JP2007076357A - Cleaning blade, manufacturing method of cleaning blade, and cleaning device for liquid delivery head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning blade in which the flatness and the stiffness of a tip section are assured in the overall length and the mounting accuracy can be easily obtained. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning blade 34 wipes a liquid discharge surface 27 relatively moving along the liquid delivery surface 27 of a liquid delivery head 4 having the liquid delivery surface 27 where a liquid delivery nozzle 26 for delivering liquid is arranged. The cleaning blade 34 comprises: a support plate 44 on the surface of which an adhesive layer 44a is formed; and a wipe section 43 formed in such a way that the tip of an elastic section 57 consisting of a one-piece-shaped synthetic resin on the adhesive layer 44a is cut by a specified shape and slidingly touched to the liquid delivery surface 27. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus that ejects liquid from a liquid ejection nozzle formed on a liquid ejection head onto an object, and more particularly to a cleaning blade that cleans the liquid ejection head.

  2. Description of the Related Art Inkjet image forming apparatuses, such as inkjet printers, are widely used because they have low running costs, are easy to color print images, and are easy to downsize. This ink jet printer performs image recording by ejecting a minute amount of ink from a minute ink ejection nozzle provided on the ink ejection surface of a print head. In this type of ink jet printer, when the printing operation is not performed continuously for a long time and the ink is not ejected from the ink ejection nozzle of the print head, the ink is adhered to the vicinity of the ink ejection nozzle on the ink ejection surface by the previous printing operation. The ink may evaporate and dry to thicken and solidify, and normal ink ejection may be difficult.

  For this reason, conventionally, a slightly hard rubber blade or the like is pressed against the ink ejection surface of the print head and slid on the ink ejection surface to adhere to the ink ejection surface and increase the viscosity and solidify the ink. The print head was cleaned by wiping off. In relation to this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-34969 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for further improving the wiping effect by attaching a plurality of blades to a rotating shaft and rotating the blades.

  In cleaning a print head using such a blade, the flatness and rigidity of the wipe member of the blade that rubs the ink discharge surface of the print head affects the cleaning effect. That is, if the tip surface of the wipe member is not formed flat, even if the ink discharge surface of the print head is rubbed, dust such as thickened ink and paper dust adhering to the ink discharge surface is sufficiently wiped off. Can not do it. Further, if the rigidity of the wipe member is not maintained over the entire length in contact with the ink discharge surface, the deflection generated on the wipe member sliding on the ink discharge surface with a predetermined pressure is not stable, and the wipe member The wiping performance is not stable depending on the location.

  In particular, printing of recording paper without moving the print head is performed for a serial head type printer device in which an image is formed while the print head provided with ink ejection nozzles moves in the printing width direction of the recording paper. In a so-called line head type printer device provided with ink discharge nozzles in accordance with the width, the length of the ink discharge surface of the print head formed in a substantially rectangular shape in the print width direction is longer than that of the serial head type. It becomes. Therefore, in the line head type printer device, since the blade for cleaning the ink ejection surface of the print head is also long, the flatness of the tip of the wipe member is ensured accurately over the entire length, and the rigidity is ensured. In addition, it is required to provide mounting accuracy for mounting such a long blade facing the print head.

  Conventionally, this type of blade is formed by pouring a synthetic resin into a predetermined mold and molding it, and then forming a wipe member by punching, and mounting holes for attaching to a support plate that supports the wipe member are formed. After being installed, it is manufactured by attaching a wipe member to a metal plate or a resin support plate.

  However, both corners in the cross-sectional shape of the tip of the wipe member that rubs the ink discharge surface may be rounded, and the cleaning performance in the width direction of the ink discharge surface may be deteriorated. In addition, the distance between the mounting hole formed in the wipe member and the tip of the wipe member slidably in contact with the ink discharge surface, the flatness and rigidity of the tip are highly accurate over the entire length of the wipe member. Where required, the rigidity of the wipe member is reduced during the punching process and is easily expanded and contracted in the plane direction. As a result, the accuracy of the distance between the mounting hole and the tip of the wipe member may be reduced, and the flatness of the tip may not be ensured. Furthermore, in order to eliminate such inconvenience, a method of punching the mounting hole and the tip of the wipe member prior to other portions at the time of punching the wipe member has been proposed, but this greatly restricts the manufacturing process.

  Also, in the conventional blade, a lot of slits are formed at the tip of the wipe member that is slidably contacted with the ink discharge surface, and ink residue and foreign matter in the vicinity of the uneven portion formed on the ink discharge surface are scraped, and the capillary tube The cleaning effect is enhanced by absorbing ink into the slit portion by force. Such slits are formed by punching when the wipe member is punched.

  However, as the width of the slit becomes narrower, processing accuracy is required, and when the slit width is on the order of μm, it is difficult to form by punching. In addition, if the narrow slit is formed only by cutting the tip of the wipe member with a cutter, when the wipe member is in sliding contact with the ink discharge surface, the cut surfaces of adjacent wipe members are in close contact with each other or separated by the slit. There may be a place where each piece of the wipe member overlapped, a place that cannot be wiped out, or a capillary force may not work. Furthermore, by attaching the wipe member to the support plate, the wipe member contracts due to the difference in the linear expansion coefficient between the two, and it becomes difficult to maintain the dimensional accuracy of the length and width of the slit during punching.

JP 57-34969 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-10072

  Therefore, the present invention is a cleaning blade for a liquid discharge head formed in a long length, and the flatness and rigidity of the tip end portion are ensured over the entire length, and mounting accuracy can be easily obtained, and a narrow slit is provided. It is an object to provide a cleaning blade that can be easily formed, a method for manufacturing the cleaning blade, and a cleaning device for a liquid discharge head.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a cleaning blade according to the present invention is moved relative to the liquid discharge surface of a liquid discharge head having a liquid discharge surface on which liquid discharge nozzles for discharging liquid are arranged. A cleaning blade for wiping off the liquid discharge surface, whereby a support plate having an adhesive layer formed on the surface and a tip of an elastic portion made of a synthetic resin integrally formed on the adhesive layer have a predetermined shape And a wipe portion that is slidably contacted with the liquid discharge surface formed by cutting.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning blade manufacturing method, comprising: a wipe portion that is slidably contacted with a liquid discharge surface of a liquid discharge head; and a support plate that supports a base end portion of the wipe portion. In the method for manufacturing a cleaning blade for cleaning, after the elastic portion slightly larger than the predetermined length and / or width of the wipe portion and the support plate are integrated, the tip of the elastic portion is cut into a predetermined shape. Thus, a wipe part is formed.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning blade manufacturing method, comprising: a wipe portion that is slidably contacted with a liquid discharge surface of a liquid discharge head; and a support plate that supports a base end portion of the wipe portion. In the manufacturing method of the cleaning blade for cleaning, the support plate and the wipe part are integrated, and slits are formed by cutting at a predetermined interval at the tip of the wipe part.

  The cleaning device for a liquid discharge head according to the present invention includes a liquid discharge head having a liquid discharge surface on which liquid discharge nozzles for discharging liquid are arranged, and is slidably contacted with the liquid discharge surface to wipe the liquid discharge surface. A cleaning blade that moves the cleaning blade with respect to the liquid ejection head, and the liquid ejection surface when the cleaning mechanism moves the cleaning blade in one direction with respect to the liquid ejection head. A switching member that retracts from a sliding contact position and returns the cleaning blade to a position in sliding contact with the liquid discharge surface when the moving mechanism moves the cleaning blade to the other side with respect to the liquid discharge head. A support plate having an adhesive layer formed on the surface and a synthetic resin integrally molded on the adhesive layer. The tip of the elastic portion made of is made of a wipe portion which is in sliding contact with the liquid discharge surface formed by being cut into a predetermined shape.

  According to the cleaning blade, the method for manufacturing the same, and the cleaning device for a liquid discharge head according to the present invention, the support plate and the wipe portion are integrally formed, and therefore, the rigidity is provided over the entire length. Further, since the support plate and the elastic part constituting the wipe part are integrally formed and then cut according to the shape of the wipe part, the flatness of the tip part of the wipe part can be ensured with high accuracy over the entire length. . Further, since the wipe part is formed by cutting the elastic part after die cutting, both corners in the cross-sectional shape of the wipe part can be formed at right angles.

  Therefore, since the flatness and rigidity are highly accurate over the entire length of the wipe part, foreign matter adhering to the liquid discharge surface can be reliably wiped over the entire width of the liquid discharge surface. In addition, since both corners of the cross-sectional shape of the wipe portion are right-angled edges, the ink and dust removal performance is improved.

  Furthermore, in the method for manufacturing the cleaning blade according to the present invention, after the support plate and the wipe portion are integrated, the wipe portion is cut. That is, since the notch is made in the state where the internal stress in the longitudinal direction is applied to the wipe portion due to the difference in the linear expansion coefficient between the support plate and the wipe portion, the stress that tends to shrink toward the inside acts on each cut surface. Therefore, a narrow slit can be uniformly formed in the wipe portion in the longitudinal direction. In addition, according to the cleaning blade and the liquid discharge head cleaning device provided with such slits, the wipe pieces separated by the slits do not adhere to each other due to stress, and the wipe pieces do not overlap each other. The performance is not degraded.

  Hereinafter, a cleaning blade, a manufacturing method of a cleaning blade, and a cleaning device for a liquid discharge head according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The cleaning blade according to the present invention is used in an ink discharge apparatus that discharges ink onto a recording paper as an object to print an image or characters, a so-called inkjet printer apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a printer apparatus). is there. The ink jet printer apparatus 1 here is a so-called line head type printer apparatus provided with ink ejection nozzles in accordance with the printing width of the recording paper.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer apparatus 1 includes a printer main body 2, and a head cartridge 4 that is mounted with an ink cartridge and discharges ink, and the head cartridge 4 are protected. Ink jet head 3 including head cap 5, cap moving mechanism 6 for moving head cap 5 in the opening / closing direction of head cartridge 4, control mechanism 7 (see FIG. 28) for controlling printer apparatus 1, and recording paper And a recording paper tray 8 to be stored.

  In the printer apparatus 1, the ink jet head 3 can be attached to and detached from the printer main body 2, and ink cartridges 11 y, 11 m, 11 c, and 11 k that are ink supply sources can be attached to and detached from the head cartridge 4. . In this printer apparatus 1, a yellow ink cartridge 11 y, a magenta ink cartridge 11 m, a cyan ink cartridge 11 c, and a black ink cartridge 11 k can be used, and can be attached to and detached from the printer main body 2. The ink cartridges 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k that can be attached to and detached from the ink jet head 3 and the head cartridge 4 are consumables and can be replaced.

  Such a printer apparatus 1 is stored in the recording paper tray 8 by mounting the recording paper tray 8 for storing recording paper in a stacked manner on a tray mounting opening 80 provided on the bottom surface of the front surface of the printer body 2. Recording paper P can be fed into the printer body 2. When the recording paper tray 8 is installed in the tray mounting opening 80 on the front surface of the printer main body 2, the recording paper P is pressed against the paper supply roller 81 by the paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 in the apparatus, and the paper supply roller 81 rotates. By being driven, paper is fed from the tray mounting port 80 to the back side of the printer main body 2 as indicated by the direction of arrow A in FIG.

  Then, the printer device 1 reverses the transport direction of the recording paper P sent to the back side of the printer main body 2 by the reverse roller 83 and sends the recording paper P from the back side of the printer main body 2 to the front side. The recording paper P sent from the back side to the front side of the printer main body 2 is discharged from an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer by the head cartridge 4 before being discharged from a tray mounting port 80 provided on the front surface of the printer main body 2. Characters and images corresponding to the input character data and image data are printed.

  The head cartridge 4 for printing on the recording paper P is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 22 from the upper surface side of the printer main body 2 as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. Discharge printing is performed. Specifically, the head cartridge 4 discharges ink i, which is a liquid, into fine particles by, for example, an electrothermal conversion method or an electromechanical conversion method, and sprays ink droplets onto a recording medium such as recording paper P. To print.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the ink cartridge 11 that supplies ink to the head cartridge 4 includes a cartridge tank 12 that is detachably formed on the head cartridge 4. The cartridge tank 12 uses a longitudinal direction. The recording paper P is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that is substantially the same as the dimension in the width direction of the recording paper P, and is configured to increase the ink capacity stored inside to the maximum.

