JPH0475131B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink droplets from a plurality of ejection nozzles onto recording paper at high speed.

Prior Art Among the various recording methods currently known, this is a non-impact recording method that generates almost no noise during recording, is capable of high-speed recording, and does not require any special fixing treatment on plain paper. The so-called inkjet recording method that can be used is an extremely useful method for realizing printing devices such as various printers, copying machines, and word processors.

Various methods have been proposed for this inkjet printer recording method, some of which have been improved and commercialized, while others are still being put into practical use.

The inkjet printer recording system is a system in which small droplets of ink are ejected using various operating principles and are attached to a recording material such as paper to perform recording.
Such an inkjet recording type apparatus generally includes an inkjet head for forming ink droplets, a means for supplying ink to the head, a means for collecting ink discharged from the head at times other than during recording operations, and a means for collecting ink discharged from the head at times other than during recording operations. It consists of a clogging recovery processing means for eliminating clogging in the injection nozzle and flow path of the head.

As mentioned above, the inkjet recording system is an extremely excellent recording system with a simple device configuration, but there are also problems.

One of the problems is clogging of the injection nozzles. There are two causes of clogging. One is that the viscosity of the ink at the tip of the nozzle increases due to evaporation of the solvent from the jet nozzle surface, resulting in non-ejection.

The other problem is that fine dust in the ink liquid enters the ejection nozzle and causes ejection failure.

Another problem is that when air bubbles in the ink liquid enter the ejection nozzle, the air bubbles absorb the flying energy, resulting in non-ejection or dispersion of droplets, so-called splash.

As a means for dealing with the above-mentioned problems, the clogging recovery means is generally provided with a pump means interposed therebetween. There are two ways of intervening the pump means included in the ink flow path system. One is between the ejection nozzle and the ink tank and pressurizes the ink in the ink tank to the head, and the pump means is inserted between the nozzle and the flow path. High viscosity ink is treated by discharging fine dust or air bubbles in the ink liquid from the tip of the nozzle as waste ink.

The other method is to use a suction pump to suck ink from the nozzle tip to remove high viscosity ink or fine dust or air bubbles in the ink liquid from the head and the flow path that supplies ink to the system as waste ink. It's about processing.

During the recovery operation by the recovery treatment means, the nozzle surface is covered with waste ink leaked from the nozzle.

In the case of a head nozzle in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged in a row on the nozzle surface, if the ink ejected from the upper nozzle covers the lower nozzle, the ink will not be ejected from the lower nozzle during the recording operation. It disappears. In addition, if the ink is left for a long time with the nozzle surface covered, the ink solvent will evaporate and the remaining pigment will form a thin film on the nozzle surface, so the nozzle covered with the film will be left unattended. It had drawbacks such as causing discharge.

Purpose The present invention aims to provide a highly reliable inkjet recording device that can accurately treat ink adhering to a nozzle surface.

Example The present invention will be explained in detail below based on the drawings.

First Embodiment FIGS. 1 to 6 illustrate one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows details of an ink supply system.

This ink supply system is composed of a recording head 1, a pump 9, and an ink cartridge 18.

Details of each part are as follows.

The recording head 1 is composed of two parts, a substrate 1e and a cover 1g.

The cover 1g is formed as a flat housing with one side open, and along this open end there is formed an injection nozzle 1a formed as a plurality of grooves, and a ventilation nozzle 1b also formed as a groove. It is formed.

These injection nozzles 1a and ventilation nozzles 1b communicate with an ink chamber 1c occupying the center of the cover 1g.

Further, an ink passage 1h is formed on the other side of the ink chamber 1c, the upper end of which communicates with the ink chamber 1c via the passage, and the lower end connected to the pump side described later through a small hole. be done.

On the other hand, the injection nozzles 1a and 1 are on the substrate 1e side.
A plurality of heating elements (not shown) are formed at positions corresponding to pair 1, and liquid level detection electrodes 1f are further arranged vertically apart from each other by a certain distance.

