JP2007136991A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device which permits a stably cleaning of the nozzle surface of a recording head by preventing a residual recording liquid of a recording head from propagating and residual recording liquid from scattering by a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming device is provided with a platelike guide member 11 which is separate from a carriage 2 and a recording head 1 on a maintenance return mechanism side, which is located in the front side where the guide member projects by a clearance (start side gap) X from the nozzle surface 1a of the recording head 1 on the upstream side of the wiping direction of the recording head 1 and which a wiper blade 3 contacts and a platelike guide member 12 which is located on the rear side where the guide member steps back by a clearance (end side gap) Y from the nozzle surface 1a of the recording head 1 on the downstream side of the wiping direction of the recording head 1 and which the wiper blade 3 contacts when the recording head 1 is put in a wiping position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by discharging a recording liquid.

  As an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile, a copying apparatus, and a multifunction machine of these, for example, an ink jet recording apparatus is known. The ink jet recording apparatus is a recording medium such as recording paper (hereinafter referred to as “paper”) from the recording head, but the material is not limited to paper, and is also referred to as recording medium, transfer paper, transfer material, recording material, and the like. In this case, recording (image formation, printing, printing, printing, etc. are synonymous) is performed by ejecting ink droplets, which are droplets of recording liquid.

  An image forming apparatus that forms an image by ejecting such recording liquid droplets requires a maintenance and recovery operation for maintaining and recovering the performance of the recording head since the recording droplets are ejected. Therefore, in order to prevent thickening and sticking of the recording liquid in the vicinity of the nozzle hole due to natural evaporation of the ink, the recording liquid is discharged to prevent the recording liquid from being ejected due to a cap function that is covered with a highly-sealing cap member and bubbles generated in the nozzle. And a recovery function that sucks and discharges the recording liquid from the nozzle of the head through the cap function, and a wiping member (wiper blade, wiping) that removes the remaining recording liquid that adheres to the nozzle surface and causes the droplet flight state to change. A wiping function for wiping with a member, a blade, etc.), and an idle discharge (preliminary discharge) function for discharging liquid droplets that do not contribute to image formation.

  Among these, when the nozzle surface of the recording head is wiped by the wiping member, the ink is scattered due to the adhesion of ink to the side surface of the recording head at the wiping start end and the restoration of the wiping member at the end of wiping due to the elastic deformation of the wiping member. There's a problem.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the wiper blade 503 is moved in the wiping direction with respect to the nozzle surface 502a of the recording head 502 provided in the carriage 501, the wiper blade 503 could not be removed by a cleaning mechanism or the like. The remaining ink is attached to the tip of the wiper blade 503, and the remaining ink is transferred to the side surface of the recording head 502 by the wiper blade 503 coming into contact with the corner of the recording head 502 and accumulated as the remaining ink 504. It will be. This phenomenon occurs every time the wiping operation is repeated. Eventually, the remaining ink 504 drops from the side surface of the recording head 1 and drops onto a printing target (not shown).

  In addition, when wiping further proceeds, as shown in FIG. 12, when the remaining ink 505 remaining on the nozzle surface 502a of the recording head 502 is wiped by the wiper blade 503, a large amount of remaining ink is formed on the surface of the wiper blade 503. However, when the wiper blade 503 passes through the nozzle surface 502a of the recording head 502, the wiper blade 503 is restored from the bent state to the original state as indicated by a broken line. When the ink rapidly returns to its original shape, the residual ink adhering to the wiper blade 503 is scattered as droplets 506 due to the reaction, and the surroundings are stained with ink.