  Specifically, the cartridge tank 12 constituting the ink cartridge 11 includes an ink storage unit 13 that stores the ink i, and an ink supply unit 14 that supplies the ink i from the ink storage unit 13 to the cartridge body 21 of the head cartridge 4. The external communication hole 15 that takes air into the ink storage unit 13 from the outside, the air introduction path 16 that introduces the air taken in from the external communication hole 15 into the ink storage unit 13, the external communication hole 15 and the air introduction path 16, an ink storage unit 17 that temporarily stores ink i, a remaining amount detection unit 18 for detecting the remaining amount of ink i in the ink storage unit 13, and a cartridge main body 21 of the head cartridge 4. An engaging projection 19 is provided to be engaged with the provided cartridge mounting portion 22.

  The ink supply unit 14 is provided at a substantially lower central portion of the ink storage unit 13 and serves as a connection unit for the head cartridge 4. The ink supply unit 14 is a substantially convex nozzle that communicates with the ink storage unit 13, and the tip of the nozzle is fitted into a connection unit 25 of the head cartridge 4 to be described later, whereby the cartridge tank of the ink cartridge 11. 12 and the cartridge main body 21 of the head cartridge 4 are connected, and the ink i can be supplied to the head cartridge 4.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the external communication hole 15 is a vent for taking air into the ink storage portion 13 from the outside of the ink cartridge 11, and when it is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 22 of the head cartridge 4, the external communication hole 15 is exposed to the outside. Is provided at the upper surface of the cartridge tank 12, which is the position facing the outside when mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 22, in this case, substantially at the center of the upper surface. The external communication hole 15 corresponds to a decrease in the ink i in the ink container 13 when the ink cartridge 11 is mounted on the cartridge body 21 and the ink i flows down from the ink container 13 to the cartridge body 21 side. As much air as needed is taken into the ink cartridge 11 from the outside.

  The air introduction path 16 communicates the ink storage portion 13 and the external communication hole 15, and introduces air taken in from the external communication hole 15 into the ink storage portion 13. As a result, when the ink cartridge 11 is mounted on the cartridge main body 21, the ink i is supplied to the cartridge main body 21, the ink i in the ink containing portion 13 is reduced, and the inside of the cartridge tank 12 is in a decompressed state. In addition, since air is introduced into the ink containing portion 13 through the air introduction path 16 to the ink containing portion 13, the internal pressure is maintained in an equilibrium state, and the ink i can be appropriately supplied to the cartridge body 21. it can.

  The ink storage part 17 is provided between the external communication hole 15 and the air introduction path 16, and when the ink i leaks from the air introduction path 16 communicating with the ink storage part 13, the ink storage part 17 suddenly flows out to the outside. Ink i is temporarily stored so as not to occur. Specifically, the ink cartridge 11 is in a state where there is no ink i in the ink reservoir 17 at normal temperature and normal pressure. However, in the ink cartridge 11, when the external pressure decreases or the external temperature increases, the air in the ink containing portion 13 expands, and the expanded air causes the ink i to pass from the ink containing portion 13 through the air introduction path 16. As a result, the ink storage unit 17 is pushed out. At this time, since the ink reservoir 17 temporarily stores the ink i pushed out from the ink container 13, the ink i can be prevented from leaking from the external communication hole 15. The ink storage portion 17 is formed in a substantially rhombus having the longer diagonal line as the longitudinal direction of the ink storage portion 13, and is located at the topmost position on the lowermost side of the ink storage portion 13, that is, the lower side on the shorter diagonal line. The air introduction path 16 is provided in the ink storage section 13 so that the ink that has entered from the ink storage section 13 can be returned to the ink storage section 13 again. Further, the ink reservoir 17 is provided with an external communication hole 15 at the uppermost apex on the shorter diagonal line so that the ink that has entered from the ink storage unit 13 is less likely to leak to the outside through the external communication hole 15.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the remaining amount detection unit 18 is provided on one side surface in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge tank 12. The remaining amount detection unit 18 includes a pair of detection pins facing the ink storage unit 13 and an ink remaining amount detection unit 24 of the head cartridge 4 when the ink cartridge 11 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 22 of the head cartridge 4. And a plurality of contact members arranged side by side in the height direction of the side surface of the cartridge tank 12. If the ink i is conductive, the electrical resistance value of the detection pin is reduced when the pair of detection pins facing the ink container 13 is immersed, and the detection pin is not immersed. The electrical resistance value can be increased. That is, when the ink i is full in the ink containing portion 13, all the detection pins are immersed in the ink and all have a low electrical resistance value. As the ink is used, the electrical resistance value of the detection pin increases in order from the top. Thereby, the remaining amount detecting unit 18 can detect the remaining amount of ink in the ink containing unit 13.

  Note that the ink cartridge 11 normally consumes the largest amount of black ink during printing, so that the ink cartridge 11k has a larger capacity of the ink containing portion 13 than the other ink cartridges 11y, 11m, and 11c. ing. Specifically, only the ink cartridge 11k is formed thicker than the other ink cartridges 11y, 11m, and 11c.

  Next, the configuration of the head cartridge 4 to which the ink cartridge 11 is mounted will be described. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the head cartridge 4 has a cartridge main body 21, and the cartridge main body 21 has a cartridge mounting portion 22 to which the ink cartridge 11 is mounted and an engaging convex portion 19. An engagement recess 23 to be combined, an ink remaining amount detection unit 24 for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 11, a connection unit 25 connected to the ink supply unit 14 and supplied with ink i, and ejecting ink The bottom surface of the ink discharge nozzle 26 that faces the ink discharge nozzle 26 is an ink discharge surface 27.

  The cartridge mounting portion 22 to which the ink cartridge 11 is mounted is formed in a substantially concave shape with the upper surface as an insertion / removal opening of the ink cartridge 11 so that the ink cartridge 11 is mounted. Cartridge mounting portions 22y, 22m, 22c, and 22k into which 11k is inserted and removed are stored side by side in the recording paper running direction.

  The engagement recesses 23 are provided in the cartridge mounting portions 22y, 22m, 22c, and 22k, and are engaged with the engagement protrusions 19 that are provided in different arrangement patterns for the ink cartridges 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k. Have been to.

  The ink remaining amount detection unit 24 detects the remaining amount of the ink i in the ink cartridge 11 in a stepwise manner, and the cartridge mounting portions 22y, 22m, 22c, and 22k of the ink cartridges 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k of the respective colors. Is provided. When the ink cartridge 11 is mounted on the head cartridge 4, the ink remaining amount detection unit 24 contacts and is electrically connected to the remaining amount detection unit 18 arranged in parallel in the height direction of the side surface in the ink cartridge 11. The

  A connection portion 25 to which the ink supply portion 14 is connected when the ink cartridge 11 is attached to the cartridge attachment portion 22 is provided at the approximate center in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge attachment portion 22. The connection portion 25 serves as an ink supply path for supplying ink from an ink supply portion 14 of the ink cartridge 11 mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 22 to an ink discharge nozzle 26 that discharges ink provided on the bottom surface of the cartridge main body 21. . The connection unit 25 includes a valve mechanism that omits details, and adjusts the supply of ink from the cartridge tank 12 to the ink discharge nozzles 26.

  The ink discharge nozzle 26 to which the ink i is supplied from the connection portion 25 is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the ink discharge surface 27 that is the bottom surface of the cartridge body 21. That is, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ink discharge nozzles 26 are arranged approximately on the ink discharge surface 27 that is the bottom surface of the cartridge body 21 in the direction of the arrow W in FIGS. Lined in parallel for each color. The ink discharge nozzles 26 have nozzle lines 26y, 26m, 26c, and 26k for each color according to the arrangement of the ink cartridges 11 for each color that are mounted on the cartridge body 21 from the back side to the front side of the printer body 2. Is provided. These nozzle lines 26y, 26m, 26c, and 26k are formed to have substantially the same length as the width of the recording paper P, and move in the width direction of the recording paper P when printing on the recording paper P. Ink i is discharged for each nozzle line of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the bottom surface of the cartridge body 21 has a circuit board 28 provided with an electrothermal change type heating resistor 28a, a nozzle sheet 29 on which ink discharge nozzles 26 are formed, and a circuit board 28. And a film 30 provided between the nozzle sheet 29 and the ink flow path 31 for supplying the ink i supplied from the connection portion 25 to each ink discharge nozzle 26. The ink flow path 31 is formed long in the direction in which the ink discharge nozzles 26 are arranged, that is, in the direction of the arrow W in FIG. As a result, in the ink discharge nozzle 26, the ink i flows from the ink cartridges 11 y, 11 m, 11 c, and 11 k into the ink flow path 31 through the connection portion 25 of the cartridge body 21, and the ink i is supplied from the ink flow path 31. Become so.

  The ink discharge nozzle 26 is formed with an ink liquid chamber 32 surrounded by a circuit board 28, a nozzle sheet 29, and a film 30, and the heating resistor 28 a pressurizes the ink. The ink liquid chamber 32 is connected to the ink flow path 31, and the ink i is supplied from the ink flow path 31.

  In the ink discharge nozzle 26 configured as described above, a pulse current is supplied to the heating resistor 28a selected based on the control signal, for example, at a drive frequency of 9 kHz. As a result, the ink discharge nozzle 26 rapidly heats the heating resistor 28a. When the ink discharge nozzle 26 heats the heating resistor 28a, bubbles b are generated in the ink i in contact with the heating resistor 28a, as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the ink discharge nozzle 26 pressurizes the ink i while the bubble b expands, and discharges the pressed ink i in a droplet state. The ink discharge nozzle 26 discharges the ink i in a droplet state, and then supplies the ink i to the ink liquid chamber 32 through the ink flow path 31 to return to the state before the discharge again. The ink discharge nozzle 26 repeats the above-described operation based on the control signal.

  A head cap 5 that protects the ink discharge surface 27 and the ink discharge nozzle 26 from drying or the like is detachably attached to the ink discharge surface 27 of the head cartridge 4. Hereinafter, the head cap 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 is a plan view of the head cap 5, and FIG. 10 is a plan view of the head cap shown in FIG. 9 excluding a cleaning roller 33, a cleaning blade 34, a switching member 35, and a top plate 50, which will be described later. 11 is an xx sectional view in FIG. 9, and FIG. 12 is a yy sectional view in FIG. 13 shows an initial state in which the head cap 5 closes the ink ejection surface 27 of the head cartridge 4, and FIG. 14 shows a state in which the head cap 5 is moved in the opening direction to open the head cartridge 4. 15 shows a state in which the head cap 5 has opened the head cartridge 4, and FIG. 16 shows a state in which the head cap 5 has been moved in the closing direction for closing the head cartridge 4.

  The head cap 5 is detachably formed with respect to the head cartridge 4 and is movable relative to the head cartridge 4 by a cap moving mechanism 6 described later. The head cap 5 is moved in the direction of arrow O, which is an opening direction for opening the ink discharge surface 27 of the head cartridge 4 at the time of printing, and the ink discharge surface 27 faces the transport area of the recording paper P, and at the end of printing, etc. The ink discharge surface 27 is closed and moved in the direction of arrow C, which is the closing direction for mounting the head cartridge 4, to protect the ink discharge surface 27.

  The head cap 5 is formed of a rectangular box having rising pieces on the four sides, and the whole is formed of a hard resin or the like. The head cap 5 has a cleaning roller 33 for cleaning the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27, a cleaning blade 34, and the cleaning roller 33 and the cleaning blade at the rear end in the moving direction for opening the head cartridge 4. A switching member 35 is provided to switch 34 so as to retreat alternately from the ink discharge surface 27. The head cap 5 has a scraper 48 that scrapes off ink adhering to the cleaning roller 33 and a suction member that sucks the ink scraped off by the scraper 48 on the front end side in the moving direction that opens the head cartridge 4 from the substantially central portion. 49 are arranged, and these are covered with the top plate 50.

