JPH10217490A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the deterioration of cleaning effect upon wiping a nozzle surface with a wiper by a method wherein an ink jet recording head is provided with the wiper for wiping and cleaning the nozzle surface of the recording head, and a second removing member for cleaning the wiper arranged on an ink cartridge. SOLUTION: When a carriage 110 comes to a home position HP, an eccentric cam 126 is turned and a cap 121 is advanced to seal a nozzle surface 112 and suck ink. When the ink suction operation is finished, the eccentric cam 126 is turned again to retreat the cap 121 and bring a wiper 124 to a cleaning position by the rotation of a cam shaft 127. Under this condition, the carriage 110 is moved toward the direction of a printing surface to wipe the nozzle surface 112 by the wiper 124 and wipe ink drops off. The cam shaft 127 is turned further after the carriage 110 has passed the wiper 124 to bring the wiper 124 to a second removing position and absorb the ink drops, adhered to the wiper 127, by a second removing member 101.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a means for cleaning a nozzle surface of a recording head in an ink jet recording apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A fixed second removing member is provided on the side of a recording head for slidingly contacting the wiper to clean the wiper, and after the wiper is cleaned by the second removing member by moving the carriage. An ink jet head recording apparatus for cleaning a recording head is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-77070.

[0003]

The purpose of the second removing member is to use a dirty wiper after wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head again, and to adhere to the wiper when wiping the nozzle surface and increase the viscosity. In this case, the wiper itself is cleaned because the cleaning ink is attached to the wiper and the cleaning effect is reduced. Due to the decrease in the cleaning effect, a normal printing operation of the recording head cannot be maintained, or the reliability of the recording head is reduced. However, when the second removing member is a fixed member, the ink that has adhered to the wiper adheres to the second removing member, where the thickened ink adheres to the wiper again, and the wiper wipes the nozzle surface. For example, the cleaning effect eventually decreases. In particular, when the ink is a pigment-based ink, the accumulated
The adhering dispersant polymer film / pigment component significantly reduces the cleaning effect. In other words, the fixed second removal member has only an effect of extending the time during which the cleaning effect is reduced.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus in which a cleaning effect when a wiper wipes a nozzle surface does not decrease.

[0005]

An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object employs the following constitution. A carriage on which a recording head for ejecting ink is mounted is moved and scanned in a non-recording area to thereby wipe the nozzle surface of the recording head in sliding contact, and a second removing member for cleaning the wiper;
The second removing member is provided in a replaceable ink cartridge.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a print recovery device of the ink jet recording apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a replaceable ink cartridge. Hereinafter, the schematic configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus will be described with reference to these drawings. A recording head 111 is mounted on a carriage 110 that moves along a carriage shaft 113. A print recovery device 120 is provided at the home position HP (left side of the position recording surface in the illustrated example) of the carriage.

The print recovery device 120 is mainly provided with a cap 121 that is driven forward and backward with respect to the recording head 111 to seal the nozzle surface 112 (surface on which the ink discharge ports are formed) of the recording head at an advanced position, and a cap 121. A pump (not shown) that sucks ink from nozzles through a suction tube 123 provided in the cap holder 122.
And a flexible wiper 124 provided on the side surface of the cap 121 for wiping the nozzle surface 112 of the recording head. The cap 121 is used for the cap holder 12.
2 is moved forward and backward by the eccentric cam 126 to control the forward / backward movement. Further, the wiper 124 is provided with the eccentric cam 12.
The wiper 12 is attached to the camshaft 127 which is the rotation axis of the wiper 12.
By fixedly attaching the wiper holder 125 to which the arm 4 is attached to the tip of the arm, the wiper holder 125 is rotated and operated with the rotation of the camshaft 127. By attaching these wipers and caps to the same camshaft 127, the timing of forward and backward movement of each other is set.

The wiper 124 is a flexible blade made of rubber, plastic seal, or the like. The position of the arm of the wiper holder 125 is perpendicular to the nozzle surface (the longitudinal edge of the tip edge of the wiper 124 is the nozzle). The position parallel to the surface 112) is the cleaning position, and the length of the wiper 124 at this position corresponds to the nozzle surface 1
It is set to a length that overlaps 12 by 1 to 3 mm.

