JP2006051774A - Liquid injection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid injection apparatus by which stable wiping effect is obtained regardless of an ambient temperature. <P>SOLUTION: The ambient temperature of a wiper member (a wiper section) is measured with a temperature detecting sensor 10 provided in a carriage 5. A wiper supporting member 27 is raised by rotating a cylindrical cam C according to the ambient temperature to change an abutting quantity between a recording head 8 and the wiper member (the wiper section). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  An ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a printer) as a liquid ejecting apparatus includes a recording head in which a plurality of nozzles are formed, and ejects ink droplets from openings of the nozzles. The ink ejected from the recording head may adhere to the vicinity of the nozzle opening at the time of ejection, or may adhere to the nozzle opening surface due to rebound from a recording medium such as paper. Since the ink adhering to the nozzle opening surface may cause a deviation in the ejection direction of ink droplets, clogging of the nozzles, etc., the printer is provided with a wiping mechanism for cleaning the nozzle opening surface of the recording head. . The wiping mechanism is provided with a plate-like wiper member made of an elastomer or the like, and the wiper member slides on the nozzle opening surface while being bent, and wipes off ink adhering to the opening and its periphery. Yes (wiping operation).

  By the way, in this type of printer, the platen gap, which is the gap between the recording head and the platen that supports the recording paper, is adjusted in accordance with the thickness of the recording paper used for printing. The sliding contact pressure between the wiper member and the nozzle opening surface of the recording head differs depending on the size of the platen gap. When the platen gap is large, the sliding contact pressure decreases, so the nozzle opening surface by the wiper member The wiping efficiency was reduced. Further, after the wiping operation is completed, the wiped ink may be scattered in the printer due to the elastic recovery of the wiper member. Also at this time, the amount of ink scattered varies depending on the size of the platen gap. When the platen gap is small, the sliding contact pressure is high and the elastic restoring force is large, so the amount of ink scattered is large. It was.

Therefore, changing the wiping speed and the number of wiping operations according to the size of the platen gap stabilizes the wiping effect of the wiper member and reduces ink scattering (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-264350 A

  However, in the wiping mechanism described in Patent Document 1, if the wiping speed is increased in order to increase the wiping effect when the sliding contact pressure is reduced, the scattering of ink after wiping increases, and the wiping performance at each wiping speed is increased. It was a hassle twice because we had to secure it. On the other hand, when the number of wiping operations is increased, the cleaning time is increased. In addition, the change in the sliding contact pressure and the amount of scattered ink occurred not only in the change in the size of the platen gap but also in the case where the elasticity of the wiper member changed due to the ambient temperature.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that can obtain a stable wiping effect regardless of the ambient temperature.

In order to solve the above problems, a liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a wiper unit that wipes the nozzle opening surface of a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid from a nozzle. Temperature detecting means for detecting; adjusting means for adjusting a gap between the nozzle opening surface and the wiper means; and operating the adjusting means on the basis of the ambient temperature detected by the temperature detecting means, and the nozzle And a control means for adjusting a gap between the opening surface and the wiper means.

  According to the present invention, the temperature detecting means for detecting the ambient temperature of the wiper means, and the adjusting means for adjusting the gap between the nozzle opening surface and the wiper means, the control means includes the ambient temperature detected by the temperature detecting means. Therefore, the gap between the nozzle opening surface and the wiper means is adjusted by operating the adjustment means. For example, even if the elasticity of the wiper means changes depending on the ambient temperature, the gap between the liquid jet head and the wiper means is wiped off. The size can be optimized. Therefore, a stable wiping effect can be obtained regardless of the ambient temperature.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the adjusting unit may be a lifting unit that moves the wiper unit up and down.
According to the present invention, since the adjusting means is a lifting means for raising and lowering the wiper means, for example, even if the elasticity of the wiper means changes depending on the ambient temperature, the nozzle opening surface and the wiper means are raised by raising and lowering the wiper means. The gap can be made the optimum size for wiping. Further, since the position of the nozzle opening surface is not moved, for example, when the liquid is ejected after wiping with the wiper means, it is not necessary to return the liquid ejecting head to the position before wiping. Therefore, although it is simple, a stable wiping effect can be obtained regardless of the ambient temperature.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the elevating unit elevates and lowers the wiper unit stepwise by the control unit based on the ambient temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit.
According to the present invention, the elevating means elevates the wiper means stepwise based on the ambient temperature detected by the temperature detecting means, so that the control means can reduce the distance between the liquid ejecting head and the wiper means with simple control. The distance can be optimal for wiping. Therefore, a stable wiping effect can be obtained with simple control regardless of the ambient temperature.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention includes a support member that supports a target on which the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head lands, and the control unit detects the ambient temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit and the liquid ejecting head. And the gap between the support member and the wiper means are raised and lowered via the raising and lowering means.

