JP2000211158A - Head cartridge and ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manufacture a head cartridge which protects a nozzle face and is provided with high storage properties when it is not used and also provided with lightweight when printing is carried out. SOLUTION: An ink jet device is provided with a printing head 3 and an ink cartridge 2 communicated with the printing head 3, and also provided with a head cap 14 set on a head cartridge main body 1 so as to cover the printing head 3 in the state of not setting the head cartridge main body 1 on a carriage 10 of the ink jet recording device and removed from the head cartridge main body 1 when the head cartridge main body 1 is set on the carriage.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, and more particularly to an ink jet recording apparatus having a feature for protecting the nozzle surface of an ink jet head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to obtain good print quality in ink jet recording, it is preferable that printing is performed by selecting an optimal ink from a plurality of types of inks in accordance with the type of recording medium or the recorded contents. It has been known. For example, an ink having a low permeability and a high viscosity is suitable for a recording medium having a low water absorption and easily bleeding, and an ink having a high permeability and a drying easily is suitable for a recording medium having a high water absorption and low bleeding. . Further, it is necessary to use only black ink for recording contents of only one color such as text, and to use a plurality of colors of ink for color printing such as photographs.

[0003] Since the physical characteristics relating to the discharge of these inks are generally different, it is necessary to use a print head suitable for each physical characteristic. In addition, the arrangement of nozzles for ejecting ink is different from those suitable for color printing and those suitable for only black.

In the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 2-187343, the print head and the ink cartridge are unified (hereinafter, referred to as a head cartridge), and each head cartridge can be exchanged to support selection of ink and head. are doing. According to this example, a good print quality can be obtained by selecting a recording medium and a head cartridge suitable for the recorded contents, and performing printing using this. At this time, the head cartridge removed from the carriage is not necessarily empty of ink, and if ink remains, the head cartridge must be stored in preparation for the next use. On the other hand, the nozzle portion of the conventional head cartridge is exposed and opened to the outside air.

Therefore, when the unused head cartridge is stored, it is necessary to prevent the viscosity of the ink from being increased due to the evaporation of water from the nozzle surface and to prevent the nozzle from being clogged. It is also necessary to prepare a storage box for storing the head cartridge and a highly airtight bag in consideration of problems such as damage to the nozzle due to dropping of the head cartridge and adhesion of dust to the nozzle.

In the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-218937, a configuration is known in which a head cap that can be opened and closed is provided on a head cartridge and a head cap is provided on a carriage. According to this example, a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the head cap and the nozzle surface is provided on the print head, and the opening / closing operation of the head cap is automatically performed when the print head is attached / detached. In some cases, this provides a print head having excellent storage stability.

[0007]

In such a replaceable head cartridge, since the nozzle portion is exposed, it is necessary to avoid damage to the nozzle surface and ink leakage due to inadvertent dropping during the head cartridge replacement operation. However, using a storage box or bag for storage is not enough for dust to adhere to the nozzle.

Further, as described in the above-mentioned example, although the adhesion of dust to the nozzles is improved by mounting the head cap opening / closing mechanism on the carriage, the number of structures on the carriage is increased and the number of structures on the carriage is increased. The weight of the carriage during the movement operation of the carriage increases. Therefore, there is a problem that the capacity of a driving source such as a motor for driving the carriage increases with an increase in the weight of the carriage.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, and has as its object to provide an ink jet recording apparatus which can prevent damage to a nozzle surface and leakage of ink and has a small structure. It is assumed that.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a head cartridge comprising a print head and an ink cartridge communicating with the print head, wherein the head cartridge body is not mounted on a carriage of an ink jet recording apparatus. A head cap attached to the head cartridge body in a state of covering the print head, and a head cap detached from the head cartridge body when the head cartridge body is mounted on the carriage. It is a head cartridge.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view for explaining a state before a head cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a carriage, and FIG. 2 is a front view thereof (without a carriage). FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a state where the head cartridge is mounted on the carriage, and FIG.
Shows the front view (carriage omitted).

1 to 4, a head cartridge body 1 has an ink cartridge 2 and a print head 3 built therein. The print head 3 is supplied with ink through a manifold 11 in communication with the ink cartridge 2. The head cap 14 has left and right two upper levers 14a, left and right two first intermediate levers 14b, left and right two second intermediate levers 14c, and one band-shaped cover 14d.
Further, on each of the left and right sides, the upper lever 14a and the first intermediate lever 14b are
And the second intermediate lever 14c are shafts 14f (corresponding to the shaft of the present invention), and the second intermediate lever 14c and the band-shaped cover 14d are connected to each other so as to be rotatable about 20 to 40 degrees by the shaft 14g. As shown in the figure, the shaft 14f is not connected to the left and right levers, but protrudes outward by a predetermined distance. The lever 14a
A hook 4 is formed at the tip of the
A hook 5 is also formed at the tip of d. Then, at each corresponding position of the head cartridge body 1,
Concave portions H1 and H2 are provided so that the hooks 4 and 5 can be hooked. In addition, 12 is a nozzle. The head cartridge according to the present invention includes the head cartridge body 1 described above,
The head cap 14 is provided.

The shaft 14e and the shaft 14g are connected by a tension spring 6. In the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shaft 14 e and the shaft 14 g
4f is located inside (the head cartridge body 1 side), and in the state of FIGS. 3 and 4, it is located outside.
Details will be described later.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a pair of left and right support plates provided on the printer main body.
3a are formed.

The carriage 10 comprises a cartridge guide 9, an arm 7, and a lever support shaft 8, and the arm 7 is rotatable about the lever support shaft 8. A hook 7a is formed at the tip of the arm 7, and can be fitted into a notch H3 provided in the head cartridge body 1.

