JP5820791B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as paper.

  Recording devices such as facsimiles, copiers, and printers are configured to record an image on a recording medium such as paper or an OHP sheet. Depending on the recording method, ink jet, wire dot, thermal, etc. Can be classified. Further, the ink jet recording method can be classified into a serial type in which recording is performed while the recording head scans the recording medium, and a line head type in which recording is performed by a recording head fixed to the recording apparatus main body, for example.

  For example, a line head type ink jet recording apparatus uses a line head type ink jet head (recording head) for each color in which ejection nozzles are arranged at predetermined intervals over the entire width of the print area orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. I have. The entire recording medium can be printed by discharging ink from the discharge nozzle corresponding to the printing position in accordance with the conveyance of the recording medium.

  In such an ink jet recording apparatus, normally, in order to prevent the ink discharge nozzles of the recording head from drying and clogging, the recording head is capped when printing is not performed for a long period of time. It is also common to perform a recovery process in which the ink thickened in the ink discharge nozzles is forcibly discharged periodically from the discharge port of the recording head.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a recovery cap unit that receives ink that is forcibly ejected from the ejection port of the recording head in order to capping the recording head and prevent ink non-ejection and ejection failure. An ink jet recording apparatus provided so as to be movable is disclosed.

  Here, the timing at which the recording head recovery process is performed is different from the timing at which the recording head is capped. Therefore, a cap unit that caps the recording head and a wipe unit that forcibly ejects ink from the nozzle and then wipes off the ink adhering to the ink ejection surface by a wiper and performs recovery processing of the recording head are individually provided. It is preferable that each unit can move independently between the retracted position and the position facing the recording head.

  Therefore, Patent Document 2 separately includes a blade unit (wipe unit) having a wipe blade for wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head and a cap unit having a head cap for capping the nozzle surface of the recording head. An ink jet recording apparatus is disclosed in which a cap unit is disposed to face a head holding portion when the ink is wiped, and a blade unit scans between the recording head and the cap unit.

JP-A-4-284257 JP 2008-284719 A

  As the drive mechanism for the wipe unit and the cap unit as described above, each unit is provided with rack teeth, and a pinion gear meshing with the rack teeth is provided, and the pinion gear is rotated forward or backward to reciprocate on the guide rail. The structure to move is common.

  Here, in the configuration in which the wipe unit and the cap unit are arranged vertically, it is necessary to separately provide rack teeth, a pinion gear, and a guide rail for driving each unit for each unit. There is a problem in that it becomes an obstacle to downsizing and space saving.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an inkjet recording apparatus that includes a wipe unit that performs a recovery operation of a recording head and a cap unit that caps the recording head, and that can move each unit separately with a simple and compact configuration. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first configuration of the present invention includes a transport unit that sucks and holds a recording medium and transports the recording medium, and a recording head that is disposed to face the transport unit and discharges ink to the recording medium. The recording head can reciprocate between a recording unit, a first position facing the recording unit, and a second position retracted horizontally from the first position, and the recording head at the first position. A cap unit that caps the head, and is disposed above the cap unit and below the recording unit, and is capable of reciprocating between the first position and the second position. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a wipe unit that performs recovery processing of the recording head; a first carriage that supports the cap unit; and the wipe unit that is disposed above the first carriage A second carriage to be supported; a pair of guide rails that slidably support both ends of the first carriage and the second carriage; and a pair of first rails provided on the first carriage and supported by the guide rails. A first rack tooth formed on the flange portion, a first pinion gear meshing with the first rack tooth, and a cap unit moving motor for rotating the first pinion gear in forward and reverse directions, the cap unit And a pair of second flanges provided on the second carriage and supported by the guide rail so as to overlap the first flange portion. Second rack teeth formed on at least one of the parts, a second pinion gear meshing with the second rack teeth, and rotating the second pinion gear in the forward and reverse directions A wipe unit moving motor, and a wipe unit drive mechanism for moving the wipe unit to the first position and the second position, wherein the first flange portion is an extension of the guide rail. An edge along the existing direction protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction from the second flange portion, and the first rack teeth are not overlapped with the second flange portion on the upper surface of the first flange portion. It is characterized by being provided in.

  According to the first configuration of the present invention, the first carriage that supports the cap unit has the second flange portion of the second carriage whose edge along the extending direction of the guide rail of the first flange portion supports the wipe unit. And the first rack teeth are formed at positions where they do not overlap the second flange portion. Therefore, the cap unit and the wipe unit can be separately reciprocated along a common pair of guide rails, and the cap unit driving mechanism and the wipe unit driving mechanism have a compact configuration.

