JPH04133750A - Ink jet recorder and delivery recovery device for the recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To ensure a delivery recovery processing by providing a plurality of pressurizing members capable of elastically deforming a tube under pressure and a delivery recovery means which generates a pressure by moving the pressurizing members while making one or more pressurizing means pressurize the tube. CONSTITUTION:A capping member 300 connected to a tube 304 caps a delivery port forming surface of a recording head 86. In this state, first and second pressurizing rollers 510A and 510B on a roller 520 are both out of pressure contact with the tube 304 made of an elastic body. With the rotation of the roller 520, firstly the first pressurizing roller 510A rotates while pressing and deforming the tube 304 fixed along a regulating surface 502 of a support mount 501. With this action, a negative pressure is generated in a space in the cap, and ink is delivered from a delivery port. In a normal suction recovery mode, the first pressurizing roller 510A rotates forward with the rotation of the roller 520, thereby increasing the negative pressure in the cap to some extent. Therefore, a certain amount of ink in a head is sucked by keeping this state for a predetermined time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device and an ejection recovery device for the device.

[Prior Art] In an inkjet recording device, when ejection is not performed for a long time at a certain ejection port depending on the recorded data, or when the device itself is not used for a long period of time, the ejection port or the liquid path communicating with the ejection port may be Ink may thicken due to water evaporation. If the inside of the liquid path is not suitable for ejection due to being filled with such thickened ink, the amount of ink ejected will remain constant even if the ejection energy generating element arranged in the wave path is driven under predetermined conditions. There is a risk that the recorded image quality will deteriorate. Further, such thickening of the ink may cause ejection failure, and furthermore, solidification may occur, resulting in ejection failure.

In order to eliminate these inconveniences caused by using liquid ink as a recording agent, an inkjet recording apparatus has a unique configuration not found in other recording apparatuses, that is, a means for refreshing the inside of the liquid path, a so-called recording head. A discharge recovery system is provided.

As this ejection recovery system, there is a system in which a suction force is applied to the ink ejection port to forcibly discharge the ink from the ejection port. A pump is used as a means for exerting the suction force, but for example, the present applicant filed Japanese Patent Application No.
No. 122878 to No. 1-122880, which includes a tube made of an elastic body that communicates with a cap member capable of covering the vicinity of the discharge port, and a pressure member that moves while pressing the tube. A pump (tube pump) has the advantage that the structure of the suction system can be made simple and inexpensive.

FIG. 13 shows a schematic configuration of such a tube pump. Here, 86 is a recording head having a plurality of ink ejection ports arranged in a range of 108A, 300 is a cap that can cover the periphery of the ejection ports, and 304 is the cap 300 and a waste ink tank (not shown). It is a communicating tube and is made of an elastic body.

501 is a support having a semicircular tube regulating surface 502; 510 is a pressure roller for pressurizing the tube 304 along the regulating surface 502; 520 is a guide that holds the roller 510 and rotates around the shaft 504. It is a roller, and as it rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure, a suction force acts on the ejection port, sucking out ink and refreshing the liquid path.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, with such tube pumps, it is sometimes difficult to increase the suction pressure or suction amount to be generated. That is, in a configuration in which suction pressure is generated while crushing the tube 304 by the rotation of a single roller 510, the range in which the tube can be crushed is limited.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to secure sufficient suction pressure or suction volume to ensure the discharge recovery process.

[Means for Solving the Problems] To this end, the present invention provides an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording using a recording head that discharges ink onto a recording medium, which covers a discharge portion of the recording head that discharges ink, and A cap having a discharge path for discharging ink, and a tube member that communicates with the discharge path of the cap and guides the ink in the discharge direction, the tube having at least a portion formed of an elastic material. A member, a plurality of pressure members capable of pressurizing the part to cause elastic deformation, and the recording by moving the member while applying pressure by one or more of the pressure members. The apparatus is characterized by comprising an ejection recovery means that generates a suction force to forcibly eject ink from the head.

The present invention also provides an ejection recovery device for an inkjet printing apparatus that performs printing using a print head that ejects ink onto a print medium, in which pressure is applied to forcibly discharge ink from an ink ejection port of the print head. a tube member for transmitting the same, at least a part of which is made of an elastic body; a plurality of pressurizing members capable of pressurizing the part to cause elastic deformation; It is characterized by comprising a discharge recovery means that generates the pressure by moving the pressure member while applying pressure with the pressure member.

