JP2006095779A - Inkjet recording apparatus and method for wiping multi-head unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem related to decreasing in wiping function caused by deformation and strain of a wiper member and staining of a recording head caused by remaining of an ink, and to highly reliably and effectively wipe each of recording heads of a multi-head unit. <P>SOLUTION: The wiper members 51A and 51B correspond respectively to the recording heads 11A and 11B of the multi-head unit 10 in which at least two recording heads 11A and 11B arranged with a number of ink delivering openings 11b on an ink delivering face 11a are zigzag arranged along the arranging direction of ink delivering openings 11b, and slide the ink delivering face 11a to wipe the ink. The wiper members 51A and 51B use a neighboring position of the central line X of the multi-head unit 10 along the arranging direction of the ink delivering opening 11b as a sliding starting position, and are moved respectively to the side of the multi-head unit 10 from the sliding starting position to slide the ink delivering face 11a of the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B along the direction intersecting at right angles to the arranging direction of the ink delivering opening 11b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus and a multi-head unit wiping method, and more particularly, to an inkjet recording apparatus and a multi-head unit wiping method capable of wiping a multi-head unit with high reliability and effectiveness.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus, a plurality of relatively short recording heads are arranged in a staggered manner along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports, and the ink discharge ports are arranged in a long shape so as to have a predetermined recording width. What has a multi-head unit is known (patent documents 1-3).

  The relatively short individual recording head is easy to ensure the ejection performance as compared with the case where one recording head is formed long in the width direction of the recording material. There is an advantage that maintenance management becomes easy. In particular, if this multi-head unit is formed so as to have a recording width that covers the full width of the recording material, a full line type ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by conveying only the recording material in one direction. Can be configured easily.

  By the way, in an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from fine ink discharge ports toward a recording material, the state of the ink discharge surface on which a large number of ink discharge ports are arranged greatly affects the recording quality. In other words, if the ink ejection surface is wet with ink or water droplets, or if foreign matter adheres to it, the ejected ink droplets are attracted by the ink, water droplets, or foreign matter, causing the ejection direction to bend, or normal ejection to occur. It is hindered to cause ejection failure (including non-ejection), which may deteriorate the recording quality.

  Therefore, in order to remove ink and foreign matter adhering to the ink ejection surface, the ink ejection surface is wiped and cleaned (wiped) at a predetermined timing by a wiper member formed of a plate-like elastic body such as rubber. Conventionally, the following are known.

  (1) A wiper member arranged parallel to the ink discharge port arrangement direction of the recording head is brought into contact with the ink discharge port surface, and either the recording head or the wiper member is orthogonal to the ink discharge port arrangement direction. By wiping the wiper member against the ink ejection surface, the wiping is performed.

  (2) A wiper member disposed in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports of the linear print head is brought into contact with the ink discharge port surface, and either the print head or the wiper member is arranged in the arrangement of the ink discharge ports. Wiping is carried out by sliding the wiper member against the ink ejection surface all at once along the length direction of the recording head by moving in parallel along the direction (Patent Document 4).

  In order to prevent ink from scattering from the wiper member when the wiper member is elastically restored away from the ink ejection surface, the following are known.

  (3) The speed of the wiper member that rubs the ink ejection surface of the recording head is reduced as the operation progresses (Patent Document 5).

(4) The wiper member that slides on the ink discharge surface of the recording head is operated so that the amount of contact with the ink discharge surface is reduced at least immediately before the wiper member is separated from the ink discharge surface (Patent Document 6).
JP 60-111450 A Japanese Patent No. 3208740 Japanese Patent No. 3219152 JP-A-2-179757 Japanese Patent No. 2818015 Japanese Patent No. 2818026

  When wiping the multi-head unit, if the wiper member is simultaneously brought into contact with the entire region of the ink discharge ports arranged in a long shape according to the method (1), the length of the wiper member is also long. Therefore, the deformation and distortion of the wiper member are likely to occur. For this reason, it becomes difficult to evenly rub all the ink discharge ports, and there is a problem that the wiping function is lowered.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 21A, the wiper member 600 is formed by being divided into short portions so as to correspond to the lengths of the individual recording heads 501 constituting the multi-head unit 500, and this is formed on the ink ejection surface 501a. Parallel to the arrangement direction of the formed ink discharge ports 501b, and arranged in a staggered manner like the recording head 501, all wiper members 600 are simultaneously brought into contact with the ink discharge surface 501a and rubbed in one direction. An attempt was made to make it happen. However, the multi-head unit 500 arranges the recording heads 501 in a staggered manner so that all the ink discharge ports 501b are arranged at an equal pitch along the length direction thereof, thereby adjacent recording heads 501 and 501. Since the end portions of the wiper members 600 and 600 are overlapped with each other, the end portions of the adjacent wiper members 600 and 600 are also overlapped with each other. Therefore, as shown in FIG. There has been a problem that ink protruding from the end of the wiper member 600 remains in a streak shape (indicated by reference numeral 700).

  If the method (2) is applied to the multi-head unit and wiping is performed from one end to the other end of the multi-head unit at a stretch, the number of ink discharge ports rubbed by the wiper member becomes enormous. A large amount of ink is wiped off. Accordingly, since the wiper member moves the ink discharge surface of each recording head while dragging a large amount of ink, non-discharge occurs due to an increase in the amount of ink remaining on the ink discharge surface due to uneven wiping or the like. was there.

  Therefore, the present invention can solve the problem of deterioration of the wiping function due to deformation and distortion of the wiper member and the problem of contamination of the recording head due to residual ink, and wiping each recording head of the multi-head unit reliably and effectively. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording apparatus and a multi-head unit wiping method that can be performed.

  Other problems of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

  The above problems are solved by the following inventions.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-head unit in which two or more recording heads having a large number of ink discharge ports arranged on the ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the direction of arrangement of the ink discharge ports. A wiper member corresponding to each of the recording heads, for rubbing the ink discharge surface to wipe off the ink, in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by discharging ink from the ink discharge port to a recording material; The position near the center line of the multi-head unit along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports is set as the rubbing start position of the wiper member, and the wiper member is directed from the rubbing start position to the side of the multi-head unit. Moving the ink discharge surface of the corresponding recording head along the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized by comprising a stage.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink shielding member that is disposed on both sides of the multi-head unit during the rubbing operation by the wiper member and receives ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-head unit in which two or more recording heads each having a plurality of ink discharge ports arranged on the ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports. A wiper member corresponding to each of the recording heads, for rubbing the ink discharge surface to wipe off the ink, in an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by discharging ink from the ink discharge port to a recording material; The side opposite to the center line of the multi-head unit along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports with the corresponding recording head interposed therebetween is set as the rubbing start position of the wiper member, and the wiper member is moved from the rubbing start position. By moving toward the center line of the multi-head unit, the ink discharge surface of the corresponding recording head is directly aligned with the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized by along a direction and a rubbing causes the moving means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the ink scattered at the center line of the multi-head unit or in the vicinity thereof at the time of the rubbing operation by the wiper member is received and the ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink discharge surface is received. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an ink shielding member.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, two or more recording heads in which a large number of ink discharge ports are arranged on the ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner, thereby forming a long shape along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports. In the ink jet recording apparatus that includes the multi-head unit and performs recording by discharging ink from the ink discharge port to the recording material, the ink discharge surface corresponding to each of the recording heads is rubbed to wipe the ink. A wiper member, a wiper member having a position near the center line of the multi-head unit along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports as a rubbing start position, and a center line of the multi-head unit across the recording head By alternately arranging wiper members having the opposite side as the rubbing start position, and moving each wiper member in the same direction from the rubbing start position. An ink jet recording apparatus characterized by having a moving means for causing rubbing along the ink discharge surface of the corresponding recording heads in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge port.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the ink scattered from the wiper member after being rubbed on the ink discharge surface is received at a position on or near the center line of the multi-head unit during the rubbing operation by the wiper member. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an ink shielding member.

