KR20060118070A - Wiping device in inkjet head - Google Patents

Abstract

A wiping apparatus of an ink jet head is provided to prevent parts of an ink jet printer from being smeared with ink, and to restrict ink droplets from being scattered to a transfer passage of paper by shutting off ink droplets with a shutoff member in elastically restoring a wiper member. A wiping apparatus of an ink jet head includes a wiper member(510) moved and elastically contacted to a surface of a nozzle(12) of the ink jet head to wipe residual ink, and a shutoff member(520) switching between the first position releasing from an end of the wiper member in wiping and the second position shutting off ink droplets(990) scattered by the end elastically restored after wiping. A wiper member holder(530) is combined with the wiper member, and moved for wiping. The wiping apparatus includes a shutoff member driving cam(540) operating the shutoff member in moving the wiper member holder, and a switching unit having a guide member comprising a first guide unit guiding the shutoff member driving cam to switch the shutoff member to the first position and a second guide unit guiding the shutoff member driving cam to switch the shutoff member to the second position.

Description

Inkjet head wiping device {Wiping device in inkjet head}

1 is a side view sequentially showing a conventional inkjet head wiping device and its operation.

2 and 3 are explanatory views showing a shuttle type and an array type inkjet head having a wiping device according to the present invention.

4 is a plan view illustrating a nozzle unit of an array inkjet head.

5 is a perspective view showing an inkjet head wiping device according to the present invention.

6A to 6E are side views sequentially showing operations of the inkjet head wiping apparatus according to the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10 ... body 12 ... nozzle part

13 ... medium roller 14 ... paper plate

15 ... Feeding Roller 17 ... Picking Roller

20.Feeding Cassette 30.Medium

40 Carriage feeder 41b Carriage feed roller

42 ... carriage feed motor 43 ... carriage feed belt

50 ... carriage 52 ... inkjet head

60.Paper feed roller 80 ... Maintenance area

500 Inkjet head wiping device 510 Wiper member

520 ... blocking member 530 ... wiper member holder

540 ... Blocking member drive cam 550 ... Blocking member drive cam support groove

600 ... guide member 601 ... first guide part

602.2nd guide part 700 ... cleaning member

990 Ink Drops

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet head wiping device, and more particularly, to a wiping device capable of blocking ink droplets scattered around by the elasticity of the wiper after wiping.

The inkjet image forming apparatus is designed to perform only a printer function or to be combined with a copy machine, a facsimile machine, a scanner, and the like to perform a complex function. The inkjet image forming apparatus is non-impact and therefore has less printing noise than a dot printer. In addition, there is an advantage that it is easy to reduce the size and weight of the device, and color printing is possible using a multi-color ink cartridge. The inkjet head ejects a small droplet of ink to a desired position on the recording paper. It is mounted on the carriage of the inkjet image forming apparatus in the form of a cartridge connected to an ink reservoir or the like. An inkjet head uses thermal energy, a piezoelectric element, or the like as an ink discharge power source, and is manufactured to have high resolution by semiconductor manufacturing processes such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering. Ink is ejected onto the paper from the nozzle portion provided in the inkjet head. After the ink is ejected from the nozzle portion, an increase in the amount of ink remaining on the surface causes deterioration in print quality, such as warping the ink droplets. Generally, a wiping device is provided to wipe off the ink remaining on the surface of the nozzle unit.

