CN101134394B - Ink-jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an ink jet printer for inhibitting dirt such as ink attached on a cleaning component attach on a print head again and keeping the print quality. The ink jet printer comprises a doctorblade (75) is used for scraping surplus ink attached on the nozzle surface of the print head (111); a cleaning pad portion (70) of the cleaning doctorblade (75); a replacing detection device for detecting replacement of the cleaning pad portion (70). When detecting the replacement of the cleaning pad portion (70), the cleaning pad portion (70) cleans the doctorblade (75) in long time.

Description

Ink-jet printer

Technical field

The present invention relates to a kind ofly possess in order to remove ink-jet printer attached to the cleaning plant of the printing ink on the nozzle face of printhead.

Background technology

In ink-jet printer,, be integral in order to the cleaning plant of removing attached to the unnecessary printing ink on the nozzle face of printhead in order to keep good print quality.For example the open 2007-111860 communique of Japan Patent (below, be called in first to file) in, disclose following ink-jet printer, promptly, with being configured in the slide nozzle face of wiping printhead of a plurality of scraping blades on the belt, removal also abuts to this scraping blade on the cleaning member (cleaning pad), and removes attached to the printing ink on this scraping blade attached to the unnecessary printing ink on this nozzle face etc. the time.

In the disclosed ink-jet printer of first to file, no matter the cleaning member is untapped new product or used old product, all can at a certain time interval scraping blade be resisted against the cleaning member, and removes attached to the printing ink on the scraping blade.

Yet, owing on used old cleaning member, be attached with the dirt of printing ink etc., thus can exist this dirt to adhere again on the scraping blade, and adhere again to the problem of nozzle face and so on that dirt on the scraping blade is made printhead again dirty.

Summary of the invention

The present invention is based on above-mentioned situation and forms, and its purpose is to provide a kind of dirt that can suppress attached to the printing ink on the cleaning member etc. to adhere again to situation on the printhead, and can keep the ink-jet printer of print quality well.

In order to realize above-mentioned purpose, ink-jet printer of the present invention has: printhead, and it possesses the nozzle face that is arranged with a plurality of nozzles; Wiping arrangement, it is to the wiping of sliding of said nozzle face, and scrapes the printing ink of getting attached on this nozzle face; And wiping arrangement implement, it constitutes replaceable, and to its surface with the wiping of sliding of above-mentioned wiping arrangement, and clean this wiping arrangement, the feature of this ink-jet printer is, possess: substitution detector more, it detects the situation of changing above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement; The cleaning control device, it detects at above-mentioned more substitution detector under the situation of replacing of above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement, to the wiping of sliding of the surface of above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement, and cleans this wiping arrangement with above-mentioned wiping arrangement.

In addition, feature of the present invention also is, above-mentioned cleaning control device detects at above-mentioned more substitution detector under the situation of replacing of above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement, cleans above-mentioned wiping arrangement than the common cleaning action longer time.

In addition, feature of the present invention is that also above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement possesses: the wiping arrangement cleaning element of absorption printing ink; Keep apparatus with the wiping arrangement cleaning element of fixing this wiping arrangement cleaning element, and above-mentioned more substitution detector, when above-mentioned wiping arrangement cleaning element keeps apparatus to be installed in the above-mentioned ink-jet printer, detect the situation that above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement has been replaced.

In addition, the feature of ink-jet printer also is, possesses the nozzle cleaning apparatus, this nozzle cleaning apparatus keeps apparatus to constitute by absorption attached to the nozzle cleaning member of the printing ink on the said nozzle face with to the nozzle cleaning member that this nozzle cleaning member is fixed, and be replaced simultaneously with above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement, and above-mentioned more substitution detector, when the said nozzle cleaning element keeps apparatus to be installed in the above-mentioned ink-jet printer, detect the situation that above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement has been replaced.

According to the present invention, can remove effectively, and suppress printing ink, thereby keep the print quality of ink-jet printer well the adhering to once more of printhead attached to the printing ink on the scraping blade.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is the partial perspective view of the ink-jet printer that relates to of expression embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is the stereogram of the outward appearance of expression head device.

