JP3409043B2 - Inkjet printer and print head - 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 printer and a print head capable of color printing of a plurality of colors.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In FIG. 4, a carrier 3 is slidably mounted on a guide bar 2 extending in the left-right direction of a main body 1,
The carrier 3 has an X-direction orthogonal to the feed (Y) direction of the paper P.
The carrier is moved back and forth in the (X1, X2) directions by a carrier moving means (not shown). Reference numeral 4 denotes a platen which forms a stamp board and rotates to feed the paper P in the Y direction.

A print head 1 mounted on the carrier 3
0 is a plurality of ink tanks 13 and each ink tank 13
And an ink discharge nozzle row 12 communicating with the. Specifically, it has a cassette structure in which head elements 11 in which an ink tank 13 and an ejection nozzle array 12 are integrally formed are combined for a plurality of colors.

For example, a head element 11Y for yellow (Y) color
3 includes an ink tank 13Y containing yellow ink and its ejection nozzle row 12Y. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the print head 10 for four-color printing has four head elements 11BK, 11BL, 1 arranged in a row in the movement (X1, X2) direction of the carrier 3.
It has a cassette structure in which 1R and 11Y are integrally combined. BK, BL, and R are black, blue, and
Shows a red color.

The head driver 15 shown in FIG. 3 is of an electric heating type, for example, and each of the ink tanks 13Y, 13R and 13 is used.
The respective color inks in BL, 13BK are urged by the expansion action to cause the respective ink ejection nozzle rows 12Y, 12R, 12B.
Ink is selectively jetted toward the paper P from L and 12BK.

The wiper 16 is made of a sponge or the like that is elastically bendable around the fixed end 16R, and is provided to wipe the ink on each of the ink discharge nozzle rows 12Y, 12R, 12BL, 12BK. Head cap 1
Reference numeral 7 denotes each ink ejection nozzle row 12Y, 12 after printing is completed.
R, 12BL, and 12BK are capped to prevent ink drying. An ink clogging prevention device is formed from the wiper 16, the head cap 17, and the like.

In such an ink jet printer, at the spit operation position between the head cap 17 and the wiper 16, the head driver 15 is driven to eject each color ink into each ink ejection nozzle row 12Y, 12R, 12BL, 12.
Spit from BK to prevent ink clogging. After that, if the carrier 3 is moved in the X1 direction shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each of the ink ejection nozzle rows 12Y, 12R, 12 is ejected.
Each color ink around BL and 12BK is wiper 1
It is wiped off at 6.

In this way, the head driver 15 is driven and controlled while moving the carrier 3 in the X1 direction to selectively jet the respective color inks from the respective ink ejection nozzle rows 12Y, 12R, 12BL, 12BK, and then, onto the paper P. Color printing of multiple colors is possible. When the ink in any of the ink tanks 13i runs out, the cassette-type print head 10 is replaced with a new one.

[0009]

By the way, in order to further reduce the size and weight of the device and the cost reduction, the effective printing width for operation, the high quality of printing, and the reduction of running cost, which are strongly demanded. I am convinced that many improvements are necessary and that they can promote further diffusion.

A first object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer which has a novel print head configuration and which can reduce the running cost. A second object is to provide an inkjet printer which can reduce running cost, size and weight of the apparatus, cost reduction, increase of effective printing width in operation, and high quality of printing all at once. Especially. Further, a third object is to provide a print head for an inkjet printer.

[0011]

In order to analyze a conventional device,
Since the print head has a cassette structure in which head elements of each color are arranged in a row in the moving direction of the carrier, the apparatus becomes large in size,
It is considered that the cost is high and the effective print width is narrowed, and since each color ink discharge nozzle row is wiped with the same wiper, it is a factor of deterioration of print quality such as color mixture, And each color head element has the same structure, it is necessary to replace the entire print head when ink of a certain color runs out, and the nozzle surface of the print head has the same width as the width of the entire ink tank. Since it is formed, there is a lot of contact area with the wiper and the wiper is easily damaged, so the running cost is high.Especially in color printing, characters are printed in black in actual operation The present invention focuses on the fact that the print head is often replaced even though the ink is used abundantly and ink of other colors remains sufficiently. The ink tank of black as well as in series disposed a nozzle row in the moving direction of the sheet has a configuration which is greater than the ink tank other colors.

That is, the ink jet printer according to the invention of claim 1 has a carrier capable of reciprocating in a direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction, and a plurality of ink tanks and ink discharges communicating with the respective ink tanks are discharged to the carrier. In an inkjet printer that is equipped with a print head that is integrally formed with a nozzle array, and that is capable of performing color printing of multiple colors by selectively ejecting the ink in each ink tank from the ink ejection nozzles Of the ink tanks communicating with the respective ink discharge nozzle rows, the capacity of an ink tank for storing black ink is selected and formed to be larger than the capacity of any other ink tank for storing other color inks, and the ink discharge nozzles are also formed. The width of the surface of
It is characterized in that it is formed smaller than the width of the entire ink tank.

