JPH08238784A - Method and device for reducing aerosol in ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform printing of high quality even if quick-drying pigment base ink is used by providing an ink jet printing head generating an aerosol within a container and an aerosol collecting system electrostatically collecting at least a part of the aerosol from the container. SOLUTION: A filter system 82 and a boxer fan unit 100 are provided to an ink jet aerosol collecting system 80 of an ink jet printing head. The filter system has a fine filter unit 100 in addition to a coarse filter unit 85 to form one unit along with the fan unit 100 and removes particles of the ink jet aerosol emitted from a printing head. That is, particles of the aerosol are sucked by air particles 120, 122, 125, 126, 128. The clean air passed through the coarse filter unit 85, the boxer fan unit 100 and the fine filter unit 110 issues through the louver 130 of the outer casing 23 of a printer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to inkjet printing devices, and more particularly to an improved aerosol reduction method and apparatus for collecting suspended ink aerosols generated by inkjet printheads.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet printing devices use pens that eject drops of a liquid colorant onto a page. This liquid colorant is commonly referred to herein as an "ink." Each pen has a printhead with very small nozzles through which ink drops are ejected. To print the image, the printhead ejects drops as it moves back and forth across the page. To clean and protect the printhead, a "service station" mechanism is typically mounted within the printer chassis. The service station typically includes a capping system for the storage or non-printing of the device. The capping system protects the printhead nozzles from contamination and drying. Some capping systems are further designed to facilitate priming, such as by connecting to a pumping device that provides a vacuum to the printhead.

During operation, the printhead becomes clogged.
It is periodically cleaned by ejecting multiple drops of ink through each nozzle in a process known as "spitting." Usually, waste ink is
Collected in the tank installed at the station. This reservoir is often referred to as the spitoon.
At most service stations, after spitting, after removing the cap, or occasionally during printing, elastomeric wipers wipe the printhead surface, along with paper dust and other dirt that collects on the printhead. Remove residual ink.

In order to improve the clarity and contrast of printed images, recent research has focused on improving the ink itself. Pigment-based inks have been developed for faster, water-resistant printing, black for blacks and colors for more vividness. Such pigment-based inks have a higher solids content than conventional dye-based inks, resulting in a higher optical density of the pigment-based ink. Both types of ink dry quickly, so plain paper can be used in inkjet printing devices. Unfortunately, the combination of small nozzles and quick-drying inks can easily clog the printhead. This clogging is caused not only by the dried ink and fine dust particles or paper fibers, but also by the solids contained in the new ink itself. If the nozzles are partially or completely clogged, the drops may not be ejected or misdirected onto the print medium, in either case the print quality is degraded. Therefore, when using pigment-based inks, spitting to clean the nozzle becomes more important. This is because if the solid content is higher than in the conventional dye-based ink, clogging is more likely to occur.

Unfortunately, in spitting, as in printing, aerosols of ink (floating matter) are generated. This is about 0.1
Particles of ink floating in the air of −5.0 μm, which are generated each time the print head ejects an ink droplet of a desired size to perform printing or spitting. Droplets larger than 5.0 microns typically hit the desired location on the print medium or in the spittoon of the service station rather than as an airborne suspension. This is because new pigment-based inks require more spitting to refresh nozzles than dye-based inks, partly because of their higher resolution and higher solids content. There is more opportunity for aerosols to be generated when using new inks.

Due to their small size and mass, these aerosol particles float in the air and attach to various undesirable locations, such as the surface inside a printer. Airflow is generated by the movement of the printhead carriage,
This can cause the aerosol of ink to be carried on important components such as the encoder optics and encoder leads at the carriage position. Aerosol encapsulation of optical encoder components can cause light scattering and refraction as well as opacity, which leads to loss of carriage position and velocity information. In addition, the adherence of the ink aerosol may not only shorten the life of important parts but also increase the friction of the movable parts to cause corrosion. For example, ink aerosol can accumulate along the guide rods of the printhead carriage, which shortens bearing life and increases friction during normal operation.