[0010] A replaceable ink cartridge 100, which is a plastic molded container having a second removing member 102 on the front surface, is mounted in a cartridge holder 103 on the back side of the print recovery device 120. The ink in the cartridge is supplied from the ink supply port 104 to the ink supply tube 1.
14 and is supplied to the recording head 111. When the ink cartridge 100 is attached to the cartridge holder 103, the notch 102 provided at the center of the second removing member 101 on the front surface
4 is fitted with the rotation plane of the blade. That is, when the wiper 124 rotates the camshaft 127 in the direction of the ink cartridge 100 from the cleaning position, the wiper 124 enters between the second removal members through the cutout 102 at the center of the second removal member 101 provided on the side surface of the ink cartridge. The state is sandwiched (hereinafter, a second removal position). At this position, the second removing member 101 overlaps the tip of the wiper 124 by 1 to 3 mm.

The second removing member 101 is formed of an ink absorber such as sponge or felt, and is attached to the front surface of the ink cartridge by a fixing plate 106. In addition, the upper and lower surfaces of the cut portion 102 at the center are
24 are chamfered so that they can easily enter. By using an ink absorber for the material and having a structure in which the wiper is inserted between the absorbers, the ink droplets attached to the wiper can be removed by a double operation of absorption and wiping. The wiper surface can be cleaned.

The fixing plate 106 is used for the ink cartridge 10.
A hole is provided on the side surface of No. 0 for fitting with the positioning pin 105, and after fitting, the pin is adhered or welded and fixed. Further, when the fixing plate 106 is attached to the ink cartridge 100, the fixing plate 106 has a structure that covers the second removing member 102 by leaving a gap necessary for the wiper to enter the cut 102 at the center of the second removing member 102. ing. This is the function of fixing the ink cartridge 10
When replacing 0, it also has a role of a guard that prevents the user from touching the soiled second removing member and soiling his hands and clothes.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When the carriage 110 comes to the home position HP of the print recovery device 120 from the print surface 150, the cap 121 is retracted, and the wiper 124 is at the non-cleaning position. When the carriage 110 comes to the home position HP, the eccentric cam 126 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown), and the cap 121 is moved.
Is advanced to seal the nozzle surface 112. Next, a suction pump (not shown) is driven to suck ink in the recording head from a suction tube 123 provided in the cap holder 122. The suction operation is performed for the purpose of filling the recording head 111 with ink, removing bubbles mixed in the head by the printing operation, and the like. When the ink suction operation is completed, the eccentric cam 126 is rotated again, and the cap 121 is retracted. The camshaft 12 for retracting the cap 121 at this time
With the rotation of 7, the wiper 124 is kept at the cleaning position. Next, in this state, the carriage 110 is moved from the home position HP in the printing surface direction (right side in the figure). At this time, the nozzle surface 112 passes over the wiper 124 so that the nozzle surface 112 is removed, and the ink droplets adhered to the nozzle surface during ink suction are wiped off to be clean. After the carriage 110 has passed through the wiper 124, the camshaft 127 is further rotated so that the wiper 124
To the second removal position. (At that time, the cap 121 is retracted.) Then, when the nozzle surface 112 is cleaned, ink droplets attached to the wiper are absorbed by the second removing member 101. Thereafter, the carriage 110 moves to the printing surface 150 as it is if there is a print signal and performs a printing operation, and returns to the home position HP if there is no print signal. Carriage 1
When 10 comes to the home position HP, the cap 121 is advanced again to close the nozzle surface 112 and wait until a print signal comes.

Here, when the second removing member is fixed, the size of the ink absorber is saturated with the ink even if the second absorber is used up to that time because the second absorber must be used repeatedly until the end of the machine life. You have to make it bigger. Further, with repeated use, the ink in the second removing member becomes thick, and the effect of ink absorption is weakened. On the contrary, the thickened ink adheres to the wiper, thereby deteriorating the cleaning effect of the recording head. . On the other hand, in the case of the present invention, the second removing member is replaced with a new one at the same time as the replacement of the ink cartridge, so that the wiper can be cleaned while maintaining good ink absorbency, so that the cleaning effect of the recording head deteriorates. do not do. In addition, the use period of the second removing member is also until the use of one ink cartridge is completed, and only the amount of ink absorbed during the use period may be considered.

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 show another embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of a print recovery device, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the same portion. , FIG.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a replaceable ink cartridge. Hereinafter, the schematic configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus will be described with reference to these drawings. A recording head 211 is mounted on a carriage 210 that moves along a carriage shaft 213. A replaceable ink cartridge 200 is mounted on the carriage.
And moves with the recording head 211. A print recovery device 220 is provided at the home position HP (left side of the recording surface in the illustrated example) of the carriage.

