JP2017013356A - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recording apparatus which suppresses accumulation of ink ejected on a platen while reducing ink consumption.
A recording head having a discharge surface provided with a plurality of discharge ports for discharging ink, a platen for supporting a recording medium at a position facing the discharge surface, and ink discharged from the discharge ports provided on the platen. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an ink receiving portion that receives the ink, and a suction cap that contacts the discharge surface and sucks ink from the discharge port; Means.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus using an ink jet system.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a recording apparatus that ejects a predetermined amount of ink that suppresses deposition when it is determined that the ejected ink is deposited when ink that is likely to accumulate on the platen (platen absorber) is ejected. ing. According to the recording apparatus, ink accumulation on the platen can be effectively suppressed.

JP 2012-51198 A

  However, in the recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the ink consumption is increased because the ink is consumed in order to suppress the accumulation separately from the ink consumption necessary for printing. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of suppressing accumulation of ink ejected on a platen while reducing ink consumption.

  In order to solve the above problems, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording head having an ejection surface provided with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink, and a platen that supports a recording medium at a position facing the ejection surface. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: an ink receiving portion that is provided on the platen and receives ink ejected from the ejection port; and a suction cap that abuts the ejection surface and sucks ink from the ejection port. And a transfer means for transferring the ink sucked from the discharge port from the suction cap to the ink receiving portion.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the inkjet recording device which can suppress accumulation of the ink discharged on the platen can be provided, reducing ink consumption.

1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the control part which concerns on this embodiment. It is a perspective view of the platen mechanism part concerning a 1st embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a relationship between a platen mechanism and a recording medium according to the first embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the platen mechanism part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing a recovery operation according to the first embodiment. It is a perspective view of the platen mechanism part concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a perspective view of the joint hole of the platen concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the platen mechanism part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows recovery operation | movement which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the platen mechanism part concerning a 3rd embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the platen mechanism part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus (recording apparatus) according to the present embodiment. The recording apparatus according to the present embodiment mainly includes a feeding unit 20, a transport unit 30, a discharge unit 40, a recovery unit 50, a carriage 60, and a control unit 80.

  The feeding unit 20 feeds the recording media (paper sheets) stacked on the feeding tray to the transport unit 30 one by one. The conveyance unit 30 includes a conveyance roller 31 and a pinch roller 32. The conveyance unit 30 sandwiches the recording medium between the conveyance roller 31 and the pinch roller 32 and accurately conveys the recording medium toward the discharge unit 40.

  The carriage 60 mounts a recording head 70 having an ejection surface (nozzle surface) provided with a plurality of ejection ports (nozzles) for ejecting ink. The recording head 70 can eject ink droplets according to recording data by transmitting a head control signal via the FFC 12. By reading the code strip 19 stretched on the chassis 10 by the CR encoder mounted on the carrier unit 110, it is possible to eject ink droplets toward the recording medium at an appropriate timing.

  The carriage 60 is guided and supported by a guide shaft 14 fixed to the chassis 10 and a support rail 15 fixed to the upper portion of the chassis 10. The carriage 60 can reciprocate along the guide shaft 14 by transmitting the drive of the carriage motor 17 via the carriage belt 16 stretched between the carriage motor 17 and the idler pulley 18. .

  When recording data is sent from the host device to the recording device, the recording data is stored in the control unit 80. Then, the control unit 80 issues a recording operation start command, and the recording apparatus starts the recording operation.

  When the recording operation is started, the recording medium is fed from the feeding tray to the transport unit 30 by the feeding unit 20. The recording medium fed by the feeding unit 20 is transported to a position facing the carriage 60 by the transport unit 30. When the recording medium is transported to a position facing the carriage 60, the carriage 60 moves in a direction (second direction) that intersects the direction in which the recording medium is transported (first direction). While the carriage 60 moves in the second direction, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles of the recording head 70 onto the recording medium, and an image for one line corresponding to the recording data is formed.

  When the image forming operation for one line is completed, the recording medium is conveyed by a predetermined amount by the conveying unit 30. By repeatedly performing this transport operation and image forming operation, an image is formed on the entire surface of the recording medium. After the end of the image forming operation, the recording medium is discharged out of the apparatus by the discharge unit 40.

