JP2709524B2 - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head onto a recording material.

[Conventional technology]

A recording device such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile is configured to record an image formed of a dot pattern on a recording material such as a sheet of paper or a thin plastic plate based on image information.

The recording apparatus can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a thermal type, a laser beam type, and the like according to a recording method. Among them, the ink jet type (ink jet recording apparatus) discharges ink from a recording head and discharges the ink. It is configured to adhere to a recording material for recording.

This ink jet recording device is a non-impact type recording device, and it has low noise, easy high-density and high-speed recording, and easy color image recording by using multi-color ink. It has the features of

In the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, dew condensation may occur on a discharge port surface of a recording head due to evaporation of water from ink adhering to a recording material, fine ink droplets floating between the recording material and the like.

Also, the ejection port surface may get wet due to the rebound of the ejected ink from the recording material.

Further, paper dust and dust may adhere to the discharge port surface.

If the above-described foreign matter adheres to the ejection port surface of the recording head, the ejection direction and ejection speed of the ink may fluctuate, and the particle size of the ejected ink droplet may vary, thereby deteriorating the recording quality. .

As means for preventing such a phenomenon, wiping means for wiping and cleaning the discharge port surface with a flexible wiper has been provided.

In this wiping means, the wiper contaminated with the wiped ink or the like effectively slides the wiper into contact with the ink absorber to transfer the ink or the like to the ink absorber, thereby effectively performing the next wiping cleaning. It is returned to a state where it can be performed.

The cleaning of the ejection port surface by the wiper is generally performed at a desired timing, for example, every time printing of one page is completed.

[Technical problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in a conventional ink jet recording apparatus,
Since the ink absorber was merely provided at a position where the wiper comes into contact, the ink absorber was saturated with the wiping ink relatively early, and the cleaning of the wiper was insufficient, and the discharge port surface was not sufficiently cleaned. There is a technical problem that the cleaning effect is easily reduced.

For example, when an ink absorber having an absorption capacity of about 0.35 g is used and the ejection port surface is wiped (cleaned) every time one page is printed, the amount of ink adhering to the wiper in one wiping is about 6 mg. Therefore, the ink absorber is saturated after about 57 wipings, that is, about 57 pages.

Therefore, as a countermeasure, it is sufficient to improve the absorption capacity of the ink absorber for cleaning the wiper. However, since the size of the ink absorber is reduced as much as possible in a portable recording device or the like, the ink absorption capacity of the ink absorber is reduced. There was a limit to improvement.

For this reason, the ink absorber is saturated, and the portion transferred thereafter becomes ink dripping, contaminating the surroundings,
In the worst case, the person carrying the phone was sometimes stained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional technical problems, and does not impair the miniaturization of a recording apparatus, has a simple structure, and greatly increases the ink absorption capacity of an ink absorber for cleaning a wiper. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that can be improved.

[Means for solving the problem]

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus for performing recording by discharging ink from a recording head ink discharge port onto a recording material, wherein the ink discharge port of the recording head is disposed. A wiper slidably in contact with the discharge port surface to clean the surface, an ink absorber arranged so as to be able to contact the wiper after cleaning the discharge port surface, and to which the ink attached to the wiper is transferred; The waste ink absorber arranged in the internal space inside, and the ink absorber and the waste ink absorber are arranged at a predetermined position in contact with both absorbers to connect the absorber, and utilizing the capillary phenomenon, An ink transmitting member that guides the ink in the ink absorber into the waste ink absorber, and transfers the ink transferred from the wiper to the ink absorber through the ink transmitting member. And wherein the feeding to the ink absorber.

The invention according to Claims 2 to 5 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of Claim 1, the ink absorber is attached to the tip of a cantilevered spring material, and the wiper comes into contact with the ink absorber. An ink carrier for receiving ink preliminarily ejected from a recording head is provided so as to move integrally with the wiper, and the ink carrier is brought into contact with a part of the ink absorber so as to contact the ink carrier. A configuration in which the ink above is transferred to the ink absorber, a configuration in which the ink is connected to a plurality of discharged ink absorbers via a plurality of ink transmission members of the ink absorber, or the ink transmission member includes The above-mentioned object can be achieved more efficiently, and the wiper cleaning function can be improved. It is intended to achieve the improvement of the upper and recovery performance.

〔Example〕

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

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an essential configuration of an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a chassis.
A left side plate 1a and a right side plate 1b which also serve as a guide for the recording material 40 are provided upright, a front side plate 1c is provided upright at the right end of the chassis 1, and a front surface of the chassis 1 is provided at the front side. A carrier guide plate 1d is provided upright.

A long hole 1e for guiding the carrier 6 is formed in the carrier guide plate 1d.
10 fits into the elongated hole 1e and slides.

The chassis 1 is formed with a motor mounting hole (not shown) for rotatably supporting a carrier motor 11 as a drive source of the carrier 6.