Next, the operation of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

At the time of normal purchase, the head cap 14 is
Hooks 4 and 5 are provided in recess H
1, H2, it is in a mounted state. That is, in this state, the spring 6 pulls the shaft 14e and the shaft 14g, and is located closer to the head cartridge body 1 than the shaft 14f. As a result, the head cap 14 is attached to the head cartridge body 1. I'm helping.

Therefore, the head cartridge main body 1 is inserted into the carriage 10 with the cartridge guide 9 as a positioning member, and the arm 7 is rotated in the direction of arrow A to fit the tip 7a of the arm 7 into the recess H3 of the head cartridge main body 1. Thus, the head cartridge body 1 is fixed to the carriage 10.

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shaft 14f does not hit the bottom of the notch 13a of the support plate 3 in a state where it is not completely fixed yet.

Further, when the head cartridge body 1 is pushed into the carriage 10, it will be as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. That is, the shaft 14f is
At the bottom of the notch 13a. When the lever 14 is further pushed in, the shaft 14f remains stationary in that state, and the lever 14
a, the lever 14b, the lever 14c, and the cover 14d are pushed down. As a result, the shaft 14e and the shaft 14g are simultaneously moved outward from the shaft 14f by the force of the spring 6. As a result, the hooks 4 and 5 that have been hooked up until now come off the concave portions H1 and H2.

With the cover 14 removed in this manner, the head cartridge main body 1 fixed to the carriage 10 moves to the right in FIG. 4 to perform printing.

When the ink runs out, the arm 7 (not shown in FIG. 4) is manually opened in the state shown in FIG. The opening of the arm 7 is detected by a microswitch (see 20 in FIG. 1), and the pin 21 is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4 using a predetermined lever, motor, or the like. As a result, the cover 14d moves to the upper right side in FIG. 4 against the force of the spring 6, and soon returns to the state of FIG. Thereby, the head cap 14
Is fixed to the head cartridge body 1 and is taken out to the outside by hand.

As described above, when the head cartridge body 1 is not mounted on the carriage 10, the head cap 14 is mounted. When the head cartridge body 1 is mounted on the carriage 10, the head cap 14 is removed and printing is performed. Sometimes stored in a cap with excellent storage,
During the printing operation, the cap can be removed and printing can be performed with a lightweight print head.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, during storage of the head cartridge, the nozzles of the print head are shielded from the outside air, so that there is almost no possibility of foreign matter adhering, and the nozzles can be protected from damage due to dropping.

When the head cartridge is mounted on the carriage, the cap cover is removed and mounted on the carriage, and only the print head and the ink cartridge are provided. Thus, a lightweight print head can be provided, and higher-speed printing operation can be performed.

Further, the user does not need to be aware of the maintenance operation of the print head accompanying the replacement of the head cartridge.

When the head cap is in close contact with the nozzles of the print head, the nozzle surface of the print head is always kept clean and shut off from outside air when the head cartridge is removed. As a result, there is an effect that the nozzle surface is protected from damage due to drying and clogging of the residual ink and dropping of the head cartridge.

In the case where the portion of the print head that is in close contact with the nozzle is made of an elastic member, there is an effect that the opportunity for the head cap to damage the nozzle surface due to the impact due to the drop of the head cartridge is eliminated and the nozzle surface is protected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which a head cartridge is mounted according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which the head cartridge is mounted according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state where the head cartridge is removed according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing when the head cartridge is removed according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Head Cartridge Body 2 Ink Cartridge 3 Print Head 4, 5 Cap Hook 6 Spring 7 Arm 8 Axis 9 Cartridge Guide 10 Carriage 11 Manifold 12 Nozzle 13 Support Plate 14 Head Cap 14a, 14b, 14c Lever 14d Cover 14e, 14g Shaft 14f Shaft (Axis) 20 Micro switch 21 pin

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Mitsuaki Omichi 1-8, Koshinmachi, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture Inside Matsushita Hisashi Denko Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Miyako Satoko 8-1, Koshinmachi, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture Hisako Matsushita Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Katsutoshi Inuchi 8-1, Koshinmachi, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture Matsushita Hisashi Denshi Kogyo Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2C056 EA17 EA18 FA10 HA06 HA23 JA03 JA04 JA10 KC21

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A head cartridge comprising a print head and an ink cartridge communicating with the print head, wherein the head cartridge body covers the print head when the head cartridge body is not mounted on a carriage of an ink jet recording apparatus. A head cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: a head cap which is attached to the head cartridge main body and detaches from the head cartridge main body when the head cartridge main body is mounted on the carriage. 2. The head cap includes a band-shaped cover capable of covering the print head, a predetermined number of levers, and a shaft connecting the band-shaped covers. The tip of the lever to be engaged with each of the head cartridges can be caught by the head cartridge.
In a state where the head cartridge body is not mounted on the carriage, the band-shaped cover and an endmost lever exert an urging force to assist in mounting the head cartridge on the head cartridge. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the main body is mounted on the carriage, the band-shaped cover and an endmost lever exert an urging force to help the head cover come off from the head cartridge. A head cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus according to the above. 3. The predetermined means is a tension spring,
The shaft is connected to two shafts sandwiching a predetermined shaft, and the predetermined shaft is immovable at that position by hitting a support plate provided in the main body of the inkjet recording apparatus. The head cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein 4. The carriage is provided with a holding arm for holding the head cartridge, and when the operation of holding the head cartridge is performed, a force is applied to the lever or the shaft to oppose the force of the spring. 4. The head cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the lever is moved and the lever is hooked on the head cartridge. 5. The head cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover of the head cap can be in close contact with the print head. 6. A head cartridge for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a portion of said head cap cover in close contact with a nozzle of said print head is made of an elastic member. 7. An ink jet recording apparatus using the head cartridge according to claim 1.