JP2007069597A - Liquid discharge apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To maintain a cleaning characteristic of a blade member, which cleans a head surface, over a long period of time. <P>SOLUTION: The blade member 41 is disposed in a movement path through which it moves from a position opposed to the head surface 26a to an away position. The blade member 41 has a blade cleaning mechanism 60 having a blade cleaning belt 63 which performs cleaning by sliding during movement. A feeding operation in one direction of the blade cleaning belt 63 is performed merely in one-way movement of the blade member 41 by a one-way clutch bearing 68 provided on a drive shaft 66. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects liquid from a nozzle provided on a head surface to an object, and more particularly to a liquid ejection apparatus that includes a head wiper member that cleans the head surface.

  In a liquid ejection apparatus, for example, an ink jet printer apparatus, a combination of a main scanning movement for ejecting ink by moving a head unit in a scanning direction and a sub-scanning movement for moving a sheet in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the scanning direction There are provided a serial printing method for performing printing and a line printing method for performing printing by moving a head unit having a sheet width relative to the sheet. An ink jet printer device is provided with a pressure generating element such as a heating element or a piezoelectric element in an ink chamber that stores ink liquid, and the ink liquid pressurized by the pressure generating element is in a droplet state from a nozzle formed on a head surface. A desired print of an image, a character, or the like is performed by landing on a predetermined position of the paper discharged and supplied to the printing unit. The ink jet printer device has various features such as low running cost, miniaturization, and easy color printing, and can perform high-resolution printing.

  In the ink jet printer apparatus, the ejected ink liquid is scattered around and adhered to the nozzles, and dust or dust adheres to the ink liquid, so that the head surface may be soiled. Also, ink jet printer devices often cause ink masses to form on the head surface due to drying or thickening of the adhering ink liquid and aggregation. Ink-jet printer devices do not perform high-precision and stable printing because foreign matter such as dust, lump of dust, or lump of ink covers each nozzle, causing non-ejection phenomenon of ink liquid or ejection bending phenomenon. A situation may occur. Therefore, the ink jet printer apparatus is provided with a cleaning mechanism including a head wiper member that removes foreign matters and the like attached by rubbing the head surface (for example, Patent Document 1).

  The ink jet printer apparatus is provided with a head cap member that is moved between a first position for closing the head surface and a second position for opening the head surface to protect the head surface and prevent drying of the ink liquid. It is illustrated (for example, Patent Document 2). The ink jet printer apparatus also has a function of receiving waste ink liquid ejected by idle driving performed during a non-printing operation in order for the head cap member to prevent nozzle clogging.

  By the way, the ink jet printer apparatus includes a wiper cleaning mechanism that cleans the head wiper member provided in the cleaning mechanism, and measures are taken to restore the function of the head wiper member by the wiper cleaning mechanism. In the cleaning mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 3, an endless belt-type head wiper member that rubs and cleans the head surface is cleaned by a wiper cleaning member that includes a cleaning sheet that rubs at a position facing the head surface. Similarly, Patent Document 4 and Patent Document 5 disclose a wiper cleaning mechanism including a porous rotating roller that performs cleaning by being pressed against a belt-like head wiper member.

JP 2003-266712 A JP 2002-240309 A JP 2003-211683 A JP 2000-198210 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-276652

  By the way, in an ink jet printer apparatus, a head cap member and a head cleaning mechanism are generally opposed to a lower portion of a head unit, and a head unit that discharges ink liquid and a printing liquid cartridge are loaded. A loading unit, and is attached to and detached from the printing unit. Therefore, in the ink jet printer apparatus, when replacing the head wiper member, etc., the head cap member and the head cleaning mechanism must be detached after the head unit is taken out, which is cumbersome and poor maintainability. There was a problem.

  In addition, in the ink jet printer apparatus, since these parts to be replaced are considerably dirty, there is a problem that the user's hand and surroundings are soiled during the replacement operation, and handling is necessary. Further, in the ink jet printer apparatus, there is a problem that the nozzle formed on the head surface is accidentally damaged when the head unit is taken out during the attaching / detaching operation or temporary storage.

  The ink jet printer apparatus includes the wiper cleaning mechanism disclosed in Patent Documents 3 to 5 described above, thereby recovering the cleaning function of the head surface by the head wiper member and improving the maintainability. . However, in the printer apparatuses disclosed in Patent Documents 3 to 5, the cleaning mechanism including a head cleaning member formed of an endless belt and the cleaning mechanism including a cleaning sheet are large, and thus the entire apparatus is large. There's a problem. In such a printer apparatus, the head cleaning mechanism and the wiper cleaning mechanism have a problem that the maintainability is poor because the replacement operation must be performed after the head unit is taken out. Further, in such a printer device, there is a problem that the structure is further complicated and the size is increased when a head cap mechanism for protecting the head surface is provided.

  In addition, the printer device disclosed in Patent Document 3 has a problem that the roller for rotating the cleaning sheet is large and the replacement or discarding process of the cleaning sheet is extremely troublesome. In the printer devices disclosed in Patent Documents 4 and 5, the cleaning characteristics of the wiper cleaning mechanism with respect to the head wiper member are proportional to the surface area of the porous rotating roller. In order to hold the roller, a large-diameter rotating roller is required, and there is a problem that the entire apparatus is enlarged.

  Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that is small, simple in structure, and improves maintainability so that the cleaning characteristics of the head cleaning member can be maintained for a long period of time.

  In the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention that achieves the above-described object, the head unit ejects liquid from a nozzle that opens in the head surface to an object supplied along the head surface. The liquid ejecting apparatus is provided with a head wiper member that is movable so as to face the head surface of the head unit, and wipes off foreign matter and the like adhered by sliding the head surface to perform cleaning. The liquid discharge apparatus includes a wiper cleaning mechanism that is disposed in the middle of a moving path in which the head wiper member moves from a position facing the head surface to the retracted position, and that cleans the head wiper member by rubbing while moving.

  In the liquid discharge apparatus, the wiper cleaning mechanism includes a wiper cleaning belt and a reverse rotation prevention unit that feeds the wiper cleaning belt in only one direction. The wiper cleaning belt is composed of an endless belt body integrally formed of, for example, an olefin-based synthetic resin material having moisture absorption characteristics, and is provided separately in the moving direction of the head wiper member, at least one of which forms a rotation support shaft. The head wiper member rubs against the opposing surface that is placed between the support shafts and faces the moving path of the head wiper member, thereby cleaning the head wiper member and performing a predetermined amount of feeding operation. The reverse rotation prevention means is provided on the rotation support shaft, and the rotation support shaft is rotated only in any one of the reciprocating operations of the head wiper member, whereby the wiper cleaning belt is fed in one direction. To be

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, the wiper cleaning belt slides and rubs the head wiper member, and removes the attached foreign matter and the like by wiping off the foreign matter and the like from the head surface, thereby performing cleaning to obtain a clean state. In the liquid ejecting apparatus, the head wiper member is cleaned by the wiper cleaning belt to prevent re-adhesion of the wiped foreign matter or the like to the head surface and to improve the cleaning characteristics of the head surface by the head wiper member. In the liquid ejecting apparatus, the wiper cleaning belt does not require a driving source, and is fed in only one direction by the frictional force of the head wiper member, for example, to clean the head wiper member over its entire length. In the liquid ejection device, space saving is achieved and the wiper cleaning belt rubs the head wiper member over a wide area so that good cleaning is performed so that the cleaning characteristics of the head wiper member are maintained over a long period of time. To be. In the liquid ejecting apparatus, the wiper cleaning belt is fed to prevent the head wiper member from rubbing against a clean site, thereby preventing foreign matter removed from the head wiper member from reattaching.

  According to the present invention, the head wiper member that cleans the head surface of the head unit is cleaned by the wiper cleaning belt, and the wiper cleaning belt is rotated so that the frictional force with the head wiper member is a driving force and is not rotated in the return direction. Thus, the head wiper member is cleaned at a clean part, so that the space can be saved and the cleaning characteristics for the head wiper member can be maintained for a long period of time. According to the present invention, the head wiper member cleaned in a clean state cleans the head surface with high accuracy, so that stable ink liquid discharge is performed.

  Hereinafter, an inkjet printer apparatus (hereinafter abbreviated as a printer apparatus) 1 shown in the drawings as an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer apparatus 1 includes a printer main body 2, a head unit 3 and a paper cassette 4 that are respectively attached to and detached from the printer main body 2, and is connected to, for example, a personal computer or the like. Peripheral devices such as digital cameras are connected and used. As will be described in detail later, the printer apparatus 1 prints a document or image whose output has been instructed from a personal computer, peripheral device, or the like onto a predetermined size of paper 6 fed from the paper cassette 4 to the printing unit 5 of the printer body 2. Print.

  The printer apparatus 1 performs high-speed printing in line units by causing the head unit 3 to eject ink liquid in a droplet state and land on the paper 6 based on a print instruction as will be described in detail later. The printer device 1 performs color printing of a document or an image by using, for example, four color ink liquids of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Of course, the printer apparatus 1 may use inks of more colors. In the following description, terms such as “front and rear” and “up and down” are used with reference to FIG. 1, and the loading side of the paper cassette 4 is “front”.

  The printer main body 2 includes a casing 7 including an upper casing 7a and a lower casing 7b, and the upper casing 7a rotates with respect to the lower casing 7b at one end in the depth direction by a pivot mechanism that omits details. It is supported freely. The printer main body 2 is opened by rotating the upper casing 7a with respect to the lower casing 7b, and maintenance such as processing of paper jam occurring in the printing unit 5 or replacement of parts or cleaning is performed. Like that.

  The printer main body 2 is provided with a paper cassette loading port 8 that is positioned on the front surface of the housing 7 and into which the paper cassette 4 is inserted and removed. A large number of sheets 6 are stored inside the sheet cassette 4 in a stacked state, and the sheet cassette 4 is loaded into the printer main body 2 by being pushed into the inside through a sheet cassette loading port 8 and projecting the front part thereof. In the printer main body 2, as will be described later, the paper cassette loading port 8 also serves as a discharge port for the paper 6 on which predetermined printing has been performed, and the printed paper 6 is fed from the printing unit 5 to the cassette lid of the paper cassette 4. 9 so that the paper is discharged onto the top. Note that, for example, a plurality of paper cassettes 4 are prepared, and paper 6 having different sizes is accommodated therein, so that the paper cassettes 4 are appropriately replaced according to the printing paper size. In the printer main body 2, an upper portion of the paper cassette loading port 8 is configured as a head cap member attaching / detaching opening 10 to which a head cap member 36 described later is attached / detached.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer body 2 takes out the paper 6 from the paper cassette 4 and feeds it to the printing unit 5, and the paper 6 on which predetermined printing has been performed in the printing unit 5 is supplied to the paper cassette loading port 8. Is provided. Specifically, the paper transport mechanism 11 includes a paper feed roller mechanism 12 provided inside the paper cassette loading slot 8 for picking up one sheet at a time from the uppermost paper 6a in the paper cassette 4, and a printing unit for taking out the paper 6a taken out. 5 and a paper discharge mechanism 14 that discharges the paper 6 a on which predetermined printing has been performed in the printing unit 5 to the paper cassette loading port 8.

