JPS63254046A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable discharge recovery process to be simply and surely executed, by forming a platen, which controls a recording surface of a recording medium, of materials capable of absorbing ink opposite to a discharge opening of a recording head. CONSTITUTION:An ink absorption material cartridge 235, which is also used for a platen and contains ink absorption materials discardable, is arranged on a lower unit 1b side opposite to a discharge opening 101b of a recording head 101. In the case where an end face including the discharge opening of the recording head 101 is to be cleaned in no-recording time, ink absorption materials 236 are brought into contact with the discharge opening of the recording head 101 by pushing the cartridge 235 up by driving a cam 203, then ink or the like adhering to the end face of the discharge opening are immediately absorbed by the ink absorption materials 236, and discharge recovery by cleaning is carried out. Then, a layer which has absorbed the ink in the ink absorption materials 236 is peeled off at an appropriate opportunity, and the ink absorption materials 236 are renewed. When all the ink absorption materials 236 have further been used and a residual amount in the cartridge 235 runs out, the cartridge is exchanged with a new one.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that records on a recording medium using ink.

[Prior Art 1 Inkjet recording apparatuses have many advantages, such as extremely low noise during recording and the ability to record on plain paper, and have been attracting increasing attention in recent years).

Among these, inkjet is an on-demand type that uses electrothermal transducers such as piezoelectric elements, magnetostrictive elements, or electrothermal transducers to apply sudden pressurizing force to the ink in the energy action chamber during recording to eject ink. Since the recording apparatus consumes ink only when it is necessary to record ink droplets, it has the great advantage of not requiring a means for collecting unnecessary ink or a high-voltage power source for deflection.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, inkjet recording devices have various advantages, but they also have the disadvantage that dust and paper powder from the recording paper adhere to the ejection ports of the recording head and cause clogging. In addition, in on-demand type inkjet recording devices, the frequency of use of the many nozzles arranged in the recording head is not uniform, so the ejection conditions may be changed due to the addition of ink. Variations may occur.

Further, if ink remains on the end face of the recording head where the ejection ports are opened, it may adhere to the recording medium.

Therefore, in an inkjet recording apparatus, it is important to perform appropriate processing (hereinafter referred to as ejection recovery processing) to eliminate each factor that degrades the printing quality.

In such an ejection recovery process, an ink absorbing member capable of absorbing ink is joined to the ejection port, or the ink absorbing member is placed close to the ejection port, and the ink is ejected in this state.

However, in inkjet recording devices, especially inkjet recording heads that have a so-called full multi-type recording head in which the discharge ports are arranged in a range corresponding to the width of the recording medium, a platen for regulating the recording surface is used to control the discharge ports. Since the ink absorbing member is disposed close to and facing the ejection ports over the entire arrangement range, it is necessary to replace the platen with the ink absorbing member when performing the ejection recovery process.

Therefore, when performing the ejection recovery process, the platen is largely separated from the recording head, and in this state, the ink absorbing member can be opposed to the recording head. However, in order to contribute to miniaturization of the recording apparatus, it is desirable to reduce the eight-motion range of the platen or the ink absorbing member.

In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording device that can perform simple and reliable ejection recovery processing without requiring replacement of the positions of the platen and the ink absorbing member. do.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a method of regulating the recording surface of the recording medium by opposing the ejection ports of the recording head that performs recording by discharging ink onto the recording medium. The present invention is characterized in that the platen is formed of an ink absorbing member made of a material capable of absorbing ink.

[Function 1] According to the above configuration, since the platen also serves as an ink absorbing member, reliable ejection recovery processing can be performed without replacing the position.

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

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the external configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the state in which the exterior cover is removed for convenience.

Here, 1 is a main body unit part, which has an upper unit 1a and a lower unit lb, and the upper unit la is rotatable in the vertical direction with respect to the lower unit 1b with the hinge 11 as the rotation center. Here, the upper unit la includes a recording head 101, an electric circuit section 103, and a fan 150, which will be described in detail later.
, an upper discharge roller 115a, an upper transport roller lHa, a paper guide 201, and a paper feed roller 111 are provided. On the other hand, the lower unit lb includes a platen 203, an ink absorber 235, an ink tank 2311, a paper cassette 22.1,
A paper discharge tray 9A and idlers 213 and 215 are provided. Further, 5 is a cover disposed to cover the upper side of the main unit section 1, and this cover 5 is used for various command switches 7a, 7b such as an online switch with the host device H.
The operating section 7 is provided with a display 70 for displaying the mode and mode. 9 is a discharge port provided on one side of the device;
The recorded recording medium S is loaded onto the ejection tray 9A through the ejection port 9.

