JPH02179761A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the occurrence of a printing-unable state by a method wherein air through holes are provided between a suction means and respective recording heads, and ink mist produced on recording paper is recovered. CONSTITUTION:Recording heads 1C, 1M, and 1Y held by a head block 6 conduct a recording on recording paper in the order of C, M, Y, and Bk. With the increase of amount of ink in the order of C, M, Y, and Bk, ink mist is increased in this order, and the ink mist is suspended between the respective recording heads and the recording paper. The application of the ink mist to head nozzles causes a discharge impossible phenomenon. Therefore, a suction fan 502 is provided upwards of the head block 6 so that the ink mist suspending between the recording paper and the heads is passed through air through parts 500, led to a guide 501 disposed so as to over the air through parts for all of the heads, and carried to the suction fan 502. In this manner, the provision of the air through parts 500 between the suction fan and the respective recording heads 1C, 1M, 1Y, and 1Bk enables the ink mist all over a printing area to be uniformly removed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an image recording device having functions such as a facsimile machine, a copying machine, and a printer, and a multifunctional device having such functions;
The present invention relates to an image recording device used as an output device for a workstation or the like.

[Conventional technology]

Non-impact recording methods have recently attracted attention because the noise generated during recording is so small that it can be ignored. Among them, there is a possibility of high-speed recording,
Moreover, the inkjet recording method is an extremely powerful recording method that can perform recording on so-called plain paper without requiring any specific fixing process.

A recording head applied to an inkjet recording device generally includes a fine liquid ejection opening (orifice), a liquid path, an energy acting part provided in a part of this liquid path, and a droplet that acts on the liquid in the acting part. It comprises energy generating means for generating formation energy.

Energy generating means for generating such energy include recording methods using electromechanical transducers such as piezo elements, irradiating electromagnetic waves such as lasers, absorbing them into the liquid and generating heat, and generating heat due to the heat generated. A recording method using an energy generating means that ejects and flies droplets by action, or a recording method using an energy generating means that ejects a liquid by heating the liquid with an electrothermal converter such as a heating element having a heating resistor. etc. Among these, the recording head used in the inkjet recording method, which discharges liquid using thermal energy, has a high density array of liquid discharge ports (orifices) for discharging recording droplets to form flying droplets. This makes it possible to record with high resolution. Among these, a recording head that uses an electrothermal converter as a thermal energy generating means is easy to make the overall size of the recording head compact, and is based on IC technology and microelectromechanical technology, which have recently made significant advances in technology and reliability in the semiconductor field. It is possible to fully utilize the advantages of processing technology, and it is easy to make it long and planar (two-dimensional), so it is easy to make multi-nozzles and high-density packaging, and it is also highly productive in large quantities. It is also possible to provide an inkjet recording head that is inexpensive to manufacture and an apparatus having the head.

In this way, using an electrothermal converter as an energy generation means,
An inkjet recording head manufactured through a semiconductor manufacturing process generally has a liquid path corresponding to each orifice, and applies thermal energy to the liquid filling the liquid path for each liquid path to draw the liquid from the corresponding orifice. An electrothermal transducer is provided as a means for ejecting liquid to form flying droplets. Moreover, the structure is such that liquid is supplied to these liquid passages from a common liquid chamber communicating with each liquid passage.

FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of such an inkjet recording head, in which an electrothermal transducer 1103, an electrode 1104, and a liquid are formed on a substrate 1102 through semiconductor manufacturing process steps such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering. An inkjet recording head composed of a road wall 1105 and a top plate 1106 is shown.

A recording liquid 1112 is supplied from a liquid storage chamber (not shown) through a liquid supply pipe 1107 into a common liquid chamber 1108 of the recording head 1101. In the figure, 1109 is a liquid supply pipe connector. The liquid 1112 supplied into the common liquid chamber 1108 is supplied into the liquid path 1110 by a so-called capillary phenomenon, and is stably held by forming a meniscus at the discharge port surface (orifice surface) at the tip of the liquid path. By supplying electricity to the electrothermal converter 1103, the liquid on the surface of the electrothermal converter is rapidly heated, bubbles are generated in the liquid path, and the expansion and contraction of the bubbles causes the liquid to be discharged from the discharge port 1111. A droplet is formed. With the above-described configuration, a high-density ejection port arrangement such as an ejection port density of 16 nozzles/mm, 128 ejection ports or 256 ejection ports, or even a multi-nozzle inkjet in which ejection ports are arranged over the entire recording width can be achieved. A recording head can be formed.

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration example of an inkjet printing apparatus in which the above-described inkjet printing head is actually arranged in the printing apparatus. In the figure, a print head 1101 similar to the above-described print head is driven by a motor 1.
It is constructed integrally with a carriage 1214 that is reciprocated on the rail 1213a by the drive of the carriage 1216. Ink tank 1222Y, 1222M.

The ink contained in 1222C and 1222B is supplied into the recording pad 1101 by pumps 1223Y, 1223M, 1223C and 1223B. The recording member (recording paper) is conveyed along the platen roller 1212 and temporarily stopped. Then, the recording head 1101 is connected to the rail 121.
While moving forward along lines 3a and 1213b, ink is ejected to record an image. After recording an image for a predetermined paper width, the recording head 1101 moves to the rail 1213a again.

It moves back along 1213b and returns to the home position, but
During this time, the recording paper is conveyed by a desired amount by the platen roller 1212 and stopped again. Then, image recording is performed by repeating such operations.

A recording method in which printing is performed while reciprocating the recording head on the stopped recording paper is hereinafter referred to as a serial scan method.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, if the recording head is made multi-orifice and elongated to approximately the same width as the recording paper, the recording method will be completely different from the conventional serial scan method. For this reason, various problems arise that are different from those of conventional serial scan type recording apparatuses. By the way, in an inkjet recording device, ink particles ejected from a nozzle adhere to the recording paper and are recorded, but ink particles that do not adhere to the recording paper (
(hereinafter referred to as ink mist) may occur.

As the recording head has become longer and has the same width as the recording paper, the recording speed has become extremely high and the amount of ink per unit time has increased. Therefore, a problem has arisen in that the recording apparatus and other parts are contaminated by the generation of ink mist, and the functions of the apparatus are deteriorated. Furthermore, as images become colored, a plurality of long heads are used, and measures against ink mist have become necessary. For this reason, conventionally, as shown in FIG.
A mechanism has been proposed in which the ink mist generated on the recording paper is passed between the recording paper and the head, and is collected in the collection body 503.

