Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-28
2002-11-05
Nghiem, Michael (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
active
06474774
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by discharging ink from recording means mounted on a carriage to a recording medium.
2. Related Background Art
The recording apparatus, which is provided with such function as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, or the recording apparatus, which is used as an output device for a complex electronic apparatus that includes a computer, a word processor, or a work station, among some others, is the one that records images (including characters, symbols, and the like) on a recording medium (a recording material) such as paper, cloth, plastic sheet, or OHP sheet.
On these apparatuses, an ink jet type recording apparatus (an ink jet recording apparatus) performs recording by discharging ink from recording means (a recording head) to a recording medium, which facilitates making recording means compact, and also, makes it possible to record images in high precision at high speed on an ordinary paper sheet without any particular treatment given thereto. There are also advantages, among some others, that its running cost is lower; being of non-impact type, it can operate with a lesser amount of noises; and by use of many kinds of ink (color ink, for instance) it can record color images with ease.
As the energy generating element for generating energy utilized for discharging ink from the discharge ports of an ink jet recording head, there is the one that uses electromechanical converting elements, such as piezo elements; the one that discharges ink droplets by the activation of heat generated by the irradiation of electromagnetic waves, such as laser; or the one that heats liquid by use of electrothermal converting elements each provided with heat generating resistive device. Of these means, the ink jet type recording means (the recording head), which discharges ink as ink droplets by the utilization of thermal energy, makes it possible to arrange discharge ports in high density for recording in high resolution. Particularly, among them, the recording head that uses electrothermal converting elements as energy generating devices makes it easier to miniaturize the head, and also, makes it possible to fully utilize the advantages of the IC technologies and micromachining techniques, which have shown remarkable progress of art and reliability in the semiconductor field in recent years. A recording head of the kind has, therefore, an advantage, among many others, that a highly precise assembling is possible with ease at lower costs of manufacture.
Meanwhile, there are various demands as to the materials of recording medium to be used. In recent years, developments have been made to meet these demands. Then, the recording apparatus is now made capable of using such recording medium as cloth, leather, non-woven fabric, or each metal, besides paper (including thin paper sheet, processed sheet) or thin resin plate (OHP or the like).
For the ink jet recording apparatus of serial type where recording is made with the main scanning in the direction orthogonal to the carrying direction of a recording sheet (recording medium), images (including characters, symbols, and the like) are recorded by the recording head which is mounted on a carriage to travel along the recording sheet after the recording sheet has been set at the predetermined recording position, as well as by the execution of sheet feeding in a predetermined amount (sub-scanning), hence forming images on the recording medium.
FIG. 20
is a perspective view which shows the conventional example of an ink jet recording apparatus that forms images by use of recording means that scans on a recording medium relatively. In
FIG. 20
, a reference numeral
101
designates recording means (a recording head) which performs recording by discharging ink;
102
, the carriage mounting the recording head thereon, which travels in the direction at right angles to the sheet feeding direction (carrying direction) of the recording medium (recording sheet); and
103
and
104
, the guide shaft and auxiliary rail, which support the reciprocation of the carriage
102
.
In
FIG. 20
, a reference numeral
105
designates a carriage motor for driving the carriage;
106
, a driving pulley direction connected with the carriage motor;
107
, an idler pulley arranged to face the driving pulley
106
;
108
, a timing belt tensioned around the driving pulley
106
and the idler pulley
107
to transmit the driving power of the carriage motor
105
to the carriage
102
;
109
, a carrying motor (sheet feeding motor) for carrying (feeding) a recording sheet
110
;
111
, a cap to protect the discharge port surface of the recording head
101
from being dried at the time of non-recording;
112
, a carrier roller for carrying (feeding) the recording sheet
110
; and
113
, a pre-discharge receptacle for receiving ink (pre-discharge ink or the like) discharged from the recording head
101
for the other operations than recording, which is positioned between the cap
111
and the recording sheet
110
.
In
FIG. 20
, there is arranged a pressure roller
114
for providing the carrying power for the recording sheet
110
by pressing it to the carrying roller
112
by use of biasing means which is not shown. Then, in the vicinity of the aforesaid pre-discharge receptacle
113
, a wiping member (not shown) is arranged to wipe off ink or the like adhering to the discharge port surface, which may impede appropriate ink discharges. This wiping member is usually formed by an elastic plate member such as rubber. Also, a double-arrow mark
115
indicates the directions in which the carriage
102
reciprocates (main scanning direction), and an arrow mark
116
indicates the rotational direction of the carrying roller
112
at the time of recording.
The operation of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in
FIG. 20
is as follows: when a recording operation begins, the cap
111
, which is closely in contact with the recording head for protecting the discharge ports of the recording head
101
, is separated from the recording head. Then, the driving power of the carriage motor
105
is transmitted to the carriage
102
through the timing belt
108
tensioned around the driving pulley
106
and the idler pulley
107
. In this manner, the traveling direction and position of the carriage
102
are controlled.
The recording head
101
travels above the surface of the recording sheet
110
together with the carriage
102
in a predetermined distance, and then, reverses the traveling direction towards the cap
111
(toward the original capping position). This operation is repeated to perform reciprocation in the directions indicated by the double-arrow mark
115
. In synchronism with this traveling of carriage
102
, the recording head
101
is driven in accordance with recording information. Ink droplets are discharged (to fly and adhere) to specific positions on the recording sheet
110
for recording images per one-line portion continuously. The recording sheet
110
is carried in a predetermined length by rotating the carrying roller
112
in a predetermined amount in the direction indicated by an arrow
116
by use of the sheet feeding motor
109
per completion of main scanning of recording head
101
. By repeating these operations, recording is performed for the recording sheet
110
.
The pre-discharge receptacle
113
is arranged at a position outside the predetermined position (recording area) of the recording sheet
110
, which is between the cap
111
and the recording sheet
110
, for-example. As a result, in order to execute pre-discharge, the recording head
101
should move to the position of the pre-discharge receptacle
113
by means of the main scanning of the carriage
102
. Then the pre-discharge should be executed in a state where the recording head is stationary at the position of the pre-discharge receptacle
113
. Here, it may be possible to use the aforesaid cap
111
in place of the pre-discharge receptacle
113
.
Also, in order t
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