  Although not described in detail, the paper feed roller mechanism 12 is disposed at the upper end of the paper cassette 4 and feeds the uppermost paper 6a from a large number of papers 6 stacked and stored in the paper cassette 4. Further, a pair of separation rollers and the like are disposed subsequent to the sheet feeding roller to prevent the plurality of sheets 6 from being fed out. The printer main body 2 has a push-up that opposes the bottom surface of the paper cassette 4 loaded in the paper cassette loading slot 8 and pushes up the paper 6 and presses the uppermost paper 6a against the paper feed roller during printing. A mechanism is also provided.

  The paper feed mechanism 13 conveys the paper 6 a sent from the paper cassette 4 by the paper feed roller mechanism 12 to the printing unit 5 through a substantially horizontal U-shaped route. Although not described in detail, the sheet feeding mechanism 13 has a large-diameter reversing roller, a plurality of conveying path plates disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the reversing roller, or a plurality of conveying units that sandwich and convey the sheet 6 between the outer peripheral portions of the reversing roller. It has a roller. The paper feed mechanism 13 feeds the paper 6 that has been reversed by the reversing roller to the printing unit 5 in a forward-downward posture by the transport path plate.

  The paper discharge mechanism 14 is disposed to face the head unit 3, and forms a printing unit 5 in cooperation with the head unit 3. Although not described in detail, the sheet discharge mechanism 14 is configured so that one end side in the depth direction is supported by a support mechanism so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, and the outer peripheral portion of the plate circulates in the front-rear direction in a parallel state. And a plurality of endless conveying belts assembled together, and a feed roller or a spur arranged opposite to the plate. The paper discharge mechanism 14 has a platen 15 mounted on the plate so as to face the head unit 3.

  Although details are omitted, the discharge mechanism 14 holds the plate positioned below the head unit 3 when not printing. When a later-described head cap member 36 moves from the printing unit 5 to the front side based on a print instruction, the sheet discharge mechanism 14 rotates to move the platen 15 away from the head unit 3 at a predetermined interval. Therefore, let them face each other. Therefore, the paper discharge mechanism 14 forms the printing unit 5 in cooperation with the head unit 3 as described above, and supplies the paper 6 between the head unit 3 and the platen 15 so that predetermined printing is performed. To.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer main body 2 has a head unit attaching / detaching opening 16 that is positioned substantially at the center of the upper housing 7 a. The head unit attaching / detaching opening 16 is opened and closed by a lid 17 supported by the upper housing 7a by a hinge mechanism that omits details. The printer main body 2 opens the lid 17 and performs an exchange operation of an ink liquid cartridge 22 described later on the head unit 3. Further, the printer main body 2 opens the lid 17 to take out the head unit 3 from the inside, take out the paper 6 jammed in the middle of the printing unit 5 and the conveyance path, and perform parts replacement and cleaning.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer body 2 is provided with an operation unit 18 in a region in front of the head unit attaching / detaching opening 16 of the upper housing 7 a. The operation unit 18 includes an operation button for performing various setting operations such as a power switch, setting of the number of prints, and a print start instruction, or a liquid crystal display for displaying a setting state, an operation state, and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer main body 2 is provided with a control space portion 19 at a portion in the depth direction of the lower housing 7 b, and although not shown in the control space portion 19, constituent parts and head units 3 includes a control unit or a power supply unit having a control board mounted with a CPU that outputs control signals for controlling the operation of each unit 3 and various memories, and an interface unit for connection to a personal computer or the like. Yes.

  The control unit is a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a control program for controlling the entire operation of the printer apparatus 1 is recorded, a RAM (Random Access) that temporarily stores the read control program and the like and is read out as necessary. Memory) and the like. A control part outputs the control signal which controls each operation | movement with respect to each part. The control unit outputs a warning display signal based on detection of the remaining amount of ink liquid, which will be described later, or a predetermined number of prints and outputs various signals such as a head cap replacement timing display signal to display a predetermined display on the display. To be done. The control unit outputs a control signal for controlling the ejection of each ink liquid to the head unit 3 so that predetermined printing is performed. The control unit drives the paper transport mechanism 11 so that the paper 6 is transported.

  The head unit 3 includes a head frame 20 having an overall substantially rectangular cylindrical body having a length larger than the paper width of the maximum size paper 6 used in the printer apparatus 1. The head unit 3 is provided with a positioning structure and a lock structure that are not described in detail in the head frame 20 and the head unit attaching / detaching opening 16, and is positioned and combined with the printer main body 2. When the head unit 3 is attached to the head unit attaching / detaching opening 16, a connector (not shown) provided on the head frame 20 is coupled to a connector 21 provided on the head unit attaching / detaching opening 16 side to connect the printer unit 2. Electrically coupled. The head unit 3 is released from the head unit attaching / detaching opening 16 when the unlocking mechanism provided on the printer body 2 side is operated while the lid 17 is opened. It becomes possible.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the head frame 20 divides the inside vertically, so that the upper space portion constitutes the ink liquid cartridge mounting portion 22 and the lower space portion discharges ink liquid onto the paper 6 to perform predetermined printing. The head part 23 to perform is comprised. The ink cartridge mounting unit 22 includes a yellow ink cartridge 24Y filled with yellow ink, a magenta ink cartridge 24M filled with magenta ink, a cyan ink cartridge 24C filled with cyan ink, and a black ink ink. Black ink cartridges 24B (hereinafter collectively referred to as ink cartridges 24 unless otherwise described) are detachably loaded. The ink liquid cartridge 24 is arranged and mounted in the ink liquid cartridge mounting portion 22 in the order described above in the paper feeding direction of the paper 6.

  Although not described in detail, the ink liquid cartridge 24 is filled with a predetermined ink liquid in a cartridge container provided with a supply port incorporating a check valve mechanism at the bottom, and is divided into the ink liquid cartridge mounting portion 22. Ink liquid is supplied to the head unit 23 by being mounted on the predetermined mounting unit. The ink liquid cartridge 24 is formed with positioning protrusions at different positions for each color at the bottom, for example, and the positioning protrusions are relatively engaged with positioning recesses formed on the respective mounting portions of the ink liquid cartridge mounting portion 22. As a result, it is ensured to be mounted on the predetermined mounting portion without error. In the printer device 1, since the amount of black ink liquid used is large, a large cartridge is used for the black ink liquid cartridge 24B, and the black ink liquid cartridge mounting portion of the ink liquid cartridge mounting portion 22 is also large. Is formed.

  As described above, the ink liquid cartridge mounting portion 22 has a plurality of partition walls that divide the loading position of the ink liquid cartridge 24, and the elastic force in the take-out direction that is provided on the bottom surface portion and stored in the ink liquid cartridge 24. There are provided an elastic material to be actuated or a latch mechanism for holding the ink liquid cartridge 24 in a state of being loaded against the elastic force and releasing the holding state to enable the removal. The ink cartridge mounting portion 22 is provided with a plurality of fitting portions into which the supply ports of the ink cartridge 24 are respectively fitted. The ink liquid cartridge mounting unit 22 opens the check valve mechanism by fitting the supply port of the loaded ink liquid cartridge 24, and the ink liquid is supplied from the ink liquid cartridge 24 to the head unit 23. Like that.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the head unit 3 is provided with an ink liquid discharge section 25 that supplies ink liquid to the head section 23 in communication with the ink liquid cartridge mounting section 22 and discharges the ink liquid. The head portion 23 is provided with a large number of nozzles 27 each having a minute opening in the horizontally long rectangular nozzle sheet 26 shown in FIG. 3 constituting the bottom surface portion of the head frame 20. The ink liquid is ejected in the form of droplets onto the paper 6 fed from 27 to the head frame 20 to perform predetermined printing. The main surface of the nozzle sheet 26 facing the paper 6 constitutes a head surface 26a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle sheet 26 has a yellow printing area 28Y, a magenta printing area 28M, a cyan printing area 28C, and a black printing area 28B on the head surface 26a. 28). The print region 28 is configured by being divided from the upstream side in the arrangement order of the ink liquid cartridges 24 described above with respect to the paper feed direction of the paper 6 indicated by an arrow in FIG. The printing area 28 is an area having a length slightly larger than the width of the maximum size paper 6 that can be printed by the printer apparatus 1, and a plurality of nozzles 27 are provided in the longitudinal direction. Yes. The nozzles 27 are arranged in a staggered manner in the print region 28 in which a plurality of adjacent groups are alternately shifted in position with respect to the paper feeding direction of the paper 6.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the ink liquid ejection unit 25 is provided with a control substrate 29 and a spacer film 30 that divides the main surface of the control substrate 29 into a plurality of regions corresponding to the nozzles 27. Corresponding to each printing region 28, an ink liquid flow path member 31, heater chips 32a and 32b, or a bonding block 33 are provided. In the ink liquid discharge unit 25, the nozzle sheet 26 provided with the above-described many nozzles 27 by providing these members in the inner layer is laminated on the control substrate 29 via the spacer film 30. The ink discharge unit 25 is a head formed of a logic IC (Integrated Circuit), a driver transistor, and the like, although an appropriate circuit pattern for supplying drive signals to the heater chips 32a and 32b is formed on the control board 29, although details are omitted. A drive control circuit is formed.

  In the ink liquid discharge section 25, a bush 34 having a through hole communicating with the ink liquid flow path 31 a formed in the ink liquid flow path member 31 is fitted in the control substrate 29, and a predetermined ink liquid is supplied from the ink liquid cartridge 24. The The ink liquid channel member 31 is formed with an ink liquid reservoir 31b for storing the ink liquid supplied from the ink liquid cartridge 24 at the tip of the ink liquid channel 31a. Heater chips 32 a and 32 b are attached to the surface of the ink liquid channel member 31 so as to face the ink liquid reservoir 31 b. The ink liquid flow path member 31 is laminated on the nozzle sheet 26 with the ink liquid reservoir 31 b facing the nozzle 27.

  The bonding block 33 is provided with a bonding terminal 33a penetrating therethrough. One end of the bonding terminal 33a is connected to the circuit pattern of the control board 29, and the other end is connected to each heater chip 32a via a gold wire 33b. , 32b. In the nozzle sheet 26, in order to connect the bonding terminals 33a and the heater chips 32a and 32b by the gold wires 33b, a large number of connection openings are formed facing each connection portion.

  In addition, after the bonding process of the gold wire 33b, the ink liquid discharge unit 25 is sealed with a sealing layer 35 made of a synthetic resin material having wear resistance and insulation at each opening. Further, although not described in detail, the ink discharge unit 25 has a mechanism for detecting a remaining amount of ink liquid in the ink reservoir 31b and a diaphragm mechanism or an ink liquid for applying a supply pressure for supplying the ink liquid into the ink reservoir 31b. A filter or the like for removing impurities from the substrate is provided.