1 is a side view sequentially showing a conventional inkjet head wiping device and its operation. The wiper 7 starts to move in the wiping direction at the position initially escaped from the nozzle portion 6. The wiper 7 has a wiper guide 8, which is guided along the guide rail 9. The wiper 7 is moved in the wiping direction by a drive source (not shown), the wiper guide 8 and the guide rail 9. When the wiper tip part contacts the nozzle part 6, the wiper tip is elastically deformed by a predetermined amount. The wiper tip moves while being elastically deformed, and wipes the ink remaining on the surface of the nozzle part 6. When the wiping is completed, the wiper tip is elastically restored to its original state while the contact with the nozzle part 6 is separated. At this time, the ink droplets 4 buried in the wiper tip are scattered around. This becomes a contamination source of the internal parts of the inkjet image forming apparatus. In particular, when ink is scattered on the paper surface or the paper conveyance path, it becomes a fatal printing failure factor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in an effort to improve the above-described problems, and to prevent ink droplets scattered around when the elasticity of the wiper tip is restored, thereby preventing contamination of the internal parts of the inkjet image forming apparatus, It is to provide a wiping device for an ink jet head that reduces printing defects due to ink droplets scattered in the transport path of the.

In order to achieve the above object, the ink jet head wiping apparatus according to the present invention, the wiper member to be in contact with the surface of the nozzle portion of the ink jet head while moving to wipe the residual ink;

A blocking member switched to a first position escaped from the distal end of the wiper member during wiping and a second position that blocks ink droplets scattered around by the distal end resilient after wiping; It includes.

In addition, the inkjet head wiping device according to the present invention,

A wiper member holder to which the wiper member is coupled and moved in a wiping direction; It is preferable to further include.

In addition, the inkjet head wiping device according to the present invention,

A blocking member driving cam for operating the blocking member according to the movement of the wiper member holder;

A guide having a first guide part for guiding the blocking member drive cam to switch the blocking member to the first position and a second guide part for guiding the blocking member driving cam to switch the blocking member to the second position; Switching means having a member; It is preferable to further include.

An inkjet head wiping device according to the present invention comprises: a cleaning member for cleaning ink droplets remaining in the wiper member; It is preferable to further include.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described embodiments of the present invention; Embodiments of the present invention may be variously modified within the scope of the same idea without being limited to those shown in the accompanying drawings.

In general, an inkjet image forming apparatus refers to an apparatus for forming an image by ejecting ink from an inkjet head reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of a sheet at a predetermined interval from an upper surface of the sheet. An inkjet head for injecting ink onto the paper while being conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the paper is called a shuttle inkjet head.

In recent years, attempts have been made to use an ink jet head having a nozzle portion of a length corresponding to the width of a sheet without the ink jet head being reciprocated. In such an array inkjet head, the inkjet head is fixed without being reciprocated and only the sheet is conveyed. Therefore, the driving device is simple and high speed printing is possible. The wiping device according to the invention can be applied to both shuttle and array inkjet heads.

2 is a perspective view illustrating a shuttle inkjet head. Referring to this, the carriage 50 has at least one inkjet head 52a. The carriage transfer part 40 transfers the carriage 50. The carriage transfer part 40 includes a carriage transfer motor 42, a carriage transfer roller 41b, and a carriage transfer belt 43. The carriage 50 is transferred to a predetermined position according to the carriage 50 transfer signal sent from the controller of the inkjet image forming apparatus main body (not shown) to the carriage transfer motor 42. The carriage feed roller 41b is connected to the carriage feed motor 42, and the carriage feed belt 43 wraps around the carriage feed roller 41b and travels on the track. The carriage transfer belt 43 is coupled to the carriage 50. The carriage 50 is guided along the carriage guide 70. The paper feed roller 60 conveys the paper. The nozzle portion 12 is capped to prevent the ink stored in the inkjet head 52a from drying out, the ink remaining on the surface of the nozzle portion 12 is wiped, or the nozzle portion 12 is not blocked. In order to fit, the carriage 50 is moved to the maintenance area 80.

3 is a side cross-sectional view showing an array inkjet head. Referring to this, as well as the array-type inkjet head 52b, the paper feed cassette 20 for storing paper, the pickup roller 17 for picking up the sheets one by one, and the feeding roller for transferring the picked sheets to the inkjet head 52b. 15, a paper plate 14 faced with the inkjet head 52b and a sheet interposed therebetween, a discharge roller 13 for discharging printed sheets, and a discharge bin 30 on which discharged sheets are stacked.