  According to this invention, the support member that supports the target on which the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head lands is provided, and the control means includes the ambient temperature detected by the temperature detecting means, the gap between the liquid ejecting head and the support member, Based on the above, the wiper means is moved up and down through the lifting means. Therefore, a stable wiping effect can always be obtained regardless of the ambient temperature.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the temperature detecting unit is provided in a reciprocating carriage provided with the liquid ejecting head.
According to the present invention, since the temperature detecting means is provided in the reciprocating carriage provided with the liquid ejecting head, for example, the temperature detecting means for detecting the ambient temperature of the liquid ejecting head provided in the carriage and the wiper means. By using together with the temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature, it is not necessary to newly provide a temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature of the wiper means, which can contribute to downsizing of the entire apparatus.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 1 as a liquid ejecting apparatus includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped frame 2 having an upper opening. A platen 3 as a support member is installed on the frame 2, and a printing paper P as a target that is a recording medium is fed onto the platen 3 by a paper feed mechanism (not shown). Below the platen 3, a waste liquid tank T for storing used ink is provided.

  A guide member 4 is installed on the frame 2 in parallel with the platen 3, and a carriage 5 is inserted into and supported by the guide member 4 so as to be movable in the axial direction of the guide member 4. The carriage 5 is drivingly connected to a carriage motor 7 via a timing belt 6, and is reciprocated along the guide member 4 by driving the carriage motor 7.

  On the carriage 5, first and second ink cartridges C1 and C2 are mounted. The first ink cartridge C1 contains black ink inside. The second ink cartridge C2 contains each color ink. The first and second ink cartridges C1 and C2 are detachably mounted on the carriage 5.

  A recording head 8 as a liquid ejecting head is mounted on the surface of the carriage 5 facing the platen 3. On the lower surface of the recording head 8, an opening of a nozzle row as a nozzle (not shown) is formed. Each nozzle row corresponds to each ink, and an ink droplet as a liquid is ejected onto the printing paper P by driving a piezoelectric element (not shown). The carriage 5 is provided with a temperature detection sensor 10 (see FIG. 5) as temperature detection means. The temperature detection sensor 10 is composed of, for example, a temperature sensitive element capable of detecting temperature, such as a thermistor, and detects and outputs an ambient temperature that is the temperature around the recording head 8.

  A maintenance unit 11 is provided in the non-printing area in the frame 2. The maintenance unit 11 performs cleaning to prevent printing defects when the recording head 8 is not ejecting ink for printing. The maintenance unit 11 includes a case 12 having an upper opening and a lid 13 that covers a part of the upper opening of the case 12. A capping device 17 and a wiping device 19 (see FIG. 2) are accommodated in the case 12 respectively.

  The capping device 17 is formed to have a size capable of covering the nozzle opening surface 8a of the recording head 8, and is moved to an upper position by driving an elevating mechanism so as to seal the nozzle opening surface 8a of the recording head 8. It has become. The capping device 17 performs so-called well-known suction cleaning in which a suction pump (not shown) is driven to forcibly eject ink from the nozzles of the recording head 8 with the nozzle opening surface 8a of the recording head 8 sealed. It has become. This suction cleaning prevents nozzle clogging, ink droplet ejection failure, and the like. Then, the ink discharged to the capping device 17 is sent out to the waste liquid tank T.