Fig. 3 is the pie graph of head device of the ink-jet printer of Fig. 1, and wherein (a) perspective view for seeing from the side (b) is the perspective view of seeing from the front.

Fig. 4 is the stereogram of the profile of the printhead that relates to of expression embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is the pie graph of the cleaning pad portion of Fig. 2, and wherein (a) is vertical side view, (b) is plane, (c) is transverse side view.

Fig. 6 is the pie graph of the relation of the cleaning pad portion of presentation graphs 2, the supporting member that supports it and limit sensors, and wherein (a) is vertical side view, (b) is plane, (c) is transverse side view.

Fig. 7 is the plane of the wiping unit of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is the A-A cutaway view of the wiping unit of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is the pie graph of the cleaning pad portion of Fig. 2, and wherein (a) is vertical side view, (b) is plane, (c) is the transverse side view of cleaning pad portion.

Figure 10 is the schematic diagram of the head device of head end cap position, and wherein (a) perspective view for seeing from the side (b) is the perspective view of seeing from the front.

Figure 11 is the schematic diagram of the head device of head wiping arrangement position, and wherein (a) perspective view for seeing from the side (b) is the perspective view of seeing from the front.

Figure 12 is the schematic diagram of the head device of retreating position, and wherein (a) perspective view for seeing from the side (b) is the perspective view of seeing from the front.

Figure 13 is the key diagram of the action of cam, when wherein (a) expression printhead is positioned at maximum height, when (b) the expression printhead is positioned at intermediate altitude, when (c) the expression printhead is positioned at minimum constructive height.

The specific embodiment

Below, with reference to accompanying drawing the ink-jet printer that embodiments of the present invention relate to is described.

Fig. 1 is the partial perspective view of the ink-jet printer 1 that relates to of embodiments of the present invention (below, be called for short printer 1).As shown in Figure 1, printer 1 is made of printing portion 10, conveying device 20 and control part 40.At this, printer 1 is with being loaded on after the printing portion 10 food etc. to be carried out on the film packaging (not shown) of blister-pack, and prints the printer of open date etc. on packaging film, and conveying device 20 is film feeding device of above-mentioned film packaging.Certainly, the present invention can carry out numerous variations, for example printer 1 and film packaging is constituted dividually, is made as the formation etc. of controlling conveying device 20 with printer 1.

Printing portion 10 has head device 11, carriage 16 and carriage guide rod 17.Carriage 16 keeps head device 11 removably, and is linked to by on the not shown motor-driven belt (not shown), and moves on X-direction along carriage guide rod 17.Carriage guide rod 17 is the members that roughly are prism-shaped that extend on X-direction, and (Z-direction) is formed with at length direction (X-direction) and goes up the guide rail 17a that extends in the above.In addition, carriage guide rod 17 is through the window portion 24a of side plate 24, and its two ends are fixedly supported upon on side plate 23 and the support plate 25.

Conveying device has feeding roller 21 and platen roller 22.Feeding roller 21 constitutes by axle 21a with around the rotating part 21b cylindraceous that axle 21a freely rotates.By the configuration of approximate horizontal ground, its two ends are fixed on respectively on the side plate 23,24 axle 21a along directions X.In addition, platen roller 22 is made of axle 22a and the rotating part 22b cylindraceous that is fixed on the 22a.By the configuration of approximate horizontal ground, its two ends can be bearing on the side plate 23,24 respectively axle 22a rotatably along directions X.In addition, the end of axle 22a is connected with motor 26, utilizes motor 26 to rotate and drives platen roller 22.In addition, side plate 23,24 is configured in parallel to each other with the axle 21a, 22a vertical.

Control part 40 is by formations such as MPU (Micro Processor Unit) and various holders, and be head device 11 to be positioned the position of the regulation of X-direction (bearing of trend of platen roller 22), and the control device that the rotation of the discharge of the printing ink in the head device 11 and platen roller 22 is synchronously controlled.

