JP2008023889A - Liquid jetting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jetting apparatus which can surely improve durability against wiping without consuming liquid in waste. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid jetting apparatus includes a recording head 24 for jetting ink from nozzles, a cap member 31 for capping nozzle surface so as to cover the nozzles of the recording head 24, a suction pump 26 for sucking the ink from the nozzles by applying negative pressure to the cap space 25 of the cap member 31, a wiping member 32 for wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head 24, and a first waste liquid tube 27 for ejecting to the wiping member 32 the waste liquid sucked by the sucking pump 26 by communicating with the cap space 25. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus represented by, for example, an ink jet printer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target, an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects ink droplets from nozzles and records print data on a recording sheet is known. Conventionally, such an ink jet recording apparatus has an ink viscosity that increases due to evaporation of ink solvent such as moisture from the nozzle opening, dust adheres to the nozzle opening, or air bubbles are mixed when the cartridge is replaced. As a result, printing may not be performed satisfactorily.

  Therefore, in order to keep the nozzle performance in an optimum state, a cap for capping the nozzle surface is provided, and the nozzle surface of the recording head is covered by this cap when not printing. In addition, an absorber containing ink is arranged inside the cap, and the inside of the cap is kept in a high humidity state during capping, preventing evaporation of the ink solvent from the vicinity of the nozzle opening and preventing an increase in ink viscosity. It was like that.

  In addition, a discharge port for discharging ink, bubbles and the like is provided at the bottom of the cap, and this discharge port is communicated with a tube fixed to the cap. A suction pump is provided in the middle of the tube, and the inside of the cap is set to a negative pressure by the suction operation of the suction pump. Then, a so-called cleaning operation is performed in which ink with increased viscosity, bubbles inside the recording head generated by cartridge replacement, and the like are discharged to the outside through a tube. By performing such a cleaning operation, it has been attempted to maintain the nozzle performance in an optimum state.

Then, a blade-like wiping member formed of an elastic member such as rubber is rubbed against the nozzle surface of the recording head after the cleaning operation is completed, and ink and dust attached to the nozzle surface are wiped away. (Patent Document 1 below).
JP-A-6-210862

  However, rubbing the dried wiping member against the nozzle surface is not preferable in terms of durability of the recording head and the wiping member because wear of the wiping member and the nozzle surface progresses even when minute dust is caught. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses that ink is ejected from the recording head so as to wet the wiping member during the wiping operation.

  However, if ink is ejected from the recording head during wiping, the ink is consumed for wiping, and the extra ink is consumed accordingly, which is not preferable. In addition, when the wiping member is dry, the wiping member is not wet at all in the initial stage of the wiping, or even if it is wet, it is inevitable that the wiping member and the nozzle surface are further worn. Furthermore, if wiping is started with dust adhering to the wiping member, no matter how much ink is ejected from the recording head, the dust once caught between the wiping member and the nozzle surface cannot be easily removed. May lead to damage.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that can reliably improve wiping durability without consuming wasteful liquid.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid from a nozzle, a cap member that caps a nozzle surface so as to cover the nozzle of the liquid ejecting head, and the cap member. A suction pump that applies a negative pressure to the cap space to suck liquid from the nozzle, a wiping member that wipes the nozzle surface of the liquid ejecting head, and a waste liquid sucked by the suction pump that communicates with the cap space. The gist is that a waste liquid discharge path for discharging the member is provided.

  According to the present invention, since the wiping operation is performed with the wiping member wet with the waste liquid, the frictional resistance between the wiping member and the nozzle surface during wiping is greatly reduced, and the wiping durability of the wiping member and the nozzle surface is improved. Can be made. In addition, since the waste liquid is discharged to the wiping member, no extra liquid is consumed for wiping. Thus, wiping durability can be reliably improved without consuming wasteful liquid.

  In the present invention, when the wiping member is moved from the wiping position to the standby position, and the waste liquid is discharged from the waste liquid outflow passage to the standby wiping member at the standby position, the wiping previously wetted with the waste liquid is provided. Since the wiping operation is started by the member, the frictional resistance between the wiping member and the nozzle surface during wiping is greatly reduced, and the wiping durability of the wiping member and the nozzle surface can be improved. In addition, since the waste liquid is discharged to the wiping member in the standby state, dust attached to the wiping member can be washed out before the wiping operation, and wiping is almost never performed in a state where the dust is caught. Therefore, damage to the wiping member and the nozzle can be prevented, and long-term reliability and stability can be improved.

  In the present invention, the moving means causes the wiping member to stand by in a state where there is a height difference between both ends of the wiping member of the wiping member at the standby position, and the waste liquid is discharged toward the higher end of the wiping unit by the waste liquid discharge path. Since the waste liquid discharged to the higher end flows along the wiping part toward the lower end, the wiping part can be easily wetted with the waste liquid evenly over the entire length. It is possible to reliably prevent the wiping operation from being performed with the wiping member that is partially dried.