  In the ink discharge unit 25, when a drive signal is supplied from the control unit to the control substrate 29 based on a print instruction, the head drive control circuit operates to supply a drive current to the predetermined heater chips 32a and 32b. Then, the heater chips 32a and 32b generate heat. In the ink liquid ejecting section 25, the heater chips 32a and 32b heat the ink liquid in the ink liquid pressurizing space portion, which omits the details in the ink liquid reservoir section 31b due to heat generation, and generate bubbles to generate the ink liquid. The inside of the pressurizing space is in a pressurized state. In the ink liquid ejecting section 25, the ink liquid is pushed out from the nozzle 27 as the bubbles grow in the ink liquid reservoir section 31b, and ink droplets are ejected by the pressure generated by the burst of the bubbles in the nozzle 27. Note that the ink liquid ejection unit 25 may eject ink droplets using, for example, a piezoelectric element instead of the heater chip.

  In the head portion 23 configured as described above, the head cap member 36 is slidably and detachably combined with the bottom surface portion. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the head cap member 36 is formed in a horizontally long tray shape having a rectangular opening having an opening shape substantially equal to the bottom surface of the head portion 23 by a synthetic resin material. The head cap member 36 is provided with a head cleaning mechanism 37 having a blade member 41 that constitutes a head wiper member that rubs and cleans a head surface 26a, the details of which will be described later, inside.

  The head cap member 36 is normally held at a first position p1 that closes the head surface 26a with respect to the head portion 23 indicated by hatching in FIG. The head cap member 36 is moved along a predetermined movement path from a first position p1 where the head surface 26a is closed by a head cap driving mechanism 38, which will be described in detail later, based on a print instruction, along a predetermined movement path. The surface 26a is opened. The head cap member 36 is held on standby until the end of printing at the second position p2 indicated by a chain line in FIG. 2 where the head surface 26a is opened. When the predetermined printing operation is completed, the head cap member 36 is moved back from the second position p2 to the first position p1 by the head cap driving mechanism 38, and closes the head surface 26a again.

  The head cap member 36 keeps the head surface 26a closed at the first position p1 during non-printing, thereby protecting the head surface 26a and the like on which a large number of precise and fine nozzles 27 are formed. There is a function of preventing drying of the ink liquid in the ink liquid discharge section 25 provided in the nozzle 27. The head cap member 36 is maintained in a combined state with the head unit 23 even when the head unit 3 is removed from the printer main body 2 during maintenance or the like.

  As described above, the head cap member 36 is reciprocated along the moving path between the first position p1 and the second position p2 by the head cap driving mechanism 38 during printing. The foreign matter or the like removed by cleaning the head surface 26a is dropped inside. As shown in FIG. 5, the head cap member 36 is provided with an adsorption mat 39 made of a porous sheet such as a sponge sheet or a non-woven fabric, as shown in FIG. 5. To capture. The head cap member 36 adsorbs the waste ink liquid ejected from the nozzles 27 by the adsorption mat 39 when the ink liquid idling operation is performed. Further, the head cap member 36 sucks the ink liquid dropped or dropped from each nozzle 27 by the suction mat 39. Therefore, the head cap member 36 is provided with the suction sheet 39 in the inside thereof, thereby ensuring a capacity for accumulating foreign matters and the like in the inside without increasing the entire depth and preventing the peripheral portion from being stained.

  Although not described in detail, the head cap member 36 is formed with a pair of horizontal guide projections integrally protruding from both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction so as to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction. The head cap member 36 is engaged with the guide grooves in the front-rear direction (width direction) formed by the guide protrusions facing the side portions of the head frame 20, respectively. Are slidably combined with each other so that the movement from the first position p1 to the second position p2 is performed.

  In the printer apparatus 1, the ink liquid ejected from the nozzles 27 scatters and adheres to the head surface 26 a of the nozzle sheet 26, and the head surface 26 a is soiled by adhering dust or dust to the ink liquid. There is. Further, in the printer apparatus 1, an ink lump is generated when the ink liquid adhering to the head surface 26 a dries or thickens and aggregates. In the printer apparatus 1, when the head cap member 36 is moved, the head cleaning mechanism 37 removes foreign matters such as ink lumps from the head surface 26 a, and causes non-ejection phenomenon of ink liquid or ejection bending phenomenon due to these foreign matters. Prevent occurrence and ensure precise printing.

  Although the details of the head cleaning mechanism 37 are omitted, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a longitudinal holder portion 40 that is integrally formed and located on the depth side (rear side) of the inner surface, and the holder portion A blade holder (not shown) to be attached and detached, and a blade member 41 attached to the blade holder or a member such as a stopper plate for preventing the blade member 41 (not shown) from falling down. Although the details of the holder portion 40 are omitted, for example, a trapezoidal convex portion is integrally formed on the inner surface of the head cap member 36 over the entire length in the longitudinal direction, and the upper end surface of the convex portion extends over the entire length direction. It is comprised from the fitting groove which opens.

  The blade holder is a sheet metal plate-like member, and is attached to the head cap member 36 by fitting the base end portion into the fitting groove of the holder portion. The blade member 41 is made of an elastic material having chemical resistance to ink liquid or solvent and a certain degree of mechanical rigidity, for example, synthetic rubber such as ethylene propylene rubber, chloroprene rubber or urethane rubber, or elastomer, and the like. It is formed in a thin plate shape with a width dimension in the direction, in other words, a length sufficient to rub the head surface 26a over the entire length direction. The blade member 41 is fixed to the blade holder at one end side over the entire length, and is fixed to the holder portion 40 via the blade holder.

  In this state, the upper end portion of the blade member 41 protrudes from the opening edge of the head cap member 36 at a predetermined height. As for the blade member 41, the protrusion part is formed in the blade shape. As will be described later, when the head cap member 36 moves from the first position p1 to the second position p2, the blade member 41 is cleaned by rubbing the head surface 26a over the entire area in the longitudinal direction. The head cleaning mechanism 37 is configured by a plate-like blade member 41 as a head cleaning member provided on the head cap member 36. However, for example, a long-axis cleaning roller formed of a similar material may be used. The structure which combined the blade member 41 and the cleaning roller may be sufficient. When the head cleaning mechanism 37 is provided with a cleaning roller, the head cleaning mechanism 37 forms a pair of bearing portions spaced apart from each other in the head cap member 36 in the longitudinal direction instead of the holder portion 40 described above.

  The head cleaning mechanism 37 is configured such that the blade member 41 is positioned on the depth side with respect to the head surface 26a at the first position p1 where the head cap member 36 closes the head surface 26a, and the upper end portion of the head cleaning mechanism 37 extends over the entire longitudinal direction. It is held in a pressure contact state. The head cleaning mechanism 37 moves while the blade member 41 is held in pressure contact with the head surface 26a with the head cap member 36 that moves from the first position p1 to the second position p2 during printing. Then, the foreign matter adhering to the head surface 26a is wiped off and removed. The head cleaning mechanism 37 prevents foreign matter or the like removed from the head surface 26a by the blade member 41 from falling into the head cap member 36 and captured by the suction mat 39, thereby preventing the printing unit 5 or internal contamination due to scattering of the foreign matter or the like. To do. As described above, the head cleaning mechanism 37 performs cleaning to remove foreign matter and the like that the blade member 41 has rubbed against the head surface 26a before and after the ink liquid ejection operation. Therefore, the head cleaning mechanism 37 keeps the head surface 26a in a good state so that precise printing is performed.

  In the printer apparatus 1, as described above, the blade member 41 slides on the head surface 26 a for cleaning, and the wiped foreign matter or the like is dropped into the head cap member 36 so that the head surface 26 a is in a clean state. To be retained. In the printer device 1, a part of the foreign matter remains at the tip of the blade member 41, and the residual foreign matter reattaches to the head surface 26 a when the blade member 41 returns from the second position p <b> 2 to the first position p <b> 1. Sometimes. In the printer apparatus 1, residual foreign matters increase with use, and the cleaning efficiency of the head surface 26 a by the blade member 41 may be reduced. In the printer apparatus 1, as will be described in detail later, a blade cleaning mechanism 60 is provided and cleaning is performed during the movement operation of the blade member 41, so that the head surface 26 a is maintained in a cleaner state.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the head cap member 36 is provided with head cap locking mechanisms 42 and 42 that are located on the front side facing the blade member 41 and are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction. Although not described in detail, each head cap locking mechanism 42 includes a pair of support portions that are provided in a longitudinally separated rectangular frame portion that is integrally formed on the inner surface of the head cap member 36 and that are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction. A lock member and a cam rod that are coaxially arranged between the support portions and are slidable in the longitudinal direction, and a member such as a coil spring that is assembled to the cam rod.

  In the head cap lock mechanism 42, the lock member is urged in the side direction via the cam rod by the elastic force of the coil spring. Therefore, the head cap locking mechanism 42 protrudes through the guide openings in which the lock members have their respective tip portions formed on the side wall surfaces of the head cap member 36. The head cap lock mechanism 42 engages the head cap member 36 with the head cap member 36 described above by relative engagement with each lock portion that omits the details formed in the head cap guide mechanism 43 provided on the chassis side surface portion 44 described later. The first position p1 and the second position p2 are held.

  The head cap member 36 has a first unlocking port formed on the bottom surface thereof facing the cam rod of the head cap locking mechanism 42, although details are omitted, and a second unlocking port is also formed on the front wall side. Has been. In the head cap locking mechanism 42, in a state where the head cap member 36 is held at the first position p1 or the second position p2, an unlocking member (not shown) enters from the first unlocking port by a printing instruction or a printing end instruction. Then, the cam rod is driven, and the lock member is moved into the head cap member 36 against the elastic force of the coil spring, so that the lock state is released.

  The head cap locking mechanism 42 is configured so that the cam portion of a removal jig member (not shown) that is inserted from the head cap member attaching / detaching opening 10 is the second unlocking port when the head cap member 36 is moved to the replacement position. To enter the interior. The head cap lock mechanism 42 is unlocked by driving the cam rod by the removal jig member and moving the lock member into the head cap member 36 against the elastic force of the coil spring. Thus, the head cap member 36 is detached from the head cap member attaching / detaching opening 10 together with the removing jig member.

  As described above, the head cap member 36 is moved from the first position p1 to the second position p2 by the head cap driving mechanism 38, and is also returned from the second position p2 to the first position p1. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the head cap drive mechanism 38 includes a support frame member 45 assembled to the chassis side surface portion 44 and a head cap combined with the support frame member 45 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. Holder 46. The head cap drive mechanism 38 includes a rack plate 47 that is moved in the front-rear direction between the chassis side surface 44 and the support frame member 45, a drive motor 48 attached to the chassis side surface 44, and an output shaft thereof. A worm gear 49 meshed with a rack 47a formed on the rack plate 47 and meshed with a worm 48b provided on the 48a.

  The support frame member 45 is a generally frame-shaped member integrally formed of a synthetic resin material, and is fixed to the chassis side surface portion 44 at a lower portion of the head frame 20 described above. The support frame member 45 has a length in the depth direction located in the vicinity of the front surface portion of the housing 7 from the printing unit 5, and is a receiver for positioning and mounting the head frame 20 described above on the printing unit 5. A frame member is configured. Therefore, although not described in detail, the support frame member 45 is provided with a positioning fitting portion in which the positioning fitting portion formed on the head frame 20 is relatively fitted in the printing portion corresponding region 45a (see FIG. 6). The above-described connector 21 and the like are mounted.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the support frame member 45 has a first slide guide groove 50 which is formed of a pair of left and right symmetrical side grooves 45 b and 45 c, which are paired with each other and are symmetric and substantially horizontal through grooves. A second slide guide groove 51 is formed. The first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 constitute a head cap guide mechanism 43 that moves the head cap member 36 along a predetermined movement path, as will be described in detail later.