[Function] According to the present invention, in the configuration in which pressure is generated by moving a tube, at least a part of which is made of an elastic body, while being crushed by a pressure member, there are a plurality of members that pressurize the tube, or there are two or more members that pressurize the tube. By having a configuration that allows the tube to be simultaneously crushed (pressurized) by two or more pressure members, it is possible to generate large pressure.

That is, for example, the pressure (inside the cap) increased by the first pressure member is applied to the tube by the second pressure member before the first pressure member releases the tube from the state in which it is pressed against the tube. By pressing the tube, the pressure inside the cap increased by the first pressure member is maintained as it is, and furthermore, due to the pumping action of the second pressure member as it moves while pressing the tube, the pressure inside the cap is further increased. Pressure can be increased.

(Margin below) L example Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) Cartridge First, FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a cartridge C that can be mounted on a carriage (described later with reference to FIG. 3) of an inkjet recording apparatus according to this embodiment.

Cartridge C according to this example includes an ink tank section at the top,
It has a recording head 86 at the bottom, and a head-side connector 85 for receiving signals for driving the recording head 86 and outputting ink remaining amount detection.
It is provided at a position lined up with the ink tank section 80. Therefore,
When this cartridge C is loaded into a carriage to be described later, its height H can be kept low. Furthermore, by reducing the thickness W of the cartridge in the scanning direction, it is possible to make the carriage smaller when the cartridges C are arranged side by side.

A connector cover 83 is formed integrally with the outer wall of the tank, and prevents the connector 85 from being accidentally contacted. Further, 81 is a positioning part, and abutting surfaces 81a in two directions
- 81b is formed. By providing a sufficient distance between these positioning surfaces and the positioning abutting surface provided on the recording head 86, it is possible to securely position and fix the recording head by applying pressure to the sloped surface 84 using a push bottle, which will be described later. Become. Furthermore, 82 is a knob, which is used when attaching and detaching the cartridge C to and from the loading section. Also, 82
A is an atmosphere communication hole provided in the front of the knob 82 for communicating the inside of the ink tank portion 80 with the atmosphere. Furthermore, 83a is a notch and 83b is a guide, both of which serve as guides when loading the cartridge C into the loading section.

The recording head 86 according to this example has a plurality of ejection ports opening on the bottom side in the figure, and an ejection energy generating element that generates energy used for ink ejection is arranged in a liquid path communicating with the ejection ports. be done. As this ejection energy generating element, it is possible to highly integrate ejection ports or liquid paths.
Preferably, thermal energy generating elements are used.

FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) respectively show the recording head 8.
FIG. 6 shows a front view and a side sectional view as seen from the front in the discharge direction.

In FIGS. 2A and 2B, 101 is a base plate of the recording head 86, which is formed by Aj2. A substrate (heater board) 102 made of Si or the like is bonded onto the substrate 101 . On the surface of the heater board 102, an electrothermal converter (not shown) as a thermal energy generating element and a diode as a functional element for driving the electrothermal converter are formed. Reference numeral 103 designates an orifice plate (discharge port forming member), which here includes a top plate 103 provided with a groove for forming an ink liquid chamber.
The formation of the discharge ports in this orifice plate 103, which is integrally molded with the orifice plate A, can be performed with high precision by, for example, irradiation with excimer laser light or a photo-etching process, whereby a highly accurate shape can be formed over the entire plurality of discharge ports. Obtainable. The orifice plate 103 is also used to prevent deflection of the ejection direction caused by differences in wettability between the materials when a plurality of different materials are exposed on the ejection port forming surface.

A filter 104 is provided at an ink supply port leading from the chip tank 105 to the common liquid chamber 106.

The filter 104 removes impurities and dust from the ink flowing as indicated by the arrow in the figure. The ink that has passed through the filter 104 flows into a common liquid chamber 106, and is supplied to each of a plurality of ink liquid paths 107 communicating with this liquid chamber according to its discharge. 109 holds the orifice plate 103 with its elastic force, and presses the opening surface (here, especially the heater board 1).
This is a presser member that is brought into close contact with the end surface of 02. In this example, SUS is used as the holding member 109.

In the above configuration, ink is supplied to the chip tank 105 from the ink tank section 80 integrated with the recording head 86, and then the ink flows as shown by the arrow shown in the figure. First, dust and impurities in the ink are removed by passing through the filter 104 , and the ink reaches the common liquid chamber 106 and is guided from there to the liquid path 107 . Bubbles are generated in the ink by driving an electrothermal converter disposed in the liquid path 107, and ink is ejected through the ejection port 108 due to a change in the state of the air bubbles.