  In the present invention, the moving means rotates the wiping member between the wiping position and the standby position, and the standby position is a position rotated at least until the wiping portion of the wiping member is at least sideways. In some cases, the liquid discharged toward the wiping part of the wiping member is prevented from being applied to a supporting member other than the wiping part, and the surroundings are contaminated with waste liquid, or the excess part is wet with waste liquid. Trouble can be prevented.

  In the present invention, switching means for switching whether or not the waste liquid sucked by the suction pump flows to the waste liquid discharge path, and control for controlling the switching means to flow the waste liquid to the waste liquid discharge path according to the suction conditions by the suction pump In some cases, it may not be necessary to wet the wiping member in advance depending on the suction conditions, or the effect may not be significant. Since the wiping member is not wetted, an unnecessary sequence is not executed, so that the processing efficiency is high and the suction control is not time-consuming.

  In the present invention, when the waste liquid sucked by the suction pump is discharged to the wiping member through the waste liquid discharge path, when controlling the rotation speed to rotate the wiping member from the standby position to the wiping position, By reducing the rotation speed when the wiping member is wet with the waste liquid, it is possible to prevent the waste liquid attached to the wiping member from being scattered around and contaminated.

  In the present invention, when the suction condition is non-strong cleaning, the switching means is switched to the waste liquid discharge path side, and when the suction condition is strong cleaning, the switching means is switched to the waste liquid discharge path side. In non-strong cleaning where the nozzle surface is not evenly wetted, the wiping portion is wetted with waste liquid, and in strong cleaning where the nozzle surface is wetted uniformly during cleaning, the waste liquid can be directly introduced into the waste liquid tank to shorten the sequence.

  In the present invention, when the elapsed time since the last cleaning performed for the suction condition is a predetermined period or longer, the switching means is switched to the waste liquid discharge path side, and the elapsed time since the cleaning performed for the previous suction condition is less than the predetermined period. When the switching means is switched to the waste liquid discharge path side, the wiping part is wetted with the waste liquid when the nozzle surface is dry without performing cleaning for a long period of time, and the time has not passed since the previous cleaning. When the nozzle surface is not completely dry, the waste liquid can be introduced directly into the waste liquid tank to shorten the sequence.

  In the present invention, when the suction condition is exchange cleaning other than manual cleaning or periodic cleaning, the switching means is switched to the waste liquid discharge path side, and when the suction condition is manual cleaning, the switching means is switched to the waste liquid discharge path side. In the case of manual cleaning, where the wiping part is wetted with waste liquid during replacement cleaning or periodic cleaning other than manual cleaning that is not repeated in a short time, and cleaning may be performed many times continuously, the waste liquid is directly put into the waste liquid tank. It can be introduced to shorten the sequence.

  In the present invention, when the environmental condition during suction as the suction condition is a predetermined high temperature condition and / or low humidity condition, the switching means is switched to the waste liquid discharge path side, and the environmental condition during suction as the suction condition is a predetermined low temperature. If the above switching means is switched to the waste liquid discharge path side under conditions of high humidity and / or high humidity, the wiping part is wetted with waste liquid under high temperature and / or low humidity conditions where the nozzle surface tends to dry, and the nozzle surface is dried. Under difficult low-temperature conditions and / or high-humidity conditions, the waste liquid can be introduced directly into the waste liquid tank to shorten the sequence.

  In the present invention, when the suction condition is the first cleaning when the cleaning operation is repeated a plurality of times, the switching means is switched to the waste liquid discharge path side, and the suction condition repeats the cleaning operation a plurality of times. When switching to the waste liquid discharge path side when the cleaning is performed after the first time, in the first cleaning when the nozzle surface is dry, the wiping portion is wetted with the waste liquid, and the nozzle surface is wet after the second cleaning. In cleaning, waste liquid can be introduced directly into the waste liquid tank to shorten the sequence.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an ink jet recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the frame 12 of the ink jet recording apparatus 11 is provided with a paper feeding mechanism. The paper feed mechanism includes a paper feed motor 13 fixed to the bottom rear side of the frame 12 and a drive roller (not shown) operatively connected to the output shaft of the paper feed motor 13. The drive roller is rotated by driving the paper feed motor 13, whereby the paper P as a target is conveyed from the back side of the ink jet recording apparatus 11 to the front side (Y direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1).