However, in such an apparatus, in order to speed up recording and improve image quality, the space between the head and the paper is narrowed as much as possible, so that there is no air passage area by the fan, and ink mist cannot be collected properly. Therefore, the ink mist generated between the heads and the paper may adhere to the ejection opening surface (nozzle) of the head, making it impossible to print, or may adhere to the control means that control the head, causing the control means to malfunction. There were problems such as.

[Means to solve the problem]

According to the present invention, in an inkjet recording device that performs recording using a long multi-nozzle head, ink mist generated on recording paper is removed by providing an air passage section between each recording head or near each recording head. .

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1(c) is a schematic sectional view of an image recording apparatus for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. First, the outline of the image recording apparatus of this embodiment will be explained using FIG. 1(c). In the figure, 301 is a part of a scanner that reads a document and converts it into an electrical signal.

A signal based on the converted signal is sent to the printer section 30.
The signal is given to the recording head section 305 of No. 2 as a drive signal. Recording paper, which is one of the recording members stored in the paper feed section 303, is fed sheet by sheet toward the belt conveyance section 304 when necessary. When the recording paper passes through the belt conveyance section 304, an image is recorded by the recording head section 305, and the recording paper is sent out to the tray 420 via the fixing paper discharge section 307. Note that 306 is a recovery cap portion, which has a function to maintain the recording head portion 305 in a state where printing is possible at all times. Each of the above configurations will be explained in detail below.

First, it is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of a full-line printer and an ink supply means used in this embodiment.
601 is the recording head, 1652 is the recording head 160
A common liquid chamber 1653 in the recording liquid ejecting surface 1654 is an ejection port for ejecting liquid. Therefore, the number of ejection ports 1653 of this embodiment is arranged in the same number as the recordable width of the target recording material, and each of the ejection ports 1653 is
By selectively driving a heating element provided in a liquid path (not shown) leading to the head 653, it is possible to eject the recording liquid and perform recording without moving or scanning the head itself.

1655 is a recording liquid supply tank for supplying recording liquid to the recording head 1601; 1656 is a main tank for replenishing the supply tank 1655 with recording liquid;
55 to the recording head 16 through a supply pipe 1657.
When replenishing the recording liquid, the recording liquid can be refilled from the main tank 1656 to the supply tank 1655 by a recovery bomb 1659 via a one-way replenishment rectifier valve 1658. Also, 16
60 is a one-way recovery rectifier valve used during a recovery operation to recover the ejection function of the recording head 1601;
1661 is a circulation pipe in which a recovery rectifier valve 1660 is interposed, and 1662 is the above-mentioned first supply pipe 16.
A solenoid valve 57 is installed, and 1663 is an air vent valve for the supply tank.

In the recording head 1601 and its recording supply system and recovery system configured in this way, when recording is performed, the solenoid valve 16
62 is kept in an open state, and recording liquid is supplied from the supply tank 1655 to the common liquid chamber 1652 by its own weight, and from the liquid chamber 1652 to the discharge port 165 via a liquid path (not shown).
I am guided by 3. In addition, during a recovery operation performed to remove air bubbles remaining in the common liquid chamber 1652 and the supply system and to cool the recording head 1601, the recovery pump 1659 is driven to supply the recording liquid to the common liquid chamber 16 through the circulation pipe 1661.
52 and from the common liquid chamber 1652 to the first supply pipe 16
57 allows the recording liquid to be returned to the supply tank 1655 for circulation. Furthermore, at the time of initial filling of the liquid path, etc., with the solenoid valve 1662 closed, the pump 1659 pumps the recording liquid through the circulation pipe 1661 to the common liquid chamber 1652, and as the bubbles are discharged, the recording liquid is discharged from the discharge port 1653. can be done.

Normally, such a recording head is left with ink remaining inside the ink ejection openings when not recording. A capping means having a cap that can be joined to the ejection port surface or the ejection port side of the print head is provided, and the cap and the print head are bonded during non-printing, so that the print head can be covered with a cap and the surroundings can be covered. The evaporation of the ink liquid in the liquid path and its attendant effects are avoided by sealing the air space at the joint part with ink vapor and bringing the space formed by the cap and the recording head to the saturated vapor pressure of the ink. Prevents increase in viscosity and drying of ink in the liquid path. However, in low-humidity environments or when recording is stopped for a long period of time, the viscosity of the ink may increase even if the above-mentioned capping is performed to prevent the ink liquid in the liquid path from evaporating. During printing after the printing pause period, it may not be possible to prevent ink from being ejected from the ejection ports or from being ejected unstablely. In the present invention, the problem of whether or not ink is ejected for the first time after a pause is solved as follows.
called "problem". To solve this problem, as described above, the recovery pump 1659 is driven to circulate and pressurize the ink, and an ink circulation and pressure means is also used to discharge the ink from all the ejection ports of the recording head. There is. Furthermore, if the above-mentioned non-ejection condition is slight, the entire energy generating means of the head is driven to perform an ink ejection operation similar to that used for recording on paper or the like. Since this is not ejection for recording an image, it is hereinafter referred to as "dry ejection" in the present invention.

As mentioned above, if the ink dries up due to being left in a non-recording state for a long time and its viscosity increases and it becomes stuck in the ejection port and/or the liquid path, pressurized circulation of the ink will cause the non-recording state to occur again. If the stuck state is slight in a relatively short period of time, the head is rotated to a state where printing can be performed by an idle ejection operation.

A recording member suitably used in this embodiment will be described.

In the inkjet recording method, small droplets of recording liquid called ink are ejected and recorded by adhering them to the surface of a recording paper such as paper. It is necessary that the image does not become blurry. In addition, the ink that adheres to the recording member is quickly absorbed into the recording member, and there is no phenomenon of ink flowing out or seeping, especially when ink of different colors is repeatedly adhered to the same location within a short period of time. In addition, properties that can suppress the spread of printed dots to a level that does not impair the clarity of the image quality are preferred.These properties are suitable for copy paper called plain paper used in electrophotographic copying machines, etc. In some cases, the paper used as general recording paper is not fully satisfactory.On these papers, printing in only one color or overlapping two colors often results in a somewhat satisfactory image quality. However, when the amount of ink adhering to paper increases, such as when printing and recording a full-color image by overlapping inks of three or more colors, it may not be possible to record a sufficiently satisfactory image quality.

In the inkjet recording apparatus of this embodiment, the paper that satisfies the above-mentioned characteristics is coated with a coating (for example, finely powdered silicic acid) on the base paper that can obtain the above-mentioned characteristics, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 148583/1983. It is preferable to use a recording member that has been subjected to. The ink is attached to the coating surface of the recording member. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to record a higher quality image, coated paper is used when recording an image using ink of three or more colors, and coated paper is used when recording an image using ink of one or two colors. I try to select and use non-coated paper (paper that is not coated as described above). However, it is perfectly acceptable to record images using coated paper using one or two color inks.