Further, such aerosols may accumulate on work surfaces near the printer, from which they may adhere to the operator's fingers, clothing or other nearby objects. When a pen ejects ink to print an image, these unwanted aerosol droplets often do not float inside the printer and stick to the page. Unfortunately, these unwanted drops can thus reduce print quality. Efforts to improve reliability have also contributed to this aerosol problem. For example, a solvent with a slow evaporation rate has been used to solve the above-mentioned problem of nozzle clogging, but unfortunately, if such a solvent is used, even a small amount of aerosol droplets will be attached to the printer once. Once done, it takes a very long time to dry.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a general object of the present invention to provide an ink jet printing apparatus that prints clear and vivid images using a pigment-based ink, which preferably dries quickly. .

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of collecting drifting airborne ink aerosols that occur during operation of an inkjet printhead.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of operating an inkjet printing apparatus that controls the aerosol of ink that is floated in the air generated by ejecting ink from an inkjet printhead. Deals with this inkjet aerosol problem by. The method includes ejecting ink through an inkjet printhead to produce desired ink drops and by-products including floating ink suspensions. In the depositing step, desired ink droplets are deposited at selected positions. In the moving step, the floating ink float is moved to the collection position. The method also includes electrostatically trapping at least a portion of the floating ink suspension at the collection location.

According to another aspect of the invention, an enclosure
There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus having an inkjet printhead in which ink is selectively jetted into a re) to print, and the jet of the ink also generates an aerosol of ink floating in the air in a container. The printing device also has an ink aerosol collection system that statically collects at least a portion of the airborne ink aerosol from within the container.

In the illustrated embodiment, the aerosol collection system includes a unit of coarse filters, fine filters, and a fan sandwiched between the coarse and fine filters. The fine filters shown include micron level electrostatic filters. Preferably, the fine filter fibers have positive and negative charges in different regions, and the overall charge of the filter cloth is electrically neutral. The positively and negatively charged fibers are attracted to a suspension of ink aerosol with opposite polarities and opposite properties, and clean air is expelled from the printer.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an inkjet printing apparatus, constructed in accordance with the present invention and shown herein as inkjet printer 20. It is adapted for use in printing business reports, correspondence, desktop publishing, etc. in industrial, office, home and other environments. Various inkjet printing devices are commercially available. For example, plotters, portable printing units, copiers, cameras, video printers, facsimile machines, etc., are just some of the printing devices in which the present invention may be implemented. For convenience, the inventive concept is shown in the environment of an inkjet printer 20.

While it is clear that the parts of the printer will vary by model, a conventional inkjet printer 2
0 includes a chassis 22, which is surrounded by a casing, housing or container 23, preferably made of plastic material. The printer 20 also includes a print media feed system 24 that supplies the printer 20 with a sheet of print media. The print medium may be any type of suitable sheet material such as paper, card paper, transparent sheet, mylar, foil, etc., but for convenience, the illustrated embodiment,
Description will be made using paper as the print medium. The print media feed system 24 moves print media from the supply tray 26 into the print zone 25 of the output tray 28 using, for example, a series of prior art motor driven rollers (not shown).

In the print zone 25, the media sheet is
Ink is received from an inkjet cartridge, such as one or both of black ink cartridge 30 and color ink cartridge 32. Cartridges 30, 3
2 is also referred to as a "pen" by those skilled in the art. The illustrated color pen 32 is a three-color pen, but in some embodiments,
A group of individual monochromatic pens may be used, or a monochromatic black pen 30 may be used. The color pen 32 may contain pigment-based ink, but in the figure
The pen 32 will be described as containing ink based on dyes of three colors such as cyan, yellow, and magenta.
Black ink pen 30 is shown herein as containing a pigment-based ink. Obviously, other types of ink, such as paraffin-based inks, as well as hybrid or composite inks having both dye and pigment properties may be used in the pens 30,32.

Although the illustrated cartridges or pens 30, 32 each include an ink reservoir for storing the supply ink therein, other supply ink storage devices, such as those having an ink reservoir (not shown) mounted along the chassis, may be used. You may use.
Each of the cartridges 30 and 32 has a print head 3
4, 36. The print heads 34, 36 each have a bottom surface, which includes an orifice plate having a plurality of nozzles formed therethrough in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. The illustrated printheads 34, 36 are thermal ink jet printheads, but other types of printheads such as piezoelectric printheads may be used. The printheads 34, 36 typically include a plurality of resistors associated with the nozzles. Upon energizing the selected resistor, a bubble is formed and a drop of ink is ejected from the nozzle onto the sheet of paper in the print zone 25 below the nozzle.

