JPH1178039A - Ink-jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely remove ink drops adhering to a discharge opening face or ink once increased in viscosity or solidified, etc., in a simple structure, by cleaning the discharge opening face by a wiping means having a plurality of wiping blades corresponding respectively to a plurality of discharge opening groups. SOLUTION: A wiping means (cleaning means) 5 is arranged outside a recording area for wiping and cleaning a discharge opening face 31 of a recording head 1 with the utilization of a movement of a carriage (recording head 1). A pump suction force is let to act in a cap 22 while each discharge opening group is tightly sealed by the cap 22, so that ink increased in viscosity or entering dust in an ink liquid path, and air bubbles generated in ink, etc., are discharged together with the ink. Thereafter, ink drops, dust, etc., adhering to the discharge opening face 31 are wiped away by the wiping means 5. The ink drops adhering to the discharge opening face or ink once increased in viscosity or solidified, etc., can be surely removed in a simple structure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for performing recording by discharging ink from a recording means onto a recording material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device having a function such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile or the like, or a recording device used as an output device such as a composite electronic device including a computer or a word processor or a workstation, is based on paper based on the recording information. It is configured to record an image (including characters, symbols, and the like) on a recording material such as a thin film or a plastic thin plate. The recording apparatus can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a thermal type, a laser beam type and the like according to a recording method.

In a serial type recording apparatus that performs recording while performing main scanning in a direction intersecting with a recording material conveying direction (sub-scanning direction), an image is recorded by a recording unit (recording head) that moves along the recording material. After printing (main scanning), printing of one line is completed, a predetermined amount of paper feed (pitch conveyance as sub-scanning) is performed, and then an image of the next line is printed on the stopped recording material again. By repeating the operation of (main scanning), recording is performed in a desired range of the recording material. On the other hand, in a line type recording apparatus that performs recording only in the sub-scanning direction of the recording material in the transport direction, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position, and recording is continuously performed for one line at a time. A fixed amount of paper feed (pitch feed) is performed, and an image is recorded in a desired range of the recording material.

Among them, an ink jet type recording apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus) performs recording by discharging ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording material, and it is easy to make the recording means compact. High-definition images can be recorded at high speed, and can be recorded on plain paper without requiring special processing, running costs are low, and the non-impact method reduces noise,
In addition, there is an advantage that it is easy to record a color image using various types of inks (for example, color inks).

[0005] In particular, an ink jet type recording means (recording head) for discharging ink by using thermal energy,
Through a semiconductor manufacturing process such as etching, vapor deposition, sputtering, etc., an electrothermal converter, an electrode,
By forming the liquid path wall, the top plate, and the like, it is possible to easily manufacture a device having a high-density liquid path arrangement (discharge port arrangement), and to further reduce the size. Further, by utilizing the advantages of the IC technology and the micromachining technology, it is easy to make the recording means longer and more planar (two-dimensional), and it is also easier to make the recording means full-multi and high-density mounting. .

There are various requirements for the material of the recording material. In recent years, developments have been made to meet these requirements, and paper (including thin paper and processed paper) which is a general recording material has been developed.
In addition to paper and resin thin plates (OHP, etc.), recording devices using cloth, leather, nonwoven fabric, metal, or the like as a recording material have come to be used.

In a full-color ink jet recording apparatus using a color ink as a recording liquid (ink), a plurality of recording heads corresponding to a plurality of color inks are arranged independently and in parallel from a plurality of ejection ports. There is a group in which a plurality of discharge port groups are arranged on one discharge port surface (usually arranged in one line) and are integrated into one. The former arrangement method is often used for a relatively large-sized ink jet recording apparatus, and can increase the capacity of an ink container (ink tank). Further, the latter arrangement method is suitable for a small-sized ink jet recording apparatus, and the ink tank is also small.

In the ink jet recording apparatus,
Ink droplets remain on the ejection port surface due to the suction recovery operation of the recording head, and foreign matters such as ink droplets, fixed ink, dust, and paper powder adhere to the ejection port surface of the recording head due to the recording operation. May hinder normal ink ejection. Therefore, as a means for removing these deposits, a wiping means (cleaning means) for wiping and cleaning the discharge port surface with a rubber-like elastic wiping blade formed of, for example, urethane rubber is provided. .

As one mode of the wiping operation (wiping operation) by such wiping means, the wiping is performed by moving the recording head in the left and right direction with the wiping blade entering the movement path of the discharge port surface. The blade is rubbed against the discharge port surface, that is, wiping of the discharge port surface using reciprocating movement of a recording head (carriage) is performed.

