JPH11342631A - Ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid scattering of an adherend such as ink or the like at the time of cleaning work of an ink emitting orifice-forming surface by a cleaning member. SOLUTION: In an ink jet printer, when a cleaning member holder 70 and a blade member 72 are moved in the direction shown by an arrow F at the time of cleaning work, an ink emitting orifice forming surface 26s is formed so as to have a predetermined gradient obliquely rising with respect to the retreating side of the blade member 72.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet printer having a cleaning member for removing ink or the like attached to an ink discharge port forming surface of a recording head for discharging ink to a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ink jet printer having a recording head having a plurality of ink ejection ports for ejecting ink onto a recording surface of a recording medium, a plurality of ink ejection ports in the recording head are formed after a recording operation is completed. The ink adhering to the ink ejection port forming surface may cause non-ejection of the ink and may cause the ink landing position on the recording surface of the recording medium to deviate from a normal position. Need to be kept clean.

Therefore, in an ink-jet printer, as shown in FIG. 8, a cleaning member holder 4 for removing ink or the like adhering to the ink ejection port forming surface 2S of the recording head 2 is provided. Face 2
It is disposed so as to be selectively movable between S and the recording surface of the recording medium RM.

[0004] The recording head 2 is supported by a lifting mechanism (not shown) so as to be selectively close to or away from the recording surface of the recording medium RM. When the recording operation of the recording head 2 is performed, the recording head 2 is brought close to the recording surface of the recording medium RM along the direction indicated by the arrow D in FIG. 8, while the recording operation of the recording head 2 is performed. When there is no recording head, the recording head 2 is separated from the recording surface of the recording medium RM along the direction indicated by the arrow U in FIG. 8, is stopped at a position indicated by a two-dot chain line, and is in a standby state.

The cleaning member holder 4 is supported by a connecting member 8 connected to a moving mechanism (not shown). When removing the ink adhering to the ink ejection port forming surface 2S of the recording head 2 when the recording head 2 is separated from the recording surface of the recording medium RM and in a standby state,
The cleaning member holder 4 is moved substantially parallel to the ink discharge port forming surface 2S of the recording head 2 along the direction indicated by the arrow R in FIG. It is arranged between the recording surface.

When the recording head 2 approaches the recording surface of the recording medium RM in the direction indicated by the arrow D in FIG. 8, the cleaning member holder 4 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow L in FIG. Is moved along to a predetermined standby position, and is brought into a stopped state.

The cleaning member holder 4 has a groove 4a for supporting the lower end of a flat blade member 6 for wiping ink adhered to the ink discharge port forming surface 2S, and an ink discharge port provided adjacent to the groove 4a. The recess 4b in which the ink absorber 10 that absorbs the ink attached to the formation surface 2S is stored.
And

The blade member 6 is made of, for example, an elastic material corresponding to the length of the ink discharge port forming surface 2S in the longitudinal direction, and is substantially parallel to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 2i of the ink discharge port forming surface 2S. Supported. In addition, the periphery of the opening end of the concave portion 4b contacts and surrounds the periphery of the ink discharge port forming surface 2S of the recording head 2 in order to suppress the drying of the ink discharge port forming surface 2S of the recording head 2 during stopping. A capping member 5 is provided. One end of a discharge passage 12 from which the ink contained in the ink absorber 10 is discharged is connected to the bottom of the concave portion 4b. Further, a pump section 14 for sucking ink contained in the ink absorber 10 is provided in the discharge passage 12.

With this configuration, after the recording operation of the recording head 2 or the preliminary ejection is completed, the recording head 2
In order to remove the ink ID attached to the ink ejection port forming surface 2S, first, the ink absorber 10 is moved to a position directly below the ink ejection port forming surface 2S of the stopped recording head 2. Next, the ink ejection port forming surface 2S of the recording head 2 is lowered by a predetermined amount from a position indicated by a two-dot chain line to a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. As a result, the ink ID attached to the ink discharge port forming surface 2S is absorbed by the ink absorber 10.
At this time, the ink sucked by the ink absorber 10 is discharged to the exhaust passage 12 by operating the pump 14.

