent valve 5A is closed.
Pump contact 6A returns with A closed, and in the off position, vent valve 5A is open and pump contact 6A remains closed.
The engagement with the protrusion 9A is released.

Further, as will be described later, the output of the switch 11 and the movement position of the lever 9 are detected by the control section, and the conveyance of the joint 3, the drive of the electromagnetic valve 8, etc. are controlled.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of the main part of the apparatus of the present invention. In this example, air is introduced into the recording head 1 by applying pressure from the outside of the ejection port, and then suction is performed by the pump 6. A discharge recovery process is performed, and when pressurizing, the joint portion 3 is repeatedly joined/separated from the head 1.

In the figure, 5A is an air valve provided in the middle of the atmosphere opening tube 5, and can be closed by its portion 9B in response to the operation of the operating lever 9. Reference numeral 3B is an ink absorber that is provided on the cap 3A and can hold ink, and can be made of, for example, a porous material with liquid absorption properties. Note that the cap 3A can generally be made of various rubber materials such as silicone rubber and butyl rubber.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a filter disposed in the middle of the ink supply tube 17, which collects foreign matter such as dust in the supplied ink and prevents foreign matter from flowing into the recording head 1 side.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a waste ink absorber disposed in the ink cartridge 13, which receives waste ink sucked by the pump 6 through the waste ink tube 10.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the control system of the apparatus according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 200 is a control unit in the form of a microcomputer having, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc.;
Each part is controlled according to the processing procedures stored in the OM, and the head 1 is
drive to record. PS is a paper sensor that detects the recording paper P, and in response to the detection, the control unit 200 controls paper feeding by driving the platen roller 21 via a paper feeding mechanism 21A including a paper feeding motor. C5 is a carriage position sensor, and the control unit 200 controls the carriage 2 via the carriage motor 22A according to the detected position information.
2 and the positioning to the home position.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a conveyance mechanism that includes a gear 7A, a cam 7B, and other driving members such as a motor for conveying the joint 3. The control unit 200 controls the positioning of the joint with respect to the head 1 in accordance with a contact signal from the switch 11. conduct. 1205 and 1
Reference numerals 255 denote a command means and a display means, respectively, provided on the operation panel shown in FIG. 1(B). LS is a position sensor of the lever 9, which can be arranged, for example, in connection with the pump contact 6A.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a recovery processing procedure by the control section 200 shown in FIG. 5, and FIGS. 7 to 9 show examples of operations of each part in the processing.

First, when the carriage 22 is positioned at the home position at an appropriate timing such as when the power is turned on or during recording processing, the bonding portion 3 is moved relative to the head 1 in step S1 of FIG. 6 to perform capping. In this state, the operator moves the lever 9 from the off position to the on position in step S3 (point A in FIG. 7), and waits for a predetermined time until the alarm lamp stops flashing in step S5. In step S7, the lever 9 is released. When moving to the on position, suction processing from the ejection port 2 is performed, and the joint portion 3 and the suction tube 4 are filled with ink. At this time, excessive filling is prevented by opening the solenoid valve 8 for a predetermined time (period B in FIG. 7) in step S9.

Next, in step Sll, the joint conveyance mechanism 7 is controlled to repeat joining/separating the cap 3A and the discharge port 2 several times (
Period B) in Figure 7. At this time, the cap 3 which is an elastic body
8, air is sent into the head 1 through the discharge port 2. In addition, the cap 3A and tube 4 are filled with ink to reduce the volume of the pushed-in portion, and the filled ink acts as an elastic body, so air is pushed in effectively. Incidentally, in relation to the air introduction process in step 511, as shown in FIG. 8, if the solenoid valve 8 is opened only immediately before the cap 3A leaves the discharge port 2 during the period C, as shown in FIG.
It is possible to remove the negative pressure that momentarily occurs at the joint immediately before separation, and it becomes possible to prevent introduced air from being discharged (advancement of the meniscus) and ink from scattering.

Next, in step 513, the alarm lamp 1260 and the online lamp 1250 are alternately flashed to notify the operator of the end of the air introduction process. For example, when the operator moves the lever 9 from the intermediate position to the on position in step 515 (time E) after a period of time,
The suction process is started, and after a predetermined time (time point F), the solenoid valve 8 is opened in step 517. Then step 5
At step 19, the operator turns off the lever 9, and at step 521
The solenoid valve 8 is closed at .

At this time, air is introduced behind the discharge port 2, that is, into the head 1 and the supply tube 17, so when negative pressure suction is performed by the pump 6 in this state, - air is introduced from the discharge port 2. The air is discharged, the flow path resistance is substantially reduced, and a strong suction force is obtained. Therefore, the cause of the ejection failure in the ink supply path from the sub-tank 12 to the ejection port 2, that is, the foreign matter such as air bubbles accumulated in the filter 30 and the corner 9 steps, is reliably removed.