In cleaning a discharge port surface of a print head having a discharge port group for discharging a plurality of types (a plurality of colors) of ink, in a typical conventional example, a single wiping blade is used for wiping and cleaning. . As a method using a plurality of wiping blades, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-238
015 and JP-A-7-32600 have also been proposed. In a multi-color independent print head in which a plurality of print heads that eject inks of different colors are arranged,
Two types of methods are employed, a wiping method using one blade and a wiping method using a plurality of blades. Further, when wiping the discharge port surface of an in-line type recording head in which a plurality of discharge port groups (a plurality of discharge port groups) including a plurality of discharge ports are arranged in one line, wiping is mainly performed with one blade. The method has been adopted.

[0011]

In the above-described in-line type recording head, the method of simultaneously wiping all of the plurality of ejection port groups formed on the ejection port surface with one blade is easy in structure and control. Therefore, low cost can be implemented. However, in this method, when wiping a color recording head having a plurality of ejection port groups for ejecting inks of different colors, the inks of the plurality of colors are mixed on the wiping blade during the repetition of the wiping, and the mixed inks are mixed. May enter the ejection openings of other colors, causing a problem of ink color mixing.

In the method of wiping the discharge port surface of each color by using a plurality of blades, the problem of ink mixture can be solved, but the structure becomes complicated and the number of parts increases, and the cleaning mechanism is increased. Itself grows larger,
There are inconveniences, such as hindering downsizing of the recording apparatus.

The present invention has been made in view of such a technical problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a simple structure for wiping the discharge port surface of the recording means, and to apply a suction recovery operation to the discharge port surface. Adhered ink droplets and once thickened or fixed ink can be reliably removed, and ink remaining on the wiping blade will remain in the other colors even if wiping of different color ejection groups at the same time. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a wiping unit capable of preventing color mixing of ink caused by the ink jet recording.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink-jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink from a recording means onto a recording material to achieve the above object.
A plurality of ejection port groups each comprising a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting the same ink are arranged on the same ejection port face, and the ejection port face is provided by wiping means having a plurality of wiping blades respectively corresponding to the plurality of ejection port groups. Cleaning.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, at least one of the plurality of wiping blades has a wiping surface that is not perpendicular to a wiping direction. A configuration in which the wiping surface is a curved surface, a configuration in which the plurality of discharge port groups are arranged in a line in the recording material transport direction, or a slit in which the ink wiped by the wiping blade flows downward. With such a configuration, the above object is achieved more efficiently.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 shows a recording unit when the present invention is applied to a serial type full-color ink jet recording apparatus. In FIG. 1, a plurality of ejection port groups for ejecting different types of inks (for example, different colors) are formed in a line on the ejection port surface of a recording unit (recording head) 1. Each ejection port group includes a plurality of ejection ports that eject the same type of ink.

In this embodiment, a plurality of types (a plurality of colors) of ink including black are used as the recording liquid (ink). The recording head 1 is mounted on a carriage 2 that can move relative to a recording material (recording paper or the like) 6. By controlling the movement of the carriage 2, the recording head 1 can reciprocate with high accuracy in the main scanning direction. Can be. An ink tank 3 for supplying ink of a color corresponding to each ejection port group includes:
It is incorporated in the recording head 1 on the carriage 2 and moves in the main scanning direction like the recording head 1. That is,
In the present embodiment, a replaceable cartridge type recording unit (head cartridge) in which the recording head unit and the ink storage unit are integrated is used.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an arrangement state of a plurality of ejection port groups on the ejection port face of the recording means (recording head) 1. In FIG. 2, a plurality of ejection port groups 21B, 21C, 21C corresponding to the respective color inks are provided on the ejection port surface of the recording head 1 (the face surface facing the recording material 6 with a predetermined gap).
1M and 21Y are arranged in a line in the recording material transport direction (paper feed direction). Hereinafter, the plurality of discharge port groups 21B, 21
When any one or all of C, 21M, and 21Y are indicated, they are simply referred to as a discharge port group 21. A print head in which a plurality of discharge port groups are arranged on one discharge port surface as shown in FIG. 2 is called an in-line print head.

In the case of color printing, the plurality of discharge port groups 21B, 21C, 21M, and 21Y are, for example, inks of black (B), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), respectively. Used for recording by ejection. In the present embodiment, black, 21
C, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks are respectively ejected from C, 21M, and 21Y. An interval of about 0.5 mm (a boundary area where ink is not ejected) is provided between each of the four ejection port groups 21B to 21Y using ink of each color. The arrangement is such that color mixing of the ink is unlikely to occur between the 21.