Subsequently, when the cleaning member holder 4 is further moved in the direction indicated by the arrow R in FIG. 8, the ink discharge port forming surface 2S from which the ink has been sucked is further wiped by the upper end of the blade member 6. Will be done.

[0011]

When the ink remaining on the ink ejection port forming surface 2S of the recording head 2 is removed by the upper end of the blade member 6 as described above, first, the upper end of the blade member 6 In the position shown in FIG. 9 (a), it is moved in the direction shown by the arrow R from the state of being inverted so as to be orthogonal to the ink discharge port forming surface 2S to the position shown in FIG. 9 (b). At this time, the upper end of the blade member 6 is bent into a curved shape while slidingly contacting the ink discharge port forming surface 2S. Note that (a), (b), (c), and (d) in FIG.
Indicates a position along the moving direction of the blade member 6, respectively.

Next, the upper end of the blade member 6 is further moved in the direction indicated by the mark R to the position shown in FIG. 9C while wiping the ink, and subsequently, FIG.
The ink ID 'wiped off at the position and adhered to the upper end of the blade member 6 is scattered into the air from the upper end of the blade member 6 by the restoring force due to the elasticity of the blade member 6. Therefore, the inside of the apparatus may be contaminated by the ink mist caused by the ink ID '.

In view of the above problems, the present invention relates to an ink jet printer having a cleaning member for removing ink or the like attached to an ink discharge port forming surface of a recording head which discharges ink to a recording medium. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer capable of avoiding scattering of attached matter such as ink during cleaning work of an ink discharge port forming surface by a member.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet printer according to the present invention has an ink ejection port of a recording head having an ink ejection port forming surface on which an ink ejection port for ejecting ink is formed. A cleaning member having a contact end disposed to be relatively movable with respect to the forming surface and having a contact end made of a flexible material and moving and removing an adhering substance adhered to the ink discharge port forming surface; Driving means for moving the cleaning member or the recording head while sliding the end of the cleaning member or the recording head into sliding contact with the ink ejection port forming surface of the recording head. When the contact end is separated from the ink discharge port forming surface of the recording head based on the relative movement of the head with respect to the ink discharge port forming surface, the contact end It is characterized in that it has the contacted surface portion relatively small the Motochikara.

[0015]

FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of an example of an ink jet printer according to the present invention.

The ink-jet printer includes, for example, a paper feed unit 20 for sequentially feeding sheets 34 such as paper slips to be stored one by one to a paper transport unit 24 described later, and a recording unit 34 for feeding the paper 34 from the paper feed unit 20 described later. The printed sheet 34 'is passed through a position below the section 26 and the printed sheet 34' is
0, and a paper discharge unit 30 for sequentially loading and storing the printed paper 34 'from the paper transport unit 24.
A recording unit 26 which is disposed opposite the paper transport unit 24 to sequentially discharge ink onto a recording surface of the paper 34 being transported and performs a recording operation; And a cleaning ink supply unit 22 that supplies each color ink to the unit 26, and a cleaning unit that is disposed between the recording unit 26 and the sheet transport unit 24 and selectively cleans the ink ejection port forming surface of the recording head of the recording unit 26. The mechanism 28 is configured as a main component.

The paper supply section 20 sequentially provides a tray member 36 provided in a housing 38 on which a plurality of sheets 34 are stacked, and a sheet 34 at the uppermost position of the sheets 34 stacked on the tray member 36. And a separation paper feed roller 42 that feeds out one sheet at a time.

The sheet 34 having a predetermined standard size is supplied to the tray member 3 through the sheet inlet when the cover member 40 covering the sheet inlet provided in the housing 38 is opened.
6 is loaded. The tray member 36 is connected to an elevating drive mechanism (not shown), and is raised by a predetermined amount by the elevating drive mechanism each time the stacked sheets 34 are sent out one by one.

Between the cover member 40 and the housing 38, an open / closed state detector 40 for detecting the open / closed state of the cover member 40 is provided.
s is provided.