Side surface sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the printer 100 which is an example of the inkjet recording device of this invention. The top view which looked at the 1st belt conveyance part 5 and the recording part 9 of the printer 100 shown in FIG. The perspective view which looked at the recording part 9 of the printer 100 from diagonally upward Side views of recording heads 17a to 17c constituting line heads 11C to 11K of the recording unit 9 A plan view of the recording heads 17a to 17c as viewed from the ink ejection surface F side. The figure which shows typically the ink flow path from the ink tank 20 of the printer 100 to the recording heads 17a-17c. The perspective view which looked at the moving mechanism of the cap unit 30 from the paper conveyance direction downstream. The perspective view which looked at the moving mechanism of the wipe unit 19 from the paper conveyance direction downstream side The perspective view which looked at the moving mechanism of the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 from the paper conveyance direction upstream. The perspective view which looked at the moving mechanism for reciprocatingly moving the 1st carriage 61a which supports the cap unit 30 from the inner side of the guide rail 60a. FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view of the vicinity of the first pinion gear 75a. The perspective view which looked at the moving mechanism for reciprocating the 2nd carriage 71 which supports the wipe unit 19 from the inside of the guide rail 60a. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view near the second pinion gear 81 in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the support structure of the 1st carriage 61a and the 2nd carriage 71 with respect to the guide rail 60a A plan view of the wipe unit 19 and the second carriage 71 supported by the guide rails 60a and 60b as seen from above. Partial sectional view of the wipe unit 19 and the second carriage 71 cut at the position of the sliding roller 90a. 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the sliding roller 90a in FIG. Partial sectional view of the wipe unit 19 and the second carriage 71 cut at the position of the sliding roller 90c. 18 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the sliding roller 90c in FIG. Side sectional view showing a state in which the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 are disposed at a position (second position) retracted from a position (first position) facing the recording unit 9. External perspective view of wiping mechanism mounted on wipe unit 19 External perspective view of wiper carriage 31 constituting the wiping mechanism External perspective view of support frame 40 constituting wiping mechanism 30 The perspective view which shows the state which lowered | hung the 1st belt conveyance part 5 arrange | positioned facing the lower surface of the recording part 9 24 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cap unit 30 is disposed at a position (first position) facing the recording unit 9 from the state of FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a state in which the wipe unit 19 is disposed at a position (first position) facing the recording unit 9 from the state of FIG. A side view showing a state where the support frame 40 and the carriage 31 are lifted by the lifting mechanism 50 and the wipers 35a to 35c are pressed against the ink discharge surface F. The side view which shows the state which the carriage 31 moved to the wiping direction (arrow C direction) from the state of FIG. 28 is a side view showing a state in which the support frame 40 and the carriage 31 are lowered by the elevating mechanism 50 from the state of FIG. 28 and the wipers 35a to 35c are separated from the ink ejection surface F. The side view which shows the state which the carriage 31 moved to the direction (arrow C 'direction) opposite to the wiping direction from the state of FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cap unit 30 is pushed up by the first belt conveyance unit 5 from the state of FIG.

  Hereinafter, an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an internal configuration of an ink jet printer 100 which is an example of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 has a paper feed cassette 2 a that is a paper storage portion disposed inside the printer main body 1. Inside the paper feed cassette 2a, a predetermined number (for example, about 500 sheets) of paper P such as cut paper before printing, which is an example of a recording medium, is stored. A paper feeding device 3a is disposed on the downstream side of the paper feeding cassette 2a in the paper conveyance direction, that is, above the right side of the paper feeding cassette 2a in FIG. By this sheet feeding device 3a, the sheets P are separated and sent one by one toward the upper right of the sheet feeding cassette 2a in FIG. The paper feed cassette 2a can be pulled out horizontally from the front side of the printer body 1 to replenish paper P.

  A manual paper feed tray 2 b is provided outside the right side surface of the printer main body 1. In the manual paper feed tray 2b, a paper having a size different from that of the paper P in the paper feed cassette 2a, a recording medium that is difficult to pass through a curved conveyance path such as a thick paper, an OHP sheet, an envelope, a postcard, and a feed, Recording media that you want to feed by hand are placed one by one. A sheet feeding device 3b is disposed on the downstream side of the manual sheet feeding tray 2b in the sheet conveyance direction, that is, on the left side of the manual sheet feeding tray 2b in FIG. By this sheet feeding device 3b, the sheets on the manual sheet feeding tray 2b are separated and sent one by one toward the left in FIG.

  Further, the printer 100 includes a first paper transport path 4a therein. The first paper transport path 4a is located at the upper right in the paper feeding direction in the case of the paper feed cassette 2a, and is located in the left side of the manual paper feed tray 2b. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2a is transported vertically upward along the side surface of the printer main body 1 by the first paper transport path 4a, and the paper sent out from the manual paper feed tray 2b is directed substantially horizontally to the left. Be transported.

  A registration roller pair 13 is provided at the downstream end of the first paper transport path 4a with respect to the paper transport direction. Further, a first belt conveyance unit 5 and a recording unit 9 are disposed in the immediate vicinity of the registration roller pair 13 on the downstream side. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2a (or the manual paper feed tray 2b) reaches the registration roller pair 13 through the first paper transport path 4a. The registration roller pair 13 feeds the paper P toward the first belt conveyance unit 5 while correcting the oblique feeding of the paper P and timings the ink ejection operation performed by the recording unit 9. The first paper transport path 4a is provided with a pair of transport rollers for transporting the paper P at appropriate positions.

  Further, the recording unit 9 prevents ink discharge failure due to drying or clogging of the recording head from the ink discharge nozzles (not shown) of all the recording heads at the start of printing after being stopped for a long time. In the interval between printing operations, a purge is performed to eject ink with increased viscosity in the nozzles from an ink ejection nozzle having an ink ejection amount equal to or less than a specified value, to prepare for the next printing operation.

  A second belt conveyance unit 12 is disposed on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 1) of the first belt conveyance unit 5 with respect to the sheet conveyance direction. The paper P on which the ink image is recorded by the recording unit 9 is sent to the second belt conveyance unit 12, and the ink ejected on the surface of the paper P is dried while passing through the second belt conveyance unit 12.

  A decurler unit 14 is provided on the downstream side of the second belt conveyance unit 12 with respect to the sheet conveyance direction and in the vicinity of the left side surface of the printer main body 1. The paper P from which the ink has been dried by the second belt conveyance unit 12 is sent to the decurler unit 14, and the curl is corrected using a plurality of rollers arranged in the paper width direction.