  According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided an ink shielding member that is provided on a side of the multi-head unit and receives ink scattered from the wiper member after the sliding of the ink discharge surface. The inkjet recording apparatus according to 5 or 6.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recess capable of accommodating the front end of the wiper member at the rubbing start position that is recessed deeper than the ink discharge surface of each recording head along the center line of the multi-head unit. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is provided.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink scraping member for contacting the ink discharge surface with the wiper member after the end of rubbing and scraping off ink adhering to the wiper member. It is an inkjet recording device in any one of 1-8.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink absorbing member that contacts the wiper member after the ink ejection surface has been rubbed and absorbs ink adhering to the wiper member. It is an inkjet recording device in any one of -9.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, two or more recording heads in which a large number of ink discharge ports are arranged on the ink discharge surface are arranged in a zigzag manner so as to be elongated along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports. In the ink jet recording apparatus that includes the multi-head unit and performs recording by discharging ink from the ink discharge port to the recording material, the multi-head unit is arranged along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports in each recording head of the multi-head unit. A recess formed between the recording heads, at least one wiper member for rubbing the ink discharge surface of the recording head to wipe off the ink, and the wiper member in the direction of arrangement of the ink discharge ports of the recording head. Ink jet recording, comprising: a moving means for moving along the ink discharge surface of the recording head individually It is the location.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, further comprising an ink shielding member that receives ink scattered from the wiper member after the ink ejection surface is rubbed by the wiper member. is there.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the ink shielding member is moved together with the wiper member by the moving means, and the ink that protrudes into the recess and the recessed portion away from the ink discharge surface is scattered from the wiper member. 13. The ink jet apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the inkjet position is provided so as to be movable, and moves to the shielding position immediately before the wiper member rubs the ink ejection surface and leaves the ink ejection surface. It is a recording device.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-head unit wiping in which two or more recording heads each having a plurality of ink discharge ports arranged on an ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the direction of arrangement of the ink discharge ports. A multi-head unit that is provided with a wiper member corresponding to each of the recording heads, and wipes the ink by rubbing the ink discharge surface of the recording head, and is along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports The position near the center line of the wiper member is set as the rubbing start position of the wiper member, and the wiper member is moved from the rubbing start position toward the side of the multi-head unit, whereby the ink ejection surface of the corresponding recording head Is a wiping method of a multi-head unit, wherein the wiping method is slid along a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, an ink shielding member is disposed on both sides of the multi-head unit during a rubbing operation by the wiper member, and ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface is received. 15. The multi-head unit wiping method according to claim 14, wherein:

  According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-head unit wiping in which two or more recording heads having a plurality of ink discharge ports arranged on an ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the direction of arrangement of the ink discharge ports. A wiper member for wiping ink by sliding on an ink ejection surface of the recording head is provided for each of the recording heads, and the ink ejection ports are sandwiched between the corresponding recording heads. By moving the wiper member from the rubbing start position toward the center line of the multi-head unit, the side opposite to the center line of the multi-head unit along the arrangement direction is set as the rubbing start position of the wiper member. The multi-head unit is characterized in that the ink discharge surface of the corresponding recording head is rubbed along a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports. Tsu is the capital of the wiping method.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, an ink shielding member is disposed on or near the center line of the multi-head unit during the rubbing operation by the wiper member, and is scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink discharge surface. 17. The multi-head unit wiping method according to claim 16, wherein the ink to be received is received.

  According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-head unit wiping in which two or more recording heads each having a plurality of ink ejection openings arranged on an ink ejection surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the arrangement direction of the ink ejection openings. A multi-head unit that is provided with a wiper member corresponding to each of the recording heads, and wipes the ink by rubbing the ink discharge surface of the recording head, and is along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports One of the recording heads includes a wiper member having a rubbing start position near a center line of the recording head and a wiper member having a rubbing start position opposite to the center line of the multi-head unit across the recording head. By disposing the wiper members at different intervals and moving each wiper member in the same direction from the rubbing start position, the ink discharge surface of the corresponding recording head is moved to the ink discharge position. A wiping method of a multi-head unit, characterized in that cause rubbing along the direction of the arrangement direction orthogonal.

  According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, an ink shielding member is disposed on or near the center line of the multi-head unit during a rubbing operation by the wiper member, and the ink ejecting surface is scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing is completed. 19. The multi-head unit wiping method according to claim 18, wherein the ink to be received is received.

  According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, an ink shielding member is disposed on a side of the multi-head unit during a rubbing operation by the wiper member, and ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface is received. 20. The multi-head unit wiping method according to claim 18, wherein the multi-head unit wiping method is provided.

  According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, a recess is formed in the vicinity of the center line of the multi-head unit, which is recessed deeper than the ink ejection surface of each recording head, and the wiper before or after the end of rubbing. 21. The multi-head unit wiping method according to claim 14, wherein the tip of the member is accommodated.

  According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, an ink scraping member is disposed in parallel to the multi-head unit during a rubbing operation by the wiper member, and is brought into contact with the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink discharge surface. The multi-head unit wiping method according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein ink adhering to the wiper member is scraped off.

  According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, an ink absorbing member is disposed in parallel to the multi-head unit during a rubbing operation by the wiper member, and is brought into contact with the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink discharge surface. 23. The multi-head unit wiping method according to claim 14, wherein ink adhering to the member is absorbed.

  According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-head unit wiping in which two or more recording heads in which a large number of ink discharge ports are arranged on an ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports. In this method, a recess is formed between the recording heads arranged along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports in each recording head of the multi-head unit, and the ink discharge surface of the recording head is rubbed to wipe the ink. In the multi-head unit, at least one wiper member provided for the purpose is moved along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports of the recording head, and the ink discharge surfaces of the recording head are individually rubbed. It is a wiping method.

  25. The multi-head unit wiping according to claim 24, wherein ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface by the wiper member is received by the ink shielding member. Is the method.

  According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, the ink shielding member is moved together with the wiper member, and a retracted position away from the ink ejection surface and a shielding position that receives the ink that protrudes into the recess and scatters from the wiper member. 26. The wiping method for a multi-head unit according to claim 25, wherein the wiper member is moved to the shielding position immediately before the wiper member slides away from the ink discharge surface. is there.

  According to the present invention, since each of the wiper members has only a width that rubs the ink ejection surface of one recording head constituting one multi-head unit, a wiping function due to deformation or distortion due to the lengthening of the wiper member There will be no decline.

  In addition, since one wiper member contacts only the ink ejection surface of one recording head, the wiper member that has finished rubbing one recording head also contacts another recording head, thereby causing ink to be streaked. There is no problem of remaining. In addition, since a small amount of ink is wiped off by one wiper member by one rubbing operation, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of ink remaining.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a multi-head unit group in which four multi-head units 10 are arranged, 2 is a support substrate for mounting and supporting each multi-head unit 10, and 3 is a moving means (not shown) inserted into the support substrate 2. Guide rods for guiding the multi-head unit group 1 in parallel in the horizontal direction in the figure, 4 is a transport mechanism for transporting the recording material S, and 5 is provided with a wiper member 51 corresponding to each multi-head unit 10. Maintenance unit.

  The transport mechanism 4 is configured by a transport belt 42 being stretched between two transport rollers 41 and 41 arranged in parallel that are rotated by a driving unit (not shown). Above the conveyance belt 42 is a recording position of the recording material S by the ink ejected from the multi-head unit group 1, and the recording material S placed on the conveyance belt 42 is along the direction of the arrow in the figure. Transport.

  Each multi-head unit 10 constituting the multi-head unit group 1 has a length in the width direction of the recording material S, and can be recorded at a time over the full width of the recording material S. This is a full line multi-array type head unit. The multi-head unit group 1 is stopped above the conveying belt 42 during recording, and the ink is ejected toward the recording material S that is conveyed at a predetermined speed by the conveying belt 42, so that the recording material S The wiper member provided in the maintenance unit 5 performs recording to the full width, moves to the left in the figure along the guide bar 3 at a predetermined timing such as after the recording ends, and stops above the maintenance unit 5 Wiping is performed by 51.

  Next, the multihead unit 10 will be described. Since each multi-head unit 10 in the multi-head unit group 1 has the same configuration, only one multi-head unit 10 will be described. 2 is a view of the multi-head unit 10 as viewed from the ink ejection surface side, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line (iii)-(iii) of FIG.

  The multi-head unit 10 includes a plurality of recording heads 11 (11A, 11B,...). Each recording head 11 is shorter than the recording width on the recording material S, and a large number of ink ejection ports 11b are arranged on the ink ejection surface 11a facing the recording material S. These recording heads 11 are attached to attachment holes 21 provided in the support substrate 2 so as to form a staggered pattern along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 11b, so that the recording width covers the full width of the recording material S. It is formed in a long shape.