  On the inner bottom surface of the frame 12, a main waste liquid tank 14 for storing used ink is provided so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the frame 12 (X direction in FIG. 1). Above the main waste liquid tank 14, a platen 15 as a support member is disposed along the main waste liquid tank 14. The platen 15 is a support base that supports the paper P. The paper P conveyed by driving the paper feed motor 13 is guided to the upper surface of the platen 15 and guided.

  A carriage motor 16 is fixed to the outer surface of the side wall on the back side of the frame 12. The output shaft of the carriage motor 16 passes through the rear side wall of the frame 12, and a drive pulley 17 is fixed to the tip of the output shaft. A driven pulley 18 is supported on the inner surface of the side wall on the back side of the frame 12 so as to be rotatable with respect to the drive pulley 17 in the longitudinal direction of the frame 12. An endless belt 19 is hung between the driving pulley 17 and the driven pulley 18. A carriage 20 is fixed to the belt 19 to reciprocate a recording head 24 described later in the main scanning direction.

  A guide member 21 is provided between the opposing side walls of the frame 12 so as to be parallel to the platen 15. The guide member 21 penetrates the carriage 20 so as to be slidable. Therefore, when the carriage motor 16 is driven, the drive pulley 17 rotates. Accordingly, the carriage 20 reciprocates in the longitudinal direction of the frame 12 (that is, the main scanning direction which is the X direction and the anti-X direction in FIG. 1) while being supported by the guide member 21.

  Two ink cartridges 22 and 23 are detachably mounted on the carriage 20. The ink cartridge 22 contains, for example, black ink. The inside of the ink cartridge 23 is divided into three storage chambers, and each storage chamber stores, for example, color inks of magenta, cyan, and yellow.

  On the lower surface of the carriage 20 (side surface on the platen 15 side), a recording head 24 as a liquid ejecting head for ejecting liquid ink is provided so as to face the platen 15. The recording head 24 includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown) that open downward. A piezoelectric element (not shown) is provided so as to correspond to each nozzle. When the piezoelectric element is driven, ink as a liquid is supplied from the ink cartridges 22 and 23 to the recording head 24, and the recording head 24. Ink is ejected from the nozzles onto the paper P on the platen 15, and printing is performed using a dot matrix.

  One side of the frame 12 is an unprintable area (home position), and the area includes a cap member 31 and a wiping member 32 for cleaning the recording head 24.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cap member 31 includes a cap space 25 that caps the nozzle surface so as to open on the upper surface and cover the nozzles of the recording head 24. The cap member 31 is configured to advance and retract with respect to the nozzle surface of the recording head 24 by an elevator mechanism (not shown). Accordingly, when the cap member 31 is raised, the upper edge of the cap member 31 is brought into close contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head 24. At this time, the nozzle surface is capped with each nozzle formed on the nozzle surface of the recording head 24 facing the cap space 25, and each nozzle is sealed via the cap space 25.

  Further, a suction pump 26 for sucking ink from the nozzles of the recording head 24 capped by applying a negative pressure to the cap space 25 is provided. When the suction pump 26 is driven while the recording head 24 is capped by the cap member 31, a negative pressure is applied to the cap space 25, and ink is sucked from the nozzles of the recording head 24 by the negative pressure. The sucked ink passes through the suction pump 26 after filling the cap space 25, flows through the second waste liquid tube 28 as a waste liquid discharge path, and is discharged into the main waste liquid tank 14.

  A wiping member 32 for wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head 24 is disposed adjacent to the printing region side of the cap member 31. The wiping member 32 includes a blade-like wiping portion 33 formed of a flexible material such as rubber, and a support member 35 that supports the wiping portion 33. A shaft support piece 38 hangs down from the lower surface of the support member 35, and the shaft support piece 38 is supported by the guide member 21, that is, a rotating shaft 34 parallel to the main scanning direction. Then, by rotating the rotation shaft 34 by the rotation motor 36, the wiping member 32 is rotated to the front side of the apparatus.

  FIG. 3 shows the cleaning mechanism, and is a view of the wiping member 32 rotated from the side. As shown by the solid line in the figure, the position where the wiping portion 33 is arranged on the nozzle surface side is the wiping position of the wiping member 32. In this state, the carriage 20 is operated and the recording head 24 passes over the wiping member 32. By doing so, the wiping portion 33 can wipe the ink adhering to the nozzle surface by rubbing the nozzle surface.

  On the other hand, as indicated by a chain line in the figure, the rotation shaft 34 is rotated by about 90 ° in this example by the rotation motor 36 and is rotated so that the wiping portion 33 is disposed on the front side of the apparatus. This position is a standby position of the wiping member 32, and the wiping member 32 is made to wait at this standby position except for a wiping operation such as a printing operation or an apparatus pause. Therefore, in this example, the rotation motor 36 and the rotation shaft 34 function as moving means for moving the wiping member 32 from the wiping position to the standby position, and the movement means is between the wiping position and the standby position. The wiping member 32 is rotated.