The recording means (recording head) 1 is an ink jet recording means for discharging ink using thermal energy, and is provided with an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. Further, the recording head 1 includes:
The recording is performed by discharging ink from the discharge ports by utilizing a pressure change generated by growth and shrinkage of bubbles caused by film boiling caused by the heat energy applied by the electrothermal transducer.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection section of the recording means (recording head) 1. FIG.
At a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.3
A plurality of discharge ports 32 are formed at a predetermined pitch on the discharge port surface 31 facing at a distance of about 2.0 mm), and each of the liquid paths 34 communicating the common liquid chamber 33 and each discharge port 32 is formed. An electrothermal converter (heating resistor, etc.) 35 for generating energy for ink ejection is provided along the wall surface.
The recording head 1 is mounted on the carriage 2 in a positional relationship such that the ejection ports 32 are arranged in a direction crossing the moving direction (main scanning direction) of the carriage 2. In this manner, the corresponding electrothermal transducer 35 is driven (energized) based on the image signal or the ejection signal to cause the ink in the liquid passage 34 to boil, and the ink is ejected from the ejection port 32 by the pressure generated at that time. Recording means (recording head) 1 is configured.

In FIG. 1, at a position (usually a home position) within the movement range of the recording means 1 and outside the recording area, the ejection performance of the ejection port 32 of the recording means 1 is maintained or recovered to a normal state. A recovery system 4 is provided to perform the recovery. The recovery system 4 discharges ink from the group of discharge ports 21 by applying a negative pressure suction force by a suction pump (not shown) in a state where the caps 22 are sealed with the caps 22 of the respective discharge ports 32, The ink is ejected from the ejection port group 21 by applying pressure to the ink, and the ink is ejected from the ejection port 32 together with the ink to discharge foreign matter such as air bubbles, thereby performing recovery processing (elimination of ejection failure and maintenance of normal ejection). ).

While the printing apparatus is on standby, each ejection port group 21 of the recording head 1 is used to prevent (or reduce) ink evaporation and to protect the ejection ports 32. Is capped by the cap 22 provided at the bottom. In addition, the ejection surface 3 of the recording head 1 is located outside the recording area by using the movement of the carriage 2 (the recording head 1).
A wiping means (cleaning means) 5 for wiping and cleaning 1 is provided.

The operations of the recovery system 4 and the wiping means 5 are as follows. First, by applying a pump suction force to the cap 22 in a state where each of the discharge port groups 21 is sealed with the cap 22, the ink thickened in the ink liquid path 34, the dust or paper powder that has entered, or the ink An operation of forcibly discharging air bubbles and the like generated inside together with the ink, that is, a suction operation is performed. Next, ink droplets, dust, and the like adhering to the discharge port surface 31 during the suction operation are wiped off with a wiping blade (wiping means) 5 (wiping operation = cleaning operation). Thereafter, during the first suction operation, there is a possibility that color mixing may occur between the respective ejection opening groups 21. To prevent this, the electrothermal converter 35 is driven to drive the mixed color ink out of the liquid path 34. Discharge (preliminary discharge). Finally, the wiping operation is performed again.

In an ink jet recording apparatus having a plurality of recording heads for ejecting inks of the respective colors independently, color mixing occurs between the inks of the respective colors even when the recovery processing and the wiping operation are performed in the above-described operation. Almost no. However, in the ink jet recording apparatus using the in-line type recording head 1 as shown in FIG. 2, if a single blade wipes, a plurality of colors of ink will adhere to the blade. In addition to the suction process, the wiping operation (wiping process) described above tends to cause color mixing of ink.

In addition, ink droplets and dust may adhere to the discharge port surface 31 during the printing operation, and it is conceivable that the printing operation is temporarily interrupted and the wiping operation is started during the printing operation. Also during operation, there is a possibility that color mixture due to ink attached to the blade may occur.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the arrangement of the recovery system 4 and the wiping means 5 with respect to the recording means 1 of the first embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement of a plurality of discharge port groups 21, a cap 22, and a plurality of wiping blades 41 along a line 5. In FIG. 5, 41B, 41C, 41M, 4
1Y is the ejection port group 21B that ejects each color ink,
Wiping blades arranged corresponding to 21C, 21M and 21Y. The wiping blade 41
When any one or all of B, 41C, 41M, and 41Y is referred to, it is simply referred to as the wiping blade 41.

