JP2007160559A - Inkjet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recording apparatus, the blade cleaner part of which is constituted integrally with a carriage, and which prevents a stain on a recording material by preventing the shift of ink scraped off by the blade cleaner part, without deteriorating the performance of a blade cleaner. <P>SOLUTION: In this inkjet recording apparatus, as shown in Fig. 11, a row of ejection ports, which are provided on the bottom surface of a recording head, is orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the carriage; a wiper blade is arranged in parallel with the row of the ejection ports; and the blade cleaner part 9A is constituted integrally with the carriage. The blade cleaner part 9A is provided with a rib member 94A. Additionally, in the blade cleaner part of the carriage, a rib is provided in a position corresponding to a slit of the blade. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording head mounted on a reciprocating carriage to a recording material, and a cleaning mechanism portion of the recording apparatus.

  In a serial type recording apparatus that employs a serial scanning method in which main scanning is performed in a direction that intersects the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) of a recording material, an image is recorded by recording means mounted on a carriage that moves along the recording material. After recording (main scanning), recording of one line is finished, and then a predetermined amount of paper is fed (pitch transport), and then the next line image is recorded on the recording material that has been stopped again (main scanning). ) Is repeated, recording on the entire recording material is performed.

  Among the above recording apparatuses, an ink jet recording apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus) performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording material, and the recording means can be easily made compact. High-definition images can be recorded at high speed, can be recorded without requiring special processing on plain paper, running costs are low, and the non-impact method is low noise and multicolor There are advantages such as easy recording of color images using ink.

  A recording head used in an ink jet recording apparatus has a flow path from an ink storage unit (ink tank unit) to an ink discharge unit, and ink is sequentially supplied from the ink storage unit to the ink discharge unit each time ink is discharged. Come. In a recording apparatus using such a recording head, in order to obtain a good image quality by stabilizing the ink discharge operation when removing (cleaning) foreign matter such as fixed ink and dust or bubbles near the ink discharge port. Generally, a cleaning mechanism (recovery mechanism) for cleaning the recording head is mounted.

  One of the cleaning operations is to use a wiper blade that is in sliding contact with the ejection port surface of the recording head in order to prevent deflection of the ink ejection direction. In the case of this method, the wiper blade and the recording head are moved relative to each other so that foreign matters such as ink droplets and dust adhering to the vicinity of the ejection port are wiped by the wiper blade (referred to as “wiping”).

  As the wiper blade, a member having elasticity such as urethane rubber is generally used, and the performance of the wiper blade depends on the material and mechanical setting conditions. In order to maintain the performance at all times, it is preferable to clean the surface of the wiper blade itself. For this reason, a blade cleaner is often provided as a wiper blade cleaning mechanism that scrapes ink droplets or the like adhering to the wiper blade by wiping. When wiping is performed by moving the carriage on which the recording head is mounted, the blade cleaner is often provided integrally with the carriage.

For example, Patent Document 1 can be cited as a conventional example.
JP-A-7-17062

  However, in the above-described conventional recording apparatus, the ink wiped off by the blade cleaner unit provided integrally with the carriage accumulates in the blade cleaner unit as the number of wiping increases, and falls on the recording material during printing. There is a fear. Further, when the carriage is scanned, there is a possibility that the accumulated ink comes into contact with the recording material conveying portion directly below the carriage and stains the supplied recording material.

  Furthermore, in the case of an ink jet recording apparatus that is installed with the main body tilted or the carriage is tilted, the ink scraped off by the blade cleaner concentrates on one side due to gravity, so the above-mentioned problem is likely to occur. .

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus having a configuration in which the recording material is not soiled by preventing the movement of ink scraped by the blade cleaner without impairing the performance of the blade cleaner.

  The present invention is an ink jet recording apparatus that has been devised to solve the above-described problems and has the following configuration.

(1) A recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink, a carriage on which the recording head is mounted and reciprocated in the main scanning direction, and the ejection port surface of the previous recording head by wiping the carriage in the main scanning direction A wiping means having a wiper blade for sweeping, a blade cleaner for scraping off ink adhering to the wiper blade,
Have
A row of ejection openings provided on the bottom surface of the recording head is orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the carriage,
The wiper blade is disposed in parallel to the row of the discharge ports, and the blade cleaner is configured integrally with the carriage.
In an inkjet recording apparatus,
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a rib member that prevents movement of ink scraped off by the blade cleaner during a wiping operation.