  Preferably, the moving means causes the wiping member 32 to stand by in a state where there is a height difference between both ends of the wiping portion 33 of the wiping member 32 at the standby position. Furthermore, it is preferable that the standby position is a position where at least the wiping portion 33 of the wiping member 32 is rotated at least horizontally. The arrangement is as follows.

  The apparatus includes a first waste liquid tube 27 serving as a waste liquid discharge path that communicates with the cap space 25 and discharges the waste liquid sucked by the suction pump 26 to the wiping member 32. In the first waste liquid tube 27, the waste liquid discharge port 37 at the front end is opened toward one end portion 33a located above the wiping portion 33 of the wiping member 32 rotated to the standby position. Accordingly, the first waste liquid tube 27 discharges the waste liquid to the wiping member 32 in the standby state at the standby position, and discharges the waste liquid toward the higher one end 33a of the wiping portion 33. Yes.

  A sub waste liquid tank 29 that receives the waste liquid discharged to the wiping member 32 is disposed below the wiping member 32 at the standby position. The sub waste liquid tank 29 is connected to the main waste liquid tank 14 through a tube, and the waste liquid received in the sub waste liquid tank 29 is introduced into the main waste liquid tank 14 and stored therein.

  FIG. 4A shows a second example of the cleaning mechanism. In this example, the position where the wiping member 32 is rotated by 90 ° or more and less than 180 ° is the standby position. The rest is the same as the example shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4B shows a third example of the cleaning mechanism. In this example, the position where the wiping member 32 is rotated by less than about 180 ° is the standby position. The first waste liquid tube 27 is disposed along the wiping portion 33 of the wiping member 32 at the standby position, and the tip of the first waste liquid tube 27 is not open, and the wiping portion 33 of the first waste liquid tube 27 is disposed. A plurality of waste liquid discharge ports 37 are arranged in a row on the side face facing each other. The rest is the same as the example shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a control circuit mounted on the recording apparatus described above.

  In the figure, reference numeral 47 denotes a print control means 47. This print control means 47 generates bitmap data based on print data from the host computer, and generates a drive signal by the head drive means 51 based on this data. In addition, a function of ejecting ink droplets from the recording head 24 mounted on the carriage 20 is provided. The head driving unit 51 is configured to receive a flushing command signal from the flushing control unit 49 and output a driving signal for the flushing operation to the recording head 24 in addition to the driving signal based on the print data. .

  Reference numeral 43 denotes a cleaning control unit 43. The cleaning control unit 43 controls the pump driving unit 50 to drive the suction pump 26, and has a periodic cleaning operation function for forcibly sucking and discharging ink from the recording head 24. I have.

  Reference numeral 53 denotes a cleaning command detection unit 53, which is configured to operate the cleaning command detection unit 53 by operating a cleaning command switch 46 disposed on an operation panel or the like of the recording apparatus and to perform manual cleaning. Has been. The cleaning command detection unit 53 is configured to receive a control signal from the print control unit 47 and perform periodic cleaning during the printing operation. Further, the cleaning command detection means 53 receives the control signal from the ink cartridge consumption counter 54, and executes the replacement cleaning when the ink of the ink cartridges 22 and 23 is consumed and the replacement timing of the ink cartridge comes. It is configured to The cleaning command detection means 53 is configured to execute initial cleaning when the apparatus is started.

  Reference numeral 52 denotes a cleaning mode selection means 52, which receives a control signal for starting a cleaning operation from the cleaning command detection means 53, selects a cleaning mode as a suction condition, sends a control signal to the cleaning control means 43, and performs cleaning control. The means 43 is configured to control the pump driving means 50 according to the selected cleaning mode, and to control, for example, powerful cleaning, normal cleaning, replacement cleaning, periodic cleaning, initial cleaning, and the like.

  The cleaning control unit 43 sends a control signal to the carriage control unit 44 to control the movement of the carriage 20 so that the recording head 24 is positioned at the home position when the cleaning operation is executed. Further, the cap raising / lowering means 45 is controlled to move the cap member 31 forward and backward toward the nozzle surface of the recording head 24 at the home position to control the sealing operation and the cap opening operation by capping.

  Further, the cleaning control means 43 sends a control signal to the pump driving means 50, drives the suction pump 26 under a predetermined suction condition, applies a negative pressure to the cap space 25 of the capped cap member 31, and forces it from the nozzle. The suction operation for sucking and discharging ink is controlled. The cleaning control means 43 controls the operation of discharging the waste liquid in the cap space 25 after the suction by driving the suction pump 26 after the main suction is completed and the cap is opened to perform the idle suction.