(2) Carriage FIGS. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a plan view, respectively, showing an example of the structure around the carriage of an inkjet recording apparatus into which the cartridge C shown in the first drawing can be installed. These figures show four cartridges C1 and C on the carriage 2.
2, C3, and C4 (each containing ink of a different color, for example, yellow magenta, cyan, black, etc.) are positioned and loaded.

Four push pins 10 (push pins A-D) are engaged on the connector holder 40 as a holding member, and the spring 1
It is biased toward the left in FIG. 4 by springs 0a (springs A-D). Here, the connector holder 40 as a holding member
is the rotational movement (clockwise/counterclockwise) of the operating lever 7 that engages with the link 21 (link I/link ■) via the shaft 20 (axis I/axis H) and further engages with this link 21. According to the structure, it is movable in the left and right directions in FIG. There is.

Therefore, when loading the cartridge C into the loading section 2f,
First, the recording head section 86 of the cartridge C is dropped into the leading end recess 2f+ of the loading section 2f from above. At this time, a rectangular portion 2h on the carriage 2 side is inserted between the guides 83b of the cartridge C.
are engaged and approximately positioned.

Then, when the operating lever 7 is rotated clockwise about the shaft 9, the holder 40 advances and enters the notch 83a of the cartridge C into the guide 54 on the carriage 2 side, and the bottle 10 moves into the cartridge C. The cartridge C is loaded into the loading section 2f by engaging with the cartridge C. A spring 59 is provided on the carriage 2 side, and generates an urging force for pressing the cartridge C loaded in the loading section 2f rearward and positioning it more accurately. The tip portions 10b of the push bottle 1o abut against the abutment surfaces 1d of the four cartridges C, respectively, and press the cartridges. Further, the outer circumferential surface 10c of the push bottle 10 is in contact with the abutting surface 2S of the carriage 2, and is structured to independently receive the generated thrust force in the direction perpendicular to the push bottle axis.

Therefore, since the holding member 40 receives only the reaction force of the spring 10a (springs A to D) and no thrust force is applied, the release lever 7 can be moved with a small operating force even when releasing a plurality of cartridges at the same time. It can be operated to attach and detach.

(3) Overview of recovery unit Next, the recovery system unit according to this example will be explained.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the arrangement location and general configuration of the recovery system unit, and in this example, the recovery system unit is arranged on the Baume position side on the left side of FIG. 3.

In the recovery system unit, 300 is a cap unit provided corresponding to each of the plurality of cartridges C each having a recording head 86, and is capable of sliding in the left and right directions in the figure as the carriage 2 moves, and can also move up and down in the vertical direction. It is possible. When the carriage 2 is at the home position, it is joined to the recording head section 86 to cap it.

Further, in the recovery system unit, 401 and 402 are first and second blades as wiping members, respectively, and 403 is a blade cleaner made of, for example, an absorbent material for cleaning the first blade 401.

In this example, the first blade 401 is held by a blade elevating mechanism driven by the movement of the carriage 2, and thereby the first blade 401 is moved to the exposed orifice plate 103 of the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 86.
It can be set in a protruding (raised) position for wiping the surface of the blade, and a retracted (lowered) position so as not to interfere with the wiping surface. In this example, the recording head 86 is shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the part having the width in A) is installed on the left side in Figure 5, so that wiping by the first blade 401 is performed when the carriage 2 moves from the left side to the right side in the figure. . As a result, the exposed surface of the orifice plate 103 is as shown in FIG. 2(A).
Wiping is performed only from the narrow part (width a part) to the wide part (width part) divided by the arrangement positions of the discharge ports shown in FIG. Note that the second blade 40
Regarding No. 2, the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 86 that is not wiped by the first blade 401, that is, the second
The surfaces of the presser members 109 on both sides of the exposed orifice plate surface in Figure (A) are fixed at wiping positions.

Furthermore, in the recovery system unit, 500 is a pump unit that communicates with the cap unit 300, and is used to generate negative pressure during suction processing, etc. performed by connecting the cap unit 300 to the recording head 86. The configuration, operation, etc. of this pump unit 500 will be described later with reference to FIG.

(3, 1) Cap Unit FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B) are a front view and a side view, respectively, showing a detailed configuration example of the recovery system unit.