  A second paper transport path 4b is provided on the downstream side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the decurler unit 14 with respect to the paper transport direction. When double-sided recording is not performed, the paper P that has passed through the decurler unit 14 is discharged from the second paper transport path 4b to a paper discharge tray 15 provided outside the left side surface of the printer 100 via a pair of discharge rollers. The second paper transport path 4b is provided with a pair of transport rollers for transporting the paper P at appropriate positions, similarly to the first paper transport path 4a.

  A reverse conveyance path 16 for performing double-sided recording is provided above the printer main body 1 and above the recording unit 9 and the second belt conveyance unit 12. When performing double-sided recording, the recording on the first surface is completed, and the sheet P that has passed through the second belt conveying unit 12 and the decurler unit 14 is sent to the reverse conveying path 16 through the second sheet conveying path 4b. . The paper P sent to the reverse conveyance path 16 is subsequently switched in the conveyance direction for recording on the second side, passes through the upper part of the printer main body 1, and is sent to the right side, and the first paper conveyance path 4a. , And the registration roller pair 13, and the second surface is sent again to the first belt conveyance unit 5 with the second surface facing upward. The reverse conveyance path 16 is provided with conveyance roller pairs for conveying the paper P at appropriate positions, similarly to the first paper conveyance path 4a and the second paper conveyance path 4b.

  A wipe unit 19 and a cap unit 30 are disposed below the second belt conveyance unit 12. The wipe unit 19 moves horizontally below the recording unit 9 when performing the above-described purge, wipes the ink ejected from the ink ejection nozzles of the recording head, and collects the wiped ink. The cap unit 30 horizontally moves below the recording unit 9 when capping the ink ejection surface of the recording head, and further moves upward to be attached to the lower surface of the recording head.

  2 is a plan view of the first belt conveyance unit 5 and the recording unit 9 of the printer 100 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from above, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the recording unit 9 as viewed from obliquely above, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the recording heads 17a to 17c as viewed from the ink ejection surface F side. 2 shows a state in which the recording unit 9 is viewed from the back side in FIG. 1, and the arrangement of the line heads 11C to 11K is opposite to that in FIG. Further, since the recording heads 17a to 17c have the same shape and configuration, the recording heads 17a to 17c are shown in one drawing in FIGS.

  The recording unit 9 includes a head housing 10 and line heads 11C, 11M, 11Y, and 11K held by the head housing 10. These line heads 11 </ b> C to 11 </ b> K form a predetermined interval (for example, 1 mm) with respect to the conveyance surface of the first conveyance belt 8 stretched around a plurality of rollers including the driving roller 6 and the driven roller 7. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality (three in this case) of recording heads 17a to 17c are arranged in a staggered manner along the paper width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2) orthogonal to the paper transport direction. Has been. The line heads 11 </ b> C to 11 </ b> K have a recording area that is equal to or larger than the width of the paper P to be transported, and from the ink discharge nozzles 18 corresponding to the printing position with respect to the paper P transported on the first transport belt 8. Ink can be ejected.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a nozzle region R in which a large number of ink discharge nozzles 18 are arranged is provided on the ink discharge surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the three recording heads 17 a to 17 c constituting the same line heads 11 </ b> C to 11 </ b> K include a part of the ink discharge nozzles 18 provided in the respective recording heads 17 a to 17 c. The end portions are arranged so as to overlap in the paper transport direction.

  In the recording heads 17a to 17c constituting the line heads 11C to 11K, inks of four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) stored in the ink tank 20 (see FIG. 6) are respectively stored in the line heads 11C to 11K. Supplied for each color.

  Each of the recording heads 17a to 17c ejects ink from the ink ejection nozzle 18 toward the paper P that is attracted and held on the transport surface of the first transport belt 8 in accordance with image data received from an external computer or the like. . As a result, a color image in which four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are superimposed is formed on the paper P on the first transport belt 8.

  In addition, in order to prevent ink discharge failure due to drying or clogging of the recording heads 17a to 17c, at the start of printing after being stopped for a long period of time, the ink discharge nozzles 18 of all the recording heads 17a to 17c are used to perform printing operation. In the meantime, a purge is performed to eject the ink whose viscosity has increased in the nozzles from the ink ejection nozzles 18 of the recording heads 17a to 17c whose ink ejection amount is not more than a specified value, so as to prepare for the next printing operation.

  In addition, as a method for ejecting ink from the recording heads 17a to 17c, for example, a piezo method in which ink is ejected using a piezo element (not shown), or a thermal ink jet in which bubbles are generated by a heating element and ink is ejected by applying pressure. Various methods such as a method can be applied.

  Next, ink supply from the ink tank 20 to the recording heads 17a to 17c during printing and ink ejection from the recording heads 17a to 17c during purging will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an ink flow path from the ink tank 20 of the printer 100 to the recording heads 17a to 17c. 6 is provided between the ink tank 20 of each color and the recording heads 17a to 17c. Here, an ink flow path for an arbitrary color will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a syringe pump 21 is arranged between the ink tank 20 and the recording heads 17a to 17c. The ink tank 20 and the syringe pump 21 are connected by a first supply path 23 made of a tube member, and the syringe pump 21 and the ink discharge nozzles 18 in the recording heads 17a to 17c are connected by a second supply path 25 made of a tube member. Has been.

  The first supply path 23 is provided with an inflow side valve 27, and the second supply path 25 is provided with an outflow side valve 29. By opening and closing the inflow side valve 27, the movement of ink in the first supply path 23 is permitted or restricted, and by opening and closing the outflow side valve 29, the movement of ink in the second supply path 25 is permitted or restricted. .