2 and 3 are a perspective view and a side cross-sectional view of the device shown in the first drawing, respectively, showing a state in which the cover 5 of the device shown in the first drawing is removed, in order to explain an example of the internal configuration of the device shown in the first drawing. FIG. In these figures, 101 is an inkjet recording head placed near the discharge port 9, and the nozzles 101a are arranged in a range corresponding to the entire width of the recordable width of this apparatus (for example, A4 size recording paper) at a density of 16 trees per 1+n+n, for example. It has a so-called full multi-type arrangement. In addition, an electromechanical transducer (not shown) or an electrothermal transducer (not shown) or the like is arranged at an appropriate position in the ink liquid flow path such as this nozzle, and the host device H Ejection energy is applied to the ink in accordance with the supply of a drive signal from the ejection port 101b, thereby ejecting the ink from the ejection port 101b. In this example, the recording head 101 is provided such that the discharge ports 101b of each nozzle 101a open downward in the vertical direction.

A board 103 is provided with a driver circuit for driving the recording head 101 via the flexible cable 102, as well as a power supply circuit, a control circuit, an interface circuit for various circuits inside the device, a host device H outside the device, and the like. In this embodiment, this main electric circuit section 103 is provided in the same upper unit 1a as the recording head 101, so that it is possible to Even if ink leaks, the influence of the ink will not be transmitted to the electric circuit section 103. That is, even if ink leaks from the ejection port 101b, the flow path is formed on the lower unit lb side, so in this embodiment, the electric circuit section 103 is disposed above the flow path. Therefore, the influence of the ink does not reach the main electric circuit section 103 of the apparatus.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, this electric circuit section 103 is arranged at a position higher than the arrangement position of each ejection port 101b of the recording head 101. This also means that the influence of the ink does not reach the electric circuit section 103. However, the above-described arrangement of the electric circuit section 103 and the discharge port 101b is not necessarily necessary.

Furthermore, 111 is a paper feed roller formed by cutting out a part of an arc, and supplies the recording medium S from a cassette 221 that accommodates the recording medium S, such as paper, film, or cloth, toward the recording position by the recording head 101. It is a roller for.

Reference numerals 113 and 115 designate a discharge roller disposed upstream and downstream on the recording medium transport path P, and a discharge roller disposed downstream near the discharge port 9 with respect to the recording position of the recording head 101, respectively. It is rotationally driven via a belt 119. Accordingly, in response to this rotational drive, the conveyance roller 113 and the discharge roller 11
5 cooperates with idlers 213 and 215 placed opposite each other, and conveys the recording medium S to the recording position with the recording medium S sandwiched between them, or transports the recording medium S from the recording position to the ejection tray 9A. The recording medium S is ejected.

A paper guide 201 is provided on the conveyance path of the recording medium and regulates the conveyance path.

Reference numeral 235 designates an ink absorber cartridge which also serves as a platen and stores a disposable ink absorber, and is disposed on the lower unit 1b side facing the ejection opening 101b of the recording head 101.

That is, since the ink absorber cartridge 235 faces the ejection openings of the print head 101 as shown in the figure or is joined as described later, ink dropped from the print head 101 during ejection recovery processing of the print head 101 is appropriately captured. collected. Incidentally, instead of this ink absorber cartridge, it is also possible to use an ink absorber roller or an ink absorber cassette shown in FIG. 6 or 7.

The recording medium loaded in the paper cassette 221 described above is separated into one by the paper feed roller 111 in cooperation with a separating means (not shown).
The sheets are separated one by one and transported to a recording position. 225 is the bottom plate of the device, and in this example, this bottom plate 225 is
Even if unexpected ink leaks from the recording head 101 or the like, it also serves as a partition wall to prevent the leaked ink from flowing out of the apparatus.

An ink tank 231 serves as an ink supply source for the recording head 101 , and supplies ink to the recording head 101 via a flexible ink supply tube 233 .

Furthermore, 150 is a fan that cools each part by taking in air from outside the device, and in this example, by arranging this fan on the side of the device opposite to the exhaust port 9, the fan 150 cools each part by taking in air from outside the device. Airflow from the intake port 5a to the discharge port 9 (
(indicated by arrow a in FIG. 3) occurs. As mentioned above, in this example, the recording head 101 has the discharge port 9.
Since it is located near the recording head 101, it prevents satellites that may be generated as a side effect when ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 101, ink mist and dust that may be generated due to ink scattering on the surface of the recording medium S, paper powder of the recording medium, etc. It is possible to prevent the particles from being immediately carried out of the device through the exhaust port 9 by the air current, adhering to and contaminating various parts within the device, or causing a failure in the electric circuit section 103. That is, in this example, the cooling fan 1 that cools the electric circuit section 103
Reference numeral 50 also serves as a blowing means in the device for removing ink mist.