Various proposals have heretofore been made in order to eliminate the disadvantages associated with the wiping operation by the wiper blade. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a relief surface is provided on the downstream side of the nozzle surface of the recording head so that the deflection when the wiper blade is restored is gradually reduced so that ink on the wiper blade is not blown off. It is described to do.
JP 2002-79680 A

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that the protective member for protecting the nozzle surface of the recording head has a shape in which the end portion on the wiping start side and the end portion on the wiping end side are inclined, thereby abruptly deforming the wiper blade. It is described that it should be suppressed.
JP 2002-160377 A

Further, in Patent Document 3, a wiper cleaning part constituted by a large number of grooves is provided in a carriage, and ink attached to the wiper blade is absorbed by the wiper blade by the wiper cleaning part to prevent dripping and scattering. It is described to do.
JP 2003-1834 A

Patent Document 4 describes that a blade cleaner is provided on the head side, and the ink wiped off by the wiper blade is absorbed by the cleaner to prevent ink scattering.
JP 2000-263800 A

Further, in Patent Document 5, when the carriage moves and wipes the nozzle surface of the recording head, the wiper blade moves up and down to come into contact with the nozzle surface so that the wiping start and the wiping end are appropriately performed. It is described that the head part of this is not wiped off.
is there.
Japanese Patent No. 3347195

  However, processing the relief surface on the nozzle surface of the recording head as in Patent Document 1 requires processing of the nozzle forming member of the recording head, which increases the cost. Further, when the protective member that protects the nozzle surface of the recording head is provided with an inclination as in Patent Document 2, there is a risk that the wiper blade will not contact the nozzle surface reliably. Further, even if a wiper cleaning mechanism for cleaning the wiper blade as in Patent Documents 3 and 4 is provided, it is difficult to completely collect the remaining ink from the wiper blade, and the ink is recovered by restoring the wiper blade at the end of wiping. It is difficult to prevent scattering. Furthermore, even when the contact timing of the wiper blade with the nozzle surface of the recording head is controlled, residual ink is still generated at the edge of the nozzle surface of the recording head, particularly in the case of high viscosity ink such as pigment-based ink. However, there is a problem that residual ink is remarkably generated.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can stably clean the nozzle surface of the recording head by preventing transfer of the residual recording liquid to the recording head and scattering of the residual recording liquid with a simple configuration. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a configuration in which a guide member is provided on the upstream side of the recording head in the wiping direction, on the front side of the nozzle surface of the recording head. did.

  Here, it is preferable that the guide member guides the wiping member in a direction approaching the nozzle surface of the recording head.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a configuration in which a guide member that contacts the wiping member is provided on the downstream side in the wiping direction of the recording head on the rear side of the nozzle surface of the recording head.

  Here, it is preferable that the guide member guides the wiping member in a direction away from the nozzle surface side of the recording head.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, a guide member is provided on the upstream side of the recording head in the wiping direction, and the guide member is in contact with the wiping member on the front side of the nozzle surface of the recording head. The guide member with which the wiping member is in contact with the rear side of the nozzle surface is provided.

  Here, the guide member on the upstream side in the wiping direction of the recording head guides the wiping member in a direction approaching the nozzle surface of the recording head, and the guide member on the downstream side in the wiping direction of the recording head separates the wiping member from the nozzle surface of the recording head. It is preferable to guide in the direction.

  In these image forming apparatuses according to the present invention, the guide member is a separate member from the recording head and the carriage on which the recording head is mounted, the guide member is movably provided, and the wiping member is A configuration in which the wiping direction is disposed obliquely with respect to the wiping direction, a configuration in which the wiping direction of the wiping member is disposed in a direction oblique to the nozzle arrangement direction of the recording head, and a guide member for each of the plurality of recording heads A configuration having a wiping member for each of the plurality of recording heads, a configuration in which the recording liquid is a recording liquid containing a pigment as a color material, and a means for generating pressure for ejecting the recording liquid droplets of the recording head A longitudinal vibration mode piezoelectric vibrator, a flexural vibration mode piezoelectric vibrator, or an electrothermal transducer that heats the recording liquid. Rukoto can.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the structure in which the guide member that contacts the wiping member is provided on the upstream side of the nozzle surface of the recording head on the upstream side in the wiping direction of the recording head, or the wiping of the recording head is performed. Since the guide member that contacts the wiping member is provided behind the nozzle surface of the recording head on the downstream side in the direction, or a configuration in which each of these guide members is provided, recording with a simple configuration is possible. The nozzle surface of the recording head can be stably cleaned by preventing transfer of the residual recording liquid to the head and scattering of the residual recording liquid.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of the vicinity of one recording head at the position of the maintenance / recovery mechanism, and FIG. 2 is a plan explanatory view of FIG.
The recording head 1 is mounted on a carriage 2 that moves and scans in the main scanning direction. The recording head 1 includes a nozzle that discharges droplets, a liquid chamber (flow path) that communicates with the nozzle, and a pressure generation unit that generates pressure to pressurize ink (recording liquid) in the liquid chamber. . Examples of the pressure generating means include a piezoelectric actuator such as a piezoelectric element, a thermal actuator that uses a phase change caused by film boiling of a liquid using an electrothermal transducer such as a heating resistor, and a shape memory that uses a metal phase change caused by a temperature change. An alloy actuator, an electrostatic actuator using an electrostatic force, or the like provided as pressure generating means for generating a pressure for discharging a droplet can be used. The piezoelectric actuator may be either a configuration using flexural vibration or a configuration using longitudinal vibration.

