JP2009012368A - Fluid ejection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To well carry out maintenance treatment even when the shape of a nozzle-forming surface is an uneven or deflected complicated shape. <P>SOLUTION: A fluid ejection apparatus is equipped with a maintenance device for maintaining at least the nozzle-forming region of an ejection head with a fluid ejecting nozzle. The maintenance device 40 has supply devices 50 and 70 for supplying a washing liquid to the forming region of a nozzle opening 17 through a volumetric-changeable porous body 52 and recovery devices 50 and 60 for recovering the washing liquid supplied to the forming region of the nozzle opening 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus.

As a fluid ejecting apparatus, an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects ink onto a recording medium from a nozzle opening formed in an ejecting head is known. In such a fluid ejecting apparatus, conventionally, maintenance processes such as a so-called capping process, a suction process, a wiping process, and a flushing process are performed in order to maintain or restore the ejection characteristics of the nozzles.
For example, the capping process is a process of sealing the space where the nozzle opening is exposed by surrounding the nozzle opening formation region with a cap member, and suppressing drying of the nozzle. In the suction process, as in the capping process, the space where the nozzle opening is exposed is sealed by enclosing the nozzle opening formation region with a cap member, and the space where the nozzle opening is exposed is reduced to reduce the air bubbles inside the ejection head. This process forcibly discharges foreign matter. The wiping process is a process for removing foreign matter and the like attached to the nozzle opening forming surface by wiping the nozzle opening forming surface with a wiper. In addition, the flushing process is a process for discharging a fluid that has been thickened by ejecting the fluid from a nozzle that is unused or not frequently used.
These maintenance processes are carried out by a single maintenance device as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.
JP 2002-234195 A

However, in recent years, the head has become more complex, and the shape of the nozzle opening forming surface may be uneven, not flat. In such a case, a gap is easily formed between the cap member and the head forming surface, so that it is difficult to seal the space to which the nozzle opening is exposed, and capping processing and suction processing are difficult. Moreover, since the shape of the nozzle opening forming surface is not a flat surface, the wiping process is also difficult.
In particular, when the ejection head is a line head, bending or the like occurs in the length direction of the ejection head, so that a gap is easily formed between the cap member and the head forming surface, thereby capping processing. In addition, the suction process becomes difficult and the wiping process becomes difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and proposes a fluid ejecting apparatus including a maintenance device different from a conventional maintenance device, and in particular, the shape of the formation surface of the nozzle opening is uneven. It is an object of the present invention to propose a fluid ejecting apparatus including a maintenance device that can perform maintenance processing satisfactorily even when the shape is complicated or bent.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fluid ejecting apparatus including a maintenance device that maintains at least a formation region of the nozzle opening of an ejecting head in which a nozzle opening for ejecting a fluid is formed, and the maintenance device includes: A supply device for supplying a cleaning liquid to the nozzle opening formation region via a porous body having a variable volume; and a recovery device for recovering the cleaning liquid supplied to the nozzle opening formation region. To do.

According to the present invention having such characteristics, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the nozzle opening formation region via the porous body by the supply device of the maintenance device. That is, the cleaning liquid once held in the porous body is supplied to the nozzle opening formation region. The cleaning liquid supplied to the nozzle opening formation region is recovered by a recovery device.
In other words, according to the present invention, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the nozzle opening formation region through the porous body by the supply device, and the nozzle opening and the nozzle opening formation region are cleaned by this cleaning liquid, whereby the nozzle ejection characteristics are improved. Maintenance or recovery can be attempted.
Therefore, according to the fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to maintain or recover the ejection characteristics of the nozzle by a maintenance device different from the maintenance device provided in the conventional fluid ejecting apparatus.
In particular, in the present invention, the cleaning is performed by exposing the formation region of the nozzle opening to the cleaning liquid. For this reason, even if the nozzle opening formation surface has a complex shape with irregularities or the nozzle opening formation surface is bent, the nozzle opening formation region can be reliably cleaned. It becomes. Therefore, according to the present invention, good maintenance can be realized even when the shape of the formation surface of the nozzle opening is a complicated shape having irregularities or when it is bent.

In the present invention, the supply device may further include a porous body volume reducing unit that supplies the cleaning liquid held in the porous body to the nozzle opening formation region by reducing the volume of the porous body. A configuration of providing is adopted.
By adopting such a configuration, the volume of the porous body is reduced by the porous body volume reducing portion, and the cleaning liquid held in the porous body is supplied to the nozzle opening formation region. The cleaning liquid retained in the porous body overflows from the entire porous body by reducing the volume of the porous body. For this reason, by adopting this configuration, it becomes possible to supply the cleaning liquid evenly to the nozzle opening forming region in contact with or close to the porous body.

Further, in the present invention, the supply device is configured to store the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid stored in the storage part by moving at least one of the storage part and the porous body and the storage part. A configuration is adopted that includes an immersion part that immerses at least a part of the body.
By employ | adopting such a structure, at least one part of a porous body is immersed in the washing | cleaning liquid stored by the storage part. For this reason, a new washing | cleaning liquid can be easily supplied to a porous body.

