JP2008087240A - Inkjet recording apparatus and method for cleaning head of inkjet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a quality of an image of the printing result from being deteriorated caused by remaining of wiping of ink sticking to a region with poor water repellency when a recording head has two regions with different water repellency. <P>SOLUTION: A nozzle face 17 and a gas exhausting face 18 are provided on the undersurface 126 of the recording head 39. A nozzle 60 for delivering the ink is formed on the nozzle face 17. A port 58 is formed on the gas exhausting face 18. Air is exhausted and the ink is made to flow out of this port 58. The gas exhausting face 18 on which the port 58 is formed has poorer water repellency than that of the nozzle face 17. A wiper blade is relatively moved to the recording head 39 under a condition that it is brought into contact with the nozzle face 17 or the gas exhausting face 18. In this case, the wiper blade is relatively moved so that the moving speed during coming into contact with the gas exhausting face 18 is larger than the moving speed during coming into contact with the nozzle face 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that records an image by ejecting ink onto a recording medium, and a head cleaning method for an inkjet recording apparatus that cleans a recording head.

  Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a recording head and a carriage. The carriage is configured to reciprocate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction. The recording head is mounted on the carriage and has a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed. In this ink jet recording apparatus, the recording head selectively ejects ink from the nozzles while the carriage reciprocates in a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium, that is, a so-called main scanning direction. Are recorded (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a rubber wiping member. The wiping member is provided in contact with the nozzle surface. In this ink jet recording apparatus, the carriage is moved in a state where the wiping member is disposed at a predetermined position. Thereby, for example, ink adhering to the nozzle surface by suction purge is wiped off by the wiping member.

  Further, as described in Patent Document 2, some conventional inkjet recording apparatuses have an exhaust surface formed on the lower surface of the recording head in addition to the nozzle surface. An exhaust port for removing bubbles generated in the ink flow path is formed on the exhaust surface. The exhaust port is provided with a check valve. When removing bubbles, the check valve is relieved. Accordingly, the capping member is disposed so as to seal the exhaust surface around the exhaust port. The capping member is connected to a pump, and bubbles are sucked and removed from the exhaust port by driving the pump. At that time, the ink in the recording head flows out of the exhaust port together with the bubbles, and the ink adheres to the exhaust surface. Thus, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface and the exhaust surface is wiped off by the wiping member.

JP 2001-219567 A JP 2005-246929 A

  By the way, materials having different water repellency may be used for the nozzle surface and the exhaust surface. For example, a polyimide film with high water repellency may be deposited on the nozzle surface so as not to leave ink around the nozzle, and the exhaust surface may be formed of polypropylene with low water repellency. In this way, when the nozzle surface and the exhaust surface having different water repellency are wiped in the same manner, even if the ink attached to the nozzle surface is sufficiently wiped off, the ink attached to the exhaust surface is not sufficiently wiped off, There is a possibility of remaining on the exhaust surface. As a result, there is a possibility that the ink on the exhaust surface adheres to the recording medium passing through the lower surface of the recording head during recording, and the printing surface is soiled.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and when a recording head has two regions having different water repellency, the image quality of a printing result due to unwiping of ink adhering to the region having poor water repellency. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of preventing a drop and a head cleaning method of the ink jet recording apparatus.

  (1) The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a first region in which a first hole from which ink is ejected is formed, and a second region from which ink flows out and is more repellent than the first region. A recording head that has a second area having poor water-based properties on the lower surface and ejects ink onto a recording medium transported in a predetermined direction, and is in contact with the first area or the second area. The wiper blade that is moved relative to the recording head and the movement speed while in contact with the second area in a single wiping operation are higher than the movement speed while in contact with the first area. Driving means for relatively moving the wiper blade so as to be faster.

  The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head. The recording head records an image by ejecting ink onto a recording medium conveyed in a predetermined direction. The lower surface of the recording head has a first area and a second area. A first hole is formed in the first region, and a second hole is formed in the second region. For this reason, the ink discharged from the first hole adheres to the first region, and the ink discharged from the second hole adheres to the second region. The wiper blade is moved relative to the recording head while being in contact with the first area or the second area. That is, the wiper blade is moved with respect to the recording head arranged at a predetermined position, or the recording head is moved with respect to the wiper blade arranged at a predetermined position. Thereby, the ink adhering to the first region and the second region is wiped off by the wiper blade.

  The second region is inferior in water repellency than the first region. In other words, the first region has higher water repellency than the second region. For this reason, when the wiper blade is moved relative to the recording head, the ink that cannot be wiped off may remain as it is in the second region. However, the wiper blade is relatively moved by the driving means so that the moving speed while contacting the second region is faster than the moving speed while contacting the first region. That is, the speed of relative movement of the wiper blade is changed during one wiping operation so that the wiping speed of the second area is faster than the wiping speed of the first area. Thereby, the unwiping residue of the ink adhering to the second region is reduced.

  (2) The first hole may be a nozzle that discharges ink to the recording medium, and the second hole may be a port that discharges air in the recording head.

  A nozzle is formed in the first region. The ink in the recording head is ejected from the nozzle toward the recording medium. A port is formed in the second region. Air in the recording head is exhausted from this port. When so-called suction purge is performed on the recording head, ink in the recording head is suctioned and removed from the nozzles. At that time, a part of the ink ejected from the nozzle adheres to the first region. In addition, an exhaust operation for discharging the air in the recording head from the port is performed. Ink flows out from the port together with the air in the recording head, and this ink adheres to the second region. Thus, the ink adhering to the first region and the second region is wiped off by the wiper blade in the manner described above.

  (3) The driving means relatively moves the wiper blade at the first speed while being in contact with the first region, and then moves the wiper blade from the first speed while being in contact with the second region. The relative movement may be performed at a high second speed.

  The wiper blade is relatively moved at the first speed while being in contact with the first region. Thereby, the ink adhering to the first region is wiped off by the wiper blade. Subsequently, the wiper blade is relatively moved at the second speed while being in contact with the second region. This second speed is faster than the first speed. For this reason, the ink adhering to the first region and the ink adhering to the second region can be wiped off by a series of relative movements of the wiper blade, and ink remaining on the second region is also reduced.

  (4) Prior to the relative movement of the wiper blade at the first speed, the driving means moves relative to the wiper blade at a third speed that is slower than the second speed while keeping the wiper blade in contact with the second region. You may make it.

  Thus, the series of relative movements are performed after the ink adhering to the second region is wiped off to some extent. Since the ink adhering to the second area is wiped twice in a series of wiping operations, the ink remaining on the second area is further reduced. Ink adhering to the second region is wiped off to some extent by the relative movement of the wiper blade at the third speed. For this reason, the ink is prevented from being scattered when the wiper blade is relatively moved at the second speed. Note that in the first wiping of the ink adhered to the second region, the wiper blade is relatively moved at a third speed that is slower than the second speed. For this reason, even when the ink adhering to the second region is wiped off for the first time, scattering of the ink is prevented.

  (5) The recording head is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the first area and the second area are provided side by side in the reciprocating direction of the carriage. The drive means may reciprocate the carriage with respect to the wiper blade disposed at a predetermined position.

  With this configuration, the recording head is moved relative to the wiper blade disposed at a predetermined position. As a result, the first region and the second region are moved in contact with the wiper blade disposed at a predetermined position. For this reason, since the function of the driving means can be provided in the mechanism for reciprocating the carriage, the configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus can be simplified.

  (6) Further, in the head cleaning method of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, the first region in which the first hole for discharging ink is formed, the second hole for discharging the ink is formed, and the above A recording head that has a second area on the lower surface that is inferior in water repellency to the first area and that records an image by ejecting ink onto a recording medium conveyed in a predetermined direction; and the first area or the second area And a wiper blade that is moved relative to the recording head in contact with the region, and a head cleaning method for an ink jet recording device that is applied to an ink jet recording device, wherein the wiper blade is placed in the first region. A first step in which the wiper blade is relatively moved at a first speed while being in contact; and a wiper blade is relatively moved at a second speed that is faster than the first speed while being in contact with the second region. It includes a second step, the said first step and said second step are performed in one wiping operation.

  The recording head has a first area and a second area on the lower surface. A first hole is formed in the first region, and a second hole is formed in the second region. For this reason, the ink discharged from the first hole adheres to the first region, and the ink discharged from the second hole adheres to the second region. The wiper blade is moved relative to the recording head while being in contact with the first area or the second area. Thereby, the ink adhering to the first region and the second region is wiped off. However, since the second region is inferior in water repellency to the first region, there is a possibility that ink that has not been wiped off may remain in the second region. In the head cleaning method of the present invention, the first step and the second step are performed in one wiping operation.

  In the first step, the wiper blade is moved relative to the recording head at a first speed while in contact with the first region. Thereby, the ink adhering to the first region is wiped off. In the second step, the wiper blade is moved relative to the recording head at the second speed while being in contact with the second region. For this reason, the ink adhering to the first area and the ink adhering to the second area are wiped off by a single wiping operation of the wiper blade, and the remaining ink remaining on the second area is also reduced.

  (7) In the first step, prior to the relative movement of the wiper blade at the first speed, the wiper blade is relatively moved at a third speed slower than the second speed while being in contact with the second region. It may be done.