  The cleaning roller 33 serves as a cleaning member for cleaning the ink discharge surface 27 of the head cartridge 4 and is formed in a cylindrical shape with an elastic material. The cleaning roller 33 is attached to one side of the head cap 5 over the longitudinal direction of the head cap 5, thereby being parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ink ejection surface 27 of the head cartridge 4. Thereby, the cleaning roller 33 is parallel to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge nozzles 26 formed along the longitudinal direction of the ink discharge surface 27 of the head cartridge 4. The cleaning roller 33 is formed so that the length in the longitudinal direction is substantially equal to or greater than the arrangement length of the ink discharge nozzles 26. Accordingly, the cleaning roller 33 performs cleaning for each nozzle line of the ink discharge nozzles 26 by moving the head cap 5 in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the ink discharge nozzles 26.

  The cleaning roller 33 is rotatably supported at one side of the head cap 5 and is detachably attached. That is, the metal core 36 protrudes from both ends of the cleaning roller 33 as shown in FIG. 18, and the metal core 36 is substantially U-shaped as shown in FIG. It is rotatably held by a provided bearing 37. The pin receiving portion at the upper portion of the bearing 37 can be opened and closed elastically. When the core metal 36 is pressed against the pin receiving portion from above, the pin receiving portion is opened to receive the core metal 36 and then closed and held. To do. On the contrary, by lifting the core metal 36 upward, the pin receiving portion is opened and the core metal 36 can be removed.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the cored bar 36 is provided with a roller flange 39 to which a coil spring 38 that urges the cleaning roller 33 toward the ink ejection surface 27 of the head cartridge 4 is engaged. The roller flange 39 is in contact with the core metal 36 on one surface side, and an engaging convex portion 40 is formed on the other surface side, and a coil spring 38 is engaged with the engaging convex portion 40. The coil spring 38 is inserted through a support shaft 42 erected on the head cap 5 and urges the roller flange 39 upward. As a result, the cleaning roller 33 is biased toward the ink ejection surface 27 of the head cartridge 4 by receiving the biasing force of the coil spring 38 via the roller flange 39. In the present invention, instead of the coil spring 38, a substantially U-shaped leaf spring that presses and urges the core metal 36 upward may be used. In this case, one end of the substantially U-shaped plate spring is locked to the bottom surface of the head cap 5 and the other end is locked to the cored bar 36, thereby biasing the cored bar 36 upward. .

  The cleaning roller 33 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and is formed in a so-called crown shape in which the central portion in the longitudinal direction is gradually thickened. This is to prevent the cleaning roller 33 from being bent downward at the central portion in the longitudinal direction, and thus preventing the cleaning roller 33 from coming out of contact with the ink discharge surface 27 due to the bending.

  Further, the portion of the cleaning roller 33 that contacts the ink discharge surface 27 is made of an appropriate synthetic resin elastic material such as a porous material that has elasticity and absorbs liquid, such as ethylene propylene rubber, chloroprene rubber, or urethane rubber. The core material of the cleaning roller 33 is formed of, for example, metal or hard resin. In the cleaning roller 33, a surfactant solution is impregnated in the outer layer of the portion that contacts the ink discharge surface 27.

  The cleaning roller 33 is formed such that the length of the circumference of the cross section is equal to the moving distance of moving the ink discharge surface 27 while being driven to rotate while the cleaning roller 33 is in contact with the ink discharge surface 27. May be. In this case, on the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller 33 that is driven to rotate on the ink discharge surface 27, the contact portion that has cleaned the ink discharge nozzle 26 at a predetermined position does not clean the ink discharge nozzle 26 at another position again. Therefore, the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27 can be stably cleaned.

  Such a cleaning roller 33 provided in a crown shape and having an elastic force is arranged so that the head cap 5 ejects ink as shown in FIG. 14 from the initial state where the head cap 5 closes the head cartridge 4 shown in FIG. When the surface 27 is moved in the direction of arrow O in FIG. 14, it receives the urging force of the coil spring 38 and makes contact with the entire length of the ink discharge surface 27 of the head cartridge 4 in the longitudinal direction. The cleaning roller 33 is further moved in the opening direction of the ink discharge surface 27 while being in contact with the ink discharge surface 27, thereby rotating or sliding the ink discharge surface 27. The ink i remaining in the ink discharge nozzle 26 is sucked off. At this time, since the cleaning roller 33 is impregnated with the surfactant solution in the outer layer in contact with the ink discharge surface 27, the wettability with respect to ink is very good. When the cleaning roller 33 comes into contact with the ink discharge nozzle 26, an ink layer is instantaneously formed between the cleaning roller 33 and the ink discharge surface 27, and the thickened ink is redissolved by the ink. After redissolving, the ink is sucked by the cleaning roller 33 having high wettability and can be easily cleaned. When the head cap 5 is moved from the closed position of the head cartridge 4 shown in FIG. 13 to the open position of the head cartridge 4 shown in FIG. 15, the cleaning roller 33 extends over the ink ejection surface 27 of the head cartridge 4. Can be cleaned.

  Further, when the head cap 5 is moved in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 16 where the head cap 5 closes the ink discharge surface 27, the cleaning roller 33 moves the cored bar 36 downward against the biasing force of the coil spring by the switching member 35 described later. Pressed and retracted from the ink ejection surface 27. That is, if the cleaning roller 33 is rotated or slid by the ink discharge surface 27 even after printing, unused ink stored in the ink liquid chamber 32 is sucked more than necessary and becomes uneconomical. The suction performance is lowered, and the life of the cleaning roller 33 is shortened. However, the printer apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied can prevent such a situation by retracting the cleaning roller 33 from the ink ejection surface 27 so as not to perform cleaning when the head cartridge 4 is closed.

  Next, the cleaning blade 34 provided on the left side in FIG. 9 near the cleaning roller 33 will be described. The cleaning blade 34 serves as a wiping member for wiping away ink residue and dust thickened while moving on the ink ejection surface 27 of the head cartridge 4. As shown in FIGS. It has a wipe part 43 formed in a thin plate shape by an elastic member such as rubber that is pressed against the discharge surface 27 and deforms, and a support plate 44 that supports the wipe part 43, and this support plate 44 holds the holder 45. The head cap 5 is attached to the bottom side of the head cap 5 so as to be rotatable with respect to the moving direction of the head cap 5. Similar to the cleaning roller 33, the cleaning blade 34 is attached in the longitudinal direction of the head cap 5, and is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ink ejection surface 27 of the head cartridge 4. When the head cap 5 is moved, the cleaning blade 34 is pressed against the ink discharge surface 27 and slides while deforming, whereby the cleaning blade 34 adheres to the ink discharge surface 27 and thickens and solidifies ink, dust, or the like. Wipe away.

  The wipe part 43 slid on the ink discharge surface 27 is formed by molding a synthetic resin such as rubber into a substantially rectangular shape and then cutting the outer edge part. As a result, the wipe part 43 has a substantially right-angled corner, and reliably wipes away the thickened ink and dust adhering to the ink ejection surface 27. The support plate 44 that supports the wipe portion 43 is made of a hard material such as a metal plate. After the synthetic resin that is disposed in a predetermined mold and serves as a raw material of the wipe portion 43 is poured, the support plate 44 is extracted from the mold. As a result, the wipe unit 43 is integrated.

  The holder 45 that rotatably supports the support portion 44 is rotatably attached to the bottom surface of the head cap 5 in the moving direction of the head cap 5 to hold the cleaning blade 34 rotatably. is there. The holder 45 is formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section, and a support plate 44 is attached to one side, and the other end of a torsion coil spring 46 having one end locked to the head cap 5 is locked to the other side. As a result, the holder 45 is always urged to rotate in the direction of arrow R in FIG. 11 where the wipe part 43 faces the ink ejection surface 27.

  Then, the cleaning blade 34 is moved in the direction of the arrow O in FIG. 14 which opens the head cartridge 4 from the initial state in which the head cap 5 is closed by the cap moving mechanism 6 which will be described later. The holder 45 is rotated in a direction opposite to the arrow R in FIG. 11 by the switching member 35 described later, and the wiper 43 is retracted from the ink discharge surface 27. Further, when the cleaning blade 34 is moved in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 16 that closes the head cartridge 4 from the open position shown in FIG. Is released, and is rotated in the direction of arrow R in FIG. 11 by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 46, so that the wipe part 43 faces the ink ejection surface 27. Then, the wiper 43 slides on the ink discharge surface 27 by the movement of the head cap 5 and wipes ink, dust, and the like adhering to the ink discharge surface 27.

At this time, the holder 45 is supported by the stopper plate 47 in order to prevent the cleaning blade 34 from falling excessively toward the bottom surface of the head cap 5 due to sliding with the ink ejection surface 27. The stopper plate 47 is made of an elastic member such as a leaf spring, and is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape so as to be disposed in the longitudinal direction at the rear end portion of the head cap 5. The stopper plate 47 is in contact with the surface of the holder 45 opposite to the surface on which the support plate 44 is attached, and is provided with a support portion 47a for supporting. The tip of the support portion 47a extends to the rotation region of the holder 45. It is installed. Then, when the holder 45 tilts in the direction of arrow R in FIG. 12 due to the sliding contact between the wipe portion 43 and the ink discharge surface 27, the support portion 47 a comes into contact with the holder 45, and the further arrow of the cleaning blade 34. Prevents tilting in the R direction. As a result, the stopper plate 47 can prevent the cleaning blade 34 from falling excessively, and the wipe part 43 is slidably contacted with the head cartridge 4 with a constant pressure, so that the ink discharge surface 27 is cleaned by the wipe part 43. It is possible to prevent the efficiency from decreasing.

  In the cleaning blade 34 having the above-described configuration, the rectangular plate-like support plate 44 made of a hard material such as a metal plate is disposed in a mold slightly larger than the shape of the wipe portion 43, and then the wipe portion 43. The polymer material to be used as a material is poured and molded integrally. At this time, as shown in FIG. 17, the adhesive layer 44 a is formed on the support plate 44 by applying an adhesive in advance to the adhesive surface with the wipe portion 43. Then, the polymer material flowing into the mold is solidified to obtain a blade plate 58 in which the elastic portion 57 and the support plate 44 constituting the wipe portion 43 are integrally formed.

  As the polymer material constituting the wipe part 43, rubber materials such as natural rubber, hydrocarbon rubber, chlorobrene synthetic rubber, nitrile rubber, fluorine rubber, and silicon rubber can be used. The support plate 44 can be made of a metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, iron, or an alloy thereof. The support plate 44 is formed with an insertion hole to be attached to the holder 45, so that the wipe part 43 can come into contact with the ink ejection surface 27 at a predetermined angle.

  The blade plate 58 constitutes the wipe portion 43 over the entire length of the support plate 44 formed slightly longer than the longitudinal direction of the nozzle lines 26y to 26k formed on the ink ejection surface 27 of the head cartridge 4. The elastic part 57 is integrally formed. The elastic portion 57 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape by the solidification of the polymer material, and the lower end portion in the short direction is joined to the adhesive layer 44a of the support plate 44 over the entire length in the longitudinal direction.

  Next, the blade portion 58 is formed by cutting the elastic portion 57 into a predetermined shape corresponding to the design dimension of the wipe portion 43. At this time, after the blade plate 58 takes a distance from the base end portion of the support plate 44 to the tip end portion of the wipe portion 43 in order to increase the dimensional accuracy of the wipe portion 43 and sharpen the edge of the wipe portion 43 tip. The tip of the wipe part 43 is cut vertically by a cutting machine. Thereafter, the cleaning blade 34 is formed by attaching the support plate 44 to a holder 45 that is rotatably supported by the head cap 5.