The above-described heating element 1h, level detection electrode 1f,
Materials suitable for each purpose can be extremely easily formed on the substrate 1e by thin film forming means such as vapor deposition or sputtering.

Substrate 1e and cover 1 having the above structure
g is integrated with the injection nozzle 1a and the heating element in a superimposed state.

Then, the cover 1g, which has one side open, becomes closed by the substrate 1e.

Of course, the level detection electrode 1f may be made separately and provided on the substrate 1e by adhesion or other means.

When a predetermined pulse voltage is applied as an application signal to the recording head 1 having such a structure, a predetermined heating element generates heat, and the ink guided into the ejection nozzle 1a momentarily expands, causing the ejection nozzle to It is ejected from the tip of 1a toward the recording paper.

Incidentally, the heating element is not only used for ejecting ink, but also for the following purposes.

That is, in order to make the ink used in inkjet printers have as low a vapor pressure as possible, a medium with a high molecular weight is used. For this reason, the viscosity of many inks increases when the temperature drops below 10°C.

Since an increase in ink viscosity causes ink to fail to be ejected, it has been proposed in the past to heat the vicinity of the recording head or the inside of the printer at low temperatures.

However, it takes an extremely long time and a large amount of energy to heat areas with a large heat capacity, such as the vicinity of the recording head or the interior of the printer, to reach a predetermined temperature.

Therefore, in the present invention, a current is applied to the heat generating element to heat the ink to a temperature that does not cause it to be ejected, so that the ejection nozzle 1a and the ink chamber 1c can be heated in a short time with a small amount of energy. has been done.

On the other hand, the ink passage 1h is connected to the head holder 3 via an O-ring 4 that blocks the ink passage from the outside air.

The head pedestal 3 has a liquid passage 3a connected to the ink passage 1h and a liquid passage 3b continuous thereto, and a filter 3c separates the two from each other.

The filter 3c is for removing fine dust in the ink 2, and is made of a bundle of thin hollow glass needles having a diameter of about 20 to 30 μm and cut into rings. In addition to the role of removing dust, the filter 3c also has the effect of increasing the hydraulic resistance in the liquid path behind the injection nozzle 1a when ink is ejected from the injection nozzle 1a.

On the other hand, a cap 7 is provided corresponding to the recording head 1. This cap 7 is rotatably attached around a shaft 7b, and can be moved between a state where it covers the injection nozzle 1a and a state where it is separated from it.

The cap 7 has an absorber 8 that absorbs ink leaked or jetted from the injection nozzle 1a and the ventilation nozzle 1b, and a large number of small holes 7a formed on the back surface of the absorber 8 for discharging ink from the absorber. .

On the other hand, the pump 9 is configured as follows.

A rotor 9a rotated by a motor 10 is rotatably attached in a circular space formed in the housing of the pump 9, and a plurality of rotors 9a are rotatably mounted in a circular space formed in the housing of the pump 9. roller 9c
is rotatably supported via a shaft 9b.

Although there is a difference between the inner diameter of the circular space of the pump 9 and the diameter of the rotor 9a, the roller 9c is configured to be able to rotate in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the circular space.

A tube 5 is guided between an arcuate wall 9a located above the circular space of the pump 9 and a rotor 9a.

One end of the tube 5 communicates with the liquid path 3a on the side of the head holder 3, and a hollow needle 16 is attached to the other end to be inserted into a rubber stopper of an ink cartridge, which will be described later.

Further, one end of the tube 6 is connected to the cap 7 side, and the other end is connected to the ink cartridge side.

On the other hand, a through hole 9f is formed on the side of the pump 9, and a pin 11 is slidably fitted into the through hole 9f.

The inner end of the pin 11 is located on the side of the arcuate space of the pump 9, and the other end protrudes outside the pump 9 and is in contact with the lever 12a of the micro switch 12.

Therefore, when the rotor 9a rotates and the roller 9c contacts this pin 11, the pin 11 projects in a direction away from the arc-shaped space, that is, to the outside of the pump 9, pushes the lever 12a, and turns the micro switch 12 ON. It can be done.