The separation paper feed roller 42 is rotatably supported at both ends by a housing 38 and extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the paper 34 is conveyed. A pad 44 pressed by the urging force of a coil spring 46 supported by the housing 38 is in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the separation paper feed roller 42.
The separation paper feed roller 42 is connected to an output shaft of a drive motor (not shown). The drive of the drive motor is controlled by a control unit (not shown). The control unit supplies a drive control signal to the motor at a predetermined timing when the cover member 40 is closed based on the detection output from the open / closed state detection unit 40s. As a result, the motor is driven, and one sheet of paper 34 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the separation paper feed roller 42 and the pad 44 and sent out to the recording unit 26 side.

The paper transport section 24 is disposed upstream of the paper transport section 24, faces the separation paper feed roller 42, and receives paper 3 from the paper feed section 20.
Transport rollers 48 and 50 which cooperate to pinch and introduce
Transport rollers 56 and 58 disposed at the downstream side portion and opposed to the transport rollers 48 and 50 to cooperate to hold the printed paper 34 ′ and discharge the paper 34 ′ downstream; and the transport rollers 48 and the transport rollers 56. And a transport belt 52 that transports the paper 34 from the upstream side to the downstream side and is provided at a central position between the transport rollers 56 and 48 to apply a predetermined initial tension to the transport belt 52. Tensioner roller 5
4 is included.

The transport rollers 48 and 50 are respectively
Both ends are rotatably supported by the housing and are disposed substantially parallel to the separation paper feed roller 42. An output shaft of a driving motor is connected to one end of the transport roller 48. The drive motor is controlled based on a drive control signal from the control unit. Thus, when the drive control signal is supplied, the transport roller 48 is rotated with the transport belt 52 and the transport roller 50. Therefore, the paper 34 placed on the transport belt 52 is transported downstream at a predetermined speed.

The paper discharge unit 30 includes transport rollers 56 and 58
Paper discharge rollers 60A and 60B which cooperate to pinch and discharge the paper 34 'from the paper transport unit 24
And a tray member 62 for sequentially stacking and accommodating the sheets 34 'discharged by the discharge rollers 60A and 60B.

An output shaft of a driving motor is connected to one end of the paper discharge roller 60B. The drive motor is controlled based on a drive control signal from the control unit.
When the drive control signal is supplied, the drive motor is set to the operating state, so that the discharge rollers 60A and 60B
Is rotated, and the sheet 34 'is discharged onto the tray member 62.

The recording section 26 includes a plurality of recording heads 2 arranged sequentially at a predetermined interval from the upstream side to the downstream side.
6Bk, 26C, 26M, and 26Y. The recording head 26Bk discharges black ink onto the recording surface of the paper 34, and the recording head 26C discharges cyan ink onto the recording surface of the paper 34. The recording head 26M
Is to eject magenta ink to the recording surface of the paper 34, and the recording head 26Y is to eject yellow ink to the recording surface of the paper 34.

Each of the recording heads 26Bk to 26Y has a known structure of a bubble jet type, for example. Paper 3 in recording heads 26Bk to 26Y
As described later, an ink ejection port forming surface on which a plurality of ink ejection ports are arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper 34 is provided on the surface facing the recording surface of the paper 34. On the other hand, it is formed to have a predetermined inclination. The length in the longitudinal direction on the ink ejection port forming surface is:
The length is set to correspond to the maximum length of the standard size of the paper 34 to be conveyed. Further, the recording unit 26 includes a sheet 34.
2 is fixed at a predetermined position with respect to the transport direction and a direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction, and is movable up and down by the recording head lifting mechanism control unit 32 along the direction indicated by the arrow shown in FIG. It is supported by. The recording head elevating mechanism control unit 32 moves the ink ejection port forming surface of each of the recording heads 26Bk to 26Y close to the recording surface of the conveyed paper 34 so as to take a recording operation position or a standby position by separating the recording operation position or the standby position. In addition, drive control of the elevating operation of the recording unit 26 is performed.

The recording operation of each of the recording heads 26Bk to 26Y is controlled based on a drive control pulse signal from a control unit (not shown). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, when the recording unit 26 is lowered by the recording head lifting / lowering mechanism control unit 32 to take the recording operation position, the recording head 26
Bk performs a recording operation on the recording surface of the paper 34 being conveyed, and then the recording head 26C performs a recording operation on the recording surface recorded by the recording head 26Bk. The recording head 26C discharges ink further over the same pixel formed by the recording head 26Bk, or
It is assumed that a new pixel is formed. Similarly, in the subsequent recording heads 26M and 26Y,
The recording operation is performed on the recording surface. Recording head 26Bk
The reproduction ink supply unit 22 is connected to each of the to 26Y, and ink of each color is supplied from the reproduction ink supply unit 22, respectively.