Note that the reason why the ink is suctioned and the inside of the cap 38 and the suction tube 4 are filled with ink in the processing of steps S3 to S7 is to ensure that the pressurizing force due to bonding is applied to the ejection port 2 when air is introduced to the rear of the ejection port 2. This is to ensure that they reach the fullest extent possible. Further, the reason why the timing of opening the solenoid valve 8 is delayed relative to the timing of turning on the lever 9 in the process of step S17 is as follows.

With the discharge port 2 sealed with the cap 3A and the vent valve 58 and the solenoid valve 8 closed, FIGS.
When the pump 6 is turned on (in operation) at time E in the diagram,
Suction is performed through the suction tube 4, negative pressure (ink suction negative pressure) is generated within the cap 3A and the atmosphere release tube 5, and suction processing from the ejection port 2 is performed.

At this time, the ink sucked together with air from the ejection port 2 fills the inside of the cap 3A and leaks from the ink absorber 3B. Further, the atmosphere-opening tube 5 may also be filled with ink. However, if this state remains as it is, subsequent ink ejection will be adversely affected.

Therefore, in this example, a time point F after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from time point E.
Then, the solenoid valve 8 is turned on (opened) to communicate the atmosphere release tube 5 with the atmosphere. Then, the ink leaking from the ink absorber 3B and the ink in the atmosphere release tube 5 are sent to the pump 6 via the suction tube 4.

As shown in FIG. 9, the pressure inside the cap 3A (suction pressure waveform) becomes negative pressure with a slight rise angle at the time E when the pump 6 is turned on, and becomes negative pressure at the time F when the solenoid valve 8 is turned on (opened). The pressure suddenly returns to atmospheric pressure. Therefore, ink suction is not performed after time F.

Here, the time (F-E) from the time point E when the pump 6 is turned on to the time point F when the solenoid valve 8 is turned on is determined by the control unit 200.
can be controlled by Alternatively, the control may be performed using a timer that controls the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve. This time FE, that is, the ink suction time, can be changed appropriately by adjusting the control section 200 or the timer.

In the above embodiments, the lever 9 is operated manually by the operator, but it may be done by providing appropriate command means and driving means, or by providing a driving means and operated during the control process. Furthermore, even when the operation is performed manually, the recovery operation can be simplified by providing a start switch or the like to start from the broken line at point A in FIGS. 7 and 8. can.

In addition, the pressurization for pushing air through the discharge port is applied to the cap 3 to prevent clogging of the nozzle and the incorporation of dust, etc., but the discharge port 2 is separate from the cap 3A.
A pressurized cap may be provided to force air in.

Furthermore, as long as sufficient air can be introduced in one joining, only one joining operation may be performed without repeating joining.

In addition, in the above embodiments, air was introduced by pressurizing from the outside of the discharge port 2, but air is introduced by creating a negative pressure inside the discharge port 2. You can also do that.

FIG. 10 shows another example of the configuration of the main part of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 40 denotes a restricting means disposed in the middle of the supply tube 14 to cut off or reduce the ink supply, and can be, for example, a solenoid valve. In this example, by closing the electromagnetic valve 40 and operating the pump 6 in that state, the supply path from the sub-tank 12 to the discharge port 2 is brought into a negative pressure state, thereby allowing ink to be sucked and introduced from the discharge port 2. It is something.

A vent valve 5A provided in the middle of the atmosphere opening tube 5 can be closed by its portion 9B in response to operation of the operating lever 9. The ink absorber 3B, which is provided within the cap 3A and is capable of retaining ink, can be made of, for example, a liquid-absorbing porous material. Note that the cap 3A can generally be made of various rubber materials such as silicone rubber and butyl rubber.

A filter 30 disposed in the middle of the ink supply tube 17
Collects foreign matter such as dust in the supplied ink and prevents foreign matter from flowing into the recording head 1 side. A waste ink absorber 16 disposed in the ink cartridge 13 receives waste ink sucked by the pump 6 via a waste ink tube 10 .

FIG. 11 shows an example of the configuration of the control system of the apparatus according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 300 is, for example, a CPU, I(OM
, RAM, etc., and controls each part according to processing procedures stored in the ROM, etc., and drives the head 1 to record image data received from a host device or the like. In addition, the control unit 30
0 controls paper feeding by driving the platen roller 21 via a paper feeding mechanism 21A including a paper feeding motor. Further, the control unit 300 controls the drive of the carriage 22 and the positioning to the home position etc. via the carriage motor 228 in accordance with the carriage position information detected by the carriage position sensor C5.

