JPH04369549A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

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

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from recording means onto a recording material.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Recording devices that have functions such as printers, copiers, and facsimile machines, or that are used as output devices for multifunction electronic devices and workstations including computers, word processors, etc., print paper or paper based on image information. It is configured to record images on a recording material (recording medium) such as a thin plastic plate. The recording apparatus can be classified into inkjet type, wire dot type, thermal type, laser beam type, etc. depending on the recording method.

[0003] In a serial type recording device that employs a serial scan method that performs main scanning in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) of a recording material, after setting the recording material at a predetermined recording position, An image is recorded (main scanning) by a recording means mounted on a carriage that moves along the material, and after recording one line, the paper is fed a predetermined amount (
The entire recording material is recorded by repeating the operation of performing pitch conveyance) and then recording the next row of images (main scanning) on the recording material that has stopped again. On the other hand, in a line-type recording device that records only by sub-scanning in the conveyance direction of the recording material, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position, one line is recorded at once, and then a predetermined amount of The entire recording material is recorded by repeating the following operations: paper feeding (pitch feeding) and then recording the next line all at once.

[0004] Among the above-mentioned recording devices, an inkjet type recording device (inkjet recording device) performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording material, and the recording means can be made more compact. easy and
High-definition images can be recorded at high speed, on plain paper without the need for special processing, running costs are low, and the non-impact method produces less noise. It has the advantage that it is easy to record color images using ink. Among these, a line-type apparatus that uses a line-type recording means in which a large number of ejection ports are arranged in the width direction of the paper can achieve even higher recording speeds.

In particular, inkjet recording means (recording heads) that eject ink using thermal energy,
Electrothermal converters, electrodes, etc. formed on a substrate through semiconductor manufacturing processes such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering,
By forming the liquid channel walls, the top plate, etc., it is possible to easily manufacture a device having a high-density liquid channel arrangement (discharge port arrangement), and further compactness can be achieved. On the other hand, there are various requirements for recording materials, and in recent years, in addition to the usual recording materials such as paper and thin resin plates (OHP, etc.), thin paper and processed paper (with punch holes for filing) Paper, perforated paper, paper of arbitrary shapes, etc.) are now required to be used.

In an inkjet recording device that performs recording using a recording head that discharges ink as a recording liquid, if foreign matter such as ink or paper powder or dust adheres to the ink liquid discharge portion of the recording head, that is, the discharge port portion, the ink discharge may be interrupted. There are cases where the direction changes, causing ejection failure or ejection becoming impossible, making it impossible to perform normal printing.

Therefore, in the conventional inkjet recording apparatus, a recovery device having a suction pump is provided to restore the normal ink discharge state, and the ink is sucked out from the discharge port by the negative pressure suction force of the suction pump, and the ink that has been sucked out is A configuration is adopted in which foreign matter such as paper powder and dust is removed from the discharge port by the flow of the air. In addition, in order to remove foreign substances such as large paper particles and dust that cannot be removed by the above-mentioned ink flow, a blade (first removal member) is provided for wiping these off, and the blade is moved by using the movement of the carriage. A configuration is adopted in which the discharge port is brought into sliding contact with the discharge port forming surface.

[0008] However, in the configuration in which only the blade is provided, foreign matter such as paper powder and dust adhering to the blade, as well as ink, are left untouched and cannot be collected anywhere. Conversely, the vicious cycle of adhesion from the blade to the discharge port forming surface repeats. Therefore, a configuration has been proposed in which a second removal member is provided for cleaning the blade (first removal member). The second removal member is generally formed of an ink-absorbing porous body that can rub against the first removal member (blade). Further, the second removal member is attached to a carriage, for example, and is arranged to remove (clean) deposits on the surface of the blade by rubbing against the blade using movement of the carriage. ing.

[0009]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the blade cleaning means of the conventional discharge recovery device, when used for a long period of time, the porous body (second removal member) for cleaning the blade (first removal member) Foreign matter such as paper powder and dirt or thickened ink may accumulate on the surface of the blade, resulting in an extremely poor cleaning performance.Furthermore, paper powder and dirt on the blade cleaning member (second removal member) may accumulate on the surface of the blade. There was a problem to be solved in that foreign substances and thickened ink such as these were rubbed against the blade (first removal member). As a countermeasure, it is possible to make the blade cleaning member replaceable and replace it every predetermined period of time, or to increase the volume of the blade cleaning member so that the cleaning performance does not deteriorate for a period longer than the life of the main unit. . but,
These countermeasures include making recording devices smaller, cheaper, and
This has the disadvantage of being contrary to the desire to have a long life and be maintenance-free.