In the scanner part 301, 401 is a document, and 402 is a document scanning unit that scans the document. The document scanning unit 402 includes a rod eye lens 403, a life-size color separation line sensor (color image sensor) 404, and an exposure means 405. At least the document scanning unit 402 should read the image of the document 401 on the document table.
When moving and scanning in the direction of arrow A, the exposure lamp in the exposure means 405 in the document scanning unit 402 is turned on.
Reflected light from a document 401 is guided by a rod array lens 403 to a 1-magnification color separation line sensor (hereinafter referred to as a reading sensor) 40 which is a color information reading sensor.
The color image information of the document is read by color and converted into electrical digital signals. This digital signal is sent to the printer section 302. Driving signals based on these signals are supplied to the recording heads for each color, and liquid is ejected.

FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are schematic cross-sectional views of a part of the printer in the image recording apparatus according to the present invention. The state of the recording head during the recovery operation will be explained using FIG. 2(a). IC,IM.

IY and IBk are inkjet recording heads to which cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks are supplied, respectively. Each head is fixed to the head block 6 with high precision (fixed), and the parallelism of each head, the distance between the heads, etc. are guaranteed within a desired precision.The heads IC and IM of each color.

Near the ejection ports of IY and IBk, there are ink absorbers, 3C, for absorbing ink corresponding to the ejection ports of each head.
, 3M, 3Y, and 38k are installed.

The ink absorbers 3C, 3M, 3Y, and 3Bk are supported by an absorber guide 7 so as to be movable toward and away from the ejection surfaces of the recording heads IC, IM, IY, and IBk. Figure 2 (a
), the ink absorbers 3C and 3Y are attached to the recording head I.
It shows the state where it is removed from the ejection surface of C and IY. Further, the ink absorbers 3M and 3Bk are connected to the recording head IM.
It is shown in contact with the discharge surface of IBk and IBk.

An ink partition plate 8 is provided between the ink absorbers. Further, an ink seal 4 is provided between each partition plate 8 and the head block 6 to seal ink between each color. Further, an ink squeezing member 5 is provided near each ink absorber, and the ink absorbers 3C, 3M, and 3Y are controlled by a lever (not shown).

It is now possible to squeeze out the ink absorbed by 38k and let it fall. FIG. 2(a) shows a state in which the ink absorber 3Y of the yellow head IY is squeezed.

A head block 6 to which recording heads IC, IM, IY, and IBk are fixed is removably inserted into a block stay 9 via a rail 15. Further, this block stay 9 can rotate integrally with the head block 7 and each color head about the rotation center N as an axis. The recovery system container 2 can be moved from the recovery operation state in FIG. 2(a) to the retreat position shown by the two-dot chain line by a moving mechanism (not shown). Further, an ink discharger 13 is provided at the bottom of the recovery system container 2, and the recording head IC, IM, IY
, IBk, and the ink absorbers 3C, 3M, 3Y
, 3Bk and collected is guided to a discharge ink tank (not shown) via a discharge ink hose (not shown).

FIG. 2(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of essential parts showing the state of the recording head during image recording. After the recovery system container 2 moves to the retracted position from the state shown in FIG. 2(a) (after moving to the area indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2(a)), the recording head moves as shown in FIG.
As shown in b), it has been rotated to the horizontal position. In this state, ink is ejected based on the image recording signal of each head, and an image is formed on the recording paper that is conveyed at a desired distance from the ejection surface P of the recording head.

Next, the recovery operation by the recovery system will be explained in more detail.

For convenience, the recovery operation is divided into three parts: (1) capping, (2) preliminary (empty) ejection, and (2) ink discharge, and these operations will be explained in order.

First, the capping operation will be explained.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the capping state of the recording head. In this figure, recording heads IC, LM, and IY are arranged side by side in a head block 6.

IBk is a recovery/cap part 30 as a discharge recovery means.
6. The recovery system container 2 includes an ink seal 4, a partition plate 8, and ink absorbers 3C and 3M.

3Y and 3Bk are arranged, and the ink absorber usually has a certain gap from the head ejection surface. As a result, the vicinity of the ejection ports of the recording heads IC, IM, IY, and IBk are covered by the ink seal 4, the partition plate 8, and the ink absorbers 3C, 3.
Surrounded by M, 3Y, and 3Bk, it is possible to maintain an appropriate humidity state and prevent the head ejection port from drying out. As described above, capping prevents ink from being ejected when the recording head is at rest, during standby, etc., and also protects the ejection ports and prevents dust and the like from adhering to or entering the vicinity of the ejection ports.

Next, (1) preliminary (empty) ejection operation will be explained. Fourth
The figure is a schematic diagram showing the idle ejection operation. Similar to the above-described capping operation, the print head IC,
An arbitrary number of ink ejection pulses are applied to the ejection energy generating means of all the IM, IY, and IBk heads. In this way, it is possible to prevent ejection failure due to ink sticking to all ejection ports, and prevent ejection failure and image disturbance due to ink with a changed viscosity. Normally, the idle ejection operation is set to be performed at copy time 08.

Next, (1) ink ejection operation will be explained. Figure 5 (
1) to (4) are the recovery/cap section 3 when performing ink pressurized circulation operation in the ink supply system as ink discharge operation.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the operation in 06. The operations in the recovery/cap section 306 include (1) normal capping, (2) pressurized ink circulation, (3) absorbent squeezing/wiping, (
4) There are cycles (1) to (4) of absorber contact.

(1) to (4) in FIG. 5 correspond to these.

First, (1) capping refers to the aforementioned capping, which is a normal standby state or hibernation state. In this state, when the pressurized ink circulation mode is selected, for example, by a command from the user or the host computer, the state shown in FIG. 5(2) is reached. That is, each ink absorber 3C, 3M, 3Y, 3Bk, which was held with a certain gap, is moved to the recording head IC, IM.

Abuts on each of IY and IBk. In this state, the corresponding ink absorbers and head ejection surfaces are joined together. In this state, each recording head 3C, 3M.

Ink supply pumps (not shown) are driven in 3Y and 3Bk to forcibly increase the ink supply pressure. Due to this,
Ink circulates through the ink supply system through the head to remove internal air bubbles, and pressurized ink is also discharged from the ejection ports. As a result, dust and the like adhering to the ejection surface are also removed together with the discharged ink, and the vicinity of the ejection port is cleaned. As described above, the ink discharged from the head discharge ports is absorbed by the ink absorber 3 (3C) which is in contact with the discharge surface.
, 3M.