In addition to the gear 78 and the cam 7B, the control unit 300 also includes the gear 78 and the cam 7B.
Using a transport mechanism 7 having a drive member such as a motor for transporting the joint 3, the joint 3 is positioned relative to the head 1 in accordance with a contact signal from the switch 11. 1205
and 1255 are command means and display means, respectively, provided on the operation panel shown in FIG. 1(B). The position sensor LS can be arranged in conjunction with the lever 9, for example the pump contact 6A. In addition, the control unit 300 controls opening and closing of the solenoid valve 40 during the recovery process.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a recovery processing procedure by the control unit 300 shown in FIG.

First, when the carriage 22 is positioned at the home position at an appropriate timing such as when the power is turned on or during recording processing, the bonding portion 3 is moved relative to the head 1 in step 5101 to perform capping. Then step 5103
After the solenoid valve 8 is closed in step 5105, the solenoid valve 40 is closed to cut off the ink supply path from the ink cartridge 20.

In this state, in step 5107, the lever 9 is moved from the OFF position to the OFF position, and then the operation of the lever 9 is released. At this time, the vent valve 5A is closed, and as the lever 9 moves to the on position, the suction tube 1
The inside of the cap 3A and the inside of the ink supply path from the sub-tank 12 to the ejection port 2 are brought into a negative pressure state. Then, by opening the solenoid valve 8 in step 5109, air is sucked in from the discharge port 2 through the atmosphere release tube 5. Next, in step 5111, the solenoid valve 4o is opened, and in step 5113, the solenoid valve 8 is closed, and then
When the lever 9 is moved from the intermediate position to the on position in step 5115, the suction process is started.

At this time, air is introduced behind the discharge port 2, that is, into the head 1 and the supply tube 17, so when negative pressure suction is performed by the pump 6 in this state, - air is introduced from the discharge port 2. The flow path resistance is substantially reduced and a large suction force is obtained. Therefore, the cause of the ejection failure in the ink supply path from the sub-tank 12 to the ejection port 2, that is, the air bubbles and foreign matter accumulated in the filter 30 and the one-step corner portion are reliably removed.

As shown in FIG. 13, in addition to the solenoid valve 4o, an opening/closing means 42 such as a solenoid valve that can be controlled by the control section may be provided in the suction tube 4, for example, to perform the air introduction process.

That is, for example, when the solenoid valve 4o is closed, the solenoid valve 8 is opened, and the solenoid valve 42 is closed to operate the pump 6, a negative pressure is generated inside the head 1 via the tube 15. occurs, so the ink in the head 1 is transferred to the supply tube 1.
The air flows back to the sub-tank 12 side via the air outlet 7, and air is sucked in from the discharge port 2.

Thereafter, by operating the pump 6 with the solenoid valves 4o and 42 open and the solenoid valve 8 closed, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, in addition to the electromagnetic valve 40, a three-way switching valve 44 is provided in the middle of the suction tube 4, and the three-way switching valve 44 is communicated with the middle of the supply tube 17, for example, a portion 17A. The air introduction process may be performed by providing a bypass tube 46 and appropriately switching the three-way valve 44 to select the suction path on the suction tube 4 side or the bypass tube 45 side.

That is, for example, after closing the solenoid valve 40 and opening the solenoid valve 8, the three-way valve 44 connects the suction path to the bypass tube 46.
If the pump 6 is operated in this state, air can be taken in from the discharge port 2 up to at least the portion 17A.

Then, the solenoid valve 40 is opened, the solenoid valve 8 is closed, and the three-way valve 4 is closed.
4 to the suction tube 4 side and the pump 6 is operated, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 15, a communication tube 52 is provided to communicate the supply duplex 17 and the suction tube 4, and the connection part with the supply tube 17 is connected to a position where the sub-tank 12 side and the head 1 side are communicated. A three-way valve 54 that can be switched to a position where the tube 52 side and the head 1 side communicate with each other, and a joint 3 at the connection with the suction tube 4
The position where the side and the pump 6 side communicate with each other and the communication tube 5
A switchable three-way valve 56 may be disposed at a position where the 2 side and the pump 6 side communicate with each other, and the air introduction process from the discharge port 2 may be performed.

That is, for example, the three-way valve 54 is normally set to allow communication between the sub-tank 12 and the print head to supply ink to the head 1, and the three-way valve 5B is set to allow communication between the joint portion 3 and the pump 6.