In the present invention, the supply device includes a seal mechanism that isolates at least the porous body from the outside when at least a part of the porous body is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the storage section. The configuration is adopted.
By employ | adopting such a structure, when a porous body is immersed in the washing | cleaning liquid stored by the storage part, a porous body is isolated from the exterior. For this reason, it is possible to suppress evaporation of the cleaning liquid while the porous body is immersed in the cleaning liquid, and it is possible to reliably hold the cleaning liquid in the porous body.

In the present invention, the recovery device increases the volume of the porous body to increase the volume of the porous body to recover the cleaning liquid supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening via the porous body. The structure of having a part is adopted.
By adopting such a configuration, the volume of the porous body is increased by the porous body volume increasing portion, and the cleaning liquid is absorbed by the porous body. When the volume of the porous body is increased, the cleaning liquid is evenly absorbed in the entire porous body. For this reason, by adopting this configuration, it is possible to evenly absorb the cleaning liquid from the nozzle opening forming region in contact with or close to the porous body.

In the present invention, the recovery device discharges the cleaning liquid supplied to the nozzle opening formation region from the porous body by reducing the volume of the porous body containing the absorbed cleaning liquid. The structure of providing the discharge part to be adopted is adopted.
By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to discharge the cleaning liquid used for cleaning by being supplied to the nozzle opening formation region and absorbed by the porous body to the outside of the porous body. It becomes possible.

Moreover, in this invention, the said maintenance apparatus employ | adopts the structure provided with the wall part surrounding the wet-spreading range of the washing | cleaning liquid supplied to the formation area of the said nozzle opening through the said porous body.
By adopting such a configuration, the wet spreading range of the cleaning liquid is surrounded by the wall portion. For this reason, the wet spreading range of the cleaning liquid can be restricted to a range surrounded by the wall, and the cleaning liquid can be prevented from leaking outside the maintenance device.

In the present invention, a configuration is adopted in which the porous body can be brought into contact with the nozzle opening formation region.
By adopting such a configuration, the porous body is brought into direct contact with the formation region of the nozzle opening. For this reason, the porous body is brought into direct contact with the foreign matter to promote the separation of the foreign matter, and the nozzle injection characteristics are reliably maintained or restored as compared with the case where the porous body is not in contact with the nozzle opening formation region. Can be planned.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a fluid ejection device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size. In this embodiment, an ink jet printer is exemplified as the fluid ejecting apparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as an ink jet printer 100) according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part around a line head, and FIG. It is a top view.
In the present embodiment, the inkjet printer 100 includes a recording unit 10 that performs recording on the recording paper 12 and a maintenance device 40 that performs maintenance processing of the recording unit 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  The recording unit 10 ejects ink droplets to form a line head 13 (ejection head) that forms an image on a recording paper 12 that is a fluid ejection target, a recording paper conveyance mechanism 14 that conveys the recording paper 12, and a line head 13. And an ink reservoir 15 that stores ink (fluid) to be supplied.

  The recording paper transport mechanism 14 includes a paper feed motor (not shown) and a paper feed roller rotated by the paper feed motor. The recording paper transport mechanism 14 moves the recording paper 12 to the line head in conjunction with a recording (printing / printing) operation. 13 are sequentially sent out so as to face 13.

  The ink storage unit 15 is disposed on one side of the printer main body 16 and supplies ink to the line head 13 described later by an ink supply unit (not shown). The ink storage unit 15 is an ink of a color corresponding to each color (yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), black (K1: dye system), black (K2: pigment system)) of the inkjet printer 100. Ink tanks 15Y, 15M, 15C, 15K1, and 15K2 are stored and communicated with the line head 13 through ink supply means.

  The line head 13 is a line type recording head in which a large number of nozzle openings are arranged over a length (maximum recording paper width W) exceeding at least one side of the maximum size recording paper 12 targeted by the inkjet printer 100. In the present embodiment, at least five printing sections 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K1, and 5K2 corresponding to each color (Y, M, C, K1, and K2) are provided. Each of the printing sections 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K1, and 5K2 has a nozzle row L (see FIG. 3) in which a large number of nozzle openings 17 for ejecting ink droplets are arranged and arranged. They are arranged in order along the transport direction. The nozzle row L is one row line by the nozzle openings 17 or a plurality of lines by the nozzle openings 17, and the number of nozzle openings 17 and the number of lines are appropriately set. FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the nozzle row L, and shows a plurality of lines by the nozzle openings 17. By increasing the number of lines, a wide range of recording can be performed at once, and the resolution of the image is also increased.

  The line head 13 is arranged such that the length direction corresponding to the maximum recording paper width W is perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording paper 12, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle openings 17 of the nozzle rows L onto the recording paper 12. Thus, an image is recorded on the recording paper 12.

  The ink supply means that communicates the ink storage unit 15 and the line head 13 has a plurality of ink supply channels, and the respective ink tanks 15Y, 15M, 15C, 15K1, and 15K2 to the respective printing units 5Y, 5M, and 5C. , 5K1 and 5K2 are supplied with ink.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the line head will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the line head.
The line head 13 includes a head main body 18 and a flow path forming unit 22 including a vibration plate 19, a flow path substrate 20, and a nozzle substrate 21. The nozzle openings 17 for ejecting ink are formed in the nozzle substrate 21, and the lower surface of the nozzle substrate 21 is a nozzle opening forming surface 21A. The flow path forming unit 22 is a unit in which the diaphragm 19, the flow path substrate 20, and the nozzle substrate 21 are laminated and joined together with an adhesive or the like.

