JP4686054B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, and more particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a wiping unit that wipes off excess ink adhering to an ink discharge surface (orifice plate) of an ink jet head to improve ink discharge failure.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an ink jet recording apparatus, ink droplets are ejected from an orifice of an ink jet head and attached to a recording medium such as printing paper to perform recording. When starting this ejection, the previously ejected ink adheres to the orifice plate, and if left untreated, the flight direction of the ejected droplets is disturbed, and ejection corresponding to the head drive frequency becomes impossible. Inadequate discharge such as the generation of satellites occurs. In addition, when a large amount of previously ejected ink adheres, it may become impossible to eject. Further, when a plurality of colors of ink are ejected from one head, mixing of the previously ejected ink may cause color mixing.
[0003]
Therefore, it is necessary to remove the adhered ink. When removing the ink on the orifice plate, a wipe means for wiping off the orifice plate with an elastic wiper blade to remove the adhering ink is provided outside the recording area of the inkjet head. Cleaning is performed by moving to a position facing the wiping means (hereinafter, this wiping operation is referred to as “cleaning”).
[0004]
Incidentally, the wiped ink that has been cleaned of the orifice plate is naturally adhered to the wiper blade. If this is left unattended, the ink may adhere to the inkjet head from the wiper blade during the next cleaning, and the cleaning may become extremely insufficient. For this reason, it is necessary to clean the wiper blade itself after cleaning to prepare for the next cleaning.
[0005]
In response to such a need, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-188892 discloses a configuration in which a wiper cleaner for cleaning a wiper is detachably provided on an ink cartridge. In JP-A-9-156115, when the wiper blade is stored in a space between two cleaning edges and the blade is advanced, the side surface of the wiper blade is rubbed by the tip of the cleaning edge to clean the wiper blade. The arrangement to be performed is disclosed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-57992 discloses an absorber formed of a material having an ink absorptivity such as urethane foam, and an ink adhering to the wiper blade by bringing the wiper blade into contact with the absorber after cleaning. A structure is disclosed in which the wiper blade is cleaned by absorbing it. Further, in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-58752, a cleaning means is provided that can move at a predetermined interval with respect to the orifice plate of the ink jet head. The cleaning means includes a cleaning table facing the orifice and a cleaning liquid on the cleaning table. There is disclosed a configuration having a droplet forming means for forming a droplet and cleaning the droplet by contacting the orifice.
[0006]
However, industrial and commercial ink jet recording apparatuses have a long use period and severe use conditions. Further, since the user's requirement level is high, even with the above invention, the user's satisfaction could not be sufficiently obtained.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an ink jet recording provided with a wiper cleaning means for an orifice plate so that the orifice plate can be sufficiently cleaned even in an industrial or business ink jet recording apparatus. The object is to provide an apparatus.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus comprising an ink jet head for recording by discharging ink from an orifice, as defined in claim 1, on the surface on which the orifice of the head is formed. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a wiper for cleaning an orifice plate; and a cleaning unit for cleaning the wiper, wherein the wiper is configured to be cleaned on the apparatus by the cleaning unit. provide.
[0009]
According to the present invention, since the wiping means can be cleaned by the cleaning means without being removed from the apparatus and can always be kept in a clean state, the orifice plate of the inkjet head can be completely cleaned. .
[0010]
In the invention described in claim 1, it is preferable to provide drying means for drying the wipe means cleaned by the cleaning means, as described in claim 2. By providing a drying means, even if the cleaning liquid used in the cleaning means is relatively difficult to volatilize, it can be used without any problem, and even when the cleaning interval is shortened. Because it becomes.
[0011]
In the invention described in claim 2, as described in claim 3, the wipe means includes a wipe member having a plurality of wipe parts, and a feed mechanism for circulating the wipe parts, It is preferable that the wiper can be circulated by the feeding mechanism between the cleaning position of the orifice plate, the cleaning position by the cleaning means, and the drying position by the drying means.
[0012]
Here, the “wipe member having a plurality of wipe portions” refers to a wipe member having a plurality of individual wipe portions that are directly involved in cleaning the orifice tip portion, and a wipe member that is directly involved in cleaning the orifice tip portion. It is a concept including a wipe member in which a plurality of units are continuously provided.
[0013]
According to the present invention, a plurality of wipe parts can be sequentially subjected to cleaning by the feeding mechanism, and the wiped parts after cleaning can be sequentially washed by the feeding mechanism. Furthermore, the wipe part after washing | cleaning can be used for drying sequentially. Therefore, since the cleaned wipe part can be again used for cleaning, the wipe member can be repeatedly used for cleaning. Further, the degree of freedom in time of the cleaning operation is increased, and for example, the cleaning operation can be repeatedly performed within a short time.