  The syringe pump 21 includes a cylinder 21a and a piston 21b. The cylinder 21 a is connected to the first supply path 23 and the second supply path 25, and the ink 22 in the ink tank 20 flows into the cylinder 21 a through the first supply path 23. Further, ink is discharged from the cylinder 21a through the second supply path 25, and the discharged ink is supplied to the recording heads 17a to 17c and discharged from the ink discharge nozzle 18 to the nozzle region R of the ink discharge surface F. ing.

  The piston 21b can be moved up and down by a drive device (not shown). A packing (not shown) such as an O-ring is mounted on the outer periphery of the piston 21b to prevent ink leakage from the cylinder 21a, and the piston 21b can slide smoothly along the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 21a. It is like that.

  During normal printing (during printing), as shown in FIG. 6, the inflow side valve 27 and the outflow side valve 29 are both in an open state, and the piston 21b is stopped at a preset position so that the inside of the cylinder 21a. Is filled with a substantially constant amount of ink. The ink 22 is supplied from the cylinder 21a to the recording heads 17a to 17c by the surface tension (meniscus) between the cylinder 21a and the recording heads 17a to 17c.

  FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views showing the moving mechanism of the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19, respectively. FIG. 9 shows the moving mechanism of the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 on the upstream side in the paper conveyance direction (see FIGS. 7 and 8). It is the perspective view seen from the back side. For convenience of explanation, the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 are separately illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. The recording unit 9 shows the head housing 10 with the recording heads 17a to 17b removed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, below the recording unit 9, two guide rails 60a and 60b are fixed along both end portions parallel to the paper transport direction (arrow A direction). A pair of first carriages 61a and 61b is slidably supported on the guide rails 60a and 60b, and a side edge of the cap unit 30 is supported on the lower ends of the first carriages 61a and 61b. Guide grooves 62 are formed on the inner surfaces of the first carriages 61 a and 61 b, and the cap unit 30 can move in the vertical direction (arrow BB ′ direction) along the guide grooves 62.

  A motor housing 63 and a gear box 65 are provided outside the guide rail 60a. A cap unit drive motor 67 and a wipe unit drive motor 68 (reciprocating the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 30 are moved in the motor housing 63. 9) is arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a second carriage 71 having a U-shaped cross section is slidably supported on the guide rails 60a and 60b above the first carriages 61a and 61b (see FIG. 7). 19 is fixed to the second carriage 71. The wiper unit 19 is provided with a substantially rectangular wiper carriage 31 to which a plurality of wipers 35a to 35c (see FIG. 21) are fixed. The wiper carriage 31 is moved horizontally along the wiper moving motor 47 (arrow CC ′). Direction).

  10 is a perspective view of the moving mechanism for reciprocating the first carriage 61a that supports the cap unit 30 as viewed from the inside of the guide rail 60a. FIG. 11 is a view of the vicinity of the first pinion gear 75a in FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view (DD 'arrow sectional drawing of FIG. 10).

  As shown in FIG. 10, the driving force of the cap unit driving motor 67 in the motor housing 63 is transmitted to the first pinion gear 75 a via the first gear train 73 in the gear box 65. The first carriage 61a is slidably supported by the first rail portion 72a of the guide rail 60a by the first flange portion 69. The first pinion gear 75 a meshes with the first rack teeth 70 formed on the upper surface of the first flange portion 69.

  A first pinion gear 75b (not shown) that meshes with the first rack teeth 70 formed on the upper surface of the first flange portion 69 of the first carriage 61b (see FIG. 8) is disposed on the guide rail 60b side. Yes.

  A drive input gear 73a for inputting drive force to the first pinion gear 75a is disposed at the downstream end of the first gear train 73 with respect to the drive force transmission direction. The rotation shaft of the drive input gear 73a extends as a shaft 66 to the guide rail 60b, and the drive input gear 73a (not shown) is also fixed to the end portion of the shaft 66 on the guide rail 60b side. When the first pinion gear 75b on the guide rail 60b side is engaged with a drive input gear 73a (not shown) fixed to the shaft 66, the first pinion gears 75a and 75b are simultaneously rotated in the same direction.

  By rotating the cap unit drive motor 67 forward and backward, the first pinion gears 75a and 75b also rotate forward and backward, and the cap unit 30 (see FIG. 7) moves together with the first carriages 61a and 61b and the first guide rails 60a and 60b. It reciprocates in the direction of arrow AA ′ along the rail portion 72a.

  12 is a perspective view of the moving mechanism for reciprocating the second carriage 71 that supports the wipe unit 19 as viewed from the inside of the guide rail 60a. FIG. 13 is a view of the vicinity of the second pinion gear 81 in FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view (EE 'arrow sectional drawing of FIG. 12).

  As shown in FIG. 12, the driving force of the wipe unit drive motor 68 in the motor housing 63 is transmitted to the second pinion gear 81 via the second gear train 80 in the gear box 65. The second carriage 71 is slidably supported by the second rail portion 72b of the guide rail 60a by the second flange portion 82.

  A drive input gear 80 a that inputs a drive force to the second pinion gear 81 is disposed at the downstream end of the second gear train 80 with respect to the drive force transmission direction. The drive input gear 80a meshes with the second pinion gear 81, and the second pinion gear 81 meshes with the second rack teeth 83 formed on the upper surface of the second flange portion 82 of the second carriage 71 on the guide rail 60a side.