Print media M is a packaging film of printing target, can select PET (PETG), PP (polypropylene) film etc. for use.

Fig. 2 is the stereogram of the outward appearance of expression head device 11.Fig. 3 is the pie graph of head device 11, and wherein (a) is the cutaway view that cuts with the A-A line among Fig. 2, (b) is the perspective view of seeing from the front.

As shown in Figure 3, head device 11 is contained in printing head 111, head supporting member 112, horizontally moving device 121, vertical mobile device 131 and head maintenance mechanism 141 in the frame 151 and constitutes.

Print head 111 and be built-in with printhead 111a in the inside of the framework of rectangular shape roughly.In addition, as shown in Figure 4, below printhead 111a, be formed with nozzle face 111b, on nozzle face 111b along the length direction of nozzle face 111b a plurality of nozzle bore 111c that have been spaced with regulation.Discharging in nozzle bore 111c has the printing ink of supplying with in the never illustrated print cartridge (ink cartridge).In addition, at the lower surface of frame 151 not shown peristome is arranged, nozzle face 111b exposes from this peristome.

As shown in Figure 3, head supporting member 112 is that hanger bearing is printed head 111 tabular components, so as to print head 111 with nozzle face 111b towards the below and mutually opposed with coil paper roller bearing 22 (with reference to Fig. 1).In addition, on head supporting member 112, be formed with peristome 112a (with reference to Fig. 3 (b)).

Horizontally moving device 121 has horizontally-guided axle 122, is with 123 and motor 124 synchronously.The horizontally-guided axle be Y direction (horizontal direction (and with will print head 111 to platen roller 22 near away from the vertical direction quadrature and with the rotating shaft of platen roller 22 direction of quadrature mutually)) go up the bar member that extends.Be with 123 to be wrapped on a pair of belt wheel 125 synchronously, and a side of belt wheel 125 is linked to motor 124 and is driven in rotation.In addition, do not have flexible ribbon-shaped members for the material selection with 123 synchronously, motor 124 is selected stepper motor for use.

Vertical mobile device 131 has support body 132, vertically-guided axle 133, cam 134, belt maintaining part 135 and motor 136.Support body 132, the horizontally-guided axle 122 that is moved horizontally device 121 is inserted logical, is the retaining member that can be free to slide on Y direction, is used for keeping head supporting member 112.Vertically-guided axle 133 is to be fixed on the support body 132, and goes up the bar member that extends in Z-direction (vertical direction (will print head 111 to the close first direction of platen roller 22)).Cam 134 is the tabular cams that are fixed on the swivel plate 137, and possesses the protuberance 134a with the peristome 112a sliding-contact of head supporting member 112.Belt maintaining part 135 is the upper ends that are fixed on support body 132, and from the above-below direction clamping synchronously with 123 members that keep.Owing to utilize belt maintaining part 135, with support body 132 be with 123 to link synchronously, so when utilizing motor 124 to drive being with 123 rotations synchronously, vertical mobile device 131 moves to Y direction along horizontally-guided axle 122 with printing head 111.In addition, driving swivel plate 137 is rotated in motor 136 and swivel plate 137 bindings.In addition, select for use stepper motor as motor 136.

Head maintenance mechanism 141 and the quilt adjacency configuration side by side on Y direction of printing head 111.In addition, head maintenance mechanism 141 has end cap unit 142, cleaning unit 143 and wiping unit 144, they on Y direction by arranged in series.

On end cap unit 142, possesses end cap 142a.End cap 142a is the nozzle face 111b that covers printhead 111a, prevents the bad cover cap of discharge that the rising by the ink viscosity in the nozzle bore 111c causes.In addition as described later, also as sucker, it is negative pressure that this sucker makes the space between end cap 142a and the nozzle face 111b in end cap unit 142, and the foreign matter of nozzle face 111b and unnecessary printing ink are removed in suction.