  Thus, the series of relative movements are performed after the ink adhering to the second region is wiped off to some extent. Since the ink adhering to the second area is wiped twice in a series of wiping operations, the ink remaining on the second area is further reduced. Ink adhering to the second region is wiped off to some extent by the relative movement of the wiper blade at the third speed. For this reason, the ink is prevented from being scattered when the wiper blade is relatively moved at the second speed. Note that in the first wiping of the ink adhered to the second region, the wiper blade is relatively moved at a third speed that is slower than the second speed. For this reason, even when the ink adhering to the second region is wiped off for the first time, scattering of the ink is prevented.

  (8) In the first step, prior to the relative movement of the wiper blade at the third speed, the wiper blade may be relatively moved at the third speed while being in contact with the first region.

  Thereby, the unwiping residue of the ink adhering to the first region and the second region is further reduced.

  According to the present invention, the remaining unwiped ink adhering to the second region is reduced. Therefore, when the image is recorded by ejecting ink onto the recording medium, it is possible to prevent the ink attached to the second area from adhering to the recording medium. As a result, it is possible to prevent the image quality from being deteriorated due to unwiping of ink.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, this embodiment is only an example of this invention and embodiment may be changed suitably in the range which does not change the summary of this invention.

  First, the configuration and operation of the multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the multifunction machine 10.

  The multi-function device 10 is a multi-function device (MFD) having a printer unit 20 at the bottom and a scanner unit 12 at the top, and has a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. . The printer unit 20 is an ink jet printer that records an image by an ink jet method, and corresponds to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention. Therefore, functions other than the printer function are arbitrary. For example, the present invention can be applied to a single-function printer that does not have the scanner unit 12 and does not have a scanner function or a copy function.

  The multifunction machine 10 is mainly connected to an external information device such as a computer, and records an image or document on a recording sheet (an example of a recording medium) based on print data transmitted from the computer or the like. Note that the multifunction machine 10 is connected to a digital camera or the like, and can record image data output from the digital camera or the like on a recording sheet. The multi-function device 10 can also be loaded with various storage media such as a memory card and record image data and the like recorded on the storage media on a recording sheet.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 has a wide and thin, generally rectangular parallelepiped shape having a width and depth larger than the height. The printer unit 20 has an opening 16 formed in the front. The paper feed tray 29 and the paper discharge tray 21 are provided in two upper and lower stages inside the opening 16. The paper feed tray 29 stores recording paper, for example, recording paper of various sizes of A4 size or smaller.

  A door 28 is provided at the lower right part of the front of the printer unit 2 so as to be opened and closed. Inside the door 28, a cartridge mounting portion (not shown) is provided. When the door 28 is opened, the cartridge mounting portion is exposed to the front side, and the ink cartridge can be removed. The ink cartridge has a main tank in which ink is stored. The ink cartridge is connected to the sub tank 77 (see FIG. 10) via the ink tube 41 (see FIG. 4) by being mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. The ink supplied to the sub tank 77 is stored in the ink cartridge. In the multifunction machine 10, four color inks are used for image recording. The four color inks are cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) as a dye ink, and black (Bk) as a pigment ink. Therefore, four ink cartridges corresponding to these four colors are mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. The ink used is not limited to four colors. For example, five color inks to which photo black (PBk) as a dye ink is added may be used.

  The upper part of the multifunction machine 10 is a scanner unit 12. The scanner unit 12 reads an image of a document. The scanner unit 12 includes a flat bed scanner (FBS) and an automatic document feeder (ADF). Since the scanner unit 12 is not related to the present invention, detailed description thereof is omitted. An operation panel 14 is provided in the upper front portion of the multifunction machine 10. The operation panel 14 includes a liquid crystal display for displaying various information, an input key for the user to input information, and the like. The multifunction machine 10 operates based on an operation input from the operation panel 14.

  FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a separation inclined plate 22 is provided on the back side of the paper feed tray 29 provided on the bottom side of the multifunction machine 10. The separation inclined plate 22 is inclined so as to fall to the back side of the apparatus (the right side of the paper surface of FIG. 2). The separation inclined plate 22 separates the recording paper fed from the paper feed tray 29 and guides it upward. A conveyance path 23 is provided above the separation inclined plate 22. The conveyance path 23 is directed upward from the separation inclined plate 22, then bends to the front side of the multifunction machine 10, extends to the front side, passes through the image recording unit 24, and communicates with the paper discharge tray 21. The recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 29 is guided to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side along the conveyance path 23, reaches the image recording unit 24, and is discharged after image recording is performed by the image recording unit 24. It is discharged to the paper tray 21. The conveyance path 23 is composed of an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface that are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval except for a portion where the image recording unit 24 is disposed.

  FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a paper feed roller 25 is provided above the paper feed tray 29. The paper feed roller 25 presses the recording paper loaded on the paper feed tray 29 and feeds it to the separation inclined plate 22. The paper feed roller 25 is pivotally supported at the tip of the paper feed arm 26. The sheet feeding roller 25 is rotated by a driving force transmitted from an LF motor 85 (see FIG. 19) by a driving transmission mechanism 27 in which a plurality of gears are engaged.

  The paper feed arm 26 is moved up and down so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the paper feed tray 29 with the base shaft 26a as a rotation shaft. As shown in FIG. 3, the paper feed arm 26 is rotated downward so as to contact the paper feed tray 29 by its own weight. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 is brought into contact with the paper feed tray 29. When the paper feed tray 29 and the paper discharge tray 21 are inserted and removed from the opening 16, the paper feed arm 26 is retracted upward. The paper feed roller 25 is rotated while being pressed against the surface of the recording paper on the paper feed tray 29. As a result, the uppermost recording sheet is fed to the separating inclined plate 22 by the frictional force between the roller surface of the sheet feeding roller 25 and the recording sheet. The leading edge of the recording sheet comes into contact with the separation inclined plate 22 and is guided upward, that is, to the conveyance path 23. When the uppermost recording paper is sent out by the paper supply roller 25, the recording paper immediately below the recording paper may be sent out together due to friction or static electricity. However, the recording paper is restrained by contact with the separation inclined plate 22. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a conveyance roller 67 is provided on the upstream side of the recording sheet conveyance direction (hereinafter also simply referred to as “upstream side”) from the image recording unit 24. Although not shown in FIG. 3, a pinch roller is provided at a position facing the conveyance roller 67 across the conveyance path 23. The pinch roller is urged so as to be in pressure contact with the conveying roller 67. When the recording paper is fed to the transport path 23 by the paper feed roller 25, the recording paper enters between the transport roller 67 and the pinch roller. At that time, the pinch roller is retracted by the thickness of the recording paper and sandwiches the recording paper together with the conveying roller 67. The transport roller 67 is rotated by the driving force transmitted from the LF motor 85 (see FIG. 19). The rotational force of the conveying roller 67 is reliably transmitted to the recording sheet, and the recording sheet is conveyed onto the platen 42.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an image recording unit 24 is provided in the conveyance path 23. The image recording unit 24 includes a carriage 38 (see FIG. 4) that reciprocates in the main scanning direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3). Here, the main scanning direction is a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording paper. A recording head 39 is mounted on the carriage 38. The detailed structure of the carriage 38 will be described later. Four colors of ink are supplied to the recording head 39 from the above-described ink cartridge through the ink tube 41 (see FIG. 4). As described above, the four colors of ink are cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk). The recording head 39 selectively ejects each of these inks as minute ink droplets. In the process in which the recording paper is transported on the platen 42, ink droplets are selectively ejected from the recording head 39 while the carriage 38 is reciprocated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the recording paper transport direction. As a result, an image is recorded on the recording paper passing over the platen 42.

  A paper discharge roller 68 is provided downstream of the image recording unit 24 in the recording sheet conveyance direction (hereinafter also simply referred to as “downstream side”). A spur roller 69 is provided at a position facing the paper discharge roller 68 across the conveyance path 23. The spur roller 69 is in pressure contact with the paper discharge roller 68. An image is recorded on the recording sheet by the image recording unit 24 in the process of passing through the platen 42. When this recording sheet enters between the transport roller 68 and the spur roller 69, the recording paper is nipped by the paper discharge roller 68 and the spur roller 69. The driving force from the LF motor 85 is transmitted to the paper discharge roller 68 together with the transport roller 67. As a result, the transport roller 67 and the paper discharge roller 68 are intermittently driven with a predetermined line feed width. The rotations of the transport roller 67 and the paper discharge roller 68 are synchronized. The transport roller 67 is provided with an encoder disk 19 (see FIG. 3) and a rotary encoder 83 (see FIG. 19). The encoder disk 19 has a transparent disk shape that rotates together with the conveying roller 67, and radial marks are written at a predetermined pitch. The rotary encoder 83 detects the rotation of the encoder disk 19 by counting the marks on the rotating encoder disk 19 using a photo interrupter. The rotation of the transport roller 67 and the paper discharge roller 68 is controlled based on the detection result of the rotary encoder 83.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of guide rails 43 and 44 are provided on the upper side of the conveyance path 23. The guide rails 43 and 44 are separated from each other by a predetermined distance in the recording paper conveyance direction (up and down direction of the paper surface in FIG. 4) and extend in a direction perpendicular to the recording paper conveyance direction (left and right direction in the paper surface of FIG. 4) Has been. The carriage 38 is placed so as to be able to reciprocate in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording paper so as to straddle the guide rails 43 and 44.