During the recovery process, the three-way valve 54 is switched to a position where the head 1 and the communication tube 52 communicate with each other, and the three-way valve 56 is set to a position where the communication tube 52 and the pump 6 are communicated with each other. That is, two three-way valves allow the head 1 to connect part of the supply tube 17, the communication tube 52 and the suction tube 4.
It communicates with the pump 6 via.

In this state, if the pump 6 is operated with the joint 3 separated from the head 1, or with the electromagnetic valve 8 open and the cap 3A still joined to the head 1, the ink in the head 1 will be drained from the supply tube. It is sucked from the side, and the discharge port 2
Air is drawn into the head 1 from.

Therefore, if the three-way valves 54 and 56 are returned to their normal states and then the recovery operation is performed in the same manner as in the above example, the same effect can be obtained.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 10 to 15, the pump 6 is also used as a negative pressure generating means for introducing air into the head 1, but other negative pressure generating means may be used.

FIG. 16 shows an example of this, in which a three-way valve 64 is provided in the middle of the supply tube 17, and the three-way valve 64 communicates with the waste ink absorber 16 through a pump 66 as a means for generating negative pressure and a waste ink tube 67. This made it possible. This three-way valve 64 can form a path that communicates the head 1 side and the pump 66 side. Further, 63 is an operating lever for the pump 66.

In such a configuration, the three-way valve 64 is normally connected to the sub-tank 12.
and the head 1 to maintain a state in which ink can be supplied. During the recovery process, after switching the three-way valve 64 to a position where the head 1 and the pump 6B communicate with each other, the pump 66 is operated using the operating lever 63 to generate negative pressure and draw air into the head 1 from the discharge port 2. put in. At this time, the joining portion 3 is left in a state where it is removed from the head 1, or the solenoid valve 8 is opened and the joining portion 3 is left in a state where it is joined to the head 1.

The ink sucked by the pump 66 is sent to the waste ink tube 6.
The waste ink is collected by the waste ink absorber 16 in the ink tank 13 via the waste ink absorber 16 via the ink tank 7 . Then, the three-way valve 64 may be returned to its normal state and a recovery operation similar to that described above may be performed.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 10 to 16, when generating negative pressure inside the discharge port 2 and introducing air from the discharge port 2,
Although a solenoid valve or a three-way valve is installed at an appropriate position in the supply system and switched as appropriate to perform the recovery process, the ink supply is performed by inserting a hollow needle 18 into the stopper 19 made of an elastic member of the ink bag 20. Focusing on what is done by pointing, it can be done as follows.

FIGS. 17(A) and 17(B) show an example of the configuration of a connecting portion between the supply tube 14 and the ink cartridge 13. Normally, the needle hole 18A of the needle 18 enters the space 19A in the stopper 19 of the ink bag 20, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, during the recovery process, the positional relationship between the ink cartridge 13 and the needle 18 is
), if the needle hole 188 of the needle 18 is positioned within the elastic member of the plug 19, the plug 19 will close the needle hole 1.
8A becomes blocked.

FIGS. 18 to 21 show various configuration examples of an apparatus that is capable of performing the position setting shown in FIG. 17.

First, FIGS. 18(8) and 18(B) show that the fitting guide 24 of the apparatus main body 1000 for receiving the ink cartridge 13 has two positions, that is, a position where the supply path is cut off and a position where the supply path is made conductive. Click points 24A and 24.8 for holding the ink cartridge 13 are provided, and the ink cartridge 13 is provided with a locking portion 13A that is locked by the click points. Further, 29 is a needle position fixing member fixed to the main body 1000.

By doing so, in connection with the recovery process, if the ink cartridge 13 is positioned by the operator's operation or by an appropriate driving means, the ink cut-off state at the click point 24A (FIG. 2(B)) or the click point 24B can be achieved. A conductive state ((A) in the same figure) is obtained.

19(8) and (B) show the ink cartridge 13
A stopper 25 that can be moved up and down is provided at the bottom of the fitting path, and when the stopper 25 is lowered, the ink is in a conductive state (see Fig.
A)) is obtained, and when the stopper 25 is in the raised position, the ink cut-off state (FIG. 3(B)) is obtained. Note that this stopper 25 may be provided at an appropriate location other than the fitting path, for example, on the fitting guide 24.

Figures 20 (A) and (B) show ink cartridge 1.
By aligning the alignment mark 26 provided at 3 with the alignment mark 27 provided near the fitting portion of the main body 1000, an ink cut-off state (FIG. 3(B)) is obtained. If the marks are not aligned and the parts are fitted to the innermost part, a conductive state as shown in FIG. 5A is obtained.

Alternatively, the position may be set using a mark on the main body and the edge of the ink cartridge 13.