A lead arm at a predetermined position on the left end of the chassis 11
1h is fixed, and a leading end of the lead arm 1h is provided with a bearing 1i for supporting the carrier driving lead screw 2 in the axial and radial directions and rotatably supporting the carrier.

The lead screw 2 has a lead groove 2a having a predetermined pitch.
Are formed.

A lead pulley 3a is fixed on the carrier home position side of the lead screw 2, and a circumferential groove (recovery groove) in a perpendicular direction for performing a recovery operation at a capping position near the home position of the lead screw 2. 3b is formed, and the lead groove 2a and the recovery groove 3b are connected by an introduction groove 3c.

Shafts 2g formed at both ends of the lead screw 2
Is fitted to a bearing portion 1i of the lead arm 1h of the chassis 1 and a bearing portion provided on the front side plate 1c, and is rotatably supported by the shaft.

The shaft 2g of the lead screw 2 is pushed in the thrust direction by a leaf spring (not shown).

Also, the lead pulley 3a of the lead screw 2
The clutch gear 4 is integrally mounted in the rotational direction and slidable in the axial direction between the clutch gear 4 and the recovery groove 3b.

The clutch gear is biased by the clutch spring 5 toward the lead groove 2a.

The carrier 6 is slidably mounted on the lead screw 2.
There is provided a pressing portion 6a for pressing the end face and a detection piece 6b for detecting the home position.

A lead pin 7 that engages with the lead groove 2a of the lead screw 2 is guided and supported in a guide hole (not shown) formed in the carrier 6, and the lead pin 7 is a lead pin spring 8 attached to the carrier 6. Is pressed into the lead groove 2a at the end of the lead groove 2a.

A recording head 9 is mounted on the carrier 6, and the recording head 9 shown is of a cartridge type integrated with an ink tank, and has a discharge port surface 9a formed with a discharge port 9c and an ink tank section 9b. have.

The recording head 9 is an ink jet recording head that ejects ink using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy.

Further, the ink jet recording head 9 discharges ink from a discharge port to perform recording by the growth of bubbles due to film boiling generated by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal transducer.

A carrier roller 10 is rotatably mounted on the front surface of the carrier 6, and rotatably fits into the long hole 1e of the chassis 1.

The carrier motor 11 is composed of, for example, a pulse motor, and is supported by the chassis 1 via a pin 11a provided at a lower portion of the carrier motor 11. The chassis 11 supports the pin 11a.
Are mounted so as to be swingable in the direction of arrow A about a bearing hole (not shown).

Further, a spring receiver 11b is formed integrally with the carrier motor 11, and the carrier motor 11 is compressed by a compression spring 14 mounted between the spring receiver 11b and the lead arm 1h.
It is urged in the direction of arrow A.

A motor pulley 12 is provided on the motor shaft of the carrier motor 11.
Is fixed, and a timing belt 13 is stretched between the motor pulley 12 and the lead pulley 3a fixed to the lead screw 2.

The timing belt 13 is given a tension by the spring force of the compression spring 14.

A set shaft 15 is erected on the left side plate 1a of the chassis 1, and a blade lever 16 and a set lever 20 are rotatably mounted on the set shaft 15.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing the blade lever 16 and the set lever 20.

In FIG. 2, the blade lever 16 has its boss 16
a is attached to the set shaft 15 (in the illustrated example, set lever 20
(Via the boss portion 20e).

The set lever 20 has a curved arm shape, and a hook 16c is formed at the tip of the arm 16b.

A blade shaft 18 is provided near the tip of the arm 16b.
Is rotatably supported, and a wiping blade (wiper) 17 is fixed to the blade shaft 18.

The wiper 17 is formed of, for example, an elastic member such as silicon rubber or CR rubber.

At one end of the blade shaft 18, an engaging portion 18a for rotating and driving the wiper 17 (wiping operation) is integrally formed.

Immediately before the wiper 17 mounting portion of the arm portion 16b, an ink carrier 19 made of a hydrophilic porous material (plastic sintered body, urethane foam, etc.) is attached.

The ink carrier 19 receives and absorbs ink from the ejection port 9c when the recording head 9 is driven for preliminary ejection at a position facing the ink carrier 19.

A slot 16d is formed further in front of the arm 16b (in the illustrated example, substantially at the middle).

In the vicinity of the boss portion of the set lever 20, a timing gear, which will be described later, is supported by a shaft installed in parallel with the set shaft 15.
Small arm portions 20a and 20b are provided to be engaged with the cam portions 21 (FIGS. 1 and 3).

A dowel 20d is provided at an intermediate portion of the set lever 20, and a hook portion 20c is formed at a tip of the set lever 20.

When the set lever 20 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of a timing gear 21 described later, the hook portion 20c of the set lever 20
Engages with the engaging portion 18a of the blade shaft 18,
The dowel 20d of the set lever 20 fits into the long hole 16d of the blade lever 16.