The reproduced ink supply unit 22 includes a reproduced ink tank 22TBk for storing black ink, a reproduced ink tank 22TC for storing cyan ink, a reproduced ink tank 22TM for storing magenta ink, and a yellow ink. Recycled ink tank 22TY stored
It is comprised including. Each recycled ink tank 22TB
k to 22TY are recording heads 26Bk to 26B, respectively.
Y is connected by an ink supply path (not shown).

Each of the recycled ink tanks 22TBk to 22TBk-2
2TY is, for example, as shown in FIG.
In order to always maintain normal ink ejection of each of the recording heads 26Bk to 26Y, the recording heads 26Bk to 26Y are provided in an ink reproduction processing circuit provided in a recovery processing system for performing preliminary ejection at a predetermined timing. I have.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which, for example, when the recording head 26Bk is lowered to the lowermost position, the ink discharge port forming surface 26s is close to a cleaning member holder 70 described later. In such a state, it is possible to execute a predetermined recovery process.

The ink reproduction processing circuit in the recovery processing system includes a reproduction ink tank 22TBk in which ink used for the recovery processing is reproduced and stored, and a sub-ink connected to the reproduction ink tank 22TBk through the ink supply path 104. The cleaning member holder 7 disposed in the ink supply path 92 connecting the ink tank 102, the cleaning member holder 70, and the recycled ink tank 22TBk.
A reproduction pump 96 for supplying ink from 0 to the reproduction ink tank 22TBk, an air buffer unit 108 connected to a common liquid chamber of the recording head 26Bk via the ink supply path 94 to remove air in the ink supply path, Recording head 2
An air buffer unit 106 connected to the 6Bk common liquid chamber via the ink supply path 90 to remove air in the ink supply path
A suction pump 110 arranged in an ink supply path 114 connecting the air buffer unit 106 and the sub ink tank 102 to supply ink from the air buffer unit 106 to the sub ink tank 102; Ink supply path 1 connecting to buffer section 108
16 and a pressure pump 112 that supplies ink from the sub ink tank 102 to the air buffer unit 108 as main components.

The sub-ink tank 102 is provided with a liquid level control unit 124 for controlling the level of the ink level inside the sub-ink tank 102 so as not to rise above a predetermined position. Check valves 100 and 98 are provided in the ink supply path 118 and the ink supply path 94, respectively.

Each of the regeneration pump 96, the suction pump 110, and the pressurizing pump 112 includes, for example, a plurality of rollers disposed around an inner rotor connected to an output shaft of a driving motor, and a plurality of rollers. And a tube for delivering ink, which is disposed between the pump head case and the pump head case. Further, the discharge pressure of the pressurizing pump 112 is set higher than the discharge pressure of the suction pump 110.

With such a configuration, in such a recovery processing system, the recovery processing is started at a predetermined timing according to the descending operation of the recording heads 26Bk to 26C.

When the recovery process is started, and when the driving motor is activated, the regeneration pump 96 supplies ink from the cleaning member holder 70 through the ink supply path 92 as indicated by the arrow shown in FIG. The ink is supplied to the reproduction ink tank 22Bk along the direction. In the recovery process, when the pressure pump 112 is activated, the ink in the air buffer unit 108 is supplied to the common liquid chamber of the recording head 26Bk through the ink supply path 94. that time,
Since the discharge pressure of the pressure pump 112 is higher than the discharge pressure of the suction pump 110, most of the ink supplied to the recording head 26Bk is discharged and discharged through the ink discharge ports 26op. As a result, foreign matter in the ink ejection port 26op is removed.