  The cleaning blade 34 has rigidity over the entire length in the longitudinal direction because the support plate 45 and the wiper portion 43 made of a hard material such as a metal plate are integrally formed. Further, since the support plate 44 and the elastic portion 57 constituting the wipe portion 43 are integrally formed and then cut according to the shape of the wipe portion 43, the flatness of the tip portion of the wipe portion 43 can be ensured with high accuracy. it can. Moreover, since the wipe part 43 is formed by cutting the elastic part 57 after die cutting, both corner parts 43a in the longitudinal direction of the wipe part 43 can be formed at right angles. Furthermore, since the support plate 45 is attached to the holder 45 after the wipe part 43 and the support plate 44 are integrally formed, the attachment accuracy can be easily achieved.

  Therefore, the cleaning blade 34 has flatness and rigidity with high accuracy over the entire length of the wiping portion 43, so that dust such as thickened ink and paper dust adhered to the ink ejection surface 27 is ejected from the ink. The entire width of the surface 27 can be wiped off reliably. Further, since both corners 43a in the longitudinal direction of the wipe part 43 are cut at right angles, the cleaning performance at both ends in the width direction of the ink discharge surface 27 is not deteriorated. The cleaning blade 34 is formed by integrally molding the support plate 44 and the wipe portion 43, so that both have sufficient joint strength, maintain durability over a long period, and maintain dimensional accuracy over a long period. can do.

  Further, the cleaning blade 34 may be formed with a plurality of slits 59 by cutting the tip portion 43b of the wipe portion 43 in accordance with the design. Since the slit 59 is formed only by making a cut at the distal end portion of the wipe portion 43 whose base end portion is supported by the support plate 44, the slit width between the wipe pieces 43 b of the adjacent wipe portions 43. Is about 10 μm.

  This is because the cleaning blade 34 integrally forms the support plate 44 and the elastic portion 57, and then cuts the elastic portion 57 into a predetermined shape to form the wipe portion 43. The base end portion of the wipe portion 43 is Since the linear expansion coefficient is different between the support plate 44 made of a metal plate and the wiper portion 43 that is supported by the support plate 44, stress is generated inside the wipe portion 43 made of synthetic resin, and the cut is made. This is because the slit 59 is formed because the stress acts in the direction in which both the cut surfaces of each wipe piece 43a contract with each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 19, the wipe portion 43 of the blade plate 58 tends to shrink inward in the longitudinal direction as indicated by arrows S1 and S2 in FIG. The internal stress is acting, and the stress is regulated by the support plate 44 that supports the base end portion of the wipe portion 43. In this state where the contraction force in the longitudinal direction is restricted, when the front end portion of the wipe portion 43 is cut in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, the wipe portion 43 is internally formed at each cut surface as shown in FIG. Therefore, the slit 59 is uniformly formed in the longitudinal direction.

  In this example, EPDM was used as the synthetic resin, and stainless steel was used as the support plate 44. Further, the dimensions of each part of the cleaning blade 34 in this embodiment are as shown in FIG. The support plate 44 is provided with insertion holes for screwing to the holder 45 at a plurality of locations along the longitudinal direction. In addition, the support plate 44 supports the base end portion of the wipe member 43 in the longitudinal direction, supports both side surface portions, and supports the wipe member 43 so as to surround the three surfaces, thereby improving the rigidity and flatness of the wipe member 43. Secured. When the cleaning blade 34 was cut at a predetermined depth at predetermined intervals, a plurality of slits 59 were formed as shown in FIG. 21, and the slit width was approximately 10 μm.

  According to the cleaning blade 34 in which the plurality of slits 59 are formed in this way, stress that tends to contract inside acts on each wipe piece 43b separated by the slit 59 formed in the wipe part 43. The ink discharge surface 27 can be reliably cleaned without causing the cut surfaces 43b to be in close contact with each other and without the adjacent wipe pieces 43b overlapping. Further, since the width of the slit 59 formed in the wipe part 43 is approximately 10 μm, and is smaller than the diameter (approximately 14 μm to 16 μm) of the ink discharge nozzle 26 formed on the ink discharge surface 27, at least the wipe piece. A portion of 43 is brought into sliding contact with the ink discharge nozzle 26. Therefore, the cleaning blade 34 can reliably wipe off residues such as ink and foreign matters adhering to the ink discharge nozzle 26.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 22, the cleaning blade 34 having a plurality of slits 59 is in sliding contact with the wire bonding 60 formed on the ink discharge surface 27 so as to be in contact with the ink discharge surface 27 of the wire bonding 60. By positioning the slit 59 and another adjacent wipe piece 43b at the boundary portion 60a, it is possible to reliably wipe off residues such as ink and foreign matters at the boundary portion 60a. Here, in the cleaning blade 34 to which the present invention is applied, since the slit 59 provided between the wipe pieces 43b is formed as narrow as about 10 μm as described above, one wipe piece 43b protrudes. When the wire bonding 60 is slidably contacted, the adjacent wipe piece 43b can scrape the residue of the boundary portion 60a with the ink discharge surface 27 of the wire bonding 60. Further, the cleaning blade 34 can wipe the residue over the entire surface of the ink discharge surface 27. On the other hand, when the slit 59 becomes wider, as shown in FIG. 23, the wipe piece 43b adjacent to the wipe piece 43b slidably contacted on the wire bonding 60 does not reach the residue of the boundary portion 60a with the ink ejection surface 27. In addition to making it difficult to wipe off the ink discharge surface 27 reliably, it is impossible to wipe off dust and ink residue from the slit over the entire surface of the ink discharge surface 27.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 24, the cleaning blade 34 may form slits 59 corresponding to the formation positions of the wire bonding 60 projecting intermittently at equal intervals on the ink ejection surface 27. . That is, the wire bonding 60 is formed at equal intervals for each nozzle line 26y, 26m, 26c, and 26k and at a position that does not overlap in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the ink ejection surface 27 (see FIG. 7). In order to locate the slit 59 at the boundary portion 60a of any wire bonding 60, the slits 59 are cut at intervals corresponding to the formation positions of the wire bonding 60, so that the wire can be formed with one wipe piece 43b. The boundary 60a can be slidably contacted by the wipe piece 43b adjacent to the bonding 60 on the slidable contact. In addition, the formation interval of the wire bonding 60 and the formation interval of the slit 59 may be made the same, and the interval at which the slit 59 is positioned corresponding to the position of the wire bonding 60 with one or a plurality of slits 59 interposed. May be formed. Accordingly, the cleaning blade 34 can wipe off residues such as ink and foreign matters at the wire bonding 60 and the boundary portion 60a over the entire surface of the ink ejection surface 27.

  In the cleaning blade to which the present invention is applied, the support plate 44 and the elastic portion 57 are integrally formed to obtain the blade plate 58. However, the support plate 44 and the elastic portion 57 are separately formed and joined. The blade plate 58 may be formed by cutting to a predetermined dimension.

  Next, the switching member 35 that switches between the cleaning roller 33 and the cleaning blade 34 will be described. The switching member 35 is provided between the cleaning roller 33 and the cleaning blade 34, and opens and closes the head cap 5 with the cleaning roller 33 and the cleaning blade 34 biased so as to roll or slide on the ink discharge surface 27. This is for switching so as to alternately retreat from the ink ejection surface 27 in accordance with the movement. The switching member 35 includes a switch 51 that presses the metal core 36 of the cleaning roller 33 and the holder 45 of the cleaning blade 34, and a switch spring 52 that biases the switch 51 upright.

  The switch 51 is refracted substantially in a U-shape and is provided with a support hole 53 at the lower end, and a rotation pin protruding from a support piece standing from the bottom surface of the head cap 5 in the support hole 53. By being inserted, the head cap 5 is supported so as to be rotatable in the arrow S direction and the counter arrow S direction in FIG. The switch 51 has a locking hole 54 formed below the support hole 53 and a switch spring 52 locked.

  The switch spring 52 includes an engagement portion 55 that engages with the engagement hole 54 of the switch 51, and an annular portion 56 that engages with an engagement pin that protrudes from a support piece that is erected from the bottom surface of the head cap 5. Is formed. The switch spring 52 urges the switch 51 downward to always rotate the switch 51 in the upright direction with the locking hole 54 as the center of rotation so that the switch 51 does not come into contact with the metal core 36 or the holder 45. .

  When such a switching member 35 is moved in the direction of arrow O in FIG. 14 where the head cap 5 opens the ink discharge surface 27, the urging force of the switch spring 52 is pressed by the switch 51 against the ink discharge surface 27. It is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow S in FIG. Accordingly, the switch 51 causes the one side surface 51a on the cleaning blade 34 side to press the holder 45, and rotates the cleaning blade 34 in the direction of the arrow R in FIG. 11 against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 46. 43 is retreated from the ink ejection surface 27. On the other hand, the cleaning roller 33 faces the ink ejection surface 27 by the urging force of the coil spring 38 because the core metal 36 is not pressed against the switch 51. Accordingly, when the head cap 5 is moved in the direction of the arrow O in FIG. 14 which opens the ink discharge surface 27, only the cleaning roller 33 performs the cleaning of the ink discharge surface 27 and the cleaning blade 34 is not cleaned. It is done. Thereby, after the cleaning by the cleaning roller 33, excessive sliding by the cleaning blade is suppressed, so that the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27 can be protected and the deterioration of the cleaning blade 34 can be prevented.

  Further, when the head cap 5 is moved in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 16 where the head cap 5 closes the ink discharge surface 27, the switch member 35 opposes the urging force of the switch spring 52 by pressing the switch 51 against the ink discharge surface 27. Then, it is rotated in the direction of arrow S in FIG. As a result, the other side surface 51 b on the roller side of the switch 51 presses the core metal 36, and the cleaning roller 33 is retracted from the ink discharge surface 27 against the urging force of the coil spring 38. On the other hand, since the holder 45 is not pressed by the switch 51, the cleaning blade 34 faces the ink ejection surface 27 by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 46. Accordingly, when the head cap 5 is moved in the direction of the arrow C in FIG. 16 that closes the ink discharge surface 27, only the cleaning blade 34 performs the cleaning of the ink discharge surface 27 and the cleaning roller 33 is not cleaned. It is done.

  Here, as described above, the switch 51 is refracted in a substantially square shape, whereby the other side surface 51b on the cleaning roller 33 side is formed in a concave shape. Therefore, when the switch 51 is rotated in the direction of arrow S in FIG. 11 on the cleaning roller 33 side, the concave other side surface 51b can be reliably engaged with the core metal 36 of the cleaning roller 33 and pressed. The cleaning roller 33 can be retracted from a position in sliding contact with the ink discharge surface 27.

  Further, the switch 51 is formed by expanding one side surface 51a on the cleaning blade 34 side in an arc shape. Therefore, when the switch 51 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow S in FIG. 11 on the cleaning blade 34 side, the one side surface 51a bulged in an arc shape gradually presses the holder 45 and rotates the holder 45 smoothly. The wiper 43 can be retracted from the position in sliding contact with the ink ejection surface 27.

  Further, the top of the switch 51 that is in sliding contact with the ink discharge surface 27 is formed in an arc shape. Therefore, the switch 51 can be smoothly rotated without damaging the ink discharge surface 27 even when sliding on the ink discharge surface 27.

  Next, the scraper 48, the suction member 49, and the top plate 50 for removing foreign matters such as dust on the cleaning roller 33 will be described. The scraper 48 has fine irregularities so that foreign matters on the surface of the cleaning roller 33 can be easily removed, and is formed of, for example, a sponge so that the ink on the surface of the cleaning roller 33 can be slightly sucked, and is formed in a substantially rectangular shape. Thus, the head cap 5 is disposed along the longitudinal direction. The scraper 48 is disposed from substantially the center of the head cap 5 and is disposed at a position where the scraper 48 can be slidably contacted with the cleaning roller 33 in the longitudinal direction. The scraper 48 scrapes and removes foreign matter such as ink residue and dust adhering to the cleaning roller 33 by sliding and rotating the cleaning roller 33 that sucks ink adhering to the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27. . The scraper 48 is in contact with the suction member 49, and the ink sucked from the cleaning roller 33 is sucked and held by the suction member 49.