  The ink ejected from the recording head 1 is a dye-based ink containing a dye as a color material, a pigment-based ink containing a pigment as a color material, and a pigment-based ink having a hydrophilic group on the pigment surface. And a type in which an insoluble pigment is dispersed with a surfactant or a water-soluble resin.

  On the maintenance / recovery mechanism side, when the recording head 1 of the carriage 2 is moved to the wiping position, the nozzle surface 1a of the recording head 1 is wiped to be cleaned by moving in the direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction. A wiper blade 3 that is a wiping member is arranged to be movable in the wiping direction.

  The maintenance and recovery mechanism is separate from the carriage 2 and the recording head 1, and when the recording head 1 is set to the wiping position, the recording head 1 is positioned upstream of the recording head 1 in the wiping direction (wiping start side). A flat plate-like guide member 11 is provided on the front side protruding from the nozzle surface 1a by a gap (start side gap) X, and is in contact with the wiper blade 3, and downstream of the recording head 1 in the wiping direction (wiping end side). Thus, a flat plate-like guide member 12 is provided, which is located on the rear side of the recording head 1 that is retracted by an interval (end side gap) Y from the nozzle surface 1a and is in contact with the wiper blade 3.

  Here, the start side gap X is a gap between the surface of the flat portion 11b of the start side (upstream side) guide member 11 and the nozzle surface 1a, and is actually about 0.2 to 0.5 mm. Similarly, the end side (downstream side) gap Y is a gap between the surface of the flat portion 12b of the end side (downstream side) guide member 12 and the nozzle surface 1a, and is actually about 0.2 to 0.5 mm. The value of

  Further, the upstream guide member 11 is formed with an inclined portion 11a inclined downward from the most upstream end portion in the wiping direction toward the downstream side, and the downstream guide member 12 has an end portion on the most downstream side from the upstream side in the wiping direction. An inclined portion 12a inclined upward is formed.

  With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, when the wiper blade 3 relatively moves in the wiping direction on the nozzle surface 1 a of the recording head 1, the leading end of the wiper blade 3 is the start side guide member 11. It contacts the inclined part 11a and further moves to the flat part 1b of the start side guide member 11. Thereafter, the wiper blade 3 passes through the flat portion 11b of the start side guide member 11 and comes into contact with the nozzle surface 1a of the recording head 1 to wipe off the residual ink on the nozzle surface 1a. Thereafter, the nozzle passes through the nozzle surface 1a, contacts the flat portion 12b of the end guide member 12, and restores the original shape while contacting the inclined portion 12b of the end guide member 12.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the wiper blade 3 has a straight shape at first, but as it moves in the wiping direction, it comes into contact with the start side guide member 11 and along the surface of the start side guide member 11. It is bent gently. And it will get over the start side gap X, wiping the surface of the start side guide member 11. At this time, since there is a start side gap X, the residual ink 5 adhering to the wiper blade 3 is not transferred to the side surface 1b of the recording head 1 or the edge portion between the nozzle surface 1a and the side surface 1b, etc. At the same time, it moves to the nozzle surface 1a.