  By rotating the wipe unit drive motor 68 forward and backward, the second pinion gear 81 also rotates forward and backward, and the wipe unit 30 reciprocates along the guide rails 60a and 60b in the direction of the arrow AA 'along with the second carriage 71.

  FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a support structure of the first carriage 61a and the second carriage 71 with respect to the guide rail 60a. As shown in FIG. 14, the first flange portion 69 of the first carriage 61a has an edge 69a along the extending direction of the guide rail 60a (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 14). Projecting outward (in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the guide rail 60a, the guide rail 60a side in FIG. 14) from the flange portion 82, the first rack teeth 70 are positioned so as not to overlap the second flange portion 82 (protruding portion). ). The first pinion gear 75a meshes with the first rack teeth 70 through an opening 72ba formed in the second rail portion 72b.

  Although not shown here, the first carriage 61b (see FIG. 7) on the guide rail 60b side has the same support structure as that in FIG. That is, in the first flange portion 69 of the first carriage 61b, the end edge 69a along the extending direction of the guide rail 60b protrudes outward from the second flange portion 82 (a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the guide rail 60b). The first rack teeth 70 are formed at positions that do not overlap the second flange portion 82.

  According to this configuration, the first pinion gears 75a and 75b and the second pinion gear 81 separately reciprocate the first carriages 61a and 61b and the second carriage 71 along the common pair of guide rails 60a and 60b. Can be made. Therefore, the drive mechanism of the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 has a compact configuration.

  Here, the second rack teeth 83 are not formed on the second flange portion 82 on the guide rail 60b side of the second carriage 71, and the second carriage 71 is connected to the second pinion gear 81 on the guide rail 60a side and the second pinion gear 81. It is reciprocated in the direction of arrow AA ′ only by the engagement of the rack teeth 83. Thereby, it is not necessary to arrange a shaft or the like for transmitting the driving force to the guide rail 60b side.

  The first carriages 61a and 61b that support the cap unit 30 need to be separate members in order to support the cap unit 30 so as to be movable up and down. Therefore, the two first pinion gears 75a and 75b that mesh with the first rack teeth 70 formed on the first carriages 61a and 61b, and the shaft 66 that transmits the driving force to the first pinion gear 75b are required.

  By the way, as described above, when the second carriage 71 is reciprocated only by the engagement of the second pinion gear 81 on the guide rail 60a side and the second rack teeth 83, the second flange 71 is provided on the guide rail 60b side of the second carriage 71. The portion 82 and the second rail portion 72b (see FIG. 14) do not slide smoothly, and the second carriage 71 may be deformed or the wipe unit 19 supported by the second carriage 71 may be tilted.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, by providing sliding rollers 90a to 90d on the side surfaces of the second carriage 71 along the guide rails 60a and 60b, the guide rails 60a and 60b, the second carriage 71, and The sliding load is reduced.

  FIG. 16 is a partial cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along the line FF ′ in FIG. 15) in which the wipe unit 19 and the second carriage 71 are cut at the position of the sliding roller 90a. FIG. It is a cross-sectional enlarged view of the vicinity. Hereinafter, the configuration of the sliding roller 90a will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, but the sliding roller 90b has the same configuration.

  The sliding roller 90a is rotatably attached to a central shaft 91 attached to the side surface of the second carriage 71. The central shaft 91 is supported so as to be movable in a direction (arrow CC ′ direction) orthogonal to the movement direction (arrow AA ′ direction) of the second carriage 71 and is urged in the arrow C ′ direction by two springs 93. ing. Thereby, the sliding roller 90a is pressed by the contact portion 95 formed by bending the tip of the second rail portion 72b of the guide rail 60b.

  18 is a partial cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view taken along the line GG ′ in FIG. 15) in which the wipe unit 19 and the second carriage 71 are cut at the position of the sliding roller 90c. FIG. 19 shows the sliding roller 90c in FIG. It is a cross-sectional enlarged view of the vicinity. Hereinafter, the configuration of the sliding roller 90c will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, but the sliding roller 90d has the same configuration.

  The sliding roller 90c is rotatably attached to a central shaft 91 attached to the side surface of the second carriage 71. The sliding roller 90c is urged in the direction of arrow C by the reaction of the two springs 93 (see FIG. 17) that urges the sliding roller 90a (see FIG. 17) in the direction of arrow C ′. The two rail portions 72b are pressed against the contact portion 95 formed by bending the tip.

  According to the above configuration, the second carriage 71 is pressed against the guide rails 60a and 60b with the predetermined pressing force via the sliding rollers 90a to 90d. Accordingly, when the second carriage 71 is reciprocated along the guide rails 60a and 60b, the second carriage 71 slides smoothly due to the rotation of the sliding rollers 90a to 90d, so that the second pinion on the guide rail 60a side. The deformation of the second carriage 71 and the inclination of the wipe unit 19 supported by the second carriage 71 when reciprocating only by the meshing of the gear 81 and the second rack teeth 83 can be suppressed.

  FIG. 20 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 are retracted from the position facing the recording unit 9. As shown in FIG. 20, the wipe unit 19 includes a wiper lifting motor 45 that lifts and lowers the wiper carriage 31 to which the wipers 35a to 35d (see FIG. 22) are fixed, and the wiper carriage 31 in the horizontal direction (CC ′ direction in FIG. 8). And a wiper moving motor 47 to be moved. The wiper lifting / lowering motor 45 and the wiper moving motor 47 are disposed so as to protrude downward from the end portion (left end in FIG. 20) of the wipe unit 19 on the side far from the recording portion 9.

