JPH0286460A - liquid jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to a liquid jet recording device.

[Prior Art] Liquid jet recording apparatuses (inkjet recording apparatus@) that record information t3 such as characters and images by ejecting recording liquid from a recording head are widely known.

The recording material of this type of device is mainly paper or plastic sheet (hereinafter referred to as recording paper), and the operating noise is low compared to other recording methods, and the basic mechanical structure is simple and common. It has the advantage of being inexpensive and has been adopted in various fields as a recording/output device for computers, word processors, etc.

However, since this type of device performs printing by ejecting recording liquid (hereinafter referred to as ink) directly from the nozzles of the print head, it is necessary to keep the ink in a state where it can be ejected at all times, unlike other types of printing devices. special consideration is required.

In other words, since the ink remains in the nozzles of the recording head even when not recording, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the ink in these nozzles from drying out or deteriorating in quality, such as increasing viscosity due to evaporation. An apparatus is known in which a so-called capping means is provided to cover the orifice of the recording head with a lid-like member to prevent ink from drying or evaporating.

However, in low-humidity environments or during long-term suspension, the viscosity of the ink cannot be prevented by using only the above-mentioned drying prevention means. By suctioning and applying negative pressure from the orifice, the ink stagnant inside the nozzle of the head is sucked out, or by using a pump or the like to apply pressure inside the nozzle, or by driving (discharging) the recording head. Recovery mechanisms have been used that drain degraded ink from an orifice.

In particular, in devices with multiple print head nozzles, some orifices are rarely used for printing depending on the uniform nature of the print data, and therefore the ejection drive of the nozzles becomes extremely long. There are variations.

Therefore, when the number of times of ejection is small or the ejection interval is long, the viscosity of the ink inside the nozzle may increase due to drying depending on the atmospheric conditions such as humidity and temperature, and the ink ejection from the nozzle may become unstable or Since there is a risk that the printer may become disabled, ejection recovery processing is performed at appropriate timing when the power is turned on or during recording operation.

On the other hand, a recording apparatus using a recording head in which ink ejection ports are arranged in a number corresponding to the entire width of a recording material in the width direction (hereinafter referred to as a line head) has been proposed. Further, a color recording apparatus has been proposed in which a plurality of such recording heads are arranged in correspondence with a plurality of ink colors.

In such a recording device, the recording material is held by electrostatic adsorption or the like on a belt that forms part of the conveyance system, and one or more line heads are arranged along the conveyance path to transport the recording material. It is configured so that monochromatic or color recording is made during the process.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In a liquid jet recording device having such a configuration, the line head performs recording in close proximity to and facing the recording material conveyed along the conveyance path, so the above-mentioned recovery process is performed. In this case, it is essential to separate the conveyance path from the recording head, and to provide a mechanism for opposing the recording head to an ink receiving member, such as a cap or an ink absorbing member, that receives ink discharged from the ejection ports during the recovery process. Therefore, as a conventional mechanism of this kind, a mechanism is provided in which the conveyance system can be separated from the line head at least at a position facing the line head, and the ink receiving member is made to face the line head in the separated state. be.

However, in order to take responsibility for the miniaturization of recording devices,
It is desirable to minimize the range of movement of the members during the recovery process. In addition, if the moving range is large, the total time required for recovery processing will be longer due to the movement, so if recording is temporarily interrupted to perform recovery processing, the interruption time will be longer and recording processing will be longer. The throughput of the engine will also decrease.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of these problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid jet recording apparatus that is capable of performing recovery processing without large displacements of members, is compact, and has high throughput of recording processing.

[Means for Solving the Problems] To this end, the present invention provides a recording head in which ejection ports for recording liquid are arranged over a range corresponding to the width of a recording material, and an ejection port for restoring the ejection state of the print head. a recovery means for discharging the recording liquid, a liquid receiving member disposed adjacent to the recording head to receive the discharged recording liquid, and a recording head for recording on a recording material in the recovery process. The present invention is characterized by comprising a head moving means for moving the head away from the position, and a receiving member moving means for moving the liquid receiving member into the space created by the detachment and setting it at a position to receive the discharged recording liquid.

[Function] According to the present invention, since the recording head can be moved and the liquid (ink) receiving member can be set in the space created by the movement, quick recovery processing can be performed without large displacement. Become.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention.