  The line head 13 includes an accommodation space 23 formed inside the head body 18 and a drive unit 24 disposed in the accommodation space 23. The drive unit 24 includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements 25, a fixing member 26 that supports the upper end of the piezoelectric elements 25, and a flexible cable 27 that supplies a drive signal to the piezoelectric elements 25. The piezoelectric element 25 is provided so as to correspond to each of the plurality of nozzle openings 17.

  In addition, an internal flow path 28 that is formed inside the head body 18 and flows ink supplied from the ink tank via the ink supply flow path, and a flow path that includes the vibration plate 19, the flow path substrate 20, and the nozzle substrate 21. A common ink chamber 29 formed by the forming unit 22 and connected to the internal flow path 28, an ink supply port 30 formed by the flow path forming unit 22 and connected to the common ink chamber 29, and the flow path forming unit 22. A pressure chamber 31 formed and connected to the ink supply port 30 is provided. A plurality of pressure chambers 31 are provided so as to correspond to the plurality of nozzle openings 17. Each of the plurality of nozzle openings 17 is connected to each of the plurality of pressure chambers 31.

  The head body 18 is made of synthetic resin. The diaphragm 19 is obtained by laminating an elastic film on a metal support plate such as stainless steel. An island portion 32 joined to the lower end of the piezoelectric element 25 is formed at a portion corresponding to the pressure chamber of the diaphragm 19. At least a part of the diaphragm 19 is elastically deformed according to the driving of the piezoelectric element 25. A compliance portion 33 is formed between the diaphragm 19 and the vicinity of the lower end of the internal flow path 28.

  In the flow path substrate 20, the common ink chamber 29, the ink supply port 30, and the pressure chamber 31 that connect the lower end of the internal flow path 28 and the nozzle opening 17 have recesses for forming respective spaces. In the present embodiment, the flow path substrate 20 is formed by anisotropic etching of silicon.

The nozzle substrate 21 has a plurality of nozzle openings 17 formed at predetermined intervals (pitch) in a predetermined direction. The nozzle substrate 21 of the present embodiment is a plate-like member formed of a metal such as stainless steel.
Further, projecting portions 21 a are formed on the surface of the nozzle substrate 21 (nozzle opening forming surface 21 </ b> A) in a downward direction corresponding to the nozzle openings 17. And the nozzle opening 17 is formed in the front-end | tip part of each protrusion part 21a. That is, in the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the nozzle opening forming surface 21A has a complicated shape having irregularities (see FIG. 3).

  The ink supplied from each ink tank through each ink supply channel flows into the upper end of the internal channel 28. The lower end of the internal flow path 28 is connected to the common ink chamber 29, and the ink that has flowed from the ink tank to the upper end of the internal flow path 28 via the ink supply flow path flows through the internal flow path 28 and is then shared. The ink is supplied to the ink chamber 29. The ink supplied to the common ink chamber 29 is supplied through the ink supply port 30 so as to be distributed to each of the plurality of pressure chambers 31.

  When a drive signal is input to the piezoelectric element 25 via the cable 27, the piezoelectric element 25 expands and contracts. As a result, the diaphragm 19 is deformed (moved) in a direction toward and away from the pressure chamber. As a result, the volume of the pressure chamber 31 changes, and the pressure of the pressure chamber 31 containing ink fluctuates. Ink is ejected from the nozzle openings 17 due to this pressure fluctuation.

  As described above, the piezoelectric element 25 of the present embodiment varies the pressure of the pressure chamber 31 connected to the nozzle opening 17 based on the input drive signal in order to eject ink from the nozzle opening 17. Then, a desired image is formed on the recording paper 12 by the ink ejected from the nozzle opening 17.

The line head 13 can be moved in the vertical direction by a line head moving mechanism 90 (see FIG. 8).
More specifically, the line head 13 is movable in the vertical direction between the printing position and the cleaning position by the line head moving mechanism 90.
The printing position is a position where recording is performed by ejecting ink from the nozzle openings 17 of the line head 13 to the recording paper 12, and is a position where the line head 13 is relatively moved upward. The cleaning position is a position where the line head 13 is cleaned by the maintenance device 40 described in detail below, and is a position where the line head 13 is relatively moved downward.

Next, the configuration of the maintenance device 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a schematic configuration of the maintenance device 40. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the main body 50 provided in the maintenance device 40.

  The maintenance device 40 includes a main body 50 that is rotatably installed below the line head 13, a discharge unit 60 that is installed on the side of the main body 50, and a storage tank 70 that is installed below the main body 50. And.

The main body 50 includes a housing 51, a porous body 52, a flat plate 53, and a cam mechanism 54.
The casing 51 has a cylindrical shape having substantially the same length as the line head 13, and is disposed below the line head 13 in parallel with the line head 13. The casing 51 is rotatable about a rotation axis along the length direction of the line head 13 by a motor 55 (see FIG. 6).
In addition, an opening 51a formed over the length direction of the casing 51 is formed on a part of the peripheral surface of the casing 51, and a part of the porous body 52 is formed from the opening 51a. Is protruding.
Moreover, the housing | casing part 51 is provided with the wall part 51b surrounding the opening part 51a. The wall 51b is formed at a height lower than the height of a part of the porous body 52 protruding from the opening 51a.

