JP3345758B2 - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

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, and more particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a cleaning mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording apparatus is configured to perform printing by discharging ink droplets toward recording paper from nozzles provided in an ink jet head.

In the above-mentioned ink jet recording apparatus,
If foreign matter such as paper dust or dust and surplus ink adhere to the nozzle portion, printing defects such as missing dots and bent ink droplets may be caused. For this reason, it is necessary to provide a means for preventing such a printing failure and recovering from a printing failure state in the ink jet recording apparatus.

As one of the means, there has been proposed a method of wiping a nozzle portion of an ink jet head with a plate-like cleaning member made of an elastic member to remove attached foreign matter and excess ink.

A conventional technique for removing foreign matter and excess ink will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the structure of a conventional cleaning mechanism and the state of wiping. The cleaning lever 102 with the cleaning member 101 attached to the end is
The frame 106 is supported by a shaft 103 of the frame 106, and is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow B from a standby state indicated by a broken line in FIG. With the rotation of the cleaning lever 102, the tip of the cleaning member 101 attached to the end of the cleaning lever 102
A circular locus 108 centered on the axis 103 is drawn. The cleaning member 101 wipes the nozzle portion 105 of the ink jet head 104 located so as to overlap with the trajectory 108 of the tip of the cleaning member 101, and removes the foreign matter 109 and the surplus ink 110 attached to the nozzle portion 105. Attached to 101 and removed. Further, an ink absorber 107 made of a porous member is supported by the frame 106 at a position overlapping with the trajectory 108 of the tip of the cleaning member 101 after wiping.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the state of the conventional cleaning mechanism after wiping.

The cleaning member 101 after the wiping of the nozzle portion 105 has the foreign matter 10
9 and the surplus ink 110 are adhered, but after the wiping, the cleaning lever 102 further rotates in the direction of the arrow B, and the ink absorber 107 provided at a position overlapping the trajectory 108 of the tip of the cleaning member 101. The cleaning member 101 passes through the surface while abutting. At this time, the foreign matter 109 and the surplus ink 110 attached to the cleaning member 101 from the nozzle portion 105 by the wiping are wiped by the ink absorber 107.
The foreign matter 109 adheres to the surface of the ink absorber 107, and the surplus ink 110 is absorbed inside the ink absorber 107,
The foreign matter 109 and the surplus ink 110 attached to the cleaning member 101 are removed.

[0009]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, the cleaning lever having the cleaning member attached to the end performs a rotating motion, and the locus of the arc at the tip of the cleaning member overlaps the nozzle portion. In addition, since the cleaning member wipes the nozzle portion to remove foreign matter and excess ink attached to the nozzle portion, the amount of overlap between the tip of the cleaning member and the nozzle portion at the time of wiping is not constant. When the cleaning member wipes the upper portion of the nozzle, the overlap amount is small, when the cleaning member wipes the central portion of the nozzle, the overlap amount becomes maximum, and when the cleaning member wipes the lower portion of the nozzle, the overlap amount decreases again. If the amount of overlap at the time of wiping is not constant, wiping unevenness is likely to occur at portions where the amount of overlap is small and at portions where the amount of overlap is small, and foreign matter and surplus ink will remain unwiped at the upper and lower nozzles where the amount of overlap is small. And print defects such as missing dots and bent ink droplets due to the adhesion of excess ink. or,
Even if a cleaning operation is performed to recover from such a defective printing state, there is a problem that a reliable recovery operation is not performed.

In addition, if the overlapping amount between the top of the nozzle and the lower portion of the nozzle where the overlap between the tip of the cleaning member and the wiping unevenness and the remaining wiping are likely to occur is small, the tip of the cleaning member and the center of the nozzle are required. Are further increased. If the amount of overlap between the tip of the cleaning member and the nozzle portion is too large, the wiping force of the cleaning member increases, damaging the delicate nozzle portion, causing not only printing defects such as bending of ink droplets but also the worst case. In the case of (1), there is also a risk that the ink jet head is spoiled.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with a cleaning mechanism capable of performing reliable and stable cleaning.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for ejecting ink droplets onto recording paper for printing, and an ink jet head for ejecting ink droplets and a nozzle portion of the ink jet head. A cleaning mechanism for removing foreign matters such as paper dust and dust attached thereto and excess ink, the cleaning mechanism comprising a cleaning member for wiping the nozzle portion, a rotatable lever, and a slidable lever. A holder that is attached and holds the cleaning member at an end thereof, a shaft having a shaft formed on a side surface, and a first groove and a first groove that are engaged with the shaft of the holder and at least partially formed in parallel with the nozzle portion . One groove
And a second groove formed in a continuous arc shape . For example, by providing a convex portion on the side surface of the holder and providing the lever with a long hole that engages with the convex portion,
The holder is slidably mounted on the lever. The first groove and the second groove that engage with the shaft of the holder are formed, for example, on a frame that rotatably supports the lever. Further provided a porous member for wiping the adhered ink or the like of the cleaning member, the axis of the holder, when in the second groove portion <br/> minute, so the porous member contacts the cleaning member It should just be arranged.