First, the cap unit 300 includes a cap 302 that tightly fits around the ejection opening of the recording head 86, a holder 303 that supports this, an absorber 306 that receives ink during dry ejection processing and suction processing, and an absorber 306 that receives ink during dry ejection processing and suction processing. A suction tube 304 for suctioning ink, and a seventh
It has a connecting tube 305 and the like that communicate with a pump unit 500, which will be described later in the figure. The cap units 300 are provided in the same number (four in this example) at positions corresponding to the respective cartridges C, and the cap holders 3
It is supported by 30.

332 and 334 are bottles protruding from the cap holder 330, and a cam groove 352 is provided on the fixed recovery system base 350 to guide the cap holder 330 in the right direction and the vertical direction in FIG. 6(A). and 354, respectively. A spring 360 is stretched between one bottle 334 of the cap holder 330 and the upright portion 364 of the recovery system base 350, so that the cap holder 330 is placed in the illustrated position, that is, the right end position and the lowered position. A biasing force is applied so that it is held in place. Note that the position where the recording head 86 of the cartridge C mounted on the carriage 2 faces the cap holder 330 or the cap unit 300 in this position is the position of the carriage 2 during one scan recording process.
This is the starting position (SP).

Reference numeral 342 denotes an engaging portion that is raised from the cap holder 330 and engages with the carriage 2 at a position to the left of the start position. When the carriage 2 moves further leftward from the start position during AJ (see FIG. 8), the cap holder 330 is moved by the engaging portion 342 against the biasing force of the spring 360. The cap 302 is guided along the cam grooves 352 and 354 via the bins 332 and 334, and is displaced leftward and upward.Therefore, the cap 302 comes into close contact with the periphery of the ejection port of the recording head 86, and capping is performed.
The position of the carriage 2 when this capping is performed is defined as the home position.

(3,2) Blade lifting mechanism, etc. Next, the elevating mechanism of the first blade 401 will be explained.

Referring to FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B), 410 is a blade holder that can be raised and lowered, and the first blade 401 is attached to the upper part of the blade holder using a tool 411.

412 is a holder return spring for biasing the blade holder 41O toward the lowered position.

A lock lever 430 is rotatable around a pin 414 protruding from the blade holder 410 and locks the blade holder 410 in its raised position by engaging with the upper surface of the stopper 432.
is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 8(A). Further, in the illustrated state, it engages with a protruding portion 416 on the blade holder 41.0 and is held in the illustrated position.

440 is a bin 418 protruding from the blade holder 410
It is a release lever for releasing the locked state of the lock lever 430 when the blade holder 410 is in the raised position. That is, the release lever 440 is provided with a pin 442 that engages with the lock lever 430, and when the release lever 440 rotates around the pin 418 in the counterclockwise direction in the figure. , the pin 442 rotates the lock lever 430 around the pin 414 to release the engagement between the lock lever 430 and the top surface of the stopper 432.

450, the blade holder 4 is moved as the carriage 2 moves.
10, and is rotatably held around a bin 370 protruding from the recovery system base 350.

(4) Recovery operation (4,1) Operation of pump unit
I will explain about it.

In these figures, reference numeral 502 is a semi-cylindrical regulating surface of the recovery system base, and here there is a small tube (at least on the regulating surface, a tube configured as a flexible member), which is used for waste disposal (not shown). A tube 30 connected to an ink tank, etc.
Pass 4 around. 510A.

510B is the first pump that rotates around the pump shaft 504 while pressing the tube 304 against the regulating surface 50. This is a second pressurizing roller, which rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure while crushing the tube 304, thereby generating negative pressure in the space leading to the cap unit 300, and sucking ink from the ejection port. 520 is the first. It is a guide roller for rotating the second pressure rollers 510A and 510B, and the pump shaft 504
It is pivoted on.

FIG. 7(A) shows the state immediately before performing the suction recovery process,
In this state, the cap member 300 connected to the tube 304 caps the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 86. Also, in this state, the first and second pressure rollers 510A on the roller 520.

510B does not press the tube 304 formed of an elastic body. In this way, as long as the tube 304 is not crushed by the pressure rollers 510A and 510B, the tube 304 will not be crushed even if left for a long time.
There is no problem that 4 is deformed. Furthermore, during the capping operation performed prior to suction recovery, the ink meniscus formed near the ejection port is not pressurized and retreated.