3Y, 3Bk), the ink is absorbed without leaking to other parts, and the ink that exceeds the maximum saturation amount in the absorber is
Due to its own weight, the ink travels through the absorber and falls into the recovery container 2, passes through the ink drain tube 13, and is discharged to the ink drain hose 12.
into a drain ink tank (not shown). The pressurized circulation time at this time, that is, the pressurization time of the supply pump, is preferably about 0.5 seconds to several seconds in view of the efficiency of removing fixed ink and bubbles.

Next, (3) absorbent squeezing and wiping will be explained.

(2) When the pressurized circulation is completed, the ink absorber 3 that was in contact with the head ejection surface is separated from the ejection surface again. In this state, the ink that is almost saturated in the ink absorber 3 is squeezed out by the squeezing member 5. The squeezed ink travels through the absorber guide 7 and the partition plate 8 due to its own weight, falls into the recovery container 2, and is discharged into the ink drain tank 13.
The ink is discharged through the ink discharge hose 12 and guided into the ink tank.

At the same time, the ink absorber 3 is removed from the head ejection surface, and at the same time as the absorber is squeezed, the ejection surface wiping blade 88 is driven to remove the ejected ink, dirt, and deposits remaining on the head ejection surface. etc. can be wiped out. The wiped ink and the like fall onto the ink absorber 3, but since the above-mentioned squeezing operation is being performed at the same time, these fallen objects also fall into the recovery container 2 along with the squeezed out ink. It is further guided to the waste ink tank. That is, at the same time as the ink absorber 3 is removed from the ejection surface, the blade 88 removes the adhering residue on the ink ejecting surface and squeezes out the adhering material together with the excess ink in the ink absorber. .

This is the above-mentioned (3) absorber squeezing and wiping operation. When the ink absorber 3 is squeezed by the throttle member 5, its absorption capacity is restored and it is ready for the next ink absorption. The ink absorber 3 is preferably made of, for example, PVF resin, which is a highly absorbent sponge, and is preferably one that can withstand repeated use. In this example, Bell Eater (trade name) manufactured by Kanebo Co., Ltd., for example, was used. The absorber, which has squeezed out the absorbed ink, then comes into contact with the ejection surface of the head again. This is (4) absorber contact. In step (2), the absorber was almost saturated, so the ink that could not be completely absorbed from the ejection surface of the head was squeezed out to restore its absorption capacity.
It is completely cleaned by contacting the clean absorber.

After performing the series of operations (1) to (4), the capping (1), that is, the standby state is performed again, and the cleaned head is maintained in good condition. Normally, these pressurized circulation operations are performed when the power of the main body is turned on or after a long standby period.

As described above, by performing the recovery operations of ■cap, ■dry discharge, and ■ink pressurization circulation, ink discharge, that is, disturbances in recorded images due to discharge failure during image formation can be prevented (
recovery).

Next, the printing operation will be explained. Figure 6(a)-(
f) is a state diagram when printing operation starts from the standby state of the recovery system described above. First, regarding (a) cap, it is the above-mentioned (2) cap state, which is a normal standby state or a hibernation state. By selecting the print mode (copy ON) in this state, the above-described idle ejection operation is first performed. Next, see Figure 6 (
b) The state shown in "head up" is reached, that is, the state in which the recording head section 305 is retracted upward. In this state, the recovery system container 2 as the recovery/cap part 306
moves toward the upper right in the figure. This state is (c) unit open, and after this state, next (d) head down is performed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6(d), the head is placed in a printable state (position),
Further, the recovery system container 2 is placed in the retreat position. In this state,
Recording paper is passed from the right direction in the figure, keeping a constant gap from the head ejection surface, while the heads IC, LM, IY,
An image signal is input to IBk, ink is ejected,
Printing is performed on recording paper.

When the print on the recording paper is completed, that is, the head has finished discharging the ink, the head-up operation is performed again as shown in FIG. 6(e), and then the head is recovered as shown in FIG. 6(f). The system container 2 is moved to the head side position and is again shown in FIG. 6 (
The printer enters the state a), that is, the cap state, and enters the standby state in preparation for the next printing. A normal copy operation is performed through the series of operations (a) to (f) above. In addition, the above-mentioned O ink circulation can be performed in (a) capping operation in this operation, that is, at a predetermined timing during standby operation, for example, when the power is turned on or every fixed period of time, thereby increasing the throughput. prevent the decline of
Moreover, a good image can be obtained.

FIG. 7 shows the registration rollers (FIG. 1(C) 415
, 416) reaches the conveyor belt 101 along guide plates 417, 418. The conveyor belt 101 has an insulating layer (preferably a volume resistivity of 10'2 Ωcm or more) on the recording paper loading side, and a conductive layer (volume resistivity 10'2 Ωcm or more) on the opposite side.
It is desirable that it be less than 'Ω·cm. ) has a two-layer structure. This conveyor belt 101 includes a drive roller 102,
Followed roller 103, tension rollers 104, 105
It is wound around and attached with a tension of, for example, 2 to 5 kg. The conveyor belt 101 is moved in the direction of arrow AA in the figure by a motor (not shown) that is connected to a drive roller 102 and applies a driving force to the drive roller 102 .

The recording paper is placed on the conveyor belt lO1 immediately before the conductive roller 107. At this time, the surface of the conveyor belt 101 is given a potential of several hundred to several thousand volts by the charger 106. When the recording paper placed on the conveyor belt 101 reaches the grounded conductive roller 107, the recording paper and the conveyor belt lO
Since the recording paper 1 is maintained in close contact with the conveyor belt 101 by electrostatic adsorption force, the recording paper adheres closely to the conveyor belt 101 and moves together with the conveyor belt 101.

In this state, the recording paper reaches the recording area facing the recording head section 305. The recording head unit 305 has a head block 6 and recording heads IC, IM, IY, and IBk, and a platen 115 is provided on the side facing the recording heads IC, IM, IY, and IBk via a conveyor belt 101. There is. Further, the platen 115 is provided with a pin 116,
The platen 115 is moved by the spring 117 and the guide pin 118.
is pressed and supported on the recording head section 305 side. In the recording area, set the distance between the recording heads IC, IM, IY, IBk and the recording surface of the recording paper by 100% to the desired setting value.
In order to obtain high-quality image recording, it is desirable to maintain accuracy on the order of μm. For this purpose, the platen 115 is arranged such that the surface of the platen 115 in contact with the conveyor belt 101 is such that the conveyor belt 101 forms a substantially flat surface in the recording area.
The flatness of No. 15 is kept within several tens of μm.

