US 6,474,774 B1Granted

Capping of ink jet recording head

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorHideaki Okamoto

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Abstract

An ink jet recording apparatus which performs recovery process for recording device by a recovery system having capping device being closely in contact with or parting from recording device installed on a head installation unit for recording by discharging ink to a recording medium. For this recording apparatus, the cap of the recovery system is made controllable so that the cap can be at a first position where it is in close contact with the recording head, and at a second position where the recording sheet is made conveyable. Then, when recording data is transferred, the cap and a movable platen is allowed to shift from the first position to the second position so as to make recording possible. When the recording operation terminates, the cap and the movable platen shifts from the second position to the first position so as to enable it to return to the capping status. With the structure thus arranged, it becomes possible to reduce the dimension of the apparatus main body in the carriage traveling direction by the widthwise dimension of a recovery system irrespective of the size of the recovery system without inviting any increase of a load given to the carriage motor.

Claims22

Dependent claims

An ink jet recording apparatus performing a recovery process for recording means by a recovery system having capping means being closely in contact with or parting from the recording means which is detachably installed on a head installation unit for recording by discharging ink to a recording medium, the ink jet recording apparatus comprising:

a carrying path for carrying a recording medium to pass a position facing the recording means;
cap driving means being at a position to face said carrying path for moving said capping means to a first position to enable said capping means to be closely in contact with said recording means, and to a second position to enable said recording medium to be carried;
cap position detecting means for detecting the position of said capping means;
cap driving control means for initiating driving of said capping means from said first position by said cap driving means, and for suspending driving when detecting the arrival of the capping means at said second position in accordance with an arbitrary timing of transferring data to a main body of the apparatus, or in accordance with an initiation of feeding said recording medium, or the detection of a recording medium by recording medium detection means which detects that said recording medium is set on said main body, and for initiating driving of said capping means from said second position by said cap driving means corresponding to an exit of said recording medium from the apparatus, and for suspending driving of said capping means when detecting the arrival of said capping means at said first position;
and
carrying means for carrying said recording medium and being arranged for said ink jet recording apparatus on the upstream side of said recording means in a carrying direction of said recording medium, said carrying means being driven in a direction opposite to a direction during recording while said capping means is driven by said cap driving means from said first position to said second position.

3 more elements

An inkjet recording apparatus performing a recovery process for recording means by a recovery system having capping means being closely in contact with or parting from recording means installed on a head installation unit for recording by discharging ink to a recording medium, the ink jet recording apparatus comprising:

cap driving means for moving said capping means to a first position to enable said capping means to be closely in contact with said recording means, and to a second position to enable said recording medium to be carried;
cap position detecting means for detecting the position of said capping means;
and
cap driving control means for suspending said cap driving means in the case that the arrival of said capping means at said second position from said first position, or at said first position from said second position, is not detected within a predetermined time from the driving initiation by said cap driving means or in the case that said capping means remains suspended at said first position or at said second position.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.