In the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment (first embodiment), the wiping means 5 is provided with wiping blades 41B, 41C, 41M, 41Y separated and independent for each of the ejection port groups 21B, 21C, 21M, 21Y.
Is provided. This is to prevent color mixing of ink due to wiping of the discharge port surface 31. As described above, since the wiping blades 41 are independently arranged for each ink color, only a single-color ink adheres to each of the wiping blades 41, and therefore, the ink mixed on the blades 41 is ejected by the ejection port. 32 can be prevented from being mixed.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, each wiping blade 41 rotates clockwise (rightward rotation direction) with respect to the wiping direction (arrow A direction) when viewed from the paper discharge side of the recording apparatus. It is arranged at an angle. This inclination angle is selected to be a relatively small angle θ1 for the blade 41B that wipes the black discharge port group 21B having a larger number of discharge ports than the other discharge port groups (the length of the discharge port row is longer). The blades 41C, 41M, and 41Y for wiping the discharge port groups 21C, 21M, and 21Y are selected to have a relatively large angle θ2. That is, when the number of ejection ports in each of the ejection port groups 21B, 21C, 21M, and 21Y is the same, θ1 = θ2. The absolute values of the inclination angles θ1 and θ2 are determined based on the viscosity and surface tension of the ink used, the water repellency of each member in contact with the ink,
Alternatively, it is determined in consideration of the moving speed of the recording head 1 and the like.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the operation of wiping the ink adhered to the discharge port surface 31 by the wiping means 5 as viewed from the paper discharge side. The arrow in FIG. 6 indicates the moving direction of the recording head 1, and therefore the wiping operation sequentially proceeds in the direction of the arrow. The shaded area in FIG. 6 indicates an uncleaned area (area before wiping). In FIG. 6, the ejection port surface 31 of the recording head 1 is actually facing the wiping blade 41 (in the direction of the arrow).
Then, each wiping blade 41 moves relative to the discharge port surface 31 by inclining by θ1 and θ2. Therefore, the wiping direction of the discharge port surface 31 is from right to left (parallel to the recording head moving direction) when viewed from the discharge side, and the cleaning area (wiping range) at that time.
Is divided into four for each ejection port group 21 of each color.
By employing such a wiping operation, it is possible to prevent ink of another color from approaching the ejection port group side (ejection port group 21Y side) from which yellow ink in which mixed colors are conspicuous is ejected.

The contacting / separating (entering / retreating) operation of each wiping blade 41 with respect to the discharge port surface 31 in the first embodiment of FIGS. 4 to 6 is as follows. During recording, the carriage 2 on which the recording head 1 is mounted does not enter the area where the recovery system 4 and the wiping means 5 are provided. When the recovery process of the print head 1 is started or during printing, the ejection port surface 31 is used.
When cleaning is performed, each wiping blade 41 is brought into contact with the discharge port surface 31 to perform a wiping operation as shown in FIG. 6, but when the recording head 1 moves to the recording area side after the wiping operation, the right in FIG. The wiping means 5 is moved to the retracted position as shown by a thin line inclined in the direction so that each wiping blade 41 does not contact the discharge port surface 31.