The cartridges or pens 30, 32 are carried by a carriage 38. Prior art drive belt /
The carriage 38 can be driven along the guide rod 40 by means of a pulley and motor arrangement (not shown). The pens 30, 32 selectively deposit a plurality of ink drops on a page of print media according to instructions received from a printer controller, such as a microprocessor, via a strip 42 of leads. The printer controller, such as this microprocessor, can normally be mounted in the area of chassis 22 indicated by arrow 44. As schematically shown in FIG. 1, a host device, which is typically a computer such as a personal computer 45, generates a command signal 46, which is transmitted to the controller 44 via a conductor. The printhead carriage motor and the paper feed system drive motor operate in response to the printer controller 44, the manner of which is well known to those skilled in the art. The printer controller is also operable in response to input made by the user through the keypad. This keypad can be located outside the casing 23, typically in the area indicated by arrow 48. Monitor computer 45
Use by connecting to the printer status and computer 45
Visual information such as a specific program being executed may be displayed to the operator. Personal computers, input devices such as keyboards and / or mouse devices, and monitors are all well known to those skilled in the art.

Printer chassis 22 and casing 2
3 is arranged at one end of the traveling path of the carriage 38 and constitutes a space shaped to accommodate the service station 50. The service station 50 has a tumbler section 54. The tumbler portion 54 is a frame 52.
Mounted on, and is rotated by a motor through a suitable gear or belt assembly (not shown) that engages the drive gear 60. The tumbler 54 includes a body 62. The main body 62 can support a color ink cap 64 and a black ink cap 65. Body 6
2 also includes black and color printheads 34, 36.
Each of them can be wiped respectively, and color and black ink wipers 66, 68 can be supported. Wiper 6
6, 68 may be, for example, nitrile rubber, an elastomeric material such as an ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) elastomer, or other type of rubbery material known to those skilled in the art. Tumbler assembly 54
The wipers 66 and 68 by rotating the print heads 34 and 36.
You can wipe it by moving across. Other functions, such as primers, known to those skilled in the art can be provided on the body 62.

The service station 50 may also include an ink collection chamber or "ink fountain" portion 70.
This may include multiple fountain chambers. In the illustrated embodiment, the fountain portion 70 comprises a single chamber containing ink that is selectively ejected or “ejected” from the pens 30, 32 when the pens 30, 32 are positioned on the fountain 70. are doing. A liner 72 of absorbent material (see FIG. 2) can be placed near the bottom of the spittoon 70 so that the ejected ink can be retained during drying. Typical liquid absorbents for the liner 72 may be felts, pressboards, sponges, foams, and the like, known to those skilled in the art. In fact, the liner 72 also absorbs any leaked ink and can be extended below other components of the service station 50 to increase the capillary path that the liquid from the spittoon 70 travels before vaporizing. The ink fountain 70 has a wall member 7.
It is separated from the drive gear 60 by 4.

It is apparent that a device other than the tumbler body 62 can be used to realize the functions of capping, wiping, etc. on the pen. For example, gears or linkages (not shown) known to those skilled in the art can be used to selectively engage service station equipment 64, 65 and 66, 68 with each of printheads 34, 36. . For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,853,717 and 5,155,497, both assigned to the Hewlett-Packard Company, assignee of the present invention.
In the publication, a suitable translating or floating platform type service station operating mechanism is shown. However, the tumbler concept shown in FIGS. 1-4 is preferred because of its ease of implementation and adaptability.

(Ink Aerosol Collection System-First
2) and 3 show a first embodiment of an inkjet aerosol collection system 80 constructed in accordance with the present invention. Collection system 80 includes an entrapment unit, such as a filter or filter system 82. The dust remover may include one or more steps for capturing the ink aerosol 84 generated by the pen 30 during, for example, spitting (purging) into the ink fountain 70 shown in FIG. In the illustrated embodiment, the filter system 82 is a two stage system. The filter system 82 includes a coarse first stage pre-filter unit 85 mounted along the inner surface of the front wall 86 of the service station frame 52, as shown in phantom in FIG. Preferably, the front wall 86 has an airflow opening 88 formed therethrough. It is circular in the illustrated embodiment.