The recording heads 26Bk to 26Y of the recording section 26
As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning mechanism 28 for cleaning the ink ejection port forming surface
Cleaning member holders 70 provided for each of Bk to 26Y, and four cleaning member holders 7
A connecting plate 76 for connecting one end of
And a rack member 68 that reciprocates along the transport direction of the sheet 34 with the connecting plate 76 and a drive motor 64 having a pinion gear 66 meshed with the plurality of teeth 68A of the rack member 68. It is composed of

The rack member 68 has a plurality of teeth 68A at the right end in FIG. 1, and is slidably supported by a pair of slide guide members 75 fixed to the housing 38.

The drive motor 64 for rotating the pinion gear 66 is controlled to be rotatable in a forward or reverse direction based on a drive control signal from a control unit. Recording unit 26
Takes the above-described standby position, and when the drive motor 64 is in the initial position where the drive motor 64 is deactivated, the rack member 68 in FIG.
Is projected rightward, and each cleaning member holder 70 is located at a position facing each of the recording heads 26Bk to 26Y. In addition, each cleaning member holder 7
0 indicates that when the drive motor 64 is activated and rotated in the forward direction, it is moved by a predetermined amount in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. It is arranged between the recording heads 26Bk to 26Y. Further, when the drive motor 64 is activated and rotated in the reverse direction, each cleaning member holder 70 is moved by a predetermined amount toward the upstream side and returned to the initial position.

Each of the cleaning member holders 70 has the same structure, and only one of them will be described, and the description of the other cleaning member holders 70 will be omitted.

The length of the cleaning member holding member 70 in the direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction of the sheet 34 is set, for example, substantially equal to the length along the direction in which the ink ejection ports of the recording head 26Bk are arranged. The cleaning member holder 70 has one end connected to the connection plate 76 and a groove 70a that supports the lower end of the blade member 72 that wipes the ink discharge port forming surface, and a groove 70a that is provided in parallel with the groove 70a. A concave portion 70b for accommodating an ink absorber 78 for absorbing the attached ink. Recess 70
The bottom of the wall portion forming b communicates with the above-described ink supply path 92 via a discharge port.

The blade member 72 protruding toward the ink discharge port forming surface 26s is made of, for example, a rubber material as an elastic material in a thin plate shape. The uppermost end of the blade member 72 extends to a position higher than the ink ejection port forming surface 26s of the recording head 26Bk approaching. The hardness and thickness of the blade member 72 and the length of the portion protruding upward from the upper end of the cleaning member holder 70 are set based on the amount of movement of the blade member 72 and the gradient of the ink ejection port forming surface 26s. I have.

The ink ejection port forming surface 26s of the recording head 26Bk is formed at a predetermined angle with respect to the side surface of the recording head 26Bk. That is, when the cleaning member holder 70 and the blade member 72 are moved in the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 1 in performing the cleaning operation, the ink ejection port forming surface 26s is moved with respect to the retreat side of the movement of the blade member 72. It is formed with a predetermined slope rising obliquely. The arrangement of the plurality of ink ejection ports 26op is formed near the lowermost position of the ink ejection port formation surface 26s along a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. The gradient of the ink ejection port forming surface 26s is
When the blade member 72 retreats after the cleaning operation, the radius of curvature of the contact end of the blade member 72 is set to be relatively small, and the restoring force of the contact end is set to be relatively small.

The ink absorber 78 is made of, for example, urethane foam as a porous material and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

In order to clean the ink discharge port forming surfaces of the recording heads 26Bk to 26Y of the recording unit 26 under such a configuration, the recording unit 26 is set to a standby state immediately after the end of the recording operation. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning member holder 70 is arranged at a position where the ink absorber 78 faces the recording heads 26Bk to 26Y.

Next, each recording head 26Bk of the recording section 26
To 26Y are the ink ejection port forming surfaces 26 of the recording heads 26Bk to 26Y by the recording head lifting mechanism control unit 32.
s is lowered to a predetermined lowermost position.
Thus, most of the ink adhering to the ink discharge port forming surface is absorbed by the ink absorber 78.

Subsequently, each cleaning member holder 70
When the drive motor 64 is activated and rotated in the forward direction, it is moved a predetermined amount in the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 1 and stopped, as shown in FIG. Thereby, each cleaning member holder 70 is attached to each recording head 2.
6Bk to 26Y.

In FIG. 5, (a), (b), (c) and (d) show the position of the base end of the blade member 72 in the movement of the cleaning member holder 70 in the movement direction. Show.