Therefore, the microswitch 12 can detect the rotational position of the roller 9c, and by counting this signal, the rotational speed of the rotor 9a can also be detected.

Further, the micro switch 12 and the motor 10 are connected to a motor drive circuit 19.

On the other hand, an ink cartridge indicated by the reference numeral 18 has an upper limit space 18a, 1 formed by a partition wall 18c.
8b, and the ink bag 13 is accommodated in the upper space 18a.

The ink bag 13 is formed by laminating aluminum foil with a polymer film such as nylon or polyethylene, and has one end sealed and a pipe 14 and a rubber stopper 15 provided at the other end. By inserting the hollow needle 16 of the tube 5 into the rubber stopper 15 and inserting it into the pipe 14, the ink 2 in the ink bag 13 can be guided through the tube 5 to the recording head side.

On the other hand, the space 1 below the ink cartridge 18
An ink absorber 17 is housed in the ink absorber 8b.
The ink waste liquid sucked through the tube 6 is absorbed.

On the other hand, FIG. 2 schematically explains the mechanical parts of a printer equipped with the above-described ink supply system, and the same parts in the figure as in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 2, the reference numeral 24 is a carriage, which is connected to guide rails 25 and 2.
6 is slidably fitted. Carriage 24
is connected in part to a wire 31 stretched endlessly between a pulley 29 fixed to the tip of the output shaft of a motor 28 for driving the carriage and a driven pulley 30, and connected to the guide rails 25, 26. You can move freely along it.

The above-mentioned ink supply system, recording head, etc. are mounted on this carriage 24.

On the other hand, reference numeral 27 indicates a platen along which the recording paper 32 is guided, and by rotating the platen 27, the recording paper 32 can be fed in the direction of the printing digits.

Next, the operation of the inkjet printer configured as above will be explained.

First, the ink supply operation will be explained.

A control device not shown is a level detection circuit 20.
The liquid level of ink in the ink chamber 1c in the recording head 1 is monitored every time the printing operation for one page is completed.

When it is detected via the level detection circuit 20 that the level of ink in the ink chamber 1c is below a predetermined level, the control device rotates the motor 10 via the monitor drive circuit 19 to operate the pump 9. .

When the ink level in the ink chamber 1c reaches a preset level, the pump 9
stops after rotating a predetermined number of revolutions.

The reason why the pump 9 is rotated at a predetermined number of rotations in this way is to supply an excess of the volume of the ink chamber 1c above the electrode 1f and the ink ejected from the nozzle.

On the other hand, based on the roller position signal generated from the micro switch 12 caused by the contact between the roller 9c of the pump 9 and the sliding pin 11, the control device determines whether the roller 9c is in the position of the sliding pin as shown in FIG. 11, and make sure to stop it at a position where it is not in contact with the tube 5.

In this state, the tube 5 is not crushed by the roller 9c, and the liquid path of the tube 5 is open.

By the way, during the printing operation of the recording head 1, ink is drawn from the ink bag 13 into the tube by capillarity due to the surface tension of the ink 2 and by the negative pressure in the ink chamber 1c generated by the ejection of ink from the ejection nozzle 1a. 5 and is supplied into the ink chamber 1c.

On the other hand, if the level detection circuit 20 determines that the ink level is set, the above-described operation is not performed.

Next, detection of ink shortage and recovery operation are performed as follows.

If the ink does not reach the level detection electrode 1f even after performing the above-described ink supply operation for a certain period of time and the level detection circuit 20 does not detect the ink, the control device stores ink in the ink bag 13. It is determined that there is no.

Then, the control device notifies the user that the ink is out by lighting a light emitting element (not shown) or generating an alarm sound, and stops the recording operation.

On the other hand, the operation when replacing the ink cartridge 18 is as follows.