The wiping operation (cleaning operation)
Can be freely set according to the conditions at the time of recording. For example, when performing large-size image recording in which the movement of the recording head 1 is performed over a long distance, a woven cloth that is liable to generate dust such as lint is recorded. When the recording head 1 is used as a material, or when highly volatile ink is used, it is desired that the recording be performed at every forward movement of the recording head 1. However, without being limited to this, the wiping operation may be performed every predetermined recording operation or every predetermined number of recordings.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the wiping means of the second embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In this embodiment, the blade 41B is arranged so that the black ink droplets attached near the ejection port group 21B are not attracted toward the ejection port groups 21C, 21M, and 21Y from which other color inks are ejected. Exit group 21C, 21M, 2
1Y is configured to be wiped by one common blade. That is, the present embodiment focuses only on the black ink that easily affects the color mixture of other colors, and prevents the color mixture of this black ink and the ink of another color,
In addition, the ejection port group 21 </ b> Y from which the yellow ink, in which the color mixture is particularly conspicuous among the color inks, is ejected first is wiped.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the wiping means of the third embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. This embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that an independent wiping blade 41 is used for each discharge port group 21.
This embodiment is the same as the embodiment, except that the wiping surface of each independent blade 41 is formed as a curved surface as shown in the drawing.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the wiping means of the fourth embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the present embodiment, a plurality of ejection port groups 21B, 21C, 2C arranged in parallel in the movement direction of the recording head 1 (the direction of arrow A).
A recording head having 1M and 21Y is used. In this case, the wiping blades 41B, 41C, 41M,
The moving direction of 41Y is set to a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the recording head 1, as indicated by the double-headed arrow B. Also in this embodiment, similarly to the other embodiments, each wiping blade 41 does not attract ink of another color in the direction of the ink ejection port group (for example, the yellow ink ejection port group 21Y) in which the mixed color is conspicuous. It is arranged to be inclined in such a direction.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a recording head 1 and wiping means 5 of a fifth embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the present embodiment, in the in-line type recording head in which the plurality of ejection port groups 21 are arranged in a line in a direction perpendicular to the recording head moving direction, the wiping is performed by moving the wiping blade 41 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the recording head moving direction. It is configured to perform. In the case of the present embodiment in which the number of black ejection ports is set to be greater than the number of ejection ports of the other color inks, the wiping blade 41B for wiping black ink is used for wiping for wiping other color inks. Blades 41C, 41M,
It is necessary to provide a contact / separation mechanism (not shown) for operating the Y independently. However, all the outlet groups 21B, 21C,
When the number of the outlets 32 of 21M and 21Y is the same (when the lengths of all the outlet groups 21 are equal), the contact / separation mechanism becomes unnecessary.

According to the first to fifth embodiments described above,
A discharge port group 21B, 21C, 21M, 21Y composed of a plurality of discharge ports for discharging the same ink is connected to the same discharge port surface 31.
And a plurality of wiping blades 41B, 41C, 41M corresponding to each of the plurality of ejection port groups.
Since the wiping means 5 having the wiping means 41Y is used to clean the discharge port surface and the wiping blades 41 are inclined, the occurrence of color mixing in the discharge port surface 31 when the discharge port surface 31 is wiped and cleaned. Can be prevented.

That is, it is possible to eliminate the color mixture that occurs when the ink remaining on the wiping blade 41 enters the ink discharge port of another color, and since the wiping blade 41 has a surface that is not perpendicular to the wiping direction, This makes it possible to clean the ejection port surface without attracting another color ink to the ejection port side from which the ink of a color in which color mixture is conspicuous is ejected. According to the present invention, color mixing of ink can be prevented regardless of the number and shape of the wiping blades 41.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the front shape and end shape of the wiping blade 41 having a slit. In order to more effectively prevent color mixing of ink in each of the above embodiments, a groove (slit) 111 for allowing the wiped ink to flow below the blade 41 is provided in each wiping blade 41 as shown in FIG. It is effective to form. In FIG. 11, the slit 111 is used for instantly discharging the ink wiped by the cleaning of the discharge port surface 31 from the contact surface between the blade 41 and the discharge port surface 31 by utilizing the capillary phenomenon. The slit 111 prevents undried ink from remaining on the upper end and side surfaces of the blade 41 that is in contact with the ejection port surface 31, thereby preventing color mixing due to the remaining ink on the blade 41.

In the above-described embodiment, a color recording apparatus using four recording heads for recording with four different colors of ink has been described as an example. The present invention can be widely applied irrespective of the number of recording heads and recording colors, such as a recording apparatus for gradation recording using an inline recording head for recording with ink, and the same effect can be obtained. Also, the arrangement method of the ejection port group
Parallel arrangement, not limited to the in-line type in the above embodiment,
Similar effects can be obtained for a multi-row arrangement such as a staggered arrangement.

Further, the present invention relates to a recording apparatus such as a recording head and an ink tank which are separated from each other and connected by a tube or the like, or a recording head and an ink tank which use a replaceable head cartridge. Regardless of the arrangement of the head and the ink tank,
It can be applied similarly and can achieve the same effect.

The present invention can be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus using a recording means (recording head) using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element. The present invention brings about an excellent effect in an ink jet recording apparatus of a type in which ink is ejected. This is because, according to such a method, recording density and definition can be increased.

The recovery means or auxiliary auxiliary means for the recording head provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus according to the present invention includes capping, cleaning,
In addition to the suction recovery and the preliminary ejection, the use of a pressurized recovery means, an electrothermal transducer or a preheating means using another heating element or a combination thereof is also effective for performing stable recording. .