In addition to the above configuration, the upper unit 1a and lower unit 1 of the main body
b may be made separable so that repair work for each part, work for replenishing recording media, work for replenishing ink, etc. may be easily performed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing details of the ink absorber cartridge 235 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

In FIG. 4, 236 is an ink absorber, and this ink absorber 236 is made of, for example, a water-absorbing porous material, and is capable of absorbing an amount of ink equal to or more than one operation. The ink absorber 2 is composed of three layers: an ink prevention layer 239 made of vinyl or the like to prevent ink from leaking, and a double-sided tape 241 with relatively low adhesive strength.
The ink absorber cartridge 235 is provided by laminating a large number of 36. Furthermore, both ends of each ink absorber 236 are coated with Mylar, which is resistant to ink adhesion, so that the lower ink absorber can be exposed by peeling it off by hand, for example.

A handle portion made of vinyl or the like is provided.

Note that the ink prevention layer 239 may also serve as the handle portions at both ends. 243 is a push-up spring for pushing up the ink absorber 236; 235A is a push-up spring for pushing up the ink absorber 236; and 235A is a push-up spring that restricts the upward displacement of the ink absorber 236 due to the biasing force of the spring 243 to properly align the ink absorber layer 237 with the ink ejection port 101b. This is a bent portion provided on the upper part of the cartridge 235 so that the two cartridges 235 face each other at a distance of about 100 mm from each other. Further, 245 is a cam pawl used for a cam operation for vertically swinging the cartridge 235, which will be explained in detail with reference to FIG.

The ink absorber 23B is updated by manually peeling it off after a predetermined operation such as an ejection recovery process is completed. Along with this, the absorber 236 in the cartridge 235 is displaced upward by the spring 243 until the newly exposed ink absorbing layer 237 abuts against the bent portion 235^. Note that this peeling operation can also be performed mechanically.

In FIG. 5, the ink absorption layer 237 is
When bringing the ink absorber cartridge 235 into contact with the
FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of a mechanism for driving the .

In FIG. 5, 203 is a cam for vertically swinging the ink absorber cartridge, and is disposed below each cam pawl 245 provided on the cartridge 235 so as to be able to engage with the pawl 245, respectively. These cams 203 operate in conjunction,
It is used for vertical movement of the cartridge 235. The cams 203 may be driven manually using a lever or the like via a suitable transmission member such as a gear, or may be driven electrically using a motor or the like.

With the above configuration, during normal recording, the top surface of the cartridge 235 and the exposed ink absorbing layer 237 of the stored ink absorber 236 are connected to the paper guide 2.
It is located at almost the same height as 01 and functions as a platen. Also, at this position, ejection (preliminary ejection) is performed to remove dry ink, clogging, and air bubbles in the nozzles including the ejection ports of the print head 101 during non-printing, or to replace thickened ink with new ink. I do.

Furthermore, when cleaning the end face of the recording head 101 including the ejection openings during non-printing, the cam 203 is driven to push up the cartridge 235 and join the ink absorber 236 to the ejection openings of the recording head 101. As a result, ink and the like adhering to the end face of the ejection port are immediately absorbed by the ink absorber 236, and ejection recovery is performed by cleaning.

After the above-described series of preliminary ejections or ejection recovery processing such as cleaning is performed, the ink-absorbing layer of the ink absorber 236 is peeled off at an appropriate opportunity, and the ink absorber 236 is renewed. Further, when all the ink absorbers 236 are used and there is no remaining amount in the cartridge 235, the ink absorber 236 is replaced with a new cartridge.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a second embodiment of the invention.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 251 denotes an ink absorbing roller that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus, and is rotatably provided around a shaft 251A extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of the recording head 101. In FIG. Further, this roller 251 is provided to be swingable in the vertical direction according to the engagement between the shaft 25IA and the roller vertical swing cam 205.

Thus, during normal recording, the roller 251 is held at an appropriate position below and functions as a platen. Further, at this position, ejection recovery processing such as preliminary ejection is performed. Further, during ejection recovery processing such as cleaning, the roller vertically swinging cam 205 is driven by an appropriate driving means, and the roller 251 is pushed upward and brought into contact with the ejection port of the recording head 101.