  The wiping device 19 wipes the nozzle opening surface 8a of the recording head 8 when the recording head 8 moves from the non-printing area to the printing area. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part for explaining the configuration of the wiping device 19.

  In FIG. 2, the wiping device 19 includes a drive motor 21, and a drive gear 23 is fixed to the output shaft of the drive motor 21. The drive gear 23 is drivingly connected to a driven gear 26 formed integrally with a cylindrical cam C as adjusting means and lifting means via an intermediate gear 25 rotatably supported by the case 12 and the lid 13. . The cylindrical cam C is rotatably supported by the case 12 and the lid 13, and rotates forward and backward as the drive motor 21 rotates forward and backward. The cylindrical cam C has a spiral cam groove G formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof.

The wiping device 19 includes a wiper support member 27 and a wiper member 29 as wiper means fixed to the upper portion of the wiper support member 27. The wiper member 29 is made of a flexible member such as an elastomer, and includes a wiping portion 31 having an upper end portion formed in a hook shape in the X arrow direction.

  An arm portion 33 is formed at a lower portion of one side surface of the wiper support member 27, and a pin PN is formed at the tip of the arm portion 33. As the pin PN slides along the cam groove G of the cylindrical cam C that rotates forward and backward by the drive motor 21, the wiper support member 27 moves up and down, that is, the wiper member 29 (wiping unit 31) moves up and down. It has become.

  That is, by sliding the pin PN along the cam groove G, the wiping portion 31 is the same as the retracted position separated from the nozzle opening surface 8a of the recording head 8, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. As indicated by a solid line, the recording head 8 is arranged at a wiping position that is a predetermined height above the nozzle opening surface 8a. In the present embodiment, this predetermined height (corresponding to the gap between the nozzle opening surface and the wiper means described in claim 1) is the length that the wiping portion 31 is in sliding contact with the nozzle opening surface 8a of the recording head 8 at the wiping position. The amount of sliding contact D indicating the thickness.

  Then, after the cleaning, the wiper support member 27 (wiping portion 31) is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3 when the recording head 8 moves to the printing region side by the movement of the carriage 5 in the direction opposite to the X arrow. The wiping position indicated by the solid line is moved from the retracted position. As a result, the portion of the slidable contact amount D from the tip of the wiping portion 31 slides on the nozzle opening surface 8a of the recording head 8 (wiping operation). At this time, the tip end portion of the bowl-shaped wiping portion 31 faces the side opposite to the moving direction of the carriage 5. As a result, the ink and dust adhering to the nozzle opening surface 8 a are scraped off by the wiping unit 31, and the scraped ink flows down through the wiping unit 31.

Next, the sliding contact amount D will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view around the wiping portion 31 at the wiping position shown in FIG. 3.
The sliding contact amount D is adjusted in three stages according to the temperature around the recording head 8 (hereinafter referred to as the ambient temperature T0). That is, the wiping position of the wiping unit 31 is controlled in three ways according to the ambient temperature T0. That is, the elasticity of the wiper member 29 changes depending on the ambient temperature T0, and when the ambient temperature T0 is low, the wiper member 29 that is in sliding contact with the recording head 8 becomes hard, so that the wiping position is low (the sliding contact amount D is small). Moreover, since the wiper member 29 becomes soft when the ambient temperature T0 is high, the wiping position is adjusted in three stages so that the wiping position is high (the sliding contact amount D is large).