That is, the conventional blade cleaning member (second
It has been difficult to maintain cleaning performance over a long period of time with the removal member), and it has been difficult to realize recording devices that are smaller, have a longer lifespan, are maintenance-free, and are lower in price. The present invention has been made in view of such technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to dramatically extend the life of the cleaning member without causing a decrease in cleaning performance even after repeated use over a long period of time. The object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording device that can be made smaller, have a longer lifespan, be maintenance-free, and lower in price.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a first removal member for removing adhered ink or foreign matter by slidingly contacting an ink ejection portion of a recording means, and a first removal member for removing ink or foreign matter adhered to the first removal member. In an inkjet recording apparatus having a second removal member for removing the first removal member, the above object is achieved by configuring the first removal member sliding portion of the second removal member to have a linear shape. Still another aspect of the present invention provides, in addition to the above-described configuration, a configuration in which a member having no ink absorbency and low wettability with respect to ink is used as the linear first removal member sliding portion, or the first removal member A structure in which the sliding portion is formed of a polyethylene wire, or a structure in which the second removing member supports the linear first removing member sliding portion with a casing made of an ink-absorbing porous material. By doing so, the above objective can be achieved more efficiently.

0012

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the main structure of an inkjet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention. Figure 1
, a recording means (recording head) 1 is mounted on a carriage 2, and the carriage 2 is connected to guide rails 3 and 4.
It is guided and supported so that it can reciprocate in the direction of arrow S along. The carriage 2 is driven back and forth by a carriage motor 5 via a timing belt 6. A sheet-shaped recording material 7 made of paper, a thin plastic plate, etc. is moved along a predetermined path by a pair of conveyance rollers 9 driven by a conveyance motor (paper feed motor) 8 and a pair of holding rollers 10 working together. , the paper is transported (paper fed) in the direction of arrow F at a predetermined timing and a predetermined pitch.

While this recording material 7 is held flat at the recording position facing the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 1,
The carriage 2 is moved to main scan the recording material 7 while ejecting ink to perform recording. When one line of recording is completed, the recording material 7 is fed in the direction of arrow F by the pitch of the recording width, and then the next Recording is performed with a recording width of . The recording head 1 is normally mounted on a carriage 2 so as to be replaceable, but in some cases it can be configured integrally with the carriage 2. Further, the recording head (recording means) 1 can take various forms, such as a head cartridge type that is integrated with the ink tank, or a head cartridge type that is separate from the ink tank and connected via an ink supply tube or the like.

At a predetermined position (for example, home position) within the movement range of the carriage 2 and outside the recording area,
An ejection recovery device 12 having a cap 11 for sealing (capping) the ejection opening of the recording head 1 is provided. This ejection recovery device 12 seals the ejection port with the cap 11 during non-recording to prevent ink from thickening and sticking due to ink drying, and also operates a suction pump in the capped state to prevent ink from the ejection port. and removes dust such as fixed ink and paper powder inside the ejection port.
It is configured to remove air bubbles and the like to recover from poor ejection.