When the cartridge empty of ink is removed and a new cartridge containing ink is installed, the motor 10 rotates, the pump 9 operates, and the ink bag 13 is removed.
The ink 2 inside is sent to the ink chamber 1c through a tube 5 or the like. Then, when the ink reaches the inlet of the ventilation nozzle 1b, the pump 9 stops at a predetermined position.

During this operation, ink leaking from the ventilation nozzle 1b and the injection nozzle 1a is absorbed by the absorber 8, and the absorbed ink is discharged into the absorber 17 of the cartridge 18 through the pipe 6.

Next, the first recovery operation after no printing is performed for a long time will be described.

If the power is turned off and the device has not been used for a long time, or if the power is turned on but has not been printed for a long time, the first print may not be printed or the print density may be low. Accidents such as ink splashing and dirt adhering to the recording paper may occur.

This is because the viscosity of the ink at the tip of the injection nozzle increases due to evaporation of the ink solvent from the tip of the injection nozzle 1a.

If printing has not been performed for such a long time, the control device first detects that no printing has been performed for a predetermined period of time, and also detects the ink level via the level detection circuit 20. If the ink level has not reached a predetermined level, the ink supply operation described above is performed.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the ink level is at a predetermined level, the pump 9 is rotated a predetermined number of times and then stopped. This is the same as described in the ink supply operation, from the level detection electrode 1f to the ink chamber 1c.
This is to supply an extra amount of ink to be ejected from the nozzle.

Next, the operation of the cap 7 and the suction operation of waste liquid by the cap 7 will be explained.

The cap 7 is rotated about the shaft 7b by driving a motor (not shown) within a range other than the printing operation, that is, the home position, and covers the entire surface of the injection nozzle 1a. In this state, the evaporation of the ink solvent from the ejection nozzle 1a and the adhesion of dust to the nozzle surface can be prevented.

On the other hand, when the cap 7 is fitted,
The ink absorber 8 absorbs ink leaking from the jet nozzle 1a, and by operating the pump 9, the ink in the cap 7 is removed from the tube 6.
The ink cartridge 18 is forcibly discharged into the absorber 17 in the waste liquid storage space 18b through the ink cartridge 18.

The specific operation of the cap 7 is as follows.

That is, when the operation of the pump 9 is started as described above, the cap 7 is fitted onto the injection nozzle 1a, and when the recovery operation is completed, the operation of the pump 9 is stopped and the cap 7 is separated from the nozzle 1a.

On the other hand, when the recording operation for one page is completed, recording head 1 has returned to the home position, but when the recording head returns to the home position,
A cap 7 is fitted onto the tip of the injection nozzle 1a. Immediately before the printing operation for the next page is started, the cap 7 is separated from the injection nozzle 1a, and a normal printing operation is performed.

By the way, if the ink cartridge 18 is not installed when the pump 9 operates during the recovery operation as described above, waste liquid will be discharged into the apparatus. This is done only when a certain signal is present.

Next, details of one embodiment of the cap device section applied to the present invention will be explained using FIGS. 3 to 6.

Bearing members 34 and 35 provided on the substrate 33
A screw shaft 36 is provided which is pivotally supported by. The rotation of a motor 39 is transmitted to the screw shaft 36 via gears 37 and 38. Since the screw shaft is engaged with the legs 40a and 40b of the box 40, the box 40 is moved closer to or retreated from the head 1 by the rotation of the motor 39.

41 is an elastic member made of rubber or the like;
It is provided around the opening of the box 40 and the head 1, and serves to increase the airtightness when the box 40 and the head 1 are relatively joined.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the ink liquid absorber 42
As a material, hardened synthetic fibers or synthetic resins made into a water-absorbent sponge-like material are used. The absorber 42 is fixed to a moving shaft 44 via a plate member 43.

In FIG. 4, a motor 45 is provided at a motor mounting portion 40c at the rear of the box body 40.
On the other hand, gear 46 and gear 4 provided on the motor shaft
The rotation of the motor 45 is transmitted to the cam disk 48 via the motor 7.

The cam disk 48 is engaged with the rear end rising portion 44a of the moving shaft 44.