  In the present embodiment, the ambient temperature T0 is divided into three ranges with two reference values T1 and T2 as boundaries, and the optimum sliding contact amount D in each range is determined. The reference values T1 and T2 are, for example, the reference value T1 = 10 ° C. and the reference value T2 = 40 ° C. The ambient temperature T0 is 10 ° C. or less (hereinafter referred to as low temperature), 11 ° C. to 39 ° C. The temperature is divided into three ranges of ° C (hereinafter referred to as normal temperature) and 40 ° C or higher (hereinafter referred to as high temperature). When the ambient temperature T0 is low, the sliding contact amount D is 1.0 mm (hereinafter referred to as the low temperature position P1), and when the ambient temperature is normal temperature, the sliding contact amount D is 1.5 mm (hereinafter referred to as the normal temperature position P2). When the temperature is high, the pin PN slides in the cam groove G so that the sliding contact amount D is 2.0 mm (hereinafter referred to as a high temperature position P3). That is, when the sliding position of the cam groove G of the pin PN when the wiping portion 31 is at the low temperature position P1 is defined as the reference position, the pin PN extends along the cam groove G at a position 0.5 mm above the reference position. When arranged, the wiping portion 31 is arranged at the normal temperature position P2. Further, when the pin PN is disposed along the cam groove G at a position of 1.0 mm upward from the reference position, the wiping portion 31 is disposed at the high temperature position P3. In the present embodiment, the sliding contact amount D corresponding to the ambient temperature T0 is obtained by conducting a test or the like in advance.

Next, the electrical configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The printer 1 includes a CPU 35, a ROM 36, a RAM 37, and an interface 38 as control means. A head drive circuit 40 and first and second motor drive circuits 41 and 42 are connected to the CPU 35. The CPU 35 temporarily stores, in the RAM 37, print data and the like input from an external device (not shown) via the interface 38 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 36.

  The ROM 36 stores an optimum sliding contact amount D (low temperature position P1, normal temperature position P2, high temperature position P3) for each ambient temperature T0 described above. Specifically, the amount of rotation of the cylindrical cam C from the retracted position to the low temperature position P1, the amount of rotation of the cylindrical cam C from the retracted position to the normal temperature position P2, and the amount of rotation of the cylindrical cam C from the retracted position to the high temperature position P3. Is stored in the ROM 36.

  Then, the CPU 35 controls the recording head 8 via the head driving circuit 40 based on the print data stored in the RAM 37 in accordance with the program stored in the ROM 36. Similarly, the CPU 35 drives the carriage motor 7 via the first motor drive circuit 41 based on the print data to control the movement of the carriage 5 in the main scanning direction.

  Further, the CPU 35 inputs a detection signal from the temperature detection sensor 10 that detects the ambient temperature T0 around the recording head 8, and temporarily stores the ambient temperature T0 at that time in the RAM 37. The CPU 35 compares the ambient temperature T0 obtained from the temperature detection sensor 10 with the reference values T1 and T2 stored in the ROM 36, and the corresponding sliding contact amount D (low temperature position P1, normal temperature position P2, high temperature position). P3) is obtained. The CPU 35 controls the drive motor 21 via the second motor drive circuit 42 in accordance with the calculated sliding contact amount D, and raises the wiper support member 27 by rotating the cylindrical cam C.

Next, the operation of the printer 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a positioning process for determining the position of the wiper support member 27 according to the ambient temperature T0.

At this time, it is assumed that the printer 1 is performing the wiping operation after the cleaning is completed.
First, the CPU 35 inputs a detection signal from the temperature detection sensor 10 and measures the ambient temperature T0 (step S25). That is, the CPU 35 measures the ambient temperature T 0 of the recording head 8 by the temperature detection sensor 10 and stores it in the RAM 37. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the ambient temperature T0 is 42 ° C. at this time.

  Next, the CPU 35 determines the wiping position of the wiper support member 27 (step S30). More specifically, the CPU 35 reads the ambient temperature T0 from the RAM 37 and the reference values T1 and T2 from the ROM 36, and compares the ambient temperature T0 with the reference values T1 and T2. In the present embodiment, the ambient temperature T0 is 42 ° C., which is higher than the reference value T1 (10 ° C.) and the reference value T2 (40 ° C.). Therefore, in the present embodiment, the CPU 35 determines that the optimum sliding contact amount D is 2.0 mm, and the position of the pin PN is determined as the high temperature position P3.

  Then, the CPU 35 raises the wiper support member 27 (step S35). That is, the CPU 35 controls the rotation of the drive motor 21 (cylindrical cam C) via the second motor drive circuit 42 and raises the wiper support member 27 by sliding the pin PN along the cam groove G. At this time, the wiper member 29 (wiping part 31) is soft due to high temperature (40 ° C. or higher), but since the sliding contact amount D is 2.0 mm, a stable wiping effect can be obtained. When performing the wiping operation (step S40), the wiping device 19 ends the positioning process.