In the present embodiment, the recovery operation is performed in the order of suction recovery, wiping, preliminary ejection, and wiping. However, the present invention provides excellent effects regardless of the order or combination of means. Further, a wiping means (cleaning mechanism) provided as an apparatus configuration of the present invention.
Even if the material of the wiping blade is not only urethane rubber but also a soft resin such as vinyl chloride or nylon, the present invention provides excellent effects.

In the present embodiment, the direction of inclination of the wiping blade in the wiping means provided as an apparatus configuration in the present invention is clockwise (rightward rotation). May be tilted in a counterclockwise direction (counterclockwise rotation) depending on the moving direction and the wiping direction. In any case, the present invention can provide an excellent effect if the wiped ink droplets are inclined in the direction of the ejection port group for ejecting the ink having a low recording density so as not to attract the wiped ink droplets.

The operation of the wiping means provided as the apparatus configuration of the present invention is not limited to the method of wiping by moving the recording head while the wiping blade is fixed, and also sliding the wiping blade while the recording head is fixed. The present invention provides an excellent effect as long as the operation causes relative sliding between the recording head and the wiping blade, such as a method for causing the recording head to slide. Also, the present invention provides excellent effects not only when the recording material provided as the device configuration of the present invention is paper, but also when it is a three-dimensional object as well as a fiber such as cloth or a plane.

[0047]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink from a recording means to a recording material, a plurality of recording mediums which discharge the same ink are used. Since a plurality of discharge port groups composed of discharge ports are arranged on the same discharge port surface, and the discharge port surface is cleaned by wiping means having a plurality of wiping blades corresponding to each of the plurality of discharge port groups, When wiping the discharge port surface of the recording means,
With a simple structure, it is possible to reliably remove ink droplets attached to the ejection port surface and ink that has thickened or fixed once by suction recovery operation, and even if wiping ejection port groups of different colors at the same time, a wiping blade Provided is an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a wiping unit capable of preventing color mixture caused by ink remaining on an ink ejection port of another color being introduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, at least one of the plurality of wiping blades has a wiping surface that is not perpendicular to the wiping direction. There is provided an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a wiping means capable of wiping an ejection port surface without attracting another color ink to an ejection port side from which a conspicuous color ink is ejected.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the wiping blade has a configuration in which the wiping surface is a curved surface. There is provided an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a wiping means capable of wiping an ejection port surface without attracting another color ink to the side.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a slit is formed in the wiping blade for flowing the wiped ink downward, so that the wiping blade is wiped off at the time of wiping. An ink jet recording apparatus having a wiping means capable of instantaneously discharging ink from a contact surface between a wiping blade and a discharge port surface and preventing color mixture due to ink remaining on the upper end of the blade is provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of a main part of an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an arrangement state of a plurality of discharge port groups on a discharge port surface of a printing unit.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view schematically illustrating a structure of an ink ejection unit of a recording unit.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement of a recovery system and a wiping unit for the recording unit of the first embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement of a plurality of discharge port groups, a cap, and a plurality of wiping blades along a line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

6 is a schematic diagram showing an operation when wiping ink adhered to a discharge port surface by the wiping unit of FIG. 4 as viewed from a sheet discharging side.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a wiping unit of a second embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a wiping unit of a third embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a wiping unit of a fourth embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a recording head and wiping means of a fifth embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a front shape and an end surface shape of a wiping blade with a slit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording means (recording head) 2 Carriage 3 Ink tank 4 Recovery system 5 Wiping means (cleaning mechanism) 6 Recording material 21 Discharge port group 22 Cap 31 Discharge port face 32 Discharge port 34 Liquid path 35 Electrothermal transducer 41 Wiping blade 111 Slit θ Inclination angle of wiping blade A Parallel wiping direction B Vertical wiping direction

Claims (7)

[Claims] In an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink from a recording means to a recording material, a plurality of discharge port groups each including a plurality of discharge ports for discharging the same ink are arranged on the same discharge port surface. And an wiping unit having a plurality of wiping blades respectively corresponding to the plurality of ejection port groups, wherein the ejection port surface is cleaned. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of wiping blades has a wiping surface that is not perpendicular to a wiping direction. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping surface of the wiping blade is a curved surface. 4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ejection port groups are arranged in a row in a recording material conveyance direction.
3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of 3. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a slit for flowing the wiped ink down the wiping blade is formed. 6. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1, wherein said recording device is an ink jet recording device including an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy used for discharging ink. The inkjet recording apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims. 7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the recording means discharges the ink from a discharge port using film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy generated by the electrothermal transducer. .