Here, 1 is a line head type recording head, and the lower surface has 3456 dots at intervals of, for example, 16 dots/1 trtn.
The printer is provided with 216 mm wide ejection ports, and records 216 mm wide in line sequential manner. In this example, four recording heads, LA, LB, LC, and LD, are provided for each of the four color inks of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. They are fixedly supported by the holder 2 so that the intervals in the paper conveyance direction are constant. The head unit composed of these four recording heads and the holder 2 can be moved up and down in the figure by a head moving means 24 consisting of a drive source such as a motor and a transmission mechanism such as a gear.

A cap 3 is attached to the orifice surface of the recording head when not recording, and is movable in the X direction by a cap moving means 25 comprising a drive source such as a motor or a transmission mechanism such as a gear. The cap 3 has, for example, a sponge-like ink absorbing member inside, and is configured to receive ink ejection (idle ejection) from the recording head 1h% etc. for a recovery operation.

Reference numeral 4 indicates an ink tank corresponding to each recording head, and ink is guided to each recording head 1 (la to Ld) via an ink supply tube 5 (58 to 5d). Here, ink is supplied using capillary action of nozzles disposed in the recording head 1, and the ink water head of each ink tank is set a certain distance lower than the ejection port surface.

6 is a seamless belt for conveying recording paper;
The surface is neutralized. Then, the recording paper 27 is
111: by 2, and is electrostatically attracted to the belt 6, thereby being reliably conveyed. The belt 6 moves the recording paper 27 by a motor 8 connected to a belt drive roller.
It can be rotated in the direction of movement. 9 is belt 6
An idle roller 10 for pulling the belt 6 is a tension roller that applies a constant tension to the belt 6. l
1a and 11b are pinch rollers that press the recording paper 27 against the belt 6 before and after the charger 12 to strengthen the adsorption. It also functions as a registration roller that is stopped and looped within the guide 13 to improve the perpendicularity of the leading edge of the recording paper to the X direction.

The recording paper 27 is fed one by one from the cassette 26 by the paper feed roller 16, is sandwiched between the conveyance roller 14 and the pinch roller 15, and guided to the portion corresponding to the registration roller described above. 17 is a cleaning unit, and belt 6
Remove paper dust, etc. on top. Further, 18 is a paper discharge tray on which recorded recording paper is loaded, and z9 is a belt support that is arranged on the back side of the belt 6 at a portion opposite to the recording head 1axld, and that regulates displacement of the belt 6 and suppresses vibration. It is a member, and in this example, it is formed into a flat plate shape.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a control circuit that controls each part according to the $ control procedure shown in the second figure.
Pt1, rlOM storing programs corresponding to the control procedure shown in the second figure, RAM for work, etc. can be used. 20 is a recording head 1 under the control of a control circuit 19;
aNld; 21 is a motor driver that also drives the belt drive motor 8; 22 is a charger driver that also drives the charger 12; 23 is a motor that also drives the conveyance motor 33 coupled to the conveyance roller 14. It's a driver. Further, the operations of the head moving means 24 and the cap moving means 25 are also controlled by the control circuit 19.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a recording processing procedure centered on recovery processing, and Figs. 3 (8) to (D) are side views of the head unit and the vicinity of the cap during the processing. The operation of this example will be explained.

First, FIG. 3(A) shows a state in which the power is turned off, and a cap 3 is attached to the orifice surface where the ejection ports of the recording head L are provided to prevent ink from evaporating from the orifice. .

From this state, when the power is turned on in step St in FIG.
m by the head moving means 24 (FIG. 3(B)). In this state, if a dry ejection signal is supplied, ink is ejected a predetermined number of times from all nozzles (dry ejection).
are performed (steps S5 and S7). This blank printing is normally performed when the power is turned on or when about 100 sheets of paper are recorded continuously, but if uneven recording occurs, the operator inputs a start signal by pressing a button. It may be configured so that it can be performed.

Next, in step S9, the cap unit is moved in the opposite direction to the X direction by the cap 8 moving means 25, and is placed in a position where the cap fits between each head (Fig. 3 (C)
)). Then, in step Sll, the head unit is lowered and set at a position where the ejection port is at a distance of, for example, about 1 mo+ from the belt surface, that is, a recording position (FIG. 3(D)).

Next, in step 513, the paper feeding motor is turned on,
In response, one sheet of recording paper 27 in the cassette 26 is picked up by the paper feed roller 16, guided by the kite 13, and sandwiched between the conveyance roller 14 and the pinch roller 15. The passage of the leading edge of the recording paper 27 is detected by a photosensor or the like provided just before the registration section, and after the leading edge reaches the registration section, the paper feed motor is turned off after a predetermined time (steps 515 and 517). At this time, the excess recording paper fed forms a loop within the space of the mountain-shaped guide 13, and by "straining" the recording paper, its leading edge aligns with the registration area, ensuring orthogonality with the conveyance direction. be done.