  Thereafter, when the wiping operation is performed in the same manner, the wiping device 19 detects the ambient temperature T0 from time to time, and moves the wiper member 29 (wiping unit 31) to the low temperature position P1, the normal temperature position P2, or the high temperature according to the ambient temperature T0. A wiping operation is performed which is arranged at any position P3 and exhibits a stable wiping effect.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) According to the present embodiment, the temperature detection sensor 10 measures the ambient temperature T0, which is the temperature around the recording head 8 (wiping unit 31). Then, by raising the wiper support member 27 so as to have an optimum sliding contact amount D with respect to the ambient temperature T0, the position of the wiping portion 31 (wiper member 29) (low temperature position P1, normal temperature position P2, high temperature). Position P3) was adjusted. Therefore, a stable wiping effect can be obtained even when the ambient temperature T0 changes.

  (2) According to the present embodiment, since the position of the wiping portion 31 (wiper support member 27) (low temperature position P1, normal temperature position P2, high temperature position P3) is adjusted by the rotation of the cylindrical cam C, the wiping portion 31 Can be easily adjusted stepwise according to the ambient temperature T0.

  (3) According to the present embodiment, since the temperature detection sensor 10 provided in advance on the carriage 5 is used, the temperature around the wiping portion 31 (wiper member 29) is measured without increasing the number of parts. be able to. Therefore, the entire apparatus can be downsized and a stable wiping effect can be obtained regardless of the ambient temperature T0.

  (4) According to this embodiment, the temperature detection sensor 10 is provided on the carriage 5 provided with the recording head 8 that is wiped by the wiping portion 31 (wiper member 29). As a result, since the ambient temperature T0 of the wiping unit 31 can be accurately measured, the wiping unit 31 can be accurately positioned with respect to the ambient temperature T0.

  (5) According to the present embodiment, since the wiping performance is improved without increasing the number of wiping operations, a stable wiping effect can be obtained regardless of the ambient temperature T0 without increasing the cleaning time.

(6) According to the present embodiment, the wiping performance is improved without changing the speed of the wiping operation. Therefore, the ink can be prevented from being scattered inside the printer 1 during the wiping operation, and the ambient temperature T0 can be maintained. Regardless of this, a stable wiping effect can be obtained.
(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, a gap (hereinafter referred to as a platen gap) between the platen 3 and the recording head 8 (nozzle opening surface 8a) is changed according to the thickness of the printing paper P. Therefore, the printer 1 of this embodiment is provided with a known paper thickness detection sensor that detects the thickness of the printing paper P. The printer 1 is a printer provided with a known gap adjusting means provided in the carriage 5 for adjusting the platen gap by moving the carriage 5 in the vertical direction with respect to the guide member 4.

  The present embodiment is characterized in that the wiping portion 31 (wiper member 29) is positioned with respect to each platen gap so as to have an optimum sliding contact amount D according to the ambient temperature T0. Therefore, the characteristic part will be described in detail, the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, the position of the recording head 8 (carriage 5) is a reference position Q1 indicated by a solid line in FIG. 7 according to the thickness of the printing paper P, a position when the printing paper P is thick, and a two-dot chain line The ascending position Q2 shown, and the position when the printing paper P is thin, are adjusted in three stages: a descending position Q3 indicated by a dotted line. For each of the positions Q1, Q2, and Q3, a sliding contact amount D with respect to the ambient temperature T0 at that position is set, and the wiping portion 31 (wiper member 29) wipes according to the set sliding contact amount D. Moved to position.

  More specifically, three sliding contact amounts D of 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2.0 mm with respect to the reference position Q1 are 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2.0 mm with respect to the rising position Q2. Further, three sliding contact amounts D of 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2.0 mm are respectively set with respect to the lowered position Q3.