  The guide rail 43 is disposed upstream of the guide rail 44. The guide rail 43 is a flat plate whose length in the width direction of the transport path 23 is longer than the reciprocating range of the carriage 38. The upper surface on the downstream side of the guide rail 43 is a guide surface 43A. The upstream end of the carriage 38 is slidably supported by the guide surface 43A.

  The guide rail 44 is disposed on the downstream side of the guide rail 43. The guide rail 44 has a flat plate shape in which the length in the width direction of the transport path 23 is substantially the same as that of the guide rail 43. The upstream edge 45 of the guide rail 44 is bent substantially perpendicularly upward. An upper surface on the downstream side of the guide rail 44 is a guide surface 44A. The downstream end of the carriage 38 is slidably supported by the guide surface 44A. The carriage 38 holds the edge 45 with a roller (not shown) or the like. Accordingly, the carriage 38 is slidably supported on the guide surfaces 43A and 44A of the guide rails 43 and 44. The carriage 38 can reciprocate in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording paper with the edge 45 of the guide rail 44 as a reference.

  A belt driving mechanism 46 is provided on the upper surface of the guide rail 44. The belt drive mechanism 46 is provided along the guide rail 44. The belt drive mechanism 46 includes a drive pulley 47, a driven pulley 48, and a timing belt 49. The drive pulley 47 and the driven pulley 48 are provided near both ends in the width direction of the transport path 23. The timing belt 49 is an endless ring having teeth on the inner side, and is stretched between the driving pulley 47 and the driven pulley 48. Teeth that mesh with the teeth of the timing belt 49 are formed on the outer periphery of the drive pulley 47. For this reason, the rotation of the drive pulley 47 is reliably transmitted to the timing belt 49, and the timing belt 49 is moved circumferentially. The carriage 38 is connected to the timing belt 49. For this reason, the carriage 38 reciprocates on the guide rails 43 and 44 based on the operation of the belt drive mechanism 46. The recording head 39 is mounted on the carriage 38. For this reason, the recording head 39 can reciprocate with the width direction of the transport path 23 (the left-right direction of the paper surface in FIG. 4) as the main scanning direction.

  The drive pulley 47 is rotatably provided at one end (the right end in FIG. 4) of the upper surface of the guide rail 44 with a direction orthogonal to the guide surface 44A as an axis. That is, the axial direction of the drive pulley 47 is the vertical direction. Although not shown in FIG. 4, a CR motor 80 (a part of the driving means of the present invention, see FIG. 19) is provided below the guide rail 44. The driving force of the CR motor 80 is transmitted to the shaft of the driving pulley 47. As a result, the drive pulley 47 is rotated and the carriage 38 is reciprocated.

  An encoder strip 54 of a linear encoder 84 (see FIG. 19) is disposed along the edge 45 of the guide rail 44. The linear encoder 84 detects the encoder strip 54 by a photo interrupter 55 mounted on the carriage 38. Based on the detection signal of the linear encoder 84, the reciprocation of the carriage 38 is controlled.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a platen 42 is disposed below the conveyance path 23 so as to face the recording head 39. The platen 42 is disposed over the central portion of the reciprocating range of the carriage 38 through which the recording paper passes. The width of the platen 42 is sufficiently larger than the maximum width of the recording paper that can be conveyed. For this reason, the recording paper is conveyed along the conveying path 23 so that both ends thereof always pass over the platen 42. The platen 42 and the guide rails 43 and 44 are parallel with a predetermined distance therebetween. For this reason, the lower surface of the recording head 39 mounted on the carriage 38 slidably moved on the guide rails 43 and 44 and the upper surface of the platen 42 are opposed to each other with a predetermined head gap.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the configuration of the purge mechanism 56. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5 of the purge mechanism 56 in which the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 are in the standby position. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5 of the purge mechanism 56 in which the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 are in the contact position.

  A maintenance unit is provided in a range where the recording paper does not pass, that is, outside the image recording range by the recording head 39 (on the left and right sides of the paper surface in FIG. 4). In the multifunction machine 10 of this embodiment, a purge mechanism 56 and a waste ink tray 57 are provided as maintenance units.

  The purge mechanism 56 sucks and removes bubbles and foreign matters from the nozzles 60 (see FIG. 9) of the recording head 39. The nozzle 60 ejects ink onto the recording paper. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the purge mechanism 56 includes a nozzle cap 152, an exhaust cap 153, a pump 154, a lift-up mechanism 155, and a wiper blade 156. The nozzle cap 152 covers the nozzle 60 (see FIG. 9) of the recording head 39. The nozzle 60 corresponds to the first hole of the present invention. The exhaust cap 153 is connected to the port 58 (see FIG. 9) of the recording head 39. This port 58 is an example of the second hole of the present invention. The pump 154 is connected to the nozzle cap 152 or the exhaust cap 153 and performs a suction operation. The lift-up mechanism 155 brings the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 into contact with and away from the recording head 39. The wiper blade 156 wipes ink adhering to the nozzle surface 17 (see FIG. 9) and the exhaust surface 18 (see FIG. 9) of the recording head 39. In the present embodiment, the nozzle surface 17 corresponds to the first region of the present invention, and the exhaust surface 18 corresponds to the second region of the present invention.

  The nozzle cap 152 is a rubber cap capable of sealing the periphery of the nozzle 60 of the recording head 39. The nozzle cap 152 is divided into two spaces according to CMY color ink and black ink (Bk). Support members 157 and 158 are fitted into the two spaces, respectively, and the lip portion of the nozzle cap 152 is prevented from falling. Although not shown in the drawing, an air inlet is opened at the bottom of each space of the nozzle cap 152. Each intake port is connected to a pump 154 via a switching mechanism 159 in which a port is switched by a cam.

  The exhaust cap 153 is a rubber cap capable of sealing the periphery of the port 58 (see FIG. 9) of the recording head 39. In the exhaust cap 153, four push rods 160 corresponding to the ports 58 of the respective color inks of CMYBk are extended vertically upward. By inserting the push rod 160 into the port 58, the check valve (not shown) of the port 58 is relieved. The push rod 160 is provided so as to be able to protrude from the exhaust cap 153 upward (upward in the plane of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7). For example, three push rods 160 corresponding to CMY color inks and one push rod 160 corresponding to black ink (Bk) can be independently projected and retracted. By projecting the three push rods 160, the push rods 160 are inserted into the three ports 58 corresponding to the color inks. In addition, the push rod 160 is inserted into the port 58 corresponding to the black ink by protruding the one push rod 160. An intake port 161 is opened at the bottom of the exhaust cap 153. The intake port 161 is connected to the pump 154 via the switching mechanism 159.

  The switching mechanism 159 selectively performs a state in which the intake passage connected to the intake port of the nozzle cap 152 and the intake passage connected to the intake port 161 of the exhaust cap 153 are respectively connected to or disconnected from the pump 154.

  The pump 154 is a so-called rotary pump. The pump 154 is sucked by rotating the pump gear. A driving force is input to the pump gear through the bevel gear 162. Although details of the pump gear and the drive transmission mechanism to the pump gear are not shown in the figure, the pump gear is rotated based on the rotation input to the bevel gear 162, and the pump 154 performs a suction operation.

  The lift-up mechanism 155 is configured so that the holder 163 can be moved in parallel between a standby position and a contact position by a pair of left and right equal-length links 164. FIG. 6 shows the holder 163 in the standby position. FIG. 7 shows the holder 163 in the close contact position. The holder 163 is translated in an arc shape in the left-right direction (reciprocating direction of the carriage 38) in FIGS. Although not shown in the figure, the holder 163 is spring-biased and is always positioned at the standby position. The holder 163 is provided with a contact lever 165 protruding vertically upward. When the carriage 38 pushes the contact lever 165 rightward in FIG. 6, the holder 163 is moved to the contact position (see FIG. 7) against the spring bias. A nozzle cap 152 and an exhaust cap 153 are mounted on the holder 163. The nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 are mounted in a state of being biased upward by coil springs 166 and 167, respectively. By moving the holder 163 to the contact position, the nozzle cap 152 is brought into close contact with the periphery of the nozzle 60, and the exhaust cap 153 is brought into close contact with the periphery of the port 58. In the contact position, the coil springs 166 and 167 are contracted, and the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 are elastically biased by the coil springs 166 and 167. Thereby, the airtight state is maintained with respect to the nozzle 60 and the port 58 of the recording head 39.

  The wiper blade 156 is provided in the wiper holder 168 so as to appear and retract. The wiper blade 156 is a rubber blade having a length corresponding to the length of the lower surface of the recording head 39 in the conveyance direction. The wiper blade 156 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the recording head 39 by protruding from the wiper holder 168. The recording head 39 has a nozzle surface 17 and an exhaust surface 18 on the lower surface. The recording head 39 is slid together with the carriage 38 with the wiper blade 156 in contact with the lower surface of the recording head 39. As a result, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 17 and the ink adhering to the exhaust surface 18 are wiped off by the wiper blade 156. The appearance and removal of the wiper blade 156 is controlled by a cam mechanism (not shown). The wiper blade 156 protrudes toward the lower surface of the recording head 39 when the recording head 39 finishes purging and is slid to the image recording area side.