[0013]

According to the above construction of the present invention, the cleaning member always wipes the nozzle portion with a certain amount of overlap with the nozzle portion to remove foreign matter such as paper dust and dust adhering to the nozzle portion. Since the surplus ink is removed, wiping unevenness and wiping residue are not generated.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 show an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a partial structure of an ink jet recording apparatus using the cleaning mechanism of the present invention, and shows a structure at a cleaning position. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a plate-like cleaning member made of an elastic member;
Is a cleaning lever having an elongated hole 5 formed so that an oval-shaped projection 4 integrally formed with the holder 2 is engaged with and slidable. It is rotatable around a shaft 6 attached to the frame 13 by a driving means (not shown). Reference numeral 7 denotes a holder shaft formed integrally with the holder 2 and the oval-shaped convex portion 4, and reference numeral 8 denotes a groove cam formed on the frame 13 so that the holder shaft 7 formed integrally with the holder 2 slides. It comprises arc portions 8a and 8c around the shaft 6 attached to the frame 13, and a straight portion 8b parallel to the nozzle portion 10 for discharging ink droplets.
9 is an ink ejecting head, 11 is a carriage on which the ink ejecting head 9 is mounted, 12 is a guide shaft for the carriage 11 to reciprocate in the print digit direction, and 14 is an ink absorber made of a porous member supported by a frame 13 It is. or,
Although not shown, a printing paper, a platen for guiding the printing paper, and a paper feeding device are provided at a position facing the head in the printing area.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the structure of the cleaning mechanism of the present invention, and also shows a state immediately before the wiping of the nozzle portion 10. The cleaning lever 3 is rotatably supported by the shaft 6 of the frame 13, and is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow A from a standby state indicated by a broken line in FIG. Holder 2 with cleaning member 1 attached to end
The cleaning lever 3 pivotally supported by the shaft 6 of the frame 13 is engaged with an oval-shaped projection 4 formed integrally with the holder 2 and an elongated hole 5 formed in the cleaning lever 3. For this reason, the holder 2 having the cleaning member 1 attached to the end thereof also has a frame 1 like the cleaning lever 3.
3 rotates in the direction of arrow A about the axis 6. The holder shaft 7 integrally formed with the holder 2 slides in an arc portion 8a of the groove cam 8 centered on the shaft 6, and the tip of the cleaning member 1 draws a locus 15a. The ink ejecting head 9 is located on the side facing the cleaning member 1, and the trajectory 15 of the tip of the cleaning member 1 and the nozzle portion 10 overlap with each other. It comes into contact with the nozzle portion 10 overlapping the trajectory 15.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state where the nozzle portion 10 is being wiped. The cleaning member 1 has a nozzle 10
When the cleaning lever 3 and the holder 2 continue to rotate further in the direction of the arrow A even after the contact, the holder shaft 7 integrally formed with the holder 2 becomes a linear portion 8b parallel to the nozzle portion 10 of the groove cam 8. Inside, the tip of the cleaning member 1 draws a locus 15 b parallel to the nozzle portion 10. At this time, since the oval-shaped projection 4 formed on the holder 2 can slide freely in the longitudinal direction of the projection 4 in the elongated hole 5 formed on the cleaning lever 3, the trajectory 15 b of the tip of the cleaning member 1 is provided. Is determined only by the shape of the groove cam 8b provided in the frame 13. In addition, the convex portion 4 formed on the holder 2 is not circular but an oval shape, and the oval convex portion 4 and the long hole 5 formed on the cleaning lever 3 are loosely fitted, so that the holder 2 has a convex shape. The inside of the elongated hole 5 does not rotate around the fulcrum 4, and the protrusion 4 can be slid only in the longitudinal direction. With the rotation of the cleaning lever 3, the cleaning member 1 wipes the nozzle portion 10 overlapping the trajectory 15 of the tip, and removes foreign matter 16 such as paper dust and dust attached to the nozzle portion 10 and the excess ink 1.
7 is attached to the cleaning member 1 and removed. Furthermore,
The tip of the ink absorber 14 made of a porous member supported by the frame 13 is attached to the cleaning member 1 after wiping.
Are arranged so as to overlap with the trajectory 15c of the tip of the head.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state immediately after the wiping of the nozzle portion 10. After the nozzle portion 10 is wiped by the cleaning member 1, the foreign matter 16 and the surplus ink 17 adhered to the nozzle portion 10 adhere to the cleaning member 1.