[0013]

In the case of the first aspect of the present invention having the above structure, since the ink tank for storing the black ink has a larger capacity than the ink tanks for the other colors, a new tank having the ink for the other colors remains It is possible to significantly reduce the situation where the print head needs to be replaced, and it is possible to reduce the running cost because the contact area between the surface of the ink discharge nozzle and the wiper is small and the damage rate of the wiper can be reduced.

Further, in the ink jet printer according to a second aspect of the present invention, the ink ejection nozzle rows forming the print head are arranged in series in a direction along the paper feeding direction, and the ink ejection nozzle rows are arranged. It is characterized by including a wiper for wiping off each color ink adhering to the periphery of.

In the case of the invention of claim 2 having the above-mentioned configuration, in addition to the same configuration as in the case of the invention of claim 1, each ink discharge nozzle row of the print head is arranged in series in the direction along the paper feed direction. Since each color ink attached to the periphery of each ink ejection nozzle array can be wiped by the wiper without color mixture, the same operational effect as in the case of the invention of claim 1 can be obtained, and further, the dimension in the carrier movement direction can be obtained. It is possible to reduce the weight of the device by reducing the size of the printer, reduce the cost, expand the effective printing width in operation, and perform high-quality printing without ink color mixing.

Further, in the print head according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the print head integrally formed from a plurality of ink tanks and an ink discharge nozzle row communicating with each ink tank, each ink discharge nozzle row is provided. Of the communicating ink tanks, the capacity of the ink tank that stores black ink is made larger than the capacity of any other ink tank that stores other color ink, and the width of the surface of the ink discharge nozzle is It is characterized in that it is formed smaller than the entire width.

In the case of the third aspect of the present invention having the above structure, even if the print head is integrally formed of each ink tank and each ink discharge nozzle row, the ink tank for storing the black ink is the ink of another color. Since the capacity is larger than that of the tank, it is possible to significantly reduce the situation where a new print head having a tank must be replaced while ink of another color remains, and the contact area between the surface of the ink discharge nozzle and the wiper. Since the amount of damage to the wiper can be reduced, the running cost can be reduced.

In addition, a print head according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the print head according to the third aspect, the ink ejection nozzle surface is in a line.

In the case of the invention of claim 4 with the above-mentioned configuration, in addition to the same configuration as the invention of claim 3, since the ink ejection nozzle surface is in a line, the contact area between the ink ejection nozzle surface and the wiper is minimized. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the rate of damage to the wiper of claim 3.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) Although the basic structure (1, 2, 3, 4) of this ink jet printer is the same as that of the conventional example (FIGS. 3, 4), the print head 10 is as shown in FIG. Each ink discharge nozzle row 12Y, 12R, 12BL, 12BK
Are arranged in series in a direction along the feeding direction of the paper P (Y direction in FIG. 4), and each ink ejection nozzle row 12Y, 12 is arranged.
Each ink tank 13 communicating with R, 12BL, 12BK
Of the Y, 13R, 13BL, and 13BK, the capacity of the ink tank 13BK that stores the black ink is made larger than the capacity of the other ink tanks 13Y, 13R, and 13BL that store the other color inks.

That is, in the print head 10, the yellow head element 11Y including the ink tank 13Y containing the yellow (Y) color ink and the ink discharge nozzle row 12Y is set as the uppermost stage, and then the red head element 11R. (12
R, 13R) and the blue head element 11BL (12BL,
13BL) in this order, and a black head element 11BK (12BK, 13BK) is arranged in the lowermost stage to form an integrated cassette structure. Black ink tank 1
The capacity of 3BK is twice the capacity of the other ink tanks 13Y, 13R and 13BL.

According to the ink jet printer having such a structure, as in the conventional example (FIGS. 3 and 4), at the spit operation position, the head driver 15 shown in FIG. 3 is driven to eject each color ink into each ink ejection nozzle array. 12Y, 12
Spit from R, 12BL, 12BK to prevent ink clogging. After that, if the carrier 3 is moved in the X1 direction, each ink ejection nozzle row 12Y, 12R, 1
Each color ink adhered to the periphery of 2BL and 12BK is wiped by the wiper 16. At this time, the height direction of the wiper 16 (Y
Direction) corresponds to each ink ejection nozzle row 12i
It does not cause color mixing, as it only comes into contact with. Therefore, high quality printing is possible.

Thus, while moving the carrier 3 shown in FIG. 4 in the X1 direction, the head driver 15 is drive-controlled to control the ink ejection nozzle rows 12Y, 12R, 12BL, 12B.
If each color ink is selectively jetted from K, the paper P
You can print multiple colors on top. At this time, since the capacity of the black ink tank 13BK is large even if the printing of black characters and the like is large, the black ink tank 13BK does not run out faster than the inks of other colors. That is, since the inks of the respective colors run out almost at the same time, it is possible to prolong the replacement of the cassette structure (10) and avoid the situation of discarding the inks of the other colors. Therefore, running costs can be significantly reduced.

