Recording apparatus with ink jet recording head

A recording apparatus for performing recording on a recording medium with an ink jet recording head that jets ink, said apparatus comprising:

• a cap for covering a face of said recording head formed with discharging orifices for jetting ink therefrom;
• a first engagement member formed to be interlocked to said cap;
• a second engagement member formed on said recording head for engagement with said first engagement member when said orifice-formed face of said recording head is covered by said cap;
• a stepping motor for effecting scanning of said recording head;
• cap moving means for moving said cap between a put-on position and a separated position with respect to said orifice-formed face of said recording head;
• and
• stepping motor control means for stopping an output of an exciting phase of said stepping motor when said first and second engagement members are in engagement with each other in an interlocked relation to the putting-on of said cap against said orifice-formed face of said recording head by said cap moving means, wherein said stepping motor control means controls said stepping motor so as to (1) keep on the output of the exciting phase of said stepping motor so as not to rotate said stepping motor while said cap is moved by said cap moving means in such a direction as to come into contact with the orifice-formed face of said recording head, following scanning of said recording head to a position where the orifice-formed face of said recording head faces said cap, and (2) stop the output of the exciting phase of said stepping motor when said first and second engagement members are engaged with each other with said cap put on and covering said orifice-formed face of said recording head.

A recording apparatus for performing recording on a recording medium with an ink jet recording head that jets ink, said apparatus comprising:

• record scan means for record-scanning said recording head relative to the recording medium, said record scan means having said recording head connected thereto;
• a cap for covering a face of said recording head formed with discharging orifices for jetting ink therefrom;
• a first engagement member provided on a side of said cap, said first engagement member being operable together with said cap;
• a second engagement member provided on a side of said recording head for engagement with said first engagement member when said orifice-formed face of said recording head is covered by said cap, said second engagement member being operable together with said recording head;
• driving means for changing a relative position between said first engagement member and said second engagement member by a predetermined amount in each of forward and backward scanning directions of said record scan means while said recording head and said cap are in contact with each other after said record scan means moves said recording head to a position opposite to said cap, and thereafter executes an operation such that a distance between said recording head and said cap in a direction different from the scanning directions is lessened to bring said recording head and said cap into contact so as to cause said cap to cover said orifice-formed face of said recording head, the changing of the relative position thereby facing said first engagement member and said second engagement member to be aligned to complete engagement, in order to cause said cap to cover said orifice-formed face;
• and
• urging means for urging at least one of said recording head and said cap in the direction different from the scanning directions to come closer to one another, wherein when said first and second engagement members align with each other at an engagement position during movement in each of the forward and backward scanning directions of said record scan means, said recording head and said cap are engaged by said urging means.

A recording method for forming a recorded image on a recording medium with an ink jet recording head that jets ink, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a support member for supporting the recording head while scanning relative to the recording medium;
• providing a stepping motor for scanning the support member;
• providing a cap member for covering a face of the recording head, which is formed with discharging orifices for jetting the ink therefrom;
• providing a cap member moving means for moving the cap member between a capping position and a separated position with respect to the face of the recording head, wherein the cap member moving means includes a first engagement member capable of engaging with a second engagement member provided on part of the support member;
• capping the cap member with respect to the face of the recording head, resulting in engagement of the first and second engagement members with each other;
• and
• controlling stopping of an output of an exciting phase of the stepping motor when the first and second engagement members are engaged with each other, wherein in said controlling step the stepping motor is controlled so as to (1) keep on the output of the exciting phase of the stepping motor so as not to rotate the stepping motor while the cap member is moved by the cap member moving means in such a direction as to come into contact with the face of the recording head, following scanning of the support member to a position where the face of the recording head faces the cap member, and (2) stop the output of the exciting phase of the stepping motor when the first and second engagement members are engaged with each other with the cap member covering the face of the recording head.

A recording method for performing recording on a recording medium with an ink jet recording head that jets ink, said recording method comprising the steps of:

• providing a cap for covering a face of the recording head formed with discharging orifices for jetting the ink therefrom;
• providing a first engagement member formed to be interlocked to the cap;
• providing a second engagement member formed on the recording head for engagement with the first engagement member when the face of the recording head is covered by the cap;
• providing a stepping motor for effecting scanning of the recording head;
• moving the cap between a capping position and a separated position with respect to the face of the recording head;
• and
• controlling stopping of an output of an exciting phase of the stepping motor when the first and second engagement members are in engagement with each other in an interlocked relation to capping of the cap against the face of the recording head in said cap moving step, wherein in said controlling step the stepping motor is controlled so as to (1) keep on the output of the exciting phase of the stepping motor so as not to rotate the stepping motor while the cap is moved by cap moving means in such a direction as to come into contact with the face of the recording head, following scanning of the recording head to a position where the face of the recording head faces the cap, and (2) stop the output of the exciting phase of the stepping motor when the first and second engagement members are engaged with each other with the cap covering the face of the recording head.

A recording method for performing recording on a recording medium with an ink jet recording head that jets ink, said recording method comprising the steps of:

• providing record scan means for record-scanning the recording head relative to the recording medium, the record scan means having the recording head connected thereto;
• providing a cap for covering a face of the recording head formed with discharging orifices for jetting ink therefrom;
• providing a first engagement member provided on a side of the cap, the first engagement member being operable together with the cap;
• providing a second engagement member provided on a side of the recording head for engagement with the first engagement member when the face of the recording head is covered by the cap, the second engagement member being operable together with the recording head;
• effecting changing of a relative position between the first engagement member and the second engagement member by a predetermined amount in each of forward and backward scanning directions of the record scan means, after the record scan means moves the recording head to a position opposite to the cap and while the recording head and the cap are in contact with each other, and thereafter executing an operation such that a distance between the recording head and the cap in a direction different from the scanning directions is lessened to bring the recording head and the cap into contact so as to cause the cap to cover the orifice-formed face of the recording head, the changing of the relative position thereby facing the first engagement member and the second engagement member to be aligned to complete engagement, in order to cause the cap to cover the orifice-formed face;
• and
• urging at least one of the recording head and the cap in the direction different from the scanning directions to come closer to one another, wherein when the first and second engagement members align with each other at an engagement position during movement in each of the forward and backward scanning directions of the record scan means, the recording head and the cap are engaged in said urging steps.