Prefilter unit 85 includes a coarse filter element or sheet 90. It is preferably made of open cell polyurethane foam material and has 3.88-11.62 pores per square centimeter (25-75 pores per square inch), but more preferably 6.20-7.7 per square centimeter
5 pores (40-50 pores per square inch)
And even more preferably has nominally 6.98 pores per square centimeter (45 pores per square inch). A suitable nominal thickness for the prefilter sheet 90 is on the order of 3 millimeters. Other structurally similar materials known to those skilled in the art can be used as the filtration medium 90.

The prefilter unit 85 also includes a rigid mounting member such as a craft board, cardboard, cardboard, or plastic liner 92. The rough filter sheet 90 may be adhered or otherwise joined to the liner 92, for example, using an adhesive. Preferably,
The liner 92 has a pair of ears or tabs 94 that are each received in a groove 96 formed in the wall of the service station frame 52. Preferably, the prefilter unit 85 has a bypass portion, such as a semi-circular portion 98 made up of the liner 92 and the medium 90. This ensures that air continues to flow through the front wall opening 88 even when the prefilter media 90 is clogged.

Aerosol collection system 80 also includes ventilation components. The ventilation component may be any type of air moving device such as, for example, a centrifugal fan, a compressed air source, piezoelectric blades. In the illustrated embodiment, the ventilation component includes a unit 100 of a boxer fan, such as a fan driven by a DC brushless motor rated at 12 volts DC, 0.21 amps. The fan 100 includes a conductive wire 101. The lead wire 101 can be connected to a power source (not shown) mounted on the printer 20.

The boxer fan 100 is preferably supported by a fan mounting frame 102. The fan mounting frame 102 is mounted inside the casing 23 of the printer adjacent to the service station 50. Not only to absorb the vibration of all the fans, but also to cope with the fact that the thickness of the fans varies from supplier to supplier,
Collection system 80 can include a suitable plastic or foam spacer or shim 104. Spacers or shims 104 are provided on the frame 10 below the fan 100.
Located within 2. Suitably a foam gasket 10
6 is fitted between the front wall 86 of the service station and the fan mounting bracket 102. Gasket 1
06 hermetically seals around the opening 88 and conveniently damps any vibrations due to the rotation of the boxer fan 100. Preferably, the gasket 106 is glued to the back of the fan frame 102.

The filter system 82 includes a coarse filter 8
5 in addition to the finer second stage final filter unit 1
Including 10. The final filter unit 110 is housed in the filter mounting frame 108. The final filter unit 110 includes a filter element 112 mounted within a casing 114. Filter casing 114
May be of a single plastic construction, as shown, or made of cardboard or other cellulosic material. Preferably, the casing 114 has a pair of locating notches 115. The positioning notch 115 is provided on the mounting frame 108.
Engage a pair of hooks 116 therein. The frame 108 also has at least one retaining hook 118 that engages the outer surface of the filter casing 114 to secure the fine filter 110 within the frame 108.

Preferably, the filter 110 is a frame 10
8 is fixed inside the fan 100 and the fan 100 is mounted on the frame 1
02 and the final filter frame 108 while sandwiched between the fan 100 and the final filter assembly 110.
Are fixed together as one unit. The fan frame 102 serves well as a positioning member for both the fan 100 and the final filter mounting frame 108. An assembly fastening device such as four screws 119 may be used for the frame 102, 108, fan 100, and appropriate spacer 10.
4 (if used) are inserted into holes located in each of the four corners to secure the fan / filter assembly together to facilitate assembly.