  The head cap holder 46 is formed of a synthetic resin material, and has an overall substantially frame shape formed by connecting the opposing side surface portions 46a and 46b with a plurality of metal beam members 52 while maintaining an opposing interval as shown in FIG. Presents. The head cap holder 46 has an inner space substantially equal to the outer shape of the head cap member 36, and holds the head cap member 36 that performs the above-described moving operation in combination. In the head cap holder 46, horizontal guide grooves are formed on the inner surfaces of the side surface portions 46a and 46b so that the guide convex portions formed on the head cap member 36 side are relatively engaged with each other. Each guide groove is opened in front of the side portions 46a and 46b, and the head cap member 36 is combined with the head cap holder 46 through these openings.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the head cap holder 46 is provided with first roller shafts 53 and second roller shafts 54 protruding from the side surface portions 46 a and 46 b, respectively, spaced apart in the front-rear direction. The head cap holder 46 is fitted into a first slide guide groove 50 formed in the head cap holder 46 and a second roller shaft 54 is connected to the second slide guide groove 51 as will be described in detail later. And the head cap member 36 is supported, and the inside of the support frame member 45 is slid between the first position p1 and the second position p2.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a horizontal third slide guide groove 55 is formed on the chassis side surface 44 at an upper position facing the first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 of the support frame member 45. Is formed. The third slide guide groove 55 also constitutes the head cap guide mechanism 43, and a pair of first cam pins 56 and second cam pins 57 provided on the side surfaces of the rack plate 47 so as to be separated in the front-rear direction are relatively engaged with each other. . The third slide guide groove 55 guides the moving operation in the front-rear direction along the chassis side surface 44 of the rack plate 47 driven by the drive motor 48 as the first cam pin 56 and the second cam pin 57 move. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a rack 58 is integrally formed on the lower side of the rack plate 47 over the entire length, and the rack 58 is rotated by a drive motor 48 attached to the chassis side surface 44. Is engaged. The rack plate 47 moves in the front-rear direction along the chassis side surface 44 via the first cam pin 56 and the second cam pin 57 engaged with the third slide guide groove 55 when the drive motor 48 is activated. The rack plate 47 is formed with a cam groove 59 in the height direction at the front portion, and the second roller shaft 54 provided in the head cap holder 46 described above penetrates the second slide guide groove 51 in the cam groove 59. Are engaged.

  The printer apparatus 1 releases the locked state of the head cap member 36 by the head cap locking mechanism 42 described above at the first position p1 based on the print instruction control signal output from the control unit and the head cap driving mechanism 38. The operation starts. In the head cap drive mechanism 38, the worm gear 49 is rotationally driven by the drive motor 48 via the output shaft 48a and the worm 48b, and the rotation of the worm gear 49 is transmitted to the rack plate 47 via the rack 58. The head cap drive mechanism 38 moves the rack plate 47 forward along the chassis side surface portion 44 provided with the third guide groove 59 in which the first cam pin 56 and the second cam pin 57 are engaged.

  The head cap drive mechanism 38 moves the head cap holder 46 provided with the second roller shaft 54 by moving the rack plate 47 so as to pull the second roller shaft 54 engaged with the cam groove 59. The head cap driving mechanism 38 includes a head cap holder 46 in which the first roller shaft 53 is engaged with the first slide guide groove 50 and the second roller shaft 54 is engaged with the second slide guide groove 51. It is moved forward inside the member 45.

  In the head cap drive mechanism 38, as described above, the cam groove 59 of the rack plate 47 is formed as a long groove in the height direction, so that the second roller shaft 54 is formed in a shape described later along with the movement of the head cap holder 46. Further, the moving operation in the front-rear direction and the height direction in the second slide guide groove 51 is made possible. The head cap drive mechanism 38 moves the head cap member 36 combined with the head cap holder 46 forward from the first position p1 to the second position p2. When the head cap member 36 reaches the second position p2 where the head cap member 36 opens the head surface 26a, the rotation of the drive motor 48 is stopped. The head cap member 36 is kept locked by the head cap locking mechanism 42 at the second position p2 until the end of printing.

  The head cap driving mechanism 38 releases the locked state of the head cap member 36 by the head cap locking mechanism 42 based on a print end control signal output from the control unit when predetermined printing is completed in the printing unit 5. The drive motor 48 is activated. The head cap drive mechanism 38 moves the head cap member 36 back to the first position p1 by performing the operation reverse to the moving operation from the first position p1 to the second position p2 described above. The head surface 26a is closed.

  The head cap drive mechanism 38 causes the head cap member 36 to reciprocate between the first position p1 and the second position p2 along a predetermined movement path constituted by the head cap guide mechanism 43. As described above, the head cap guide mechanism 43 slides the rack plate 47 in the front-rear direction along the chassis side surface portion 44 and slides the head cap holder 46 in the front-rear direction along the support frame member 45.

  As described above, the head cap guide mechanism 43 is relatively engaged with the first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 formed in the side surface portions 45b and 45c of the support frame member 45 shown in FIG. A first roller shaft 53 and a second roller shaft 54 formed on the head cap holder 46. The head cap guide mechanism 43 includes a third slide guide groove 55 formed in the chassis side surface portion 44, and a first cam pin 56 and a second cam pin 56 formed in the rack plate 47 that are relatively engaged with the third slide guide groove 55. A cam pin 57 is provided.

  The first slide guide groove 50 is formed on the side surface portions 45b and 45c so as to face the printing portion corresponding region 45a of the support frame member 45, and is near the depth side surface portion 45d (see FIG. 6) as shown in FIG. A horizontal groove portion 50a that extends horizontally to the front side starting from the portion 50c, and an inclined groove portion that communicates with the horizontal groove portion 50a and that is formed upward while being inclined from the vicinity of the substantially central portion of the side surface portions 45b and 45c. 50b. In addition, the first slide guide groove 50 has a base end portion 50c of the horizontal groove portion 50a jumped slightly upward. Further, the first slide guide groove 50 is formed with a front downward groove portion 50f extending forwardly downward toward the front side via the apex portion 50d of the inclined groove portion 50b.

  The second slide guide groove 51 is also a base opposite to a vicinity part where the first slide guide groove 50 rises upward from the horizontal groove part 50a to the inclined groove part 50b in the vicinity of the substantially central part of the side surface parts 45b and 45c of the support frame member 45. Starting from the end 51c, it is composed of a horizontal groove 51a extending horizontally to the front side along the bottom surface, and an inclined groove 51b formed in an upward direction while inclining in communication with the horizontal groove 51a. The The second slide guide groove 51 also has a base end portion 51c of the horizontal groove portion 51a that is slightly raised upward. Further, the second slide guide groove 51 is formed so that the inclined groove portion 51b has a mountain-shaped apex portion 51d at a position near the front surface portion 45e of the support frame member 45, and is curved downward from the apex portion 51d. A forward descending groove 51f is formed.

  In the first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51, the horizontal groove portions 50a and 51a have the same length, and the distance between the base end portions 50c and 51c is the depth dimension (width) of the head cap member 36. (Dimension) is approximately equal. The first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 are formed such that the distance between the vertex portions 50d and 51d is substantially equal to the width dimension of the head cap member 36, and the vertex portion 50d is the vertex portion 51d. It is formed at a slightly higher position. The first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 are formed so that the distance between the respective front descending groove portions 50f and 51f is substantially equal to the width dimension of the head cap member 36 and substantially parallel to each other. .

  The first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction from the above-described structure to the side surface portions 45b and 45c of the support frame member 45, and correspond to the width dimension of the head cap member 36. It is formed to be displaced in the direction. The first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 are configured so that the first roller shaft 53 and the second roller shaft 54 are respectively in the horizontal groove portions 50a and 51a in a state where the head cap member 36 is located at the first position p1. The base end portions 50c and 51c are engaged. The first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 are formed so that the first roller shaft 53 and the second roller shaft 54 of the front descending groove portions 50f and 51f are in a state where the head cap member 36 is located at the second position p2. Engage at the tip.

  The head cap guide mechanism 43 causes the head cap holder 46 driven by the head cap driving mechanism 38 to slide in the front-rear direction by the first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51, and causes the head cap holder 46 to move. The mounted head cap member 36 is moved between the first position p1 and the second position p2. In the head cap guide mechanism 43, the head cap holder 46 positions the first roller shaft 53 at the proximal end portion 50c of the first slide guide groove 50 and the second roller shaft 54 at the proximal end portion 51c of the second slide guide groove 51. As described above, the head cap member 36 is held at the first position p1 where the head surface 26a is closed. The head cap guide mechanism 43 is configured so that the first roller shaft 53 and the second roller shaft 54 of the head cap holder 46 move forward in the first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 so that the horizontal groove portion 50a, The head cap member 36 is moved to the front side of the head unit 3 at the position moved to the front end of 51a.

  In the head cap guide mechanism 43, when the head cap holder 46 is moved further forward along the first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51, the first roller shaft 53 is moved to the first slide guide groove 50. The second roller shaft 54 also moves forward in the front descending groove 51f of the second slide guide groove 51 to reach the tip. Accordingly, the head cap guide mechanism 43 is in a posture in which the head cap holder 46 is inclined downward on the front side with the first roller shaft 53 as a fulcrum. Therefore, the head cap guide mechanism 43 moves the head cap holder 46 in the forward downward posture so that the combined head cap member 36 is also in the forward downward posture and faces the head cap member attaching / detaching opening 10. . The head cap guide mechanism 43 controls the height of the front surface portion of the housing 7 and allows the head cap member 36 to be easily removed by setting the head cap member 36 in the forwardly lowered state.

  The printer apparatus 1 cleans the head surface 26a by the blade cleaning mechanism 60 constituting the wiper cleaning mechanism in the process of moving the head cap holder 46 with the head-down posture by the head cap guide mechanism 43 as described above. A cleaning process is performed on the blade member 41 of the head cleaning mechanism 37 that has been performed. As shown in FIG. 1, the blade cleaning mechanism 60 is positioned inward of the operation unit 18 and is disposed in a slightly lower front state. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the blade cleaning mechanism 60 includes a base member 61, a frame member 62, a blade cleaning belt 63, a pair of coil springs 64, and a pair of cam members 65. The blade cleaning mechanism 60 includes a drive shaft 66 and a driven shaft 67 that cause the blade cleaning belt 63 to travel endlessly, and a one-way clutch bearing 68 that rotates the drive shaft 66 in only one direction.

  The base member 61 includes horizontal beam portions 61a and 61b and vertical beam portions 61c and 61d that are integrally formed of a thin metal plate material. It is fixed to a ceiling portion of a chassis (not shown) that presents the operation unit 18. The base member 61 has a bearing piece portion 69 (which is positioned on the side of the width beam portion 61a located on the front side when fixed to the chassis and is bent vertically with the axis line aligned with the longitudinal beam portions 61c and 61d). , Only one side is illustrated). A one-way clutch bearing 68 is attached to each bearing piece 69.