  The suction member 49 is formed of, for example, a nonwoven fabric capable of sucking and holding ink, and is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the head cap 5 by being formed into a sheet shape. Further, the suction member 49 is disposed on the front end side in the moving direction in which the head cap 5 opens the head cartridge 4. The suction member 49 has a capillary force larger than that of the scraper 48 and sucks and holds the ink scraped off by the scraper 48. Thereby, the cleaning roller 33 and the scraper 48 can maintain the cleaning performance of the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27 without the suctioned ink being saturated. The suction member 49 is widely disposed from the approximate center to the tip of the head cap 5 and can suck and hold a considerable amount of ink.

  Since the suction member 49 is covered with the top plate 50, the suction member 49 and the ink ejection surface 27 of the head cartridge 4 directly face each other even when the head cap 5 closes the head cartridge 4. The ink discharge surface 27 is not soiled by the ink sucked and held by the suction member 49.

  In addition, a waste ink receiver is disposed on the bottom surface of the head cap 5 between the cleaning roller 33 and the cleaning blade 34. The waste ink receiver is made of a sheet of a moisture absorbing material such as a sponge capable of adsorbing ink, and is performed after printing by the cleaning roller 33 and before printing in order to stabilize the ink ejection performance from the ink ejection nozzle 26. The waste ink liquid ejected by the preliminary ejection is adsorbed.

  Next, the cap moving mechanism 6 that moves the head cap 5 in the opening / closing direction of the head cartridge 4 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 25, the cap moving mechanism 6 includes a support frame member 62 assembled to a side surface portion 61 of the chassis disposed in the printer main body 2, and the printer main body with respect to the support frame member 62. 2, a head cap holder 63 slidably combined in the front-rear direction, a rack plate 64 moved in the front-rear direction of the printer main body 2 between the chassis side surface portion 61 and the support frame member 62, and a worm gear 66. And a drive motor 65 for moving the rack plate 64.

  The support frame member 62 is a substantially frame-shaped member integrally formed of synthetic resin, and is fixed to a chassis disposed in the printer main body 2. The support frame member 62 supports a head cap holder 63 that holds a head cap 5 to be described later so as to be movable in the front-rear direction of the printer main body 2. The support frame member 62 extends from the printing position of the printer main body 2 to the front surface portion. Have

  As shown in FIG. 26, the support frame member 62 includes a first guide groove 68 and a second guide groove 69 which are formed in a pair of symmetric through grooves on opposite side surfaces 62a and 62b in the front-rear direction. Are formed respectively. The first guide groove 68 is formed in accordance with the printing position of the printer main body 2, and extends horizontally from the vicinity of the side surface portion 62c on the back side of the printer main body 2 to the front surface side, and the horizontal groove portion 68a. And an inclined groove portion 68b that inclines upward toward the front surface side. The horizontal groove 68a has a rear end 68c inclined upward toward the back side. The second guide groove 69 is a horizontal groove 69a that extends horizontally toward the front surface starting from the vicinity of the base end where the inclined groove 68b of the first guide groove 68 rises at the substantially central part of both side surfaces 62a and 62b. And an inclined groove portion 69b that communicates at the front end portion of the horizontal groove portion 69a and is inclined upward toward the front surface side, and a curved portion 69d that is inclined downward while being curved from the tip of the inclined groove portion 69b. The horizontal groove 69a also has a rear end 69c inclined upward toward the back side.

  In the support frame member 62, the first guide groove 68 and the second guide groove 69 have substantially the same distance between the rear end portions 68c and 69c of the horizontal groove portions 68a and 69a. It is formed with a length substantially equal to the length in the depth direction orthogonal to the width direction. In the support frame member 62, the first guide groove 68 and the second guide groove 69 have a length approximately equal to the length of the head cap 5 in the depth direction between the front end of the inclined groove portion 69b and the front end of the curved portion 69d. It is formed with.

  The head cap holder 63 supported by the support frame member 62 in the front-rear direction of the printer main body 2 is provided with a plurality of metal beam members between the opposing side surface portions 63a and 63b formed by a synthetic resin material. By being held and connected, the whole is formed in a substantially frame shape. When the head cap 5 is attached to the head cap holder 63, the head cap 5 is moved in the front-rear direction of the printer body 2 along the first guide groove 68 and the second guide groove 69 of the support frame member 62. It is moved over.

  In the head cap holder 63, horizontal guide grooves (not shown) in which guide convex portions 5a and 5b (see FIG. 18) projecting from the head cap 5 are engaged with the inner surfaces of the side surface portions 63a and 63b. Are formed respectively. Each guide groove is opened in front of the side surface portions 63a and 63b of the head cap holder 63, and the head cap 5 is combined by inserting the guide convex portions 5a and 5b through the openings.

  As shown in FIG. 25, the head cap holder 63 is provided with a first guide roller 71 and a second guide roller 72 protruding from the side surfaces 63a and 63b in the front-rear direction. In the head cap holder 63, the first guide roller 71 is fitted into the first guide groove 68 of the support frame member 62, and the second guide roller 72 is the second guide groove 69 of the support frame member 62. Fitted inside. As a result, the head cap holder 63 is slidable in the front-rear direction of the printer main body 2 by being guided by the support frame member 62.

  Specifically, in the head cap holder 63, the first guide roller 71 is positioned at the rear end portion 68c of the first guide groove 68, and the second guide roller 72 is the rear end portion 69c of the second guide groove 69. The head cap 5 is held at the closed position where the ink ejection surface 27 of the head cartridge 4 is closed. In the head cap holder 63, the first and second guide rollers 71 and 72 are moved to the front side in the first and second guide grooves 68 and 69, and are positioned above the inclined groove portions 68b and 69b, respectively. Then, the head cap 5 is held at the retracted position where the ink ejection surface 27 of the head cartridge 4 is opened.

  The head cap holder 63 may be moved further from the retracted position to the front side, and the cleaning blade 34 may be cleaned on the front side. That is, when the head cap holder 63 is moved to the retracted position, the second guide roller 72 is moved to the second position while the first guide roller 71 is positioned at the front end of the inclined groove portion 68b of the first guide groove 68. The curved portion 69d of the guide groove 69 is moved. As a result, the head cap holder 63 moves the head cap 5 to the cleaning position on the front side of the printer body 2 while tilting the front downward with the first guide roller 71 as a fulcrum. At this cleaning position, a suction sheet for sucking ink attached to the cleaning blade 34 is disposed above the head cap 5, and the cleaning blade 34 is brought into sliding contact with the suction sheet by the movement of the head cap 5. Accordingly, the cleaning blade 34 can be cleaned and the cleaning performance can be maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 27, the side surface portion 61 of the chassis for fixing the support frame member 62 is horizontally extended above the first guide groove 68 and the second guide groove 69 of the support frame member 62. A third guide groove 73 is formed. The third guide groove 73 is engaged with a pair of cam pins 64a and 64b provided on the side surface of a rack plate 64, which will be described later, spaced apart in the front-rear direction. And the 3rd guide groove 73 guides the movement of the front-back direction along the side part 61 of the rack plate 64, when these cam pins 64a and 64b roll.

  The rack plate 64 guided to move to the chassis side surface portion 61 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape, and a rack 64c is provided over the entire length at the lower edge portion. The rack 64 c is meshed with a worm gear 66 that is rotationally driven by a drive motor 65 attached to the chassis side surface portion 61. Thereby, the rack plate 64 moves along the chassis side surface 61 via the cam pins 64 a and 64 b engaged with the third guide groove 73 when the drive motor 65 is activated.

  The rack plate 64 is formed with a cam groove 74 in the height direction on the front side. The cam groove 74 is engaged with a second guide roller 72 provided in the head cap holder 63 through the second guide groove 57. As a result, the second guide roller 72 is guided to move in the vertical direction, and the head cap holder 63 can be moved along the first and second guide grooves 68 and 69 of the support frame member 62.

  The cap moving mechanism 6 configured as described above is used to move the head cartridge 4 from the closed position where the head cap 5 closes the head cartridge 4 in the initial state to the open position where the head cartridge 4 is opened to perform a printing operation. The drive motor 65 is driven based on a control signal from the control mechanism 7 described later. When the worm gear 66 is rotated through the output shaft 65a and the foam 65b of the drive motor 65, the rack plate 64 engaged with the worm gear 66 has a third cam pin 64a, 64b formed on the chassis side surface 61. While being guided by the guide groove 73, it is moved to the front side of the printer body 2 in the horizontal direction.

  At this time, since the rack plate 64 moves so as to pull the second guide roller 72 engaged with the cam groove 74, the head cap holder 63 provided with the second guide roller 72 is attached to the rack plate 64. Is moved to the front side of the printer main body 2 in accordance with the movement of. In the head cap holder 63, the first guide roller 71 moves along the first guide groove 68 of the support frame member 62, and the second guide roller 72 is the second guide groove 69 of the support frame member 62. Move along.

  The head cap holder 63 is movable in the height direction because the second guide roller 72 is moved along the third guide groove 73 formed in the rack plate 64 along the height direction. The first and second guide rollers 71 and 72 are movable from the horizontal groove portions 68a and 69a of the first and second guide grooves 68 and 69 formed in the support frame member 62 to the inclined groove portions 68b and 69b. . As a result, the head cap holder 63 is horizontally moved from the printing position of the printer main body 2 to the front side, and then moved upward on the front surface of the printer main body 2, and is held slightly inclined forward according to the shape of the printer main body 2. The Accordingly, the head cap 5 held by the head cap holder 63 is moved from the closed position of the head cartridge 4 to the open position, and is retracted from the conveyance area of the recording paper P at the open position.

  As described above, the head cap 5 has the wiper 43 of the cleaning blade 34 when the head cartridge 4 is opened when the suction sheet for cleaning the cleaning blade 34 is provided at the retracted position of the head cartridge 4. By adhering to the suction sheet, the attached ink can be sucked. Accordingly, the cleaning blade 34 can be cleaned and the cleaning performance can be maintained.

  When the head cap holder 63 is moved to a position where the head cap 5 opens the head cartridge 4, the drive of the drive motor 65 is stopped and the printing operation is started. When the printing operation is completed, the drive motor 65 is started based on the control signal from the control mechanism 7 and the operation of reversing the opening operation of the head cartridge 4 described above is performed, so that the head cap holder 63 is moved to the printing position of the printer main body 2. The head cap 5 is moved back to the closed position of the head cartridge 4.

  Here, the paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 that conveys the recording paper P from the recording paper tray 8 into the printer main body 2 and discharges it onto the recording paper tray 8 after printing will be described with reference to FIG. A recording paper tray 8 for supplying recording paper to the paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 is mounted on a tray mounting opening 80 provided on the bottom surface of the front surface of the printer main body 2, whereby the recording paper P stored in the tray is removed from the printer. Paper can be fed into the main body 2. Further, the recording paper tray 8 is formed with a paper discharge receiving portion 8a on which the recording paper P printed by the printer device 1 is discharged.

  The paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 includes a paper supply roller 81 for supplying the recording paper stored in the recording paper tray 8 into the printer main body 2, a separation roller 82 for separating the recording paper P one by one, and a recording paper P A reversing roller 83 that reverses the transport direction to the head cartridge 4 side, a transport belt 84 that transports the recording paper P from the head cartridge 4 to the front side of the printer main body 2, and the printed recording paper P to the paper discharge receiving portion 8a. A paper discharge roller 85 for paper discharge.

  The paper feed roller 81 takes out the recording paper P before printing stored in a stacked manner on the recording paper tray 8 attached to the tray loading port 80 from the recording paper tray 8 and conveys it to the back side of the printer main body 2. A pair of separation rollers 82 is provided in the vicinity of the paper feed roller 81 and on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P, and sends only one recording paper P stacked and stored to the reverse roller 83. The reverse roller 83 reverses the transport direction of the recording paper P transported to the back side of the printer main body 2 and transports the recording paper P to the lower side of the head cartridge 4. The conveyance belt 84 is positioned below the head cartridge 4, holds the recording paper P below the head cartridge 4, and sends the printed recording paper P from the lower side of the head cartridge 4 to the front side of the printer main body 2. . The paper discharge roller 85 discharges the recording paper P to a paper discharge receiving portion 8 a formed on the upper surface of the recording paper tray 8.