  As shown in FIG. 20, when the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 overlap each other, the cap unit 30 is formed on the side of the wiper lifting / lowering motor 45 and the wiper moving motor 47 and below the wipe unit 19. Placed in the designated space.

  According to the above configuration, the wiper lifting motor 45 and the wiper moving motor 47 are disposed so as to protrude below the wipe unit 19, so that the thickness of the other part of the wipe unit 19 is the minimum necessary for lifting the wiper carriage 31. It can be set as the thickness. By disposing the cap unit 30 in a space beside the wiper lifting / lowering motor 45 and the wiper moving motor 47, the total thickness when the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 overlap can be reduced as much as possible.

  Since the end of the wipe unit 19 on the side far from the recording unit 9 protrudes downward, only the wipe unit 19 cannot be moved to a position facing the recording unit 9 from the state shown in FIG. However, as will be described later, when the wipe unit 19 is moved to a position facing the recording unit 9, the cap unit 30 is moved first, and the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 are opposed to the recording unit 9. When evacuating, the wipe unit 19 is evacuated first, so that interference between the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 can be avoided.

  FIG. 21 is an external perspective view of the wiping mechanism mounted on the wipe unit 19, FIG. 22 is an external perspective view of the wiper carriage 31 constituting the wiping mechanism, and FIG. 23 is an external appearance of the support frame 40 constituting the wiping mechanism 30. It is a perspective view. The wiping mechanism includes a substantially rectangular wiper carriage 31 to which a plurality of wipers 35 a to 35 c are fixed, and a support frame 40 that supports the wiper carriage 31. Rail portions 41a and 41b are formed at opposite edges of the upper surface of the support frame 40. The rollers 36 provided at the four corners of the wiper carriage 31 abut against the rail portions 41a and 41b, so that the wiper carriage 31 is The support frame 40 is slidably supported in the direction of the arrow CC ′.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the wiper carriage 31 is fixed in a bridging manner between the first stays 32a and 32b slidably engaged with the rail portions 41a and 41b of the support frame 40 and the first stays 32a and 32b. The second stays 33a, 33b, 33c are formed in a frame shape.

  Wiper moving rack teeth 38 that mesh with a drive transmission gear 43 (see FIG. 21) held by the support frame 40 are formed on the first stay 32a. When the drive transmission gear 43 is rotated in the forward / reverse direction by the wiper moving motor 47 (see FIG. 20), the wiper carriage 31 reciprocates in the horizontal direction (the direction of the arrow CC ′ in FIG. 21) along the support frame 40.

  The wipers 35a to 35c are members for wiping off ink discharged from the ink discharge nozzles 18 of the recording heads 17a to 17c. The wipers 35 a to 35 c are in pressure contact with the wiping start position outside the nozzle region R (see FIG. 5) where the nozzle surface of the ink discharge nozzle 18 is exposed from the substantially vertical direction, and the ink including the nozzle region R by the movement of the wiper carriage 31. The discharge surface F is wiped off in a predetermined direction (the direction of arrow C in FIG. 21).

  Four wipers 35a are fixed to the second stay 33a at substantially equal intervals. Similarly, four wipers 35b are substantially fixed to the second stay 33b, and four wipers 35c are substantially omitted to the second stay 33c. Fixed at regular intervals. The wipers 35a and 35c are disposed at positions corresponding to the left and right recording heads 17a and 17c (see FIG. 3) constituting the line heads 11C to 11K, respectively. The wiper 35b is disposed at a position corresponding to the central recording head 17b (see FIG. 3) constituting each of the line heads 11C to 11K, and the moving direction of the wiper carriage 31 relative to the wipers 35a and 35c (arrow CC). It is fixed by being shifted by a predetermined distance in a direction orthogonal to the 'direction).

  Gap rollers 37 are provided at four locations on the upper surfaces of the second stays 33a and 33c. The gap roller 37 contacts the head housing 10 of the recording unit 9 when the support frame 40 is raised to the recording unit 9 side in order to perform the wiping operation of the ink discharge surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c by the wipers 35a to 35c. The contact state between the wipers 35a to 35c and the ink discharge surface F is kept constant by contact. A pair of lifting mechanisms 50 (see FIG. 27) in which lift members 50a are fixed to both ends of the shaft 50b are arranged below the support frame 40, and the shaft 50b is rotated by a wiper lifting motor 45 (see FIG. 20). As a result, the lift member 50a is raised or laid down, and the support frame 40 and the wiper carriage 31 are moved up and down.

  As shown in FIG. 23, an ink collection tray 44 for collecting waste ink wiped off from the ink ejection surface F by the wipers 35a to 35c is arranged on the upper surface of the support frame 40. A groove 44a is formed in the substantially central portion of the ink recovery tray 44 along the extending direction of the first to third stays 32a to 32c. The tray surfaces 44b and 44c on both sides of the groove are sandwiched between the grooves 44a. It has a downward slope toward An ink discharge hole 44d is provided in the groove, and the bottom surface of the groove 44a is inclined downward toward the ink discharge hole 44d.

  Waste ink that has been wiped off from the ink discharge surface F by the wipers 35a to 35c and dropped onto the tray surfaces 44b and 44c is collected in the groove 44a and further flows in the groove 44a toward the ink discharge hole 44d. Thereafter, the ink is recovered into a waste ink recovery tank (not shown) through an ink recovery path (not shown) connected to the ink discharge hole 44d.