  The carriage 38 is moved so that the recording head 39 is positioned on the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 when air bubbles are sucked and removed from the recording head 39. Specifically, the carriage 38 is moved so that the nozzle 60 is positioned on the nozzle cap 152 and the port 58 is positioned on the exhaust cap 153. When the contact lever 165 is pushed by the carriage 38, the lift-up mechanism 155 moves the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 to the close contact position. As a result, the nozzle cap 152 is in close contact with the nozzle surface 17 so as to seal the periphery of the nozzle 60, and the exhaust cap 153 is in close contact with the exhaust surface 18 so as to seal the periphery of the port 58. The switching mechanism 159 switches the nozzle cap 152, the exhaust cap 153, and the pump 154 to a predetermined connection or cutoff state. For example, when ink is sucked from the nozzles 60 of the recording head 39, the nozzle cap 152 is switched to the connected state and the exhaust cap 153 is switched to the blocked state. In this state, when the driving force of the LF motor 85 (see FIG. 19) is input to the pump 154, the pump 154 performs a suction operation (suction purge). By the suction operation of the pump 154, the inside of the nozzle cap 152 is set to a negative pressure, and ink is sucked from the nozzles 60 of the recording head 39. Air bubbles and foreign matter in the nozzle 60 are removed by suction together with the ink. For example, when air (bubbles) is sucked from the port 58 of the recording head 39, the exhaust cap 153 is switched to the connected state and the nozzle cap 152 is switched to the blocked state. In this state, when the driving force of the LF motor 85 (see FIG. 19) is input to the pump 154, the pump 154 performs a suction operation (exhaust operation). By the suction operation of the pump 154, the inside of the exhaust cap 153 is made negative pressure, and air is sucked from the port 58 of the recording head 39. At that time, the ink in the recording head 39 flows out together with the air. Thereafter, when the carriage 38 is slid and moved away from the contact lever 165, the lift-up mechanism 155 moves the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 to the standby position. Further, the wiper blade 156 comes into contact with the lower surface 126 (see FIG. 18) of the recording head 39 mounted on the carriage 38 that slides, and the ink attached to the lower surface 126 is wiped off.

  The purge mechanism 56 is also operated as a capping mechanism without performing a purge operation. At the time of capping, the carriage 38 is moved so that the recording head 39 is positioned on the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 as described above. When the contact lever 165 is pushed by the carriage 38, the lift-up mechanism 155 moves the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 to the close contact position. As a result, the nozzle cap 152 is in close contact with the nozzle surface 17 so as to seal the periphery of the nozzle 60, and the exhaust cap 153 is in close contact with the exhaust surface 18 so as to seal the periphery of the port 58.

  The waste ink tray 57 (see FIG. 4) is for receiving idle ink discharge from the recording head 39 called flushing. As shown in FIG. 4, the waste ink tray 57 is provided within the reciprocating range of the carriage 38 and outside the image recording range. The waste ink tray 57 is provided integrally with the platen 42. By these maintenance units, maintenance such as removal of air bubbles and mixed color ink in the recording head 39 is performed.

  Ink is supplied to the recording head 39 through an ink tube 41 (see FIG. 4) connected to an ink cartridge (not shown). The ink cartridge is provided for each ink color, and each color ink is supplied to the recording head 39 by an independent ink tube 41 for each color. Each ink tube 41 is a tube made of synthetic resin and has flexibility. Accordingly, each ink tube 41 follows the recording head 39 while changing its posture as the carriage 38 reciprocates.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each ink tube 41 connected to the ink cartridge is pulled out to the vicinity of the center along the width direction of the apparatus, and is fixed to a fixing clip 59 of the apparatus frame. In FIG. 4, the ink tube 41 extending from the fixed clip 59 to the ink cartridge side is omitted. From the fixed clip 59 to the carriage 38, the ink tube 41 is not fixed to the apparatus frame or the like, and changes its posture following the reciprocation of the carriage 38. That is, as the carriage 38 moves to one end in the reciprocating direction (on the left side of the paper surface in FIG. 4), each ink tube 41 is bent so that the bending radius of the U-shaped curved portion becomes smaller. Move in the direction of movement. On the other hand, as the carriage 38 moves to the other end in the reciprocating direction (the right side of the paper surface in FIG. 4), each ink tube 41 moves in the moving direction of the carriage 38 while bending so that the bending radius of the curved portion increases. To do.

  Next, the carriage 38 will be described in detail. FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view showing the external configuration of the carriage 38. FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the carriage 38 showing the recording head 39. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the carriage 38, showing a state where the carriage cover 121 is removed from the carriage 38. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the tank unit 70 accommodated in the carriage 38. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the carriage 38 with the tank unit 70 removed. In FIG. 8, the guide rail 43 is omitted, and in FIG. 9, the guide rails 43 and 44 are omitted. 10 and 13 show the carriage 38 removed from the guide rails 43 and 44. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the carriage 38 includes a carriage body 120 and a carriage cover 121. The carriage body 120 is mounted with a recording head 39 (see FIG. 9). The carriage cover 121 covers a part of the upper surface of the carriage body 120. A box portion 122 and an arm portion 123 are formed on the carriage body 120.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the box portion 122 is formed in a box shape whose upper surface is open. As shown in FIG. 10, a unit main body 71 of a tank unit 70 (see FIG. 11) described later is accommodated in the box portion 122. The box portion 122 accommodates the head control board 33 (see FIG. 19) so as to be disposed on the unit main body 71. Thereby, the recording head 39 is configured in the box portion 122. The upper surface of the box portion 122 is closed by the carriage cover 121 (see FIG. 8) while holding the head control board 33 and the unit main body 71 of the tank unit 70 in this way. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the tank unit 70 is accommodated in the carriage 38, but the head control board 33 disposed on the tank unit 70 is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, the arm portion 123 is formed so as to extend from the box portion 122 to the downstream side (the lower side of the paper surface of FIG. 8). The arm portion 123 has a recess 127 formed so as to be recessed downward with respect to the plane 128. The recess 127 accommodates an extension 72 (see FIG. 11) formed so as to extend downstream from the unit main body 71 of the tank unit 70 (in the direction indicated by the arrow 119 in FIGS. 10 to 12). That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the tank unit 70 is held by the carriage 38 by the unit main body 71 being accommodated in the box portion 122 and the extending portion 72 being accommodated in the concave portion 127.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the carriage body 120 is provided with sliding members 91 and 93. The sliding members 91 and 93 are in sliding contact with the guide rails 43 and 44 (see FIG. 4) to support the carriage body 120 at a predetermined height. The sliding member 91 is provided at the end of the box portion 122 on the upstream side (the upper side of the paper surface of FIG. 8). As shown in FIG. 4, the sliding member 91 is slidably supported on the guide surface 43 </ b> A of the guide rail 43. The two sliding members 93 are provided at the end of the arm portion 123 on the downstream side (the lower side in FIG. 8). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the sliding member 93 is slidably supported on the guide surface 44 </ b> A of the guide rail 44. As a result, the carriage 38 reciprocates in a direction substantially perpendicular to the recording sheet conveyance direction (left and right direction in FIG. 4) with the recording head 39 mounted. Although not described in detail, the carriage 38 is configured such that the sliding members 91 and 93 hold the upstream side and the downstream side of the carriage body 120 at the same height. That is, the carriage body 120 is always maintained parallel to the guide surfaces 43A and 44A of the guide rails 43 and 44. Thereby, the recording head 39 mounted on the carriage main body 120 is kept horizontal.

  Next, the tank unit 70 will be described in detail. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the tank unit 70. FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the tank unit 70. FIG. 15 is a side view of the tank unit 70 as seen from the arrow XV in FIG. FIG. 16 is a side view of the tank unit 70 as seen from the arrow XVI in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13 to 15, the tank unit 70 includes a unit main body 71 and an extending portion 72. The unit main body 71 stores ink supplied from an ink cartridge (not shown), and has a sub tank 77 (see FIG. 16). The extension part 72 distributes the ink supplied through the ink tube 41 (see FIG. 4) to the unit main body 71. In the present embodiment, the unit main body 71 and the extending portion 72 are integrally formed of polypropylene, and a film is welded to a part thereof. The extension 72 has a connector 76 (see FIG. 11) and a flow path 97 (see FIG. 14).