As shown in Figure 5, cleaning unit 143 is to clean pad portion 50 and form having on the supporting member 143b of gathering sill 143a to install.Clean pad portion 50 and be the implement of the nozzle face 111b that is used for cleaning printhead 111a, as shown in Figure 6, it keeps apparatus 50c to constitute by cleaning member 50a, cleaning member end cap 50b and cleaning member.

Cleaning member 50a is to scrape to get and absorb member attached to the printing ink on the nozzle face 111b, and is made of the absorber that keeps cleaning fluid.

Cleaning member end cap 50b is that cleaning member 50a is kept, and detachable ground is installed in the member on the cleaning member maintenance apparatus 50c.When cleaning member 50a wears and under the situation that it is changed, keep apparatus 50c to go up will clearing up member end cap 50b pulling down from the cleaning member, change clearing up member 50a again.

The cleaning member keeps apparatus 50c, is the member that will be installed on the cleaning unit 143 with cleaning pad portion 50 detachables.In addition, shown in Fig. 6 (c), the bottom in that the cleaning member keeps apparatus 50c is extruded with guide finger 50d and limiting member 50e.

Guide finger 50d is and the gathering sill 143a tabling that is formed at that supporting member 143b goes up and moves towards for X-direction, and cleaning part 50 is fixed on member on the supporting member 143b.

Limiting member 50e, be with guide finger 50d in the same manner, the member chimeric with gathering sill 143a, and be when the cleaning member keeps apparatus 50c correctly to be installed in supporting member 143b going up, the member that makes the limit sensors 143c (with reference to Fig. 5 (c)) that on supporting member 143b, installs carry out start.

Limit sensors 143c is the sensor of the position of the detection limit member 50e regulation that arrived gathering sill 143a, at this, shown in Fig. 5 (c), uses microswitch.Slide and when being inserted among the supporting member 143b along gathering sill 143a when cleaning pad portion 50, at first guide finger 50d forces down limit sensors 143c, then limiting member 50e forces down limit sensors 143c, at this moment, limit sensors 143c can send detection signal, keeps apparatus 50c correctly to be installed on the supporting member 143b with expression cleaning member.

In addition, in Fig. 2, will clean the peristome 151a that pad portion 50 inserts from the outside of framework 151, though be illustrated as the one-sided occasion that only is arranged on framework 151, peristome 151a is also opening in the side (side of can't see among Fig. 2) of opposition side.In addition, limit sensors 143c is set at the centre of the X-direction of framework 151.Therefore, no matter will clean pad portion 50 and insert from which side, limit sensors 143c all can detect the cleaning member and keep apparatus 50c correctly to be installed in situation on the supporting member 143b.

Wiping unit 144 is to scrape the device of getting and removing attached to the printing ink on the nozzle face 111b etc., and is driven motor 145 and drives.As Fig. 7 and shown in Figure 8, wiping unit 144 has: clean pad portion 70, be driven driven roller 71 that motor 145 drives, driven voller 72, the endless belt 73 of the rubber system of twining on the periphery of driven roller 71 and driven voller 72, with the transmission of power of motor 145 to the driven roller 71 gear train 74 and a plurality of scraping blades 75 that on the periphery of endless belt 73, are configured with predetermined distance.

Driven roller 71 is disposed on X-direction side by side with driven voller 72, and the rotating shaft of driven roller 71 and driven voller 72 is disposed on Y-axis abreast.In addition, the power of drive motors 145 is passed on the driven roller 71 via gear train 74.

Endless belt 73 is wrapped on the periphery of driven roller 71 and driven voller 72, and rotates along with the rotation of driven roller 71.In addition, for the material of endless belt 73, produce polyurethane that friction also is difficult to generate powder etc. even if select for use.

Scraping blade 75 is rubber-like tabular components, and being fixed into relative endless belt 73 by holding appliance is vertical on one side for it.In addition, at the front end central portion of scraping blade 75, be provided with the recess of width with regulation.This recess is configured to, and when making 75 couples of nozzle face 111b of scraping blade slide wiping, nozzle 111c and scraping blade 75 can not interfere.Because nozzle 111c and scraping blade 75 can not interfered, so do not have the danger that scraping blade 75 is blended into foreign matter among the nozzle 111c or nozzle 111c is caused sliding injury.