When the roller 520 rotates in the direction shown by the arrow in the figure from this state, first the first pressure roller 510A rotates while crushing the tube 304 fixed along the regulating surface 502 of the support base 501. Accordingly, a negative pressure is generated in the space inside the cap, and ink is ejected from the ejection port. In the normal suction recovery mode (hereinafter referred to as normal suction mode), the roller 520 rotates and the first pressure roller 510A moves as shown in FIG.
), the negative pressure inside the cap reaches a certain level, so if this state is maintained for a predetermined period of time, a certain amount of ink in the head will be sucked out.

To end the suction operation, the cap 300 may be removed from the head 86 after the negative pressure inside the cap reaches "0"; however, even if it does not reach "0" completely, the cap 300 can be forcibly removed from the head 86. The suction operation may be completed by removing it from 86. In this way, ink consumption can be reduced. However, at this time, if the cap 300 is removed while the negative pressure inside the cap is greater than the ink meniscus holding force, there is a risk that air may flow backwards into the ejection port inner casing. It is highly desirable to remove the cap 300 after the size has become smaller than that.

Next, a suction recovery mode (hereinafter referred to as large suction mode) in which the suction pressure is made thicker than normal suction will be described.

In this mode as well, the roller 520 is rotated in the direction of the arrow from the state shown in FIG. 7(A), but is not stopped in the state shown in FIG. 7(B) and is further rotated in the direction of the arrow. At this time, the tube 304 is temporarily brought into the state shown in FIG. If the roller 520 is further rotated in the direction of the arrow, the second pressure roller 510B
The space between the pressed portion and the cap 300 generates a larger negative pressure than in the small recovery mode.

Then, the state shown in FIG. 7(D), that is, the second pressure roller 5
10B is in pressure contact with the tube 304, and the roller 520
By stopping the ink, it becomes possible to suction more ink from the head than in the normal suction mode.

As described above, in this example, there are two types of recovery processing by ink suction. The large suction mode can be activated by operating an appropriate operating means such as a switch, or automatically after the device has stopped operating for a relatively long period of time, or when the ink ejection condition does not improve even after other recovery processes such as dry ejection, wiping, etc. This is done on a regular basis. At this time, the ink is in a state where it is difficult to be discharged due to thickening or other reasons, so a large suction force is applied to the discharge port in the cap, which increases the flow rate and causes the ink to be discharged rapidly. When there is no ink left inside the mouth or inside the common liquid chamber, or when a recording head with an integrated ink tank is used as in this example, the amount of ink remaining is low (this causes a state where large suction pressure is required to recover). This large recovery is effective in normal suction mode.On the other hand, in the normal suction mode, it is necessary to refresh or cool the discharge state immediately after recording a predetermined amount. In a device like this example, at this time, the ink temperature is high to some extent, and therefore the viscosity is low, making it relatively easy for the ink to be discharged, so a smaller suction force is applied than in the large suction mode. At least the ink is discharged (hereinafter referred to as "small recovery").

FIG. 8 shows the pressure waveform inside the cap during suction recovery, in which (1) is the waveform in the large suction mode and (2) is the waveform when ink flows out from the ejection port during normal suction. In this way, in this example, two pressure rollers 510A
, 510B, the suction pressure can be switched to two levels. Note that the corresponding solid lines are waveforms when ink does not flow out.

(4, 2) Setting the position of the carriage The manner of setting the position of the carriage 2, etc. will be explained using FIG. 9. Note that ■ to ■ in the figure are positions based on the head located closest to the recording area.

First, FIG. 5A shows the reverse position during wiping. Further, in this example, this position is set when capping is performed or when the blade 401 is raised. In this example, since the operations for capping and protruding the blade are performed as the carriage 2 moves, it is necessary for the carriage 2 to transmit more than a certain amount of force. Therefore, if the carriage 2 is set at an appropriate position (2) and its inertia is utilized by moving it from this position, the above-mentioned method can be avoided without increasing the size of the motor that is the drive source of the carriage 2 or increasing the driving power. A sufficient amount of driving force is obtained to drive the mechanism.

Next, position 2 in FIG. 2B indicates the start position which is the start position of the recording operation and the reverse position during the recording operation. At this time, each head 86 and each cap 3
00 are facing each other, but the cap holder 330 and the blade holder 410 are not driven, so the cap 300 is in a position separated from the head 86, and the blade 401 is not raised either. Dry ejection is performed at this position.