  Then, the wiper blade 3 wipes the residual ink 7 (see FIG. 1) adhering to the nozzle surface 1a of the recording head 1 with the residual ink 5, and the nozzle with the adhering or wiped residual ink 6. It will pass through the surface 1a. At this time, since the end guide member 12 is disposed on the downstream side of the recording head 1, the residual ink 6 adhering to the wiper blade 3 does not remain on the nozzle surface 1a and the side surface 1c of the recording head 1. Further, since the wiper blade 3 is not immediately restored to the original shape, the adhered residual ink 6 is not blown off.

  Thereafter, the wiper blade 3 reaches the inclined portion 12a of the end side guide member 12 and gradually returns from the bent state to the original state, so that the residual ink 6 adhering to the wiper blade 3 is wiped without being scattered even at this stage. Exit. The residual ink 6 remaining on the wiper blade 3 falls along the wiper blade 3 due to gravity and is stored in a residual ink receiver (not shown).

  As described above, a guide member is provided on the upstream side of the recording head in the wiping direction so that the wiping member is in contact with the front side of the nozzle surface of the recording head, and on the downstream side of the recording head in the wiping direction of the recording head. Since the guide member that contacts the wiping member is provided on the rear side, the nozzle surface of the recording head is stably cleaned by preventing the transfer of the remaining recording liquid to the recording head and the scattering of the remaining recording liquid with a simple configuration. can do. In addition, when the guide member is provided only on the upstream side or on the downstream side, the same operation and effect can be obtained within that limit.

  That is, when wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head to be cleaned, the surface of the start side guide member is closer to the wiper blade than the nozzle surface, and moves while wiping the surface of the start side guide member. There is no place to be handled anywhere, the residual recording liquid remaining on the wiper blade is not transferred to the recording head, and the residual recording liquid on the wiper blade is not rubbed against the recording head during wiping. Even when wiping through the nozzle surface of the recording head is completed, the end side guide member is located on the side farther from the wiper blade than the nozzle surface, so it is not handled, and the recording head is unlikely to remain and is always clean. Printing can be performed in a state, and the printing object is not soiled by dripping of the recording liquid.

  In addition, since the guide member is separate from the carriage and the head, even if the start side guide member is provided with a gap on the print target side from the nozzle surface of the recording head, the recording head and the recording medium can be used for printing. Even if the gap is made small, there will be no trouble in printing. That is, in general, the smaller the gap between the recording head and the recording medium, the less the influence of the bending of the droplet and the better the printing accuracy, so the distance between the nozzle surface of the recording head and the recording medium ( The gap is as small as possible and is often composed of around 1 mm. Therefore, if the recording head and the carriage on which the recording head is mounted are provided with a member that protrudes from the nozzle surface, the recording medium is caught or the nozzle surface is scratched. Therefore, by arranging the guide member separately from the carriage and head on the maintenance / recovery mechanism side, there is no interference with the recording medium during printing, and the gap between the nozzle surface and the recording medium is reduced. The image accuracy can be improved.

  Further, by providing inclined portions to prevent the wiper from suddenly deforming on the guide members on the start side and the end side, when the recording liquid remaining on the nozzle surface of the wiper blade and the recording head is wiped, residual recording liquid is present in the periphery. It won't scatter.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 is a schematic explanatory view of the vicinity of one recording head at the position of the maintenance / recovery mechanism, and FIG. 5 is a plan explanatory view of FIG.
In this embodiment, the main scanning direction and the wiping direction of the carriage 2 are the same example. In this case, since the guide members 11 and 12 on the maintenance / recovery mechanism side and the carriage 2 interfere with each other, a mechanism for moving the guide members 11 and 12 up and down is provided, and the carriage 2 is placed at the wiping position (maintenance / recovery position). When the carriage moves, the guide members 11, 12 are lowered and retracted, and then the guide members 11, 12 are raised when the carriage 2 comes to the wiping position.