  The cleaning control means 43 sends a control signal to the wiper control means 48, and after the suction is completed and the cap is opened, the rotation motor 36 is driven to control the wiping member 32 from the standby position to the wiping position. Controls the moving motion to rotate. The cleaning control unit 43 sends a control signal to the carriage control unit 44 after the wiping member 32 has moved to the wiping position, and controls the wiping operation by controlling the movement of the recording head 24 on the wiping member 32. .

  This apparatus is provided with a switching valve 30 as switching means for switching whether or not the waste liquid sucked by the suction pump 26 flows into the first waste liquid tube 27 as a waste liquid discharge path. The switching valve 30 is controlled to be switched by the valve driving means 42 and flows the waste liquid sucked into the cap space 25 to the first waste liquid tube 27 to wet the wiping member 32 with the waste liquid, or flows to the second waste liquid tube 28 and directly. Whether to introduce into the main waste liquid tank 14 is switched.

  The cleaning control means 43 functions as a control means for switching the switching valve 30 so that the waste liquid flows through the first waste liquid tube 27 serving as a waste liquid discharge path in accordance with the suction conditions by the suction pump 26.

  That is, when the cleaning mode selection means 52 selects non-powerful cleaning, the nozzle surface is not uniformly wet by cleaning, so the switching valve 30 is switched to the first waste liquid tube 27 side, and the sucked waste liquid is wiped. The wiping portion 33 is wetted by discharging the liquid. On the other hand, when the cleaning mode selection means 52 selects strong cleaning, the nozzle surface is uniformly wet by cleaning, so the switching valve 30 is switched to the second waste liquid tube 28 side, and the sucked waste liquid is directly discharged into the main waste liquid tank. 14.

  When the elapsed time from the last cleaning performed received from the cleaning timer 57 is equal to or longer than a predetermined period (for example, one month or longer), the cleaning mode selection unit 52 is dry. Is switched to the first waste liquid tube 27 side, and the sucked waste liquid is discharged onto the wiping member 32 to wet the wiping portion 33. On the contrary, when the elapsed time from the last cleaning is less than the predetermined period, the nozzle surface is not yet dried, so the switching valve 30 is switched to the second waste liquid tube 28 side, and the sucked waste liquid is directly removed from the main surface. It introduces into the waste liquid tank 14.

  Further, when the cleaning mode selection means 52 selects replacement cleaning other than manual cleaning or periodic cleaning, the cleaning is not repeated, so the switching valve 30 is switched to the first waste liquid tube 27 side to remove the sucked waste liquid. The wiping part 33 is wetted by being discharged onto the wiping member 32. On the other hand, when the cleaning mode selection means 52 selects manual cleaning, cleaning may be performed continuously many times. Therefore, the switching valve 30 is switched to the second waste liquid tube 28 side to suck the waste liquid sucked. Is introduced directly into the main waste liquid tank 14.

  In addition, the cleaning mode selection unit 52 dries the nozzle surface when the environmental condition received from the temperature / humidity sensor 56 is a predetermined high temperature condition (for example, 30 ° C. or more) or low humidity condition (for example, relative humidity 40% or less). Since it is easy, the switching valve 30 is switched to the first waste liquid tube 27 side to discharge the sucked waste liquid to the wiping member 32 to wet the wiping portion 33. On the other hand, when the environmental condition is a predetermined low temperature condition (for example, less than 30 ° C.) or a high humidity condition (for example, a relative humidity of more than 40%), the nozzle face is difficult to dry, so the switching valve 30 is connected to the second waste liquid tube 28. The suctioned waste liquid is directly introduced into the main waste liquid tank 14.

  Further, when the cleaning control unit 43 performs cleaning that repeats a plurality of cleaning operations, when the number of cleanings received from the cleaning counter 55 is the first time, the nozzle surface is dry, so the switching valve 30 is Switching to the first waste liquid tube 27 side and discharging the sucked waste liquid onto the wiping member 32 to wet the wiping portion 33 is performed. On the other hand, when the number of times of repeated cleaning is the second and subsequent times, the nozzle surface is wet and the nozzle surface is difficult to dry. Therefore, the switching valve 30 is switched to the second waste liquid tube 28 side to remove the sucked waste liquid. It is introduced directly into the main waste liquid tank 14.

  The cleaning control means 43 sends a control signal to the wiper control means 48, and when the waste liquid sucked by the suction pump 26 is discharged to the wiping member 32 by the first waste liquid tube 27, the rotation motor 36 rotates. Control is performed so as to reduce the speed, and control is performed so as to reduce the rotational speed at which the wiping member 32 is rotated from the standby position to the wiping position.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the cleaning method in the recording apparatus of the present embodiment.