Since a spring 49 is stretched between the upper end 44b of the rising portion 44a and the end 40d of the box body 40, a biasing force is always exerted on the absorbent body 42 via the moving shaft 44 in a direction toward the head 1. There is.

In FIG. 6, numerals 50 and 51 are aperture plates;
52 is a shaft member that rotatably supports the aperture plate;
53 is the aperture member 5 fixed to the shaft 54.
This is a diaphragm member drive cam inserted between the lower end portions 50a and 51a of 0 and 51.

Rotation of the motor 55 is transmitted to the shaft 54 via gears 56 and 57. The tip of the L-shaped hollow tube section 40e provided at the bottom of the box body 40 is inserted into the waste ink storage section entrance 18d of the ink cartridge 18 when the carriage 24 is located at the home position as shown in FIG. rush into.

Reference numeral 58 denotes a valve member for blocking ink accumulated at the bottom of the box body 40 from flowing out into the hollow tube portion 40e, and the valve is opened and closed in conjunction with a suction element 59 driven by an electromagnet 60.

In FIG. 3, the screw shaft 36 provided between the shaft supporting members 34 and 35 passes through bearings provided on the legs 40a and 40b of the box body 40, and is attached to the head 1 of the box body 40. It guides straight motion.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned cap device section will be explained for each operation item.

(1) Capping operation When the carriage 24 stops at the home position in FIG. 2, the capping operation occurs as shown in FIG.
The motor 39 in FIG. 4 rotates, and subsequently the screw shaft 36 rotates via the gears 38 and 37.

Box body 4 screwed together with screw shaft 36
0 is the head 1 due to the rotation of the screw shaft 36.
1 through the rubber elastic member 41.
The box 40 comes into contact with the periphery of the box 40, and then the movement of the box 40 stops.

In this state, the nozzle 1a is blocked from the outside air by the rubber elastic member 41, so that the ink solvent at the tip of the nozzle 1a is prevented from evaporating.

(2) Leakage ink suction operation When the rotation of the motor 45 is transmitted through the gears 46 and 47, the cam disk 48 rotates, and the rising portion 4 of the moving shaft 44 driven by the cam disk 48 rotates.
4a is moved by the force of the spring 49 from the position shown by the two-dot chain line to the position shown by the solid line in FIG.
As the shaft 44 moves, the entire surface of the absorber 42 comes into contact with the discharge opening surface of the nozzle 1a of the head 1.
When the pump 9 shown in FIG. 1 operates in the above state and the ink 2 leaks from the tip of the nozzle 1a, the absorber 42 absorbs the leaked ink and the nozzle 1
Do not leave ink liquid on the ejection surface of a.

(3) Operation of squeezing out the ink in the absorber 42 When the absorption capacity of the absorber 42 is saturated due to leaked ink, or after absorption has been performed a predetermined number of times, the motor 45 rotates in reverse, and the moving shaft 4
4 from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line. Therefore, the absorbent body 42 moves away from the head 1 in conjunction with the moving shaft 44.

On the other hand, the absorber 42 that is away from the head 1 is located between the aperture plates 50 and 51 and stops there.

The rotation of the motor 55 is transmitted to the shaft 54 by the gears 56, 57, and when the aperture member drive cam 53 changes from the vertical state to the horizontal state in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft 54, the upper parts of the aperture plates 50, 51 are mutually moved. be in close proximity. Therefore, the ink liquid in the absorber which is squeezed between the aperture plates 50 and 51 flows out from the absorber 42 and flows out from the lower end 5 of the aperture plates 50 and 51.
0a, 51a and accumulates at the bottom of the box body 40.

The absorber 42, from which the ink has been squeezed out by the aperture plates 50 and 51, returns to the nozzle 1a.
Restores the ability to absorb leaked ink from.

(4) Discharge operation of absorbed ink to the ink cartridge Ink discharge port 18 of the ink cartridge 18
When the valve 58 is opened with the hollow tube section 40e of the box body 40 inserted into the hole d, the ink accumulated at the bottom of the box body 40 flows from the tip of the hollow tube section 40e to the absorber 17 of the ink cartridge 18. It flows inside.