  The ink ejection ports 11b of each recording head 11 are formed in a plurality of rows, and the rows of the ink ejection ports 11b are arranged with a pitch shifted. In the illustrated example, two rows of ink discharge ports 11b are arranged in one recording head 11, but there may be three or more rows.

  The adjacent recording heads 11A and 11B overlap with each other when viewed from the A direction along the conveyance direction of the recording material S, and the ink discharge ports 11b of the recording heads 11 viewed from the same direction. Are arranged so as to have an equal pitch over the entire length of the multi-head unit 10. Therefore, as described above, the ink discharge ports 11b of the recording heads 11 are composed of a plurality of rows with different pitches, and the gaps between the dots can be filled over the full width of the recording material S. You can record.

  The number of recording heads 11 constituting one multi-head unit 10 is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more, and is determined according to the recording width of the recording material S and the size of each recording head 11.

  A line X indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 is a center line of the multi-head unit 10 along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 11 b of the recording head 11. In the present invention, the center line X is parallel to the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports 11b of each recording head 11 when the multi-head unit 10 is viewed from the ink ejection surface 11a side of the recording head 11, and adjacent recording heads 11A. And a line passing through the center between 11B. In the multi-head unit 10, along the center line X, the recording heads 11A on one side and the recording heads 11B on the other side are alternately arranged in a staggered manner, so that the ink discharge ports 11b are formed on the recording material S. Are arranged over the full width.

  Each recording head 11 constituting the multi-head unit 10 is provided such that its ink ejection surface 11a protrudes from the lower surface of the support substrate 2 as shown in FIG. Further, since a slight gap is provided between the adjacent recording heads 11A and 11B, the back side of the ink ejection surface 11a along the center line X between the adjacent recording heads 11A and 11B ( A recessed portion 12 that is recessed in the direction opposite to the ink discharge direction is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-head unit 10 configured as described above is generally provided on a common support substrate 2 such that the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 11 b is orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording material S. Provided in parallel. In FIG. 1, four multi-head units 10 are arranged in parallel along the conveyance direction of the recording material S to form a multi-head unit group 1, and these four multi-head units 10 constitute Y, M, and C. , K inks are ejected. At the time of recording, each multi-head unit 10 ejects ink at a predetermined timing toward the recording material S conveyed at a predetermined speed by the conveying belt 42, so that the predetermined width of the recording material S is filled over the entire width. Recording is performed.

  After recording on the recording material S, the multi-head unit 10 moves the wiper provided in the maintenance unit 5 when the support substrate 2 moves along the guide bar 3 to above the maintenance unit 5 at a predetermined timing. The ink ejection surface 11a of each recording head 11 is wiped by the member 51.

  The wiper member 51 is formed in a thin plate shape having a width substantially the same as the length along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 11 b of one recording head 11 by an elastic body such as rubber, and constitutes the multi-head unit 10. The maintenance unit 5 is provided in the same number as the recording heads 11 to be staggered like the recording heads 11. The number of sets of wiper members 51 corresponding to one multi-head unit 10 is the same as the number of multi-head units 10 constituting the multi-head unit group 1.

  Here, the 1st aspect of the wiping by the wiper member 51 is demonstrated.

  In the present invention, the first mode of wiping by the wiper member 51 is a position near the center line X of the multi-head unit 10 along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 11b as a rubbing start position of the wiper member 51. By moving toward the side of the multi-head unit 10 from the rubbing start position, the ink ejection surface 11a of the corresponding recording head 11 is rubbed along a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports 11b. That is.

  FIG. 4 shows the positional relationship between the wiper member 51 and the recording head 11 when the first mode is implemented. 4A is a plan view, FIG. 4B is a view of the multi-head unit 10 viewed from the direction of arrangement of the ink discharge ports 11b, and FIG. 5 is a view of the wiper member 51 (51A... 51B. It is a figure explaining wiping operation.

  Note that 51A is a wiper member for wiping the recording head 11A, and 51B is a wiper member for wiping the recording head 11B.

  When the multi-head unit group 1 moves along the guide bar 3 to above the maintenance unit 5 and is on standby for wiping, the wiper members 51A and 51B are as shown in FIG. a) As shown in (b), it is positioned along the center line X in the vicinity of the center line X of the multi-head unit 10 between the adjacent recording heads 11A and 11B.

  In the wiping operation, first, the multi-head unit group 1 and the wiper members 51A and 51B are relatively moved from the state before the rubbing is started toward each other (FIG. 5A). This relative movement may be such that the maintenance unit 5 is fixed and the multi-head unit group 1 is lowered toward the wiper members 51A and 51B, or the multi-head unit group 1 is fixed and the maintenance unit 5 or The wiper members 51A and 51B may be raised toward the multi-head unit group 1, or both may be lowered and raised. FIG. 5 shows an operation when the wiper members 51 </ b> A and 51 </ b> B are lifted with respect to the multi-head unit 10.

  Since the multi-head unit 10 has a recess 12 formed along the center line X between the adjacent recording heads 11A and 11B, when the wiper members 51A and 51B are lifted with respect to the multi-head unit 10, The tips of the wiper members 51A and 51B can be arranged in the recesses 12 on the far side of the ink ejection surfaces 11a of the recording heads 11A and 11B (FIG. 5B). This position is a rubbing start position of the wiper members 51A and 51B.

  Thereafter, in order to rub the ink discharge surfaces 11a of the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B from the rubbing start position, the wiper members 51A and 51B are directed in parallel to each other toward the side of the multi-head unit 10, respectively. It is moved (FIG. 5C). By the movement of the wiper members 51A and 51B, the leading ends of the wiper members 51A and 51B are elastically contacted with the ink ejection surfaces 11a of the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B, and in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports 11b. The ink adhering to the ink discharge surface 11a is wiped off by sliding along the ink discharge surface 11a along the line.

  Since the ink discharge surface 11a protrudes from the support substrate 2, when each wiper member 51A, 51B passes through the ink discharge surface 11a of the corresponding recording head 11A, 11B, it is elastic when leaving the recording head 11A, 11B. (FIG. 5D). At this time, the ink adhering to the wiper members 51A and 51B scatters. However, since the restoring direction of the wiper members 51A and 51B is outside the multi-head unit 10, the scattered ink may be dispersed in the other parts of the multi-head unit 10. The recording heads 11A and 11B are not attached again and contaminated.

  Further, since the tips of the wiper members 51A and 51B can be disposed in the recess 12 at the rubbing start position, the ink discharge surface 10a is rubbed with the tips of the wiper members 51A and 51B from the beginning of rubbing. Thus, no ink is left or left over the entire surface of the ink discharge surface 10a.

  When the wiper members 51A and 51B pass through the respective ink ejection surfaces 11a of the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B, the wiper members 51A and 51B respectively sandwich the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B and the center line X of the multi-head unit 10 Located on the opposite side. This position is a sliding end position of the wiper members 51A and 51B. After the wiper members 51A and 51B have finished rubbing, the multi-head unit 10 and the wiper members 51A and 51B are separated from each other, returning to the state shown in FIG. 5A and ending the wiping operation.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when a plurality of multi-head units 10 are arranged in parallel to form the multi-head unit group 1, ink scattered by elastic recovery of the wiper members 51A and 51B after sliding is completed. As shown in FIG. 6, an ink shielding member 52 that receives ink scattered from the wiper members 51 </ b> A and 51 </ b> B is provided on both sides of one multihead unit 10 so as not to adhere to adjacent multihead units 10. It is preferable.

  The ink shielding member 52 receives the ink scattered from the wiper members 51A and 51B during restoration, and is preferably formed in a plate shape by a material that can absorb the received ink. Examples of such a material include cloth, felt, and a porous material made of foamed synthetic resin.

  The size of the ink shielding member 52 is approximately the same as that of each wiper member 51A, 51B, and it can be individually arranged in the vicinity of the rubbing end position of the corresponding wiper member 51A, 51B. If the multi-head unit 10 is formed to have a length approximately the same as the length of the multi-head unit 10 and is arranged in parallel along the length direction of the multi-head unit 10, the area for shielding the ink becomes large and the ink shielding effect is high. Become. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, only one ink shielding member 52 has to be disposed between the adjacent multi-head units 10 and 10, and therefore the number of components can be reduced.