In addition, as shown in Figure 9, cleaning pad portion 70 is to keep apparatus 70c to constitute by cleaning member 70a, cleaning member end cap 70b and cleaning member.Make scraping blade 75 slip wipings cleanings member 70a by the rotation that utilizes endless belt 73, scraping blade 75 is scraped the printing ink got etc. and is absorbed on the cleaning member 70a from nozzle face 111b.

Cleaning member 70a is the member of removing attached to the printing ink on the scraping blade 75, and is made of the absorber that keeps cleaning fluid.

Cleaning member end cap 70b keeps cleaning member 70a, and detachable ground is installed in the member on the cleaning member maintenance apparatus 70c.When cleaning member 70a wears and under the situation that it is changed, keeps apparatus 70c to pull down cleaning member end cap 70b from the cleaning member, change cleaning member 70a again.

It is the member that will be installed on the wiping unit 144 that the cleaning member keeps apparatus 70c with cleaning pad portion 70 detachables.In addition, cleaning pad portion 70 is installed on the wiping unit 144 through the peristome 151b (with reference to Fig. 2) of the side that is located at framework 151.

In addition, because wiping unit 144 possesses the driving mechanism of the scraping blade 75 that is made of driven roller 71, driven voller 72 and motor 145 etc., so highly higher.If the limit sensors identical with cleaning unit 143 is set on this basis again, then highly can be higher.When the height of wiping unit 144 uprised, the size of framework 151 can become greatly, and the result causes the size of printer 1 to become big, is not preferred therefore.Therefore, in wiping unit 144, limit sensors is not set, the replacing of cleaning pad portion 70 is not directly detected.

Replace, with the cleaning pad portion 50 of cleaning unit 143 to change the opportunity identical with the cleaning pad portion 70 of wiping unit 144, therefore, detect at limit sensors 143c under the situation of the replacing of cleaning pad portion 50, just can be judged as cleaning pad portion 70 and also be replaced.

In addition, if limit sensors is arranged on the inboard of peristome 151b, although the problem that can avoid wiping unit 144 in height to increase then, but on width, can increase, therefore the size of framework 151 still becomes greatly, and the size of printer 1 also becomes greatly, is not preferred therefore.In addition, with peristome 151a in the same manner, peristome 151b also is arranged on the both sides of framework 151, can insert from any side cleaning pad portion 70, but as if the inboard that limit sensors is arranged on peristome 151b, just can't realize the insertion from opposite side.

Below, the printing of printer 1 action is described.

As shown in figure 10, under the holding state before printing, on the nozzle face 111b that prints head 111, be coated with the end cap 142a of end cap unit 142.Then, when receiving print command, control part 40 (with reference to Fig. 1) can drive the motor 136 of vertical mobile device 131.Then, motor 136 makes swivel plate 137 to clockwise direction rotation (with reference to Fig. 3), and then cam 134 is also to turning clockwise.At this moment, because the edge sliding-contact mutually of the protuberance 134a of cam 134 and the peristome 112a of head supporting member 112, so be accompanied by the rotation of cam 134, head supporting member 112 is along vertically-guided axle 133 and vertically mobile on Z-direction.Thus, being in the locational printing head 111 (with reference to Figure 10) that nozzle face 11b is covered with end cap 142a can rise along Z-direction, so nozzle face 111b breaks away from from end cap 142a.

Then, 40 pairs of motors 124 of control part drive, and are with 123 to rotate to clockwise direction synchronously.Because the belt maintaining part 135 of vertical mobile device 131 is keeping being with synchronously 123,, and flatly move to left along horizontally-guided axle 122 with printing head 111 so the framework 132 of vertical mobile device 131 can be according to synchronously with 123 rotation.Thus, printing head 111 flatly moves to and 144 opposed positions (maintenance position) (with reference to Figure 11), wiping unit.