The recording means (recording head) 1 is an inkjet recording means that discharges ink using thermal energy, and is equipped with an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. Further, the recording means 1 performs recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port using pressure changes caused by growth and contraction of bubbles due to film boiling caused by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. It is.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection section of the recording means (recording head) 1. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the recording material 7 and a predetermined gap (for example, about 0
．． A plurality of discharge ports 52 are formed at a predetermined pitch on the discharge port forming surface 51 facing each other with a distance of about 5 to 2.0 mm), and each liquid path communicates between the common liquid chamber 53 and each discharge port 52. 54
An electrothermal transducer (such as a heating resistor) 55 for generating energy for ink ejection is disposed along the wall surface of the ink. In this example, the recording head 1 includes the ejection ports 5
2 are mounted on the carriage 2 in such a positional relationship that they are lined up in a direction intersecting the scanning direction of the carriage 2. In this way, the corresponding electrothermal converter 55 is driven (energized) based on the image signal or the ejection signal, and the ink in the liquid path 54 is brought to film boiling, and the pressure generated at that time causes the ejection port 5 to
A recording head 1 from which ink is ejected from a recording head 2 is configured.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of an ejection recovery device 12 of an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 3, the discharge recovery device 12 includes a cap unit 15 and a suction pump 16. The cap 11 is held by a cap holder 17, and the cap holder 17 is attached to the cap unit 1.
5 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction indicated by the double-headed arrow E. That is, the cap 11 is attached to the cap holder 1
7, it can be driven to a position where it comes into close contact with and away from the ejection port forming surface 51 of the recording head 1. Further, on the side surface of the cap unit 15 on the recording area side, a blade holder 18 movable in the front and back direction shown by arrow G is provided.
The blade holder 18 holds a flexible blade 19 made of a rubber-like elastic material or the like.

When the blade 19 is in the forward position, when the carriage 2 is moved to pass the recording head 1, the tip of the blade 19 comes into sliding contact (wiping) with the ejection port forming surface 51 of the recording head 1. ). That is, the blade 19 forms a first removal member for wiping off foreign matter such as ink, paper dust, and dust adhering to the ejection port forming surface 51.

FIG. 4 shows a carriage 2 in an embodiment (first embodiment) of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
It is a perspective view showing the periphery (carriage configuration) of. In FIG. 4, on a carriage 2 that can reciprocate along two guide rails 3 and 4, there is a recording head 1 that performs recording by ejecting ink, and an ink tank that supplies ink to the recording head 1. In addition to 20, there is also a blade cleaning member (second removal member) 21 for removing (cleaning) foreign matter such as ink and paper dust adhering to the blade (first removal member) 19.
is installed.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the blade cleaning member (second removing member) 21. As shown in FIG. Figures 4 and 5
, the blade cleaning member 21 is directly attached to the carriage 2. The second removal member 21 includes a housing-shaped support portion 22 attached to the carriage 2 and the support portion 2.
2 and a linear first removal member sliding portion (blade sliding portion) 23 supported by the first removing member 2 . The blade sliding part 2
3 is formed of a linear member, such as a polyethylene wire, which has no ink absorption property and has low wettability with respect to ink. The support section 22 supports the linear blade sliding section 23 and also protects the surface of the blade 19 and the blade sliding section 23 when the blade (first removal member) 19 and the blade sliding section 23 rub together. This is for catching foreign matter such as ink and dust scattered from the portion 23. Further, the support portion (housing) 22 is formed of a material having ink absorbing properties, such as a porous body made of polyethylene.

The ejection recovery sequence of the recording head 1 is performed by the combination of the ejection recovery device 12 shown in FIG. 3 and the carriage configuration shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing each operation of the ejection recovery sequence according to this embodiment (first embodiment). In FIG. 6, a blade cleaning member (second removing member) 21 is provided on the carriage 2 for removing foreign matter such as ink, paper powder, dust, etc. adhering to the blade 19 (first removing member). . This blade cleaning member 21 is attached adjacent to the recording head 1.

During the ejection recovery operation, the recovery device 12 suctions ink from the ejection ports 52 in the capping state shown in FIG. This ink suction is performed by driving the suction pump 16 (FIG. 3) to generate negative pressure within the cap 11. After this ink suction is completed, as shown in FIG. 6(B), the cap 11 is retreated (separated), the blade 19 is advanced, and the carriage 2 is moved in the direction of arrow C.
The tip of the blade 19 is brought into sliding contact with the ejection orifice forming surface 51 of the recording head 1, and foreign matter such as ink, paper dust, and dirt adhering to the ejection orifice forming surface 51 near the ejection orifices is wiped off. At this time, most of the removed foreign matter such as ink adheres to the surface of the blade 19 and is temporarily held there.