  The front end position of the ink shielding member 52 is deeper than the ink ejection surface 11a of the recording heads 11A and 11B so that when it rises simultaneously with the wiper members 51A and 51B, it is slightly higher than the front end position of the wiper members 51A and 51B. Placed in. As a result, it is also possible to receive ink scattered obliquely upward from the wiper members 51A and 51B.

  Note that the ink shielding members 52 and 52 at both ends shown in FIG. 6 are not necessarily necessary because there is no risk of ink scattering to other multi-head units 10, but for preventing contamination due to ink scattering inside the apparatus. It is valid.

  Next, a second mode of wiping by the wiper member 51 will be described.

  In the present invention, the second mode of wiping by the wiper member 51 is such that the opposite side of the center line X of the multi-head unit 10 along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 11b is placed on the opposite side of the wiper member 51 with the corresponding recording heads 11 interposed therebetween. By setting the rubbing start position and moving the wiper member 51 from the rubbing start position toward the center line X of the multi-head unit 10, the ink ejection surface 11a of the corresponding recording head 11 is arranged in the arrangement of the ink ejection ports 11b. Rubbing along a direction orthogonal to the direction.

  FIG. 7 shows the positional relationship between the wiper members 51A and 51B, the preferably provided ink shielding member 52, and the recording heads 11A and 11B when the second mode is implemented. 7A is a plan view, FIG. 7B is a diagram viewed from the direction of arrangement of the ink discharge ports 11b of the recording heads 11A and 11B, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a wiping operation by the wiper members 51A and 51B. is there. Since the same components as those in the first aspect are denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  When the multi-head unit group 1 moves along the guide bar 3 to above the maintenance unit 5 and is on standby for wiping before the start of rubbing, the wiper members 51A and 51B are shown in FIG. a) As shown in (b), the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B are sandwiched, and the multi-head unit 10 is positioned outside the multi-head unit 10 opposite to the center line X. Further, the preferably provided ink shielding member 52 has substantially the same length as that of the multi-head unit 10, and one piece of the ink shielding member 52 is provided on the center line X of the multi-head unit 10. Alternatively, it is located between the wiper members 51A and 51B in the vicinity thereof.

  In the wiping operation, first, the multi-head unit group 1, the wiper members 51A and 51B, and the ink shielding member 52 are relatively moved from the state before the rubbing is started toward each other (FIG. 8A). ). This relative movement may be such that the maintenance unit 5 is fixed and the multi-head unit group 1 is lowered toward the wiper members 51A and 51B and the ink shielding member 52, or the multi-head unit group 1 is fixed. The maintenance unit 5 or the wiper members 51A and 51B and the ink shielding member 52 may be raised toward the multi-head unit group 1, or both may be lowered and raised. FIG. 8 shows an operation when the wiper members 51 </ b> A and 51 </ b> B and the ink shielding member 52 are raised with respect to the multi-head unit 10.

  Since the concave portion 12 is formed along the center line X in the multi-head unit 1, when the wiper members 51A and 51B and the ink shielding member 52 are lifted with respect to the multi-head unit 10, the wiper members 51A and 51B The front end of each of the recording heads 11 </ b> A and 11 </ b> B can be disposed further back than the ink discharge surface 11 a, and the front end of the ink shielding member 52 can also be disposed in the recess 12 (FIG. 8B). ). This position is a rubbing start position of the wiper members 51A and 51B.

  Thereafter, from this rubbing start position, each wiper member 51A, 51B is parallel to the center line X side of the multi-head unit 10 in order to rub the ink ejection surface 11a of the corresponding recording head 11A, 11B. It is moved (FIG. 8 (c)). By the movement of the wiper members 51A and 51B, the leading ends of the wiper members 51A and 51B are elastically contacted with the ink ejection surfaces 11a of the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B, and in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports 11b. The ink adhering to the ink discharge surface 11a is wiped off by sliding along the ink discharge surface 11a along the line.

  When the wiper members 51A and 51B pass through the ink ejection surfaces 11a of the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B, the leading ends thereof are elastically restored when leaving the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B (FIG. 8D). . At this time, the ink adhering to the wiper members 51A and 51B is scattered, but in the restoring direction of the wiper members 51A and 51B, the ink ejection surfaces 11a of the adjacent recording heads 11B and 11A have just been rubbed in the same manner. Since the other wiper members 51B and 51A are arranged, there is little possibility that the scattered ink is obstructed by the wiper members 51B and 51A and adheres to the ink ejection surface 11a of the recording heads 11B and 11A. Moreover, the ink does not scatter in the direction of the other multi-head units 10 in the multi-head unit group 1.

  Further, if the ink shielding member 52 is arranged in the restoring direction of the wiper members 51A and 51B as shown in the figure, the scattered ink is received by the ink shielding member 52, so that the recording heads 11A and 11B can be prevented from being contaminated. Is more improved. Furthermore, in this aspect, even when the ink shielding member 52 is provided, one sheet may be provided for one multi-head unit 10 and the number of components may be reduced.

  If the ink shielding member 52 is made of a material having ink absorption capability, the ink rubbing surfaces of the wiper members 51A and 51B after the rubbing are brought into contact with the ink shielding member 52, whereby the ink rubbing member 52 It is also possible to absorb and remove ink adhering to the surface.

  Further, since the tips of the wiper members 51A and 51B that are separated from the ink discharge surface 11a after the end of the rubbing can be disposed in the recess 12, the tips of the wiper members 51A and 51B from the beginning of the rubbing to the end of the rubbing. The ink discharge surface 11a can be rubbed, and there is no generation of unwiped ink over the entire surface of the ink discharge surface 11a.

  Similarly, since the front end position of the ink shielding member 52 can be arranged in the recess 12 so as to be slightly higher than the front end positions of the wiper members 51A and 51B when raised simultaneously with the wiper members 51A and 51B, Ink scattered from the wiper members 51A and 51B obliquely upward can also be received.

  When the wiper members 51A and 51B pass through the ink ejection surfaces 11a of the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B, the wiper members 51A and 51B are positioned close to each other in the vicinity of the center line X of the multi-head unit 10, respectively. This position is a sliding end position of the wiper members 51A and 51B. After the wiper members 51A and 51B finish rubbing, the multi-head unit 10, the wiper members 51A and 51B, and the ink shielding member 52 are separated from each other, returning to the state of FIG.

  Next, a third mode of wiping by the wiper member 51 will be described.

  In the present invention, the third mode of wiping by the wiper member 51 is the wiper member 51 having the position near the center line X of the multi-head unit 10 along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 11b as the rubbing start position, and the recording head 11. The wiper members 51 having the rubbing start position on the opposite side of the center line X of the multi-head unit 10 are alternately arranged, and each wiper member 51 is moved in the same direction from the rubbing start position. The ink ejection surface 11a of the recording head 11 to be rubbed is rubbed along a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports 11b.

  FIG. 9 shows the positional relationship among the wiper member 51, the ink shielding member 52 preferably provided, and the recording head 11 when the third embodiment is implemented. FIG. 9A is a plan view, FIG. 9B is a diagram viewed from the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 11b of the recording heads 11, and FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a wiping operation by the wiper member 51. Since the same components as those in the first aspect are denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  In this third embodiment, 52A is an ink shielding member that receives ink scattered from the wiper member 51A, and 52B is an ink shielding member that receives ink scattered from the wiper member 51B.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b), when the multi-head unit group 1 is moved along the guide rod 3 to above the maintenance unit 5 and is on standby for wiping, before starting rubbing. Further, the wiper member 51A corresponding to the recording head 11A is disposed on the opposite side of the center line X of the multihead unit 10 with the recording head 11A interposed therebetween, and the wiper member 51B corresponding to the recording head 11B is disposed on the multihead unit 10. It is arranged in the vicinity of the center line X.

  In addition, the ink shielding member 52A preferably provided corresponding to the wiper member 51A has a length that is substantially the same as the arrangement length of all the recording heads 11A in the multi-head unit 10, and from all the wiper members 51A. It is arranged on the center line X of the multi-head unit 10 or in the vicinity thereof so that the scattered ink is received by one sheet. Further, the ink shielding member 52B that is preferably provided corresponding to the wiper member 51B has a length substantially the same as the arrangement length of all the recording heads 11B in the multi-head unit 10, and from all of the wiper members 51B. The recording head 11B is arranged on the side opposite to the center line X of the multi-head unit 10 so as to receive the scattered ink by one sheet. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the ink shielding members 52A and 52B is composed of a single sheet. Therefore, when each of the ink shielding members 52A and 52B has the same size as the wiper members 51A and 51B and is disposed for each of the corresponding wiper members 51A and 51B. In comparison, the ink shielding area is increased, the ink shielding effect is high, and the number of components can be reduced.