Next, in step 519, the belt motor 8 and the charger 12 are turned on, and the recording paper 27 is guided between the chargers 12 while being pressed against the belt 6 by the pinch roller 11a. The charger 12 has, for example, a positive terminal on the upper side and a negative terminal on the lower side, and a potential difference is generated between the belt 6, which has been neutralized immediately before the pinch roller 11a, and the recording paper 27, and the recording paper 27 is charged due to the electrostatic force. It is attracted to the belt 6. Moreover, this adsorption becomes more reliable due to the pressure contact of the pinch roller llb after passing through the charger. On the other hand, the feed amount of the recording paper 27 is counted in synchronization with the activation of the belt motor 8, and printing (recording) of each color is performed from the time when the leading edge of the recording paper reaches each of the recording heads 18 to 1d (step 521). .

The recording paper 27 on which recording has been completed is separated from the belt 6 at the belt drive roller rough and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 18. After the completion of paper ejection is detected in step S23, the belt motor 8 and the charger 12 are moved in step S25.
is off.

Next, in step 527, it is determined whether the series of recordings has been completed.

Here, if the next recording is not performed, the head unit is raised in step 529 (FIG. 3(C)), and the cap unit is set in step S31.
)), the head unit is installed in step S33 (FIG. 3A)), and the power is turned off in step S35.

When recording is performed on the mature recording paper 27, the presence or absence of a dry ejection signal is detected in step S37, and if there is a signal, the head unit is raised in step 539 (see FIG. 3). C)), the cap unit is set in step 541 (FIG. 3(B)), and empty discharge is performed in step 543. Thereafter, in step S45, the cap unit is retracted (FIG. 3(C)), and in step S45, the cap unit is retracted (FIG. 3(C)).
After the head unit is lowered to the recording position at step 47 (FIG. 3(D)), the paper feed motor is turned on, and the same recording sequence as for the front sheet is repeated.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned configurations as long as a line-shaped recording head is used.

For example, the number of recording heads on the upper side is four in correspondence with the ink colors, but it goes without saying that the number can be any desired.

Further, as a recovery process, ink is discharged by idle ejection on the upper side, but ink may be discharged from the ejection ports by pressurizing the inside of the recording head or reducing pressure inside the cap.

Furthermore, although a belt and an electrostatic adsorption member are used as means for conveying the recording paper on the upper side, it goes without saying that various other methods may be used, such as an air adsorption method using a belt or a method using a drum. .

Therefore, it was possible to provide a liquid jet recording device that has a high recording throughput, is small in size, and is inexpensive.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a recording processing procedure including ejection recovery processing using the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and FIGS. (D) is a side view for explaining the sequential movement of the recording head and the cap according to the present example. [Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the recording head can be retracted from its position during recording, and an ink receiving member is provided near the recording head, so that the ink receiving member can be placed in the space where the recording head has retreated. By configuring the ink-receiving member to be movable, recovery processing is possible without large displacement of the member, and thus 1. Recording head, 2. Recording head holder, 3. Cap, 4. ... Ink tank, 5 ... Ink supply tube, 6 ... Belt, 7 ... Belt drive roller, 8 ... Motor, 9 ... Idle roller, lO ... Tension roller, 11. ...Pinch roller! 2... Charger, 13... Guide, 14... Conveyance roller, 15... Pinch roller, 16... Paper feed roller, 17... Cleaning unit, 18... Paper output tray, 19... Control circuit, 20... Head driver, 21... Motor driver, 22... Charger driver, 23... Motor driver, 24... Head moving means, 25... Cap moving Means, 29...Supporting member.悂゛ward n 澾

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A recording head in which ejection ports for recording liquid are arranged over a range corresponding to the width of a recording material, and the recording liquid is ejected from the ejection ports to restore the ejection state of the print head. a recovery means for discharging the recording liquid; a liquid receiving member disposed adjacent to the recording head to receive the discharged recording liquid; and a liquid receiving member for causing the recording head to record on the recording material during the recovery process. A liquid jet recording apparatus comprising: a head moving means for moving the head away from the position; and a receiving member moving means for moving the liquid receiving member into a space created by the separation and setting the liquid receiving member at a position where the liquid receiving member is received.