The paper P is conveyed in the x direction, and the y direction means the width direction of the paper P. The inkjet head 52b includes a body 10 in which ink is stored and a nozzle unit 12 for ejecting ink. The paper plate 14 is provided below the inkjet head 11 so as to maintain a predetermined distance between the nozzle portion 12 and the paper P, and supports the back surface of the paper P being conveyed. The distance between the nozzle part 12 and the paper P is about 0.5 to 2.5 mm. The discharge roller 13 includes a star wheel 13a provided in the width direction of the paper P, and a support roller 13b facing the back wheel to support the back surface of the paper P. The star wheel 13a is prevented from being contaminated by the ink image which is sprayed on the upper surface of the paper P and not yet dried by being in point contact with the upper surface of the paper P. Since high-speed printing, after the paper P is discharged and loaded on the discharge tray 30, the next paper P may be loaded before the ink on the upper surface dries, and the back surface of the paper P may be contaminated with ink. In order to prevent this, a separate drying device (not shown) may be further provided. The nozzle portion 12 is capped to prevent the ink stored in the inkjet head 52b from drying out, the ink remaining on the surface of the nozzle portion 12 is wiped, or the nozzle portion 12 is not blocked. The fitting operation is performed in the maintenance area 80 shown by reference numeral 80.

4 is a plan view illustrating a nozzle unit of an array inkjet head. Referring to this, the nozzle unit 12 corresponds to the width of the paper P, or is formed longer than the width of the paper (P).

5 is a perspective view showing an inkjet head wiping device according to the present invention. Referring to this, an inkjet head 52 and an inkjet head wiping device 500 are shown. The wiping device includes a wiper member 510 for wiping out residual ink of the nozzle unit 12, and a blocking member 520 for blocking ink droplets 990 scattered from the wiper member 510. Switching the blocking member 520 to a first position that does not constrain the flow of the tip of the wiper member 510 and a second position that blocks the ink droplets 990 scattered around when the wiper member 510 is elastically restored. One embodiment of the switching means is shown. The cleaning member 700 for cleaning the ink remaining in the wiper member 510 in which wiping is completed is shown.

6A to 6E are side views sequentially showing the operation of the inkjet head wiping apparatus 500 according to the present invention. Referring to this, the wiper member 510 is provided in the wiper member holder 530. The wiper member holder 530 has a wiper member drive cam 531. The wiper member drive cam 531 guides the movement of the wiper member holder 530 in the wiping direction. Although not shown, the wiper member holder 530 is connected to a driving motor to receive a driving force, and moves in a wiping direction along a guide rail that guides the wiper member driving cam 531.

The blocking member 520 is coupled to the wiper member holder 530 and moves in the wiping direction together with the wiper member 510. The blocking member 520 is preferably in close contact with the wiper member 510. When the blocking member 520 is positioned at a short distance from the wiper member 510, the ink droplet 990 may be effectively blocked.

The blocking member 520 has a blocking member driving cam 540. The blocking member driving cam 540 is slidably inserted into the blocking member driving cam support groove 550. The blocking member driving cam support groove 550 is formed in the wiper member holder 530 and guides the blocking member driving cam 540. The blocking member driving cam 540 supports the blocking member 520 in the wiping direction, and switches the blocking member 520 to the first and second positions.

Switching means for switching the blocking member 520 to the first and second positions is provided. The switching means includes a blocking member driving cam 540 and a guide member 600. The guide member 600 includes the first member 601 for guiding the blocking member driving cam 540 and the blocking member driving cam 540 to be switched to the second position so that the blocking member 520 is switched to the first position. A second guide part 602 for guiding is provided. The blocking member driving cam 540 and the first and second guide parts 602 are protruded or formed into grooves. 6A to 6E, the blocking member driving cam 540 protrudes, and the first and second guide parts 602 are formed as grooves.