  The recovery unit 50 removes dust and bubbles in the nozzles of the recording head 70 and recovers the ejection state of the recording head 70 to a good state. A stable discharge state can be maintained by operating the recovery unit 50 periodically. The recovery unit 50 includes a cap 51, a wiper 52, and a suction pump. By driving the suction pump while the cap 51 is in contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head 70, ink can be sucked from the nozzle (suction cap). By this suction operation, the recording head 70 can be recovered to a good ejection state. The wiper 52 executes a wiping operation for wiping off ink and foreign matter adhering to the nozzle surface of the recording head 70.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control unit according to the present embodiment. The recording apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 1 that is a main arithmetic unit, an I / F 2 that transmits and receives recording data and other commands to and from the CPU 1, a ROM 3 that stores programs and various tables, and an area for developing and working on recording data A RAM 4 is provided. The recording apparatus includes an operation unit 7 for a user to input instructions, a first motor 5 that is a drive source of the first tube pump 54, a second motor 6 that is a drive source of the second tube pump 82, And a recording head 70 electrically connected to the CPU 1.

  Next, the configuration of the platen mechanism which is the main part of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the platen mechanism according to the first embodiment.

  100 is a platen. The platen 100 supports, from the lower surface, a recording medium that has been transported to a position facing the carriage 60 by the transport unit 30 in order to form an image. An ink receiving groove (ink receiving portion) 101 is formed in the platen 100. A platen absorber 102 is disposed in the ink receiving groove 101. Enlarged grooves 101a, 101b, and 101c are formed in the ink receiving groove 101 in accordance with the size of each recording medium. By these enlarged grooves 101a, 101b, and 101c, ink ejected from the entire nozzle length of the recording head 70 can be received. When borderless recording is performed, ink that protrudes from the leading edge and the trailing edge of the recording medium can be received in the entire area of the ink receiving groove 101. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, enlarged grooves 101 a and 101 b are arranged at the side ends of the recording medium P. Ink protruding from the left and right ends of the recording medium can be received by the enlarged grooves 101a and 101b. Further, the preliminary ejection ink performed at a predetermined timing can be received by the enlarged groove 101c. The enlarged groove 101c is located at the right end of the recording medium even when a recording medium having a larger size is used, so that it can receive the protruding ink.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the platen mechanism unit according to the first embodiment. The platen 100 is connected to the first tube 53 via the joint 103. The first tube 53 is connected to the cap 51, and a first tube pump (suction pump) 54 is disposed in the middle thereof. Ink can be transferred from the cap 51 to the platen 100 by the first tube 53 and the first tube pump 54 (transfer means).

  Further, the platen 100 is connected to the second tube 81 via the joint 104. The second tube 81 is connected to a waste ink case (waste ink storage portion) 92 provided with a waste ink absorber 91, and a second tube pump (suction pump) 82 is disposed in the middle thereof. The second tube 81 and the second tube pump 82 can perform a discharge operation for discharging ink from the platen 100 to the waste ink case 92 (discharge unit).

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the recovery operation of the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment. This flowchart is executed at a predetermined timing after the recording operation.

  First, in step S 1, the ink accumulated in the platen absorber 102 due to marginless recording, preliminary ejection, or the like is driven to discharge the waste ink case 92 by driving the second tube pump 82. Here, once the ink accumulated in the platen absorber 102 is discharged, the ink capacity that can be held by the platen absorber 102 can be recovered.

  In step S2, the first tube pump 54 is driven to suck a predetermined amount of ink from the nozzles of the recording head 70, thereby recovering the recording head 70 to a good ejection state.

  In step S3, it is determined whether or not the platen absorber 102 is sufficiently filled with ink (a predetermined amount of ink has been transferred). If it is determined that the platen absorber 102 is sufficiently filled with ink, the second tube pump 82 is driven to discharge the ink accumulated in the platen absorber 102 to the waste ink case 92 in step S4. As a result, the ink can be prevented from overflowing from the platen 100.

  In step S5, when a predetermined amount of ink is sucked from the nozzle, the driving of the first tube pump 54 and the second tube pump 82 is stopped. After that, in step S6, the apparatus waits for a predetermined time. Here, the platen absorber 102 is filled with the ink just sucked. During this waiting time, the ink that has just been sucked and the thickened ink deposited on the surface layer or inside of the platen absorber 102 are mixed, whereby the thickened ink can be dissolved. Although there is a difference depending on the characteristics of the ink, the deposited ink is dissolved in a waiting time of approximately several seconds to several tens of seconds. Thereafter, in step S7, the second tube pump 82 is driven to discharge the ink in the platen absorber 102 to the waste ink case 92, whereby the thickened ink can be discharged from the platen absorber 102.