  (2) The ink jet recording apparatus according to (1), wherein a rib is provided in the blade cleaner portion of the carriage at a position corresponding to the slit of the blade.

That is, according to the present invention having the above configuration,
A recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink, a carriage mounted with the recording head and reciprocating in the main scanning direction, and a wiper for wiping the ejection port surface of the previous recording head by moving the carriage in the main scanning direction A wiping means having a blade, a blade cleaner for scraping off ink adhering to the wiper blade,
Have
A row of ejection openings provided on the bottom surface of the recording head is orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the carriage,
The wiper blade is disposed in parallel to the row of the discharge ports, and the blade cleaner is configured integrally with the carriage.
In an inkjet recording apparatus,
In the wiping operation, characterized in that the rib member that prevents the movement of the ink scraped to the blade cleaner portion is configured,
Further, the blade cleaner portion of the carriage is provided with a rib at a position corresponding to the slit of the blade,
It is possible to provide an ink jet recording apparatus having a configuration in which the recording material is not soiled by preventing the movement of ink scraped by the blade cleaner without impairing the performance of the blade cleaner.

Example 1
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

  In FIG. 1, the illustrated ink jet recording apparatus includes a paper feeding unit 201 for supplying a recording material such as recording paper into the recording apparatus main body, and a recording material passing through the recording apparatus main body (recording unit or the like). A conveyance unit 202 for feeding, a recording mechanism unit (carriage unit) 203 that records an image (including characters and symbols) on a recording material based on image information, and a recording mechanism unit (carriage unit) 203 A cleaning mechanism (recovery mechanism) 204 is provided for maintaining the image quality formed by.

  A recording material such as a recording sheet stacked on the sheet feeding unit 201 is separated and sent out one by one by a sheet feeding roller driven by a sheet feeding motor, and is sent to the conveying unit 202. The recording material fed into the transport unit 202 is transported through the recording unit by the frictional transport force of the transport roller 221 driven by the transport motor and the pinch roller 222 pressed against the transport roller, and the paper is fed by the recording unit. An image (including characters and symbols) is recorded by the recording mechanism (carriage unit) 203 while being (pitch transported).

  The recorded material to be recorded is discharged out of the apparatus main body by a conveyance force by being sandwiched between a discharge roller 223 driven in conjunction with the conveyance roller 221 and a spur cooperating with the discharge roller. The

  The recording mechanism section (carriage unit) 203 includes a carriage 6 that is guided and supported inside the apparatus main body so as to be reciprocally movable in the main scanning direction, and a recording cartridge 3 as recording means. That is, the carriage 6 on which the recording cartridge 3 is mounted is guided and supported so as to be able to reciprocate along a guide rail installed in the apparatus main body. A driving force of the carriage motor is applied to the carriage 6 via the carriage belt 224. The carriage 6 is reciprocated along the guide rail by the driving force of the carriage motor. At this time, an encoder sensor (not shown) mounted on the carriage unit senses a slit provided on the encoder scale 225 to recognize the position and speed of the carriage unit 203 in the main scanning direction. Then, the recording operation of the recording cartridge 3 performed in synchronism with the reciprocating movement (main scanning) of the carriage 6 and the conveyance feed (sub-scanning) of the recording material at a predetermined pitch are repeated to record the entire recording material. Is done.

  The recovery mechanism section (cleaning mechanism section) 204 is for maintaining and recovering the recording quality to a normal (good) state by eliminating clogging of the recording head (inkjet head) 3 in the inkjet recording apparatus. As will be described later, it is constituted by a pump unit for sucking or discharging ink from the discharge port, a cap unit for covering the discharge port, a wiping unit for wiping and cleaning the surface of the discharge port, and the like.

  FIG. 2 is a top perspective view showing a state in which the caps 1A and 1B, the wiper blade 8 and the like are incorporated in the cap slider 7 according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 2, caps 1 </ b> A and 1 </ b> B are fixed to a cap holder 2 and are held in a state in which the cap slider 7 can move up and down by a cap spring (not shown).

  The cap holder 2 is connected to suction tubes (not shown), and these tubes are connected to a pump mechanism (not shown) as a negative pressure generating means. Accordingly, by operating the pump mechanism in a state where the recording cartridge 3 is capped with the caps 1A and 1B, the inside of the caps 1A and 1B is brought into a negative pressure state through the tube, whereby ink is discharged from the ejection port of the recording cartridge 3. It can be sucked (can be sucked out).