As an embodiment, when the wiper member 510 is linearly moved in the wiping direction, the blocking member 520 and the blocking member driving cam 540 are linearly guided by the first guide part 601. The blocking member 520 and the blocking member driving cam 540 are linearly moved in the wiping direction together with the wiper member 510 at a position lowered to a first position which does not restrict the flow of the wiper tip.

6A shows the wiper member 510 in its initial state prior to wiping and the blocking member 520 in the first position.

6B shows the wiper member 510 moving while wiping the nozzle portion 12 and the blocking member 520 in the first position.

FIG. 6C illustrates a state in which the wiper member 510 having completed wiping starts to elastically restore to the initial state shown in FIG. 6A. At this time, the blocking member 520 starts to be switched to the second position by a switching means including the blocking member drive cam 540 and the second guide portion 602 formed on the guide member 600. The time point at which the blocking member 520 is switched to the second position is preferably before the scattering of the ink droplets 990 by the tip of the wiper member 510 starts. If the blocking member 520 is raised to the second position long before the tip of the wiper member 510 is elastically restored, the distal end portion of the inkjet head 52 and the blocking member 520 may be in contact with each other. If the time at which the 520 is raised to the second position is late, the ink droplet 990 may not be properly blocked. In consideration of this, a time point at which switching of the blocking member 520 is started to a second position and a time point at which switching is completed are set to an appropriate time point before the scattering of the ink droplets 990 starts.

The tip of the wiper member 510, which accelerates from the state shown in FIG. 6C and starts elastic recovery, is chattered to the steady state shown in FIG. 6A. Ink droplets 990 on the tip of the wiper member 510 start to accelerate from the state shown in FIG. 6C. When a difference occurs in the elastic deformation rate of the tip of the wiper member 510 and the advancing speed of the ink droplet 990, the ink droplet 990 leaves the tip of the wiper member 510 and is scattered around.

6D shows the blocking member 520 which has been switched to the second position. Ink droplets 990 to be scattered around are completely blocked by the blocking member 520 which has been switched to the second position. The distal end of the blocking member 520 is raised at a height equal to or higher than the distal end of the wiper member 510 at the second position.

 FIG. 6E illustrates a state in which the cleaning member 700 cleans the ink droplet 990 remaining at the distal end of the wiper member 510 that has been wiped. Since the blocking member 520 is switched from the second position back to the first position, the tip of the wiper member 510 is cleaned in a state where the flow is not restricted. The cleaned wiping device is moved back to the initial state shown in FIG. 6A and prepares for the next wiping operation.

As described above, the inkjet head wiping apparatus according to the present invention blocks the ink droplets scattered around when the elasticity of the wiper member is restored by the blocking member, prevents contamination of the internal parts of the inkjet image forming apparatus, and In addition, it is possible to reduce printing defects due to ink droplets scattered in a paper conveyance path.

Claims (5)

A wiper member which is moved and elastically contacts the nozzle surface of the inkjet head to wipe the remaining ink; A blocking member switched to a first position escaped from the distal end of the wiper member during wiping and a second position that blocks ink droplets scattered around by the distal end resilient after wiping; Inkjet head wiping device comprising a. The method of claim 1, A wiper member holder to which the wiper member is coupled and moved in a wiping direction; Inkjet head wiping device further comprising. The method of claim 2, A blocking member driving cam for operating the blocking member according to the movement of the wiper member holder; A guide having a first guide part for guiding the blocking member drive cam to switch the blocking member to the first position and a second guide part for guiding the blocking member driving cam to switch the blocking member to the second position; Switching means having a member; Inkjet head wiping device further comprising. The method of claim 3, wherein And the second position is a position where the distal end of the blocking member is raised at a height equal to or higher than the distal end of the wiper member. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A cleaning member for cleaning ink droplets remaining in the wiper member; Inkjet head wiping device further comprising.

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