The final filter element 112 is preferably a micron level filter of electrostatically charged fabric. The charging of the filter cloth applies a positive electrostatic charge to a portion of the filter's fibers and a negative electrostatic charge to another portion of the filter's fibers, resulting in a net charge on the filter's fibers as a whole. It is performed so as to be electrically neutral. One suitable charging filter is the 3M Filtrete ™ air filter media,
Sold by 3M, Inc. of St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. In particular, GSB-50 type 3M Filto ™ media is preferred, although other equivalent materials known to those skilled in the art may be used. One suitable filter medium has a charge density of about 75 nC / cm2, a basis weight of about 50 g / m2, has a reinforcing scrim for strength and homogeneity, and has a suitable coating to prevent static electricity. It is a split fiber medium made of charged polypropylene fibers. To increase filtration efficiency and / or volume without affecting airflow, the filter media is preferably pleated or corrugated and fan-folded as shown. By electrostatically charging the fibers of the filter 112, the particles of the ink aerosol are attracted efficiently. For example, this suitable filter media has been found to be capable of removing about 85% of particles 1.0 micron and larger in size.

The operation of the aerosol collection system 80 causes the printhead 3 to print during printing and spitting.
Inkjet aerosol particles or suspensions emitted by 4, 36 are effectively removed from the interior of the printer 20. From the following description of operation, a method of reducing the amount of inkjet aerosols floating in the air and collecting such aerosols from the interior of the printer container 23 is also realized. During operation, the fan 100 is attached to the printer casing 23.
The system 80 mounted along the front of the
As shown at 20, it draws in air and carries the inkjet aerosol out of the interior of the printer. In the illustrated embodiment, it has been found that the inhalation of the aerosol by the air stream 120 reduces the overall aerosol in the printer 20.

Further, as shown by an arrow 122, an aerosol extraction path passing through the chimney portion of the ink fountain 70 is also provided. In the airflow path 122, the air preferably moves at a slow rate, causing large aerosol ink particles generated during spitting to be carried through the chimney through holes 124 near the bottom of the spittoon 70. Ink flotation occurs in the ink fountain holes 124 as indicated by arrows 125.
From within the service station frame 52 and through the collection system 80. It has been found to be particularly advantageous to prevent all of the air containing the aerosol from being drawn through the chimney of the spittoon 70. This is because a low velocity air stream entrains small aerosol particles with diameters on the order of 0.2-10.0 microns, while larger aerosol particles follow the bottom of the spittoon 70. Because it precipitates. Other airflow paths through the service station 50 and into the collection system 80 are indicated by arrows 126, 128.

Preferably, most of the total volume of air from inside the printer is drawn through air stream 120. The air stream 120 is dirty in that it contains small aerosol particles that occur during normal printing.
The air streams 120-128 are all cleaned when sucked through the collection system 80. The coarse or prefilter unit 85 extracts the coarsest aerosol drops from the combined air stream. In fact, it has been found that the pre-filter unit 85 prevents the final filtration system 110 from being overloaded and prevents the rotary vanes of the boxer fan 100 from getting wet with ink.

The air cleaned through the coarse filter unit 85, the boxer fan 100, and the fine filter unit 110 is transferred to the outer casing 2 of the printer 20.
3 through a series of louvers 130. In the illustrated example, the air passing through the louver 130 has been found to be clean enough to be acceptable to the user and the surrounding environment adjacent the printer 20. Although the illustrated printer 20 is shown to expel the cleaned airflow to the outside of the container 23, other embodiments return the cleaned airflow to the interior of the container 23, or simply below the printer. Obviously, it may be preferable to evacuate to eliminate the need for an outlet louver 130.

Fresh fresh make-up air must be drawn into printer 20 instead of exhausted air. The first path of this replacement air is shown by arrow 132. This air is drawn in from the top of the printed page 134, which is in front of the case opening. The second path of the replacement air is the louver 1
35, 136. Louvers 135, 13
6 is formed on the side surface and the rear surface of the casing 23 as shown in FIG. 4, but is omitted in FIG. 1 for the sake of clarity. By drawing the first make-up air 132 over the new print page, the aerosol collection along the print media feed system 24 that the user sees or interacts with when refilling the input tray 26 can be successfully reduced. Further, the aerosol generated during the printing of the next page is conveniently drawn inside the printer and collected, rather than falling onto the previously printed page 134.
A second aerosol extraction path is provided by the make-up air drawn through the louvers 135, 136, which causes the aerosol to be printed in the print zone 25, the controller electronics 44, and the printhead carriage. Prior art position feedback information for 38 can be pulled away from the optical encoder components that can provide controller 44.