Next, position ■ shown in the same figure (C) is the blade holder 410.
This is the position where the rise of is activated. When performing capping or wiping, it passes through this position or is set at this position. Further, position (D) in the same figure is a position where the cap holder 330 is raised and capping is performed, and at this position, large suction or normal suction is performed, or standby when recording is paused, etc. is performed.

(4,3) Control system configuration FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of the control system of this embodiment.

Here, 800 is a controller forming a main control unit,
A CPU 801 in the form of a microcomputer, for example, which executes the procedure shown in FIG.
It has AM805 etc. 81O is a host device (which may be an image reader unit, etc.) that serves as a source of image data.
Image data, other commands, status signals, etc. are transmitted and received to and from the controller via an interface (1/F) 812.

Reference numeral 820 denotes a switch group that receives command inputs from the operator, such as a power switch 822, a recording start switch 824 for instructing ME recording start, and a large recovery switch 826 for instructing activation of large recovery.

Reference numeral 830 denotes a group of sensors for detecting the device state, including a sensor 832 for detecting the position of the carriage 2 such as a home position and a start position, and a sensor 834 including a leaf switch 530 and used for detecting the pump position.

A head driver 840 drives an ejection energy generating element (an electrothermal transducer in this example) of the recording head 86 in accordance with recording data and the like. 850 is a main scanning motor for moving the carriage 2 in the main scanning direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 5), and 852 is its driver. A sub-scanning motor 860 is used to transport (sub-scan) the recording medium, and also drives the pressure rollers 510A and 510B via the roller 520 in this example. 862 is its driver.

(4, 4> Control procedure FIGS. 11A and 11B are flowcharts showing examples of the procedures of the normal suction process and the large suction process, respectively, according to the present embodiment.

The normal suction process can be performed, for example, when one page of recording is completed and the recording medium is ejected. When this procedure is started, first, in step SAL, the pressure roller 510A
, 510B are set in the position shown in FIG. 7(A).

Next, in step SA3, the carriage 2 is set to the home position (position 2 in FIG. 9).

When setting the carriage 2 to the home position, the movement of the carriage 2 is used to drive the cap holder 330 and the blade holder 510, so in order to obtain an appropriate inertia force, it is necessary to avoid overlapping the carriage 2 with the recovery system unit. (for example, the position shown in FIG. 9(A)) so that a run-up can be performed. Then, by setting the recording head 86 to the home position, the recording head 86 is capped, and the space inside the cap is sealed. Also, at this time, the blade 401 protrudes and has passed the locked position (position ◎ in Figure 9), so the blade 401 is in the raised position (this operation is the same below). 2 is already at the home position, this step may be skipped.

Next, in step SA5, a normal suction operation is performed.

Here, the roller 520 is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 7(A) to the state shown in FIG.
(see figure) to perform ink suction.

Next, in step SA7, the carriage 2 is moved toward position (2), thereby wiping the ejection port forming surface. This is because the blade 401 has already protruded by setting the carriage 2 to the home position.

If the movement at this time is made at a lower speed than during normal recording scanning, even if the recording head has a step on the ejection port forming surface, the blade 401 will follow the step and perform reliable wiping. .

Next, in step SA9, the roller 520 is moved as shown in FIG. 7(A).
Then, in step 5AII, the carriage 2 is set to the start position (the position marked with ■ in FIG. 14), and idle ejection is performed at this position. That is, after wiping, dry ejection is performed. In addition, as the carriage 2 moves to the start position, the carriage 2 engages with the release lever, and in order to operate this, the blade 40 is activated as described above.
1 goes down.

Here, the idle ejection is performed to prevent color mixing that may occur when wiping multiple recording heads with one blade, and in this example, this should be done more effectively (wiping will be performed later). The recorded recording head is
Alternatively, since color mixture is easily noticeable in a print head that supports ink with high brightness (yellow, etc.), such a print head is designed to perform idle ejection in a warehouse manner. That is, for a recording head where color mixing is likely to occur, the time for performing the blank ejection process is increased or the number of ejections is increased.

Next, in step 5A13, the recording head is capped, and the process ends.

That is, the apparatus holds the next recording start command with the recording head capped.

When the large recovery switch 826 is operated, as shown in FIG.
The process shown in is started. In this procedure, step SBI
, SB3, the same processes as steps SAI and SA3 are performed, and then, in step SB5, large suction is performed. That is, the roller 520 is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 7 (Al) and set to the state shown in FIG.
(See Fig. 8) to perform ink suction. Then, in steps SB7 to 5B13, the first
The same process as step SAT, 5A13 in FIG. 1(A) is performed, and this procedure is ended.

