Printer

• US 20020044168A1
• Filed: 10/09/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Company Ltd. (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Kitahara, Toshihiro, Hashi, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,578,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/32
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/007 Conveyor belts or like feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/008 Controlling printhead for accurately positioning print image on printing material, e.g. with the intention to control the width of margins
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0085 Using suction for maintaining printing material flat on rotatable drums B41J13/226
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0095 Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16532 by applying vacuum only
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16588 Print heads movable towards the cleaning unit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1721 Collecting waste ink; Collectors therefor

Abstract

A printer comprising a printer head disposed above a transportation belt and composed of a plurality of head units having an ink discharge surface, a paper attraction apparatus, and an ink discharge surface recovery apparatus, wherein in order to conduct the recovery treatment of the ink discharge surface, the printer head is moved upward and the recovery apparatus is inserted into the gap formed between the printer head and transportation belt in the direction perpendicular to the paper transportation direction of transportation belt. In the inserted state, ink is discharged from the ink discharge surface toward a cap of the recovery apparatus, the clogged state of the nozzle is eliminated, and recovery treatment is completed. The recovery apparatus is thereafter retracted to the side of transportation belt. With such printer, the recovery treatment of the ink discharge surface can be easily conducted, the increase in the printer size is avoided, and the adjustment, maintenance, and control can be easily conducted.

Claims

1. A printer in which printing is conducted by discharging ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles, comprising:

a printer head which is capable of conducting full-line printing on a printing paper, without scanning in the width direction of said printing paper, and which is provided with a plurality of said nozzles;

paper transportation means that is provided with an endless transportation belt and disposed opposite the ink discharge surface of said printer head so as to hold and transport said printing paper in the transportation direction perpendicular to the width direction of said printing paper;

printing control means for conducting printing by controlling the discharge of fine ink droplets from said printer head synchronously with the printing paper transportation operation of said paper transportation means; and

recovery means for recovery of discharge function of nozzles of said printer head, said means being insertable and retractable with respect to the printer head in the lateral direction perpendicular to said transportation direction and parallel to the transportation surface of said transportation belt which supports the printing paper.

2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein said printer head can be retracted in the direction of withdrawal away from the printing paper support surface of said transportation belt of said paper transportation means, and said recovery means can be inserted into the gap between said transportation belt and said printer head when said printer head is retracted in the withdrawal direction.

3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein said paper transportation means can be retracted so as to expand the gap defined with said printer head, and said recovery means is inserted into the gap expanded by the retraction movement of said paper transportation means and conducts the recovery treatment within a period from beginning of said insertion of said recovery means to completion of retraction.

4. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the retraction operation of said paper transportation means is an operation in which all the components constituting at least said paper transportation means move in the direction of withdrawal away from said printer head.

5. The printer according to claim 3, wherein the retraction operation of said paper transportation means is an operation in which said transportation belt facing said printer head is retracted in the direction of withdrawal.

6. The printer according to claim 5, wherein the retraction of said transportation belt in the direction of withdrawal is conducted by disposing a pair of rollers at the printing paper transportation surface of said transportation belt of said paper transportation means and moving said pair of rollers in the direction of withdrawal away from the head surface of said printer head.

7. The printer according to claim 5, wherein the retraction operation of said paper transportation means is conducted, while maintaining a constant perimeter length of the transportation belt in the transportation direction.

8. The printer according to claim 1, wherein said recovery mean s is inserted toward the position facing said printer head when the recovery treatment is executed, and in this insertion process, at least a portion of said recovery means is brought in contact with said ink discharge surface of said printer head.

9. The printer according to claim 8, wherein when said recovery means is inserted toward the position facing said printer head, said recovery means is moved, while the height is being changed in a step-like fashion.

10. The printer according to claim 8, wherein said recovery means comprises wiping means which comes in contact with and slides along said ink discharge surface of said printer head and conducts wiping when said recovery means is inserted toward the position facing said printer head.

11. The printer according to claim 1, wherein said printer head comprises a plurality of head units composed of a plurality of nozzles capable of printing a preset width of sections into which a full line of said printing paper is divided, and said recovery means comprises a plurality of recovery units, each of said head units being provided with one of said recovery units.

12. The printer according to claim 12, wherein said recovery means comprises at least one recovery member.

13. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a test print sensor reading the print image printed on said printing paper, and said printing control means specifies an abnormality of discharge function of said nozzle of said printer head based on the output of said test print sensor and conducts control so that recovery treatment with said recovery means is conducted only with respect to said printer head having said nozzle with such abnormality.

14. The printer according to claim 13, wherein said test print sensor is a sensor capable of detecting a full line for said printing.