Then, 40 pairs of drive motors 145 of control part drive, and make scraping blade 75 actions of wiping unit 144, to scrape the unnecessary printing ink of getting attached on the nozzle face 111b of printhead 111a.At this moment, owing to, can be removed from scraping blade 75 by cleaning member 70a so scraping blade 75 is scraped the printing ink of getting from nozzle face 111b with scraping blade 75 slip wipings cleaning member 70a.

Then, 40 pairs of motors 124 of control part drive, and with horizontally moving device 121 be with 123 synchronously around rotation counterclockwise, and will print head 111 and flatly move to and clear up 143 opposed positions (maintenance position), unit.

Then, 40 pairs of motors 136 of control part drive, and the cam 134 of vertical mobile device 131 is rotated to clockwise direction, and printing head 111 is vertically descended along the Z direction, and the nozzle face 111b of printhead 111a is crimped onto on the cleaning unit 143.Because nozzle face 111b is crimped on the cleaning unit 143, so can be dissolved in the cleaning fluid that remains in the cleaning unit 143 and remove with remaining in unnecessary printing ink on the nozzle face 111b.

Then, 40 pairs of motors 136 of control part drive, and make cam 134 again to the clockwise direction rotation, and printing head 111 is vertically risen along the Z direction.

Then, 40 pairs of motors 124 of control part drive, and are with 123 synchronously around rotation counterclockwise and make, and flatly move to (with reference to Figure 12) and platen roller 22 opposed positions (position to be kept away) and will print head 111.

Then, when 40 pairs of motors 136 of control part drive, make swivel plate 137 when counter clockwise direction is rotated, cam 134 is also to turning clockwise.Be accompanied by the rotation of cam 134, head supporting member 112 (is printed the approaching direction of head 111 and platen roller 22) downwards along vertically-guided axle 133 and is vertically moved, and therefore, prints head 111 and moves to print position (position shown in Figure 3).

When printing head 111 and move on the print position, control part 40, with the action of platen roller 22 synchronously, from the nozzle of printhead 111a, discharge printing ink.Thus, the spacing with regulation prints required literal etc. on print media M.

When printing end, 40 pairs of motors 136 of control part drive, and swivel plate 137 is rotated to clockwise direction.Since cam 134 also along with the rotation of swivel plate 137 to turning clockwise, so head supporting member 112 upward (print head 111 from platen roller 22 away from direction) vertically move.Thus, print head 111 and vertically move to retreating position (with reference to Figure 11) from print position (with reference to Fig. 3).On retreating position, be positioned at than top more, the upper end of head maintenance mechanism 141 owing to print head 111, so continuing along level when mobile, just do not have and print the danger that head 111 and maintenance mechanism 141 are interfered.

Then, 40 pairs of motors 124 of control part drive, and make to be with 123 to rotate to clockwise direction synchronously.With 123 driving, the framework 132 of vertical mobile device 131 flatly moves (with reference to Figure 11) with printing head 111 to left along with synchronously.Printing head 111 thus moves to and 142 opposed positions (maintenance position), end cap unit from retreating position (with reference to Figure 11).

Then, 40 pairs of motors 136 of control part drive, and make swivel plate 137 to rotation counterclockwise, and cam 134 is also to rotation counterclockwise.Along with the rotation of cam 134, head supporting member 112 vertically moves downwards.Thus, print head 111 and vertically move until head end cap position (with reference to Figure 10) downwards, and the end cap 142a butt of the nozzle face 111b of printhead 111a and 142 maintenances of end cap unit, and end cap 142a covers on the nozzle face 111b.

Below, the service action of printer 1 is described.

Under the holding state (with reference to Figure 10) of the printer 1 of printing the end cap 142a that is coated with end cap unit 142 on the nozzle face 111b of head 111, when being subjected to the instruction of service action, control part 40 drives the pump (not shown) of maintenance mechanism 141 and extracts the air in the space between nozzle face 111b and the end cap 142a out, and the printing ink in the suction nozzle 111c, and the obstruction of the nozzle 111c of eliminating printhead 111a.