  On the other hand, if the platen absorber 102 is not sufficiently filled with ink in step S3, the driving of the first tube pump 54 is stopped in step S8. Thereafter, after the elapse of a predetermined time (after wait) in step S6, the second tube pump 82 is driven in step S7. Here, unlike the previous case, the platen absorber 102 is not sufficiently filled with the ink just sucked. Therefore, the thickened ink deposited on the surface layer is difficult to dissolve. However, a sufficient effect can be expected for the thickened ink deposited inside. In a recording apparatus having a plurality of types of suction modes with different suction amounts from the nozzles, it is desirable that the platen absorber 102 be sufficiently filled with ink at least in the suction mode with a large suction amount.

  In step S6, the predetermined time is set to a predetermined time, but the predetermined time may be changed according to the elapsed time from the previous discharging operation. Further, a detection sensor (detection means) capable of detecting temperature or humidity may be provided, and the predetermined time may be changed based on the result detected by the detection sensor. Thus, by setting the predetermined time as a changeable time, it is possible to set an appropriate standby time according to the degree of ink accumulation.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the ink sucked from the suction cap is transferred to the platen, and the ink accumulated in the platen is discharged to the waste ink case. It is possible to suppress the accumulation of the ink ejected on the surface. According to the first embodiment, since the ink from the suction cap in the recovery operation is used, unnecessary ink is not consumed only for dissolving the accumulated ink. Also, unlike the method of ejecting ink from the recording head little by little with respect to the thickened ink, the platen absorber can be filled with a relatively large amount of ink, so it is more reliable regardless of the type of ink. Can be expected. Moreover, since it is a simple structure, it can implement | achieve, without costing.

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, a configuration using a plurality of platen absorbers will be described. In addition, the description about the same structure as 1st Embodiment is abbreviate | omitted, and only a different part from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the platen mechanism unit according to the second embodiment. A first platen absorber 202 and a second platen absorber 203 are disposed in the ink receiving groove 201 of the platen 200.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the platen 200 is provided with holes for joints 221 and 223 under the first platen absorber 202. Further, holes for joints 222 and 224 are provided under the second platen absorber 203. The first tube 53 having one end connected to the cap 51 has the other end connected to the trifurcated joint 206. From the trifurcated joint 206, tubes 204 and 205 are connected to joints 221 and 222, respectively. The tubes 204 and 205 are provided with a first valve 207 and a second valve 208, respectively. The first valve 207 and the second valve 208 can switch between opening and closing (open / close) of the ink flow path in the tube (switching means).

  The tube 210 is connected to the joint 223 of the platen 200, the tube 209 is connected to the joint 224 of the platen 200, and is connected to the second tube 81 via the three-pronged joint 211. The second tube 81 is connected to the waste ink case 92 below it.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the platen mechanism according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 9, when the first tube pump 54 is driven with the first valve 207 open and the second valve 208 closed, ink is transferred from the cap 51 to the first platen absorber 202. When the first tube pump 54 is driven with the second valve 208 opened and the first valve 207 closed, ink is transferred from the cap 51 to the second platen absorber 203.

  On the other hand, when the second tube pump 82 is driven, the accumulated ink is transferred from both the first platen absorber 202 and the second platen absorber 203 to the waste ink case 92.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the recovery operation of the recording apparatus according to the second embodiment. When a recovery operation command is issued at a predetermined timing after the recording operation, first, the second tube pump 82 is driven in step S11, and from both the first platen absorber 202 and the second platen absorber 203, Let the ink drain.

  Next, in step S12, it is determined based on the information stored in the ROM 3 or the like whether or not the second platen absorber 203 has transferred the ink in the previous recovery operation. When it is determined that the second platen absorber 203 has transferred the ink in the previous recovery operation, the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S13, the first valve 207 is opened and the second valve 208 is closed, so that ink can be transferred from the cap 51 to the first platen absorber 202. In this state, in step S14, the first tube pump 54 is driven to suck a predetermined amount of ink from the nozzles, whereby the recording head 70 is recovered to a good ejection state. At the same time, the ink is transferred from the cap 51 to the first platen absorber 202.

  In step S15, it is determined whether or not the first platen absorber 202 is sufficiently filled with ink (a predetermined amount of ink has been transferred). If it is determined that the first platen absorber is sufficiently filled with ink, the second tube pump 82 is driven in step S16. As a result, it is possible to prevent the ink from overflowing from the first platen absorber 202.

  In step S17, when a predetermined amount of ink is sucked from the nozzle, the driving of the first tube pump 54 and the second tube pump 82 is stopped. Thereafter, in step S18, a predetermined time is waited (waited). At this time, the inside of the first platen absorber 202 is filled with the ink just sucked. During this waiting time, the ink that has just been sucked and the thickened ink deposited on the surface layer or inside of the first platen absorber 202 are mixed, whereby the thickened ink can be dissolved. Thereafter, in step S19, the second tube pump 82 is driven to discharge the ink in the first platen absorber 202 to the waste ink case 92, thereby discharging the thickened ink from the first platen absorber 202. can do.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that the first platen absorber 202 has transferred ink in the previous recovery operation, the process proceeds to step S20. In step S20, the first valve 207 is closed and the second valve 208 is opened, so that the ink can be transferred to the second platen absorber 203.