  Although not described in detail, the printer device 1 is provided with a circulation pump mechanism that circulates the ink i between the ink storage portion 13 of the ink cartridge 11 and the head cartridge 4. This circulation pump mechanism removes air bubbles mixed in the head cartridge 4 in order to prevent deterioration in print quality due to ejection of ink i with air bubbles mixed in the ink flow path 31 and the ink liquid chamber 32. Is to do. Such a circulation pump mechanism uses, for example, an ink reflux pipe made of a flexible resin tube or the like through the circulation pump between the ink storage portion 13 of the ink cartridge 11 and the ink flow path 31 formed in the head cartridge 4. Concatenated. The ink reflux pipes are connected to both ends of the ink flow path 31 for each color provided in the head cartridge 4, that is, to both ends of the common ink flow path 31 formed over the longitudinal direction of the head cartridge 4. The cartridge tank 12 mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 22 is connected to both ends in the longitudinal direction. The circulation pump provided in the middle of the ink reflux pipe serves as a suction / discharge pressure generation unit for circulating the ink i between the ink flow path 31 of the head cartridge 4 and the ink storage unit 13 of the ink cartridge 11. For example, a diaphragm pump is used.

  The circulation pump mechanism is driven when the printer apparatus 1 is started or before printing is started. The circulation pump sucks ink i from the ink flow path 31 of the head cartridge 4 by the circulation pump, and supplies the ink i to the ink storage unit 13 of the ink cartridge 11. Discharge. At this time, since the ink flows in the head cartridge 4 from the center of the ink flow path 31 toward both ends, the air bubbles existing in the ink flow path 31 are driven to both ends, and the ink in the ink cartridge 11 is discharged. It flows into the accommodating portion 13 and is released into the air from the external communication hole 15. Thereby, the circulation pump mechanism can remove bubbles contained in the ink i.

  The printer apparatus 1 configured as described above is controlled by the control mechanism 7 based on print data input from the information processing apparatus 90 provided outside. FIG. 28 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration and operation of the control mechanism 7. The control mechanism 7 includes a control circuit 91 that controls printing of the printer apparatus 1, and the control circuit 91 includes a printer driving unit 92 that controls driving of the paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 of the printer main body 2 and the cap moving mechanism 6 described above, and An ejection controller 93 that controls the current supplied to the inkjet head 3, an input / output terminal 94 that inputs / outputs signals to / from the information processing apparatus 90, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 95 that stores a control program and the like In addition, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 96 that temporarily stores the read control program and the like and is read out as necessary, and a control unit 97 that controls each unit are included.

  Based on the control signal from the control unit 97, the printer driving unit 92 drives the drive motor 65 of the cap moving mechanism 6 to move the head cap 5, and moves the head cap moving mechanism 6 to open and close the ink discharge surface 27. Control. Further, the printer driving unit 92 drives a driving motor constituting the paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 based on a control signal from the control unit 97 to record from the recording paper tray 8 mounted in the tray mounting port 80 of the printer body 2. The paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 is controlled so that the paper P is fed, transported through the apparatus at a predetermined transport speed, and the recording paper P is discharged from the tray loading port 80 after printing.

  The discharge control unit 93 selectively supplies a pulse current to the heating resistor 28a based on a control signal from the control unit 97, and drives and controls the heating resistor 28a at a predetermined frequency.

  The input / output terminal 94 inputs / outputs signals such as the above-described printing condition, printing state, ink remaining amount, and the like to the external information processing apparatus 90. Here, the information processing apparatus 90 described above is an electronic device such as a personal computer or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

  The ROM 95 is a memory in which a program for each process performed by the control unit 97 is stored. The stored program is loaded into the RAM 96 by the control unit 97. The RAM 96 stores a program read from the ROM 95 by the control unit 97 and various states of the printer apparatus 1.

  The control unit 97 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and drives each unit based on a program loaded in the RAM 96 to perform printing according to print data. The control unit 97 receives information from the ink remaining amount detection unit 24, displays a warning, manages the number of printed sheets and the elapsed time after the start of printing, and notifies the cleaning time and replacement time of the head cap 5. Perform various displays.

  Next, a specific operation sequence of the printer apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 29 and 32. FIG. As shown in FIG. 32A, the printer apparatus 1 is in a standby state in the initial state where the head cap 5 closes the head cartridge 4, and starts printing on the control unit 97 by operating an operation button provided on the printer body 2. When a command is issued, the paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 and the cap moving mechanism 6 are driven as follows by a control signal from the control unit 97 so that printing is possible.

  First, the printer device 1 performs maintenance such as cleaning of the ink ejection surface 27 before printing and detection of the remaining amount of ink. Specifically, when a cleaning signal is transmitted in step 1, the control unit 97 determines in step 2 whether the ink cartridges 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k are correctly mounted. If any of the ink cartridges 11 is not correctly installed, the control unit 97 displays a warning at a predetermined location of the printer main body 2 (step 3).

  In step 4, the control unit 97 receives the signal from the ink remaining amount detection unit 24 and determines the remaining amount of the ink i stored in the ink storage unit 13 of the ink cartridge 11. When the remaining amount of ink is less than the reference value, the control unit 97 displays a warning at a predetermined location on the printer body 2 (step 5).

  In step 6, the control unit 97 operates the circulation pump mechanism, sucks the ink i flowing through the ink flow path 31 of the head cartridge 4 with the circulation pump, and discharges the ink i to the ink storage unit 13 of the ink cartridge 11. Remove bubbles contained in i. The control unit 97 determines whether or not the circulation pump has been driven a predetermined number of times, and stops the circulation pump mechanism when the number of times the circulation pump is driven reaches a predetermined number of times (steps 7 and 8).

  Next, in step 9, the control unit 97 sends a signal to the printer driving unit 92 to drive the cap moving mechanism 6, thereby moving the head cap 5 to the head cartridge 4 as shown in FIGS. Then, it is moved to the front side of the printer main body 2 on which the recording paper tray 8 is provided. As a result, in the printer apparatus 1, the ink discharge nozzles 26 provided on the ink discharge surface 27 of the inkjet head 3 are exposed to the outside, and the ink i can be discharged.

  Here, the cleaning roller 33 and the cleaning blade 34 described above are provided in the head cap 5, and among these, the cleaning roller 33 is slidably supported on the ink discharge surface 27 and the cleaning blade 34 is supported by the switching member 35. Since the head cap 5 is moved away from the ink discharge surface 27 in the direction of the arrow O in FIGS. 11 and 14 that opens the ink discharge surface 27 of the head cartridge 4, the cleaning roller 33 moves to the coil spring 38. Cleaning of dust and thickened and solidified ink that is driven and rotated while being pressed with an appropriate pressure over the entire length of the ink discharge surface 27 in response to the urging force, and adhered to the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27. (Step 10).

  At this time, since the cleaning roller 33 is impregnated with the surfactant solution in the outer layer in contact with the ink ejection surface 27, the wettability to ink is very good. When the cleaning roller 33 comes into contact with the ink discharge nozzle 26, an ink layer is instantaneously formed between the cleaning roller 33 and the ink discharge surface 27, and the thickened ink is re-dissolved by the ink and the viscosity is lowered. . The ink whose viscosity has been reduced is sucked by the cleaning roller 33 having high wettability, and the cleaning effect of the cleaning roller 33 can be improved.

  Accordingly, since the thickened ink and dust adhering to the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27 are surely removed by the cleaning roller 33 simultaneously with the opening operation of the head cap 5, the ink droplets are straightened from the ink discharge nozzle 26. The liquid ejection performance of the head cartridge 4 can be stabilized.

  Further, in the cleaning blade 34, when the switch 51 of the switching member 35 is pressed against the ink discharge surface 27 and rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow S in FIG. 11, the holder 45 is pressed against the other side surface 51b of the switch 51. The wiper 43 is retreated from the ink ejection surface 27 by being rotated in the direction of the opposite arrow R in FIG. Therefore, after the cleaning by the cleaning roller 33, excessive sliding by the cleaning blade 34 is suppressed, so that the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27 can be protected and the deterioration of the cleaning blade 34 can be prevented.

  The ink sucked by the cleaning roller 33 is sucked by the scraper 48 and then sucked by the suction member 49. Therefore, the cleaning roller 33 can maintain the cleaning performance without saturating the sucked ink.

  Further, the control unit 97 sends a control signal to the discharge control unit 93 to sequentially discharge ink i sequentially from the ink discharge nozzles 26 cleaned by the cleaning roller 33 (step 11). Preliminary ejection is performed to adjust the ejection performance in the ink ejection nozzle 26 where the thickened ink has been sucked by the cleaning roller 33. From the sheet of moisture absorbing material provided between the cleaning roller 33 and the cleaning blade 34, the preliminary ejection is performed. The ink i droplets are ejected in the order of the nozzle lines 26y, 26m, 26c, and 26k that have been cleaned by the cleaning roller 33 toward the waste ink receiver.

  After preliminary ejection, in step 12, the control unit 97 detects the remaining amount of ink i stored in each ink cartridge 11 again. If the remaining amount of ink is less than the reference value, control is performed so that a warning is displayed at a predetermined location of the printer body 2 (step 13).

  If an amount of ink equal to or greater than the reference value remains in each ink cartridge 11 even after the preliminary ejection, a printing operation is started (step 14). Specifically, the control unit 97 sends a control signal to the printer driving unit 92 to drive the paper supply / discharge mechanism 9. The paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 pulls out the recording paper P from the recording paper tray 8 by the paper supply roller 81, and sends only one recording paper P to the reverse roller 83 by a pair of separation rollers 82a and 82b rotating in opposite directions. Then, the conveyance direction is reversed to the ink ejection surface 27 side by the reverse roller 83, and the recording paper P is conveyed on the conveyance belt 84 provided at a position facing the ink ejection surface 27. The printer apparatus 1 supports the recording sheet P conveyed to the conveying belt 84 at the printing position by the platen plate 86, and opposes the recording sheet P in parallel with the ink ejection surface 27. In the printer apparatus 1, the recording paper P is transported by the paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 at a predetermined transport speed, for example, 49.5 mm / sec or more.

  By this time, the head cap 5 has been retracted from the conveyance area of the recording paper P and waited downward as shown in FIGS. 32 (g) and 32 (h). Rises.

  Next, in the printer device 1, the ejection control unit 93 is driven by a control signal from the control unit 97, and a pulse current is selectively supplied to the heating resistor 28 a of the head cartridge 4 at a predetermined frequency, for example, 9 kHz or more. The heating resistor 28a is heated. As shown in FIG. 8, the printer device 1 heats the heating resistor 28a to apply the ink i of each color from the ink discharge nozzle 26 to the recording paper P conveyed to a position facing the ink discharge surface 27. The ink is ejected in the form of minute droplets, and images, characters, etc. composed of ink dots are printed in multiple colors.

  Next, the printer apparatus 1 is provided on the recording paper tray 8 side so as to face the conveying belt 84 of the paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 that rotates the printed recording paper P in the direction of the recording paper tray 8 and the conveying belt 84. The recording paper P is sent out to the paper discharge receiving portion 8 a of the recording paper tray 8 by the paper discharge roller 85.

  When the printing operation is completed in step 15, a head cap closing trigger signal is input, and the conveying belt 84 and the platen plate 86 are retracted downward from the moving region of the head cap 5 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 32 (j), the head cap 5 moves through a locus shown in the direction of arrow C that closes the head cartridge 4 (step 16). At this time, the switching member 35 provided in the head cap 5 is rotated in the direction of arrow S in FIG. 11 when the switch 51 is pressed against the ink ejection surface 27. Therefore, in the cleaning blade 34, the holder 45 that receives the urging force of the torsion coil spring 46 is rotated in the direction of arrow R in FIG. 11, so that the wipe part 43 can be brought into sliding contact with the ink discharge surface 27. As a result, when the head cap 5 is moved in the closing direction of the head cartridge 4, the cleaning blade 34 cleans ink, dust, etc. adhering to the ink ejection surface 27 (step 17).