As the carriage 2 moves further in the direction of arrow C, as shown in FIG. comes into sliding contact with the blade (first removal member) 19, and performs blade cleaning to remove foreign matter such as ink and paper dust and dust adhering to the blade 19. Next, as shown in FIG. 6D, the blade 19 is moved in the backward direction and the carriage 2 is moved in the direction of arrow D to the home position, thereby completing the series of ejection recovery operations.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the first removing member (blade) 19 is cleaned by the second removing member (blade cleaning member) 21 in the embodiment described in FIGS. 3 to 6. When the ejection recovery of the print head 1 is performed using the ejection recovery sequence described above, (A) and (B) in FIG.
And as shown in (C), the blade sliding part (first removing member sliding part) of the blade cleaning member (second removing member) 21
23 is rubbed against the tip of the blade (first removal member) 19 to clean and remove the deposits H on the surface of the blade 19 after wiping the discharge port forming surface 51.

In FIG. 7, the discharge port forming surface 5 is formed by a blade 19 made of rubber-like elastic material using the movement of the carriage 2.
When the carriage 2 further moves in the same direction (in the direction of arrow J) after the wiping of step 1 is performed, as shown in FIG. The section 23 reaches the blade 19. At this time,
The surface of the blade 19 made of rubber-like elastic material is covered with ink wiped off from the ejection port forming surface 51 and foreign matter such as paper dust and dust.
Adhesive matter) H is attached. As the carriage 2 further moves in the direction of arrow J, the blade sliding section 23 slides against the blade 19, as shown in FIG. 7(B). At this time, the foreign matter H on the rubbed blade 19 is mainly scraped up by the linear blade rubbing part 23, and after the linear blade rubbing part 23 has passed the blade 19, As shown in C), some of the foreign matter H such as ink and paper powder adheres to the linear blade rubbing portion 23, and the rest of the foreign matter H is scattered when the blade 19 restores its elasticity. As a result, the ink is removed from the blade 19 and reaches (adheres to) the inner surface of the ink-absorbing support portion (housing) 22 .

Foreign matter H such as ink and dust remaining on the linear blade sliding portion 23 cannot accumulate in large quantities because the surface area of the blade sliding portion 23 is small, and then the blade 19 and the foreign matter H cannot accumulate. It is removed by the impact when rubbing. The foreign matter H thus removed also reaches the inner surface of the support portion 22. In this case, since the linear blade rubbing portion 23 is made of a material that does not absorb ink, the foreign matter H on the blade sliding portion 23 is easily removed. For this reason,
Even after repeated use, the amount of deposits on the linear blade rubbing portion 23 is always extremely small, and the cleaning effect does not deteriorate.

According to the inventor's experiments, in an inkjet recording apparatus using a conventional blade cleaning member (second removing member), in an environment of a temperature of 35°C and a humidity of 10%,
When the recovery operation is performed approximately 5,000 times at 0-minute intervals, the cleaning performance of the blade cleaning member (second removal member) deteriorates, blade cleaning becomes insufficient, and image deterioration occurs due to skewed ink ejection or ink non-ejection. started to occur. On the other hand, based on the above embodiment, the blade sliding part 23 is made of a polyethylene (PE) wire rod with a diameter of 1 mm, and the support part (housing) 22 is made of a porous ink absorber.
When using the blade cleaning member (second removal member) 21 composed of
Even after performing the ejection recovery operation several times, no image deterioration due to a decrease in cleaning performance occurred. Also, at this time,
When the wiping surface of the blade 19 made of rubber-like elastic material was observed after the durability test, no deposits were observed, and it was confirmed that the blade 19 was cleaned well.