(5) Embodiment 2 FIGS. 12(A) and 12(B) show a second embodiment of the present invention.

Here, three pressure rollers 510A, 510B, 51
0C is supported by rollers 520. These three pressure rollers are attached to the rollers 520 approximately every 120 degrees, so that there is always a state in which adjacent pressure rollers press the tube at the same time. The suction operation according to this example will be explained.

First, in the normal suction mode, the head 86 is capped in the state shown in FIG. 12(A), and the roller 520 rotates in the direction of the arrow. As the roller rotates, the first pressure roller 510A presses the tube 304 against the regulating surface 502, and as the roller rotates, negative pressure is generated within the cap. At this time, when the second pressure roller 510B, which is not in pressure contact with the tube 304, rotates to a position just before it contacts the tube (FIG. 12(B)), the rotation of the roller 520 is stopped, and this state is maintained for a predetermined time. , sucks the ink inside the head.

On the other hand, in the large suction mode, the suction bow pressure is made variable by changing the rotation angle of the rotary roller depending on the recovery mode.

In other words, if the pressure roller does not stop in the state shown in Figure 12 CB> and continues to rotate, multiple pressure rollers (two in this case) press the tube as the suction pressure increases. This makes it possible to increase the suction pressure to a higher level.

Then, by stopping after moving by a predetermined rotation angle, desired suction pressure, suction amount, etc. can be obtained.

(6) Others In the above embodiment, a plurality of pumps are integrated to correspond to a plurality of recording heads, that is, C1M, Y,
For K full color inkjet recording head, 4
An embodiment has been described that includes a pump unit that integrates two caps, four corresponding tubes, a roller, a support stand, etc.

According to this, the configuration of the unit part becomes simple, which is effective in reducing the volume occupied by the pump and the cost. However, one pump unit may be provided corresponding to one recording head.

(Others) The present invention brings about excellent effects particularly in a bubble jet type recording head and recording apparatus, which is proposed by Canon Co., Ltd. among inkjet recording types. This is because such a system can achieve higher recording density and higher definition.

As for typical configurations and principles thereof, it is preferable to use the basic principles disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it is necessary to arrange the liquid (ink) in accordance with the sheet and liquid path that hold it. The electrothermal converter that is
Generating thermal energy in the electrothermal transducer and producing film boiling on the thermally active surface of the recording head by applying at least one drive signal that corresponds to recorded information and provides a rapid temperature rise above nucleate boiling. As a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal, which is effective. The growth and contraction of the bubble causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. If this drive signal is in the form of a pulse, bubble growth and contraction will occur immediately and appropriately.
Particularly responsive liquid (ink) ejection can be achieved,
More preferred. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262.
Those described in the specification are suitable. Furthermore, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 concerning the invention regarding the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, even more excellent recording can be performed.

The configuration of the recording head includes, in addition to the combination configuration of ejection ports, liquid paths, and electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting section. The present invention also includes configurations using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose configurations in which the wafer is placed in a bending region. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1989-5 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part of a plurality of electrothermal converters.
No. 9-123670 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59/1989 which discloses a configuration in which a discharge portion is made to correspond to an opening that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy.
The effects of the present invention are also effective even if the structure is based on the publication No.-138461. 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 either 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 serial type devices such as "2-side", the recording head is fixed to the device main body, or by being attached to the device main body, electrical connection with the device main body and ink supply from the device main body are 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 recovery means for the recording head, 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 include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element, or a combination thereof; It is also effective to perform a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing in order to perform stable printing.

In addition, regarding the type and number of recording heads installed, for example, in addition to one type that corresponds to single-color ink, there is also a plurality of recording heads that correspond to multiple inks with different recording colors and densities. It may be something that can be done. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to a recording mode for only a mainstream color such as black, but may also be a recording mode in which the recording head is configured integrally or in a combination of multiple colors, The present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one full color by color mixture.