FIG. 5 shows foreign matter 16 after wiping of nozzle portion 10.
FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating processing of excess ink 17. After the wiping of the nozzle portion 10, the cleaning lever 3 and the holder 2 continue to rotate in the direction of the arrow A by the driving means (not shown), and the cleaning member 1 is moved by the ink absorber overlapping the trajectory 15c of the tip after the wiping. Contact 14
When the rotation is further continued in the direction of arrow A even after the contact, the cleaning member 1 is wiped by the tip of the ink absorber 14, and
The foreign matter 16 and the surplus ink 17 attached to the cleaning member 1 are both guided to the ink absorber 14. The foreign matter 16 guided to the ink absorber 14
The surplus ink 17 is absorbed and deposited inside the ink absorber 14. Therefore, since the foreign matter 16 and the surplus ink 17 are all attached to and absorbed by the ink absorber 14, the foreign matter 16 and the surplus ink 17 do not adhere to or accumulate on the cleaning member 1.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, at the time of cleaning, the holder shaft integrally formed with the holder to which the cleaning member is attached moves inside the groove cam parallel to the nozzle portion formed on the frame. Since the trajectory of the tip of the cleaning member draws a straight line parallel to the nozzle portion by sliding, the cleaning member always wipes the nozzle portion of the ink jet head with a constant overlap amount.

Accordingly, the amount of overlap between the cleaning member and the nozzle portion of the ink jet head during cleaning does not change as in the prior art, so that wiping unevenness and wiping residue are not generated depending on the location of the nozzle portion. This has the effect of preventing printing defects such as missing dots and bent ink droplets due to the attachment of foreign matter to the nozzles, and of reliably recovering from a printing failure state. Also, since the amount of overlap between the cleaning member and the nozzle portion of the ink jet head during cleaning does not change, the wiping force of the cleaning member is uniform, and the cleaning is performed reliably and stably without damaging the delicate nozzle portion. Can be performed. As described above, the practical effects of the present invention are extremely large.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus using one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the structure of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a wiping state according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state immediately after wiping in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state after wiping according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a structure of the related art and a wiping state.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state after wiping according to a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cleaning Member 2 Holder 3 Cleaning Lever 6 Axis 7 Holder Axis 8 Groove Cam 9 Ink Jet Head 10 Nozzle 13 Frame 16 Foreign Material 17 Excess Ink

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hisayuki Koike 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Inside Seiko Epson Corporation (72) Inventor Sadaho Murata 3-3-5 Yamato Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture (56) References JP-A-3-293151 (JP, A) JP-A-2-155654 (JP, A) JP-A-4-275155 (JP, A) JP-A-58-194567 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Hei 6-6957 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/165

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an ink ejection head for ejecting ink droplets; and a cleaning mechanism for removing foreign matter such as paper dust and dust attached to a nozzle portion of the ink ejection head and excess ink. A cleaning member for wiping the nozzle portion, a rotatable lever, a holder slidably mounted on the lever, holding the cleaning member at an end, and having a shaft formed on a side surface; and a shaft of the holder. And a first groove formed at least in part in parallel with the nozzle portion, and connected to the first groove.
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a second groove formed in a curved arc shape . 2. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a convex portion is provided on a side surface of said holder, and said lever is provided with a long hole engaging with said convex portion. apparatus. 3. A frame according to claim 1, further comprising a frame that rotatably supports the lever,
An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the first groove and the second groove are formed in the frame. 4. The cleaning member according to claim 1 , further comprising a porous member, wherein when the axis of the holder is in the second groove portion, the porous member is provided on the cleaning member. An ink jet recording apparatus which is arranged so as to be in contact with the ink jet recording apparatus.