Furthermore, when the blade sliding portion 23 of the polyethylene (PE) wire material is water-repellent treated with a Teflon-based water repellent, even after 20,000 discharge recovery operations in the same durability test as mentioned above, Almost no deposits were observed on this linear blade rubbing portion 23. By the way, the wire diameter of the blade sliding portion 23 is set to 0.3 mm to 3 mm.
．． When we conducted the same durability test as mentioned above by varying the diameter within the range of 0 mm, we found that when the diameter was 2 mm or more, the
During the recovery operation before and after the 0th cycle, ejection failure may occur due to poor cleaning (wiping). Also, in this case,
It was observed that ink was deposited on the surface of the linear blade rubbing portion 23. Note that if a metal-based (for example, copper-based) wire is used as the linear blade rubbing portion 23, and a linear member whose surface is treated with water repellency is used, the same effect as described above can be obtained. In addition, its high strength can further improve durability.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment (second embodiment) of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a blade cleaning member (second removing member) 21 related to the above, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a linear blade sliding portion (first removing member sliding portion) 24 in FIG. 8. , Figure 1
0 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a state in which the blade sliding portion 24 in FIG. 9 rubs against the blade 19. Also in this second embodiment, the blade cleaning member 21 is directly attached to the carriage 2. Further, in this embodiment as well, the second removal member (blade cleaning member) 21 includes a housing-shaped support portion 22 attached to the carriage 2 and a support portion 22
The first removal member sliding portion (blade sliding portion) 24 is a linear first removal member sliding portion (blade sliding portion) supported by the first removing member. However, the linear blade sliding portion (first removal member sliding portion) 21 of this embodiment is formed of a linear member with a rectangular (triangular in the illustrated example) cross section as shown in FIG. This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment using a linear blade sliding portion 23 having a circular cross section in this respect.

The blade sliding portion 24 is also formed of a linear member, such as a polyethylene wire, that has no ink absorbency and has low ink wettability. Further, as in the case of the above-described embodiment, the support section 22 supports the linear blade sliding section 24, and allows the blade (first removal member) 19 and the blade sliding section 24 to rub against each other. They are used to catch ink and foreign matter such as dust that sometimes scatter from their surfaces, and are made of an ink-absorbing material such as a porous material made of polyethylene. Furthermore, also in this example, FIG.
The discharge recovery device 12 shown in FIG. 8 and the blade cleaning member 21 shown in FIG.
In combination with a carriage configuration having
A discharge recovery sequence similar to that described above is executed.

In this embodiment (second embodiment), since the linear blade sliding portion 24 is formed of a linear member with a square cross section, as shown in FIG. The angle θ formed between the portion 24 and the abutting portion can be made larger than that in the case of the circular cross section described above. For this reason,
The ability of the blade (first removal member) 19 to scrape off (scrape off) the deposits H is increased. At the same time, since the linear pressure at the contact portion is also increased, it is possible to more reliably prevent the deposit H to be removed from slipping through the blade rubbing portion 24. As a result, the blade cleaning ability (ability to clean the blade 19) by the linear blade rubbing portion 24 is improved, and the blade (first removal member) 19 can be cleaned more reliably, thus forming the discharge port. An inkjet recording device that can maintain the cleaning ability of the surface 51 for a longer period of time can be obtained.

According to the inventor's experiments, in an inkjet recording apparatus using a conventional blade cleaning member (second removing member), in an environment of a temperature of 35°C and a humidity of 10%,
When the discharge recovery operation was performed approximately 5,000 times at 0 minute intervals,
The cleaning performance of the blade cleaning member (second removal member) deteriorated, blade cleaning became insufficient, and image deterioration began to occur due to deviation of ink ejection, ink non-ejection, etc. On the other hand, based on the second embodiment, a linear blade sliding part 24 made of polyethylene (PE) having a substantially equilateral triangular cross section with a side of 1 mm and a porous ink-absorbing support part When using the second removal member (blade cleaning member) 21 configured with the (casing) 22, even after approximately 20,000 ejection recovery operations were performed in the same environment as described above, there was no image deterioration due to a decrease in cleaning performance. It did not occur. Further, at this time, when the head wiping surface of the rubber-like elastic material blade 19 was observed after the durability test, no deposits were observed, and it was confirmed that good cleaning was being performed.

In each of the embodiments described above, the number of linear first removal member sliding parts (blade sliding parts) 23 and 24 provided on the second removal member (blade cleaning member) 21 is one. , a plurality of linear blade sliding parts 23 and 24 may be arranged at appropriate intervals. FIG. 11 shows a blade cleaning member 21 having two linear blade sliding parts with a circular cross section.
is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the invention, and the blade cleaning member (second removing member) 21 shown in the same figure has two linear blade rubbing parts 25 on an ink-absorbing support part 22,
26 are attached at predetermined intervals in the sliding direction.