  When cleaning starts, it is first determined whether the suction condition is A or B (S10). When the suction condition is A, the waste liquid is discharged onto the wiping member 32 to wet the wiping unit 33. The process proceeds to S20. When the suction condition is B, the waste liquid is directly introduced into the main waste liquid tank 14 without wetting the wiping unit 33. Mode, and the process proceeds to S25.

  Here, the combination of the suction conditions A and B is that, as described above, the condition A is the non-strong cleaning, the condition B is the strong cleaning, the elapsed time from the last cleaning performed by the condition A is longer than the predetermined period, and the condition B is the previous The elapsed time from the cleaning that has been performed is less than a predetermined period, the condition A is a replacement cleaning other than manual cleaning, and the periodic cleaning is a condition B is a manual cleaning, the condition A is a predetermined high temperature condition or a low humidity condition, and the condition B is a predetermined low temperature condition or Examples include high humidity conditions.

  When the suction condition is A in S10, the switching valve 30 is switched to the first waste liquid tube 27 side (S20), and the suction pump 26 is driven to suck ink from the nozzles of the recording head 24 (S30). At this time, the ink filled in the cap space 25 in the cap member 31 flows from the suction pump 26 through the first waste liquid tube 27 and is discharged from the waste liquid discharge port 37 to the standby wiping member 32. The waste liquid is discharged toward the higher one end portion 33a of the wiping portion 33, travels down the wiping portion 33 from the top to the other end portion 33b, and wets the entire wiping portion 33 with the waste liquid (see FIGS. 3 and 4). In the case of A)). The entire wiping portion 33 is wetted with waste liquid (in the case of FIG. 4B).

  Next, the rotation motor 36 is rotated at a low speed to rotate the wiping member 32 at a low speed, and the wiping member 32 is moved from the standby position to the wiping position (S40), and the cap member 31 is lowered to open the cap member 31. (S50). In this state, the carriage 20 is moved over the wiping member 32, and the wiping portion 33 is rubbed against the nozzle surface to perform wiping (S60). Next, the switching valve 30 is switched to the second waste liquid tube 28 side (S70), the suction pump 26 is driven, and the waste liquid existing in the cap space 25 and other flow paths is discharged by empty suction, and the main waste liquid tank 14.

  Next, the cap member 31 is raised and the nozzle surface is sealed by capping (S90), the rotating motor is rotated at a high speed and moved to the standby position (S100), and the cleaning operation is completed.

  On the other hand, when the suction condition is B in S10, the switching valve 30 is switched to the second waste liquid tube 28 side (S25), and the suction pump 26 is driven to suck ink from the nozzles of the recording head 24 (S35). At this time, the ink filled in the cap space 25 in the cap member 30 flows from the suction pump 26 through the second waste liquid tube 28 and is directly introduced into the main waste liquid tank 14. Next, the rotation motor 36 is rotated at a high speed to rotate the wiping member 32 at a high speed and moved from the standby position to the wiping position (S45). Thereafter, the processing after S50 described above is performed.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a second example of the cleaning method in the recording apparatus of the present embodiment.

  In this example, in the case where the cleaning operation is repeated a plurality of times, the switching valve 30 is switched to the first waste liquid tube 27 side when the number of cleaning times is 1, and the wiping unit 33 is wetted with the waste liquid. In the second and subsequent times, the switching valve 30 is switched to the second waste liquid tube 28 side and the waste liquid is directly introduced into the main waste liquid tank 14.

  When the cleaning starts, it is first determined whether or not the number of repeated suctions is the first (S10). In the first time, the waste liquid is discharged onto the wiping member 32 and the wiping unit 33 is wetted. In the second and subsequent times, the wiping part 33 is not wetted and the waste liquid is directly introduced into the main waste liquid tank 14. And proceed to S25.

  Then, after wiping in S60, it is determined whether or not the process has been repeated a predetermined number of times (S65). If the predetermined number has not been reached, the process returns to S10, and if the predetermined number has been reached, the process proceeds to S70. The description is omitted here because it is the same.

  According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

  That is, since the wiping operation is performed with the wiping member 32 wetted with the waste liquid, the frictional resistance between the wiping member 32 and the nozzle surface during wiping is greatly reduced, and the wiping durability of the wiping member 32 and the nozzle surface is improved. be able to. In addition, since the waste liquid is discharged to the wiping member 32, the excess liquid is not consumed for wiping. Thus, wiping durability can be reliably improved without consuming wasteful liquid.