When the valve closes after a predetermined period of time, the ink stops flowing into the absorber 17. Further, when the valve 58 is closed, the inside of the box 40 is isolated from the outside air, so that the vapor pressure inside the box 40 becomes the same as the vapor pressure of the ink, so that ink evaporation from the nozzle 1a is minimized.

Further, the waste ink liquid absorbed by the absorber 17 of the ink cartridge can be disposed of for each ink cassette when the ink in the ink bag 13 is used up, and a tank for special treatment of the waste liquid is provided. This makes it possible to provide a device that is very convenient for the user.

(5) State of the cap device section when the printing operation is stopped and the recording device is not in use When the recording device is in a resting state, the absorber 42 is always separated from the nozzle surface of the head 1.
On the other hand, since the elastic body 41 is in close contact with the periphery of the nozzle 1a, the nozzle 1a is shielded from the atmosphere, and evaporation of ink from the ejection opening of the nozzle 1a is suppressed to a minimum.

The ink squeezing mechanism of the absorber 42 of this embodiment has a width dimension L1 of the absorber 42 as shown in FIG.
Since it can be made equal to L2, the absorber 42
can be pressed over a wide area, and therefore has a large liquid squeezing effect. Furthermore, since the diaphragm plates 50 and 51 are thin plates with spring properties, when the diaphragm drive member 53 rotates, if there is not enough margin for crushing the absorber 42, the diaphragm plates 50 and 51 will bend, so that the diaphragm drive member 53 will be It has the excellent feature that rotation is not inhibited.

Second Embodiment Next, another embodiment of the cap device will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10.

In the above drawings, members having the same functions and shapes as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 are designated by the same reference numerals, and explanations of their functions and operations will be omitted.

In FIGS. 7 and 9, 61 is an ink absorber;
Reference numeral 62 denotes a hollow tube for holding the absorbent body, and the distal end 62a of the hollow tube 62 is inserted into the absorbent body 61, and the two are coupled together.
Reference numeral 63 denotes an O-ring which is interposed between the outer periphery of the hollow tube and the wall of the box 40 to ensure a tight seal between the outer periphery of the hollow tube 62 and the wall of the box 40. It also functions as a bearing when the tube 62 swings.

Reference numeral 64 denotes a piston shaft, which is slidably provided on a bearing portion 40f provided on the side surface of the box body 40.

The tip portion 64a of the piston shaft is annular, and the hollow tube 62 is inserted into the annular portion.

A guide member 64b having a slide guide groove is provided at the other end of the piston shaft 64.

The slide pin 65 mounted on the gear 47 is engaged with the groove of the guide member 64b.

Next, the operation of discharging the absorbed ink liquid from inside the absorber 61 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

When the motor 45 rotates in the state shown in FIG. 7, the guide pin 65 is displaced to the position shown in FIG. 8 via the gears 46 and 47.

A guide member 64 interlocks with the guide pin 65.
b also moves to the right as shown in FIG.
rotates counterclockwise about the O-ring 63 as a fulcrum.

Therefore, the rear end 61b of the absorber 61 hits the wall 40g of the box 40, and the rear end of the absorber is crushed, so that the ink liquid in the rear end 61b is squeezed out.

The ink liquid squeezed out from the absorber 61 passes through the hollow tube 62 and accumulates at the bottom of the box 40.

The ink liquid accumulated at the bottom is discharged into the ink cartridge 18 through the L-shaped pipe member 40e and the hole 18c of the ink cartridge 18. By rotating the hollow tube 64 in the counterclockwise direction, the front surface 61a of the absorber 61 is simultaneously separated from the nozzle surface of the head 1.