  In the wiping operation, first, the multi-head unit group 1, the wiper members 51A and 51B, and the ink shielding members 52A and 52B are relatively moved from the state before the rubbing is started toward each other (FIG. 10 ( a)). This relative movement may be such that the maintenance unit 5 is fixed and the multi-head unit group 1 is lowered toward the wiper member 51 and the ink shielding member 52, or the multi-head unit group 1 is fixed and maintenance is performed. The unit 5 or the wiper members 51A and 51B and the ink shielding members 52A and 52B may be raised toward the multi-head unit group 1, or both may be lowered and raised. FIG. 10 shows an operation when the wiper members 51 </ b> A and 51 </ b> B and the ink shielding members 52 </ b> A and 52 </ b> B are raised with respect to the multi-head unit 10.

  Since the multi-head unit 10 has the recess 12 formed along the center line X, when the wiper members 51A and 51B and the ink shielding members 52A and 52B are lifted with respect to the multi-head unit 10, the wiper member 51A and The tip of the ink shielding member 52B can be disposed further on the back side than the ink discharge surface 11a of the recording head 11A, and the tips of the wiper member 51B and the ink shielding member 52A can be disposed in the recess 12. (FIG. 10 (b)). This position is a rubbing start position of the wiper members 51A and 51B.

  Thereafter, from the rubbing start position, the wiper members 51A and 51B are translated in the same direction in order to rub against the corresponding ink ejection surfaces 11a of the recording heads 11A and 11B (FIG. 10C). )). That is, the wiper member 51A is moved toward the center line X, and the wiper member 51B is moved toward the side of the multi-head unit 10. By the movement of the wiper members 51A and 51B, the leading ends of the wiper members 51A and 51B are elastically contacted with the ink ejection surfaces 11a of the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B, and in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports 11b. The ink adhering to the ink discharge surface 11a is wiped off by sliding along the ink discharge surface 11a along the line.

  Since the wiping operations of the wiper members 51A and 51B according to the third aspect are all in the same direction, the wiper members 51A and 51B can be moved together. Therefore, the mechanism of the maintenance unit 5 can be simplified as compared with the first aspect and the second aspect.

  When each wiper member 51A, 51B passes through the ink ejection surface 11a of the corresponding recording head 11A, 11B, the tip thereof is elastically restored when leaving the recording head 11A, 11B (FIG. 10 (d)). If the ink shielding member 52A is arranged in the restoring direction of the wiper member 51A as shown in the figure, even if the ink adhering to the wiper member 51A is scattered, the ink shielding member 52A receives the ink shielding member 52A. The recording head 11B does not adhere to the recording head 11B.

  Since the restoring direction of the wiper member 51B is the side of the multi-head unit 10, the scattered ink does not adhere to other recording heads in the multi-head unit 10, but the ink shielding member 52B is disposed. Is preferable because it is possible to prevent ink from scattering into the adjacent multi-head unit 10 or the inside of the apparatus.

  In addition, the tip of the wiper member 51A can be positioned behind the ink ejection surface 11a of the recording head 11A at the rubbing start position, and the tip of the wiper member 51B is disposed in the recess 12. Therefore, the ink discharge surface 11a can be rubbed with the tip of the wiper member 51 from the beginning of rubbing to the end of rubbing, and there is no generation of ink remaining on the entire surface of the ink discharge surface 11a.

  Similarly, the tip of the ink shielding member 52A can be disposed in the recess 12, the tip of the ink shielding member 52B can be disposed on the back side of the ink ejection surface 11a of the recording head 11B, and the tip position is Since the wiper members 51A and 51B are located slightly higher than the tip positions, the ink scattered obliquely upward from the wiper members 51A and 51B can be received.

  When the wiper members 51A and 51B pass through the respective ink ejection surfaces 11a of the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B, the wiper member 51A is positioned in the vicinity of the center line X of the multi-head unit 10, and the wiper member 51B is the corresponding recording head. It is located on the opposite side of the center line X of the multi-head unit 10 across 11B. This position is a sliding end position of the wiper members 51A and 51B, respectively. After the wiper members 51A and 51B finish the rubbing of the corresponding recording heads 11A and 11B, the multi-head unit 10, the wiper members 51A and 51B, and the ink shielding members 52A and 52B are separated from each other, as shown in FIG. Return to the state and finish wiping.

  In any of the embodiments described above, each of the wiper members 51 has only a width that slides on the ink discharge surface 11a of one recording head 11 constituting one multi-head unit 10, and therefore, the wiper member 51 is elongated. The wiping function does not deteriorate due to deformation or distortion.

  Further, since one wiper member 51 is in contact with only the ink ejection surface 11a of one recording head 11, the wiper member that has rubbed one recording head comes into contact with other recording heads to form a stripe shape. Also, there is no problem peculiar to the multi-head unit that causes ink to remain in the ink. In addition, since the amount of ink wiped off by one wiper member 51 by one rubbing operation can be reduced, the occurrence of ink remaining can be suppressed.

  When the ink is scattered after the wiper member 51 is rubbed, the recording head 11 is not provided in the scattering direction, or the ink shielding member 52 is provided as shown in FIG. Internal contamination can be prevented. Therefore, there is no need for complicated control and mechanism for changing and controlling the wiping speed in order to prevent the scattering of ink or changing the amount of engagement with the ink ejection surface 11a. It can be carried out.

  In each of the above aspects, it is preferable to provide an ink scraping member in order to remove the ink adhering to each wiper member 51 after rubbing the ink ejection surface 11a of each recording head 11 by scraping.

  FIG. 11 shows a case where the ink scraping member 53 (53A, 53B) is provided in the first mode.

  In the figure, 53A is an ink scraping member that scrapes off ink adhering to the wiper member 51A, and 53B is an ink scraping member that scrapes off ink adhering to the wiper member 51B.

  Each of the ink scraping members 53A and 53B is formed in a plate shape by an appropriate material such as synthetic resin and metal, and comes into contact with the wiper members 51A and 51B after being separated from the ink discharge surface 11a after the end of the rubbing. The multi-head unit 10 is arranged in parallel. If the ink scraping members 53A and 53B are formed in such a length that they can be brought into contact with all the corresponding wiper members 51A and 51B at the same time, only two ink scraping members 53A and 53B need to be provided. The number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where it is provided.

  When the wiper members 51A and 51B are rubbed, the lower ends of the ink scraping members 53A and 53B that are in contact with the wiper members 51A and 51B are the same as or slightly lower than the ink discharge surface 11a (see FIG. FIG. 11 (a)).

  Then, after the wiper members 51A and 51B finish the rubbing of the ink discharge surface 11a and leave the ink discharge surface 11a, each of the ink scraping members 53A and 53B has the ink on the tip side of the wiper members 51A and 51B. As the wiper members 51A and 51B abut against the rubbing surface and move in parallel, the ink adhering to the wiper members 51A and 51B is scraped off (FIG. 11B).

  Thereafter, the ink scattered when the wiper members 51A and 51B are elastically restored after passing through the ink scraping members 53A and 53B is received by disposing the ink shielding member 52, and the adjacent multi-head unit 10 or device is received. Internal contamination can be prevented.

  In the second and third modes, the ink scraping members 53A and 53B are applied after the wiper members 51A and 51B are rubbed against the ink discharge surface 11a and then separated from the ink discharge surface 11a. It can arrange so that it may touch.

  Further, in the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect described above, the ink adhering to the wiper members 51A and 51B after rubbing the ink ejection surfaces 11a of the recording heads 11A and 11B is absorbed. Therefore, it is also preferable to provide an ink absorbing member.

  FIG. 12 shows a case where the ink scraping member 53 and the ink absorbing member 54 (54A, 54B) described above are provided in the first mode.

  In the figure, 54A is an ink absorbing member that absorbs ink adhering to the wiper member 51A, and 54B is an ink absorbing member that absorbs ink adhering to the wiper member 51B.

  Each of the ink absorbing members 54A and 54B is formed in a flat plate shape using a material that can absorb ink. Examples of such a material include cloth, felt, and a porous material made of foamed synthetic resin. Among them, a porous material is preferable because of its excellent ink absorption ability.

