| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To enable a thermal energy to be efficiently utilized and to prevent occurrence of noise, by a construction wherein a drive member of a shape memory alloy is used as a drive means driving a cap device serving as a sealing means. CONSTITUTION:At a start of recording, a heater 3 is energized so as to increase the temperature of an ink in a nozzle 1a from a room temperature up to a suitable temperature, thus both a head 1 and a cap 2 are heated and a shape memory alloy 4 is also heated due to heat transfer and radiation heat to be deformed into the shape being previously stored at a fixed temperature. As a result; a spring 6 is deflected, the cap 2 is separated from the head 1, and the head 1 moves together with a carriage and conducts recording. After completion of recording, the current-passing to the heater 3 is stopped to lower the temperature of the shape memory alloy 4 down to a room temperature, which makes the shape memory alloy 4 return to the stretched condition and the cap 2 abut against the head 1. Therefore, since an opening/closing operation is conducted by using a heat being generated directly or indirectly by the heater, an ink jet recorder capable of utilizing an excessive thermal energy and hardly generating a noise can be obtained. |