Due to the long hole 16d, the blade shaft 18 is rotated, and the blade lever 16 is rotated around the set shaft 15 with a predetermined time delay from the rotation of the set lever 20, and the wiper (wiping blade) 17 is moved ( The ejection port surface 9a of the recording head 9 is configured to be wiped (wiped) by an arrow X direction in FIG. 4).

In the illustrated example, the turning hole 20f of the boss 20e of the set lever 20 is rotatably fitted to the set shaft 15, and the boss (rotation center) 16a of the blade lever 16 is The pivot hole 20f is rotatably fitted in the pivot hole 20f, and is assembled so as to pivot around the set shaft 15 with such a structure.

A timing gear 21 engageable with the clutch gear 4 of the lead screw 2 is attached to the chassis 1 so as to be rotatable about a parallel axis.

 FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the timing gear 21. FIG.

The timing gear 21 controls the rotation of the set lever 20 and the blade lever 16, and the operation timing of a discharge recovery pump and a discharge port surface sealing cap, which will be described later.

In FIG. 3, on the outer periphery of the timing gear 21, there are formed a bleed cam 21a which can be engaged with the small arms 20a and 20b of the set lever 20, and a drive tooth 21b partially missing teeth.

Further, at a predetermined position of the timing gear 21, a cap cam A2 for moving a cap lever 32 described later is provided.
1c and cap cam B21d, pump described later (FIG. 8)
A piston set cam (end face cam) 21f for pressing the piston 28 and a piston reset cam 21g for resetting the piston 28 at a predetermined interval from the piston set cam 21f are integrally formed. .

In FIG. 1, an ink absorber spring 22 is attached to a predetermined position near the carrier home position of the chassis 1, and the wiper (blade) 17 is slid on the tip of the ink absorber spring 22. By doing so, an ink absorber to which the ink adhered to the wiper 17 is transferred
23 are installed.

The ink absorber 23 is connected to at least one waste ink absorber 45 disposed via a gap in the chassis 1 via an ink transmission member 44 described later.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the arrangement of the discharge port surface 9a of the recording head 9, the wiper 17, and the ink absorber 23, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the ink absorber 23, the ink transmission members 44a and 44b, and the discharged ink absorber. FIG. 6 is a schematic partial perspective view showing the arrangement with the body 45, FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG.

The ink absorber spring 22 is formed of a leaf spring having a predetermined length, and is fixed to the chassis 1 at its base 22c in a cantilever manner, and the distal end portion on which the ink absorber 23 is mounted can be elastically displaced.

An ink transmitting member 44 is provided on the upper surface of the ink absorber spring 22.
a is fixed by bonding or the like.

The ink absorber 23 is fixed at a predetermined position in contact with the front end of the ink transmitting member 44a by an absorber holding portion 22a formed at the front end of the ink absorber spring 22.

On the surface of the left side plate 1a of the chassis 1 on the side of the carrier motor 11, a waste ink absorber 45 is fixed by bonding or the like using a gap between the left side plate 1a and the carrier motor 11. .

In the illustrated example, a band-shaped connecting member 22 extending to the discharged ink absorber 45 is provided at the rear end of the ink absorber spring 22.
The second ink transmission member 44b, one end of which is in contact with the ink transmission member 44a and the other end of which is in contact with the discharged ink absorber 45, is fixed to the surface of the connection member 22b. ing.

In the illustrated example, the connecting member 22b is connected to the ink absorber spring 22 in a state where the connecting member 22b is twisted at substantially 90 degrees, and the ink transmitting members 44a and 44b are attached to respective flat portions with an adhesive or the like. It is fixed with.

The ink absorber 23 is connected to the ink carrier 19 (second
As shown in the figure, it is formed of a hydrophilic porous material.

Similarly, the ink transmitting members 44a and 44b and the waste ink absorber 45 are also formed of a hydrophilic porous material, for example, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).

The ink absorber 23, the ink transmission members 44a, 44b,
The waste ink absorber 45 may be formed of the same material having excellent ink absorbency.

In this manner, the ink transferred to the ink absorber 23 is transmitted to the discharged ink absorber 45 by using the capillary action of the ink transmission members 44a and 44b without saturating the ink absorber 23. Is configured.

The ink absorber 23 is formed with an arc-shaped wiping portion 23a to which the wiper 17 contacts, and further,
Below the ink carrier 19 (FIG. 2), which receives the pre-discharged ink, is formed an arc-shaped absorbing surface 23b through which the ink attached to the ink carrier 19 is transferred. ing.

The absorber holding portion 22a of the ink absorber spring 22
Is biased upward by a slight spring force and is stopped at a predetermined position by a stopper (not shown).

Thus, when the wiper 17 and the ink carrier 19 come into contact with each other, the ink absorber 23 moves slightly downward due to the elastic displacement of the ink absorber spring 22, so that it is always in contact.