(Ink Aerosol Collection System-Other Embodiments) According to the present invention, there are advantages and disadvantages depending on how the ink jet printing apparatus is implemented.
Various other aerosol collection systems have also been devised. FIG.
Illustrates various aerosol abatement concepts provided by a variety of different aerosol extraction systems. Any one or more of these concepts may affect printer 138.
Can be implemented on a given printer, designated as. For example, in most designs shown in Figure 4,
While the aerosol of ink that floats inside the container 23 is removed, some do not achieve the removal of spitting-generated aerosol as well as the collection system 80 of FIGS. 1-3. Unless noted otherwise, the filtration system 82 and fan unit 100 may be used in the other illustrated embodiments described below. Filtration system 82 and fan 100 may be assembled as described above for collection system 80, with minor modifications, such as sandwiching an appropriate coarse prefilter 85 between fan frame 102 and gasket 106.

Another first embodiment of the aerosol collection system is the print zone extraction system 140 shown in FIG. 4, which has a plurality of extraction ports, eg, 142, 144, 14.
6, 148 are included. Each of the extraction ports 142-148 extracts air through the rear of the printer chassis behind the carriage guide rod 40, as shown by the curved arrow 149. The clean air is in the container 23
It can be returned inside the printer or evacuated outside the container. Each of the extraction ports 142-148 may have a filter and fan unit as described above for the collection system 80, but preferably the unit diameter is smaller than that of the collection system 80. For example,
A number of extraction ports 142-148 are used in the illustrated printer 2.
0 can be used in the range of the inner diameter of about 1.0 to 3.0 cm. Alternatively, each of the multiple extraction ports 142-148 may be connected to a collection system 80.
It may be engaged with a manifold, exhaust duct, or other plenum device (not shown) having a single filter and fan unit as described above. Such a manifold extraction system can be evacuated (not shown) to the back, side, bottom, or top of printer 138. Size, number of multiple extraction ports 142-148,
It is also clear that the position may be changed from that shown for the printer 20 shown for various particular implementations.

FIG. 4 illustrates another second embodiment, a backside aerosol extraction system 150. Back extraction system 150
Has a fan and filter unit mounted behind the printer chassis 22 that extends through the rear surface of the casing 23. The system 150 extracts and removes aerosol from the interior of the container 23 and then expels the cleaned air along an outlet path 152 behind the printer 138.

A third alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 4 as a top aerosol extraction system 160. Top surface extraction system 1
60 draws aerosolized air upwards from inside the printer 138 through a fan and filter unit. System 160 pulls aerosol from both print zone 25 and service station 50,
The cleaned air stream 162 is then exhausted upward from the printer 138.

A fourth alternative aerosol extraction system is shown in FIG. 4 as side top extraction system 170. The side top extraction system 170 draws aerosol-filled dirty air upwards from the service station 50 across the interior of the printer 138. The system 170 exhausts a cleaned air stream, shown as air stream 172, to the side of the printer.

A fifth alternative extraction system is shown in FIG. 4 as side lower extraction system 180. The lower side extraction system 180 draws the aerosol across the print zone 25 and through the service station 50. The system 180 then exhausts the cleaned airflow 182 through the sides of the printer casing 23.

A sixth alternative extraction system is shown in FIG. 4 as bottom mounted extraction system 190. Bottom extraction system 1
Reference numeral 90 designates a lower extraction port 192, which is formed by the frame 52 of the service station, from the air from which aerosol has been removed.
Pull through. The system 190 then passes the clean air to the air stream 1 at the bottom of the printer chassis 22.
Exhaust via 94.

Each of these various other embodiments has its advantages and disadvantages when mounted on a prototype printer 138 of the general shape and construction shown in FIG. 4 with different results. For example, the print zone extraction embodiment 140 was thought to effectively reduce the aerosol in the print zone 25, but increased the cost of the overall printer 138 due to the large number of extraction ports and the large number of fans.