The porous body 52 is made of a material capable of changing volume, and for example, a sponge made of urethane or the like can be used.
The porous body 52 has a convex shape constituted by a lower part 52 a housed in a housing space formed inside the housing part 51 and an upper part 52 b projecting from the opening part 51 a of the housing part 51. ing. Note that the storage space formed inside the casing 51 has substantially the same shape as the lower part 52 a of the porous body 52.

The flat plate 53 is a plate-like member formed of a material harder than the porous body 52, and is joined to the lower portion 52 a of the porous body 52 so as to cover the lower surface of the porous body 52.
The flat plate 53 is joined only to the lower portion 52 a of the porous body 52, and can be moved in the storage space inside the casing 51 by being pressed toward the opening 51 a of the casing 51. Has been.

The cam mechanism 54 is installed inside the housing 51 and is located below the porous body 52 and the flat plate 53.
The cam mechanism 54 can be rotated by a motor (not shown) and can be changed between a state in which the flat plate 53 is pressed and a state in which the flat plate 53 is not pressed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the discharge unit 60 includes a pressing mechanism 61 and a tray unit 62.
The pressing mechanism 61 reduces the volume of the porous body 52 by pressing the porous body 52 protruding from the opening 51 a of the casing 51.
The tray unit 62 is installed below the pressing mechanism 61 and receives liquid (cleaning liquid) discharged from the porous body 52 by pressing the pressing mechanism 61.
The tray unit 62 is connected to the waste liquid tank T via the pump P as shown in FIG. The liquid discharged to the tray unit 62 is configured to be supplied to the waste liquid tank T by driving the pump P.

The storage tank 70 is a tank for storing the cleaning liquid 71 and is opened at the top. The liquid level of the cleaning liquid 71 in the storage tank 70 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 71 when the upper part 52b of the porous body 52 is directed downward by the rotation of the main body 50. Is set to be.
In addition, the storage tank 70 includes a seal mechanism 72 that isolates the porous body 52 from the outside by contacting the casing 51 when the upper portion 52b of the porous body 52 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 71. ing. The seal mechanism 72 includes a drive mechanism (not shown), and is movable so as to be separated from and separated from the housing unit 51 by the drive mechanism.
As the cleaning liquid 71, for example, a surfactant can be used.

  In the maintenance device 40 having such a configuration, when the motor 55 (see FIG. 6) is driven, the maintenance position where the upper part 52b of the porous body 52 faces the line head 13 side and the upper part 52b of the porous body 52 are discharged. The posture can be set to a discharge position facing the portion 60 side and a supply position where the upper part 52b of the porous body 52 faces the storage tank 70 side.

The maintenance position is a position for performing maintenance processing on the line head 13 by the maintenance device 40. When the line head 13 is lowered to the cleaning position, the upper portion 52b of the porous body 52 is the nozzle opening of the line head 13. This is a position that is in contact with the 17 formation region.
The discharge position is a position for discharging the cleaning liquid 71 contained in the porous body 52, and is a position where the porous body 52 can be pressed by the pressing mechanism 61 of the discharge portion 60.
The supply position is a position for supplying a new cleaning liquid 71 to the porous body 52, and is a position where the upper portion 52b of the porous body 52 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 71 as described above.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the inkjet printer 100.
As shown in FIG. 7, the inkjet printer 100 according to the present embodiment includes a control device 80 that controls the operation of the entire inkjet printer 100. The control device 80 includes an input device 81 for inputting various information relating to the operation of the ink jet printer 100, a storage device 82 storing various information relating to the operation of the ink jet printer 100, and a measuring device 83 capable of measuring time. It is connected. Further, the control device 80 is connected to the recording paper transport mechanism 14, the maintenance device 40, the line head moving mechanism 90, and the like described above. The ink jet printer 100 further includes a drive signal generator 84 that generates a drive signal to be input to the drive unit 24 including the piezoelectric element 25. The drive signal generator 84 is connected to the control device 80.

The drive signal generator 84 receives data indicating the amount of change in the voltage value of the drive pulse input to the piezoelectric element 25 of the line head 13 and a timing signal that defines the timing for changing the voltage of the drive pulse. The drive signal generator 84 generates a drive signal including a drive pulse based on the input data and timing signal.
When a driving pulse is input from the driving signal generator 84 to the piezoelectric element 25, an ink droplet is ejected from the nozzle opening 17.

  The inkjet printer 100 according to the present embodiment can perform maintenance processing on the line head 13 using the maintenance device 40. The maintenance device 40 performs a maintenance process including an operation of discharging ink from the nozzle openings 17 in cooperation with the line head 13 in order to maintain or restore the ejection characteristics of the line head 13.

  The maintenance process includes a cleaning process for cleaning the nozzle opening formation region of the line head 13 by the maintenance device 40 and a flushing process for ejecting ink from the nozzle openings 17 to the porous body 52 of the maintenance device 40. In the present embodiment, the moisture retention of the nozzle opening 17 by the porous body 52 is also included in the maintenance process as the moisture retention process.