  Also, if the first platen absorber 202 is not sufficiently filled with ink in step S15, the driving of the first tube pump 54 is stopped in step S21. Then, after the elapse of a predetermined time (after the wait) in step S18, the second tube pump 82 is driven in step S19. This is the same as in the case of the first embodiment.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, by arranging a plurality of platen absorbers, the volume of each platen absorber is reduced. Therefore, the platen absorber can be sufficiently filled with the ink by suction, so that it is easy to dissolve the thickened ink deposited on the surface layer.

  In the second embodiment, an example in which two platen absorbers are used has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration using a larger number of platen absorbers may be used.

  In the second embodiment, the ink is alternately transferred for each recovery operation with respect to the first platen absorber and the second platen absorber. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, a platen absorber to which ink sucked on the basis of the amount of ink ejected on the platen is transferred may be selected. That is, the ink accumulation can be more effectively suppressed by transferring the ink sucked preferentially to the platen absorber having a large amount of protruding ink due to marginless recording or preliminary ejection.

(Third embodiment)
3rd Embodiment demonstrates the structure which does not use a platen absorber. In addition, the description about the same structure as 1st Embodiment is abbreviate | omitted, and only a different part from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the platen mechanism according to the third embodiment. The platen 300 has an ink receiving space 305 inside. In addition, ink receiving holes 300a, 300b, and 300c are formed on the sheet passing surface (upper surface) for receiving the protruding ink by marginless recording or preliminary ejection.

  FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the platen mechanism according to the third embodiment. The platen 300 is connected to the tube 53 via a joint 302. The tube 53 is connected to the cap 51, and a tube pump 54 is disposed in the middle thereof. The tube 53 and the tube pump 54 allow ink to be transferred from the cap 51 to the platen 100 (transfer means).

  Further, the platen 300 is connected to the pipe 310 via the joint 303. The pipe 310 is connected to a waste ink case 92 provided with a waste ink absorber 91. The lower surface of the ink receiving space of the platen 300 is a slope 301. The ink collected in the ink receiving space 305 is guided to the joint 303 side along the inclined surface 301, and is discharged to the waste ink case 92 through the pipe 310 by gravity (discharge means). As described above, the thickened ink deposited immediately below the ink receiving holes 300a, 300b, and 300c is discharged to the waste ink case 92 while being dissolved by the ink transferred from the cap 51. Here, by setting the positions of the joints 302 and 303 to the outer sides of the ink receiving holes (300a, 300b, and 300c), the ink spreads to the ink deposited below the ink receiving holes, and the ink deposited uniformly Can be dissolved.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, by adopting a configuration that does not use a platen absorber or a tube pump for discharging ink, it is possible to suppress ink deposited on the platen with a simpler configuration without cost. It becomes possible.

51 Cap 53 First Tube 54 First Tube Pump 81 Second Tube 82 Second Tube Pump 91 Waste Ink Absorber 92 Waste Ink Case 100 Platen 102 Platen Absorber 101 Ink Receiving Groove

Claims (10)

A recording head having an ejection surface provided with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink;
A platen that supports the recording medium at a position facing the ejection surface;
An ink receiving portion provided on the platen for receiving ink discharged from the discharge port;
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a suction cap that contacts the ejection surface and sucks ink from the ejection port;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a transfer unit configured to transfer ink sucked from the discharge port from the suction cap to the ink receiving portion.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge unit that performs a discharge operation of discharging ink from the ink receiving unit.   3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a control unit that causes the discharge unit to perform the discharge operation after a predetermined time has elapsed since the transfer unit transferred the ink from the suction cap to the ink receiving portion. The ink jet recording apparatus described.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined time can be changed according to an elapsed time from the previous discharging operation. It further comprises detection means capable of detecting temperature or humidity,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined time can be changed based on a result detected by the detection unit.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a waste ink storage unit that stores the ink discharged by the discharge operation.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a platen absorber is disposed in the ink receiving portion. The ink receiving portion is provided with a first platen absorber and a second platen absorber,
Switchable switching between a first state in which ink can be transferred from the suction cap to the first platen absorber and a second state in which ink can be transferred from the suction cap to the second platen absorber. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means.   9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit includes a tube and a suction pump. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the discharging unit includes a tube and a suction pump.

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