The back extraction system 150 of the second embodiment.
Is in a position that is easy to mount when used in the illustrated printer 138, which also effectively reduced the amount of aerosol. However, print zone embodiments 140 and 15
In both 0, the aerosol ejected during the spitting was not extracted, and only the aerosol generated by printing was extracted.

The top mounted extraction system 160 handles both the aerosol generated by printing and the aerosol generated by ejection. In fact, it has been found that the system 160 effectively reduces the airborne aerosols. Unfortunately, in the top mount system 160, the aerosol of ink was drawn through the guide rod 40 of the carriage and the strip of optical encoder 196 that the printhead carriage 38 and computer 45 (see FIG. 1) used as a carriage position feedback mechanism. . Covering the encoder strip 196 with atomized ink particles led to a loss of carriage position information to the printer controller 44.

It has been found that the lateral top extraction system 170 significantly reduces airborne aerosols. Unfortunately, system 170 also extracted particles of aerosol ink through button controls and lights that operate in the area behind keypad 48.

The lower flank extraction system 180 could be mounted at a convenient location adjacent to the service station frame 52. Unfortunately, however, the system 180 has been found to perform poorly, for example, as compared to the side top mounting system 170.

In the bottom extraction system 190, a hole 192 was formed in the wall of the spittoon and a filter and fan unit 190 was mounted in the hole. The bottom mounted extraction system 190 needed to raise the bottom of the printer casing to provide a gap to allow the exhaust airflow 194 to flow under the printer 138. The examples of FIGS. 1 to 3 are preferable in terms of aerosol collecting ability, ease of mounting position, and aesthetic appearance.

Thus, for any given inkjet printing device, the choice of which aerosol extraction embodiment to employ will be highly dependent on the environment in which the printer operates and the type of printer.

[Embodiment] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, but examples of the respective embodiments of the present invention will be shown below.

[Embodiment 1] An ink jet print head which selectively ejects ink into a container for printing, and the ejection of the ink generates an aerosol of ink floating in the air, and an ink jet print head. An ink aerosol collection system that electrostatically collects at least a portion of the floating ink aerosol from within the container.

[Embodiment 2] The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collecting system includes a dust removing portion for removing at least a part of the aerosol of the ink floating in the air.

[Embodiment 3] The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the collecting system includes an extraction unit for extracting the aerosol of the ink floating in the air from the inside of the container. .

[Embodiment 4] The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the dust removing portion includes an electrostatic filter that attracts the aerosol of the ink by an electrostatic action.

[Embodiment 5] The dust removing section includes a first step that is a coarser filter, the electrostatic filter includes a second step of the dust removing section that is a fine filter, and the extracting section is the A first unit of the dust removing unit, and a fan unit sandwiched between the second stage,
The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 4.

[Embodiment 6] The printing apparatus further includes a service station for selectively maintaining the print head, the container has an opening therethrough, and the service station includes: Having a frame with an opening therethrough disposed adjacent to the opening of the container; and at least a portion of the ink aerosol collection system wherein the opening of the service station and the opening of the container. The inkjet printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inkjet printing apparatus is disposed between the two.

[Embodiment 7] A step of ejecting ink through a print head of an ink jet in order to generate a desired ink drop and a by-product including a floating ink suspension, and the desired ink drop is at a selected position. Inkjet, characterized in that: a step of depositing on a substrate, a step of moving the floating ink floating matter to a collecting position, and a step of electrostatically capturing at least a part of the floating ink floating matter at the collecting position. Method of operating a printing device.

[Embodiment 8] The inkjet printing apparatus includes a container having an opening therethrough, the moving step includes causing an air flow flowing in the container, and the capturing step. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising filtering the floating ink suspension from the air stream.

[Embodiment 9] The method further includes a step of carrying the print head back and forth over a print zone, and the step of jetting selectively jets ink to the print zone for printing. 9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the capturing step comprises capturing at least a part of the floating ink floating matter generated during printing. How it works.

[Embodiment 10] The method further comprises the step of transporting the printhead back and forth over a service station, and the step of jetting further comprises: applying ink to the printhead to clean it. Including selectively injecting into a service station;
10. The operating method according to claim 7, wherein the capturing step includes capturing at least a part of the floating ink floating matter generated during the cleaning.