  A plurality of base members 61 are vertically bent with a predetermined distance from each other on the other side beam portion 61b facing the side beam portion 61a, and position the free end side of the frame member 62 as described later. The stopper piece 70 is integrally formed. Each stopper piece 70 has a predetermined height dimension, and as shown in FIG. 10, the lower end portion is bent toward the side beam portion 61a, and the stopper portion 70a is integrally formed. In the base member 61, spring receiving portions 71 are formed by vertically bending pin-shaped guide portions 71a (only one side is shown) at both side portions of the lateral beam portion 61b. The base member 61 is positioned above the moving path of the head cap member 36 as will be described in detail later, and is fixed to the chassis in a state parallel to the moving path.

  The frame member 62 is a horizontally long rectangular member having a lateral width substantially equal to the lateral width of the base member 61, and one end side (front end side) in the width direction is driven with respect to the bearing piece 69 of the base member 61 although the details are omitted. The shafts 66 are combined in a rotatable state with the shaft 66 as a support shaft. The frame member 62 is formed with a pair of bearing portions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction on one end side (rear end side) in the width direction opposite to the drive shaft 66, and a driven shaft 67 is formed by these bearing portions. Is supported rotatably. As will be described later, the frame member 62 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 9 by the elastic force of the coil spring 64 via the cam member 65. The frame member 62 is combined with the base member 61 in a substantially V-shape when the free end abuts against the stopper portion 70 a of the stopper piece 70.

  The blade cleaning mechanism 60 has a length that is slightly larger than the width (about 210 mm) when the base member 61 and the frame member 62 are the maximum sheet width, for example, A4 sheet, and is lightweight and mechanically rigid. Since it is necessary to have, it forms with metal materials, such as an aluminum material and steel materials. For example, when the blade cleaning mechanism 60 is applied to a small printer, the base member 61 and the frame member 62 may be formed of a synthetic resin material.

  The blade cleaning belt 63 is an olefin-based synthetic resin material such as polyethylene or polypropylene that is porous (continuous bubble type) and has water absorption properties, has chemical resistance to ink liquids and solvents, and is excellent in recyclability. A urethane synthetic resin material is used as a raw material. The blade cleaning belt 63 is slightly thin as a whole and has a width dimension equal to or slightly larger than the width dimension of the blade member 41. For example, the blade cleaning belt 63 is formed by an extrusion molding method in which a resin material is filled in a mold and a central core is extracted. It is formed as a seamless endless belt. Needless to say, the blade cleaning belt 63 may be formed of other materials or forming methods.

  The blade cleaning belt 63 is engaged in a slightly pulled state between a drive shaft 66 and a driven shaft 67 supported by the frame member 62 as will be described later. The blade cleaning belt 63 circulates between the drive shaft 66 and the driven shaft 67 with the bottom surface (lower side in FIG. 10) facing the moving path of the head cap member 36. The blade cleaning belt 63 is fed by a predetermined amount when the head cap member 36 moves from the first position p1 to the second position p2, as will be described later.

  As will be described later, when the head cap member 36 is moved from the first position p1 to the second position p2 or returned from the second position p2 to the first position p1, as described later, the head cap member 36 The tip of the blade member 41 abuts against the bottom surface facing the movement path 36 and slides. The blade cleaning belt 63 sucks foreign matter such as ink liquid adhering to the blade member 41 and wipes and cleans it.

  When the head cap member 36 moves back from the second position p2 to the first position p1, the blade cleaning belt 63 rubs off a new area where the blade member 41 has been moved, so that foreign matter etc. wiped off can be obtained. Thus, the blade member 41 is returned and moved in a clean state. The blade cleaning belt 63 maintains a cleaning characteristic for the blade member 41 for a long period of time by performing a predetermined amount of feeding operation for each movement of the head cap member 36. The blade cleaning belt 63 is long by being formed in an endless belt shape, and the ink liquid sucked in the course of the circular operation is sufficiently dried.

  As described above, the coil spring 64 applies an elastic force to the frame member 62 to give a review to the initial position. The coil spring 64 is assembled in a slightly compressed state between a spring receiving portion 71 of the base member 61 and a cam member 65 (described later) fixed to the free end side of the frame member 62. The coil spring 64 applies an elastic force to the frame member 62 via the cam member 65 so that the rear end edge of the frame member 62 abuts against the stopper portion 70a of the stopper piece 70 as shown in FIG. . Therefore, the frame member 62 is in a state where the rear end side is separated from the base member 61 and protrudes into the moving path of the head cap member 36 as will be described in detail later. It should be noted that the coil spring 64 can be replaced with an appropriate elastic member such as a leaf spring, for example, and it is needless to say that the coil spring 64 may be replaced with a torsion spring mounted on the drive shaft 66 side.

  The cam member 65 engages with the head cap holder 46 to cause the frame member 62 to perform a swinging operation described later. The cam member 65 is formed of a synthetic resin material, and a spring receiving portion 65a is formed on the upper surface side to which the lower end side of the coil spring 64 is abutted. A cam projection 65b is formed. The cam members 65 are located on the rear end side of the frame member 62 and on the bottom surfaces of the both sides thereof, and are fixed with opposing intervals substantially equal to the intervals of the side edge portions of the head cap holder 46 described above. In the cam member 65, the cam projection 65 b protrudes from the bottom surface of the frame member 62 as shown in FIG. 10A in a state where the frame member 62 is combined with the base member 61 as described above. The cam member 65 corresponds to the locus of the side edge portion of the head cap holder 46 in which the cam convex portion 65b moves in the movement path of the head cap member 36 in a state where the base member 61 is fixed to the chassis. Protruding. Of course, the cam member 65 may be formed integrally with the frame member 62, for example.

  The drive shaft 66 constitutes a swing fulcrum of the frame member 62 and a drive member that drives the blade cleaning belt 63. As described above, both ends of the drive shaft 66 are supported by the one-way clutch bearing 68 at the front portion of the base member 61 on the side of the horizontal beam portion 61a with respect to the vertical beam portions 61c and 61d. The drive shaft 66 is acted on by the drive force from the head cap holder 46 moving in the moving path and the blade member 41 provided on the head cap member 36 as will be described in detail later, and the operation of the one-way clutch bearing 68. Thus, for example, it is rotated only in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. The drive shaft 66 is intermittently rotated without requiring a drive source such as a motor.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the drive shaft 66 is formed with a plurality of knurled portions 72 with a predetermined interval in the axial direction. The knurled portion 72 protrudes around the circumference of the drive shaft 66 with an appropriate length, and is formed with unevenness in the axial direction over the entire circumference on the outer peripheral portion. The knurled portion 72 constitutes a non-slip means for the blade cleaning belt 63 on the outer peripheral portion of the drive shaft 66 by increasing the frictional force with the inner peripheral surface of the blade cleaning belt 63 applied to the drive shaft 66 to prevent slippage. Reduce and ensure efficient feeding operation. The knurled portion 72 may be configured by fitting a cylindrical bush having an axial concavo-convex shape on the outer peripheral portion thereof with an elastic material such as rubber, for example, into the drive shaft 66.

  The one-way clutch bearing 68 is attached to the longitudinal beam portions 61c and 61d of the base member 61 via the bearing piece portion 69 so as to be positioned on the same axis line. The one-way clutch bearing 68 acts to rotate the drive shaft 66 when the head cap member 36 moves from the first position p1 to the second position p2 as described above. As the one-way clutch bearing 68, it is possible to use various clutch bearings generally used in a mechanism for transmitting rotation in one direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the one-way clutch bearing 68 is loaded into a cylindrical bearing case 73, lids 74 </ b> A and 74 </ b> B that are assembled by closing the opening of the bearing case 73, and the bearing case 73. It comprises a plurality of bearing rollers 75 and the like. The one-way clutch bearing 68 seals the bearing roller 75 by closing the opening of the bearing case 73 with the lids 74A and 74B.

  The one-way clutch bearing 68 is formed with a shaft hole 73b that allows the drive shaft 66 to pass through the bearing case 73, and the cam recesses 73c of the same number as the bearing rollers 75 are located on the inner peripheral wall at substantially equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Formed side by side. The one-way clutch bearing 68 constitutes a cam space 73d in which the bearing roller 75 rolls between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral wall of the drive shaft 66 in a state where the drive shaft 66 passes through the shaft hole 73b. In the one-way clutch bearing 68, the opening diameter of the cam recess 73c is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the bearing roller 75, and the width of the cam space 73d is slightly smaller. Therefore, the one-way clutch bearing 68 is integrated with the drive shaft 66 by the bearing rollers 75 being sandwiched between the inner wall and the outer peripheral surface of the drive shaft 66 in the cam space 73d. Further, the one-way clutch bearing 68 is integrated with the drive shaft 66 by releasing the sandwiched state between the inner wall and the outer peripheral surface of the drive shaft 66 by the respective bearing rollers 75 falling into the opposing cam recesses 73c. Is released.

  In the one-way clutch bearing 68, the bearing case 73 is fixed to the base member 61, and the drive shaft 66 supported by the frame member 62 is passed through the shaft hole 68b. The outer periphery of the drive shaft 66 is stored in the cam space portion 73d. The bearing roller 75 is rolled. In the one-way clutch bearing 68, when a counterclockwise rotational force is transmitted as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 12B, the bearing roller 75 moves to the end of the cam space 73d and the inner peripheral wall of the bearing case 73 And the outer peripheral portion of the drive shaft 66. Accordingly, the one-way clutch bearing 68 is integrated with the drive shaft 66 and rotates the drive shaft 66 counterclockwise. When the clockwise rotational force is transmitted to the one-way clutch bearing 68, the bearing roller 75 moves in the cam space 73d and engages with the cam recess 73c as shown by the chain line in FIG. In the one-way clutch bearing 68, the bearing roller 75 is released from the sandwiched state between the inner peripheral wall of the bearing case 73 and the outer peripheral portion of the drive shaft 66, and the outer peripheral portion of the drive shaft 66 is idled. Therefore, the one-way clutch bearing 68 rotates the drive shaft 66 only in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow in FIG.

  The blade cleaning mechanism 60 may use, for example, a one-way clutch bearing 80 shown in FIG. The one-way clutch bearing 80 is configured by members such as a bearing case 81, a bearing fitting 82, a clutch fitting 83, a plurality of bearing rollers 84, and a spring 85. The bearing case 81 has a first shaft hole 86a having substantially the same diameter as the drive shaft 66 and opened on one side surface, and a second shaft hole 86b having a larger diameter than the first shaft hole 86a and opened on the other side surface. Has a shaft hole 86 formed coaxially through a stepped portion 86c, and is formed in a cylindrical shape.

  In the one-way clutch bearing 80, a bearing fitting 82 is fitted into the second shaft hole 86b of the bearing case 81 so as to abut on the stepped portion 86c. The bearing fitting 82 is formed of a metal material having excellent wear resistance, has a shaft length smaller than the shaft length of the second shaft hole 86b, for example, a cylinder formed by penetrating a hexagonal shaft hole. It is a metal fitting. The bearing fitting 82 has an inner diameter of the shaft hole larger than the outer diameter of the drive shaft 66.