In the present embodiment, the ink transmission units 44a and 44b are connected in series, and the ink absorber 23 is connected to one waste ink absorber 45.
The ink absorbing member 23 is connected to a plurality of ink absorbing members by connecting the ink transmitting members 44 (44a, 44b and the like collectively) in parallel or in a mesh as appropriate. It can also be connected to the body 45 in an ink-communicable manner.

Next, the recovery system unit of the ink jet recording apparatus of FIG. 1 will be described.

8 is an exploded perspective view showing a pump for recovery of discharge in FIG. 1, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a single unit of a piston in FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a longitudinal section of the pump in FIG. FIG.
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view when the piston is at the top dead center in the pump of FIG.

8 to 11, the pump cylinder 24 has a cylinder portion 24a and a guide portion 24b for guiding the piston shaft 27. The guide portion 24b has an ink flow path 24c formed of an axial groove. Have been.

The cylinder 24 is provided with a cap lever receiver 24d into which the lever seal 33 is fitted, and an ink flow path 24e opened at a predetermined position.

Also, the cap 24 is provided on the cylinder 24 by a cap spring 43.
A rotating lever 24f that receives a rotating force (spring force) in a direction in which the cap 35 comes into close contact with the discharge port surface 9a is integrally formed.

Further, at one end of the cylinder 24, there is provided an ink absorber mounted inside a feed roller 36 for conveying the recording material 40.
A drain ink tube 24g inserted into 37 (FIG. 1) is integrally formed.

24h indicates an ink flow path formed in the discharge ink tube 24g.

A piston seal 26 is fitted into the other end opening of the cylinder 24, and a cylinder cap 25 having a lever guide 25a is press-fitted to the outside thereof.

The inner diameter of the piston seal 26 is set to a slightly smaller size so that a predetermined pressure contact force can be obtained between the piston seal 26 and the peripheral surface of the piston shaft 27.

Further, in order to reduce the sliding force of the piston shaft 27, the surface of the piston seal 26 may be coated with a lubricant.

The piston shaft 27 has an operation shaft 27a,
7b, a piston receiver 27c, a connection shaft 27d, and a guide shaft 27e are formed.
An axial groove 27f which is continuous and serves as an ink flow path leading to the ink flow path 24h is formed in 7e.

The operating shaft 27a has an axial groove 27g for preventing rotation.
Are formed, and a bearing hole 27h is formed at the protruding end of the operation shaft 27a.

A piston 28 is slidably fitted to the cylinder portion 24a of the cylinder 24, the piston 28 is made of a rubber material such as NBR, and the outer diameter is formed slightly larger than the inner diameter of the cylinder portion 24a. When inserted into the cylinder portion 24a, it is compressed appropriately.

A piston pressing roller 29 and a piston return roller 30 are rotatably attached to a protruding end portion (bearing hole 27h) of the piston shaft 27 via a roller shaft 31.

On the upper side of the cylinder 24, the cap lever receiver
A cap lever 32 whose base end is pivotally mounted is rotatably mounted by 24d and the lever guide 25a.

The cap lever 32 is attached in a direction orthogonal to the cylinder 24.

The cap lever 32 is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 32a and an ink guide 32b projecting from both sides of a base end thereof in a direction parallel to the cylinder 24.

A lever guide having a guide opening at the base end of the cap lever 32 for guiding engagement with the set shaft 15 is provided.
32c is formed to protrude rearward.

Thus, the cap lever 32 is connected to the cylinder 24
The recording head 9 is attached so as to move substantially linearly so as to come into close contact with or separate from the discharge port surface 9a of the recording head 9 by rotating the recording head 9 around its axis.

The tip of the cap lever 32 is provided with a convex spherical sealing surface 32d.

Further, above and below the tip of the cap lever 32,
An engaging portion 32e for engaging the hook 34a of the cap holder 34 is provided.

An ink flow path 32f is formed inside the cap lever 32.

The ink flow path 32f opens at the center of the seal surface 32d, passes through the inside of the lever 32, bends at a right angle at the base end of the lever 32, passes through the center of the ink guide 32b, and passes through the center of the ink guide 32b. It is formed so as to open at the tip end surface of 32b.

A notch or communication hole 32g communicating with the ink flow path 32f is formed below the ink guide 32b.

The ink guide 32b is fitted to a bottomed hole of the cap lever receiver 24d of the cylinder 24 via a cylindrical lever seal 33 made of an elastic material such as rubber.

The lever seal 33 is press-fitted to both the ink guide 32b and the cap lever receiver 24d.

The lever seal 33 is provided with a communication hole 33a for communicating the notch 32g of the ink guide 32b with the ink flow path 24e formed in the cylinder 24 in a substantially radial direction.

Therefore, the ink flow path 32 in the cap lever 32
f communicates with the ink flow path 24e of the cylinder 24 via the communication hole 33a.

The cap holder 34 is fixed to the distal end of the cap lever 32 by engaging means including the hook 34a and the engaging portion 32e.

At the center of the cap holder 34, an opening 34b for attaching the cap 35 is formed.