[0014]
Further, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3, as described in claim 4, the cleaning means is detachably provided on the ink jet apparatus, and the cleaning liquid is provided. A filled cleaning liquid cartridge is preferable. In such a configuration, for example, when the cleaning liquid repeatedly cleans the wipe member and, as a result, the dirt becomes intense, it can be easily replaced with a cleaning liquid cartridge filled with a clean cleaning liquid.
[0015]
In the invention described in claim 4, as described in claim 5, it is preferable that the cleaning liquid cartridge is provided with ultrasonic cleaning means. This is because the ink or the like on the minute uneven portions of the wipe member is washed, and more complete washing can be performed.
[0016]
Furthermore, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 5, as described in claim 6, the wipe member is substantially parallel to the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface. A cylindrical member having a plurality of convex strips, wherein one of the plurality of convex strips is disposed at a cleaning position of the orifice plate, and the other part is cleaned by the cleaning means. It is preferable that the feed mechanism is a rotational drive means for rotationally driving the cylindrical member around an axis.
[0017]
In this way, the cylindrical member can be rotated by a predetermined angle by the feed mechanism so that the wiping portion composed of a plurality of ridges can be used for cleaning sequentially, and easily by rotating the wiping portion after cleaning. This is because it can be washed.
[0018]
In the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 5, as described in claim 7, the wipe member is an annular string-like member, and the feeding mechanism is A plurality of rotating members including at least one drive unit arranged to apply tension to the annular string-like member, a part of the string-like member being arranged at a cleaning position of the orifice plate, It is preferable that the part is disposed at a position where the cleaning means performs cleaning.
[0019]
According to the present invention, the string-like member is fed by a predetermined length by the feeding mechanism, so that it can be sequentially used for cleaning, and the cleaned string-like member can be sequentially washed by the feeding mechanism. Accordingly, a cleaned wipe portion is automatically prepared, and the orifice plate can always be cleaned with the wipe portion after cleaning.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention. In the ink jet recording apparatus shown in this example, an ink jet head 10 mounted on a carriage (not shown) so as to be movable in the horizontal direction is provided, and an orifice 11 for ejecting ink is provided at the tip of the ink jet head 10. An orifice plate 12 is provided. On the surface of the orifice plate 12, an opening of the orifice 11 is provided, and the ink 13 is usually attached after printing. Wiping means 14 cleans the ink 13 adhering to the orifice plate 12.
[0021]
The wipe means 14 in this example rotates a cylindrical wipe member 16 having a wipe portion 15 formed of a plurality of ridges substantially parallel to the axial direction on the outer peripheral surface, and the cylindrical wipe member 16. The feed mechanism 17 is generally configured. In the vicinity of the wiping means 14, a cleaning means 18 is arranged so that a part of the wiping portion 15 of the wiping means 14 is immersed in the cleaning liquid. The cleaning means 18 is a cleaning liquid cartridge 20 filled with a cleaning liquid 19. The cleaning liquid cartridge 20 is detachably attached to the ink jet recording apparatus.
[0022]
Then, after the wipe unit 15 is rotated by the feed mechanism 17 and immersed in the cleaning liquid 19, a drying unit 21 is disposed at a position further rotated by the feed mechanism 17.
[0023]
In this example, when the cleaning on the orifice plate 12 is to be performed first, the wiper portion 15a is first disposed at a position where the orifice plate 12 can be cleaned and moved so as to wipe the surface of the orifice plate 12. As a result, the orifice plate 12 is cleaned. In this case, the wiping means 14 and the cleaning means 18 are integrally driven by a driving means (not shown) in the horizontal direction. The wipe portion 15a of the wipe member 16 (the portion actually used for cleaning the orifice plate 12) is disposed at the same height as the surface of the orifice plate 12, and receives the horizontal drive by the drive means, When passing under the ink jet head 10, cleaning is performed so as to wipe off ink stains adhering to the orifice plate 12.
[0024]
After the cleaning is completed, the wiping unit 14 and the cleaning unit 18 are moved to predetermined positions, and the cylindrical wiping member 16 is rotated by the feeding mechanism 17 to move the wiping portion 15a to the position 15c. By this rotation, a part of the wipe portion 15 of the wipe member 16 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 19 of the cleaning means 18. The wipe part 15 immersed in the cleaning liquid 19 is cleaned in the cleaning liquid. Further, the wipe portion 15 immersed and cleaned in the cleaning liquid 19 by the rotation comes to be positioned on the cleaning liquid 19 and is dried by the drying means 21 here. In addition, the wipe portion 15b that has already been dried by the drying means 21 is moved to the position 15a by the rotation and is used for the next cleaning of the orifice plate 12.