The print recovery device 220 includes a recording head 2
11 through a cap 221 that seals the nozzle surface 212 (the surface on which the ink discharge ports are formed) of the recording head at an advanced position and a suction tube 223 provided on a cap holder 222 to which the cap 221 is attached.
It comprises a pump (not shown) for sucking ink from the nozzles, and a flexible wiper 224 provided on the side surface of the cap 221 for wiping the nozzle surface 212 of the recording head. Cap 221 and wiper 224
Is moved forward and backward by the eccentric cam 226 to move the cap holder 222 and the wiper holder 225 for attaching them forward and backward perpendicular to the nozzle surface 212. Further, by attaching the eccentric cam for controlling the cap and the eccentric cam for controlling the wiper to the same camshaft 227, the timing of the forward and backward movement of each other is established.

The wiper 224 is set to have a length that overlaps the nozzle surface 212 of the recording head by about 1 to 3 mm at the advanced position.

On the left side of the ink cartridge 200 mounted on the recording head, a second removing member 201 is attached to the fixing plate 20.
6 attached. Attachment is performed by fitting a positioning pin 205 provided on the side surface of the ink cartridge with a hole provided on the second removing member and the mounting plate, and then fixing the same by bonding.

The second removing member 201 is a blade of an ink absorbing member made of sponge, felt, or the like. When the ink cartridge 200 is mounted on the carriage 210, the length of the second removing member 201 is set so as to be substantially flush with the nozzle surface 212. Is set.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. When the carriage 210 comes from the print surface 250 to the home position HP of the print recovery device 220, the cap 221 and the wiper 2
Numeral 24 indicates a retreat state. When the carriage 210 comes to the home position HP, the eccentric cam 226 is rotated by the power of a motor (not shown) to advance the cap 221 and move the nozzle surface 21.
Seal 2 Next, a suction pump (not shown) is driven, and the suction tube 2 provided in the cap holder 222 is driven.
23 sucks the ink in the recording head. By suction, the recording head 211 is filled with ink, and bubbles mixed in the head by the printing operation are removed. When the ink suction operation is completed, the eccentric cam 226 is rotated again to retract the cap 221. At this time, the eccentric cam for the wiper is formed so as to move forward, and the wiper 224 is moved forward as the cap 221 retreats. Next, in this state, the carriage 210 is moved from the home position HP to the print surface direction 25.
0 (right side in the figure). At this time, the nozzle surface 212 of the recording head passes over the wiper 224, whereby the nozzle surface 212 is removed, and the ink attached to the nozzle surface during ink suction is wiped off to be clean. When the carriage 210 is further moved toward the printing direction (right side), the second removing member 201 passes over the wiper 224. Since the tip of the second removing member 201 is substantially flush with the nozzle surface 212, the wiper 224 contacts the second removing member 201 in the same manner as the nozzle surface. At this time, ink droplets attached to the wiper when the nozzle surface is cleaned are absorbed by the second removing member 201. Carriage 2
10 after passing through the wiper 224, the eccentric cam 22
6 is rotated so that the cap 221 and the wiper 224 are retracted. Thereafter, the carriage 210 moves to the printing surface 250 as it is if there is a print signal and performs a printing operation, and returns to the home position HP if there is no print signal. When the carriage comes to the home position HP, the cap 221 is returned again.
To close the nozzle surface 212 and wait until a print signal comes.

Also in this embodiment, since the second removing member is replaced with a new one when the ink cartridge is replaced,
Since the wiper can be cleaned while always maintaining good ink absorbency, the cleaning effect of the recording head does not deteriorate. In addition, the use period of the second removing member can be reduced until the use of one ink cartridge is completed, and only the amount of ink absorbed during that time can be considered.

[0022]

According to the present invention, the cleaning effect when the wiper wipes the nozzle surface does not decrease, and the recording head can maintain a stable printing operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a print recovery device of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an ink cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a print recovery device of an ink jet recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a print recovery device of an ink jet recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an ink cartridge according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 HP carriage home position 100 Ink cartridge 101 Second removal member 106 Fixing plate 110 Carriage 111 Recording head 112 Nozzle surface 120 Print recovery device 121 Cap 122 Cap holder 124 Wiper 125 Wiper holder 126 Eccentric cam 127 Cam shaft 150 Printing surface

Claims (2)

[Claims] A wiper for slidably cleaning a nozzle surface of a recording head by moving a carriage on which a recording head for discharging ink is mounted in a non-recording area; and a second removing member for cleaning the wiper. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the second removing member is provided in a replaceable ink cartridge. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an ink absorber is used as a second removing member for cleaning the wiper.