  In the one-way clutch bearing 80, the clutch fitting 83 is fitted into the second shaft hole 86b of the bearing case 81 so that the bearing fitting 82 is sandwiched between the stepped portion 86c. The clutch fitting 83 is also formed of a metal material having excellent wear resistance. The clutch fitting 83 is formed with a cylindrical flange portion 83a that closes the opening of the second shaft hole 86b on one end side, and an outer shape that is fitted to the shaft hole of the bearing fitting 82 on the side surface of the flange portion 83a. Is a deformed cylindrical metal fitting formed integrally with a hexagonal clutch cylinder 83b.

  In the clutch fitting 83, a plurality of axial cam slits 33 c are formed in the clutch cylinder portion 83 b so as to be aligned in the circumferential direction. In the clutch fitting 83, a circumferential spring housing recess 33d communicating with each cam slit 33c is formed in the clutch cylinder 83b, and a thin wall is formed so as to constitute an inner peripheral wall of each spring housing recess 33d. The elastic inner wall portion 33e is integrally formed. The clutch fitting 83 constitutes a shaft hole in which the elastic inner wall portions 33e jointly have an inner diameter that is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the drive shaft 66 and opens from the flange portion 83a.

  In the one-way clutch bearing 80, bearing rollers 84 are accommodated in the cam slits 33c of the clutch fitting 83, respectively. Each bearing roller 84 comes into contact with the outer peripheral portion of the drive shaft 66 by imparting a protrusion habit into the shaft hole to a part of the outer peripheral portion by the elastic force of the spring 85 stored in the spring storage recess 33d.

  The one-way clutch bearing 80 configured as described above is configured so that the elastic inner wall 33e of the clutch fitting 83 and the bearing roller 84 are in contact with the outer peripheral portion of the drive shaft 66 penetrating the bearing case 81. Is supported. The one-way clutch bearing 80 does not drive the drive shaft 66 because each bearing roller 84 rotates in each cam slit 33c with respect to the counterclockwise rotation operation in FIG. 13B. On the other hand, in the one-way clutch bearing 80, each bearing roller 84 moves from each cam slit 33c toward the spring housing recess 33d side with respect to the clockwise rotation in FIG. Press contact with the outer periphery of the. Therefore, the one-way clutch bearing 80 is integrated with the drive shaft 66 and rotates the drive shaft 66 in the clockwise direction.

  The blade cleaning mechanism 60 configured as described above is installed in the chassis with the bottom surface of the blade cleaning belt 63 protruding from the moving path of the head cap member 36 as described above. In the blade cleaning mechanism 60, for example, the head cap member 36 is moved in the process of the printing operation being performed and the head cap member 36 is moved from the first position p1 where the head surface 26a is closed to the second position p2 which is the retracted position. When moved to the opposite position, the side edge portion of the head cap holder 46 that moves in the moving path abuts against the cam portion 65b of the cam member 65 as shown by a chain line in FIG. Further, in the blade cleaning mechanism 60, the blade member 41 provided on the head cap member 36 that moves in the moving path by the blade cleaning belt 63 slides with the tip portion abutted against the blade member 41.

  In the blade cleaning mechanism 60, the cam member 65 is pushed up by the head cap holder 46 against the elastic force of the coil spring 64, so that the frame member 62 is indicated by an arrow in FIG. Rotate clockwise. At this time, the blade cleaning mechanism 60 operates so that the one-way clutch bearing 68 integrates the base member 61 and the drive shaft 66 so that only the frame member 62 rotates with respect to the drive shaft 66. Let me. In the blade cleaning mechanism 60, the blade member 41 moves while sliding while being held in contact with the blade cleaning belt 63.

  In the blade cleaning mechanism 60, the blade cleaning belt 63 is stretched between the drive shaft 66 and the driven shaft 67 as described above. The blade cleaning mechanism 60 acts on the blade cleaning belt 63 by the frictional force accompanying the movement of the blade member 41 and the clutch action between the drive shaft 66 and the frame member 62 by the one-way clutch bearing 68 as shown in FIG. A feeding operation in the direction indicated by the arrow is performed. In the blade cleaning mechanism 60, the loss of driving force is reduced by the knurled portion 72 formed on the drive shaft 66, and the blade cleaning belt 63 is fed.

  When the head cap member 36 passes through the opposite position and reaches the second position p2, the blade cleaning mechanism 60 releases the pushed-up state of the frame member 62 by the head cap holder 46, and the blade member 41 also has a blade cleaning belt. Pass through 63. The blade cleaning mechanism 60 returns to the initial position where the frame member 62 abuts against the stopper portion 70 a of the stopper piece 70 by the elastic force of the coil spring 64. At this time, the blade cleaning mechanism 60 acts so that the one-way clutch bearing 68 does not transmit rotation between the drive shaft 66 and the frame member 62. Therefore, the blade cleaning mechanism 60 keeps the state where the blade cleaning belt 63 has been moved a predetermined amount by the above-described operation.

  With respect to the printer apparatus 1 configured as described above, the moving operation of the head cap member 36, the cleaning operation of the head surface 26a, and the cleaning operation of the blade member 41 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the printer device 1, the head cap member 36 is moved by the head cap driving mechanism 38 from the first position p 1 to the second position p 2, and the blade member 41 rubs the head surface 26 a of the head unit 3. The first cleaning step for cleaning the head surface 26a and the blade member 41 rubs the blade cleaning belt 63 provided in the blade cleaning mechanism 60 in the process of moving the head cap member 36, thereby cleaning the head surface 26a. And a second cleaning step.

  In the printer apparatus 1, in the standby state shown in FIG. 14, the head cap member 36 combined with the head unit 3 is located in the printing unit 5 and is in the first position p <b> 1 described above. In the printer apparatus 1, the head cap member 36 covers the head surface 26 a of the nozzle sheet 26 in this state to protect the head surface 26 a and prevent the ink liquid from drying, or to prevent the nozzle 27 from clogging. Waste ink liquid ejected by the blanking performed and ink liquid dropped or dropped from each nozzle 27 are adsorbed by the adsorption mat 39.

  In the printer apparatus 1, the head cap member 36 released from the locked state at the first position p 1 as shown in FIG. 15 is based on a print instruction control signal output from the control unit. Is moved to the front side of the printing unit 5. In the printer apparatus 1, the head cap member 36 is guided by the horizontal groove portion 50 a of the first slide guide groove 50 and the horizontal groove portion 51 a of the second slide guide groove 51 and moves in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. To do. In the printer apparatus 1, the blade member 41 rubs against the head surface 26 a and removes foreign matter and the like attached along with the movement of the head cap member 36. In the printer device 1, the removed foreign matter or the like is dropped into the head cap member 36 and sucked by the suction mat 39.

  In the printer 1, as shown in FIG. 15B, the blade cleaning mechanism 60 is positioned slightly above the front side of the head unit 3 to place the base member 61 in the front-down state and the blade cleaning belt. 63 is installed in a horizontal state. In the printer apparatus 1, the blade cleaning mechanism 60 is installed such that the driven shaft 67 side of the blade cleaning belt 63 is positioned slightly below the vertex 50 d of the first slide guide groove 50. In the printer apparatus 1, the blade cleaning mechanism 60 is installed such that the drive shaft 66 side of the blade cleaning belt 63 is positioned slightly inward and slightly above the apex portion 51 d of the second slide guide groove 51.

  In the printer 1, as shown in FIG. 16, the head cap member 36 is guided by the inclined grooves 50 b and 51 b from the front ends of the horizontal grooves 50 a and 51 a of the first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51. The front side of the unit 3 is moved upward. In the printer device 1, the blade member 41 passes through the head unit 3 in this state, and the cleaning of the head surface 26a is completed. In the printer apparatus 1, the head surface 26 a is rubbed over the entire surface by the blade member 41, so that the attached foreign matter is removed and the head surface 26 a is in a clean state.

  In the printer apparatus 1, the sheet transport mechanism 11 is rotated at the timing when the head cap member 36 passes through the head unit 3, and the platen 15 is spaced from the head surface 26 a of the head unit 3 with a predetermined interval. opposite. In the printer apparatus 1, the paper transport mechanism 11 is driven to supply the paper 6 from the paper cassette 4 to the printing unit 5, and the head unit 3 is driven to start a predetermined printing operation.

  In the printer apparatus 1, when the head cap member 36 moves to the apex portions 50 d and 51 d along the first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 as shown in FIG. 16, the head cap member 36 faces the blade cleaning mechanism 60. . In the printer apparatus 1, in this state, the head holder 46 comes into contact with the cam member 65 of the blade cleaning mechanism 60 that protrudes from the moving path as shown in FIG. In the printer apparatus 1, the operation of pushing up the frame member 62 of the blade cleaning mechanism 60 is started as indicated by the arrow in FIG.

  In the printer apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 17, the head cap member 36 moves along the first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 over the apex parts 50d and 51d and in the front lowering groove parts 50f and 51f. As a result, the blade member 41 provided on the head cap member 36 also moves in a forward-downward posture. In the printer apparatus 1, the blade cleaning mechanism 60 is held in a state where the frame member 62 is pushed up by the head holder 46 via the cam member 65, so that the blade member 41 and the blade as shown in FIG. The contact state with the cleaning belt 63 is also maintained. In the printer apparatus 1, cleaning is performed by the blade member 41 wiping off foreign matter and the like attached by sliding on the blade cleaning belt 63.

  In the printer apparatus 1, the blade cleaning mechanism 60 performs the clutch action of the above-described one-way clutch bearing 68, and the blade cleaning mechanism 60 performs the blade cleaning by the rotation operation of the frame member 62 and the sliding operation of the blade cleaning belt 63 by the blade member 41. The feeding operation of the belt 63 is also performed. In the printer 1, the rear side of the blade cleaning belt 63 through which the blade member 41 has passed becomes a clean region.

  In the printer apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 18, the head cap member 36 is advanced along the first slide guide groove 50 and the second slide guide groove 51 beyond the apex portions 50 d and 51 d and in the front lowering groove portions 50 f and 51 f. And is held by the head cap lock mechanism 42 at the second position p2. In the printer apparatus 1, the head cap member 36 is held in a forwardly lowered state at the upper position on the front side of the head unit 3 at the second position p <b> 2 so that the printing operation is performed. In the printer apparatus 1, by holding the head unit 3 in this way, it is possible to secure a transport path for the paper 6 discharged from the printing unit 5 and to reduce the size of the apparatus.

  In the printer apparatus 1, the head cap member 36 is returned and moved from the second position p 2 to the first position p 1 by the head cap member driving mechanism 38 with the end of printing. In the printer apparatus 1, the blade member 41 rubs against the blade cleaning belt 63 of the blade cleaning mechanism 60 when the head cap member 36 returns. In the printer apparatus 1, the feeding operation described above is performed so that the blade cleaning belt 63 faces a clean area on the moving path. Further, in the printer apparatus 1, due to the clutch action of the one-way clutch bearing 68 described above, when the head cap member 36 moves backward, the drive shaft 66 idles with respect to the frame member 62 and the blade cleaning belt 63 is fed. By not performing the operation, the blade member 41 is prevented from being reattached by a foreign substance or the like, and is moved back.