[0025]
The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is characterized by comprising a wiping means 14 for cleaning the orifice plate 12 and a cleaning means 18 for cleaning the wiping means 14 as shown in the above-described example, It has a drying means 21 for drying the wipe means 14 as required. Hereinafter, each means will be described.
[0026]
(Wipe means)
As shown in the above-described example, the wiping means used in the present invention includes a wiping member 16 having a normal wiping portion 15 and a feed mechanism 17 that moves the wiping member 16.
[0027]
The wipe member used in the present invention may be a cylindrical member as shown in the above example, but is not limited to this, and a string member as shown in the example described later is annular. It is possible to use various members such as a member that is used in a caterpillar shape by connecting a sheet member having a protruding line on the surface.
[0028]
When the wipe member is cylindrical, the wipe member may be a member having a plurality of ridges formed in parallel to the axial direction on the cylindrical surface as shown in the above-described example, Also, the wipe member may have a polygonal cross section, etc., as long as the wipe portion is formed so that the orifice plate is wiped in a linear shape when cleaning the orifice plate. It is not particularly limited.
[0029]
An example in which the wipe member is an annular string will be described with reference to FIG. As in the example shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet recording apparatus shown in this example includes an ink jet head 10 attached to a carriage (not shown) so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. Is provided with an orifice plate 12 having an orifice 11 for ejecting ink. On the surface of the orifice plate 12, an opening of the orifice 11 is provided, and the ink 13 is usually attached after printing. Wipe means 14 for cleaning the ink 13 adhering to the orifice plate 12 is provided.
[0030]
The wiping means 14 includes a wiping member 16 that is an annular string, a support portion 30 that supports the wiping member 16, and a feed mechanism 17 that moves the wiping member 16.
[0031]
In this example, the wipe part for cleaning the orifice plate 12 is continuously located on the wipe member 16, and the wipe member 16 located on the support base 30 becomes the wipe part.
[0032]
Further, the feed mechanism 17 in this example is arranged on the support base 30 so that the wipe member 16 has a predetermined tension, at least one of which is a roll having a drive mechanism, and this roll rotates. Thus, the wipe member 16 is configured and arranged so as to move.
[0033]
In the ink jet recording apparatus of this example, as in the example shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning means 18 including the cleaning liquid cartridge 20 filled with the cleaning liquid 19 and the position where the wipe member 16 cleaned by the cleaning means 18 is dried. Is provided with drying means 21 arranged in the above.
[0034]
Cleaning by such a wiping means is performed as follows. First, when the orifice plate 12 needs to be cleaned, first, the support base 30 and the wipe member 16 disposed on the support base 30 are disposed at a position where the orifice plate 12 can be cleaned. The surface of the orifice plate 12 is cleaned by moving so as to wipe the surface of 12. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the wiping member 16 crosses the support portion 30 a plurality of times. Therefore, when cleaning is performed using this wiping means, the cleaning is performed on the orifice plate 12 by a single cleaning operation. The wiping member wipes off a plurality of times, and the cleaning efficiency can be further increased.
[0035]
After the cleaning is completed in this way, the wipe member 16 is moved by the action of the feed mechanism, and the cleaned portion of the orifice plate 12 is moved so as to be immersed in the cleaning liquid 19 of the cleaning means 18. The wiping means 16 that has been cleaned in the cleaning liquid 19 is dried by the drying means 21 and then placed at a position on the support table 30 by the feed mechanism 17 for the next cleaning.
[0036]
In this example, the cross-sectional shape of the wipe member 16 can be any shape such as a circle, an elliptical inclination, a heavy inclination, a triangle, a star shape, or a ring shape. Further, the cross-sectional shape does not need to be constant in the length direction of the wipe member 16, and may be twisted in the length direction.
[0037]
As shown in the above example, the wipe member used in the present invention may have various shapes such as a cylindrical shape and an annular shape, but the material thereof has a certain degree of elasticity and is suitable for cleaning liquid. It is preferable that it is not swollen. Specifically, various rubbers such as butyl rubber, silicon rubber, and urethane rubber, sponge-like materials, and the like can be used.
[0038]
The feeding mechanism used in the wiping means of the present invention can be one according to the shape of the wiping member. For example, in the case of the cylindrical wiping member, the feeding mechanism is a mechanism for rotating the shaft. Also, if the wipe member is annular as shown in the above example, at least one drive is applied so that a predetermined tension is applied to the wipe member and the wipe member can be moved when necessary. It becomes the some roll which has a part.
[0039]
Such a wiping means may be such that the wiping means is fixed and the inkjet head moves to the position of the wiping means for cleaning, and the wiping means has a moving means on the wiping means side. Thus, the wiping means may be moved to the orifice plate of the ink jet head for cleaning.