Further, the recording heads IC, LM, IY, and 1Bk are positioned and fixed to the head block 6 so that the flatness of the plane formed by the ejection port surfaces of all the heads is within several tens of μm. Further, a pin 116 for positioning is attached to the platen 115. In this state, the platen 115 is guided by the guide pin 118, and the spring 1
If the repulsive force of pin 117 pushes it up in the direction of head block 6, the top of pin 116 and head block 6 will come into contact.
A gap l is formed for the recording paper to pass through. When the recording paper is conveyed with this configuration, the recording paper adheres to the conveyor belt lot due to electrostatic adsorption force, so the distance accuracy between the recording surface of the recording paper and the ejection orifice surface of each recording head in the recording area is improved. is kept within a desired range relative to the set point.

When the recording paper passes through this recording area, the recording head IC,
Images are recorded in sequence according to recording information using LM, IY, and IBk. At this time, if the speed fluctuation of the conveyor belt 101 is large, the recording position by each head will be shifted, resulting in color misregistration and color unevenness in the color image. In order to prevent this, the thickness accuracy of the conveyor belt 101, the drive roller 10
The outer diameter deflection of No. 2, the rotation accuracy of the drive motor, etc. are kept within desired ranges, and the speed fluctuations of the conveyor belt 101 are sufficiently small so that there is no substantial problem.

The recording paper recorded in the recording area reaches the drive roller 102 while remaining in close contact with the conveyor belt 1O1, where it is separated from the conveyor belt 101 by the curvature of the conveyor belt formed by the drive roller 102, and is sent to the fixing section.

After that, the surface of the conveyor belt 101 is covered with an ink absorber 119.
It is cleaned by a cleaner 120 equipped with.

The ink absorber 119 is formed of a continuous porous member such as polyvinyl formal resin, and the absorbed ink flows out from the opening 120 and is collected.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the conveyor belt 101 has a two-layer structure having an insulating layer and a conductive layer. Alternatively, it may have a multilayer structure including an insulating layer and a conductive layer.

The configuration of the fixing section will be explained in detail below.

In the inkjet recording method, ink is attached to a recording member, and the ink permeates into the recording member and becomes fixed. Alternatively, the ink is fixed on the recording member through an evaporation process of the ink solvent.

However, the time from when this ink adheres until it is fixed, that is, the fixing speed, not only depends greatly on the composition and physical properties of the recording member, but also varies depending on the external atmosphere. The settling speed cannot be made shorter than a certain time due to physical properties.

In many conventional serial scan recording apparatuses, fixing performance can be addressed with a somewhat simple configuration due to the recording speed. However, in recent years, as high-speed recording and color recording have been performed using line printers and the like, there have been cases where the ink is not sufficiently fixed on the recording member and is transported and discharged outside the apparatus.

Therefore, a fixing means is required to shorten the fixing speed and improve efficiency, and the configuration thereof is shown in FIG.

In the figure, a heating element 200 connects a surface of a recording member 210 to which no ink is attached (non-recording surface) to another heating element 2.
01 heats each surface of the recording member 210 to which ink is attached (recording surface). This heating element may be a halogen lamp, a sheathed heater, a thermistor, etc., but in this configuration, the heating element 200 uses several thermistors with a temperature control function, and is made of aluminum or the like with excellent heat transfer properties. The recorded member 2
10 non-recording surfaces were contact heated. On the other hand, the heating element 20
1 uses a halogen heater, and a fan 203 provided above a heating element 201 sends warm air onto the recording member 210 to heat the recording surface of the recording member 210 in a non-contact manner.

Even if the recording member 210 rises from the conveyor table 202 due to ink adhesion and curls peculiar to inkjet, the recording member 210 is reliably sent along the hot conveyor table 202 because the fan 203 sends warm air downward. . Therefore, since both sides of the recording member 210 are sufficiently dried, ink penetration is promoted, and the fixing speed is significantly reduced due to the synergistic effect.

The fixing temperature is set by a thermistor and a thermostat 204 that controls the temperature of the heater, and can be appropriately controlled according to the paper quality of the recording material. In addition, in order to prevent the fixing heat from affecting the ink in the head and supply system, a partition plate 205 with a heat insulating material such as glass fiber bonded to the surface is provided, and a heat resistant material such as polyphenylene oxide (PPO) is provided in the heater holder 206. Uses superior resin to prevent excessive transfer of fixing heat. Furthermore, an exhaust fan 207 is provided to exhaust excess fixing heat to the outside of the machine.

In addition, a heater cover 208 such as a wire mesh is installed in consideration of safety in the event of a jam of the recording member.

With the above configuration, the recording member 210 can be fixed by direct heating on the non-recording surface and heating with hot air on the recording surface, thereby preventing the recording from occurring in the inkjet recording method, especially in color inkjet recording in which ink droplets are overlaid, for example. It is possible to prevent deterioration in fixing performance due to curling of the member.

Next, an explanation will be given using the flowcharts of FIGS. 14 to 22 and the steps up to the step of image recording after power-on of the apparatus. 15 to 22 show subroutines of the flowchart of FIG. 14.

First, when the power of the image recording device is turned on, the following state diagrams are shown in Fig. 5. A series of operations (subroutine in Figure 15: ink pressurization circulation operation)
After that, the state returns to (1) capping state. Due to this series of operations (Step 1 in Figure 3), the device is stopped for a long time before the power is turned on, and the ink thickens (dries).
It is possible to prevent ink from not ejecting due to sticking or bubbles (increased viscosity due to evaporation of the solvent). The series of operations that follow the above (1) capping, (2) ink pressurization circulation, (3) absorber squeezing, (4) absorber contact, and (1) capping are hereinafter referred to as ink pressurization circulation operation. The ink pressurization circulation operation is not executed only immediately after power is turned on. For example, if the ink is used in a high temperature or high humidity environment where the viscosity of the ink tends to increase, or if the product is not used for a long time after the power is turned on,
Considering that problems such as sticking and bubble formation may occur if left unused, the ink is pressurized and circulated every fixed period of time (within an allowable period in which the above problems do not occur, hereinafter referred to as cycle time) using a timer or the like. The problem is solved by making the user perform an action. Furthermore, a humidity sensor (not shown) is provided near the recording head unit 305, and its signals are used to control changes in how many hours the ink pressurization circulation operation is performed and for how many seconds the ink pressurization time is performed. It is carried out. That is, when used in a low humidity condition, the cycle time is shortened or the ink pressurization time is lengthened. It has also been confirmed that changing both at the same time is even more effective.