  The vertical movement mechanism (elevating mechanism) of the guide members 11 and 12 is not particularly illustrated, but any configuration such as a spring, a solenoid, and a cam may be used.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of one recording head at the position of the maintenance / recovery mechanism.
This embodiment is also an example in which the main scanning direction and the wiping direction of the carriage 2 are the same. Here, since the guide members 11 and 12 on the maintenance / recovery mechanism side and the carriage 2 interfere with each other, the guide members 11 and 12 are provided with a mechanism for moving back and forth with respect to the wiping position (maintenance / recovery position). When the carriage 2 moves, the guide members 11 and 12 are retracted to the positions indicated by broken lines, and then the guide members 11 and 12 are advanced to the positions indicated by the solid lines when the carriage 2 reaches the wiping position. . In this case, when the guide members 11 and 12 are moved to the retracted positions shown by broken lines, a maintenance mechanism for cleaning the surfaces of the guide members 11 and 12 (contact surfaces with the wiper blade 3) can be separately provided.

  By arranging the guide member so as to be movable as in the second and third embodiments, it is possible to prevent the recording head and the guide member from interfering with each other by retreating when the recording head enters. In any head configuration, the guide member can be provided in an appropriate arrangement.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of one recording head at the position of the maintenance / recovery mechanism.
In this embodiment, the wiper blade 3 is disposed to be inclined by an angle θ (for example, about 5 °) with respect to the wiping direction.

  With this configuration, when the wiper blade 3 gets over the start side gap X between the start side guide member 11 and the nozzle surface 1a of the recording head 1, the position where the wiper blade 3 gets over to the right in order from the left in FIG. Will move. Therefore, the wiper blade 3 does not exceed the start side gap X at a time, but gradually exceeds the start side gap X, so that a shock when the start side gap X is exceeded is reduced. Similarly, the same can be said for the end side gap Y.

  Thus, the wiper blade is arranged to be inclined with respect to the wiping direction, so that even if it exceeds the step between the guide member on the start side and the end side and the nozzle surface of the recording head, the wiper blade is slightly exceeded from the end. As a result, the step can be gradually exceeded, and the scattering of the remaining recording liquid can be reduced.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of one recording head at the position of the maintenance / recovery mechanism.
In this embodiment, the wiping direction itself of the wiper blade 3 is inclined with respect to the recording head 1 (here, the wiping is inclined by approximately 5 °).

  Even in this configuration, as in the fourth embodiment, when the wiper blade 3 exceeds the start side gap X and the end side gap Y, the return shock of the wiper blade 3 is reduced by gradually exceeding the gap. Also, with this configuration, compared to the fourth embodiment, the residual ink is less biased during wiping (in the fourth embodiment, the ink tends to be biased to the right side in FIG. 7), and the residual ink remaining on the wiper blade 3. The amount of ink can be made uniform.

  In this way, the wiping direction by the wiper blade is tilted with respect to the recording head, so that even if it exceeds the step between the guide member on the start side and the end side and the nozzle surface of the recording head, it is slightly exceeded from the end. As a result, the step can be gradually exceeded, and the scattering of the remaining recording liquid can be reduced.

Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of a plurality of recording heads at the position of the maintenance / recovery mechanism.
In this embodiment, three recording heads 1y, 1m, and 1c that discharge droplets of different colors are mounted on the carriage 2, and a start side guide member 11 and an end side guide member 12 are provided for each of the recording heads 1y, 1m, and 1c. Is arranged. In such a configuration in which a plurality of recording heads are arranged and mounted on the carriage, the scanning direction of the carriage 2 is the same as the wiping direction. Therefore, the guide members 11 and 12 are moved as in the second and third embodiments described above. It is configured to do.

  The recording heads 1y, 1m and 1c are wiped by a common wiper blade 3. Although the drive system of the wiper blade 3 is not shown, it is not particularly limited to a motor, solenoid, spring, cam or the like. In addition, the wiper blade returns to the original position after being wiped down.

  Thus, by providing the guide member independently for each color recording head, each head can be cleaned so as not to leave a residual recording liquid under the same conditions.

Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of a plurality of recording heads at the position of the maintenance / recovery mechanism.
In this embodiment, three recording heads 1y, 1m, and 1c that discharge droplets of different colors are mounted on the carriage 2, and a start side guide member 11 and an end side guide member 12 are provided for each of the recording heads 1y, 1m, and 1c. Is arranged. In such a configuration in which a plurality of recording heads are arranged and mounted on the carriage, the scanning direction of the carriage 2 is the same as the wiping direction. Therefore, the guide members 11 and 12 are moved as in the second and third embodiments described above. It is configured to do.

  Here, wiper blades 3y, 3m, and 3c are provided for each of the recording heads 1y, 1m, and 1c. The wiper blades 3y, 3m, and 3c are moved in the wiping direction by one drive system (not shown), and are wiped with the same wiping stroke. Although the wiper blade drive system is not shown, the motor, solenoid, spring, cam, etc. are not particularly limited. Further, the wiper blade returns to the original position by being lowered after wiping.

  Thus, by providing an independent wiping member for each recording head, color mixing of recording liquids of different colors between the recording heads is prevented, and cleaning is performed so that no residual recording liquid remains in the recording head. be able to.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view in the vicinity of a recording head at a maintenance recovery position in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing similarly used for an effect | action description. FIG. 9 is a schematic explanatory view of the vicinity of a recording head at a maintenance / recovery position in an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory plan view of FIG. 2. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating the vicinity of a recording head at a maintenance recovery position in an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating the vicinity of a recording head at a maintenance / recovery position in an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating the vicinity of a recording head at a maintenance / recovery position in an image forming apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic explanatory diagram in the vicinity of a recording head at a maintenance recovery position in an image forming apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic explanatory view of the vicinity of a recording head at a maintenance / recovery position in an image forming apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the vicinity of a recording head at a maintenance recovery position in a conventional image forming apparatus. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining transfer and scattering of ink to a recording head during wiping in FIG. 11.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Recording head 2 ... Carriage 3 ... Wiper blade (wiping member)
11 ... Start side guide member 12 ... End side guide member

Claims (14)

  In an image forming apparatus including a wiping member for cleaning a nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed of a recording head having a nozzle that discharges a droplet of recording liquid, the recording head has a wiping direction upstream of the recording head. An image forming apparatus, wherein a guide member that contacts the wiping member is provided in front of the nozzle surface.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member guides the wiping member in a direction approaching a nozzle surface of the recording head.   An image forming apparatus comprising a wiping member for cleaning a nozzle surface on which the nozzles of a recording head having nozzles for discharging recording liquid droplets are provided. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that a guide member that contacts the wiping member is provided on the rear side of the nozzle surface.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the guide member guides the wiping member in a direction away from a nozzle surface side of the recording head.   In an image forming apparatus including a wiping member for cleaning a nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed of a recording head having a nozzle that discharges a droplet of recording liquid, the recording head has a wiping direction upstream of the recording head. A guide member that contacts the wiping member is provided on the front side of the nozzle surface, and a guide member that contacts the wiping member on the downstream side of the nozzle surface of the recording head is provided downstream of the recording head in the wiping direction. An image forming apparatus.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the guide member on the upstream side in the wiping direction of the recording head guides the wiping member in a direction approaching the nozzle surface of the recording head, and on the downstream side in the wiping direction of the recording head. The image forming apparatus, wherein the guide member guides the wiping member in a direction away from a nozzle surface of the recording head.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is a separate member from the recording head and a carriage on which the recording head is mounted.   8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the guide member is movably provided.   9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping member is disposed obliquely with respect to the wiping direction.   10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping direction of the wiping member is arranged in a direction oblique to the recording head. 11.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is provided for each of a plurality of recording heads.   11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of recording heads includes the wiping member.   13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording liquid is a recording liquid containing a pigment as a color material. 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for generating pressure for ejecting the recording droplets of the recording head includes a longitudinal vibration mode piezoelectric vibrator, a flexural vibration mode piezoelectric vibrator, and recording. An image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus is one of electrothermal conversion elements for heating a liquid.

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