Additionally, in the embodiments of the present invention described above,
Although ink is described as a liquid, it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or below, but softens or liquefies at room temperature, or in an inkjet method, the ink itself is
Generally, the temperature is adjusted within the range of 0°C or more and 70°C or less so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range, so even if the ink is in a liquid state when the recording signal is applied. Bye. In addition, the temperature increase caused by thermal energy can be actively prevented by using the energy to change the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or ink that solidifies when left standing is used to prevent ink evaporation. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying thermal energy in accordance with the recording signal, and the liquid ink is ejected, or the ink has already begun to solidify by the time it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable when using ink that is liquefied only by energy. The ink used in this case is
Publication No. 4-56847 or JP-A-60-71260
As described in the above publication, the porous sheet may be held in a liquid or solid state in the recesses or through-holes of the porous sheet, facing the electrothermal converter. 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 apparatus of the present invention may take the form of an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a soda machine, etc., or a facsimile apparatus having a transmission/reception function. It may also be something.

(The following is a blank space) [Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, an inkjet recording device generates suction pressure by moving a tube made of an elastic body while being crushed by a pressure member. In the head suction recovery device, there are multiple members that pressurize the tube, and by having a configuration in which the tube can be simultaneously crushed by at least one or more pressurizing members, high suction pressure can be generated. , it is possible to recover heads that would not recover in the normal recovery mode and return them to a normal state.

In addition, since the suction pressure can be varied in at least two or more stages, recovery operations can be performed with suction pressures that correspond to various conditions, which reduces ink consumption, compared to when a single suction pressure is set. It becomes possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printhead/ink tank integrated cartridge used in an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are a front view and a front view showing an example of the structure of the printhead, respectively. The side sectional view, FIGS. 3 and 4 are respectively a perspective view and a plan view showing the vicinity of the carriage of the apparatus of the present embodiment in which the cartridge shown in the first figure is mounted, and FIG. 5 is a view of the apparatus according to the present embodiment. Schematic diagrams of the device shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B for schematically showing the circuit system unit which is the main part are a front view and a side view showing a detailed configuration example of the recovery system unit, respectively. Figures (A) to (D) are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation of the ink suction mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 8 is an illustration of the pressure waveform inside the cap during two types of suction recovery according to this embodiment. An explanatory diagram showing an example, FIGS. 9(A) to (D) are explanatory diagrams for explaining the carriage position during recovery processing in this embodiment, and FIG. 1O is an example of a configuration of a control system according to this embodiment. 11(A), right and (B) are flowcharts showing examples of detailed procedures of normal suction processing and large suction processing by the control system shown in FIG. 10, FIG. 12(A) and CB) is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of a suction mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of the ink suction mechanism that is the background of the present invention. C... Cartridge, 2... Carriage, 80... Ink tank section, 86... Recording head, 103... Orifice plate, 108... Discharge port, 300... Cap unit, 302... ...Cap, 303...Holder, 304, 305...Tube, 330...Cap holder, 332, 334...Bin, 401, 402...Blade, 500...Pump unit, 502... ... Regulation surface, 504 ... Pump shaft, 510.51OA, 510B, 510C ... Pressure roller, 520 ... Guide roller, 800 ... Controller, 810 ... Host device, 820 ... Switch group, 830... Sensor group, 850... Main scanning motor, 860... Sub-scanning motor. 1.1 (B) Figure 510B also has 2-force 0-pressure flow 5108 2nd pressure flow Figure 11 (A)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) In an inkjet recording device that performs recording using a recording head that discharges ink onto a recording medium, an ejection path that covers an ejection section of the recording head that ejects ink and that discharges the ink. a tube member that communicates with the discharge path of the cap and guides the ink in the discharge direction, at least a portion of which is formed of an elastic body; a plurality of pressure members that can be pressed to cause elastic deformation; and one or more of the pressure members to forcefully discharge ink from the recording head by moving the pressure members while applying pressure. 1. An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising: an ejection recovery means that generates a suction force. 2) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the pressure members includes a setting means for setting a part of the tube member to a state in which no pressure is applied. 3) The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the recording head has an element that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in the ink as energy used for ink discharge. 4) In an ejection recovery device for an inkjet recording device that performs printing using a print head that ejects ink onto a print medium, a tube member that transmits pressure to forcibly discharge ink from the ink ejection ports of the print head. the tube member, at least a part of which is formed of an elastic body; a plurality of pressurizing members capable of pressurizing the part to cause elastic deformation; and one or more of the pressurizing members. An ejection recovery device for an inkjet recording apparatus, comprising an ejection recovery means that generates the pressure by moving the pressure member while applying pressure thereto. 5) A cap is provided that covers the vicinity of the ink ejection openings of the recording head and has an ejection path for ejecting ink, and the tube member communicates with the ejection path of the cap to guide the ink in the ejection direction. The ejection recovery device for an inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the pressure is a suction force.