  In the printer apparatus 1, when the head cap member 36 returns to the first position p1 where the head surface 26a is closed, the drive operation of the head cap drive mechanism 38 is stopped. In the printer apparatus 1, the head cap locking mechanism 42 is driven to hold the head cap member 36 in the locked state at the first position p1, thereby completing a series of operations.

  In the printer device 1, in order to save space, the head cap member 36 is converted from the horizontal posture to the front lowering posture and moved to the second position p <b> 2. The angle can be set as appropriate. Further, in the printer apparatus 1, the head cap member 36 may be converted from the horizontal posture to a further forwardly raised posture and moved to the second position p2, and the blade cleaning mechanism 60 may be appropriately moved along the moving path. It is installed with the angle of.

  In the printer apparatus 1, the blade member 41 is provided on the head cap member 36 that is moved between the first position p1 and the second position p2, and the head surface 26a is slid along with the movement of the head cap member 36. The cleaning is performed by rubbing, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. The blade member is moved and operated by an independent drive mechanism in the case of a printer device that does not have a head cap member.

  By the way, in the blade cleaning mechanism 60, as described above, the coil spring 64 is provided in a slightly compressed state between the spring receiving portion 71 of the base member 61 and the cam member 65 fixed to the free end side of the frame member 62. The elastic force of the coil spring 64 is applied to the frame member 62 so as to impart reviewability to the initial position, but is not limited to such a configuration. The blade cleaning mechanism 90 shown as the second embodiment in FIG. 19 has the same basic configuration as that of the blade cleaning mechanism 60, but a tension coil spring between the frame member 62 and the base member 61 on the fulcrum side. It is characterized by a structure in which 91 is stretched. In the blade cleaning mechanism 90, the tension coil spring 91 can be easily engaged between the base member 61 and the frame member 62.

  In the blade cleaning mechanism 90, as described above, the cam member 65 is pushed up by the head cap holder 46 as the head cap member 36 moves from the first position p1 to the second position p2, and the frame member 62 is driven by the drive shaft. Rotating operation is performed toward the front side in FIG. In the blade cleaning mechanism 90, the tensile force of the tension coil spring 91 thereby acts in a direction to return the frame member 62 that has been rotated to the initial position.

  Therefore, in the blade cleaning mechanism 90, when the head cap member 36 returns from the second position p2 to the first position p1, the frame member 62 also returns to the initial position by the pulling force of the tension coil spring 91. In the blade cleaning mechanism 90, at this time, the one-way clutch bearing 68 described above has a clutch action for releasing the mechanical coupling between the frame member 62 and the drive shaft 66 so that the frame member 62 is rotated. The feeding operation of the belt 63 is not performed.

  By the way, in the blade cleaning mechanism 90, the tensile force of the tension coil spring 91 is applied to the drive shaft 66 through the frame member 62, and is loaded as a side pressure on the one-way clutch bearing 68 that supports the drive shaft 66. Will be. In the blade cleaning mechanism 90, when the one-way clutch bearing 68 performs an operation of mechanically coupling the frame member 62 and the drive shaft 66, the tensile force of the tension coil spring 91 acts effectively and the blade cleaning belt 63. The feeding operation is more reliably performed.

  On the other hand, in the blade cleaning mechanism 90, the pulling force of the pulling coil spring 91 is also applied as a force for pressing the drive shaft 66 against the bearing roller 75 of the one-way clutch bearing 68. Therefore, in the blade cleaning mechanism 90, when the head cap member 36 returns from the second position p2 to the first position p1, the mechanical coupling between the frame member 62 and the drive shaft 66 by the one-way clutch bearing 68 is released. There is also a possibility that a situation in which the clutching action does not function sufficiently will occur. In the blade cleaning mechanism 90, the blade cleaning belt 63 moves along with the returning operation of the head cap member 36, so that there is a risk that the contaminated portion will be rubbed and rubbed, and foreign matter and the like may be reattached.

  A blade cleaning mechanism 100 shown in FIGS. 20 to 23 as a third embodiment is also a pair of tension coil springs 101A and 101B (hereinafter collectively referred to as a tension coil spring 101), similarly to the blade cleaning mechanism 90 described above. As a result, the assemblability is improved, and the influence of the side pressure on the one-way clutch bearing 102 from the drive shaft 66 that may occur in the blade cleaning mechanism 90 is reliably prevented. The blade cleaning mechanism 100 has the same basic configuration as the blade cleaning mechanisms 60 and 90 described above, and description thereof is omitted by giving the same reference numerals to the same parts.

  The blade cleaning mechanism 100 is also assembled to a frame member 62 supported by a base member 61 by one-way clutch bearings 102A and 102B (hereinafter collectively referred to as one-way clutch bearings 102) on a base member 61, and travels endlessly. However, the blade member 41 provided on the head cap member 36 that reciprocates between the first position p1 and the second position p2 during the printing operation is cleaned. The blade cleaning mechanism 100 also imparts the return habit to the initial position to the frame member 62 that rotates when the tension coil spring 101 is pushed up by the head cap member 36. The blade cleaning mechanism 100 also performs a traveling operation when the blade cleaning belt 63 is moved from the first position p1 to the second position p2 by the clutch action of the one-way clutch bearing 102, and from the second position p2 to the second position p2. The travel operation is not performed during the return operation to the first position p1.

  As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the base member 61 has a bearing assembly for assembling a one-way clutch bearing 102 that is positioned near the front ends of the longitudinal beam portions 61c and 61d and rotatably supports the drive shaft 66. Portions 103A and 103B (only one bearing assembly portion 103A is shown in the figure, hereinafter collectively referred to as the bearing assembly portion 103) are integrally formed facing each other. As shown in FIG. 21, the bearing assembly portion 103 is formed of a convex piece portion that is integrally bent downward and has a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the drive shaft 66 and is opened at the lower end edge. Substantially U-shaped shaft holes 104A and 104B (only the shaft hole 104A is shown in the figure, hereinafter collectively referred to as the shaft hole 104) are formed so that their axes coincide with each other. The tip end portions 66a of the drive shafts 66 are penetrated through the shaft holes 104, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the base member 61 is provided with mounting holes 105A and 105B for mounting the one-way clutch bearing 102 adjacent to the shaft hole 104 as described later (only the mounting hole 105A is shown. Hereinafter, the mounting holes 105 are collectively referred to.). In the base member 61, as described above, each of the tension coils is spaced apart from the transverse beam portion 61a opposed to the transverse beam portion 61b integrally formed with the stopper piece 70 for positioning the free end side of the frame member 62. First spring latching holes 106A and 106B for latching the one end 101a of the spring 101 (only the first spring latching hole 106A is shown in the figure. Hereinafter, the first spring latching hole 106 is collectively referred to) are formed. Has been.

  Bearing spacer members 107A and 107B (hereinafter collectively referred to as bearing spacer member 107) are assembled to the frame member 62 so as to oppose the bearing assembly portion 103 of the base member 61 at both side edges in the width direction. The driving shaft 66 is rotatably supported by the members 107 penetrating the tip portions 66a. In the frame member 62, the other end portion 101 b of the tension coil spring 101 is latched to the tip end portion 62 a that protrudes forward from the fixing portion of the bearing spacer member 107 so as to face the first spring latching hole 106. The second spring latching holes 108A and 108B (only the second spring latching hole 108A is shown in the figure, hereinafter collectively referred to as the second spring latching hole 108) are formed. The second spring retaining hole 108 is formed on the lower side with respect to the axis line of the shaft hole 104 and the first spring retaining hole 106. The above-described cam members 65 are attached to the frame member 62 on both side edges in the width direction on the rear end side facing the bearing spacer member 107.

  In the blade cleaning mechanism 100, as described above, the tension coil spring 101 has its one end portion 101a hooked on the first spring hooking hole 106 on the base member 61 side and the other end portion 101b on the frame member 62 side. It is latched in the spring latch hole 108. The tension coil spring 101 is used with a length that is slightly shorter than the facing distance between the first spring latching hole 106 and the second spring latching hole 108, so that the frame member 62 moves forward (rightward in FIG. 21). Energize in the pulling direction.

  In the blade cleaning mechanism 100, as described above, the second spring latching hole 108 is formed between the shaft hole 104 and the first spring latching hole 106 and positioned below the axis thereof. The frame member 62 is pulled forward by the elastic force of the tension coil spring 101, and is given a counterclockwise turning behavior in FIG. In the blade cleaning mechanism 100, the frame member 62 is brought into a state of being separated from the base member 61 with the rear end edge thereof being abutted against the stopper portion 70 a of the stopper piece 70, and in a state of protruding into the moving path of the head cap member 36. .

  As shown in FIGS. 21 to 22, the drive shaft 66 has a slightly large diameter portion that is rotatably supported through the shaft hole of the bearing spacer member 107, and a small diameter tip portion 66a will be described later. A shaft hole 104 formed in the bearing assembly portion 103 of the base member 61 is passed through the shaft support mechanism 109. The drive shaft 66 is supported at the tip 66a by the base member 61 by the shaft support mechanism 109, and causes the blade cleaning belt 63 to run endlessly only in one direction by the swinging motion of the frame member 62 and the clutch action of the one-way clutch bearing 102. Like that.

  As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the shaft support mechanism 109 includes a one-way clutch bearing 102, a bearing holder member 110 that houses the one-way clutch bearing 102, and a bearing bush 111. Since the one-way clutch bearing 102 is the same as the first one-way clutch bearing 68 or the second one-way clutch bearing 80 described above, the details are omitted, but the one-way clutch bearing 102 is contained in a cylindrical bearing case 117 having an inner peripheral cam. A plurality of bearing rollers 118 are rotatably provided, and a tip end portion 66a of the drive shaft 66 is fitted. When the drive shaft 66 rotates in a predetermined direction, the one-way clutch bearing 102 allows rotation by the bearing roller 118 rotating on the outer peripheral portion thereof, and the bearing roller 118 is rotated by the inner periphery for rotation in the opposite direction. A clutch operation for engaging the cam and preventing rotation is performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 21 and 23, the bearing holder member 110 is made of a synthetic resin material as shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. Composed. In the bearing holder member 110, a bearing fitting hole 112 a for assembling and holding the one-way clutch bearing 102 in the holder main body portion 112 is formed, and an attachment hole 113 a is formed in the base member 61 in the attachment portion 113. In the bearing holder member 110, the bearing fitting hole 112 a and the mounting hole 113 a are formed to be approximately equal to the interval between the shaft hole 104 and the mounting hole 105 on the base member 61 side.

  The bearing holder member 110 is fixed to the bearing assembly portion 103 of the base member 61 in a state where the one-way clutch bearing 102 is assembled in the holder main body portion 112. As will be described later, the bearing holder member 110 is fitted to the one-way clutch bearing 102 with the tip end portion 66a of the drive shaft 66 into which the bearing bush 111 is inserted, and the bearing bush 111 is assembled to the shaft hole 104 from the opening. Located on the outer surface of the bearing assembly 103. As shown in FIG. 22, the bearing holder member 110 is screwed into the mounting hole 105 from the mounting hole 113a with the mounting portion 113 aligning the mounting hole 113a with the mounting hole 105 on the base member 61 side. Fixed to the bearing assembly 103.