  As shown in FIGS. 11, 13, and 14, the extension portion 72 is provided with a connector 76 to which the ink tube 41 is connected. The connector 76 is an opening to which the ink tube 41 is connected via a tube joint. This tube joint is not shown in the figure and is omitted. Since the multi-function device 10 uses four colors of ink, the extension portion 72 is provided with four connectors 76Bk, 76Y, 76C, and 76M. That is, the ink tube 41 through which Bk (black) color ink is distributed is connected to the connector 76Bk. An ink tube 41 through which Y (yellow) color ink is distributed is connected to the connector 76Y. An ink tube 41 through which C (cyan) color ink is distributed is connected to the connector 76C. An ink tube 41 through which M (magenta) color ink is distributed is connected to the connector 76M. In addition, the thing which the code | symbol of "Bk" was provided to the component demonstrated below means that Bk color ink is distribute | circulated. Similarly, “C” sign means that the C color ink is distributed, and “M” sign means that the M color ink is distributed. Those given the symbol “Y” mean that Y color ink is distributed.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the unit main body 71 is formed with a flow path 73 (73Bk, 73Y, 73C, 73M) through which inks of colors C, M, Y, and Bk circulate. The upper surface of the flow path 73 is composed of a substantially transparent film 96. For this reason, in FIG.11 and FIG.13, the flow path 73 provided in the inside of the unit main body 71 appears in the figure. As shown in FIG. 14, a flow path 97 (97Bk, 97Y, 97C, 97M) is formed in the extension portion 72. The flow path 97 is an ink flow path provided between the connector 76 and the flow path 73. The flow path 97 is configured integrally with the flow path 73. The flow path 97 and the flow path 73 are provided so as to extend in the recording sheet conveyance direction (the direction indicated by the arrow 119 in FIG. 10). For example, the Bk color ink that has flowed into the connector 76Bk from the ink tube 41 flows to the flow path 73Bk through the flow path 97Bk. In addition, the flow path 97 is comprised by the film 95 (refer FIG. 14) with a transparent lower surface, and the other part is comprised by the translucent polypropylene. For this reason, the flow path 97 does not appear in FIG. 10, FIG. 11, and FIG. Although not described in detail, the C, M, and Y color inks also flow through the flow path 97 and the flow path 73 provided for each ink, as in the case of the Bk color ink.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13 to 16, the unit main body 71 includes a flow path 73, a damper portion 75, a sub tank 77, and an exhaust portion 74.

  The flow path 73 is a passage through which ink passes through the flow path 97 as described above. The ink in the flow path 73 flows into the damper portion 75 (75Bk, 75Y, 75C, 75M). The damper portion 75 (see FIG. 15) is for absorbing the dynamic pressure due to the reciprocating motion of the carriage 38 (see FIG. 4). In other words, the damper portion 75 prevents ink from being ejected from the nozzle 60 (see FIG. 9) due to pressure generated due to the reciprocating movement of the carriage 38. The upper and lower surfaces of the four damper portions 75Bk, 75Y, 75C, and 75M are each formed of a film. That is, the damper portion 75 is configured such that its volume can be increased or decreased to absorb the dynamic pressure.

  The damper portion 75Y (see FIG. 15) is where Y color ink flows from the flow path 73Y (see FIG. 11). As shown in FIG. 15, the damper portion 75 </ b> Y has an upper surface made of a film 96 and a lower surface made of a film 88. That is, the film 96 serves also as the upper surface of the flow paths 73Bk, 73Y, 73C, and 73M and the upper surface of the damper portion 75Y. As is clear from this, the damper portion 75Y is provided on the same plane as the flow path 73.

  The damper portion 75Bk (see FIG. 15) is where Bk color ink flows from the flow path 73Bk (see FIG. 11), and is provided directly below the damper portion 75Y. For this reason, the damper portion 75Bk does not appear in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the damper portion 75 </ b> Bk has an upper surface made of a film 88 and a lower surface made of a film 37. That is, the film 88 (see FIG. 15) serves as both the lower surface of the damper portion 75Y and the upper surface of the damper portion 75Bk. The damper portion 75Bk is provided below the channel 73Bk (see FIG. 11) (below the paper surface in FIG. 15). For this reason, the unit main body 71 is formed with a flow path extending in a substantially vertical direction so as to connect the flow path 73Bk and the damper portion 75Bk.

  The damper portion 75C (see FIG. 15) is where the C color ink flows from the flow path 73C (see FIG. 11). As shown in FIG. 15, the damper portion 75 </ b> C is provided below the damper portion 75 </ b> Bk (lower side of the paper in FIG. 15) with a space 90 therebetween. The damper portion 75C has an upper surface made of the film 92 and a lower surface made of the film 86. The damper portion 75C is provided below the channel 73C (see FIG. 11) (below the paper surface in FIG. 15). For this reason, the unit main body 71 is formed with a flow path extending in the vertical direction so as to connect the flow path 73C and the damper portion 75C.

  The damper portion 75M (see FIGS. 14 and 15) is where M color ink flows from the flow path 73M (see FIG. 11), and is provided directly below the damper portion 75C. For this reason, the damper part 75M does not appear in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the damper portion 75 </ b> M has an upper surface made of a film 86 and a lower surface made of a film 89. That is, the film 86 (see FIG. 15) serves as both the lower surface of the damper portion 75C and the upper surface of the damper portion 75M. The damper part 75M is provided below the flow path 73M (see FIG. 11) (below the paper surface in FIG. 15). For this reason, the unit main body 71 is formed with a flow path 35 (see FIG. 15) extending in a substantially vertical direction so as to connect the flow path 73M and the damper portion 75M.

  The damper portions 75Bk, 75Y, 75C, and 75M are easily changed in volume because the upper and lower surfaces are made of film as described above. Moreover, each damper part 75 is connected with the nozzle 60 (refer FIG. 9). When ink flows from the flow path 73 side by the reciprocation of the carriage 38, the volume of the damper portion 75 increases. Thereby, the damper part 75 prevents that the ink is supplied more than necessary from the damper part 75 to the nozzle 60 and prevents the ejection of normal ink from being hindered. When ink flows out to the flow path 73 side by the reciprocation of the carriage 38, the volume of the damper portion 75 decreases. As a result, the damper unit 75 prevents the ink supplied to the nozzle 60 from being sucked toward the damper unit 75 and hindering normal ink ejection.

  The sub tank 77 (77Bk, 77Y, 77C, 77M) stores ink supplied from the ink cartridge through the ink tube 41 (see FIG. 4). That is, although not shown in the drawing, the sub tank 77 communicates with the damper portion 75 inside the unit main body 71, and the ink flowing from the damper portion 75 is stored. As shown in FIG. 11, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, and FIG. 16, the sub tanks 77Bk, 77Y, 77C, and 77M have a cylindrical shape that opens vertically. As shown in FIG. 16, the sub tanks 77Bk, 77Y, 77C, and 77M are integrally configured so as to be aligned in the same reciprocating direction of the carriage 38 (the left-right direction on the paper surface of FIG. 16). As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the film 96 is provided on the upper surface of the sub tank 77. Thereby, the upper surfaces of the sub tanks 77Bk, 77Y, 77C, and 77M are all closed. As shown in FIG. 14, an opening 40 (40Bk, 40Y, 40M, 40C) around which a closing member such as rubber is provided is provided on the lower surface of the sub tank 77.

  The exhaust part 74 (74C, 74M, 74Y, 74Bk) exhausts the air in the recording head 39 as shown in FIG. The exhaust part 74 may be used for releasing the air in the sub tank 77 (77C, 77M, 77Y, 77Bk) to the atmosphere. The C, M, Y, and Bk exhaust portions 74 are arranged in the recording sheet conveyance direction (the direction indicated by the arrow 119 in FIG. 11). A flow path 98 (98C, 98M, 98Y, 98Bk) is provided between the exhaust part 74 and the sub tank 77. The flow path 98 is formed on substantially the same plane as the flow path 73, and the upper surface thereof is closed by the film 96. As shown in FIG. 13, the sub-tank 77C stores C-color ink and communicates with the exhaust part 74C via a flow path 98C. The sub tank 77M stores M-color ink, and communicates with the exhaust part 74M via the flow path 98M. The sub tank 77Y stores Y-color ink, and communicates with the exhaust part 74Y through the flow path 98Y. The sub tank 77Bk stores Bk ink and communicates with the exhaust part 74Bk through the flow path 98Bk. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13 to 15, the exhaust part 74 is configured integrally with four sub tanks 77 and four damper parts 75.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 14, the exhaust part 74 (74C, 74M, 74Y, 74Bk) has a port 58 (58C, 58M, 58Y, 58Bk) on the lower surface. The port 58 is a hole for discharging the air in the recording head 39. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, an exhaust surface 18 is formed at the lower ends of the four exhaust portions 74C, 74M, 74Y, and 74Bk. The exhaust surface 18 is formed flat so as to form the same plane as the nozzle surface 17 (see FIG. 9) in a state where the tank unit 70 is accommodated in the carriage 38. Although not shown in the figure, a check valve is provided inside each exhaust part 74. This check valve is urged toward the port 58 by a coil spring, for example. For this reason, the port 58 is closed in a state where no external force is transmitted to the check valve. Therefore, the sub tank 77 communicating with the exhaust part 74 is maintained in an airtight state. The port 58 of the exhaust part 74 is opened by inserting the push rod 160 of the purge mechanism 56 (see FIG. 5). That is, the check valve is pushed into the exhaust part 74 against the urging force. Thereby, each port 58 is relieved. In this state, the pump 154 creates a negative pressure in the exhaust cap 153 (see FIG. 5), so that the air accumulated in the sub tank 77 is sucked and removed to the outside. For example, the air in the sub tank 77C that stores the C-color ink after the port 58C is relieved is sucked and removed to the outside through the flow path 74C, the exhaust part 77C, and the port 58C.

  FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the recording head 39.

  As shown in FIG. 17, a cavity 62 is formed on the upstream side of the nozzle 60 (see FIG. 9) formed on the lower surface of the recording head 39. The cavity 62 includes a piezoelectric element 61. The piezoelectric element 61 is deformed by applying a predetermined voltage, and the volume of the cavity 62 is reduced. Due to the volume change of the cavity 62, the ink in the cavity 62 is ejected from the nozzle 60 as ink droplets. A cavity 62 is provided for each nozzle 60, and a manifold 63 is formed across the plurality of cavities 62. The manifold 63 is provided for each CMYBk ink.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a head plate 129 is provided in the box portion 122 of the carriage 38. The head plate 129 constitutes a part of the recording head 39. That is, the head plate 129 is provided with the nozzle 60 on the back surface and the cavity 62 and the manifold 63 therein (see FIG. 17). At positions adjacent to the head plate 129, connection ports 31 arranged in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38 (the direction indicated by the arrow 94 in FIG. 12) are provided. The connection port 31 is provided for each CMYBk ink. The sub tank 77 is connected so that each opening 40 is in close contact with the connection port 31 by accommodating the tank unit 70 in the carriage 38. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 17, the sub tank 77 is arranged on the upstream side of the manifold 63. The sub tank 77 is provided for each ink of CMYBk. Ink is supplied to each sub tank 77C, 77M, 77Y, 77Bk from the damper portion 75 (see FIG. 15) through the ink supply port 65. Once the ink is stored in the sub tank 77, bubbles generated in the ink are captured by the ink tube 41 or the like. This prevents bubbles from entering the cavity 62 and the manifold 63. Bubbles trapped in the sub tank 77 are sucked and removed from the bubble discharge port 66 by the purge mechanism 56 (see FIG. 5) through the exhaust part 74 (see FIG. 11). The ink supplied from the sub tank 77 to the manifold 63 is distributed to each cavity 62 by the manifold 63.

  In this way, an ink passage that flows to the cavity 62 via the sub tank 77 and the manifold 63 is formed for each color ink supplied from the ink cartridge through the ink tube 41. The CMYBk color inks supplied through the ink passages are selectively ejected from the nozzles 60 to the recording paper as ink droplets by selective deformation of the piezoelectric elements 61.

  FIG. 18 is a bottom view showing the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18 of the recording head 39.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 18, the recording head 39 has the nozzle surface 17 on which the nozzle 60 is formed and the exhaust surface 18 on which the port 58 is formed on the lower surface 126 (see FIG. 9). The nozzles 60 are arranged in the recording paper conveyance direction for each of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) inks. Note that the upper side of the paper surface in FIG. 18 is the recording paper conveyance direction, and the left-right direction is the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38. That is, the nozzles 60 of the CMYBk inks are arranged in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38. The pitch and number of the nozzles 60 in the transport direction are appropriately set in consideration of the resolution of the recorded image. Further, the number of rows of nozzles 60 may be increased or decreased according to the number of colors of color ink.

  Although not shown in the figure, an opening is provided on the lower surface of the carriage 38 (see FIG. 12). This opening is formed so as to be aligned with the head plate 129 in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38 (the direction indicated by the arrow 94 in FIG. 12). This opening is provided in order to expose the exhaust surface 18 of the exhaust unit 74 to the lower surface 126 (see FIG. 9) of the recording head 39. When the tank unit 70 (see FIG. 11) is accommodated in the box portion 122 (see FIG. 12), the exhaust surface 18 (see FIG. 14) is exposed to the lower surface 126 so as to form the same plane as the nozzle surface 17. (See FIGS. 9 and 18). The exhaust surface 18 is formed so that the ports 58 are arranged in the recording sheet conveyance direction. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9, the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18 are provided side by side in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38 (left and right direction of the paper surface of FIG. 9).

  FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the control unit 100 of the multifunction machine 10.

  The control unit 100 (a part of the driving means of the present invention) controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 10. As shown in FIG. 19, the control unit 100 mainly includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) 104. It is configured as a microcomputer. The control unit 100 is connected to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 130 via a bus 107.

  The ROM 102 stores a program for the CPU 101 to control various operations of the multifunction machine 10. The RAM 103 is used as a storage area or a work area for temporarily recording various data used when the CPU 101 executes the program. The EEPROM 104 stores settings, flags, and the like that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

  The ASIC 130 includes a head control board 33, a drive circuit 82 (a part of the drive means of the present invention), a drive circuit 81, a scanner unit 12 (see FIG. 1), an operation unit panel 14 (see FIG. 1), a rotary encoder 83, And a linear encoder 84 is connected.

  The head control board 33 drives and controls the recording head 39 based on the image signal input from the ASIC 130. Thus, each color ink is selectively ejected from the nozzle 60 (see FIG. 18) of the recording head 39 at a predetermined timing, and an image is recorded on the recording paper.

  The drive circuit 82 supplies a drive signal to a CR (carriage) motor 80 based on a phase excitation signal or the like input from the ASIC 130. The CR motor 80 that has received this drive signal rotates to control the reciprocation of the carriage 38 (see FIG. 4). The reciprocation of the carriage 38 is also controlled by the control unit 100 during head cleaning of the recording head 39.

  The drive circuit 81 drives the LF motor 85. The LF motor 85 is connected to a paper feed roller 25 (see FIG. 3), a transport roller 67 (see FIG. 3), a paper discharge roller 68 (see FIG. 3), and a purge mechanism 56. The drive circuit 81 receives the output signal from the ASIC 130 and drives the LF motor 85. The driving force of the LF motor 85 is selectively transmitted to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 67, the paper discharge roller 68, and the purge mechanism 56 via a known drive mechanism including gears, drive shafts, and the like.

  The scanner unit 12 reads an image of a document. The operation panel 14 includes an input key for a user to input information, a liquid crystal display device for displaying various information, and the like.

  The rotary encoder 83 detects the rotation amount of the transport roller 67. The control unit 100 controls the conveyance of the recording paper based on the detection result of the rotary encoder 83. The linear encoder 84 detects the amount of movement of the carriage 38. The control unit 100 controls the reciprocation of the carriage 38 based on the detection result of the linear encoder 84. Although not described in detail, the ASIC 130 has a slot portion into which various small memory cards are inserted, a parallel interface (parallel I / F) for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device such as a personal computer via a parallel cable or a USB cable. ), A USB interface (USB I / F) or the like is connected.

  The control unit 100 is configured by a main board (not shown). As shown in FIG. 4, various signals are transmitted from the main board to the recording head 39 through the flat cable 30. The flat cable 30 is a thin ribbon having a conductor for transmitting an electric signal covered with a synthetic resin film such as a polyester film for insulation. The flat cable 30 electrically connects the main board and the head control board 33 (see FIG. 19) of the recording head 39. The flat cable 30 is led out from the carriage 38 in the reciprocating direction, and is bent in a substantially U shape in the vertical direction. The substantially U-shaped portion is not fixed to other members, and changes its posture following the reciprocation of the carriage 38.

  Incidentally, the nozzle surface 17 (see FIG. 18) is subjected to water repellent treatment so as not to leave ink adhering to the nozzle surface 17. In the present embodiment, a polyimide film is bonded to the nozzle surface 17 using a thermosetting epoxy resin. For this reason, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 17 can be removed relatively easily by a wiping operation using the wiper blade 156 (see FIG. 5). The peripheral surface 34 formed so as to surround the nozzle surface 17 is made of a material having high hydrophilicity so that the attached ink does not become ink droplets. As described above, the nozzle surface 17 is subjected to water repellent treatment to prevent ink from being left unwiped, and the peripheral surface 34 having high hydrophilicity is provided around the nozzle surface 17, so that an image is recorded on the recording paper. At this time, ink adhering to the nozzle surface 17 and its periphery is preferably prevented from adhering to the recording paper.

  On the other hand, the exhaust surface 18 is configured by a member different from the nozzle surface 17. Specifically, the exhaust surface 18 is configured by integrally forming the exhaust part 74, the sub tank 77, and the damper part 75 as described above. The exhaust surface 18 needs to be formed flat because ink is wiped off by the wiper blade 156. For this reason, the exhaust part 74 needs to be comprised with the material which has a certain amount of rigidity so that it may not deform | transform easily when the wiper blade 156 is slid. In addition, films 96, 88, 37, 92, 86, 89 (see FIG. 15) are thermally welded to the damper portion 75 in order to absorb the dynamic pressure generated by the reciprocating motion of the carriage 38. If the tank unit 70 is made of a material that may be deformed by heat welding these films, the exhaust surface 18 cannot be made flat. For this reason, in this embodiment, the tank unit 70 is comprised with the polypropylene so that it may not deform | transform easily when heat-welding a film.