  If the ink absorbing members 54A and 54B are formed in such a length that they can simultaneously contact all the corresponding wiper members 51A or 51B, only two ink absorbing members 54A and 54B need to be provided. The number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where it is provided.

  Here, the case where the ink absorbing members 54A and 54B are provided together with the ink scraping members 53A and 53B is shown, and each of the ink absorbing members 54A and 54B has a contact surface with the wiper members 51A and 51B at the time of rubbing. The wiper members 51A and 51B are arranged at the same position as the tip of the wiper members 51A and 51B and in parallel with the movement direction of the wiper members 51A and 51B (FIG. 12A).

  Then, the wiper members 51A and 51B finish the rubbing of the ink discharge surface 11a, and the ink adhering to the wiper members 51A and 51B is rubbed by the respective ink scraping members 53A and 53B as described in FIG. Then, after the wiper members 51A and 51B are elastically restored by passing through the ink scraping members 53A and 53B, the wiper members 51A and 51B move in parallel while abutting the front end surfaces thereof against the ink absorbing members 54A and 54B. Thereby, in particular, the ink adhering to the tip surfaces of the wiper members 51A and 51B is absorbed by the ink absorbing members 54A and 54B (FIG. 12B).

  Such ink absorbing members 54A and 54B also come into contact after the wiper members 51A and 51B rub against the ink discharge surface 11a and then move away from the ink discharge surface 11a in the second and third modes. Can be arranged as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 12, if both the ink scraping member 53 and the ink absorbing member 54 are provided, the ink can be removed from both the ink rubbing surface and the tip end surface of the wiper member 51. Although the cleaning effect of 51 can be most enhanced, only the ink absorbing member 54 may be provided.

  Next, an operation mechanism for operating the wiper member 51 in the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an operation mechanism of the wiper member 51 in the first aspect.

  The wiper members 51A and 51B are attached to and supported by the upper ends of separate mounting bases 100A and 100B, respectively. The mounting bases 100 </ b> A and 100 </ b> B each have a length similar to that of the multi-head unit 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the wiper members 51A and 51B used in the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect are the base portions of the wiper members 51A and the wiper members 51B. It is preferable that the root portions of the two are connected together by a connecting portion 51a to be integrally formed so that each wiper member 51A and each wiper member 51B are one each. If the end on the side of the root portion 51a is attached to the mounting bases 100A and 100B, the plurality of wiper members 51A and 51B can be attached by one mounting base 100A and 100B, respectively, and the wiper members 51A and 51B are respectively attached. Since they can be translated in a lump, the stability of the wiping operation is increased.

  Three guide pins 101 project from both ends of the mounting bases 100A and 100B in the length direction, and each guide pin 101 is engaged with a guide hole 102 provided in the same number. Each guide hole 102 is formed in a horizontally long shape along the moving direction during the sliding operation of the wiper members 51A and 51B on guide plates (not shown) erected on both ends in the length direction of the mounting bases 100A and 100B. Is formed.

  One end of each arm 103 is rotatably attached to the center guide pin 101 of each mounting base 100A, 100B, and the other end of each arm 103 is rotatably attached to one common shaft 104. ing. The shaft 104 extends along the length direction of the mounting bases 100A and 100B, and each arm 103 is similarly provided on the other end side of the mounting bases 100A and 100B.

  The shaft 104 is urged downward in the figure by a spring 105 and is in contact with the cam surface of the eccentric cam 106 that rotates about the rotation shaft 106a.

  FIG. 13A shows a state before the ink discharge surface 11a is rubbed with the wiper members 51A and 51B, and the guide pins 101 of the mounting bases 100A and 100B are positioned at the inner end portions of the guide holes 102. FIG. Therefore, the wiper members 51A and 51B are close to each other.

  When the eccentric cam 106 rotates from this state, the shaft 104 is guided to the cam surface of the eccentric cam 106 and is pushed upward against the urging force of the spring 105. When the shaft 104 is raised, one end of each arm 103 moves each mounting base 100A, 100B in parallel to each other in the opposite direction along the guide hole 102, as shown in FIG. As a result, the wiper members 51A and 51B can move in parallel in opposite directions to rub the ink ejection surfaces 11a.

  Further, the operation mechanism of the wiper members 51A and 51B in the second mode can also be configured by the same operation mechanism as in FIG. For example, contrary to the above, it can be realized by operating from the state of FIG. 13B to the state of (a).

  FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an operation mechanism of the wiper members 51A and 51B in the third mode.

  The wiper members 51A and 51B are mounted on the same mounting base 200. On the mounting base 200, mounting portions 200A and 200B are erected at the same interval as the adjacent recording heads 11A and 11B of the multi-head unit 10, and wiper members 51A and 51B are provided at the upper ends of the mounting portions 200A and 200B, respectively. Mounting is supported. Each of the attachment portions 200A and 200B has the same length as the multi-head unit 10.

  The mounting base 200 is slidably provided on the guide rod 201 and is urged to the left in the drawing by a spring 202. An end cam 200 of the mounting base 200 rotates about a rotating shaft 203a. It is in contact with the cam surface.

  FIG. 15A shows a state before the ink discharge surface 11a is rubbed with the wiper members 51A and 51B. When the eccentric cam 203 rotates from this state, the end 200a of the mounting base 200 has an eccentric cam. By being guided by the cam surface 203, it is pushed rightward in the drawing along the guide rod 201 against the urging force of the spring 202. As a result, the wiper members 51A and 51B attached to the attachment parts 200A and 200B are translated in the same direction as shown in FIG. 11a can be rubbed.

  In order to raise or lower the wiper members 51A and 51B having the operation mechanism shown in FIGS. 13 and 15 with respect to the multi-head unit 10, the entire operation mechanism or the entire maintenance unit 5 can be moved in the vertical direction. That's fine.

  In the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect described above, the maintenance unit 5 is provided with the wiper members 51 corresponding to the plurality of multi-head units 10 constituting the multi-head unit group 1, all of them. However, the wiper member 51 may be provided with only one set corresponding to one multihead unit 10. In this case, after wiping one multi-head unit 10, it is necessary to move the maintenance unit 5 or the multi-head unit group 1 by a predetermined amount in order to wipe the next adjacent multi-head unit 10, but the maintenance unit 5 The structure can be simplified.

  Next, the 4th aspect of the wiping by a wiper member is demonstrated.

  In the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect described above, the ink ejection surface 11a is simultaneously rubbed by the wiper members 51A and 51B corresponding to the recording heads 11A and 11B of one multi-head unit 10. However, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one wiper for wiping ink by individually rubbing the ink ejection surface 11a of the recording head 11 in which the concave portion is formed between the recording heads 11 is used. The member 60 is moved along the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports 11b of the recording head 11, and the ink ejection surface 11a of the recording head 11 is individually rubbed.

  FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing an outline of the positional relationship between the wiper member 60 and each recording head 11 of the multi-head unit 10 in the case of implementing the fourth aspect, and FIG. 17 explains the wiping operation by the wiper member 60. It is a figure to do. Since the same components as those in the first aspect are denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The wiper member 60 is formed in a thin plate shape having substantially the same width as the width orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports of one recording head 11 by an elastic body such as rubber, and the length of the multi-head unit 10. It is attached to a mounting base 70 provided so as to be movable along the direction. The mounting base 70 is provided in the maintenance unit 5 shown in FIG. 1 in place of the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect.

  In addition, the mounting base 70 is provided with an ink shielding member 61 having substantially the same width as that of the wiper member 60 so as to be movable up and down, which is a preferable mode. The ink shielding member 61 receives the ink that is scattered when the wiper member 60 is elastically restored, and is preferably formed in a plate shape by a material that can absorb the received ink. Examples of such a material include cloth, felt, and a porous material made of foamed synthetic resin.

  The wiping operation of the wiper member 60 is performed by rubbing the ink discharge surface 11a of the recording head 11 along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 11b.