When the blade member 72 of each cleaning member holder 70 starts to move from the initial position (a) in FIG. 5, first, at the position (b), the contact end of the blade member 72 contacts the side surface of the recording head 26Bk. The recording head 26 </ b> Bk is moved to the vicinity of the uppermost end without being separated from the ink ejection port forming surface 26 s by being slid into contact with the ink ejection port forming surface 26 s, thereby being curved. Is wiped. Next, after moving to the position (c), the contact end of the blade member 72 is separated from the ink discharge port forming surface 26s while being bent with a relatively small radius of curvature, and is moved to a predetermined position (d). Will be stopped. As described above, the contact end of the blade member 72 is separated from the ink discharge port forming surface 26s with a relatively small restoring force bent with a relatively small radius of curvature. Ink etc. attached to the edge I
The NR travels along the blade member 72 without being scattered in the air and drops toward the cleaning member holding member 70 by its own weight.

FIG. 6 shows another example of a recording head and a blade member used in an example of the ink jet printer according to the present invention. In FIG. 6 and other examples to be described later, the same components as those in the example shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the entire ink ejection port forming surface 26s is formed by an inclined surface, but in the example shown in FIG. 6, the lower end face of the recording head 120Bk facing the recording surface of the sheet 34 is formed. An ink ejection port forming surface 120s substantially parallel to the recording surface of the paper 34 and a concave surface 120 formed on the retreat side of the blade member 124 of the recording head 120Bk so as to be continuous with the ink ejection port forming surface 120s.
as is formed. In FIG. 6, (a), (b),
(C) and (d) show the position of the base end of the blade member 124 in the movement of the cleaning member holder 70 along the movement direction, respectively. Recording head 120B
k is, for example, arranged at a position corresponding to the recording head 26Bk in FIG. In addition, the arrangement of the plurality of ink ejection ports 120op corresponds to the
0s is formed along a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG.

The thickness and hardness of the blade member 124 and the length of the portion of the blade member 124 protruding upward from the cleaning member holder 70 are shown in FIG. The radius of curvature is set to be relatively small so that the restoring force is relatively small at the position c), and is set so as not to be separated from the concave surface 120as.

The concave surface 120as is formed so as to extend along the width direction of the sheet 34 corresponding to the width of the blade member 124.

When the blade member 124 of each cleaning member holder 70 starts to move from the initial position (a) in FIG. 6, first, at the position (b), the contact end of the blade member 124 contacts the side surface of the recording head 120Bk. After being collided and curved, and slidably in contact with the ink ejection port forming surface 120s, the ink ejection port forming surface 120s of each recording head 120Bk is moved to the vicinity of the uppermost end without being separated from the concave surface 120as. Wiped. Next, after moving to the position (c), the contact end of the blade member 124 is separated from the ink discharge port forming surface 26s while being bent with a relatively small radius of curvature, and is moved to a predetermined position (d ) Will be stopped. Since the contact end of the blade member 124 is separated from the concave surface 120as while being bent with a relatively small radius of curvature, the ink etc. attached to the contact end of the blade member 124 is in air. Without being scattered to the cleaning member holding member 70 by the weight of the blade member 124.

FIG. 7 shows still another example of a recording head and a blade member used in an example of the ink jet printer according to the present invention.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the entire ink ejection port forming surface 26s is formed by an inclined surface, but in the example shown in FIG. 7, the recording head 122Bk has a lower end surface facing the recording surface of the sheet 34. The ink ejection port forming surface 122s substantially parallel to the recording surface of the sheet 34 and the inclined surface 12 formed on the retreat side of the blade member 126 of the recording head 122Bk so as to be continuous with the ink ejection port forming surface 122s.
2 as is formed. In FIG. 7, (a),
(B), (c), and (d) show the position of the base end of the blade member 126 in the movement of the cleaning member holder 70 in the movement direction. For example, the recording head 122Bk in FIG.
It is arranged at a position corresponding to k. The arrangement of the plurality of ink ejection ports 122op is formed on the ink ejection port forming surface 122s along a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG.