  Next, the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c in the printer 100 of the present invention will be described. When the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c is performed, first, as shown in FIG. 24, the first belt conveyance unit 5 disposed to face the lower surface of the recording unit 9 is lowered. Then, by rotating the cap unit drive motor 67 in a predetermined direction, as shown in FIG. 25, the cap unit 30 disposed below the second belt transport unit 12 is moved to the recording unit 9 and the first belt transport unit 5. Between the recording unit 9 and the recording unit 9 (first position).

  Next, the wipe unit drive motor 68 is rotationally driven in a predetermined direction to move the wipe unit 19 horizontally between the recording unit 9 and the cap unit 30 as shown in FIG. Arrange at (first position). In this state, the wiping mechanism (the support frame 40 and the wiper carriage 31) mounted on the wipe unit 19 is separated from the ink ejection surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c.

  Prior to the wiping operation, in a state where printing is not performed by the recording heads 17a to 17c, the inflow side valve 27 (see FIG. 6) is closed, and the syringe pump 21 (see FIG. 6) is pressurized, whereby the cylinder The ink 22 in 21 a is supplied to the recording heads 17 a to 17 c through the second supply path 25. The supplied ink 22 is forcibly ejected (purged) from the ink ejection nozzle 18. By this purging operation, the thickened ink, foreign matter and bubbles in the ink discharge nozzle 18 are discharged, and the recording heads 17a to 17c can be recovered.

  Next, a wiping operation for wiping off the ink 22 discharged onto the ink discharge surface F is performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 27, when the shaft 50b is rotated in a predetermined direction by a wiper lifting / lowering motor 45 (see FIG. 20) mounted on the wipe unit 19, the lift member 50a stands up and the support frame 40 and The wiper carriage 31 is lifted. As a result, the wipers 35a to 35c fixed to the wiper carriage 31 are brought into pressure contact with the wiping start positions of the ink discharge surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 28, the wiper carriage 31 is horizontally moved in the direction of arrow C by the wiper moving motor 47 (see FIG. 20), so that the wipers 35a to 35c are discharged onto the ink discharge surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c. Wipe off the ink. Waste ink wiped off by the wipers 35a to 35c is collected in an ink collection tray 44 (see FIG. 23) disposed in the wipe unit 19.

  After the wipers 35a to 35c move to the downstream end of the ink ejection surface F of the recording heads 17a to 17c, when the shaft 50b is rotated reversely by the wiper lifting / lowering motor 45, the lift member 50a falls down and the support frame 40 and the wiper are moved. The carriage 31 is lowered. As a result, as shown in FIG. 29, the wipers 35a to 35c are retracted downward from the ink ejection surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 30, the wiper carriage 31 is moved in the direction opposite to the wiping direction (arrow C ′ direction), and the wipe unit 19 is returned to the original state again.

  Then, the wipe unit 19 disposed at the first position is horizontally moved and disposed below the second belt conveyance unit 12 (second position). Similarly, the cap unit 30 disposed at the first position is disposed. After the horizontal movement and placement below the second belt conveyance unit 12 (second position), the first belt conveyance unit 5 is raised to a predetermined position, and the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c is completed.

  As described above, the cap unit 30 is disposed in the first position before the wipe unit 19 is disposed in the first position, so that the cap for performing the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c is obtained. Interference between the unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 can be avoided.

  In addition, since the cap unit 30 is always disposed between the first belt conveyance unit 5 and the wipe unit 19, waste ink, cleaning liquid, and the like wiped off by the wipers 35 a to 35 c fall on the cap unit 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the first belt conveyance unit 5 from being contaminated and the paper back stains associated therewith. At this time, if the size of the cap unit 30 is designed so that the entire wipe unit 19 overlaps, it is possible to reliably prevent the waste ink and the cleaning liquid from dropping from the wipe unit 19 to the first belt conveyance unit 5. it can.

  Next, the operation of attaching the cap unit 30 to the recording heads 17a to 17c in the printer 100 of the present invention will be described. When the cap unit 30 is attached to the recording heads 17a to 17c, first, as shown in FIG. 24, the first belt conveyance unit 5 disposed facing the lower surface of the recording unit 9 is lowered. Then, as shown in FIG. 25, the cap unit 30 disposed below the second belt conveyance unit 12 is moved horizontally between the recording unit 9 and the first belt conveyance unit 5 to face the recording unit 9. Arrange at (first position).

  Next, by raising the first belt conveyance unit 5, the cap unit 30 is pushed up along the groove 62 of the first carriages 61a and 61b as shown in FIG. Then, when the cap unit 30 comes into close contact with the recording heads 17a to 17c, the first belt conveying unit 5 is stopped from rising, thereby completing the mounting of the cap unit 30.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the number of recording heads of the recording unit 9 is not particularly limited. For example, two recording heads 17 or four or more recording heads 17 may be arranged for each of the line heads 11C to 11K. In the above embodiment, an ink jet recording apparatus using four colors of ink of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black has been described in order to obtain a full color image. However, an ink jet equipped with colored inks of different hues has been described. The present invention can also be used for recording apparatuses and inkjet recording apparatuses having different numbers of colors. In that case, the configurations of the cap unit 30 and the wipe unit 19 may be appropriately changed in accordance with the configuration of the recording unit 9.