  In the bearing holder member 110, the one-way clutch bearing 102 in which the bearing fitting hole 112a has a polygonal shape and the bearing case 117 has a polygonal shape with the same shape is fixed in the rotational direction and accommodated therein. The bearing holder member 110 may house the one-way clutch bearing 102 inside, for example, by the structure of a keyway and a key.

  The bearing bush 111 is made of a synthetic resin material having wear resistance and impact resistance, such as PA (nylon) or POM (polyacetal), as shown in FIGS. 21 and 23. It is comprised from the flange part 116 integrally formed in the outer peripheral part of one end. The bearing bush 111 has a bearing cylinder portion 115 that is shorter than the tip end portion 66 a of the drive shaft 66 and has an outer diameter that is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the shaft hole 104 of the bearing assembly portion 103. A shaft hole 115a having an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter is formed to penetrate therethrough. In the bearing bush 111, the flange portion 116 is formed to have a larger diameter than the inner diameter of the shaft hole 104 of the bearing assembly portion 103.

  The bearing bush 111 is mounted on the drive shaft 66 with the tip end portion 66a passing through the shaft hole 115a, and is assembled to the bearing assembly portion 103 by being pushed into the shaft hole 104 from the opening. As shown in FIG. 22, the bearing bush 111 has a flange portion 116 sandwiched between the bearing holder member 110 and the outer surface of the bearing assembly portion 103.

  In the blade cleaning mechanism 100 configured as described above, the shaft support mechanism 109 supports the drive shaft 66 with respect to the base member 61 via the bearing bush 111 and the one-way clutch bearing 102 with respect to the base member 61. It is supported via a bearing holder member 110. In other words, in the blade cleaning mechanism 100, the drive shaft 66 and the one-way clutch bearing 102 are independently supported with respect to the base member 61 by the shaft support mechanism 109.

  Therefore, in the blade cleaning mechanism 100, the elastic force of the tension coil spring 101 that imparts the returning behavior to the initial position with respect to the frame member 62 is also applied to the drive shaft 66 via the bearing spacer member 107. The support mechanism 109 is configured so that this elastic force is not applied to the one-way clutch bearing 102 via the drive shaft 66. In the blade cleaning mechanism 100, a clutch that releases the mechanical coupling between the frame member 62 and the drive shaft 66 by the one-way clutch bearing 102 when the head cap member 36 returns from the second position p2 to the first position p1. Operation is ensured. In the blade cleaning mechanism 100, the blade cleaning belt 63 is held with its clean part facing the moving path of the head cap member 36, so that the wiped foreign matter or the like is not reattached to the returning blade member 41. .

  The blade cleaning mechanism 100 is configured such that the shaft support mechanism 109 including the bearing holder member 110 that houses the one-way clutch bearing 102 and the bearing bush 111 is assembled to the bearing assembly portion 103 formed on the base member 61. Of course, the shaft support mechanism 109 is not limited thereto. In the shaft support mechanism 109, for example, a plurality of mounting portions 113 may be integrally formed with the bearing holder member 110, or the mounting portion 113 and the positioning convex portion may be combined and fixed to the base member 61. .

  The present invention is not limited to the printer device 1 having the above-described configuration, and it is needless to say that each part of the configuration may be changed as appropriate. Further, the present invention can be widely applied to other liquid ejection devices that eject liquid. The present invention, for example, discharges a liquid containing conductive particles for forming a wiring pattern of a printer wiring board, for example, a facsimile or a copying machine, a discharge device for a DNA chip in liquid (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-34560). The present invention can also be applied to a liquid discharge device or the like.

1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet printer apparatus shown as an embodiment of the present invention with a head unit attaching / detaching opening opened. FIG. It is the same internal block diagram. It is a top view of a nozzle sheet. It is a principal part longitudinal cross-sectional view explaining the structure of an ink liquid discharge part. It is a principal part perspective view of the state which removed the head unit and the head cap member from the main-body part. It is a principal part top view of the state which combined the support frame member, the head cap holder, and the head cap member. It is a principal part side view which shows schematic structure of a head cap drive mechanism. It is a side view of a support frame member. It is a perspective view of a blade cleaning mechanism. It is a side view of a blade cleaning mechanism, the figure (A) shows a normal state, and the figure (B) shows an operation state. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the structure of the blade cleaning belt with which a blade cleaning mechanism is equipped, a drive shaft, and a driven shaft. The one way clutch bearing used for a blade cleaning mechanism is shown, The figure (A) is a partially notched front view, The figure (B) is a partially notched side view. The other one way clutch bearing used for a blade cleaning mechanism is shown, The figure (A) is sectional drawing, The figure (B) is a partially notched side view. It is explanatory drawing of movement operation | movement of a head cap member, and shows the state which exists in the 1st position p1 which the head cap member obstruct | occluded the nozzle sheet | seat at the time of non-printing. It is explanatory drawing of the movement operation | movement of a head cap member, and shows the state which a head cap member starts a movement operation based on a printing instruction | indication, and the state which cleans a head surface with a blade member. FIG. 5B is a relationship diagram between the head cap member and the blade cleaning mechanism. It is explanatory drawing of the movement operation | movement of a head cap member, and shows the state which the head cap member moved to the front side of the head unit, the figure (A) is a whole schematic diagram, and the figure (B) is a head cap member and blade cleaning. It is a related figure with a mechanism. It is explanatory drawing of the movement operation | movement of a head cap member, and shows the state which the head unit of the head cap member started the downward movement, The figure (A) is a whole schematic diagram, The figure (B) is a head cap member and a blade. It is a related figure with a cleaning mechanism. It is explanatory drawing of movement operation | movement of a head cap member, and is a related figure of the head cap member in the 2nd position p1, and a blade cleaning mechanism. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the blade cleaning mechanism provided with the other drive shaft support structure. It is a perspective view of the blade cleaning mechanism shown as 2nd Embodiment. It is a principal part disassembled perspective view which shows the shaft support mechanism site | part which supports the drive shaft of the blade cleaning mechanism. It is sectional drawing of a coaxial support mechanism site | part. It is a principal part exploded view which shows a coaxial support mechanism site | part.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer apparatus, 2 Printer main body, 3 Head unit, 5 Printing part, 6 Paper, 7 Housing | casing, 10 Head cap member attachment / detachment opening part, 11 Paper conveyance mechanism, 15 Platen, 16 Head unit attachment / detachment opening part, 17 Cover body, 18 operation unit, 20 head frame, 22 ink liquid cartridge loading unit, 23 head unit, 24 ink liquid cartridge, 25 ink liquid discharge unit, 26 nozzle sheet, 26a head surface, 27 nozzle, 36 head cap member, 37 head cleaning mechanism 38 Head cap drive mechanism, 39 Adsorption mat, 40 Holder part, 41 Blade member, 42 Head cap lock mechanism, 43 Head cap guide mechanism, 44 Chassis side part, 45 Support frame member, 46 Head cap holder, 47 Rack plate, 4 8 drive motor, 50 first slide guide groove, 51 second slide guide groove, 53 first roller shaft, 54 second roller shaft, 55 third slide guide groove, 60 blade cleaning mechanism, 61 base member, 62 frame member, 63 blade cleaning belt, 64 coil spring, 65 cam member, 66 drive shaft, 67 driven shaft, 68 one-way clutch bearing, 72 knurled portion, 73 bearing case, 75 bearing roller, 80 one-way clutch bearing, 81 bearing case, 82 bearing bracket , 83 Clutch fitting, 84 Bearing roller, 90 Blade cleaning mechanism, 91 Tension coil spring, 100 Head cleaning mechanism, 101 Tension coil spring, 102 One-way clutch bearing, 103 Bearing assembly part, 10 7 Bearing spacer member, 109 Bearing support mechanism, 110 Bearing holder member, 111 Bearing bush

Claims (9)

A head unit that discharges liquid from a nozzle that opens on the head surface with respect to an object supplied along the head surface;
A head wiper member that is movably provided to face the head surface of the head unit and rubs and cleans the head surface;
A wiper cleaning mechanism in which the head wiper member is disposed in the middle of a moving path that moves from a position facing the head surface to a retracted position, and the head wiper member performs cleaning by rubbing while moving.
The wiper cleaning mechanism is
The head wiper member is separated in the moving direction, and at least one of the head wiper members is engaged between the supporting shafts constituting the rotation supporting shaft, and the head wiper member is rubbed against the facing surface facing the moving path to clean the head wiper member. And a wiper cleaning belt made of an endless belt body that performs a predetermined amount of feeding operation,
The rotation support shaft is provided on the rotation support shaft so that the rotation support shaft is rotated only in one of the reciprocation operations of the head wiper member and the wiper cleaning belt is fed in one direction. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising: a reverse rotation preventing means that performs the reverse rotation prevention. A base member fixed to the chassis;
With respect to the base member, one end side is a fulcrum and the other end side is a free end. The base member is swingably supported so as to be movable toward and away from the moving path, and the support shaft on which the wiper cleaning belt is engaged is supported. A frame member to be
A one-way clutch bearing assembled to a bearing portion provided on the base member and fitted with a tip end portion of the rotating spindle that also serves as a supporting shaft of the frame member;
An elastic means for applying an elastic force in a direction for urging the free end side of the frame member toward the moving path;
The one-way clutch bearing constitutes the reverse rotation preventing means for performing the one-way feeding operation of the wiper cleaning belt by transmitting one operation of the swinging frame member to the rotating support shaft and turning it. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein   The rotating support shaft is supported on the base member by a bearing bush assembled in a shaft hole of a bearing portion formed on the base member, and a tip portion penetrating the bearing bush is fixed to a side surface of the base member. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the liquid discharge apparatus is fitted to the one-way clutch bearing.   3. The liquid according to claim 2, wherein the elastic means is provided between a fixed side end of the frame member facing the free end across the shaft support portion of the rotation support shaft and the base member. Discharge device. A bearing bush that is assembled in a shaft hole of a bearing portion formed in the base member and pivotally supported by penetrating the tip end portion of the rotating support shaft;
The one-way clutch bearing which is housed in a bearing case member fixed to the side surface of the base member and is located on the same axis as the shaft hole of the bearing portion and is fitted with the tip end portion of the rotating support shaft;
The frame member is stretched between the fixed side end of the frame member facing the free end and the base member across the shaft support portion, and the free end side of the frame member is set to the moving path side. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a tension coil spring that constitutes the elastic means that applies an elastic force in a biasing direction.   2. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein slipper means for the wiper cleaning belt is provided on an outer peripheral portion of the rotation support shaft.   2. The liquid ejection according to claim 1, wherein the head wiper member is provided on a head cap member that is moved between a first position that closes the head surface of the head unit and a second position that opens the head surface. apparatus.   2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiper cleaning belt is a member integrally formed of an olefin synthetic resin material or a urethane synthetic resin material imparted with water absorption characteristics.   The head unit includes a plurality of nozzles arranged on the head surface in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the object, and discharges the liquid to the object line by line. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1.

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