  That is, the wiping position of the wiping unit 31 at the low temperature position P1, the normal temperature position P2, and the high temperature position P3 with respect to the reference position Q1 is the wiping position of the low temperature position P1, the normal temperature position P2, and the high temperature position P3 with respect to the rising position Q2. A wiping position is set for each of the wiping portions 31 of the low temperature position P1, the normal temperature position P2, and the high temperature position P3 with respect to the lowered position Q3. Then, the wiper member 29 is raised by rotating the cylindrical cam C to the wiping position set in accordance with the thickness of the printing paper P and the ambient temperature T0.

FIG. 8 shows an electrical block circuit showing the electrical configuration of the printer 1 of the present embodiment.
In FIG. 8, a detection signal from a paper thickness detection sensor S that detects the thickness of the printing paper P is input to the CPU 35. The CPU 35 detects the thickness of the printing paper P used for printing at that time. The ROM 36 stores data of the optimum sliding contact amount D (low temperature position P1, normal temperature position P2, high temperature position P3) with respect to the ambient temperature T0 at each of the positions Q1, Q2, and Q3. Further, the ROM 36 stores data of a platen gap (reference position Q1, ascending position Q2, descending position Q3) with respect to the thickness of the printing paper P.

  A third motor drive circuit 43 is also provided. The third motor drive circuit 43 is connected to the CPU 35. The third motor drive circuit 43 adjusts the platen gap by operating the gap adjusting means GA as the adjusting means to move the carriage 5 in the vertical direction with respect to the guide member 4. Then, the CPU 35 receives a detection signal from the paper thickness detection sensor S, and according to the detected paper thickness of the printing paper P, the CPU 35 uses the third motor drive circuit 43 to similarly provide a gap adjusting means GA provided in the carriage 5. The platen gap (reference position Q1, raised position Q2, lowered position Q3) is adjusted according to the thickness of the printing paper P by operating.

Next, the operation of the printer 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of a positioning process for determining the position of the wiper support member 27 in accordance with the platen gap and the ambient temperature T0.

At this time, as in the first embodiment, it is assumed that the printer 1 is performing the wiping operation after the cleaning is completed.
First, the CPU 35 detects the thickness of the printing paper P (step S10). Next, the CPU 35 uses the thickness of the printing paper P and the platen gap data stored in the ROM 36 based on the detection signal of the paper thickness detection sensor S to determine the platen gap (reference position Q1, ascending position Q2, descending position Q3). Obtained (step S15). Next, the CPU 35 adjusts the position of the carriage 5 via the third motor drive circuit 43 and the gap adjusting means GA so that the obtained platen gap (reference position Q1, ascending position Q2, or descending position Q3) is obtained (step). S20).

  Next, the CPU 35 receives the detection signal from the temperature detection sensor 10 and measures the ambient temperature T0 (step S25). The CPU 35 determines the wiping position of the wiper support member 27 (wiper member 29) from the data stored in the ROM 36 from the measured ambient temperature T0 and the set platen gap (reference position Q1, ascending position Q2, or descending position Q3) ( Step S30).

  When the wiping position of the wiper support member 27 (wiper member 29) is determined, the CPU 35 rotates the cylindrical cam C via the second motor drive circuit 42 and the drive motor 21 so that the determined wiping position is reached. The support member 27 (wiper member 29) is raised (step S35). For example, when the recording head 8 (nozzle opening surface 8a) is at the lowered position Q3 and the ambient temperature T0 is 30 ° C., the wiping position of the wiper support member 27 (wiper member 29) is the normal temperature position P2 with respect to the lowered position Q3. .

  Then, after adjusting the sliding contact amount D according to the platen gap and the ambient temperature T0, the carriage 5 is moved from the non-printing area to the printing area via the first motor driving circuit 41 and the carriage motor 7 to complete the wiping operation. (Step S40).

According to the said embodiment, in addition to the effect of the said 1st Embodiment, the following effects can be acquired.
(1) According to the present embodiment, even if the position (platen gap) of the recording head 8 is changed according to the thickness of the printing paper P, the wiper support member 27 is raised according to the position of the recording head 8. As a result, it is possible to obtain the optimum sliding contact amount D for the wiping operation. Therefore, a stable wiping effect can be obtained.