[0040]
(Washing means)
The cleaning means used in the present invention is characterized in that it is provided so as to be attached to the wiping means. In other words, the cleaning means is provided integrally with the wiping means because the wiping member having the wiping portion soiled by the cleaning can be easily cleaned by the cleaning means by being moved by the feeding mechanism. It is preferable that
[0041]
In the present invention, the cleaning means is detachably attached to the ink jet recording apparatus, particularly the wiping means. Since it can be detached in this way, it becomes possible to easily replace the cleaning means when the cleaning means itself is deteriorated in the cleaning ability by a plurality of times of cleaning, thereby always providing a clean wipe member for cleaning. Because it can.
[0042]
The cleaning means used in the present invention is not limited to this, but can be a cleaning liquid cartridge filled with a cleaning liquid. As the cleaning liquid in this case, for example, a solvent of the ink used is preferably used.
[0043]
Further, in the present invention, an ultrasonic cleaning means may be provided in the cleaning liquid cartridge in order to efficiently clean the wipe member by this cleaning means. By cleaning with this ultrasonic cleaning means, it is possible to clean the ink etc. present in the fine irregularities of the wipe member, so the orifice plate is cleaned more completely by the wipe means. Because you can.
[0044]
(Drying means)
In the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, drying means is provided as necessary. That is, there are cases where it is not necessary to provide a drying means when the cleaning liquid is very volatile and drying is not particularly necessary, or when the wipe member is used in a state containing a certain amount of solvent. However, a drying means is usually provided for complete drying.
[0045]
As such drying means, those using wind power such as a blower, those heated by a heater, and combinations thereof are used.
[0046]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above-described embodiment is an exemplification, and the present invention has any configuration that has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention and that exhibits the same effects. Are included in the technical scope.
[0047]
【Example】
As an inkjet head, an inkjet head having a stainless steel orifice plate having 30 μmφ and 128 orifice openings was used, and inkjet ink was ejected at a frequency of 6000 Hz for 90 seconds.
[0048]
After discharging, the surface of the orifice plate was cleaned with a cleaning device having an annular string-like wipe member made of butyl rubber as shown in FIG. After the cleaning is completed, ejection from the ink jet is started under the above conditions. During the 90 seconds of ejection, the portion used for cleaning the wipe member is fed by a roll that is a feed mechanism, and the solvent of the ink for ink jet is mainly used. It was immersed in a cleaning solution as a solvent. At the same time, the portion immersed in the cleaning solution was pulled up from the cleaning solution and dried by a far infrared heater, and the dried portion was prepared for the next cleaning.
[0049]
When the above discharge and cleaning operations are repeated 10,000 times after replacing the cleaning liquid cartridge every 1000 times, all 128 orifices are not clogged, and there is no discharge failure such as flight bends, so that reproducible discharge is maintained. I was able to.
[0050]
At this time, the solidified material of the ink did not adhere to the wiping member, and dust and contamination due to the solidified material of the ink and the wiping means did not affect the medium to be ejected.
[0051]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the wiping means for cleaning the orifice plate can be cleaned by the cleaning means without removing it from the ink jet recording apparatus. Can be kept clean. Therefore, the orifice plate of the ink jet head can be completely cleaned, and the ink jet recording apparatus can perform accurate ejection.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Inkjet head 11 ... Orifice 12 ... Orifice plate 14 ... Wipe means 16 ... Wipe member 17 ... Feed mechanism 18 ... Cleaning means 21 ... Drying means

Claims (3)

In an inkjet recording apparatus including an inkjet head that records by discharging ink from an orifice,
Wiping means for cleaning an orifice plate which is a surface on which the orifice of the head is formed, cleaning means for cleaning the wiping means, and drying means for drying the wiping means cleaned by the cleaning means ,
The wiping means is configured to be washable on the apparatus by the cleaning means ,
The drying means is by wind, by heating, or a combination thereof,
The wiping means includes a wiping member having a plurality of wiping portions, and a feed mechanism for circulating the wiping portions. The wiping portion includes a cleaning position of the orifice plate, a cleaning position by the cleaning means, and the drying unit. Between the drying positions by the means, it is possible to circulate by the feeding mechanism,
The wipe member is an annular string-like member, and the feeding mechanism is a plurality of rotating members including at least one drive unit arranged to apply tension to the annular string-like member, and the string-like member Is disposed at the cleaning position of the orifice plate, and the other part is disposed at the cleaning position by the cleaning means,
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the wipe member wipes the orifice plate a plurality of times by one cleaning operation . The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning unit is a cleaning liquid cartridge that is detachably provided in the ink jet apparatus and is filled with a cleaning liquid. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid cartridge includes an ultrasonic cleaning unit.

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