As described above, this embodiment has the feature that the apparatus is simple because the operation of squeezing the absorber and the operation of separating the absorber 61 from the surface of the head 1 are performed by one driving source. Further, since the hollow tube 62 and the absorbent body 61 are connected in a simple structure, the absorbent body 61 has an excellent feature that it is easy to replace the absorbent body 61.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another means for connecting the hollow tube 62 and the absorbent body 61, in which a plate 62b having a plurality of pores 62c is provided at the end 62a of the hollow tube 62, and the plate 62b is provided with a plurality of pores 62c.
An absorbent body 61 is placed on the right side of 2b, and an absorbent body 6 is placed on the left side of 2b.
There are 6.

Since the absorbent body 61 is made of a material that is difficult to decompose, pieces or fibers of the absorbent body 61 do not enter the nozzle 1a of the head 1.

On the other hand, since the absorbent body 66 is made of a soft material, it can be easily crushed by pressure and the ink liquid can be easily squirted out.

Third Embodiment Next, another embodiment of the cap device will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 15.

In the above drawings, members having the same functions and shapes as those described in FIGS. 1 to 10 are designated by the same reference numerals, and explanations of their functions and operations will be omitted.

In Figures 11 and 13, 67 is an absorber;
It is held by a frame 68.

69 is a support shaft when the frame 68 swings; 7
0 is a rubber plate for reducing wear between the side wall inside the box body 40 and the absorber 67, and 71 is a rubber plate that slides on the bottom surface of the box body 40 and discharges ink liquid to the outside. This is a shoe member that covers the liquid discharge port 40h and acts as a valve.

A spring member 72 rotates the frame 68 in a clockwise direction.

73 is a sliding pin that transmits clockwise rotation to the frame 68, and 74 is a cam disc that drives the sliding pin 73 in conjunction with the gear 47.

In FIG. 11, the absorber 67 is attached to the frame 68.
The head 1 is brought into contact with the surface of the head 1 via the force of a spring 72. Ink liquid leaking from the nozzle 1a is absorbed by the absorber 67 in the above state.
When the motor 45 rotates in the above state, the gear 4
6 and 47, the cam disk 74 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. As the sliding pin 73 moves to the right due to the rotation of the cam disk 74, the frame 68 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 69 against the force of the spring 72, so that the absorber 67 Since the lower side 67a of the absorber 67 and the plurality of pore surfaces 40i provided on the inner wall of the box body 40 come into contact with each other and the absorber lower part 67a is crushed, the ink liquid in the absorber 67 is squeezed out. The ink is discharged into the ink cartridge 18 through the liquid path 40j connecting the pores 40i, the discharge port 40h, and the L-shaped nozzle 76.

The ink liquid accumulated at the bottom is forcibly discharged to the outside from the discharge port 40h by the shoe member 71 when the frame 68 repeatedly swings.

In addition, when the recording operation is not performed, the absorber 6
7 is spaced apart from the head 1, while the shoe member 7
1 closes the discharge port 40h, so that the ink inside the box body 40 does not leak outside.

Of course, the material of the portion of the absorbent body 67 in contact with the head 1 and the portion of the box body 40 in contact with the wall portion 40i may be changed as explained in FIG. 10.

Next, using FIGS. 14 and 15, the box body 40
The shutter covering the opening facing the head 1 and the L-shaped nozzle 76 provided at the bottom of the box 40 will be explained.

Reference numeral 77 denotes a shutter plate that covers the elastic member 41 provided at the opening side of the box body 40 when the carriage 24 in FIG. Retreat from 41.

The shutter plate 77 is held by a guide member 78 so as to be movable left and right. The end portion 78a of the guide member is fixed to the outer surface of the box body 40.

Further, since a spring 79 is stretched between the bent end 78b of the guide member 78 and the bent end 77a of the shutter plate 77, the shutter plate 77
is given the habit of always covering the opening.

80 is a pin provided near the head 1 on the carriage 24. 77b is the shutter plate 77
This is the bent part at the other end.