After the ink absorbing roller absorbs a certain amount of ink through these ejection recovery processes, the roller 251 is moved by a predetermined angle through an appropriate transmission member, for example, manually or electrically.
can be rotated to allow a new surface portion to face the discharge port 101b. In this case, it is preferable to select a material whose absorption direction is directed toward the axis 251^ for the ink absorbing roller. Further, in order to rotate the roller 251 at a predetermined angle, it may be linked with, for example, a preliminary ejection operation of an ink pump. Furthermore, if a means is provided for detecting that the roller 251 has completed one revolution and notifying the operator of this, it becomes possible to replace the roller 251 based on the detection.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 7, 255 is an ink absorber cassette, which houses a ribbon-shaped member with an ink absorber 236 adhered to the side facing the ejection port 101b on a belt 260 made of a film such as mylar or polyimide. ing. This belt 260 is connected to two shafts stored in the cassette 255, namely, the feed shaft 255^ and the winding shaft 255B.
By winding the belt 260 by rotating it toward the winding shaft 255B side, the absorber 2
36 can be sequentially updated to face the discharge port 101b. 257 is an absorber holding plate for setting the position of the ink absorbing body 236, and 259 is a spring that urges the holding plate 257 toward the ejection port 101b. The engaging member is engaged with the presser plates 2, 57 so that the absorbent body 257 faces the discharge port 101b at an appropriate distance, and during cleaning, this engagement is released to perform the joining.

The ink absorber 236 functions as a platen during normal recording, as explained in FIG. 5 or FIG.
In the ejection recovery process using preliminary ejection, the ink ejected from the print head 101 is received at a position serving as a platen. Further, when recovering ejection by cleaning, the ink absorber 236 is pushed up by the pressing force of the spring and joins with the ejection port 101b of the recording head 101.

Through such ejection recovery processing, the ink absorber 23
6 absorbs ink, the shaft 255A.

The absorber 236 is updated by the rotation of 255B. The rotational drive timing of these shafts 255^ and 255B is the sixth
As explained in the figure, this may be done in conjunction with the ink pump, or a configuration in which the entire cassette is replaced after all the absorbers are used is also possible.

In each of the above-mentioned sides, when the present invention is applied to an on-demand type inkjet recording apparatus using an electromechanical transducer or an electrothermal transducer and having a fully multi-type recording head arranged vertically downward. Although the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to inkjet recording apparatuses employing various driving methods, scanning methods, and configuration arrangements.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above explanation, since the platen is also used as an ink absorbing member, reliable ejection recovery processing is possible without replacing the position, and as a result, the recording device can be made smaller. It became.

Furthermore, according to the upper part, since the ink absorbing member is configured to be able to be updated in conjunction with the ejection recovery process, an effect is obtained in that the vicinity of the platen and the recording head can always be kept clean.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are a perspective view and a side cross-sectional view, respectively, showing a configuration example of an apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration example of a member according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a side view showing a configuration example of a mechanism for driving the member shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a side view showing a second embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 7 is a side view showing a third embodiment of the invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Main unit part, 1a...Upper unit, 1b...Lower unit, 5...Cover, 7...Operation section゛, 9...Ejection port, 9A...Ejection tray, 101... Recording head, 101b... Discharge port, 102... Flexible cable, 103... Electric circuit section, 103A... Board, 111... Paper feed roller, 113... Conveyance roller, 115... Ejection roller, 117... Motor, 119... Timing belt, 150... Fan, 201... Paper guide, 203... Cartridge vertical swing cam, 205-...
・Roller vertical swing cam, 213.215... Idler, 221... Paper cassette, 225... Bottom plate, 231... Ink tank, 233... Ink supply tube, 235... Ink absorber Cartridge, 236...
Ink absorber, 237... Ink absorbing layer, 239... Ink prevention layer, 241... Double-sided tape, 243... Push-up spring, 245... Cam pawl, 251... Ink absorber Roller, 255... Ink absorber cassette, 257... Absorber pressing plate, 259... Spring, 260... Belt. Figure 5 Figure 7

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A platen made of a material capable of absorbing ink, which faces the ejection ports of a print head that performs printing by ejecting ink onto a print medium, and which regulates the print surface of the print medium, is provided with an ink-absorbing material. An inkjet recording device characterized in that it is formed of an absorbing member. 2) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a setting member for setting the ink absorbing member to a position facing the ejection port or a position joined to the ejection port. Device. 3) An inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ink absorbing member is detachably attached to the apparatus main body. 4) In the inkjet recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the ink absorbing member has a plurality of separable layers, and the ejection port An inkjet recording device characterized in that it is possible to update layers by separation in connection with a process of receiving more ink. 5) In the inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the ink absorbing member is formed in the shape of a rotatable roller, and the ink absorbing member is formed in the shape of a rotatable roller, and the ejection port An inkjet recording apparatus characterized in that a roller surface portion can be updated by rotation in connection with a process of receiving more ink. 6) In the inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the ink absorbing member is formed on a belt that can be conveyed, and the ink absorbing member is formed on a belt that can be conveyed, and when facing or joining, the ink absorbing member An inkjet recording apparatus characterized in that a belt surface portion can be updated by conveyance in connection with ink receiving processing.