  Further, in the switching member 35, one side surface 51 a of the switch 51 presses the cored bar 36 of the cleaning roller 33 downward to retract the cleaning roller 33 from the ink discharge surface 27. That is, when the head cap 5 returns to the original position, the cleaning roller 33 does not clean the ink ejection surface 27. That is, as described above, if the cleaning roller 33 is driven to rotate or slide following the ink discharge surface 27 even after printing, unused ink stored in the ink liquid chamber 32 is sucked more than necessary and becomes uneconomical. This is because the suction performance of the cleaning roller 33 is lowered, and the life of the cleaning roller 33 which is a consumable item is shortened. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 32A, the head cap 5 returns to the original position, and is again attached to the head cartridge 4 to protect the ink ejection surface 27 from drying or the like (step 18).

  Next, another example of the operation sequence of the printer apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 30 and 32. FIG. In the cleaning sequence shown in FIG. 30, the number of cleaning operations of the head cap 5 varies depending on the operation mode of the printer apparatus 1. The operation mode of the printer apparatus 1 is desired by the operator of the printer apparatus 1, for example, when the printer apparatus 1 is activated, immediately after the ink cartridge 11 or the head cartridge 4 or the head cap 5 is replaced, and in a copy mode in which black and white printing is continued for a predetermined number. However, it refers to various states where the head cartridge 4 needs to be cleaned at any time. The printer apparatus 1 repeats the opening / closing operation of the head cartridge 4 by the head cap 5 a predetermined number of times in accordance with each mode, thereby cleaning the head cap 4.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 30, in the printer main body 2, the operation mode, the timing and the number of times of cleaning the head cartridge 4 are managed by the control unit 97, and the head cartridge 4 is cleaned as described above. When the timing is reached, a cleaning signal is transmitted from the control unit 97 (step 21). Maintenance process before the subsequent cleaning operation, that is, whether or not each color ink cartridge 11 is mounted, whether or not the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 11 is sufficient, and the presence of bubbles mixed in the ink i by the circulation pump mechanism The removal process (step 22 to step 28) is performed in the same manner as the above-described steps 1 to 8.

  After the maintenance process, the process proceeds to the cleaning process. In the cleaning process, the control unit 97 sends a signal to the printer driving unit 92 to drive the cap moving mechanism 6, so that the head cap 5 is attached to the head cartridge 4 as shown in FIGS. It is moved to the front side of the printer main body 2 provided with the recording paper tray 8 (step 29).

  At this time, the cleaning roller 33 provided in the head cap 5 receives the urging force of the coil spring 38 and rotates while being pressed against the ink discharge surface 27 with an appropriate pressure, and adheres to the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27. The cleaned dust and thickened and solidified ink are cleaned (step 30). Since the cleaning roller 33 is impregnated with the surfactant solution in the outer layer in contact with the ink discharge surface 27, the wettability to ink is very good. When the cleaning roller 33 comes into contact with the ink discharge nozzle 26, an ink layer is instantaneously formed between the cleaning roller 33 and the ink discharge surface 27, and the thickened ink is re-dissolved by the ink and the viscosity is lowered. . The ink whose viscosity has been reduced is sucked by the cleaning roller 33 having high wettability, and the cleaning effect is improved.

  Further, the cleaning blade 34 provided on the head cap 5 is moved to the other side surface 51b of the switch 51 when the switch 51 of the switching member is pressed by the ink discharge surface 27 and rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow S in FIG. The holder 45 is pressed and rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow R in FIG. 11, and the wipe part 43 is retracted from the ink discharge surface 27. Therefore, after the cleaning by the cleaning roller 33, excessive sliding by the cleaning blade 34 is suppressed, so that the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27 can be protected and the cleaning blade 34 can be prevented from being deteriorated.

  Further, the control unit 97 sends a control signal to the discharge control unit 93 to preliminarily discharge the ink i from the ink discharge nozzle 26 that has been cleaned by the cleaning roller 33 (step 31). The preliminary ejection is performed to adjust the ejection performance in the ink ejection nozzle 26 where the thickened ink is sucked by the cleaning roller 33, and the nozzle lines 26y, 26m, 26c, and 26k that have been cleaned by the cleaning roller 33 are used. This is done by sequentially discharging ink i droplets toward a waste ink receiver made of a sheet of a hygroscopic material provided between the cleaning roller 33 and the cleaning blade 34.

  After the preliminary ejection, in step 32, the control unit 97 detects again the remaining amount of the ink i stored in each ink cartridge 11. If the remaining amount of ink is less than the reference value, control is performed so that a warning is displayed at a predetermined location of the printer body 2 (step 33).

  After detecting the remaining amount of ink in step 34, a head cap closing trigger signal is input, and the head cap 5 moves along a locus indicated by arrow C as shown in FIG. 32 (j) (step 34). At this time, the switching member 35 provided in the head cap 5 is rotated in the direction of arrow S in FIG. 11 when the switch 51 is pressed against the ink ejection surface 27. Therefore, in the cleaning blade 34, the holder 45 that receives the urging force of the torsion coil spring 46 is rotated in the direction of arrow R in FIG. 11, so that the wipe part 43 can be brought into sliding contact with the ink discharge surface 27. As a result, when the head cap 5 is moved in the closing direction of the head cartridge 4, the cleaning blade 34 cleans ink, dust, etc. adhering to the ink ejection surface 27 (step 35).

  Further, in the switching member 35, one side surface 51 a of the switch 51 presses the cored bar 36 of the cleaning roller 33 downward to retract the cleaning roller 33 from the ink discharge surface 27. That is, for the reason described above, the cleaning roller 33 does not clean the ink ejection surface 27 when the head cap 5 returns to the original position. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 32A, the head cap 5 returns to the original position, and is again attached to the head cartridge 4 to protect the ink ejection surface 27 from drying or the like (step 36).

  The control unit 97 manages the number of such cleaning operations, and determines whether the head cap 5 has been reciprocated a predetermined number of times according to the operation mode, that is, whether the head cartridge 4 has been cleaned by the cleaning roller 33 and the cleaning blade 34. (Step 37). The number of cleanings of the head cartridge 4 differs depending on the operation mode. For example, three times when the printer apparatus 1 is started (head cap 5 is reciprocated three times), immediately after the ink cartridge 11 or the head cartridge 4 or the head cap 5 is replaced. Are programmed in the ROM 95 in advance, such as 10 times (10 reciprocations), and 10 times (10 reciprocations) at any time when the operator of the printer apparatus 1 desires cleaning. The relationship between the number of cleanings of the head cartridge 4 by reciprocating the head cap 5 and the operation mode is appropriately set.

  Then, the control unit 97 performs control so that the reciprocation of the head cap 5 is continued until the number of reciprocations of the head cap 5 corresponding to the operation mode is reached. As a result, the printer apparatus 1 appropriately cleans the head cartridge 4, so that the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27 can always be kept clean and maintain stable ink discharge performance. be able to.

  Next, still another example of the operation sequence of the printer apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 31 and 32. FIG. The cleaning sequence shown in FIG. 31 is for cleaning the head cartridge 4 when a predetermined number of sheets have been printed after the printer apparatus 1 has started printing. That is, depending on the ink discharge nozzle 26, the ink droplet may be discharged after a while after the head cap 5 is opened, but the ink in the nozzle increases in viscosity before the ink discharge, and the ink discharge surface 27 There is a case where normal ink ejection is difficult due to adhesion of dust such as paper dust. Therefore, in the printer apparatus 1, the number of prints is managed by the control unit 97, and after the printing operation is started, the printing operation is temporarily stopped when the predetermined number of sheets is printed, and the head cartridge 4 is periodically cleaned. did.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 31, in the printer main body 2, when a print start operation is performed by the operator, a print signal is transmitted by the control unit (step 41). Maintenance steps before the subsequent cleaning operation, that is, whether or not the ink cartridges 11 of the respective colors are mounted, whether or not the ink remaining in the ink cartridges 11 is sufficient, and removal of bubbles mixed in the ink i by the circulation pump mechanism Steps (Step 42 to Step 48) are performed in the same manner as Steps 1 to 8 above.

  After the maintenance process, the process proceeds to the printing process. In the printing process, the control unit 97 sends a signal to the printer driving unit 92 to drive the cap moving mechanism 6, so that the head cap 5 moves relative to the head cartridge 4 as shown in FIGS. The recording paper tray 8 is moved to the front side of the printer main body 2 (step 49).

  At this time, the cleaning roller 33 provided on the head cap 5 receives the urging force of the coil spring 38 and rotates while being pressed against the ink discharge surface 27 with an appropriate pressure to adhere to the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27. Cleaning of dust and thickened and solidified ink is performed (step 50). Since the cleaning roller 33 is impregnated with the surfactant solution in the outer layer in contact with the ink discharge surface 27, the wettability to ink is very good. When the cleaning roller 33 comes into contact with the ink discharge nozzle 26, an ink layer is instantaneously formed between the cleaning roller 33 and the ink discharge surface 27, and the thickened ink is re-dissolved by the ink and the viscosity is lowered. . The ink whose viscosity has been reduced is sucked by the cleaning roller 33 having high wettability, and the cleaning effect is improved.

  Further, the cleaning blade 34 provided on the head cap 5 is moved to the other side surface 51b of the switch 51 when the switch 51 of the switching member is pressed by the ink discharge surface 27 and rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow S in FIG. The holder 45 is pressed and rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow R in FIG. 11, and the wipe part 43 is retracted from the ink ejection surface 27. Therefore, after the cleaning by the cleaning roller 33, excessive sliding by the cleaning blade 34 is suppressed, so that the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27 can be protected and the cleaning blade 34 can be prevented from being deteriorated.

  Further, the control unit 97 sends a control signal to the discharge control unit 93 to preliminarily discharge the ink i from the ink discharge nozzle 26 that has been cleaned by the cleaning roller 33 (step 51). The preliminary ejection is performed to adjust the ejection performance in the ink ejection nozzle 26 where the thickened ink is sucked by the cleaning roller 33, and the nozzle lines 26y, 26m, 26c, and 26k that have been cleaned by the cleaning roller 33 are used. This is done by sequentially discharging ink i droplets toward a waste ink receiver made of a sheet of a hygroscopic material provided between the cleaning roller 33 and the cleaning blade 34.

  After the preliminary ejection, in step 52, the control unit 97 detects again the remaining amount of ink i stored in each ink cartridge 11. If the remaining amount of ink is less than the reference value, control is performed so that a warning is displayed at a predetermined location of the printer body 2 (step 53).

  If an amount of ink equal to or greater than the reference value remains in each ink cartridge 11 even after preliminary ejection, a printing operation is started (step 54). Specifically, the control unit 97 sends a control signal to the printer driving unit 92 to drive the paper supply / discharge mechanism 9 to pull out the recording paper P and face the ink ejection surface 27 in parallel. Next, in the printer apparatus 1, the ejection control unit 93 is driven by a control signal from the control unit 97, and a pulse current is selectively supplied to the heating resistor 28 a of the head cartridge 4 to heat the heating resistor 28 a. The printer apparatus 1 discharges the ink i of each color in the form of minute droplets from the ink discharge nozzle 26 to the recording paper P by heating the heating resistor 28a as shown in FIG. Images, characters, and the like made up of dots are printed in multiple colors and sent to the paper discharge receiving portion 8 a of the recording paper tray 8.

  In the printer apparatus 1, a predetermined number of sheets, for example, a predetermined number of sheets, for example, from a cleaning operation in which the number of printed sheets is immediately before the control unit 97 performs continuous printing, in this case, an opening operation of the head cap 5 at the start of printing, It is determined whether or not three sheets have been reached (step 55).