  The wiping member 32 is moved from the wiping position to the standby position, and the first waste liquid tube 27 discharges the waste liquid to the standby wiping member 32 at the standby position. Since the wiping operation is started by the member 32, the frictional resistance between the wiping member 32 and the nozzle surface during wiping is greatly reduced, and the wiping durability of the wiping member 32 and the nozzle surface can be improved. In addition, since the waste liquid is discharged to the wiping member 32 in the standby state, dust or the like attached to the wiping member 32 can be washed out before the wiping operation, and wiping is almost always performed in a state where the dust is caught. Therefore, damage to the wiping member 32 and the nozzle can be prevented, and long-term reliability and stability can be improved.

  Further, the moving means causes the wiping member 32 to stand by in a state where there is a height difference between both ends of the wiping portion 33 of the wiping member 32 at the standby position, and toward the higher end of the wiping portion 33 by the waste liquid discharge path. Therefore, since the waste liquid discharged to the higher end flows along the wiping portion 33 toward the lower end, it is easy to wet the wiping portion 33 uniformly with the waste liquid over the entire length. It is possible to reliably prevent the wiping operation by the wiping member 32 that is partially dried.

  The moving means rotates the wiping member 32 between the wiping position and the standby position, and the standby position is a position rotated at least until the wiping portion 33 of the wiping member 32 is at least sideways. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid discharged toward the wiping portion 33 of the wiping member 32 from being applied to the support member 35 other than the wiping portion 33, and the surroundings are contaminated with waste liquid, or the excess is waste liquid. Trouble caused by getting wet can be prevented.

  Further, switching means for switching whether or not the waste liquid sucked by the suction pump 26 is allowed to flow to the waste liquid discharge path, and control for controlling the switching means to flow the waste liquid to the waste liquid discharge path according to the suction conditions by the suction pump 26. Therefore, depending on the suction conditions, it may not be necessary to wet the wiping member 32 in advance, or the effect may not be significant. In such a case, wiping without flowing waste liquid into the waste liquid discharge path Since the member 32 is not wetted, it is not necessary to execute an unnecessary sequence, so that the processing efficiency is high and the suction control is not time-consuming unnecessarily.

  Further, when the waste liquid sucked by the suction pump 26 is discharged to the wiping member 32 through the waste liquid discharge path, the wiping is controlled so as to reduce the rotation speed for rotating the wiping member 32 from the standby position to the wiping position. By slowing the rotation speed when the member 32 is wet with the waste liquid, it is possible to prevent the waste liquid attached to the wiping member 32 from being scattered around and contaminated.

  When the suction condition is non-strong cleaning, the switching valve 30 is switched to the first waste liquid tube 27 side, and when the suction condition is strong cleaning, the switching valve 30 is switched to the second waste liquid tube 28 side. Therefore, in the non-strong cleaning where the nozzle surface is not evenly wet by cleaning, the wiping portion 33 is wetted with waste liquid, and in the strong cleaning where the nozzle surface is uniformly wet by cleaning, the waste liquid is directly introduced into the main waste liquid tank 14 to shorten the sequence. Can do.

  In addition, when the elapsed time since the last cleaning performed for the suction condition is equal to or longer than a predetermined period, the switching valve 30 is switched to the first waste tube 27 side, and the elapsed time since the cleaning performed for the previous suction condition is predetermined. When the period is less than the period, the switching valve 30 is switched to the second waste liquid tube 28 side, so that the wiping portion 33 is wetted with the waste liquid when the nozzle surface is dry without performing cleaning for a long period of time. When the nozzle surface has not completely dried, the waste liquid can be directly introduced into the main waste liquid tank 14 to shorten the sequence.

  Further, when the suction condition is replacement cleaning other than manual cleaning or periodic cleaning, the switching valve 30 is switched to the first waste tube 27 side, and when the suction condition is manual cleaning, the switching valve 30 is switched to the second. In order to switch to the waste liquid tube 28 side, the wiping unit 33 is wetted with waste liquid during replacement cleaning or periodic cleaning other than manual cleaning that is not repeatedly performed in a short time. Can be introduced directly into the main waste liquid tank 14 to shorten the sequence.

  When the environmental condition during suction is a predetermined high temperature condition and / or low humidity condition as the suction condition, the switching valve 30 is switched to the first waste liquid tube 27 side, and the environmental condition during suction is predetermined as the suction condition. In order to switch the switching valve 30 to the second waste liquid tube 28 side when the low temperature condition and / or high humidity condition, the wiping portion 33 is wetted with the waste liquid under high temperature conditions and / or low humidity conditions where the nozzle surface is likely to dry. Under low temperature conditions and / or high humidity conditions where the nozzle surface is difficult to dry, the waste liquid can be introduced directly into the main waste liquid tank 14 to shorten the sequence.