In FIG. 15, when the carriage 24 is in the recording operation, the pin 80 is at least to the right of the position 80' shown by the two-dot chain line, so the bent portion 77b of the shutter is at the position 77b' shown by the two-dot chain line. Since the shutter plate 77 is now at the position indicated by the two-dot chain line 77', the opening of the box body 40 is covered by the shutter plate 77, preventing dirt from entering and making contact with the head surface of the absorbent body 67. The surface is protected from debris.

When the carriage 24 approaches the home position, the pin 80 hits the folded portion 77b of the shutter, and while the carriage 24 reaches the home position, the pin 80 moves the shutter bent portion 77b to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. Since the shutter plate 77 continues to be pressed until it reaches the opening surface, the shutter plate 77 retreats from above the opening surface.

Next, the rotational operation of the L-shaped nozzle 76 will be explained.

The tip of the L-shaped nozzle 76, which functions as a conduit for discharging the ink inside the box body 40 to the waste liquid storage section of the ink cartridge 18 mounted on the carriage 24, is provided parallel to the moving direction of the carriage 24, so that the above-mentioned While the carriage 24 approaches the home position, the ink cartridge 18 naturally enters the discharge port 18c.

Further, in FIG. 12, the L-shaped nozzle 76 is rotatably provided at the outlet of the box body 40 via an O-ring 75.

A spring 84 stretched between a pin 82 erected on the L-shaped nozzle 76 and a pin 83 erected on the front part of the box body 40 urges the L-shaped nozzle 76 to rotate counterclockwise. There is.

76a is a cam protrusion provided on the L-shaped nozzle and has a cam surface 76b. 85 is carriage 2
This is a cam drive member provided at the lower part of 4.

In FIG. 15, when the carriage 24 is away from the home position, the cam drive member 85 and the cam surface 76b are disengaged, so the L-shaped nozzle 76 comes to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line 76'. ing. In this state, the ink within the nozzle 76 will not spill downward.

On the other hand, as the carriage 24 approaches the home position, the cam driving member 85 moves to the left from the position 85' shown by the two-dot chain line, and the left end of the cam driving member 85 moves toward the L-shaped nozzle 76. When it hits the cam surface 76b', the L-shaped nozzle 76 rotates to the position shown by the solid line. In this state, the discharge port 18c of the ink cartridge 18 approaches further, and finally the tip of the L-shaped nozzle reaches the discharge port 18c.
rush into the.

Effects As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, an ink absorber that absorbs ink leaking from the nozzle is provided in a cap that seals around the nozzle of an ink jet head, and furthermore, this ink absorber has a volume. Since the structure is equipped with a means to squeeze out the ink impregnated in the ink absorber by changing the ink absorber, the ink absorber can always be maintained in a state where it can absorb sufficient ink.
It can reliably absorb ink leaking from the nozzle and prevent ink clogging.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 6 illustrate one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an ink supply system, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main parts of the recording device, and FIG. 3 is a cap. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the cap device, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ink absorber, and FIG.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the ink squeezing mechanism, Figures 7 to 10 illustrate other embodiments of the present invention, Figure 7 is a cross-sectional plan view, Figure 8 is a longitudinal side view, and Figure 9 is a cross-sectional side view. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another structural example of the ink absorber, and FIGS. 11 to 15 illustrate still other embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a vertical side view showing the operation, FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the ink absorber, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view, and FIG. 15 is a front view. 1...recording head, 1a...spray nozzle, 2...
...Ink, 5, 6...Tube, 7...Cap, 9...Pump, 18...Ink cartridge, 36...Screw shaft, 40...Box, 41
...Elastic member, 42, 61, 67... Ink absorber.

[Claims]

1. A black thermofusible ink is applied onto the base material of the ink ribbon, and multiple thermofusible inks of different colors having a lower melting temperature than the black ink are placed on top of the black ink layer coated with the black ink. A printing device that performs printing using ink ribbons applied at different positions, comprising a carriage base that holds the ink ribbon, a thermal head provided on the carriage base, and a platen that holds transfer paper. a storage means for storing data to be printed and its print color; A printing device comprising: a control means for driving a thermal head;