In the cleaning process, the cleaning liquid 71 is supplied to the formation area of the nozzle openings 17 of the line head 13 through the porous body 52, so that the foreign matter or ink residue adhered to the nozzle openings 17 and the formation areas of the nozzle openings 17. It is a process to wash away.
Further, in the cleaning process, the ink meniscus in each nozzle opening 17 is destroyed and a part of the ink in the nozzle opening 17 is discharged along with the flow of the cleaning liquid. Increased ink or the like is discharged, and the ejection characteristics of the nozzle are maintained or restored.

The flushing process is a process for preliminarily ejecting ink from the nozzle openings 17 of the line head 13 onto the porous body 52. As a result, during printing or standby, ink that has increased in viscosity near the nozzle openings 17 that are unused or less frequently used is discharged, and the ejection characteristics of the nozzles are maintained or recovered.
Further, by ejecting ink from the nozzle openings 17 by the flushing process, an ink meniscus can be suitably formed for each nozzle opening 17.

  The moisturizing process is a process of moisturizing the space near the nozzle opening 17 by bringing the porous body 52 that holds the cleaning liquid 71 into contact with or close to the formation area of the nozzle opening 17 of the line head 13. As a result, drying of the nozzle openings 17 is suppressed, and the nozzle ejection characteristics are maintained.

  Next, an example of the operation of the ink jet printer having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8, focusing on the operation (maintenance processing) of the maintenance device 40.

First, when print data is transmitted from the outside, the control device 80 develops the ejection data corresponding to the dot pattern and transmits it to the line head 13. The line head 13 executes recording (printing / printing) processing, that is, ejection of ink droplets onto the recording paper, based on the received ejection data (step S1).
In such a recording process, the control device 80 adjusts the position of the line head 13 to the printing position by controlling the line head moving mechanism 90. As shown in FIG. 9, the control device 80 controls the motor 55 to adjust the posture of the main body 50 of the maintenance device 40 to the supply position. As a result, the upper part 52b of the porous body 52 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 71 stored in the storage tank 70, and the cleaning liquid 71 is infiltrated and supplied to the entire interior of the porous body 52 by capillary action.
When the maintenance device 40 is aligned with the supply position, the control device 80 seals the space to which the porous body 52 is exposed by the seal mechanism 72 installed in the storage tank 70, and the porous body 52 is isolated from the outside. Thus, by isolating the porous body 52 from the outside by the sealing mechanism 72, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid 71 supplied to the porous body 52 from evaporating.
And the control apparatus 80 will start a maintenance process, if the preset predetermined time passes (step S2).

When the maintenance process is started, the control device 80 first performs a cleaning process (step S3).
Specifically, the control device 80 adjusts the position of the line head 13 to the cleaning position by controlling the line head moving mechanism 90. Further, the control device 80 controls the motor 55 to adjust the posture of the main body 50 of the maintenance device 40 to the maintenance position (see FIG. 5). As a result, the upper portion 52b of the porous body 52 and the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 of the line head 13 are brought into contact with each other.
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10, the control device 80 controls the cam mechanism 54 to press the flat plate 53 toward the opening 51a. As a result, the volume of the porous body 52 is reduced, and the cleaning liquid 71 held in the porous body 52 overflows from the porous body 52 and is supplied to the formation region of the nozzle openings 17. By supplying the cleaning liquid 71 to the formation area of the nozzle opening 17 in this way, foreign matters and ink residues attached to the nozzle opening 17 and the formation area of the nozzle opening 17 are washed away. As a result, the ink meniscus in each nozzle opening 17 is destroyed and a part of the ink in the nozzle opening 17 is discharged, so that the ink having increased viscosity in the vicinity of the nozzle opening 17 is discharged, and the ejection characteristics of the nozzle Is maintained or recovered.
The cleaning liquid 71 that has washed away foreign matter and ink residues adhering to the nozzle opening 17 and the area where the nozzle opening 17 is formed flows out around the porous body 52. The flowing cleaning liquid 71 surrounds the opening 51a. The wet spreading area is regulated by the wall 51b. For this reason, the cleaning liquid 71 does not overflow from the region surrounded by the wall 51b.
And the control apparatus 80 stops the press of the flat plate 53 by controlling the cam mechanism 54 and returning it to the original position. As a result, the volume of the porous body 52 is restored. That is, the volume of the porous body 52 increases. Then, the cleaning liquid 71 is collected inside the porous body 52 together with the washed-out foreign matter and ink residue.

  Here, when it is known that the recording process (step S1) is not performed for a while, the control device 80 performs the moisturizing process (step S4). Specifically, as in the case of the cleaning process, the control device 80 adjusts the posture of the main body 50 of the maintenance device 40 to the maintenance position and keeps the position of the line head moving mechanism 90 at the cleaning position. Thus, the contact state between the upper portion 52b of the porous body 52 and the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 of the line head 13 is maintained. That is, the porous body 52 that holds the cleaning liquid 71 and the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 of the line head 13 are in contact with each other. As a result, the nozzle opening 17 comes into contact with the cleaning liquid 71 and the space near the nozzle opening 17 is also moisturized. For this reason, it becomes possible to achieve moisture retention of the nozzle opening 17.