  As described above, the ink flowing out from the sub tank 77 through the port 58 may adhere to the exhaust surface 18. For this reason, it is preferable to perform the water repellent treatment on the exhaust surface 18 as well as the nozzle surface 17. However, in the present embodiment, the tank unit 70 is made of polypropylene for the reasons described above. Polypropylene has a melting point of about 180 ° C. On the other hand, the temperature at which the thermosetting epoxy resin is cured when the polyimide film is bonded to the nozzle surface 17 is about 150 ° C. For this reason, if the water repellent treatment is performed on the exhaust surface 18, the exhaust surface 18 is deformed, and as a result, the moldability of the tank unit 70 may not be maintained. Therefore, the exhaust surface 18 is not subjected to water repellent treatment, and the exhaust surface 18 is inferior in water repellency to the nozzle surface 17.

  The recording head 39 is connected to a sub tank 77 (see FIG. 17) in which ink is stored, and ink is supplied from the sub tank 77. The suction purge is performed in a state where the ink thus supplied is stored in the sub tank 77. That is, when the pump 154 is driven in a state where the nozzle cap 152 (see FIG. 5) is in close contact with the nozzle surface 17, ink is sucked and removed from the nozzle 60 (see FIG. 18). A part of this ink adheres to the nozzle surface 17. In addition, a suction operation (exhaust operation) for discharging the air in the sub tank 77 from the exhaust unit 74 is performed on the recording head 39. That is, when the pump 154 is driven in a state where the exhaust cap 153 (see FIG. 5) is in close contact with the exhaust surface 18, the air in the sub tank 77 is sucked and removed from the port 58. At this time, the ink in the sub tank 77 flows out from the port 58 together with the air in the recording head 39, and this ink adheres to the exhaust surface 18. Thus, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18 is suitably wiped off by performing head cleaning in the manner described below.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the head cleaning operation performed in the printer unit 20. FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram illustrating a series of head cleaning procedures performed in the printer unit 20. FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram for explaining a series of head cleaning procedures performed in the printer unit 20. Hereinafter, a head cleaning method of the ink jet recording apparatus applied to the printer unit 20 will be described. The movement of the carriage 38 when the following procedure is performed is controlled by the control unit 100 based on the detection signal of the linear encoder 84.

  First, the control unit 100 drives the CR motor 80 to move the carriage 38 to the cap position (S1). Specifically, the control unit 100 moves the carriage 38 so that the recording head 39 (see FIG. 9) is positioned on the nozzle cap 152 (see FIG. 5) and the exhaust cap 153 (see FIG. 5). Accordingly, the carriage 38 has the nozzle surface 17 (see FIG. 18) positioned on the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust surface 18 (see FIG. 18) disposed on the exhaust cap 153. At this time, since the carriage 38 pushes the contact lever 165 rightward in FIG. 6, the holder 163 is moved to the contact position (see FIG. 7) against the spring bias. As a result, the nozzle cap 152 is in close contact with the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust cap 153 is in close contact with the exhaust surface 18 (see FIG. 21A).

  When the process of step S1 is completed, the control unit 100 performs a suction operation (suction purge) on the nozzle 60 (S2). Specifically, the control unit 100 drives the switching mechanism 159 so that the nozzle cap 152 is in the connected state and the exhaust cap 153 is in the blocked state. Thereby, the suction operation with respect to the nozzle 60 becomes possible. In this state, the controller 100 drives the pump 154 (see FIG. 5) to perform a suction operation. By the suction operation of the pump 154, the inside of the nozzle cap 152 is set to a negative pressure, and ink is sucked from the nozzle 60 (see FIG. 21A). Air bubbles and foreign matters in the nozzle 60 are removed by suction together with this ink. At that time, the ink sucked from the nozzle 60 adheres to the nozzle surface 17 (see FIG. 18) (see FIG. 21B).

  Subsequently, the control unit 100 performs a suction operation (exhaust operation) on the port 58 (S3). Specifically, the control unit 100 drives the switching mechanism 159 so that the exhaust cap 153 is connected and the nozzle cap 152 is blocked. By inserting the push rod 160 (see FIG. 5) into the port 58 (see FIG. 18), the check valve (not shown) of the port 58 is relieved. In this state, the control unit 100 drives the pump 154 to perform a suction operation. By the suction operation of the pump 154, the inside of the exhaust cap 153 is set to a negative pressure, and the air in the exhaust part 74 (see FIG. 11) is sucked from the port 58 (see FIG. 21B). The exhaust part 74 is in communication with the sub tank 77 through the flow path 98. Therefore, ink flows out from the sub tank 77 through the exhaust part 74 and the port 58. The ink flowing out from the port 58 in this way adheres to the exhaust surface 18 (see FIG. 18) (see FIG. 21C).

  Since the ink adheres to the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18 as described above, the control unit 100 wipes the ink from the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18 by relatively moving the wiper blade 156. Therefore, the wiper blade 156 protrudes from the wiper holder 168 (see FIG. 5) toward the lower surface 126 (see FIG. 9) of the recording head 39 (see FIG. 21 (c)).

  The control unit 100 moves the carriage 38 at the first speed while keeping the wiper blade 156 that has moved up in contact with the nozzle surface 17 (S4). Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 21D and 21E, the control unit 100 sets the wiper blade 156 in contact with the nozzle surface 17 at a speed of 4 ips (inch per second). The carriage 38 is moved at an example of one speed. This first speed is the same speed as a third speed described later in the present embodiment. Since the recording head 39 is mounted on the carriage 38, it naturally moves in the same manner as the carriage 38. Therefore, the nozzle surface 17 (see FIG. 18) and the exhaust surface 18 (see FIG. 18) are moved at a speed of 4 ips with respect to the wiper blade 156 arranged at a predetermined position by the process of step S4. At that time, since the wiper blade 156 is in contact with the nozzle surface 17, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 17 is wiped off by the wiper blade 156 (see FIGS. 21D and 21E). When the wiping of the ink on the nozzle surface 17 is completed, the wiper blade 156 comes into contact with the peripheral surface 34 (see FIG. 18) between the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18.

  Subsequently, the control unit 100 moves the carriage 38 at the third speed while keeping the wiper blade 156 in contact with the exhaust surface 18 (S5). Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 21 (e) and 21 (f), the control unit 100 sets the speed of 4 ips (inch per second) while keeping the wiper blade 156 in contact with the exhaust surface 18 (the first of the present invention). The carriage 38 is moved at an example of 3 speeds (S2). That is, the carriage 38 is moved in the same direction and at the same speed as when the wiper blade 156 is in contact with the nozzle surface 17. In other words, the first speed in the process of step S4 and the third speed in step S5 are the same speed. The third speed here is a speed slower than a second speed described later. That is, when the first speed is V1, the second speed is V2, and the third speed is V3, these speeds have a relationship of V1 = V3 <V2 in the present embodiment. The exhaust surface 18 is inferior in water repellency to the nozzle surface 17 as described above. Further, wiping off the exhaust surface 18 is performed after wiping off the nozzle surface 17. For this reason, the exhaust surface 18 remains in a state where ink that has not been wiped off remains attached (see FIG. 21F). Since the carriage 38 is separated from the contact lever 165 by performing the processing of step S4 and step S5, the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 are returned to the standby position (the state shown in FIG. 6).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 21G and FIG. 22A, the control unit 100 returns the carriage 38 to the cap position (S6). Specifically, the control unit 100 rotates the CR motor 80 in the reverse direction to move the carriage 38 in the direction opposite to the processes in steps S4 and S5. Accordingly, the recording head 39 (see FIG. 9) is disposed on the nozzle cap 152 (see FIG. 5) and the exhaust cap 153 (see FIG. 5). Then, the wiper blade 156 that has been once lowered before the processing of step S6 is started again toward the lower surface 126 (see FIG. 9) of the recording head 39 (see FIG. 22A).

  As shown in FIGS. 22B and 22C, the controller 100 moves the carriage 38 at the first speed while keeping the wiper blade 156 in contact with the nozzle surface 17 (S7). The process of step S7 is performed in the same manner as the process of step S4. As a result, the ink remaining on the nozzle surface 17 is wiped off. This step S7 corresponds to the first step of the present invention.

  Subsequently, the control unit 100 moves the carriage 38 at the second speed while keeping the wiper blade 156 in contact with the exhaust surface 18 (S8). Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 22 (c) and 22 (d), the control unit 100 sets the speed of 43.3ips (inch per second) while keeping the wiper blade 156 in contact with the exhaust surface 18 (the present invention). The carriage 38 is moved at an example of the second speed. This step S8 corresponds to the second step of the present invention. The second speed here is a speed higher than the first speed in step S7, and the processes in steps S7 and S8 are performed in one wiping operation. As described above, the wiper blade 156 is configured so that the moving speed while in contact with the exhaust surface 18 is faster than the moving speed while in contact with the nozzle surface 17 in one wiping operation. It is moved relative to 39.

  After the wiping in steps S4, S5, S7, and S8, the control unit 100 moves the carriage 38 over the waste ink tray 57 as shown in FIGS. 22 (d) and 22 (e). In other words, a small amount of ink called so-called flushing is ejected idle (S9). This flushing is performed by controlling the piezoelectric element 61 (see FIG. 17). Thereafter, similarly to the process of step S3, the suction operation for the port 58 is executed (S10), the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18 are capped by the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153, and the process ends (S11, (Refer to Drawing 22 (f) and (g)).