Here, unless a recording start signal is input, the capping state shown in FIG. 3 is maintained. When the recording start signal is input, as explained in FIG. 4, a blank discharge operation is performed in which a fixed number of discharge pulses are given to all nozzles of all recording heads to cause them to discharge ink, thereby preventing non-discharge immediately before recording. conduct. This is shown in step 2 in FIG. The number of pulses for this idle ejection is also controlled by the signal from the humidity sensor, similar to the above-described ink pressurization circulation operation. That is, when the humidity is low, the number of idle ejection pulses is increased. The difference in effectiveness in preventing ejection failure between the ink pressurization circulation operation and the idle ejection operation is greater in the former (therefore, even with the idle ejection operation, the time during which it is not possible to prevent ejection failure due to ink thickening, sticking, etc.) is greater. This is a determining factor in the cycle time for the pressurized ink circulation operation.Therefore, when not in use, the capping means shuts off the ejection surface of the recording head from the outside air and prevents the ink from drying and sticking to some extent. , is configured such that all the nozzles of the head become ready for ejection only by a dry ejection operation.This dry ejection operation is performed as shown in FIG. 6 ( As shown in a) to (d), a unit oven operation is performed in which the head moves upward and retreats, and then retreats toward the upper right of the recovery container 2.

This operation is shown in FIG. 22 as a subroutine: unit oven operation. Next, the head unit 305 swings around the rotation center N so that the head ejection surface is vertically downward, that is, facing the surface of the transport head 101 (a head-down operation is performed. This is performed in step 3 in FIG. 14). ). The head part 305 comes into contact with an abutting surface (not shown) provided on the head block 6 and a bottle 116 provided on the platen 115, and stops at a position where it is pushed down slightly against the spring 117 pushing up the platen 115. do. The stop position is detected by a printing position detection sensor and the printing is stopped. Furthermore, a worm gear (not shown) is used as part of the transmission system for the drive source for swinging the head section 305, and due to the characteristics of the angle of progression, the head section 305 is pushed up by the reaction force of the spring 117. It is possible to maintain a stopped state without any trouble. The head is now ready for printing. Next, a paper feeding operation is performed, and as shown in the subroutine flowchart in FIG. Pair of register rollers 415, 4 stopped after passing through
It is fed into the nip section of No. 16. Here, after the leading edge of the sheet contacts the nip portion of the pair of register rollers 415 and 416, the paper is transported by the conveying rollers 413 and 414 for a further period of time.
The sheet is further fed out, and a loop is formed in the guide portion 419 by that amount. This operation is a means of register alignment normally performed by electrophotographic copying machines, etc., and the loop force is used to align the leading edge of the sheet and correct paper skew.

Next, the register roller pair 415, 416 starts rotating and is sent onto the conveyor belt 101 via the guides 417, 418. Based on the signal to start the rotation of the register roller pair 415, 416, a signal to start scanning the document is generated. A print start signal is issued for each head IC, IM, IY, and IBk. The recording paper fed onto the conveyor belt 101 is brought into close contact with the surface of the conveyor belt 101 sequentially from its tip by electrostatic adsorption force, and the recording heads Ic, IM, IY, IBk
When passing directly under the recording paper, printing is performed with the above-described means maintaining an appropriate gap between the head ejection surface and the recording paper surface. This situation is shown as a subroutine flowchart in FIG. 19. After that, the paper is conveyed to the fixing/discharge unit 307, but when the paper is passed from the conveyor belt lO1 to the guide 213, the diameter of the drive roller 102 is set relatively small, and the stiffness of the paper is This is done by means of so-called curvature separation, which causes natural separation. Here, the diameter of the drive roller 102 is determined by the distance traveled by the surface of the belt 101 that is frictionally driven by one rotation of the drive roller 102 between the first head, IC, and the fourth head, IB.
It is set to be equal to the distance between the respective ejection ports of k. This is done in consideration of the fact that if there is an eccentric component in the diameter of the drive roller 102, it will occur as a registration shift on the image.

Ideally, the surface of the belt 101 would be driven by one revolution of the drive roller by the distance between the ejection ports of adjacent heads, but in consideration of mechanical strength, the surface of the drive roller 10
There is a limit to the minimum value of the diameter of 2, and when this is taken into account, it is relatively large.

This requires three times the distance between the four heads, resulting in an increase in the size of the device. Therefore, the head distance is the farthest, and the first one is the one that includes many other causes of registration misalignment.
The interval between the th head and the 4th head is considered. However, it may be between the first head and the third head, or of course between adjacent heads,
It is not limited to the above. However, some consideration must be given to the diameter of the drive roller and the distance between the heads as described above.

Next, there is a fixing process for the paper sent to the fixing/discharging unit 307, and there are three modes in this regard. This will be explained using the subroutine flowchart in FIG. As described above, when coated paper is used as recording paper, there is no need for fixing, but when non-coated paper called plain paper is used in so-called electrophotographic copying machines, a fixing means is required. That is, the first mode is a plain paper mode, and when recording and printing is performed on plain paper, power is turned on to the heating element A200 and the heating element B201 at the same time in response to the recording start signal. Power is turned on to the fan 203 when the paper is transferred from the conveyor belt 101 to the guide 213 by a timer means in response to the rotation start signal of the register rollers 415 and 416.

This is because it takes about 1 to 2 seconds for the halogen heater of the heating element B201 to rise to the set temperature, and if the fan 203 is rotated and air is applied to the halogen heater from the time it starts up, this rise time will be extended, and the paper will move to the fixing section. 30
This is because the temperature does not reach the set temperature when the toner is conveyed to No. 7, and the fixing effect is degraded. Next, when using the coated paper in the second mode in FIG. 21 as recording paper, a mode key for selecting coated paper is provided on the operation section (not shown).
After selecting this key, image recording is performed in response to a recording start signal, but at this time, power is not turned on for both the heating element A 200 and the heating element B 201. As described above, in coated paper, the ink is quickly absorbed into the paper, so that the above-mentioned fixing assisting means is not necessary. However, in consideration of the unlikely event of an operational error, the first mode, plain paper mode, is the priority mode, and the second mode, coated paper mode, is not selected by the operator as described above. The fixing auxiliary means is activated. Therefore, even if an image compatible with coated paper is mistakenly printed on plain paper, the problem of ink being offset to the discharge roller 211 (described later) and disturbing other recording papers can be prevented.

Furthermore, this device has a third mode shown in Fig. 21, which is an overhead projector film (OH
P) Paper (film) mode.

