Ink jet recording apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10933642-B2
Application number	US-201916515680-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2019
Priority date	Sep 27, 2018
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

An ink jet recording apparatus includes an ink container in which ink to be used to perform printing on a print target is stored, a nozzle which is connected to the ink container and from which pressurized and supplied ink is jetted, charging electrodes that charge ink particles jetted from the nozzle with electricity, deflecting electrodes that polarize the ink particles charged with electricity by the charging electrodes, a gutter that recovers ink not used for printing, a solvent container in which a solvent is stored, and a liquid nozzle which is connected to the solvent container and from which a pressurized and supplied solvent is jetted. The liquid nozzle includes a liquid flow passage portion that extends from the nozzle in a direction of the gutter, and a liquid jet hole that is formed at an angle allowing the pressurized and supplied solvent to hit the nozzle through the liquid flow passage portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
an ink container in which ink to be used to perform printing on a print target is stored;
a nozzle which is connected to the ink container and from which pressurized and supplied ink is jetted;
charging electrodes that charge ink particles jetted from the nozzle with electricity;
deflecting electrodes that polarize the ink particles charged with electricity by the charging electrodes;
a gutter that recovers ink not used for printing;
a solvent container in which a solvent is stored; and
a liquid nozzle which is connected to the solvent container and from which a pressurized and supplied solvent is jetted,
wherein the liquid nozzle includes a liquid flow passage portion that extends from the nozzle in a direction of the gutter, and a liquid jet hole that is formed at an angle allowing the pressurized and supplied solvent to hit the nozzle through the liquid flow passage portion, and
wherein the liquid flow passage portion is formed in parallel to a flight direction of ink that is jetted from the nozzle and is recovered from the gutter.

2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a head base on which the nozzle, the charging electrodes, and the deflecting electrodes are placed,
wherein the liquid flow passage portion is disposed on one side of the nozzle, the charging electrodes, and the deflecting electrodes opposite to the head base.

3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the liquid nozzle includes a second liquid jet hole that is formed at an angle allowing the solvent to hit the deflecting electrodes.

4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an air nozzle that jets air to be used to dry a part of the solvent jetted from the liquid nozzle.

5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the air nozzle includes an air jet hole that is formed at an angle allowing a flow of the jetted air to hit the charging electrodes.

6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the air nozzle includes an air flow passage portion that extends from the nozzle in a direction of the gutter when the air is supplied.

7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein an air supply time, in which the air is supplied from the air nozzle, is changed according to the type of the ink stored in the ink container or the type of the solvent stored in the solvent container.

8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor that is used to determine an air supply time in which the air is supplied from the air nozzle.

9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the air supply time in a service condition where a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is low is set to be longer than that in a service condition where a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is high.

10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ink container and the solvent container are installed on a body,
the nozzle, the charging electrodes, the deflecting electrodes, and the gutter are installed on a print head that is provided separately from the body, and
the liquid nozzle is installed on a cleaning unit that is provided separately from the body and the print head.

11. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the cleaning unit includes a cleaning tank in which the print head is to be received, and a print head-insertion portion that is used to mount the print head on the cleaning unit.

12. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the print head-insertion portion is formed in a lid block connected to the cleaning tank, and
the liquid nozzle is assembled to the lid block.

13. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 12 ,
wherein the cleaning unit includes a lid member that is used to open and close the print head-insertion portion.

14. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the cleaning tank includes a liquid outflow hole that is formed in a bottom thereof, and an inner bottom that is formed obliquely.

15. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein an air nozzle, which jets air to be used to dry a part of the solvent jetted from the liquid nozzle, assembled to the cleaning unit.

16. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein a bottle, which is capable of storing the solvent jetted from the liquid nozzle, is capable of being installed on a lower portion of the cleaning unit.

17. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the cleaning unit is connected to the body through a conduit for the cleaning unit.

18. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 17 ,
wherein the print head is connected to the body through a conduit for the print head, and
the length of the conduit for the cleaning unit is equal to or longer than the length of the conduit for the print head.

19. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the cleaning unit includes a start button that is used to start jetting the solvent from the liquid nozzle, and a stop button that is used to stop jetting the solvent when the solvent is being jetted from the liquid nozzle.

20. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the cleaning unit includes a fixing jig that is used to mount the cleaning unit on the body.

21. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a part of the solvent, which is jetted from the liquid nozzle, is sucked from the nozzle, so that the surface and inside of the nozzle are cleaned.

22. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
an ink container in which ink to be used to perform printing on a print target is stored;
a nozzle which is connected to the ink container and from which pressurized and supplied ink is jetted;
charging electrodes that charge ink particles jetted from the nozzle with electricity;
deflecting electrodes that polarize the ink particles charged with electricity by the charging electrodes;
a gutter that recovers ink not used for printing;
a solvent container in which a solvent is stored; and
a liquid nozzle which is connected to the solvent container and from which a pressurized and supplied solvent is jetted,
wherein the liquid nozzle includes a liquid flow passage portion that extends from the nozzle in a direction of the gutter, and a liquid jet hole that is formed at an angle allowing the pressurized and supplied solvent to hit the nozzle through the liquid flow passage portion, and
wherein the liquid nozzle includes an outer portion that is formed in a columnar shape, and a planar portion that is connected to the outer portion and the liquid jet hole.

Assignees

• Hitachi Industry Equipment Systems Co Ltd

Inventors

• Arima Takahiro
• Mizoguchi Sho
• Okano Mamoru

Classifications

• B41J2/175

  Ink supply systems {; Circuit parts therefor} · CPC title

• B41J2/1707

  Conditioning of the inside of ink supply circuits, e.g. flushing during start-up or shut-down · CPC title

• B41J29/02

  Framework · CPC title

• B41J2/185

  Ink-collectors; Ink-catchers · CPC title

• B41J2002/16555

  Air or gas for cleaning · CPC title