  Further, when the suction condition is the first cleaning when the cleaning operation is repeated a plurality of times, the switching valve 30 is switched to the first waste liquid tube 27 side, and the suction condition repeats the cleaning operation a plurality of times. In the second and subsequent cleanings, the switching valve 30 is switched to the second waste liquid tube 28 side, so that the wiping portion 33 is wetted with waste liquid and the nozzle surface is wet in the first cleaning when the nozzle surface is dry. In the second and subsequent cleanings, the waste liquid can be introduced directly into the main waste liquid tank 14 to shorten the sequence.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said each embodiment, It is the meaning including the following modifications.

  In the above embodiment, whether or not the waste liquid is allowed to flow through the first waste liquid tube 27 is switched by the switching valve 30 between the discharge side of the suction pump 26 and the first waste liquid tube 27 or the second waste liquid tube 28. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the discharge side of the suction pump 26 is communicated with both the first waste liquid tube 27 and the second waste liquid tube 28, and a blocking means for blocking the communication is provided as the first waste liquid tube. 27 and the second waste liquid tube 28 can be provided, and the tube through which the waste liquid flows can be selected by blocking or releasing the communication. Further, the second waste liquid tube 28 can be always communicated, and the first waste liquid tube 27 can be disconnected from the communication only when necessary.

  In each of the above embodiments, as the suction pump 26, for example, various pumps such as a tube pump, a piston pump, and a diaphragm pump can be employed.

  In addition, the pressure generating mechanism for ejecting ink from the nozzles of the recording head has been described as an example using a piezoelectric vibrator. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is generated by generating bubbles with a heating element. It can also be applied to those that eject ink with pressure.

  In addition, as a typical example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, there is an ink jet recording apparatus provided with the above-described ink jet recording head for image recording. However, the present invention is an example of another liquid ejecting apparatus such as a liquid crystal display. Device with color material ejection head used for color filter production, device with electrode material (conductive paste) ejection head used for electrode formation such as organic EL display, surface emitting display (FED), etc., used for biochip production The present invention can be applied to various liquid ejecting apparatuses such as an apparatus having a biological organic matter ejecting head and an apparatus having a sample ejecting head as a precision pipette.

1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an outline of a cleaning mechanism of the recording apparatus. The side view which shows operation | movement of a wiping member. The side view which shows the 2nd example and 3rd example of operation | movement of a wiping member. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a control circuit of the recording apparatus. The flowchart explaining an example of the cleaning method of this invention. The flowchart explaining the 2nd example of the cleaning method of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11 Inkjet recording device, 12 frame, 13 paper feed motor, 14 main waste liquid tank, 15 platen, 16 carriage motor, 17 driving pulley, 18 driven pulley, 19 belt, 20 carriage, 21 guide member, 22 ink cartridge, 23 ink Cartridge, 24 recording head, 25 cap space, 26 suction pump, 27 first waste liquid tube, 28 second waste liquid tube, 29 sub waste liquid tank, 30 switching valve, 31 cap member, 32 wiping member, 33 wiping part, 33a one end 33b, the other end, 34 rotating shaft, 35 support member, 36 rotating motor, 37 waste liquid discharge port, 38 shaft support piece, 42 valve driving means, 43 cleaning control means, 44 carriage control means, 45 cap lifting means, 46 Leaning command switch, 47 printing control means, 48 wiper control means, 49 flushing control means, 50 pump drive means, 51 head drive means, 52 cleaning mode washing means, 53 cleaning command detection means, 54 ink cartridge consumption counter, 55 cleaning Counter, 56 Temperature / humidity sensor, 57 Cleaning timer

Claims (6)

A liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid from a nozzle;
A cap member for capping the nozzle surface so as to cover the nozzle of the liquid jet head;
A suction pump that applies a negative pressure to the cap space of the cap member to suck liquid from the nozzle;
A wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface of the liquid jet head;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a waste liquid discharge path that communicates with the cap space and discharges waste liquid sucked by a suction pump to a wiping member.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit that moves the wiping member from a wiping position to a standby position, and discharging waste liquid to the wiping member in a standby state at the standby position through a waste liquid outflow path.   The moving means causes the wiping member to stand by in a state where there is a height difference between both ends of the wiping part of the wiping member at the standby position, and discharges the waste liquid toward the higher end of the wiping part through the waste liquid discharge path. Item 3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to Item 2.   2. The moving means is for rotating the wiping member between a wiping position and a standby position, and the standby position is a position rotated at least until the wiping portion of the wiping member is at least sideways. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1. Switching means for switching whether or not to flow the waste liquid sucked by the suction pump to the waste liquid discharge path;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that controls the switching unit so that the waste liquid flows through the waste liquid discharge path in accordance with a suction condition by the suction pump.   6. The liquid according to claim 4, wherein when the waste liquid sucked by the suction pump is discharged to the wiping member through the waste liquid discharge path, the rotation speed for rotating the wiping member from the standby position to the wiping position is controlled to be slow. Injection device.

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