  2 and 3, in the multi-head unit 10, since the ink discharge surface 11a of each recording head 11 protrudes downward from the support substrate 2 (not shown in FIG. 16), the adjacent recording head 11A. In addition to the concave portion 12 between the recording heads 11B and 11B, concave portions 13 are also formed between the recording heads 11A and 11A and the recording heads 11B and 11B arranged along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports. . Accordingly, when the multi-head unit group 1 and the wiper member 60 are relatively moved toward each other in order to rub one recording head 11A, the wiper member 60 is moved between the recording heads 11A and 11A. It can be located in the recess 13 between. (FIG. 17 (a)). This relative movement may be such that the maintenance unit 5 is fixed and the multi-head unit group 1 is lowered toward the wiper member 60, or the multi-head unit group 1 is fixed and the maintenance unit 5 or the wiper member is fixed. 60 may be raised toward the multi-head unit group 1, or both may be lowered and raised. FIG. 17 shows an operation when the wiper member 60 is raised relative to the multi-head unit 10. This position is a rubbing start position of the wiper member 60.

  Thereafter, the mounting base 70 is translated from the sliding start position along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 11b of the recording head 11A (FIG. 17B). By the movement of the mounting base 70, the tip of the wiper member 60 is elastically brought into contact with the ink ejection surface 11a of one recording head 11A, and moves along the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports 11b. By rubbing, the ink adhering to the ink discharge surface 11a is wiped off.

  Since the wiper member 60 rubs one recording head 11 individually, the wiping function does not deteriorate due to deformation or distortion due to the lengthening of the wiper member.

  Further, since the rubbing is performed along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports 11b of one recording head 11, there is no problem that ink remains in a streak shape. In addition, since the amount of ink wiped off by the wiper member 60 by a single rubbing operation can be reduced, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of ink remaining.

  When the wiper member 60 passes through the ink ejection surface 11a of one recording head 11A, it is elastically restored when leaving the recording head 11A (FIG. 7C). At this time, when the ink adhering to the wiper member 60 is scattered, the ink shielding member in which the tip of the ink shielding member 61 is disposed in the recess 13 immediately before the wiper member 60 moves away from the ink ejection surface 11 a of the recording head 11. By raising the position to the position, ink scattered from the wiper member 61 can be received, and the scattered ink does not adhere again to the other recording heads 11A and 11B in the multi-head unit 10 to be contaminated. Therefore, there is no need for complicated control and mechanism for changing and controlling the wiping speed in order to prevent the scattering of ink or changing the amount of engagement with the ink ejection surface 11a. It can be carried out.

  When the wiper member 60 passes through the ink ejection surface 11a of one recording head 11A, the wiper member 60 is positioned in the concave portion 13 with the next recording head 11A arranged in the rubbing direction of the wiper member 60. This position is the end position of the wiper member 60 for rubbing. After the wiper member 60 finishes sliding on one recording head 11A in this way, the ink shielding member 61 is lowered to the retracted position for retracting from the ink ejection surface 11a, and then the recording head disposed next. Wiping is similarly performed for 11A.

  FIG. 16 shows that wiping is performed by one wiper member 60. Therefore, after all the recording heads 11A in the multi-head unit 10 have been rubbed, the maintenance unit 5 or the multi-head unit group 1 is placed. The fixed amount is moved, and then the wiping is similarly executed for the recording head 11B in the same multi-head unit 10.

  In addition, although not shown in the figure, the wiping of the recording heads 11A and 11B in one multi-head unit 10 may be performed in parallel by arranging another mounting base 70 in parallel. In this case, the wiping time of one multi-head unit 10 can be shortened.

  When only one or two mounting bases 70 are provided for a plurality of multi-head units 10, the structure of the maintenance unit 5 becomes simple. In order to perform wiping of the multi-head unit 10, it is necessary to move the maintenance unit 5 or the multi-head unit group 1 by a predetermined amount. It is preferable to provide one or two mounting bases 70 for each of the plurality of multi-head units 10 because all the multi-head units 10 can be wiped at one time.

  FIG. 18 shows an example of a structure for moving the ink shielding member 61 up and down. The ink shielding member 61 is disposed in the mounting base 70 so that a part on the tip side protrudes from an opening 70 a formed on the upper surface of the mounting base 70, and a pair of lifting rollers 71, 71 in the mounting base 70. It is sandwiched between. Therefore, when the elevating rollers 71 and 71 are rotated by driving means (not shown), the tip of the wiper member 60 moves so as to rise or descend from the mounting base 70.

  At this time, if the pair of elevating rollers 71, 71 themselves or the outer periphery thereof is made of a material having an ink absorbing ability such as felt, cloth, porous material, etc., the ink is raised each time the ink shielding member 61 is raised or lowered. Ink adhering to the shielding member 61 can be cleaned.

  Further, when the ink shielding member 61 itself has an ink absorbing ability, the absorbed ink can be squeezed out by being tightened by the pair of lifting rollers 71 and 71 each time the ink shielding member 61 moves up or down. Similarly, the ink adhering to the ink shielding member 61 can be cleaned.

  Although not shown in the figure, also in the case of the fourth mode, the ink scraping member 53 shown in FIG. 11 and / or the ink absorbing member 54 shown in FIG. 12 is provided and adhered to the ink rubbing surface of the wiper member 60. The ink and / or the ink adhering to the tip surface of the wiper member 60 may be removed.

  In the multihead unit 10 described above, a plurality of recording heads 11 are attached to the support substrate 2 in a staggered manner, but recording is performed on both surfaces of one attachment plate 14 as shown in FIGS. The heads 11A and 11B may be arranged in a staggered manner.

  In this case, by attaching the ink ejection surfaces 11a of the recording heads 11A and 11B so as to protrude from the lower end of the mounting plate 14, the concave portion 12 between the adjacent recording heads 11A and 11B, the recording heads 11A and 11A, and the recording heads 11A and 11A. And a recess 13 between the recording heads 11B and 11B.

  The recess 12 between the adjacent recording heads 11A and 11B in the multi-head unit 10 accommodates the tip of the wiper member 51 or the ink shielding member 52 at the rubbing start position or the rubbing end position, so This is effective in that it eliminates unwiping and ink splattering as much as possible. However, it is not necessarily provided, and as shown in FIG. 20A, the support substrate 2 so that the adjacent recording heads 11A and 11B are in contact with each other. You may make it attach to. When the mounting plate 14 is used, the mounting may be performed so that the ink ejection surface 11a of each recording head 11A, 11B is at the same position as the lower end of the mounting plate 14, as shown in FIG.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet recording apparatus is not limited to one that forms one multihead unit group 1 by providing a plurality of multihead units 10 in parallel, and only one multihead unit 10 is provided. May be used.

Schematic showing an example of an inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention View of the multi-head unit viewed from the ink ejection surface Sectional view along line (iii)-(iii) in FIG. 2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating an arrangement relationship between a wiper member and a recording head when the first mode is implemented, in which FIG. 3A is a plan view, and FIG. 2B is a view of a multi-head unit as viewed from an arrangement direction of ink discharge ports. (A)-(d) is a figure explaining the wiping operation | movement by a wiper member. The figure which provided the ink shielding member in the 1st aspect FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement relationship between a wiper member and a recording head when the second mode is implemented, (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a diagram of the multi-head unit as viewed from the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports. (A)-(d) is a figure explaining the wiping operation | movement by a wiper member. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement relationship between a wiper member and a recording head when the third mode is implemented, where (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a diagram of the multi-head unit as seen from the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports. (A)-(d) is a figure explaining the wiping operation | movement by a wiper member. (A)-(c) is a figure explaining the wiping operation | movement at the time of providing the ink scraping member in a 1st aspect. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining a wiping operation when an ink scraping member and an ink absorbing member are provided in the first mode. (A) (b) is schematic which shows an example of the operation | movement mechanism of the wiper member in a 1st aspect. (A) (b) is a front view which shows an example of a wiper member (A) (b) is schematic which shows an example of the operation | movement mechanism of the wiper member in a 3rd aspect. The perspective view which shows the outline of the arrangement | positioning relationship between the wiper member in case of implementing a 4th aspect, and each recording head of a multi-head unit. (A)-(c) is a figure explaining the wiping operation | movement by a wiper member. The figure which shows an example of the structure which moves an ink shielding member up and down (A) is the figure which looked at the multihead unit which concerns on another aspect from the ink discharge surface side, (b) is the sectional drawing. (A) (b) is sectional drawing which shows the other aspect of a multi-head unit. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining a wiping operation in a conventional multi-head unit.