Subsequently, the control device 80 performs a flushing process (step S5).
Specifically, the control device 80 controls the line head moving mechanism 90 to raise the line head 13 to the printing position. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, ink is preliminarily ejected from each nozzle opening 17 toward the porous body 52. As a result, ink having increased viscosity in the vicinity of the nozzle openings 17 that are unused or less frequently used is discharged, and the ejection characteristics of the nozzles are maintained or restored. In addition, an ink meniscus can be suitably formed for each nozzle opening 17.
Note that the ink ejected from the nozzle openings 17 during the flushing process is absorbed by the porous body 52.

Subsequently, the control device 80 performs a discharge process (step S6).
Specifically, the control device 80 adjusts the posture of the main body 50 of the maintenance device 40 to the discharge position by controlling the motor 55. And the volume of the porous body 52 is reduced by pressing the porous body 52 with the pressing mechanism 61 of the discharge part 60. As a result, the cleaning liquid 71 and the like contained in the porous body 52 are squeezed out from the porous body 52 and discharged.
The discharged cleaning liquid 71 and the like are collected by flowing into the tray unit 62.

  Then, after the operation as described above, the control device 80 performs the recording process of step S1 again. Note that the recording process of step S1 and the discharge process of step S6 are processes that can be performed independently, so that when the recording process of step S1 is performed again, these processes may be performed simultaneously. good. Thereby, the transition time to the recording process can be shortened.

  As described above, in the ink jet printer 100 according to the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid 71 passes through the porous body 52 and the nozzle openings of the line head 13 by the storage tank 70 and the main body 50 under the control of the control device 80. 17 is supplied to the formation region. That is, in the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the control device 80, the storage tank 70, and the main body unit 50 serve as the supply device of the present invention.

  Further, in the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the porous body 52 is moved by rotating the housing portion 51 of the main body portion 50 by the motor 55 under the control of the control device 80, and thereby the storage tank 70. The upper part 52b of the porous body 52 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 71 stored in That is, in the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the control device 80 and the motor 55 have a function as an immersion unit of the present invention.

  Further, in the ink jet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid 71 supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 is collected by the main body 50 and the discharge unit 60. That is, in the ink jet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the control device 80, the main body portion 50, and the discharge portion 60 serve as the collection device of the present invention.

In the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the volume change of the porous body 52 is realized by the flat plate 53 and the cam mechanism 54 under the control of the control device 80. Specifically, under the control of the control device 80, the cleaning liquid 71 held in the porous body 52 by the flat plate 53 and the cam mechanism 54 is supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 by reducing the volume of the porous body 52. To do. In addition, under the control of the control device 80, the cleaning liquid 71 is absorbed through the porous body 52 by increasing the volume of the porous body 52 by the flat plate 53 and the cam mechanism 54.
That is, in the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the control device 80, the flat plate 53, and the cam mechanism 54 function as the porous body volume decreasing portion and the porous body volume increasing portion of the present invention.

According to the inkjet printer 100 of this embodiment, the cleaning liquid 71 is supplied to the formation region of the nozzle openings 17 in the line head 13 through the porous body 52 by the control device 80, the storage tank 70, and the main body 50. . That is, the cleaning liquid 71 once held in the porous body 52 is supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening 17. Further, the cleaning liquid 71 supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 is collected by the control device 80, the main body 50 and the discharge unit 60.
That is, according to the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid 71 is supplied to the nozzle formation region via the porous body 52, and the nozzle opening 17 and the nozzle opening 17 formation region are cleaned by the cleaning liquid 71. Thus, it is possible to maintain or restore the nozzle ejection characteristics.
Therefore, according to the ink jet printer 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to maintain or recover the nozzle ejection characteristics by the maintenance device 40 different from the maintenance device provided in the conventional ink jet printer.
In particular, cleaning is performed by exposing the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 to the cleaning liquid. For this reason, even when the formation surface 21A of the nozzle opening 17 has a complicated shape having irregularities, or even when the formation surface 21A of the nozzle opening 17 is bent, the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 is surely formed. It becomes possible to wash. Therefore, according to the ink jet printer 100 of the present embodiment, good maintenance can be realized even when the shape of the forming surface 21A of the nozzle opening 17 is a complicated shape having irregularities or when it is bent. it can.

In the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the flat plate 53 and the cam mechanism 54 that supply the cleaning liquid 71 held in the porous body 52 to the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 by reducing the volume of the porous body 52 are provided. A configuration of providing is adopted.
By adopting such a configuration, the volume of the porous body 52 is reduced by driving the cam mechanism 54, and the cleaning liquid 71 held in the porous body 52 is supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening 17. The cleaning liquid 71 held in the porous body 52 overflows from the entire upper portion 52b of the porous body 52 as the volume of the porous body 52 is reduced. Therefore, by adopting this configuration, the cleaning liquid 71 can be evenly supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 in contact with the porous body 52.

In the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the porous body 52 is stored in the storage tank 70 (storage section) that stores the cleaning liquid 71 and the cleaning liquid 71 stored in the storage section tank 70 by moving the porous body 52. A configuration is adopted in which a motor 55 that immerses the upper portion 52b of the motor is provided.
By adopting such a configuration, the upper part 52 b of the porous body 52 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 71 stored in the storage tank 70. For this reason, the new cleaning liquid 71 can be easily supplied to the porous body 52.