  If the predetermined number of sheets has been reached, the control unit 97 temporarily stops the printing operation (step 56). Then, the control unit 97 transmits a head cap closing trigger signal, and moves the head cap 5 along the locus indicated by the arrow C as shown in FIGS. 16 and 32 (j) (step 57). At this time, the cleaning blade 34 provided on the head cap 5 is configured so that the wiper portion 43 and the ink discharge surface 27 are moved when the holder 45 receiving the urging force of the torsion coil spring 46 is rotated in the direction of arrow R in FIG. Cleaning of ink, dust and the like adhering to the ink discharge surface 27 in sliding contact is performed (step 58).

  In the closing operation of the head cartridge 4 by the head cap 5, for the reasons described above, the switching member 35 presses the core metal 36 of the cleaning roller 33 downward to retract the cleaning roller 33 from the ink discharge surface 27. The cleaning roller 33 does not clean the ink discharge surface 27. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 32A, the head cap 5 returns to the original position where the head cartridge 4 is closed, and the closing operation is completed (step 59).

  Next, a head cartridge opening trigger signal is transmitted to the printer drive unit 92 by the control unit 97, and the head cap 5 opens the head cartridge 4 by the cap moving mechanism 6 as shown in FIGS. 32 (b) to (h). It is moved to the front side of the main body 2, and the printing operation is resumed through the cleaning by the cleaning roller 33 described above, preliminary ejection, and ink remaining amount detection (step 49 to step 54). As a result, the head cartridge 4 that has printed a certain number of sheets cleans the ink discharge nozzles 26 and the ink discharge surface 27, so that stable ink discharge can be maintained and print quality deterioration can be prevented.

  After resuming printing, the control unit 97 determines whether or not the number of continuous prints has reached a certain number from the previous cleaning operation, here the cleaning operation just before resuming printing (step 55). Is temporarily stopped and cleaning is performed by opening and closing the head cap 5 described above. Accordingly, since the head cartridge 4 is periodically cleaned, the ink discharge nozzle 26 and the ink discharge surface 27 can always be kept clean, and stable print quality can be maintained.

  If the number of printed sheets does not reach a certain number that requires cleaning during continuous printing, it is determined whether the printing operation has been completed (step 60). If the scheduled printing is not completed, the remaining amount of ink i stored in each ink cartridge 11 is detected (step 53), and if the amount of ink equal to or greater than the reference value remains. Then, the printing operation is continued (step 54).

  On the other hand, when scheduled printing is completed in step 60, the control unit 97 transmits a cap closing trigger to the printer driving unit 92, and the head cap 5 is moved to the arrow C as shown in FIGS. 16 and 32 (j). It moves through the locus shown in the direction (step 61).

  At this time, the cleaning blade 34 provided on the head cap 5 is configured so that the wiper portion 43 and the ink discharge surface 27 are moved when the holder 45 receiving the urging force of the torsion coil spring 46 is rotated in the direction of arrow R in FIG. Cleaning of ink, dust and the like adhering to the ink ejection surface 27 in sliding contact is performed (step 62).

  In the closing operation of the head cartridge 4 by the head cap 5, for the reasons described above, the switching member 35 presses the core metal 36 of the cleaning roller 33 downward to retract the cleaning roller 33 from the ink discharge surface 27. The cleaning roller 33 does not clean the ink discharge surface 27. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 32A, the head cap 5 returns to the original position where the head cartridge 4 is closed, and the closing operation is completed (step 63).

  In this operation sequence, the number of prints for cleaning the head cartridge 4 can be changed as appropriate in accordance with a print mode such as color printing or monochrome printing. Further, the number of reciprocations of the head cap 5 at the time of cleaning can be appropriately set to one time or a plurality of times according to the printing mode.

  In this operation sequence, the head cap 5 is periodically reciprocated according to the elapsed time after the head cartridge 4 is cleaned, in addition to periodically cleaning the head cartridge 4 after the cleaning. The head cartridge 4 may be cleaned. In this case, the control unit 97 manages the elapsed time after the start of printing. When a predetermined time has elapsed, after the printing of the recording paper being printed is finished, the printing is temporarily stopped and the head cartridge 4 is stopped. Control to perform cleaning. Thus, when the head cap 5 is opened and printing starts, the ink in the ink discharge nozzles 26 thickens after a certain period of time, or dust such as paper dust adheres to the ink discharge surface 27. In addition, the head cartridge 4 can always be kept clean by performing regular cleaning.

  In the sequence for cleaning the head cartridge 4 according to the elapsed time after the start of printing, the elapsed time for cleaning the head cartridge 4 is appropriately changed according to the print mode such as color printing or monochrome printing. In addition, the number of reciprocations of the head cap 5 at the time of cleaning can be appropriately set according to the printing mode.

  As described above, the printer apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied has been described by taking the line head type printer apparatus as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the line head type printer apparatus. The present invention is also applicable to a serial head type liquid ejection device that moves in a direction substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction of the paper P.

  Further, the case where the ink cartridge 11 to which the present invention is applied is mounted on the printer apparatus 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above example, and can be widely applied to other liquid ejection apparatuses that eject liquid. It is possible to install. For example, a liquid is supplied to a facsimile, a copier, a discharge device for a DNA chip in liquid (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-253200), a liquid discharge device that discharges liquid containing conductive particles for forming a wiring pattern of a printer wiring board, and the like. The present invention is also applicable to a liquid cartridge for supplying the liquid.

1 is an external perspective view showing a printer apparatus to which the present invention is applied. 1 is an external perspective view showing a printer apparatus to which an inkjet head and a recording paper tray are mounted. It is a disassembled perspective view of a printer apparatus. FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating an internal configuration of the printer apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows an inkjet head. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a head cartridge with an ink cartridge attached. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an ink discharge surface of a head cartridge. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an ink discharge nozzle of a head cartridge. It is a top view which shows a head cap. It is a top view which shows the inside of a head cap. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line xx of the head cap shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a yy sectional view of the head cap shown in FIG. 9. It is a side view which shows the inkjet head which shows the state which the head cap has obstruct | occluded the head cartridge. It is a side view showing an ink jet head showing a state where a head cap opens a head cartridge. It is a side view showing an ink jet head showing a state where a head cap opens a head cartridge. It is a side view which shows the inkjet head which shows the state which the head cap has obstruct | occluded the head cartridge. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing process of a cleaning blade. It is a top view which shows the head cap supported by the cap moving mechanism. It is a top view which shows a cleaning blade. It is a top view which shows the cleaning blade in which the slit was formed. It is a top view which shows the cleaning blade in which the slit was formed. It is a figure which shows the cleaning blade which performs the cleaning of wire bonding vicinity. It is a figure which shows the cleaning blade which cannot fully perform the cleaning of wire bonding vicinity. It is a figure which shows the cleaning blade in which the slit was formed according to the formation position of wire bonding. It is a top view which shows a cap moving mechanism. It is a side view which shows a support frame member. It is a side view which shows a chassis side part and a rack plate. It is a block diagram which shows a control mechanism. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation sequence of the printer apparatus. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another operation sequence of the printer apparatus. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another operation sequence of the printer apparatus. FIG. 6 is a process diagram illustrating an operation sequence of the printer apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer apparatus, 2 Printer main body, 3 Inkjet head, 4 Head cartridge, 5 Head cap, 6 Cap moving mechanism, 7 Control mechanism, 8 Recording paper tray, 9 Feed / discharge mechanism, 11 Ink cartridge, 12 Cartridge tank, 21 Cartridge body, 22 Cartridge mounting portion, 26 Ink ejection nozzle, 27 Ink ejection surface, 32 Ink liquid chamber, 33 Cleaning roller, 34 Cleaning blade, 35 Switching member, 36 Pin, 37 Holding member, 38 Coil spring, 39 Roller flange, 43 Wipe part, 43a Corner part, 44 Support plate, 45 Holder, 46 Torsion coil spring, 47 Stopper plate, 48 Scraper, 49 Suction member, 50 Top plate, 51 Switch, 52 Switch spring, 57 bullet , 58 blade plate, 61 side surface, 62 support frame member, 63 head cap holder, 64 rack plate, 65 drive motor

Claims (13)

A cleaning blade for wiping the liquid discharge surface by being moved relative to the liquid discharge surface of a liquid discharge head having a liquid discharge surface on which liquid discharge nozzles for discharging liquid are arranged,
A support plate having an adhesive layer formed on the surface;
A cleaning blade comprising a wipe portion that is slidably brought into contact with the liquid discharge surface formed by cutting a tip of an elastic portion made of a synthetic resin integrally formed on the adhesive layer into a predetermined shape.   The support plate and the wiping portion are formed to be long according to the total length in the arrangement direction of the liquid discharge nozzles of the liquid discharge head in which the liquid discharge nozzles are arranged in accordance with the print width of the liquid discharge target. The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning blade is provided.   The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the wipe portion has a slit formed by cutting the tip portion at a predetermined interval. In a manufacturing method of a cleaning blade, comprising: a wipe portion that is in sliding contact with a liquid discharge surface of a liquid discharge head; and a support plate that supports a base end portion of the wipe portion, and cleaning the liquid discharge surface.
After the elastic part slightly larger than a predetermined length and / or width of the wipe part and the support plate are integrated, the wipe part is formed by cutting the tip of the elastic part into a predetermined shape. Cleaning blade manufacturing method Put the support plate with the adhesive layer on the surface into the mold,
Pour synthetic resin,
5. The method of manufacturing a cleaning blade according to claim 4, wherein the support plate and the elastic portion made of synthetic resin are integrally formed by die cutting.   The support plate and the wiping portion are formed to be long according to the total length in the arrangement direction of the liquid discharge nozzles of the liquid discharge head in which the liquid discharge nozzles are arranged in accordance with the width of the liquid discharge target. The method of manufacturing a cleaning blade according to claim 4, wherein: In a manufacturing method of a cleaning blade, comprising: a wipe portion that is in sliding contact with a liquid discharge surface of a liquid discharge head; and a support plate that supports a base end portion of the wipe portion, and cleaning the liquid discharge surface.
Integrating the support plate and the wipe part,
A method of manufacturing a cleaning blade, wherein slits are formed by cutting at a predetermined interval at the tip of the wipe part.   After integrating the elastic part slightly larger than a predetermined length and / or width of the wipe part and the support plate, the tip of the elastic part is cut into a predetermined shape to form a wipe part, and finally 8. A method of manufacturing a cleaning blade according to claim 7, wherein a slit is formed. Put the support plate with the adhesive layer on the surface into the mold,
Pour synthetic resin,
9. The method of manufacturing a cleaning blade according to claim 8, wherein the support plate and the elastic portion made of synthetic resin are integrally formed by die cutting.   8. The method of manufacturing a cleaning blade according to claim 7, wherein the slits are formed corresponding to the positions of a plurality of protrusions formed at equal intervals on the liquid ejection surface. A liquid discharge head having a liquid discharge surface on which liquid discharge nozzles for discharging liquid are arranged;
A cleaning blade that is in sliding contact with the liquid discharge surface and wipes the liquid discharge surface;
A moving mechanism for moving the cleaning blade relative to the liquid ejection head;
When the cleaning mechanism moves the cleaning blade to one side with respect to the liquid ejection head, the cleaning mechanism retracts the cleaning blade with respect to the liquid ejection head. A switching member for returning to a position in sliding contact with the liquid ejection surface when moved to the other,
The cleaning blade includes the support plate having an adhesive layer formed on a surface thereof, and the liquid formed by cutting a distal end of an elastic portion made of a synthetic resin integrally formed on the adhesive layer into a predetermined shape. A cleaning device for a liquid discharge head of a liquid discharge device comprising a wiper that is in sliding contact with the discharge surface.   The support plate and the wiping portion are formed to be long according to the total length in the arrangement direction of the liquid discharge nozzles of the liquid discharge head in which the liquid discharge nozzles are arranged in accordance with the print width of the liquid discharge target. 12. The liquid discharge head cleaning device according to claim 11, wherein the liquid discharge head cleaning device is provided.   12. The liquid ejection head cleaning device according to claim 11, wherein the wipe portion has a slit formed by cutting the tip portion at a predetermined interval.

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