[0059]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, according to the present invention, not only dye-based inks but also quick-drying pigment-based inks can be used for various types of ink jet printers to produce aerosols. The influence can be removed and high quality printing can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial schematic perspective view of one type of ink jet printing apparatus incorporating a first embodiment of an ink aerosol collection system of the present invention.

2 is an enlarged partial schematic perspective view of the aerosol collection system and service station portion of FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is an exploded perspective view of the aerosol collection system and service station portion of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partial schematic perspective view showing the concept of an inkjet printing apparatus showing some other embodiments of the ink aerosol collecting system of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 20 ... Inkjet printer 23 ... Container 25 ... Printing zone 34 ... Black printhead 36 ... Color printhead 50 ... Service station 52 ... Service station frame 80.・ ・ Aerosol collection system 82 ・ ・ ・ Dust removal part 85 ・ ・ ・ Coarse filter 88 ・ ・ ・ Service station opening 100 ・ ・ ・ Fan 110 ・ ・ ・ Electrostatic filter 130 ・ ・ ・ Container opening 140 ・ ・ ・Aerosol collection system 150 ・ ・ ・ Aerosol collection system 160 ・ ・ ・ Aerosol collection system 170 ・ ・ ・ Aerosol collection system 180 ・ ・ ・ Aerosol collection system 190 ・ ・ ・ Aerosol collection system 192 ・ ・ ・ Lower extraction port

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication location B41J 29/377 (72) Inventor Mark S. Hickman, Vancouver, WA, USA, 7th North East Circle 14010 (72) Inventor Jeffrey G. Patrick North East 33 Vancouver, Washington, United States 33 Earl Dee Avenue 10717 (72) Inventor Donald Earl Breuer North East Homestead Drive 17706 Brush Prairie, Washington, United States 17706 (72) Inventor Larry G. Newbauer 38th Circle, Northeast 38, Vancouver, Washington, USA 706 (72) Inventor James O. Behier 118th Circle 22110, Northeast 118, Brush Prairie, Washington, United States

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet print head for selectively ejecting ink into a container for printing, the ejection of the ink generating an aerosol of ink floating in the container, and the ink floating in the container. And an ink aerosol collection system for electrostatically collecting at least a portion of the aerosol from the container. 2. The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collecting system includes a dust removing unit that removes at least a part of the aerosol of the ink floating in the air. 3. The ink jet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collecting system includes an extraction unit that extracts aerosol of the ink floating in the air from the inside of the container. 4. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the dust removing unit includes an electrostatic filter that attracts the aerosol of the ink by an electrostatic action. 5. The dust removing section includes a first step that is a coarser filter, the electrostatic filter includes a second step of the dust removing section that is a fine filter, and the extracting section includes a dust removing section of the dust removing section. The inkjet printing apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a fan unit sandwiched between the first stage and the second stage. 6. The printing apparatus further includes a service station for selectively maintaining the printhead, the container having an opening therethrough, and the service station for the container. Having a frame with an opening therethrough disposed adjacent to the opening, wherein at least a portion of the ink aerosol collection system is between the opening of the service station and the opening of the container. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet printing apparatus is arranged. 7. A step of ejecting ink through an inkjet printhead to produce desired ink drops and by-products including floating ink suspensions and depositing the desired ink drops at selected locations. An inkjet printing apparatus, comprising: a step of moving the floating ink floating material to a collecting position; and electrostatically capturing at least a part of the floating ink floating material at the collecting position. How it works. 8. The inkjet printing apparatus includes a container having an opening therethrough, and the moving step includes causing an air flow to flow through the container.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the capturing step comprises filtering the floating ink suspension from the air stream. 9. The method further comprises transporting the printhead back and forth over a print zone, and the jetting step comprises selectively jetting ink to the print zone for printing. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the capturing step comprises capturing at least a portion of the floating ink suspension that occurs during printing. 10. The method further comprises transporting the printhead back and forth over a service station, and the step of jetting further comprises inking ink to clean the printhead. And selectively capturing at least a portion of the floating ink suspension that occurs during the cleaning. 10. The operating method according to claim 9.