  (2) According to this embodiment, even when the sliding contact amount D fluctuates due to the platen gap and the ambient temperature T0, the wiper support member 27 is raised to the wiping position corresponding to the platen gap and the ambient temperature T0. The sliding contact amount D optimum for the wiping operation can be obtained. Therefore, a stable wiping effect can be obtained.

  (3) According to the present embodiment, since the wiper support member 27 is lifted by the rotation of the cylindrical cam C, the wiper support member 27 can be lifted stepwise in accordance with the platen gap.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In each of the above embodiments, the sliding contact amount D is set to an optimum value by raising the wiper support member 27 according to the ambient temperature T0. Alternatively, the sliding contact amount D may be set to an optimum value by the gap adjusting means GA moving up and down the recording head 8 (carriage 5) according to the ambient temperature T0.

  In each of the above embodiments, the wiper support member 27 is raised from the retracted position to each of the low temperature position P1, the normal temperature position P2, and the high temperature position P3 to adjust the sliding contact amount D. For example, the sliding contact amount D may be adjusted by raising and lowering the wiper support member 27 with the normal temperature position P2 as a reference. That is, the wiper support member 27 may be lowered from the normal temperature position P2 at the low temperature position P1, and the wiper support member 27 may be raised from the normal temperature position P2 at the high temperature position.

  In each of the above embodiments, the ambient temperature T0 is divided into three ranges by the two reference values T1 and T2, but this is divided into a plurality of ranges by providing two or more reference values and corresponds to each range. The wiper support member 27 may be raised (lifted / lowered) in accordance with the slidable contact amount D.

  In each of the above embodiments, the liquid ejecting apparatus is embodied in the printer 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the liquid ejecting apparatus may be embodied in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects another liquid. For example, as a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting liquids such as electrode materials and color materials used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL displays, and surface-emitting displays, as a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting bioorganic materials used in biochip manufacturing, and as precision pipettes The sample injection device may be used.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer according to the first embodiment. Similarly, the principal part perspective view of a wiping apparatus. Similarly, the schematic block diagram of a wiping apparatus. Similarly, the schematic block diagram of a wiping apparatus. Similarly, the block diagram for showing the electric constitution of a printer. Similarly, the flowchart explaining the positioning process of a wiper support member. The schematic block diagram of the wiping apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. Similarly, the block diagram for showing the electric constitution of a printer. Similarly, the flowchart explaining the positioning process of a wiper support member.

Explanation of symbols

  C ... cylindrical cam, D ... sliding contact amount, G ... cam groove, GA ... gap adjusting means, P ... printing paper, PN ... pin, S ... paper thickness detection sensor, T0 ... ambient temperature, T1, T2 ... reference value, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer, 3 ... Platen, 5 ... Carriage, 8 ... Recording head, 8a ... Nozzle opening surface, 10 ... Temperature detection sensor, 19 ... Wiping apparatus, 21 ... Drive motor, 27 ... Wiper support member, 29 ... Wiper member, 31 ... Wiping unit, 35 ... CPU.

Claims (5)

In a liquid ejecting apparatus including wiper means for wiping a nozzle opening surface of a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid from a nozzle,
Temperature detecting means for detecting the ambient temperature of the wiper means;
Adjusting means for adjusting a gap between the nozzle opening surface and the wiper means;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a control unit that operates the adjustment unit based on the ambient temperature detected by the temperature detection unit to adjust a gap between the nozzle opening surface and the wiper unit. apparatus. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit is a lifting unit that lifts and lowers the wiper unit. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2,
The said raising / lowering means raises / lowers the said wiper means stepwise by a control means based on the said ambient temperature detected by the said temperature detection means. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
A support member for supporting a target on which the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head lands,
The control means elevates and lowers the wiper means via the elevating means based on the ambient temperature detected by the temperature detecting means and a gap between the liquid jet head and the support member. Liquid ejector. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature detecting means is provided in a reciprocating carriage provided with the liquid ejecting head.

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