When using the blade cleaning member 21 of the third embodiment shown in FIG.
Since the deposits on the blade 19 that could not be removed in step 5 are removed by the second blade rubbing section 26, the cleaning effect of the blade 19 can be further improved. In addition, regarding durability, even if foreign matter adheres to the first blade rubbing part 25 and the cleaning effect is reduced, the cleaning effect can be maintained by the second blade rubbing part 26, so the blade The durability of the cleaning member (second removal member) 21 can be improved.

Furthermore, in each of the embodiments described above, the linear blade sliding parts 23, 24, 25, 26, etc. are attached through holes formed in the support part 22, but thinner wires When using a shaped blade sliding part,
As shown in the fourth embodiment of FIG. 12, cutouts 27 and 28 may be formed in the support portion 22, and the blade sliding portion 29 may be inserted and fixed in these cutouts. According to such a fixing method, it becomes possible to freely use a linear blade sliding portion having an arbitrary thickness within a certain range.

[0036] In the above embodiment, a serial type inkjet recording apparatus in which the recording means (recording head) 1 is mounted on the carriage 2 and performs main scanning along the recording material 7 was explained as an example. The present invention also applies to a line-type inkjet recording apparatus that uses a line-type recording means that corresponds to the whole or part of the recording width of a recording material.
They can be similarly applied and achieve similar effects. Further, in the above embodiments, the case of an inkjet recording apparatus using one recording head was explained as an example, but the present invention is applicable to a color recording apparatus using a plurality of recording heads that record with ink of different colors. It can be applied in the same way regardless of the number of recording heads, such as an inkjet recording device or an inkjet recording device for gradation recording that uses multiple recording heads that record with ink of the same color but different density, and has the same effect. It is possible to achieve the desired effect.

Furthermore, the recording means (recording head) 1 may be a cartridge type in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated, or one in which the recording head and the ink tank are separate and connected by an ink supply tube. Regardless of the configuration of the recording means and ink tank, the present invention can be applied in the same way and the same effects can be achieved.

The present invention can be applied to inkjet recording devices that use a recording means (recording head) that uses an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element. This provides excellent effects in an inkjet recording apparatus that ejects ink. This is because, according to such a system, higher recording density and higher definition can be achieved.

For its typical configuration and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
Preferably, this is done using the basic principles disclosed in the '796 specification. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but
In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, the electrothermal transducer placed corresponding to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the liquid path is required to respond to the recorded information and rapidly exceed nucleate boiling. By applying at least one drive signal that causes a temperature increase, the electrothermal transducer generates thermal energy that causes film boiling on the heat-active surface of the recording means (recording head), resulting in a pair of It is effective because it can form bubbles in the liquid (ink).

The growth and contraction of the bubble causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one drop. It is more preferable to use this drive signal in a pulse form, since the growth and contraction of bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, so that ejection of liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in US Pat.
Those described in Japanese Patent No. 463359 and Japanese Patent No. 4345262 are suitable. Incidentally, US Pat.
If the conditions described in No. 24 are adopted, even more excellent recording can be achieved.

[0041] In addition to the configuration of the recording head that combines ejection ports, liquid paths, and electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4 disclose a configuration in which a heat acting part is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of No. 459600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 123670 of 1982 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a hole that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 138461 of 1981, which discloses a configuration in which a discharge portion corresponds to a discharge portion. That is, regardless of the form of the recording head, according to the present invention, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently.

Furthermore, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium that can be recorded by a recording apparatus. Such a recording head may have a configuration in which the length is satisfied by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally. In addition, even with the serial type shown in the example above, the recording head is fixed to the device body, or by being attached to the device body, electrical connection to the device body and ink supply from the device body is possible. The present invention is also effective when using a replaceable chip type recording head or a cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself.

Further, it is preferable to add a recovery means for the recording head, a preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus, to the present invention because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, these are:
Capping means, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element, or a combination thereof, and ejection other than recording for the recording head. It is also effective to perform a preliminary ejection mode to perform stable printing.