Then, 40 pairs of motors 136 of control part drive, and make swivel plate 137 to clockwise direction rotation (with reference to Figure 10).Cam 134 also rotates to clockwise direction along with the rotation of swivel plate 137.Along with the rotation of cam 134, head supporting member 112 vertically moves upward.Thus, vertically risen to the Z direction in printing head 111 slave head ends lid positions (with reference to Figure 10), so nozzle face 111b break away from from end cap 142a.

Then, when 40 pairs of motors 124 of control part drive, and will be with 123 synchronously when clockwise direction rotates, the framework 132 of vertical mobile device 131 flatly moves with printing head 111 left in figure.Thus, printing head 111 flatly moves to and 144 opposed positions (with reference to Figure 11), wiping unit.

Then, 40 pairs of drive motors 145 of control part drive, and scrape unnecessary printing ink and the foreign matter of getting attached on the nozzle face 111b with scraping blade 75.

Get when finishing when scraping, 40 pairs of motors 124 of control part drive, and will be with 123 synchronously to rotation counterclockwise.Thus, printing head 111 flatly moves to and 142 opposed positions, end cap unit.

Afterwards,, make swivel plate 137 when counter clockwise direction is rotated, because cam 134 is also to rotation counterclockwise, so head supporting member 112 descends when 40 pairs of motors 136 of control part drive.Thus, print head 111 and drop to the head end cap position shown in Figure 10, and the end cap 142a that end cap unit 142 is kept covers on the nozzle face 111b of printhead 111a.

When printing head 111 was positioned on the print position, the height of printing head 111 became minimum.And print head 111 be positioned at retreating position, with 142 opposed positions, end cap unit, with cleaning 143 opposed positions, unit and with 144 opposed positions, wiping unit on the time, the height of printing head 111 becomes maximum.When end cap 142a was covered to position on the nozzle face 111b and nozzle face 111b and is crimped into position on the cleaning unit 143, the height of printing head 111 became median.Therefore, when printing head 111 is positioned at retreating position, during with 142 opposed positions, end cap unit, with cleaning during during 143 opposed positions, unit and with 144 opposed positions, wiping unit, cam 134 is the posture of protuberance 134a towards the top shown in Figure 13 (a), and when end cap 142a is covered on the nozzle face 111b and nozzle face 111b be crimped into the cleaning unit 143 on the time, cam 134 is the posture of protuberance 134a towards oblique upside shown in Figure 13 (b), when printing head 111 was positioned on the print position, cam 134 was the posture of protuberance 134a towards the below shown in Figure 13 (c).In addition, in Figure 13,, will print head 111 and omit for fear of loaded down with trivial details.

Below, the initial service action after the replacing of cleaning pad portion 50,70 is described.

Clean pad portion 50,70 in carrying out the service action process, because of its cleaning member 50a, 70a are made dirty, so the cleaning member that need more renew termly.With old cleaning pad portion 50 when the peristome 151a of framework 151 extracts, limit sensors 143c becomes interruption from the opening that is limited member 50e and forces down, and is temporarily forced down by the guide finger 50d through the top of limit sensors 143c subsequently and becomes unlatchings, also becomes interruption once more.Then, when new cleaning pad portion 50 is inserted from the peristome 151a of framework 151, limit sensors 143c, at first temporarily forced down and become unlatchings, also become interruption once more by guide finger 50d through limit sensors 143c, until cleaning the position that pad portion 50 is inserted into regulation, and be limited member 50e and force down and become unlatching, like this, control part 40 just detects new cleaning pad portion 50 has been installed.

Control part 40 makes the clearance time that utilizes wiping unit 144 when the initial service action of carrying out after the new cleaning pad portion 50 has been installed, longer than the clearance time under the above-mentioned common service action, just, make the rotating speed of the rotating speed of endless belt 73, and carry out the cleanup action of nozzle face 111b more than above-mentioned common service action.