The OHP paper used in this device is coated with properties similar to those of coated paper, but despite this, if the same area is repeatedly printed in a short period of time, the ink may run out or bleed. Furthermore, it takes a long time for the ink to be completely absorbed into the coating layer, and if something comes into contact with the image surface during the complicated printing time, problems such as image disturbance and offset may occur. To prevent this problem, the next time the images are superimposed is lengthened to allow time for the ink to be absorbed. Furthermore, to prevent offset etc., the time from printing to contacting the image surface is lengthened. Alternatively, it is conceivable to intervene with a fixing means during that time. In this device, all conveyance speeds related to paper feeding, such as paper feed speed, heald conveyance speed, and ejection speed, are reduced to a speed that solves the above problem while maintaining the ratios adopted in the first and second modes. (low speed mode), etc.
At the same time, of course, the drive frequency of the head is also changed so that an appropriate image can be printed. That is, the operation section (not shown) is provided with an OHP mode selection key, and when this mode is selected and a recording start signal is input, the paper feed section 303 moves the registration roller 415,
416, the conveyance speed of the belt of the bell I/transport unit 304, and the discharge speed of the paper discharge rollers 211 and 212 are all set to the low speed mode conveyance, and the heating element A20
0. The heating element B201 and the fan 203 are also powered on at the same timing as in the first mode to assist in fixing.

The plain paper, coated paper, and OHP paper mentioned above are ultimately transported and kicked out by the paper ejection rollers 211 and 212 and stacked on the tray 420, but the transport speed of each paper transport section described above is different. The reasons and contents are described below.

In the configuration of this apparatus, the process speed determined by the recording speed of the apparatus is achieved by the conveyance speed of the conveyor belt 101. That is, the conveyance speed of the conveyor belt 101 is set to be the same as the process speed. Therefore, if printing from the head is done at a correspondingly accurate speed, if the conveyance speed of the conveyor belt 101 is slower than the set speed, the image will shrink in the conveyance direction compared to the normal one, and conversely, if it is faster, it will expand and print. It will be formed.

On the other hand, the conveyance speed of the register rollers 415 and 416 is set to be slightly faster than the conveyance speed of the conveyor belt 101. This is to prevent the conveyance force of the register rollers 415 and 416 from affecting the conveyance force of the belt 101. For example, if the conveyance speed of the register rollers 415 and 416 is set slower than the speed of the belt 101, the paper is conveyed by the register rollers 415 and 416, and the receiver is passed to the belt 101 and held by electrostatic adsorption on its surface. However, at the position where the first head starts printing, only a portion of the paper from the leading edge is attracted, and at this time, the conveying force of the register rollers 415 and 416 is applied to the conveying force of the belt 101. Overcoming the force, the register roller 415,
Since the paper is controlled by the conveyance speed of belt 10
As the conveyance of the paper 1 progresses, the number of sheets being attracted increases, and an abnormal image is formed until the conveyance force overcomes the conveyance force of the rollers 415 and 416. For this reason, in this device, the roller pair 41
The conveyance speed of 5.416 is set higher than the conveyance speed of 101 (bell), and the distortion of the paper caused by the speed difference is eliminated by forming a loop between the guides 417 and 418. Therefore, in this configuration, the roller vs. 415.4
The conveying force of the belt 101 does not affect the conveying force of the belt 101. However, if the speed difference is set to a large value, the loop becomes large and the suction operation becomes unstable due to fluttering or the like. Therefore, the speed difference should be zero or so small that the speed difference does not reverse, and it has been experimentally found that a ratio of about 0 to 1.5% is good. Next, the conveyance speed of the paper discharge section will be described. In a normal configuration, the belt 101 and the paper ejection roller 211.2 do not affect the conveyance speed of the belt, like the relationship between the pair of registration rollers and the conveyance belt described above.
However, in this apparatus, a fixing means such as a heating element A200 is installed on the downstream side of the belt conveyance device 304, which also serves as a guide, and the sheet is moved along the surface of the conveyance table 202. Since the sheet is heated from the back side, if a loop is formed here, the sheet will not be able to follow the surface of the conveyor table 202, and the fixing effect will be significantly reduced. Therefore, in the configuration of this apparatus, the conveyance speed of the paper discharge rollers 211 and 212 is set to be faster than the conveyance speed of the belt 101, so that the paper does not form a loop. Further, at this time, the conveyance table 20 of the heating element A200 is placed at a position slightly higher than the plane obtained by connecting the suction surface of the belt 101 and the nip position of the paper ejection rollers 211 and 212.
2 paper transport surfaces are set, and when the leading edge of the paper is sandwiched between paper ejection rollers 211 and 212, the paper is further transported along the surface of the transport table 202. Here, the paper ejection rollers 211 and 212 are adjusted so that the conveyance force of the paper ejection rollers 211 and 212 does not become larger than the suction force of the belt 101 against the paper.
The conveying force of 2 has been optimized. The surface of the paper ejection roller 211 that comes into contact with the image surface of the paper is flocked with nylon fibers to reduce the frictional force, taking into consideration measures to prevent offset during fixing. ) etc., thereby achieving a conveying force lower than that of the belt lO1.

The above-mentioned transport speed configuration allows smooth recording without disturbing the image during printing.

Now, to explain in detail the conveying performance of the belt conveying section 304, as mentioned above, fluctuations in the conveying speed of this conveying section 304 not only affect the expansion and contraction of the image, but also minute fluctuations in speed can affect color images, etc. When an image is formed by overlapping inks, it causes image defects such as misregistration and color unevenness. Therefore, the drive source of the drive roller 102 and the drive roller 10
The conveyance movement of the belt 101 (the wow and flutter of conveyance) must be carried out with sufficient consideration to the outer diameter accuracy of the belt 2 and the thickness accuracy of the belt 101. In addition to these factors, the transport section 3
It is also necessary to take into account things that cause disturbance to the 04 and worsen wow and flutter, and in this device, when the paper sent out from the register rollers 415 and 416 is passed onto the belt 101, As mentioned above, the conveying speed of the pair of register rollers 415 and 416 is equal to the belt 10.
1, the belt 101 has a structure in which it is pushed by the paper, and this external force worsens the wow and flutter of the belt 101. If printing was in progress on the previous sheet of paper at this point, the image would suffer from color unevenness, misregistration, etc., as described above. To prevent this problem, when continuously recording images in this apparatus, the timing for passing the paper onto the belt 101 is set after the trailing edge of the previous paper has passed through the fourth head printing section. By doing this, the belt 101 is
The sequence is such that the next paper is not transferred to the next paper. This is calculated by calculating the time required for the trailing edge of the paper to pass through the fourth print head, taking into consideration the length of the paper being conveyed in the feeding direction (registration roller pair 415, 4).
This is done by a timer means based on the ON signal of No. 16.