Regarding the type and number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, in addition to one that corresponds to single-color ink, there are also configurations that correspond to multiple inks with different recording colors and densities. A plurality of them may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording device is not only a recording mode for mainstream colors such as black, but also a recording mode for only mainstream colors such as black.
The recording head may be configured integrally or in combination, but the present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one of multiple colors of different colors or full color by mixing colors.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but ink that solidifies at room temperature or below, softens or liquefies at room temperature, or ink jet In this method, the temperature of the ink itself is generally adjusted within the range of 30°C to 70°C to keep the viscosity of the ink within the stable ejection range. Any liquid may be used. In addition, the temperature rise caused by thermal energy can be actively prevented by using it as energy to change the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or ink that solidifies when left unused is used to prevent ink evaporation. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying thermal energy according to the recording signal, and the liquid ink is ejected, or the ink already begins to solidify by the time it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable when using ink that is liquefied only by thermal energy.

[0046] The ink used in such a case is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1983-
56847 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-71260, a form in which the porous sheet is held as a liquid or solid in the recesses or through holes and faces the electrothermal converter. You can also use it as In the present invention, the most effective method for each of the above-mentioned inks is to implement the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, the inkjet recording device according to the present invention can be used as an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying device combined with a reader, etc., and a facsimile device having a sending/receiving function. It may also take the form of

[0048]

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, there is provided a first removing member for removing ink or foreign matter adhering to the ink ejecting portion of the recording means by slidingly contacting the ink ejecting portion of the recording means; In an inkjet recording apparatus having a second removal member for removing ink or foreign matter, the first removal member sliding portion of the second removal member has a linear shape. The attached foreign matter can be reliably removed, and the removed foreign matter can be prevented from accumulating on the second removal member for a long period of time. Therefore, the cleaning ability of each removal member is high even when repeatedly used for a long period of time. The present invention provides an inkjet recording device that can be maintained, and the lifespan of each removal member can be dramatically extended, thereby achieving downsizing, a longer lifespan, maintenance-free operation, and lower cost of the recording device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration,
The linear first removal member sliding portion is made of a material that does not have ink absorbency and has low ink wettability, and the first removal member sliding portion is formed of a polyethylene wire. Alternatively, the second removal member has a structure in which the linear first removal member sliding portion is supported by a casing made of an ink-absorbing porous material,
An inkjet recording device is provided that can achieve the above effects more efficiently.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the main structure of an inkjet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection section of the recording head in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an ejection recovery device including a first removal member in an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a carriage configuration including a second removal member in an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the second removal member in FIG. 4;

6 is a schematic plan view showing an ejection recovery operation by the ejection recovery device of FIG. 3 and the carriage configuration of FIG. 4. FIG.

7 is a schematic plan sectional view showing a state in which the first removal member shown in FIG. 3 is cleaned by the second removal member shown in FIG. 5; FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the structure of a second embodiment of a second removing member used in the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

9 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the first removal member sliding portion in FIG. 8; FIG.

10 is a schematic plan sectional view showing a state in which the first removal member sliding portion of FIG. 9 rubs the first removal member; FIG.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the structure of a third embodiment of a second removing member used in an inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a fourth embodiment of a second removing member used in the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Recording means (recording head) 2
Carriage 5 Carriage motor 7 Recording material (recording paper, etc.) 8
Conveyance motor 9 Conveyance roller pair 11 Cap 12 Discharge recovery device 15 Cap unit 16 Suction pump 19 First removal member (blade) 21 Second removal member (blade cleaning member) 22 Support portion 23 First removal member sliding portion (blade sliding) rubbing part) 2
4 First removal member sliding part (blade sliding part) 25
First removal member sliding part (blade sliding part) 26
First removal member sliding part (blade sliding part) 27
Notch (support part) 28 Notch (support part)

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A first removal member for removing ink or foreign matter adhering to the ink ejection portion of the recording means by slidingly contacting the ink ejection portion of the recording means; and a second removal member for removing ink or foreign matter adhering to the first removal member. An inkjet recording device having a first removal member sliding portion of the second removal member having a linear shape. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the linear first removal member sliding portion has no ink absorbency and has low ink wettability. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first removal member sliding portion is formed of a polyethylene wire. 4. The second removing member includes a linear first removing member.
2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a structure in which the removal member sliding portion is supported by a housing made of an ink-absorbing porous material. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means is an ink jet recording means equipped with an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for ink ejection. 6. The ink jet recording according to claim 5, wherein the recording means ejects the ink from the ejection port by utilizing film boiling that occurs in the ink due to thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. Device.