  Protruding portions (slider shaft portions) 7b projecting in a bar shape are provided at four locations on the side surface of the cap slider 7, and these projecting portions 7b are, for example, as shown in FIG. It is placed (contacted) on the cam surfaces 13a and 13b for slider control provided on the top.

  That is, the cap slider 7 extends along the cam surfaces 13a and 13b in a state where the projecting portions (slider shaft portions) 7b are brought into contact with the cam surfaces 13a and 13b on the base 13 by the slider spring 15. It is mounted so that it can move in the carriage movement direction while its vertical position is controlled.

  The cap slider 7 is provided with an abutting portion 7 a against which the carriage 6 or the recording cartridge 3 that has entered the cleaning mechanism portion 204 comes into contact. That is, when the carriage 6 moves to the cleaning mechanism portion 204 and the side surface of the carriage 6 comes into contact with the abutting portion 7a, the cap slider 7 similarly follows the carriage 6 entering the cleaning mechanism portion. Will move.

  The wiper blade 8 is fixed to the end of the cap slider 7 opposite to the abutting portion 7a.

  Further, the cap slider 7 is provided with a lock lever 16 incorporated so as to be rotatable, and an end portion 16b can come into contact with the lock surface c of the base 13 of the recording apparatus.

  3 and 4 are schematic perspective views of the recording cartridge 3. FIG.

  The recording cartridge 3 includes a recording head 31 and an ink storage unit that are integrated. A rib 32 is provided on the top of the recording cartridge 3 and is fixed to the carriage 6 by a headset 62 described later. The lower portion of the recording cartridge 3 is narrowed by one step, constitutes a guide for mounting the recording cartridge 3 on the carriage 6, and provides a space for providing a blade cleaner 9 to the carriage 6 described later.

  The recording head of the recording cartridge 3 in FIG. 3 has three nozzle rows, and can eject three colors of ink. Further, the recording head 31 of the recording cartridge 3 in FIG. 4 has only one nozzle row and one type of ink can be ejected, but its ink capacity is three times the ink capacity per color of the recording cartridge 3. . For this reason, if it is assigned to black ink that is relatively frequently used, the use efficiency of the recording cartridge is increased. In this embodiment, the recording cartridge 3 filled with the black ink and the recording cartridge 3 filled with cyan, magenta, and yellow ink can be mounted.

  5 to 7 are schematic perspective views of the carriage unit 203. The carriage unit 203 includes a carriage 6 for mounting the recording cartridge 3, a head set 62 for fixing the recording cartridge 3 to the carriage 6, and a head contact 61 for supplying power to the recording head 31 from a main board (not shown) and transmitting / receiving electrical signals. Etc.

  A head set 62 is attached to the upper portion of the carriage 6 so as to be fixed to the rib 32 on the upper portion of the recording cartridge 3 to fix the recording head. That is, when the recording cartridge 3 is pushed into the carriage unit 203, a head set spring (not shown) is elastically deformed and the head set 62 is pushed away. When the recording cartridge 3 is pushed in and the critical point of the load that pushes the headset 62 is exceeded, the recording cartridge 3 is pulled into the carriage 6 by the headset 62, and the headset 62 pulls the rib 32 of the recording cartridge 3 by the force of the headset spring. The recording cartridge 3 is latched and fixed to the carriage 6.

  A surface 63 formed on the carriage 6 is a surface that comes into pressure contact with a positioning surface (abutting surface) in the recording medium conveyance direction (front-rear direction) provided on the upper portion of the recording cartridge 3, and a surface 66 formed on the carriage 6 The surface 65 formed on the carriage 6 is in pressure contact with a vertical (vertical) positioning surface (butting surface) provided at the bottom of the recording cartridge 3, and the surface 65 formed on the carriage 6 is in the conveyance direction (front-rear direction) of the recording cartridge 3. A surface 64 that is in pressure contact with the positioning surface (abutting surface), and a surface 64 formed on the carriage 6 is a surface that is in pressure contact with a positioning surface (abutting surface) in the main scanning direction (left-right direction) of the recording cartridge 3.

  As shown in FIG. 6, two types of recording cartridges 3 can be mounted on the carriage 6, and the positioning surfaces 63 to 66 of the carriage 6 are configured symmetrically.

  As shown in FIG. 7, blade cleaners 9A and 9B are provided at the lower portion of the carriage 6, and are provided so as to be immediately next to the recording heads 31A and 31B when the recording cartridges 3A and 3B are mounted, respectively. The wiper blade 8 is disposed immediately before the recording heads 31A and 31B in the direction in which the wiper blade 8 enters.

  FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the carriage unit 203 when the recording cartridge 3 is not mounted.

  The blade cleaner portions 9A and 9B are arranged so as to be orthogonal to the direction in which the wiper blade 8 enters, and are configured to be able to scrape ink drops and foreign matters adhering to the wiper blade 8. In the lower part of the carriage 6, there are blade passing surfaces 93 </ b> A to 93 </ b> D in addition to the blade cleaner portions 9 </ b> A and 9 </ b> B, which are concave. The corners where the blades abut are all R-shaped so that the blades are not damaged.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the carriage is tilted due to the structure of the apparatus, so that the ink scraped off by the blade cleaner is gathered in the direction of the arrow M by gravity and dropped. There is a risk of recording material becoming dirty. The ribs 94A and 94B are provided to prevent the recording material from being soiled due to ink dropping, and are arranged to prevent movement of the ink scraped off by the blade cleaner.

  Next, a wiping operation when the carriage unit 203 moves to the non-recording area and the carriage 6 and the recording head 31 enter the cleaning mechanism 204 will be described.

  10 and 11 are schematic views showing the positional relationship between the carriage unit 203 and the cleaning mechanism 204 in the main scanning direction during the wiping operation. FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a state when the wiper blade 8 passes through the blade cleaner.

  Only the recording cartridge 3B is mounted on the carriage unit 203, and the head contact 61A is exposed. The recording head 31B has three nozzle rows, and can eject inks of three colors, cyan, magenta, and yellow. Even if the recording head 3A capable of ejecting black is not mounted, the three-color ink is used. It is possible to create black on the paper surface by mixing. That is, even when only the recording cartridge 3B is mounted and the head contact 61A is exposed, the recording operation can be performed.

  When the carriage unit 203 moves to the non-recording area, the carriage 6 enters the cleaning mechanism portion 204 as described above, so that the carriage 6 comes into contact with the abutting portion 7 a of the cap slider 7. When the carriage unit 203 continues to move, the cap slider 7 also moves in the U direction in the figure in conjunction with the operation of the carriage 6. At this time, the cap slider 7 gradually moves in the W direction in the drawing toward the recording head 31B along the cap slider control cam surfaces 13a and 13b. Eventually, when the carriage 6 moves to a predetermined position PA (wiper trigger position), the lock lever 16 pivotally supported on the cap slider 7 in the direction of arrow T in FIG. 9 is rotated to the lock position by the lock lever spring. Move. At this time, the lock lever 16 engages with a lock surface 13c provided on the base 13 of the recording apparatus. By fixing the lock lever 16, the position of the cap slider 7 in the W direction in the figure is fixed, the amount S of the wiper blade 8 entering the recording head 31B is fixed, and the wiping preparation operation is completed.

  The carriage unit 203 is further movable in the U direction in the figure. When the carriage unit 203 moves to a predetermined position PB (cap position), the cap 1B incorporated in the cap slider 7 comes into pressure contact with the ejection port surface of the recording head 31B, and the recording head. Capping for protecting the nozzle of 31B can be performed. Even when the carriage unit 203 is moved to the position PB (cap position), the lock lever 16 is in the lock position. Therefore, when the carriage unit 203 returns to the position PA (wiper trigger position), the lock lever 16 is The engagement amount S of the wiper blade 8 with respect to the recording head 31B does not change by engaging with the lock surface 13c provided on the base 13.

  When the carriage unit 203 moves from the position PA (wiper trigger position) in the −U direction in the figure, the cap slider is inhibited from moving in the −U direction in the figure by the lock lever 16 and is separated from the carriage unit 203. Further, when the carriage unit 203 moves in the −U direction in the figure, the wiper blade 8 starts to enter the carriage unit 203 and enters a wiping operation.

  The wiper blade 8 first enters the blade cleaner portion 9A provided on the side surface of the carriage 6, and the edge portion 91A of the blade cleaner portion 9A scrapes off residual ink droplets and foreign matters adhering to the wiper blade 8. The wiper blade 8 whose surface has been cleaned by the blade cleaner 9A is elastically deformed in the direction opposite to the entering direction, and is separated through the blade passage surface 93A at the lower part of the carriage 6. At this time, since the rib is provided at a position corresponding to the slit of the wiper blade 8, the rib has no influence on the blade cleaner performance.