The above is the operation from the start of recording to the end of printing and ejecting the paper. When the set number of copies have been recorded, as shown in Figure 6 (
As explained in e) and (f), the head-up and then unit-close operations are performed, and finally, the capping state is reached as shown in FIG. 3, and the series of recording operations is completed. Here, when recording is performed in the first mode and the third mode, the power to the heating element A200, the heating element B201, and the fan 203 is such that the trailing edge of the paper is connected to the paper ejection roller pair 203.
1. It is shut off when it passes 212. This timing is performed by a sensor 213 that is linked to the arm 214 and detects the passage of the leading edge of the paper. This is the second
Figure 0 shows subroutine paper ejection operation.

Step 5 shows how the recording operation is repeated until a predetermined number of sheets are completed.

Next, the above-mentioned ejection failure prevention sequence (step 6 in FIG. 14) will be explained using FIG. 9 and FIG. 22, which are flowcharts of the head control sequence.

As mentioned above, when the power is turned on to the apparatus, an ink circulation recovery operation is performed in consideration of the case where the apparatus has been left in a non-recording state for a long time. Thereafter, the device waits in the capping state until a recording start signal is input, but during this time, when the fixation timer means is activated, the circulation recovery operation is performed again. This fixed timer means prevents ejection failure due to increased ink viscosity when the non-recording state is read for a long time even after the power is turned on.The setting time of the timer varies depending on the characteristics of the ink and the environment in which it is used. However, it is on the order of several hours.

Next, when a recording start signal is input, a blank discharge operation is performed, and then the head is lowered to perform printing.

If the ejection timer is activated during recording, the head is raised to perform a dry ejection operation, and then the head is lowered to continue recording. The above-mentioned ejection timer is used to prevent ejection failure from nozzles that are not used for recording, in case not all nozzles are ejecting during recording. It is something to do. This is to recover from a minor discharge failure using a dry discharge means, and is a relatively short period of time on the order of several minutes. When the set number of images have been recorded in this way, the head down state is maintained for a certain period of time set by the output timer, and the apparatus waits for an input signal to start the next recording. If the signal to start recording is not input within the set time of the emitting timer, the head is raised, the unit is closed, and the unit enters the capping state. If a recording start signal is input within the set time, recording is started immediately and the image recording sequence described above (this is shown in the flowchart of FIG. 27) is taken. Here, a send-remaining timer can be substituted for the send-timer. The remaining timer is the time from the previous empty discharge until the end of image recording, which is subtracted from the output timer time, because it is the standby time when the head is in a head-down state and is not capped. , is set slightly shorter than the calculated subtraction time, taking into account that the ink dries easily.

Here, the ink mist removing means used in the color ink jet recording apparatus will be further explained with reference to FIG. 1(a).

As shown in FIG. 1(a), the recording heads IC and LM.

IY is held by the head block 6, and C→M- is printed on the recording paper.
Recording is performed in the order of +Y→Bk. On the recording paper, C, M-
As the amount of ink increases in the order of Y and Bk, the ink mist also increases in the above order, and when the ink mist floats between each recording head and the recording surface and adheres to the nozzle (discharge port) of the head, The above-mentioned phenomenon called soggy unpleasant taste occurs, and if it adheres to a device such as a belt, the function of the device will deteriorate. Therefore, head block 6
An air passage section 500 is provided at the boundary between each of the recording heads IC, IM, IY, and IBk. It is desirable that the air passing portions 500 are arranged at equal intervals over the entire width of the recording paper. Also,
A round hole or a square hole the width of the recording paper may also be used. A suction fan 502 is provided at the top of the head block 6, and the ink mist floating between the recording paper and the head is removed from the air passage section 500.
and is guided by a guide 501 provided so as to cover the air passage portions of all the heads and transported to a suction fan 503. Therefore, as mentioned above, the amount of ink on the recording paper is C
-, M-, Y, and Bk increase in the order of air passing section 50.
Since the ink mist is provided between each recording head IC, IM, IY, and IBk, the ink mist can be removed uniformly over the entire printing area.

Further, the suction fan 502 must perform suction at an appropriate rotation speed so as not to affect ink ejection.

Another Embodiment Another embodiment of the color ink jet recording apparatus described above will be described with reference to FIG. 1(b).

As shown in FIG. 1(b), each recording head IC.

IM, IY, and IBk form a full-color image on recording paper in the order of C→MY→Bk. The ink mist generated by printing is generated by each printing head], C, and LM.

The ink passes through an air passage section 500 provided near the ejection openings (nozzles) of the IY and IBk members, and is absorbed into an ink collection body 503 by a suction fan 502 having a guide 501 disposed above the head. The air passing portion 500 has a shape such as a round hole, a square hole, or a round oblong hole, and is present over the entire width of the recording paper.

Since the recording head ejects ink droplets using a heating element as described above, the head temperature increases with the number of recordings. If the head temperature rises too high, it will not be possible to record the best print results. Therefore, in this embodiment, a heat radiation fin 506 is disposed on one side of the head to radiate heat from the head by utilizing the flow of air generated during the above-mentioned ink mist removal. The heat dissipation fins 506 are made of a material with good heat conductivity, such as aluminum, and are present over the entire width of the recording paper.

With the above configuration, ink mist floating in the vicinity of the nozzle can be reliably removed, and at the same time, an increase in head temperature can be prevented.

〔effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent ink leaked from the recording means from having an adverse effect on the recording device and other parts, and to provide a highly safe inkjet recording device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1(a) is a detailed diagram of main parts of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1(b) is a detailed diagram of main parts of another embodiment of the image recording apparatus of the present invention. 1(c) is a schematic sectional view of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are sectional views of essential parts of the head recovery system in FIG. 1; FIG. is a cross-sectional view of the recording head in the capped state in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the idle ejection operation of the head in FIG. 2, and FIGS. 5 (1) to (4) show the ink pressurization circulation operation. State diagrams; Figures 6(a) to (f) are state diagrams when the recovery system enters the printing state from the standby state shown in Figure 3; Figure 7 is a detailed cross-section of the head transport section in Figure 1; Figure 8 is a detailed sectional view of the fixing and paper ejection section in Figure 1, Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the head control sequence, Figure 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of the inkjet recording head, and Figure 12 is the 1 shows a configuration diagram of an inkjet printing apparatus in which the printing head shown in the figure is arranged. FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a conventional ink mist removing means.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In an inkjet recording apparatus that records images using a plurality of recording heads, an air passage hole is provided between the suction means and each recording head to collect ink mist generated on the recording paper. image recording device. (2) Claim (1) characterized in that the amount of air generated between the head and the recording paper by the suction means when collecting the ink mist is such that it does not affect the recorded image. The image recording device described in .