The cap 35 is for sealing the ejection opening surface 9a of the recording head 9 during non-printing to prevent normal drying of the ink, and is made of a rubber-like elastic material.

A suction port 35a is formed in the cap 35, and the suction port 35a communicates with an opening at the center on the back side of the cap 35 via an internal ink flow path.

On the back side of the cap 35, a flange 35b for fixing the cap to the opening 34b of the cap holder 34
Are formed.

In the assembled state in which the cap 35 is attached to the cap holder 34 and the cap holder 34 is attached to the cap lever 32, the suction port 35a of the cap 35 is connected to the ink passage of the cap lever 32 that opens to the sealing surface 32d. It communicates with 32f in a sealed state.

Returning to FIG. 1, a feed roller 36 for transporting the recording material 40 is provided.
Is obtained by applying an elastic paint (for example, urethane resin) to the surface of a drawn aluminum tube.

Inside the feed roller 36, a waste ink absorber 37 is mounted.

The waste ink absorber 37 is, for example, a plastic cylindrical case such as polyethylene or EVA filled with an absorbent material such as polyester cotton, and is configured to absorb ink well in the axial direction.

A discharge ink tube 24g of the cylinder 24 is inserted and fixed to the discharge ink absorber 37, and the discharge ink discharged from the pump is introduced into the discharge ink absorber 37. Have been.

The recording material 40 is placed on the feed roller 36 on the chassis 1.
A paper pressing plate 38 is attached to make tight contact with the peripheral surface.

The feed roller 36 is controlled and driven by a paper feed motor 39 via a speed reduction mechanism having a predetermined ratio.

At a predetermined position of the chassis 1, a home position detector 41 composed of a transmissive photo interrupter is installed. The home position of the carrier 6 is detected by the detection piece 6b of the carrier 6 blocking the optical path. .

Reference numeral 42 in FIGS. 10 and 11 indicates a pump chamber of a recovery pump.

Next, the operation of the ink jet recording apparatus having the above configuration will be described.

First, in a normal recording operation, the carrier motor 11 is used.
By rotating the lead screw 2 via the timing belt 13, the lead groove of the lead screw 2 is rotated.
The carrier 6 is scanned and moved in the recording digit direction via the lead pin 7 engaged with 2a.

Since the carrier motor 11 is urged in the direction of arrow A by the motor spring 14, the timing belt 13 is always stretched.

An inertia force acts when the carrier 6 moves, starts, and stops. However, since the weight of the carrier motor 11 becomes inertia, the load on the motor spring 14 and the motor load can be reduced.

Further, if an air damper or a hydraulic damper is provided in the portion of the motor spring 14, the noise due to the vibration of the motor rotor when the carrier 6 starts and stops can be reduced.

By appropriately selecting the weight of the motor 11, the weight of the carrier 6, the damping coefficient of the damper of the motor spring 14, etc., the overshoot of the motor 11 can be reduced, and the noise can be reduced. .

In the ejection recovery operation, first, the carrier 6 is moved in the direction of the home position (the direction of the arrow B). The recovery operation is performed by ejecting the thickened ink with the ejection force of the recording head 9.

At the preliminary ejection position, the lead pin 7 is still engaged with the lead groove 2a, and the ejection port 9c faces the ink carrier 19 (FIG. 2).

Also, at the time of normal recording, the ejection port 9c which does not perform ink ejection is provided.
In order to prevent the increase in the viscosity of the ink, the preliminary ejection that is periodically performed is also performed at the preliminary ejection position.

When the lead screw 2 is further rotated to move the carrier 6 in the direction of arrow B, the pressing portion 6a
, The clutch gear 4 moves in the direction of arrow B and engages with the driving teeth 21b (FIG. 3) of the timing gear 21.

Since the clutch gear 4 rotates in synchronization with the lead screw 2, the timing gear 21 rotates in the direction of arrow D (FIGS. 1 and 3) by rotation of the lead screw 2 in the direction of arrow C.

On the other hand, at the position where the clutch gear 4 and the timing gear 21 mesh with each other, the lead pin 7 passes through the introduction groove 3c and enters the recovery groove 3b in the right angle direction.
The carrier 6 does not move even if rotates.

When the timing gear 21 rotates in the direction of arrow D, the blade cam 21a of the timing gear 21 is engaged between the small arms 20a and 20b of the set lever 20, so that the set lever 20 is moved in the direction of arrow E (the (Fig. 2)

At this time, the hook 16c of the blade lever 16 (FIG. 2)
Is engaged with the claw portion of the chassis 1 and the set lever
Since the dowel 20d of 20 is fitted with play into the long hole 16d of the blade lever 16, the rotational force is not immediately transmitted to the blade lever, and at first, only the set lever 20 rotates,
The blade lever 16 has stopped.

On the other hand, since the hook portion 21c of the set lever 20 is engaged with the engaging portion 18a of the blade shaft 18 supported by the blade lever 16, the blade shaft 18 is rotated by the initial rotation of the set lever 20. The wiper (blade) 17 is pushed down in the direction of the arrow F, and is fixed to the wiping position by rotating in the direction G.