  In the above embodiment, the second carriage 71 that supports the wipe unit 19 reciprocates only by the engagement of the second pinion gear 81 and the second rack teeth 83 on the guide rail 60a side. Alternatively, the second pinion gear 81 and the second rack teeth 83 may be provided. In this case, a mechanism for transmitting the driving force to the second pinion gear 81 on the side of the guide rail 60b is required. However, since the second carriage 71 is driven by both the guide rails 60a and 60b, the sliding rollers 90a to 90d are moved. A configuration without provision is also possible.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in an ink jet recording apparatus that includes a cap unit that caps a recording head and a wipe unit that performs recovery processing of the recording head, and performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium. By using the present invention, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that can move the cap unit and the wipe unit separately with a simple and compact configuration.

5 1st belt conveyance part (conveyance part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Recording part 11C-11K Line head 17a-17c Recording head 19 Wipe unit 30 Cap unit 31 Wiper carriage 35a-35c Wiper 45 Wiper raising / lowering motor (wiper drive mechanism)
47 Wiper movement motor (wiper drive mechanism)
50 Lifting mechanism 60a, 60b Guide rail 61a, 61b First carriage 63 Motor housing 65 Gear box 66 Shaft 67 Cap unit moving motor (cap unit drive mechanism)
68 Wipe unit moving motor (wipe unit drive mechanism)
69 First flange portion 70 First rack tooth (cap unit drive mechanism)
71 2nd carriage 72a 1st rail part 72b 2nd rail part 73 1st gear train (cap unit drive mechanism)
75a, 75b First pinion gear (cap unit drive mechanism)
80 Second gear train (wipe unit drive mechanism)
81 Second pinion gear (wipe unit drive mechanism)
82 Second flange portion 83 Second rack tooth (wipe unit drive mechanism)
90a-90d Sliding roller 93 Spring (biasing means)
100 Printer (inkjet recording device)
P paper (recording medium)

Claims (4)

A transport unit that sucks and holds the recording medium; and
A recording unit disposed opposite to the transport unit and having a recording head for discharging ink to a recording medium;
The recording head can be reciprocated between a first position facing the recording unit and a second position retracted horizontally from the first position, and the recording head is capped at the first position. A cap unit;
It is disposed above the cap unit and below the recording unit, and is capable of reciprocating between the first position and the second position, and performs recovery processing of the recording head at the first position. Wipe unit,
In an inkjet recording apparatus comprising:
A first carriage that supports the cap unit;
A second carriage disposed above the first carriage and supporting the wipe unit;
A pair of guide rails that slidably support both ends of the first carriage and the second carriage;
A first rack tooth provided on the first carriage and formed on a pair of first flange portions supported by the guide rail, a first pinion gear meshing with the first rack tooth, and the first pinion gear A cap unit moving motor that rotates in a forward and reverse direction, and a cap unit driving mechanism that moves the cap unit to the first position and the second position;
A second rack tooth formed on at least one of a pair of second flange portions provided on the second carriage and supported by the guide rail so as to overlap the first flange portion, and meshes with the second rack teeth. A wipe unit drive mechanism having a second pinion gear and a wipe unit moving motor for rotating the second pinion gear in forward and reverse directions, and moving the wipe unit to the first position and the second position And comprising
In the first flange portion, an end edge along the extending direction of the guide rail protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction from the second flange portion, and the first rack teeth are the first flange portion. Is provided at a position that does not overlap the second flange portion on the upper surface of
The second rack teeth are formed on only one of the pair of second flange portions, and the second carriage projects a plurality of slides projecting outward from the side surface along the extending direction of the guide rail. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a roller; and an urging unit that presses the sliding roller against the guide rail . A transport unit that sucks and holds the recording medium; and
A recording unit disposed opposite to the transport unit and having a recording head for discharging ink to a recording medium;
The recording head can be reciprocated between a first position facing the recording unit and a second position retracted horizontally from the first position, and the recording head is capped at the first position. A cap unit;
It is disposed above the cap unit and below the recording unit, and is capable of reciprocating between the first position and the second position, and performs recovery processing of the recording head at the first position. Wipe unit,
In an inkjet recording apparatus comprising:
A first carriage that supports the cap unit;
A second carriage disposed above the first carriage and supporting the wipe unit;
A pair of guide rails that slidably support both ends of the first carriage and the second carriage;
A first rack tooth provided on the first carriage and formed on a pair of first flange portions supported by the guide rail, a first pinion gear meshing with the first rack tooth, and the first pinion gear A cap unit moving motor that rotates in a forward and reverse direction, and a cap unit driving mechanism that moves the cap unit to the first position and the second position;
A second rack tooth formed on at least one of a pair of second flange portions provided on the second carriage and supported by the guide rail so as to overlap the first flange portion, and meshes with the second rack teeth. A wipe unit drive mechanism having a second pinion gear and a wipe unit moving motor for rotating the second pinion gear in forward and reverse directions, and moving the wipe unit to the first position and the second position And comprising
In the first flange portion, an end edge along the extending direction of the guide rail protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction from the second flange portion, and the first rack teeth are the first flange portion. Is provided at a position that does not overlap the second flange portion on the upper surface of
The wipe unit includes a wiper that wipes an ink ejection surface of the recording head, and a wiper drive mechanism that moves the wiper in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction. The wiper drive mechanism is configured to move the wiper from the recording unit of the wipe unit. It is arranged to protrude downward from the end on the far side in the horizontal direction,
The cap unit is, when in the second position, the wiper side of the drive mechanism, and wherein the to Louis inkjet recording apparatus to be placed in the space formed below the wiping unit. When the recovery process of the recording head is performed by the wipe unit, the wipe unit is moved from the second position to the first position after the cap unit is moved from the second position to the first position. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is moved . The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein when the cap unit and the wipe unit are disposed at the first position, the entire wipe unit overlaps the cap unit in a vertical direction .