Moreover, in the inkjet printer 100 of this embodiment, when the upper part 52b of the porous body 52 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 71 stored in the storage tank 70, the sealing mechanism 72 that isolates the porous body 52 from the outside is provided. Adopt the configuration.
By adopting such a configuration, when the porous body 52 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 71 stored in the storage tank 70, the porous body 52 is isolated from the outside. For this reason, evaporation of the cleaning liquid 71 while the porous body 52 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 71 can be suppressed, and the cleaning liquid 71 can be reliably held in the porous body 52.

Further, in the ink jet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the flat plate 53 and the cam mechanism that recover the cleaning liquid 71 supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 through the porous body 52 by increasing the volume of the porous body 52. 54 is employed.
By adopting such a configuration, the volume of the porous body 52 is increased by the cam mechanism 54, and the cleaning liquid 71 is absorbed by the porous body 52. When the volume of the porous body 52 increases, the cleaning liquid 71 is evenly absorbed in the entire porous body 52. For this reason, by adopting this configuration, the cleaning liquid 71 can be evenly absorbed from the nozzle opening formation region in contact with the porous body 52.

Further, in the ink jet printer 100 of the present embodiment, the volume of the porous body 52 including the absorbed cleaning liquid 71 is reduced to reduce the cleaning liquid supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 (that is, after being used for cleaning). The cleaning liquid is discharged from the porous body.
By adopting such a configuration, the cleaning liquid used for cleaning by being supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 and absorbed by the porous body 52 is discharged to the outside of the porous body 52. It becomes possible to do.

In addition, the inkjet printer 100 according to the present embodiment employs a configuration in which a wall portion 51 b is provided that surrounds a wet spreading range of the cleaning liquid supplied to the nozzle formation region via the porous body 52.
By adopting such a configuration, the wetting and spreading range of the cleaning liquid 71 is surrounded by the wall 51b. For this reason, the wet spreading range of the cleaning liquid 71 can be restricted to a range surrounded by the wall portion 51b, and the cleaning liquid 71 can be prevented from leaking to the outside.

Further, in the inkjet printer 100 of the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the porous body 52 can be brought into contact with the formation region of the nozzle opening 17.
By adopting such a configuration, the porous body 52 is brought into direct contact with the formation region of the nozzle opening 17. For this reason, the porous body 52 is brought into direct contact with foreign matter and the like, and the separation of the foreign matter is promoted. Maintain or recover.

  The preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples, and the above embodiments may be combined. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that it belongs to.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the cleaning liquid 71 held in the porous body 52 is supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 by reducing the volume of the porous body 52 has been described.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a supply unit that directly supplies the cleaning liquid 71 to the porous body 52 is installed, and the supply amount of the cleaning liquid from the supply unit is larger than the holdable capacity of the porous body 52. The cleaning liquid 71 may overflow from the porous body 52 by increasing the number of the liquids.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, the structure which enables the volume change of the porous body 52 by the cam mechanism 54 and the flat plate 53 was demonstrated.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plunger mechanism may be provided instead of the cam mechanism 54. For example, the flat plate 53 can be deleted by curing the vicinity of the lower surface of the porous body 52.

Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the porous body 52 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 71 stored in the storage tank 70 by setting the posture of the main body 50 by driving the motor 55 has been described.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be configured such that the porous body 52 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 71 by moving the storage tank 70.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, when the main-body part 50 was set to the supply position, the structure in which the sealing mechanism 72 which spaces apart the porous body 52 from the exterior was installed in the storage tank 70 was demonstrated.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the seal mechanism 72 may be installed in the main body 50.
Further, for example, the wall 51 b can be used as the seal mechanism 72 by forming the wall 51 b of the main body 50 from a soft flexible material so that the wall 51 b can come into contact with the wall of the storage tank 70.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, the structure which collect | recovers the washing | cleaning liquid 71 used for washing | cleaning by increasing the volume of the porous body 52 was demonstrated.
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a flow path for collecting the cleaning liquid 71 used for cleaning is separately formed in the casing 51, and the cleaning liquid 71 is recovered through the flow path. You can also.
Further, for example, a suction device that collects the cleaning liquid 71 used for cleaning by suction may be separately installed.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, the structure which discharges the washing | cleaning liquid absorbed by the porous body 52 by reducing the volume of the porous body 52 was demonstrated.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cleaning liquid absorbed by the porous body 52 can be discharged by suction.