Explanation of symbols

1: Multi-head unit group 10: Multi-head unit 11 (11A, 11B): Recording head 11a: Ink ejection surface 11b: Ink ejection port 12: Recess 13: Recess 14: Mounting plate 2: Support substrate 21: Mounting hole 3: Guide bar 4: Conveying mechanism 41: Conveying roller 42: Conveying belt 5: Maintenance unit 51 (51A, 51B), 60: Wiper member 52 (52A, 52B), 61: Ink shielding member 53 (53A, 53B): Ink rubbing Removing member 54 (54A, 54B): ink absorbing member S: recording material

Claims (26)

A multi-head unit in which two or more recording heads each having a plurality of ink discharge ports arranged on an ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports, and is recorded from the ink discharge ports. In an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink to a material,
A wiper member corresponding to each of the recording heads, for wiping the ink by rubbing the ink ejection surface;
The position near the center line of the multi-head unit along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports is set as the rubbing start position of the wiper member, and the wiper member is directed from the rubbing start position to the side of the multi-head unit. And moving means for sliding the ink discharge surface of the corresponding recording head along a direction perpendicular to the direction of arrangement of the ink discharge ports.   The ink shielding member, which is disposed on both sides of the multi-head unit during the rubbing operation by the wiper member, receives ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink discharge surface. The inkjet recording apparatus according to 1. A multi-head unit in which two or more recording heads each having a plurality of ink discharge ports arranged on an ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports, and is recorded from the ink discharge ports. In an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink to a material,
A wiper member corresponding to each of the recording heads, for wiping the ink by rubbing the ink ejection surface;
The side opposite to the center line of the multi-head unit along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports with the corresponding recording head interposed therebetween is set as the rubbing start position of the wiper member, and the wiper member is moved from the rubbing start position. And moving means for sliding the ink discharge surface of the corresponding recording head along a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports by moving toward the center line of the multi-head unit. Inkjet recording apparatus.   An ink shielding member that is disposed on or near the center line of the multi-head unit during the rubbing operation by the wiper member and receives ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface is completed. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3. A multi-head unit that is formed in an elongated shape along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports by arranging two or more recording heads in which a large number of ink discharge ports are arranged on the ink discharge surface in a staggered manner, In an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from an ink discharge port to a recording material,
A wiper member corresponding to each of the recording heads, for wiping the ink by rubbing the ink ejection surface;
A wiper member having a position near the center line of the multi-head unit along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports as a rubbing start position, and rubbing starts on the side opposite to the center line of the multi-head unit across the recording head By alternately disposing the wiper members at positions, and moving each wiper member in the same direction from the rubbing start position, the direction of the ink discharge surface of the corresponding recording head is orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports And an ink jet recording apparatus having a moving means for sliding along the surface.   An ink shielding member that is disposed on or near the center line of the multi-head unit during the rubbing operation by the wiper member and receives ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface is completed. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an ink shielding member provided on a side of the multi-head unit and configured to receive ink scattered from the wiper member after the ink ejection surface has been rubbed. .   The concave portion capable of accommodating the front end of the wiper member at a rubbing start position that is recessed from the ink discharge surface of each recording head along the center line of the multi-head unit. The inkjet recording device in any one of 1-7.   9. The ink discharge surface according to claim 1, further comprising an ink scraping member for contacting the ink discharge surface with the wiper member after rubbing, and scraping off ink adhering to the wiper member. Inkjet recording apparatus.   10. The ink absorbing member according to claim 1, further comprising an ink absorbing member that contacts the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface and absorbs ink adhering to the wiper member. Inkjet recording device. A multi-head unit that is formed in an elongated shape along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports by arranging two or more recording heads in which a large number of ink discharge ports are arranged on the ink discharge surface in a staggered manner, In an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink from an ink discharge port to a recording material,
A recess formed between the recording heads arranged along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports in each recording head of the multi-head unit;
At least one wiper member for rubbing the ink ejection surface of the recording head to wipe off the ink;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a moving unit that moves the wiper member along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports of the recording head and individually rubs the ink discharge surface of the recording head.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising an ink shielding member that receives ink scattered from the wiper member after the ink ejection surface is rubbed by the wiper member.   The ink shielding member is moved together with the wiper member by the moving means, and is movable between a retracted position away from the ink ejection surface and a shielding position that protrudes into the recess and catches ink scattered from the wiper member. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is provided and moves to the shielding position immediately before the wiper member rubs the ink ejection surface and leaves the ink ejection surface. A multi-head unit wiping method in which two or more recording heads having a plurality of ink discharge ports arranged on an ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports,
A wiper member for wiping the ink by rubbing the ink discharge surface of the recording head is provided corresponding to each of the recording heads,
A position near the center line of the multi-head unit along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports is a rubbing start position of the wiper member, and the wiper member is directed from the rubbing start position toward the side of the multi-head unit. A wiping method for a multi-head unit, characterized in that, by moving, the ink ejection surface of the corresponding recording head is rubbed along a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports.   15. An ink shielding member is disposed on both sides of the multi-head unit during a rubbing operation by the wiper member, and ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface is received. The wiping method of the described multi-head unit. A multi-head unit wiping method in which two or more recording heads having a plurality of ink discharge ports arranged on an ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports,
A wiper member for wiping the ink by rubbing the ink discharge surface of the recording head is provided corresponding to each of the recording heads,
The side opposite to the center line of the multi-head unit along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports with the corresponding recording head interposed therebetween is set as the rubbing start position of the wiper member, and the wiper member is moved from the rubbing start position to the position. The multi-head unit wiping is characterized in that, by moving toward the center line of the multi-head unit, the ink discharge surface of the corresponding recording head is rubbed along a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports. Method.   An ink shielding member is disposed on or near the center line of the multi-head unit during the rubbing operation by the wiper member, and receives ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface. The multi-head unit wiping method according to claim 16. A multi-head unit wiping method in which two or more recording heads having a plurality of ink discharge ports arranged on an ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports,
A wiper member for wiping the ink by rubbing the ink discharge surface of the recording head is provided corresponding to each of the recording heads,
A wiper member having a position near the center line of the multi-head unit along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports as a rubbing start position, and rubbing starts on the side opposite to the center line of the multi-head unit across the recording head The wiper members to be positioned are arranged every other recording head, and each wiper member is moved in the same direction from the rubbing start position, whereby the ink ejection surface of the corresponding recording head is moved to the ink ejection port. A wiping method for a multi-head unit, wherein the rubbing is performed along a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction.   An ink shielding member is disposed on or near the center line of the multi-head unit during the rubbing operation by the wiper member, and receives ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface. The wiping method for a multi-head unit according to claim 18.   19. An ink shielding member is disposed on a side of the multi-head unit during a rubbing operation by the wiper member, and ink scattered from the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface is received. Or the wiping method of the multi-head unit according to 19.   Forming a recess recessed deeper than the ink ejection surface of each recording head at a position in the vicinity of the center line of the multi-head unit and accommodating the tip of the wiper member before or after the rubbing is started. The wiping method for a multi-head unit according to any one of claims 14 to 20.   An ink scraping member is arranged in parallel to the multi-head unit during the rubbing operation by the wiper member, and the ink adhering to the wiper member is scraped by contact with the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink discharge surface. The wiping method for a multi-head unit according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the wiping method is performed.   An ink absorbing member is disposed in parallel with the multi-head unit during the rubbing operation by the wiper member, and the ink adhering to the wiper member is absorbed by contacting the wiper member after the rubbing of the ink ejection surface. The wiping method for a multi-head unit according to any one of claims 14 to 22. A multi-head unit wiping method in which two or more recording heads having a plurality of ink discharge ports arranged on an ink discharge surface are arranged in a staggered manner along the arrangement direction of the ink discharge ports,
Forming a recess between the recording heads arranged along the direction of arrangement of the ink ejection openings in each recording head of the multi-head unit,
At least one wiper member provided to wipe the ink by rubbing the ink ejection surface of the recording head is moved along the arrangement direction of the ink ejection ports of the recording head, and the ink ejection surface of the recording head A multi-head unit wiping method characterized in that the individual heads are rubbed individually.   25. The wiping method for a multi-head unit according to claim 24, wherein ink scattered from the wiper member after the sliding of the ink discharge surface by the wiper member is received by the ink shielding member.   The ink shield member is moved together with the wiper member, and is movable between a retracted position away from the ink ejection surface and a shield position that protrudes into the recess and receives the ink scattered from the wiper member. 26. The wiping method for a multi-head unit according to claim 25, wherein the wiping method moves to the shielding position immediately before rubbing the ink ejection surface and leaving the ink ejection surface.

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