When the set lever 20 rotates a predetermined amount, the hook 16
c and the claw of the chassis 1 are disengaged,
The dowel 20d comes into contact with the end of the long hole 16d, so that the set lever 20 and the blade lever 16 rotate integrally.

When the timing gear 21 further rotates in the direction D, the blade lever 16 also rotates in the direction of arrow E together with the set lever 20, and the wiper 17 moves in the direction of arrow X in FIG.
, And the ejection port surface 9a of the recording head 9 is wiped and cleaned (wiping).

When the wiper 17 further rotates, the wiper 17 slides in contact with the wiping portion 23a of the ink absorber 23 held by the ink absorber spring 22 at a predetermined position of the chassis 1, and the ink, water droplets and Dust and the like are transferred to the ink absorber 23.

In this way, foreign matters such as ink, water droplets, and dust wiped from the discharge port surface 9a are transferred to the ink absorber 23, and the wiper 17 itself is cleaned again.

Further, the ink carrier 19 also has an absorbing surface of the ink absorber 23.
The ink carrier 19 is wiped with the wiper
When ink or the like dropped from 17 adheres, this is also transferred to the ink absorber 23.

The ink and water droplets attached to the ink absorber 23 are separated from the ink absorber 44 by the capillary action due to the capillary action.
Through a and 44b, the ink is transmitted to the waste ink absorber 45 disposed in a desired space of the chassis 1.

Accordingly, even when a relatively small volume of the ink absorber 23 is used, the period until the ink absorber 23 is saturated with ink or moisture can be greatly extended.

When the timing gear 21 further rotates in the direction of arrow D, the small arms 20a and 20b of the set lever 20 disengage from the blade cam 21a of the timing gear 21, and the small arms 20a and 20b The timing gear 21 can be moved along the outer circumference of the
No longer transmitted to 20.

Therefore, the set lever 20 and the blade lever 16 are released from the timing gear.

Next, when the timing gear 21 further rotates, the cap cam A21c initially moves the cylinder cap 25 (eighth
Since the rotary claw 25b (FIG. 8) in FIGS. 10, 10 and 11 is regulated, the cap 35 is stopped at a position away from the recording head 9.

Next, when the timing gear 21 further rotates in the direction of arrow D, the cap cam A21c moves away from the rotating claw 25b,
The cylinder 24 is rotated in the direction of arrow G (FIG. 8) by the urging force of the cap spring 43 stretched between the chassis 1 and the rotation lever 24f of the cylinder 24, and is interlocked with the rotation of the cylinder 24. The cap lever 32 moves toward the discharge port surface 9a,
The cap 35 is in close contact with the discharge port surface 9a.

Thus, the capping operation of the recording head 9 is completed.

The above operations are the cleaning (wiping) operation and the capping operation of the discharge port surface 9a. Usually, the operation stops here and waits for the next recording start signal.

If there is a next recording start signal, the above operations are performed in reverse, and then the recording operation starts.

On the other hand, if there is a rotation operation signal in the standby state, the suction operation by the pump starts.

 Next, this pump operation will be described.

First, the rotation of the timing gear 21 causes the piston set cam 21f (FIG. 3) to press the piston pressing roller 29 (FIGS. 8 to 11) attached to the piston shaft 27. Move in the direction of arrow H.

Due to the movement of the piston shaft 27, the piston 28 is also pushed and moves in the direction of the arrow H, and the pressure in the pump chamber 42 becomes negative.

In this case, the ink passage 24e of the cylinder 24 is open to the cylinder portion 24a until the rib 28d of the piston 28 on the piston shaft 27 reaches, and communicates with the ink passage 24h through the groove 27f. Therefore, the piston 28 can move only by increasing the negative pressure in the pump chamber 42.

On the other hand, the piston shaft 27 is further pushed in,
The piston rib portion 28d in contact with 24a is
After passing through 24e, the ink flow path 24e opens again, and the ink from the recording head 9 is sucked through the suction port 35a of the cap 35.

The sucked ink flows into the pump chamber 42 through the ink flow path 32f in the cap lever 32, the communication hole 33a of the lever seal 33 and the ink flow path 24e of the cylinder 24.

When the timing gear 21 further rotates, the cap cam
The rotation shaft 32a of the cap lever 32 is slightly moved backward by B21d (FIG. 3), the cap 35 is slightly separated from the discharge port surface 9a, and the residual negative pressure in the pump chamber 42 causes the discharge port surface 9a and the suction cap 35 to move. Is sucked to eliminate residual ink.

Next, the timing gear 21 is moved in the reverse direction (arrow I in FIG. 3).
Direction), the piston reset cam 21g pulls the piston return roller 30 (FIG. 8), and the piston shaft 27
Is moved in the direction of arrow J.