According to such formation, scraping blade 75 when being installed on the wiping unit 144 in new cleaning pad portion 70, clears up promptly that member 70a is replaced with new member and when having stronger cleaning force, cleaned for a long time, and can be removed effectively attached to unnecessary printing ink on the scraping blade 75 etc.At this, use the scraping blade 75 that was cleaned effectively to clear up the nozzle face 111b of printhead 111a, nozzle face 111b is also cleaned effectively.In addition, though utilize cleaning unit 143 to come washer jet face 111b afterwards, in wiping unit 144, can suppress dirt to cleaning unit 143 side shiftings by sufficient cleaning with doing one's utmost.Thus, being difficult to generation prints bad.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to above-mentioned embodiment.For example, also can be provided for detecting the limit sensors of extracting, inserting that cleans pad portion 70 in the inboard of peristome 151b and replace limit sensors 143c.

In addition, also can keep apparatus 50c, 70c from limit sensors being set on one's body, detect cleaning member end cap 50b, 70b and be installed in the cleaning member and keep on apparatus 50c, the 70c at the cleaning member.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, for the initial service action after the replacing of cleaning pad portion 70, carry out cleanup action though scraping blade 75 is rotated for more time than common service action, also can be made as the order that repeatedly repeats common maintenance (cleanup action of being undertaken by end cap unit 142, cleaning unit 143 and wiping unit 144) cleaning initial service action after the replacing of pad portion 70.

In addition, before the initial service action of cleaning after pad portion 70 changes, print under the situation of action, also the cleanup action of printing before action begins can be made as long cleanup action.

In addition,, can not contact (not printing the cleaning of head 111) with wiping unit 144 yet, and come sliding friction cleaning member 70a, only carry out the cleaning of scraping blade 75 with scraping blade 75 with printing head 111 for the initial service action of cleaning after pad portion 70 changes.At this moment owing to utilize (new) cleaning member 70a after being replaced to clean scraping blade 75 fully, so after service action in, do not have the danger of making nozzle face 111b dirty attached to the printing ink on the scraping blade 75.

In addition, can change arbitrarily, as long as suit to select according to purposes and purpose to material, number, the shape shown in the above-mentioned embodiment.

Claims (4)

1. ink-jet printer has: printhead, and it possesses the nozzle face that is arranged with a plurality of nozzles; Wiping arrangement, it is to the wiping of sliding of said nozzle face, and scrapes the printing ink of getting attached on this nozzle face; And the wiping arrangement implement, it constitutes removable, and to its surface with the wiping of sliding of above-mentioned wiping arrangement, and clean this wiping arrangement, this ink-jet printer is characterised in that to possess:

Substitution detector more, it detects the situation of changing above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement;

The cleaning control device, it detects at above-mentioned more substitution detector under the situation of replacing of above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement, to the wiping of sliding of the surface of above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement, and cleans this wiping arrangement with above-mentioned wiping arrangement.

2. ink-jet printer according to claim 1, it is characterized in that, above-mentioned cleaning control device detects at above-mentioned more substitution detector under the situation of replacing of above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement, cleans above-mentioned wiping arrangement than the common cleaning action longer time.

3. ink-jet printer according to claim 1 and 2 is characterized in that, above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement possesses: the wiping arrangement cleaning element of absorption printing ink; The wiping arrangement cleaning element of fixing this wiping arrangement cleaning element keeps apparatus,

Above-mentioned more substitution detector when above-mentioned wiping arrangement cleaning element keeps apparatus to be installed in the above-mentioned ink-jet printer, detects the situation that above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement has been replaced.

4. ink-jet printer according to claim 1 and 2, it is characterized in that, possesses the nozzle cleaning apparatus, this nozzle cleaning apparatus has wiping said nozzle face and absorption keeps apparatus attached to the nozzle cleaning member of the printing ink on this nozzle face with to the nozzle cleaning member that this nozzle cleaning member is fixed

And above-mentioned more substitution detector, when the said nozzle cleaning element keeps apparatus to be installed in the above-mentioned ink-jet printer, detect the situation that above-mentioned wiping arrangement implement is replaced.

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