21(8) and (B) show the ink cartridge 13
This is an example in which the attachment 28 is detachably attached for positioning. Depending on whether or not the attachment 28 is attached, a disconnected state ((B) in the same figure) or a conductive state ((A) in the same figure) can be obtained.

In addition, according to the examples shown in FIGS. 17 to 21, not only can the ink supply path be reliably shut off, but also it is extremely easy to obtain the shut-off state. In addition, these examples are not limited to devices that suck ink from outside the ejection port 2;
It can also be widely applied to devices that perform recovery processing by pressurizing the inside of the ejection port to push out ink.

In the above embodiment, air is introduced from the outside of the discharge port 2, but as mentioned above, there is a large flow path resistance in the discharge port 2, so the air introduction process cannot be performed quickly. It is possible that Therefore, in this example, the front surface I of the head 1 is
Configure A as follows.

FIGS. 22A, 22B, and 22C show three examples of the configuration of the front island of the head. (8) in the figure is the front side of the head 1
This is a general configuration example, and such a configuration may be used when the air introduction process is not urgent. However, if you desire quick and reliable introduction,
As shown in C), it has a larger cross-sectional area than the discharge port 2,
It is sufficient to provide a dummy ejection port 2A that is not used for actual recording.

In other words, the holding force of the meniscus at the discharge port is determined by surface tension, so the larger the cross-sectional area (radius r in the case of a circular discharge port), the smaller the holding force of the meniscus.
Therefore, air can be easily taken in when pressurized or negative pressure is introduced. It goes without saying that the number and location of the dummy discharge ports 2A can be selected as desired.

In the above description, the present invention has been applied to a serial type inkjet recording device, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to any type of inkjet recording device that performs recording by ejecting ink through ejection ports. stomach. For example, it may be a full multi-type device that includes a plurality of ejection units in the width direction of the recording paper.

Further, in the above description, the pump and the like are operated manually, but it is also easy to operate them in the control process using an appropriate drive means.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize an inkjet recording apparatus that can secure a sufficient flow velocity and perform reliable ejection recovery processing without increasing the size of the apparatus.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1(A) and 1(B) are a perspective view and a front view showing an example of the external appearance of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applicable and an example of the configuration of an operation panel provided on the front of the apparatus, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are 1A is a perspective view and a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a recording section housed in the device shown in FIG. 1A, respectively. FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control system in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a recovery process by the control system shown in FIG. 5. A flowchart showing an example of the procedure; FIGS. 7 to 9 are timing charts showing the operation of each part in the recovery process; FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control system in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1O, and FIG. 12 is the control system shown in FIG. 11. A flowchart showing an example of the recovery processing procedure by the system; Figures 13 to 16 are schematic diagrams showing four examples of other configurations of the device in which the inside of the discharge port is in a negative pressure state and air is taken in from the discharge port; 17 (A) and (B) are cross-sectional views showing the connection state between the ink supply tube and the ink cartridge, and FIGS. 18 (A) and (B) to 21 (A) and CB) are 22(A), 22(B) and 22(C) are plan views showing four examples of the configuration of the device capable of setting the ink cartridge position shown in (8) and (B). It is a front view showing three examples. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Head, 2...Discharge port, 3...Joint part, 3A...Cap, 3B...Ink absorber, 4.15...Ink suction tube, 5...Atmospheric release Tube, 5A...Vent valve, 6...Pump, 6A...Pump contact, 7...Joint conveyance mechanism, 8...Solenoid valve, 9...Operation lever, 10...Disposal Ink tube, 12... Sub tank, 13... Ink cartridge, 14.17... Ink supply tube, 16... Waste ink absorber, 18... Needle, 18A... Needle hole, 19. ...Plug, 198...Space, 20...Ink bag, 22...Carriage, 24...Fitting guide, 30...Filter, 40.42...Solenoid valve, 44. 54.64...Three-way switching valve, 66...Pump, 200.300...Control unit, 1000...Device main body, 1200...Operation panel. 1, 'I Open Show 62-109 [E52 (12) Figure 17 (A) Figure 18 (A) 8A Figure 17 (13) Figure 20 (A) Figure 21 (A) ρ 17J Open [IHG2 -109652 (18) (28(
19 items', IBA

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an inkjet recording device that performs recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port onto a recording medium, an inkjet recording device is provided on a surface having the ejection port, and has a larger cross-sectional area than the ejection port to supply ink to the ejection port. An inkjet recording apparatus characterized by comprising: an opening that communicates with the path and is not related to the recording; and an introduction means that introduces gas from the surface side having the opening and the ejection port.