In the above embodiment, when the main body 50 is set to the maintenance position, the upper portion 52b of the porous body 52 is brought into contact with the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 (nozzle opening formation surface 21A). Explained.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is not always necessary for the porous body 52 and the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 to come into contact with each other during the cleaning process. It is only necessary that the porous body 52 and the formation region of the nozzle opening 17 be close to each other so that the cleaning liquid 71 comes into contact with the formation region of the nozzle opening 17.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, 21 A of nozzle opening formation surfaces of the line head demonstrated the case where it was a complicated shape which has an unevenness | corrugation.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to the case where the nozzle opening forming surface 21A is a flat surface.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration including only the maintenance device 40 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in addition to the maintenance device 40, a cap device and a wiping device included in the conventional maintenance device are provided. It is also possible to adopt a configuration comprising

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which a single line head is provided and all types of ink are ejected from the line head has been described.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which a line head is installed for each type of ink may be used. In such a case, the maintenance device 40 may be installed for each line head, or the maintenance processing of all the line heads can be performed by the single maintenance device 40 by making the single maintenance device 40 movable. You can go.
The present invention is not limited to a line head type ink jet printer, and can also be applied to a serial type ink jet printer. Further, the present invention can also be applied to an ink jet printer provided with a head unit in which short jet heads are arranged in a staggered manner instead of the line head 13, for example.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the ink jet recording apparatus is an ink jet printer has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the ink jet printer, and may be a recording apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile.

  Further, in the above embodiment, a laminated type piezoelectric element is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other types (for example, monomorph, unimorph, bimorph, Mooney type, multi-moony type, A cymbal type or the like may be used. Furthermore, the drive unit 24 is not limited to the piezo jet type using the above-described piezoelectric element, and for example, a thermal method can be adopted.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the fluid ejecting apparatus is a fluid ejecting apparatus (fluid ejecting apparatus) that ejects a fluid such as ink has been described as an example. The present invention can be applied to a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges fluid other than the above. Fluids that can be ejected by the fluid ejecting apparatus include liquids, liquids in which particles of functional material are dispersed or dissolved, gel-like fluids, solids that can be ejected as fluids, and powders (such as toner). .

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, as the fluid ejected from the fluid ejecting apparatus, not only ink but also fluid corresponding to a specific application can be applied. By providing the fluid ejecting apparatus with an ejecting head capable of ejecting a fluid corresponding to the specific application, ejecting the fluid corresponding to the specific application from the ejecting head, and attaching the fluid to a predetermined object, A given device can be manufactured. For example, the fluid ejecting apparatus (fluid ejecting apparatus) of the present invention disperses a predetermined material such as an electrode material and a color material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, and a surface emitting display (FED). The present invention can be applied to a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects fluid dispersed (dissolved) in a medium (solvent).

  Further, the fluid ejecting apparatus may be a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, or a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a fluid that is used as a precision pipette and serves as a sample.

  In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resins to form fluid injection devices that inject lubricating oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements, etc. For example, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto a substrate, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects gel, and a powder such as toner. It may be a toner jet recording apparatus that ejects a solid. The present invention can be applied to any one of these fluid ejecting apparatuses.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part around a line head included in the ink jet printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the nozzle opening formation surface of the line head with which the inkjet printer which is one Embodiment of this invention is provided. It is sectional drawing which shows a part of line head with which the inkjet printer which is one Embodiment of this invention is provided. It is sectional drawing which shows typically schematic structure of the maintenance apparatus with which the inkjet printer which is one Embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a perspective view of the main-body part of the maintenance apparatus with which the inkjet printer which is one Embodiment of this invention is provided. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of an ink jet printer that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the inkjet printer which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the inkjet printer which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the inkjet printer which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the inkjet printer which is one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Inkjet printer (fluid ejecting apparatus), 13 ... Line head, 17 ... Nozzle, 21A ... Nozzle opening formation surface, 40 ... Maintenance apparatus, 50 ... Main-body part, 52 ... Porous body, 51b ...... Wall, 53 ... Flat plate, 54 ... Cam mechanism, 55 ... Motor, 60 ... Discharge part, 70 ... Storage tank (storage tank), 71 ... Cleaning fluid, 80 ... Control device

Claims (8)

A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising a maintenance device for maintaining at least a formation region of the nozzle opening of an ejecting head in which a nozzle opening for ejecting fluid is formed,
The maintenance device is
A supply device for supplying a cleaning liquid to the formation region of the nozzle opening via a porous body capable of changing volume;
A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: a recovery device that recovers the cleaning liquid supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening.   The said supply apparatus is equipped with the porous body volume reduction part which supplies the said washing | cleaning liquid hold | maintained at the said porous body to the formation area of the said nozzle opening by reducing the volume of the said porous body. Item 2. The fluid ejection device according to Item 1. The supply device includes:
A reservoir for storing the cleaning liquid;
2. A dipping part that immerses at least a part of the porous body in the cleaning liquid stored in the storage part by moving at least one of the porous body and the storage part. Or the fluid ejecting apparatus according to 2;   The said supply apparatus is provided with the sealing mechanism which isolates at least the said porous body from the exterior, when immersing at least one part of the said porous body in the said washing | cleaning liquid stored in the said storage part. 4. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to 3.   The recovery device includes a porous body volume increasing unit that absorbs the cleaning liquid supplied to the formation region of the nozzle opening through the porous body by increasing the volume of the porous body. The fluid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The said collection | recovery apparatus is equipped with the discharge part which discharges | emits the said absorbed cleaning liquid from the said porous body by decreasing the volume of the said porous body containing the said absorbed cleaning liquid. Fluid ejection device.   The said maintenance apparatus is provided with the wall part which surrounds the wetting spread range of the washing | cleaning liquid supplied to the formation area of the said nozzle opening through the said porous body, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Fluid ejection device.   The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the porous body is configured to be able to contact a formation region of the nozzle opening.

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