  When the carriage unit 203 further moves in the −U direction in the drawing, the wiper blade 8 enters the blade cleaner portion 9B provided at the center of the carriage 6 through the blade passage surface 93B below the carriage 6. At this time, the wiper blade 8 is elastically deformed in a direction opposite to the approach direction. The wiper blade 8 that has entered the blade cleaner portion 9B is scraped off the remaining ink droplets and the like by the edge portion 91B of the blade cleaner portion 9B. The wiper blade 8 whose surface has been cleaned by the blade cleaner 9B is separated through the blade passage surface 93C under the carriage 6. When the wiper blade 8 is separated by the subsequent movement of the carriage unit 203, the wiper blade 8 tries to return to the original shape once. However, since the recording head 31B is mounted, the wiper blade 8 enters the recording head 31B without completely returning. .

  The wiper blade 8 passes through the ejection port surface of the recording head 31B, and the ejection port surface of the recording head 31B is wiped (wiped and cleaned) by the wiper blade 8, and is in a good state for ink ejection from which ink droplets and foreign matter have been removed. Can be obtained.

  Thereafter, when the carriage 6 further moves in the −U direction, the protrusion 67 for releasing the lock lever 16 provided on the carriage 6 presses the end 16b of the lock lever 16, and the lock lever 16 rotates. The lock with the base 13 of the recording apparatus is released. As a result, the cap slider 7 can be returned to the position where the wiper blade 8 is completely retracted from the carriage unit 203.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
The recording cartridge 3 provided with the recording head 31, the carriage 6 on which the recording cartridge 3 is mounted and reciprocated in the main scanning direction, and a wiper that wipes the discharge port surface of the previous recording head 3 by moving the carriage 6 in the main scanning direction. Wiping means having a blade 8; and a blade cleaner 9 that scrapes off ink adhering to the wiper blade 8;
A row of ejection openings provided on the bottom surface of the recording head 3 is orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the carriage 6,
In the ink jet recording apparatus, the wiper blade 8 is disposed in parallel to the row of discharge ports, and the blade cleaner unit 9 is configured integrally with the carriage 6.
During the wiping operation, the ink wiped off to the blade cleaner 9 is not concentrated in one place, that is, the blade cleaner 9 of the carriage 6 is provided with ribs 94A and 94B.
Furthermore, the blade cleaner 9 of the carriage 6 is provided with ribs 94A and 94B at positions corresponding to the slits of the wiper blade 8,
Without impairing the performance of the blade cleaner, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording apparatus having a configuration that prevents the ink scraped by the blade cleaner unit 9 from moving and does not contaminate the recording material.

1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The upper perspective view of the cleaning mechanism part in 1st Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the recording head in the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the recording head in the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a carriage unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a carriage unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a carriage unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a lower enlarged perspective view of a carriage unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The side view of the carriage and cap slider part in 1st Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a positional relationship between a cap slider portion and a carriage in the first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front side of the recording apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a positional relationship between a cap slider portion and a carriage in the first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front side of the recording apparatus. Schematic which showed a mode when the wiper blade in 1st Example of this invention passes a blade cleaner part. Schematic for demonstrating prevention of ink fall in 1st Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cap 2 Cap holder 3 Recording cartridge 31 Recording head 6 Carriage 61 Head contact 62 Headset 63, 64, 65, 66 Recording head positioning surface 67 Lock lever release protrusion 7 Cap slider 7a Abutting portion 7b Protruding portion (slider shaft) Part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 Wiper blade 9 Blade cleaner part 94 Rib of blade cleaner part 95 Guide surface 13 Base of recording apparatus 16 Lock lever 201 Paper feed part 202 Conveying part 203 Recording mechanism part 204 Cleaning mechanism part (recovery mechanism part)
225 Encoder sensor

Claims (5)

A recording head having an ejection port for ejecting ink, a carriage mounted with the recording head and reciprocating in the main scanning direction, and a wiper for wiping the ejection port surface of the previous recording head by moving the carriage in the main scanning direction A wiping means having a blade, a blade cleaner for scraping off ink adhering to the wiper blade,
Have
A row of ejection openings provided on the bottom surface of the recording head is orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the carriage,
The wiper blade is disposed in parallel to the row of the discharge ports, and the blade cleaner is configured integrally with the carriage.
In an inkjet recording apparatus,
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a rib member that prevents movement of ink scraped off by the blade cleaner during a wiping operation.   2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rib is provided at a position corresponding to a slit of the blade on the blade cleaner portion of the carriage.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carriage can mount a plurality of the recording heads simultaneously.   4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recording operation is possible by mounting only at least one of the recording heads mounted on the carriage.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is a recording cartridge in which a recording head and an ink tank are integrally formed.

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