At this time, the piston 28 is
Since c moves after contact, a gap Δl is generated between the end face 28h of the piston 28 and the piston retainer 27b.

By the movement of the piston shaft 27 and the piston 28 in the direction of the arrow J, the discharged ink sucked into the pump chamber 42 passes through the gap Δl described above, and further, the groove 27f of the piston shaft 27 → the ink flow path 24c of the cylinder 24 → Ink flow path 24 in drain ink tube 24g
After passing through h, the ink is discharged to the vicinity of the center of the discharged ink absorber 37 mounted inside the feed roller 36.

According to the above-described embodiment, the wiper 17 for cleaning the discharge port surface 9a of the recording head 9 by appropriately arranging the waste ink absorber 45 using the gap of the ink jet recording apparatus.
Since the ink absorber 23 to which the wiped ink is transferred and the waste ink absorber 45 are connected by the ink transmission members 44a and 44b, the capillary effect of the ink in the ink transmission members 44a and 44b is used to make the connection. Ink can be sent to the waste ink absorber 45, and therefore, the period until the ink absorber 23 is saturated with ink can be greatly increased without increasing the volume of the ink absorber 23, The ink absorption ability was greatly improved.

Further, since the waste ink absorber 45 is fixedly arranged by bonding or the like utilizing a gap in the recording apparatus, by arranging the shape in a plate shape or the like to match the gap,
It can be arranged freely without restrictions on volume and number, and therefore has a very simple structure and extremely high ink absorption capacity without significantly impairing the miniaturization of the recording device, greatly increasing the number of recordings. Thus, an ink jet recording apparatus which can be used was obtained.

Since the ink transmitting members 44a and 44b are for transmitting ink, even if the cross-sectional area is small (for example, 1 mm in thickness), the ink transmitting members 44a and 44b are sufficiently effective. Was able to be demonstrated.

FIG. 12 shows a plurality of (four in the illustrated example) discharged ink absorbers 45 for one ink absorber 23 and an ink transmitting member.
FIG. 44 is a schematic view showing an example of the arrangement in the case of connection at 44.

By using the plurality of waste ink absorbers 45 in this manner, the internal space of the recording apparatus can be more effectively utilized, and the ink absorbing ability of the ink absorber 23 can be more easily improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the cartridge type recording head 9 integrated with the ink tank 9b is used as the recording head has been exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the type of recording type that requires almost no replacement is used. When a head is used, the same can be implemented, and the same effect can be achieved.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a serial scan type ink jet recording apparatus in which the recording head 9 is mounted on the carrier 6 has been described as an example. The present invention can be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus of another recording method, such as a line type ink jet recording apparatus using a line type recording head covering a recording area in the paper width direction, and can achieve the same operation and effect.

Further, the present invention can be applied regardless of the number of recording heads.

The present invention particularly provides an excellent effect in an ink jet recording apparatus using a bubble jet type ink jet recording head proposed by Canon Inc. among the ink jet recording methods.

The representative configuration and principle are preferably performed using the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796.

This method can be applied to any of the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged on a sheet or a liquid path holding a liquid (ink). By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal transducer, which corresponds to the recorded information and provides a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling,
This is effective because thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and the film is boiled on the heat-acting surface of the recording head. As a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in one-to-one correspondence with the drive signal.

By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed.

When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,434,262 are suitable.

Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As a configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination configuration (a linear liquid flow path or a right-angled liquid flow path) of a discharge port, a liquid path, and an electrothermal converter as disclosed in each of the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting section A configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which the is bent, is also included in the present invention.

In addition, JP-A-59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an aperture for absorbing pressure waves of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration in which is adapted to a discharge unit.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be reduced by a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification. Either a configuration that satisfies the above or a configuration as a single recording head that is integrally formed may be used, but the present invention can more effectively exert the above-described effects.

In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and supplied with ink from the apparatus main body by being attached to the apparatus main body, or provided integrally with the recording head itself The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head is used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like, which are provided as components of the printing apparatus of the present invention, since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized.

If these are specifically mentioned, for the recording head,
Capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof, and performing a predischarge mode in which discharge is performed separately from recording. Is also effective for performing stable recording.

Further, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to a printing mode of only a mainstream color such as black, and a printing head may be integrally configured or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus having at least one of the full colors.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but the ink is solidified at room temperature or below, and is softened or liquid at room temperature, or the ink itself is 30 ° C. In general, the temperature is adjusted within a range of not more than ° C. and the temperature is controlled so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. Therefore, it is sufficient that the ink is in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied.

In addition, positively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or prevent ink that solidifies in a standing state to prevent evaporation of the ink. Or use
In any case, heat is first applied by heat energy, such as one in which ink is liquefied and ejected as an ink liquid by application in accordance with a recording signal of heat energy, and one which already starts to solidify when reaching a recording material. Use of an ink having a liquefying property is also applicable to the present invention.