Of course, each ink discharge nozzle row 12Y,
Since 12R, 12BL, and 12BK are arranged in series along the direction orthogonal to the moving direction (X1, X2 direction) of the carrier 3, the effective print width in the main body 1 having a constant width dimension can be expanded, and The cost can be reduced and the overall size and weight can be reduced.

However, according to the first embodiment, each ink discharge nozzle row 12Y, 1 forming the print head 10 is formed.
2R, 12BL, 12BK are arranged in series in the direction along the paper feed direction (Y direction), and the ink tanks 13Y, 13R, 13BL, 13BK communicating with the ink ejection nozzle rows 12Y, 12R, 12BL, 12BK are arranged. Among them, the capacity of the ink tank 13BK for storing the black ink is equal to that of any other ink tank 13 for storing the ink of another color.
Since the structure is selectively formed larger than the capacity of Y, 13R, and 13BK, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the device and reduce the cost, and to expand the effective printing width in operation, improve the printing quality, and reduce the running cost. Can be achieved all at once and significantly.

(Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, each ink discharge nozzle row 12Y, 12R, 12 is formed.
The BL and 12BK are displaced in the moving direction of the carrier 3 (X1 and X2 directions) and arranged in series along the Y direction.

However, even in the case of the second embodiment, the first
In addition to the same operational effects as in the case of the embodiment, each ink ejection nozzle row 12Y, 12R, 12 is further provided.
Since BL and 12BK are arranged so as to be displaced in the X1 and X2 directions, it is possible to eliminate the risk of ink color mixing on the nozzle surface. Therefore, higher quality printing can be guaranteed.

[0028]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the capacity of the ink tank for storing the black ink among the ink tanks communicating with the respective ink discharge nozzle rows is the same as that of any other ink tank for storing the other color ink. Since the width of the surface of the ink discharge nozzle is formed smaller than the width of the entire ink tank while being selectively formed larger than the capacity,
It is possible to significantly reduce the situation of having to replace a new print head with a tank with other color ink remaining, and the contact area between the ink ejection nozzle surface and the wiper is small, which reduces the chance of damaging the wiper. Because it can be done, running cost can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the ink ejection nozzle rows forming the print head are arranged in series in the direction along the paper feed direction, and the respective colors attached to the periphery of each ink ejection nozzle row. Since the wiper for wiping the ink is provided, the same effect as in the case of the invention of claim 1 can be obtained, and further, the size reduction in the carrier moving direction reduces the weight of the device and reduces the cost and operation. The effective printing width can be expanded and high-quality printing without ink color mixing can be performed.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, among the respective ink tanks communicating with the integrally formed ink ejection nozzle rows, the ink tank for storing the black ink has the capacity for storing the other color ink. Since the print head is formed so as to have a capacity larger than that of any other ink tank and the width of the surface of the ink discharge nozzle is smaller than the width of the entire ink tank, it has a tank while ink of other colors remains. It is possible to drastically reduce the situation in which the print head must be replaced with a new print head, and it is possible to reduce the running cost because the contact area between the ink ejection nozzle surface and the wiper is small and the ratio of damage to the wiper can be reduced.

In addition, according to the invention of claim 4, since the ink ejection nozzle surface is further in a line, the contact area between the ink ejection nozzle surface and the wiper can be minimized, and the wiper of claim 3 is achieved. The rate of damage can be minimized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a conventional print head and a conventional print operation.

FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram for explaining a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 main body 2 guide bar 3 carrier 4 platen 10 print heads 11Y, 11R, 11BL, 11BK head elements 12Y, 12R, 12BL, 12BK ink ejection nozzle rows 13Y, 13R, 13BL, 13BK ink tank 15 head driver 16 wiper 17 head cap P Paper Y Paper feed direction X1, X2 Carrier movement direction

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/165 B41J 2/175

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A printing method comprising a carrier capable of reciprocating in a direction orthogonal to a paper feeding direction, wherein the carrier is integrally formed of a plurality of ink tanks and an ink discharge nozzle row communicating with the respective ink tanks. In an inkjet printer that is equipped with a head and is formed so that ink in each ink tank is selectively ejected from each ink ejection nozzle to enable color printing of a plurality of colors, Of the ink tanks, the capacity of the ink tank that stores the black ink is selected and formed to be larger than the capacity of any other ink tank that stores the other color ink, and the width of the surface of the ink discharge nozzle is larger than that of the entire ink tank. An inkjet printer characterized by being formed smaller than the width. 2. A wiper for arranging the respective ink discharge nozzle rows forming the print head in series in a direction along the paper feeding direction, and for wiping off each color ink adhering to the periphery of the respective ink discharge nozzle rows. Claim 1 provided with
The described inkjet printer. 3. A printhead integrally formed from a plurality of ink tanks and an ink discharge nozzle row communicating with each ink tank, wherein black ink is discharged from each ink tank communicating with each ink discharge nozzle row. It is characterized in that the capacity of the ink tank to be stored is made larger than the capacity of any other ink tank that stores other color ink, and the width of the surface of the ink discharge nozzle is made smaller than the width of the entire ink tank. Print head to do. 4. The print head according to claim 3, wherein the ink ejection nozzle surface is in a line.