The thickness and hardness of the blade member 126 and the length of the portion of the blade member 126 protruding upward from the cleaning member holder 70 are determined by the contact end of the blade member 126 in FIG. The radius of curvature is set to be relatively small so that the restoring force is relatively small at the position c), and is set so as not to be separated from the inclined surface 122as.

The inclined surface 122as is connected to the recording head 122B.
It is inclined so as to rise toward the retreat side of the blade member 126 at k. Also, the inclined surface 122as
Are formed so as to extend along the width direction of the sheet 34 corresponding to the width of the blade member 124.

When the blade member 126 of each cleaning member holder 70 starts to move from the initial position (a) in FIG. 7, first, at the position (b), the contact end of the blade member 126 contacts the side surface of the recording head 120Bk. After being collided, curved, and slidably contacted with the ink ejection port forming surface 122s, the recording head 122 is moved to the vicinity of the uppermost end without being separated from the lowermost end of the inclined surface 122as.
The ink ejection port forming surface 122s of Bk is wiped.

Next, the contact end of the blade member 124 is
After moving to the position (c), it is separated from the ink discharge port forming surface 122as and stopped at a predetermined position (d) while being bent with a relatively small radius of curvature. As described above, the contact end of the blade member 126 is separated from the inclined surface 122as while being bent with a relatively small radius of curvature, so that the ink or the like INR attached to the contact end of the blade member 126 is air. Without being scattered inside, it travels along the blade member 126 and drops toward the cleaning member holding member 70 by its own weight.

In the above-described example, the cleaning member holder 4 is moved with respect to the recording unit 26. However, the present invention is not limited to this example.
Of course, the cleaning member 6 may be moved with respect to the blade member 72 of the cleaning member holder 4.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the structure of the cleaning means for cleaning the ink adhered to the blade member, that is, the ink adhered when the blade member wipes the ink discharge port forming surface. In the case of this example, the blade member 1 is removed in order to remove the ink etc. INR attached to the blade member 124 in FIG.
24, the blade cleaner (ink absorber) B is brought into contact with the blade cleaner B so that the ink or the like INR is absorbed by the blade cleaner B. As described above, the blade member 124 to which the ink or the like INR adheres is positively cleaned by the blade cleaner B.

FIGS. 11 (a), 11 (b) and 11 (c) are explanatory views of specific examples of different configurations of the recording head and the blade member.

FIG. 11A shows a specific example of dimensions in the same configuration as that of FIG. The moving speed of the blade member 124 having a thickness of 0.7 mm is 8.8 mm / sec, and the portion having a width of 3 mm in the recording head 120BK is a head support.

FIG. 11B shows another specific example of the dimensions in the same configuration as that of FIG. The thickness and moving speed of the blade member are the same as in the case of FIG.
A portion having a width of 3 mm in the recording head 120BK is a head support.

FIG. 11C shows a specific example of dimensions in the same configuration as that of FIG. The thickness and moving speed of the blade member are the same as those in the case of FIG. 11A, and a portion having a width of 3 mm in the recording head 120BK is a head support.

(Others) It should be noted that the present invention includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for performing ink ejection, particularly in an ink jet recording system. An excellent effect is obtained in a recording head and a recording apparatus of a type in which the state of ink is changed by the thermal energy. This is because according to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

The typical configuration and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
Although it can be applied to any type of continuous type, in particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to a sheet holding liquid (ink) or an electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis.
This is effective because air bubbles inside can be formed. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. 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 a 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 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (linear liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 44,558 which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of Japanese Patent No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 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 a pressure wave of thermal energy is provided. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the configuration is based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration corresponding to a discharge unit. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as one integrally formed recording head.

In addition, even in the case of the serial type as described above, the recording head fixed to the apparatus main body or the electric connection with the apparatus main body or the ink from the apparatus main body when attached to the apparatus main body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself is used.

Further, it is preferable to add ejection recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like as the configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, the recording head is heated using capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, an electrothermal transducer, another heating element or a combination thereof. Pre-heating means for performing the pre-heating and pre-discharging means for performing the discharging other than the recording can be used.