In such a case, as in JP-A-54-56847, the ink is opposed to the electrothermal converter while being held as a liquid or a solid in the concave portions or through holes of the porous sheet. It is good also as a form.

In the present invention, the most effective one for the above-described ink is to execute the above-described film boiling method.

〔The invention's effect〕

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention of claim 1, in an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head ink discharge port to a recording material, the ink discharge port of the recording head A wiper that slides on and cleans the discharge port surface provided with the wiper, and an ink absorber that is disposed so as to be in contact with the wiper after cleaning the discharge port surface, and onto which ink attached to the wiper is transferred. ,
A waste ink absorber arranged in an internal space in the recording device,
The ink absorber and the waste ink absorber are arranged at predetermined positions in contact with both absorbers to connect the ink absorber, and guide the ink in the ink absorber to the waste ink absorber using a capillary phenomenon. An ink transmitting member, and the ink transferred from the wiper to the ink absorbing member is sent to the discharged ink absorbing member through the ink transmitting member, without impairing the miniaturization of the recording apparatus, and With a simple structure, the ink absorbing ability of the ink absorber can be greatly improved, thereby improving the function of cleaning the wiper and the function of cleaning the ejection opening surface by the wiper.

According to the invention of claims 2 to 5, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, the ink absorber is mounted on the tip of a cantilevered spring material, and the wiper comes in contact with the ink absorber. The ink carrier for receiving ink preliminarily ejected from the recording head is provided so as to move integrally with the wiper, and the ink carrier is brought into contact with a part of the ink absorber so that the ink carrier is brought into contact with the wiper. A configuration in which the ink on the ink carrier is transferred to the ink absorber, a configuration in which the ink carrier is connected to a plurality of discharged ink absorbers via a plurality of ink transmission members, or the ink transmission member includes Since the absorber and the waste ink absorber are configured to be members having better ink transmission properties, a function of cleaning the wiper and a cleaner for the discharge port surface by the wiper are provided. It can be further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a main part of an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a set lever and a blade lever supported by a set shaft in FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the timing gear in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the operation of the wiper in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a discharge ink absorbing system in FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. 5, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the recovery pump and the cap in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the piston alone in FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pump in FIG.
The figure is a longitudinal sectional view of the pump of FIG. 8 when the piston is at the top dead center, and FIG. 12 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of a discharged ink absorbing system when a plurality of discharged ink absorbers are used. . In the following, reference numerals indicating major components in the drawings are listed. 1 ... chassis, 1h ... lead arm, 2 ... lead screw, 4 ... clutch gear, 6 ... carrier, 9 ...
… Recording head, 9a… ejection port surface, 9b… ink tank section, 9c… ejection port, 11… carrier motor, 13… timing belt, 15… set shaft, 16… blade lever, 17… ... wiper (blade), 18 ... blade shaft,
19 ... ink carrier, 20 ... set lever, 21 ... timing gear, 21a ... blade cam, 22 ... ink absorber spring, 23 ... ink absorber, 23a ... wiping part, 23b ...
... Absorbing surface, 24 ... Cylinder (pump), 27 ... Piston shaft (pump), 28 ... Piston (pump), 32 ... Cap lever, 34 ... Cap holder, 35 ... Cap, 35a ... Suction Mouth 36, feed roller 40, recording material 42, pump chamber 44, 44a, 44b ink transmission member 45 ink absorber.

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] An ink jet recording apparatus for performing recording by discharging ink from an ink discharge port of a recording head to a recording material, wherein the surface of the recording head is slid in contact with the discharge port surface where the ink discharge port is arranged. A wiper to be cleaned, an ink absorber arranged so as to be able to contact the wiper after cleaning the ejection opening surface, and to which ink attached to the wiper is transferred, and a discharged ink arranged in an internal space in the recording apparatus An absorber, disposed at a predetermined position in contact with the two absorbers to connect the ink absorber and the waste ink absorber, and using the capillary phenomenon to absorb the ink in the ink absorber into the waste ink absorber; And an ink transmitting member for guiding the ink into the body, and sending the ink transferred from the wiper to the ink absorbing member to the discharged ink absorbing member through the ink transmitting member. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized. 2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the ink absorber is mounted on a tip of a cantilevered spring material, and is slightly elastically displaced downward when the wiper abuts. Recording device. 3. An ink carrier for receiving ink preliminarily ejected from a recording head is provided so as to move integrally with the wiper, and the ink carrier is brought into contact with a part of the ink absorber so that the ink carrier is provided on the ink carrier. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink is transferred to the ink absorber. 4. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ink absorber is connected to a plurality of waste ink absorbers via a plurality of ink transmitting members. 5. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said ink transmitting member is a member having a higher ink transmitting property than said ink absorbing member and said discharged ink absorbing member. . 6. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein said recording head is an ink jet recording head having an electrothermal transducer for generating thermal energy used for discharging ink. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims. 7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the recording head discharges the ink from a discharge port using film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy generated by the electrothermal transducer. .