  As described above, the nozzle surface 17 is subjected to water repellent treatment by bonding a polyimide film. In contrast, the exhaust surface 18 is not subjected to water repellent treatment. That is, the nozzle surface 17 has higher water repellency than the exhaust surface 18. For this reason, when the recording head 39 is moved with respect to the wiper blade 156 arranged at a predetermined position, there is a possibility that the ink that cannot be wiped off remains on the exhaust surface 18 as it is. That is, when the ink is wiped off the exhaust surface 18 in the same manner as the ink is wiped off the nozzle surface 17, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 17 is sufficiently wiped off, but cannot be wiped off the exhaust surface 18. The problem of remaining ink remains. However, the moving speed of the recording head 39 is controlled by the control unit 100 so that the moving speed while being in contact with the exhaust surface 18 is faster than the moving speed while being in contact with the nozzle surface 17. That is, the moving speed of the recording head 39 with respect to the wiper blade 156 is changed during one wiping operation so that the wiping speed of the exhaust surface 18 is faster than the wiping speed of the nozzle surface 17. Thereby, the unwiping residue of the ink adhering to the exhaust surface 18 is reduced. Therefore, when an image is recorded on the recording paper, the ink on the exhaust surface 18 does not adhere to the recording paper, and the deterioration of the image quality of the printing result due to the remaining wiping of the ink adhering to the exhaust surface 18 is prevented. Can do.

  Further, prior to the relative movement of the wiper blade 156 at the first speed (step S7), the wiper blade 156 is relatively moved at the third speed while being in contact with the exhaust surface 18 (step S5). Thereby, after the ink adhering to the exhaust surface 18 is wiped off to some extent, the process of step S7 and the process of step S8 are performed. Since the ink adhering to the exhaust surface 18 is wiped twice in a series of wiping operations, ink remaining on the exhaust surface 18 is further reduced. Further, the ink adhering to the exhaust surface 18 is wiped off to some extent by the relative movement of the wiper blade 156 at the third speed (processing in step S5). For this reason, the ink is prevented from being scattered when the wiper blade 156 is relatively moved at the second speed (in the process of step S8). In the first wiping of the ink adhering to the exhaust surface 18, the wiper blade 156 is relatively moved at a third speed that is slower than the second speed. For this reason, even when the ink adhering to the exhaust surface 18 is wiped off for the first time, ink scattering is prevented.

  The relative movement of the wiper blade 156 is realized by moving the carriage 38 on which the recording head 39 is mounted with respect to the wiper blade 156 arranged at a predetermined position (see FIG. 5). Accordingly, the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18 are moved in a state where the lower surface 126 of the recording head 39 is in contact with the wiper blade 156 disposed at a predetermined position. For this reason, the function of the driving means of the present invention can be combined with the mechanism for reciprocating the carriage 38, so that the configuration of the printer unit 20 can be simplified.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The following forms may be sufficient.

  In the present embodiment, the mode in which the wiper blade 156 is relatively moved by moving the recording head 39 with respect to the wiper blade 156 disposed at a predetermined position has been described, but the relative movement is limited to this. is not. That is, the relative movement in the present invention may be performed by moving the wiper blade 156 with respect to the recording head 39 disposed at a predetermined position.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the mode in which the ink is wiped from the exhaust surface after the ink has been wiped from the nozzle surface 17 has been described, but the order of wiping is not limited thereto. That is, for example, the wiper blade 156 may be relatively moved at the second speed while being in contact with the exhaust surface 18, and then the wiper blade 156 may be relatively moved at the first speed while being in contact with the nozzle surface 17. .

  In the present embodiment, the form in which the first speed and the third speed are the same speed has been described, but these speeds may be different.

  In the present embodiment, the third speed is described as being slower than the second speed. However, these speeds may be the same. However, if the wiper blade 156 is relatively moved at the second speed in the first wiping operation on the exhaust surface 18 (the process of step S5), the ink may be scattered and the inside of the printer unit 20 may be soiled. For this reason, the third speed is preferably slower than the second speed.

  In the present embodiment, the mode in which the ink is wiped twice from the exhaust surface 18 has been described. However, the number of ink wipes from the exhaust surface 18 is not limited to this. That is, in one head cleaning, ink may be wiped from the exhaust surface 18 three times or more.

  In the present embodiment, the mode in which the ink is wiped twice with respect to the nozzle surface 17 has been described. However, the number of times of ink wiping with respect to the nozzle surface 17 is not limited thereto. That is, when the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 17 is sufficiently removed by one wiping, the ink wiping of the nozzle surface 17 may be performed once. In other words, the process of step S4 or the process of step S7 in FIG. 20 may be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18 are arranged side by side in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 38. However, the arrangement direction of the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18 is limited to this. It is not a thing. That is, for example, the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18 may be provided side by side in the conveyance direction of the recording medium. In this case, the printer unit 20 may be configured such that the wiper blade 156 is relatively moved in the conveyance direction of the recording medium.

  In addition, the first speed, the second speed, and the third speed shown in the present embodiment are examples, and are appropriately changed depending on the material of the nozzle surface 17, the material of the exhaust surface 18, the material of the wiper blade 156, and the like. Needless to say, it should be.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 2. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 20. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the configuration of the purge mechanism 56. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5 of the purge mechanism 56 in which the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 are in the standby position. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5 of the purge mechanism 56 in which the nozzle cap 152 and the exhaust cap 153 are in the contact position. FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view showing the external configuration of the carriage 38. FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the carriage 38 showing the recording head 39. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the carriage 38, showing a state where the carriage cover 121 is removed from the carriage 38. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the tank unit 70 accommodated in the carriage 38. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the carriage 38 with the tank unit 70 removed. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the tank unit 70. FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the tank unit 70. FIG. 15 is a side view of the tank unit 70 as seen from the arrow XV in FIG. FIG. 16 is a side view of the tank unit 70 as seen from the arrow XVI in FIG. FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the recording head 39. FIG. 18 is a bottom view showing the nozzle surface 17 and the exhaust surface 18 of the recording head 39. FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the control unit 100 of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the head cleaning operation performed in the printer unit 20. FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram illustrating a series of head cleaning procedures performed in the printer unit 20. FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram for explaining a series of head cleaning procedures performed in the printer unit 20.

Explanation of symbols

10: Multifunction machine (an example of an ink jet recording apparatus)
17 ... Nozzle surface (an example of the first region of the present invention)
18 ... exhaust surface (an example of the second region of the present invention)
20 ... printer unit 38 ... carriage 39 ... recording head 58 ... port (an example of the second hole of the present invention)
60 ... Nozzle (an example of the first hole of the present invention)
80... CR motor (part of driving means of the present invention)
82... Driving circuit (a part of the driving means of the present invention)
84... Linear encoder 100... Control unit (part of the driving means of the present invention)
126 ... lower surface 156 ... wiper blade

Claims (8)

A first region in which a first hole from which ink is ejected is formed, and a second region in which a second hole from which ink flows out is formed and which is inferior in water repellency to the first region; A recording head for recording an image by ejecting ink onto a recording medium conveyed in a predetermined direction;
A wiper blade that is moved relative to the recording head in contact with the first region or the second region;
Drive means for relatively moving the wiper blade so that the moving speed while contacting the second area is faster than the moving speed while contacting the first area in one wiping operation; An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: The first hole is a nozzle for discharging ink to the recording medium,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second hole is a port for discharging air in the recording head.   The driving means relatively moves the wiper blade at the first speed while being in contact with the first area, and then secondly is faster than the first speed while keeping the wiper blade in contact with the second area. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is relatively moved at a speed.   The driving means relatively moves the wiper blade at a third speed slower than the second speed while keeping the wiper blade in contact with the second region prior to the relative movement of the wiper blade at the first speed. 4. An ink jet recording apparatus according to item 3. The recording head is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates in a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium,
The first region and the second region are provided side by side in the reciprocating direction of the carriage,
5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit reciprocates the carriage with respect to the wiper blade disposed at a predetermined position. A first region in which a first hole from which ink is ejected is formed, and a second region in which a second hole from which ink flows out is formed and which is inferior in water repellency to the first region; A recording head for recording an image by ejecting ink onto a recording medium conveyed in a predetermined direction, and a wiper blade that is moved relative to the recording head in contact with the first area or the second area And an ink jet recording apparatus head cleaning method applied to an ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
A first step in which the wiper blade is relatively moved at a first speed while being in contact with the first region;
A second step in which the wiper blade is relatively moved at a second speed higher than the first speed while being in contact with the second region;
A head cleaning method for an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the first step and the second step are performed in one wiping operation.   In the first step, prior to the relative movement of the wiper blade at the first speed, the wiper blade is relatively moved at a third speed slower than the second speed while being in contact with the second region. Item 7. A head cleaning method for an ink jet recording apparatus according to Item 6.   8. The inkjet according to claim 7, wherein, in the first step, prior to the relative movement of the wiper blade at the third speed, the wiper blade is relatively moved at the third speed while being in contact with the first region. A head cleaning method for a recording apparatus.

Images