The type and number of recording heads to be mounted are, for example, different from those provided with only one corresponding to a single color ink, and those corresponding to a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities. A plurality may be provided. That is, for example, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to a printing mode of only a mainstream color such as black, but may be any of integrally forming a printing head or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The present invention is also very effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of the recording modes of full color by color mixture.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, an ink which solidifies at room temperature or lower and which softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. In general, the ink jet method generally controls the temperature of the ink itself within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. Sometimes, the ink may be in a liquid state. In addition, in order to positively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or to prevent evaporation of the ink, the ink is solidified in a standing state and heated. May be used. In any case, the application of heat energy causes the ink to be liquefied by the application of the heat energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink to be ejected, or to start solidifying when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink having a property of liquefying for the first time is used. In such a case, the ink
JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-7
As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1260, it is also possible to adopt a form in which the sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter in a state where it is held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, the form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is not limited to those used as image output terminals of information processing equipment such as computers, copying apparatuses combined with readers and the like, and facsimile apparatuses having a transmission / reception function. It may take a form.

[0075]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the ink jet printer according to the present invention, the ink discharge port forming surface of the recording head is in contact with the ink discharge port forming surface of the recording head at the contact end of the cleaning member. When the contact end is separated from the ink ejection opening forming surface of the recording head based on the relative movement, the contact end has a contacted surface that makes the restoring force of the contact end relatively small. At the time of cleaning the formation surface, it is possible to prevent the deposits such as ink from scattering.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of an example of an inkjet printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the overall schematic configuration of an example of the ink jet printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view for explaining the operation in the example shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an ink reproduction processing circuit diagram in a recovery processing system provided in the example shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a diagram provided for an explanation of the operation in the example shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram provided for describing the operation of another example of the recording head used in the example of the ink jet printer according to the invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram provided to explain the operation of still another example of a recording head used in an example of the ink jet printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a conventional recording head together with a cleaning member holder.

FIG. 9 is a diagram provided for an explanation of the operation in the example shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration example of a blade member cleaning unit in the ink jet printer according to the present invention.

FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C are explanatory views of a specific configuration example of a main part of the ink jet printer according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

26Bk, 26C, 26M, 26Y, 120Bk, 12
2Bk Recording head 26s Ink ejection port forming surface 64 Drive motor 66 Pinion gear 68 Rack member 70 Cleaning member holder 76 Connecting plate 72, 124, 126 Blade member 120as Concave surface 122as Inclined surface

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A recording head having an ink ejection port forming surface on which an ink ejection port for ejecting ink is formed is movably disposed relative to the ink ejection port forming surface, and is made of a flexible material. A cleaning member having a contact end for moving and removing attached matter adhering to the ink discharge port forming surface; and bringing the contact end of the cleaning member into sliding contact with the ink discharge port forming surface of the recording head. And a driving means for moving the cleaning member or the recording head, wherein the ink discharge port forming surface of the recording head is moved relative to the ink discharge port forming surface of the recording head at the contact end of the cleaning member. A contact surface that makes the restoring force of the contact end relatively small when the contact end is separated from the ink ejection port forming surface of the recording head based on the contact end; An ink-jet printer which. 2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the contact surface is an inclined surface. 3. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said contact surface is a concave surface. 4. A recording head having an ink ejection port forming surface on which an ink ejection port for ejecting ink is formed, movably disposed relative to the ink ejection port forming surface, and made of a flexible material. A cleaning member having a contact end for moving and removing attached matter adhering to the ink discharge port forming surface; and bringing the contact end of the cleaning member into sliding contact with the ink discharge port formation surface of the recording head. And a driving means for moving the cleaning member or the recording head, wherein a portion in a direction in which the contact end of the cleaning member is connected to the ink discharge port forming surface of the recording head and retracted is a contact end of the cleaning member. When the contact end is separated from the ink ejection port forming surface of the recording head based on the relative movement of the recording head with respect to the ink ejection port forming surface, the contact Jet printer characterized by having the contacted surface portion to a relatively small restoring force of the end portion. 5. The ink jet printer according to claim 4, wherein said contact surface portion is an inclined surface. 6. The ink jet printer according to claim 4, wherein said contact surface portion is a concave surface. 7. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said cleaning member is made of an elastic material. 8. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the recording head has an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy for discharging the ink.