JP2009023107A - Inkjet recorder, and wiping method of inkjet recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recorder which can inexpensively record a high-quality image by quickly removing at least a part of a cleaning liquid from an ejection port formation face of a recording head, and to provide a wiping method of an inkjet recording head. <P>SOLUTION: A first wiper 4 is located on the front side of a wiping direction (direction of an arrow A1), and a second wiper 5 is located on the rear side of the wiping direction. The cleaning liquid is given to the first wiper 4 by a processing liquid applying device 10, while the cleaning liquid is not applied to the second wiper 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus having an ink jet recording head wiping function capable of discharging ink, and an ink jet recording head wiping method.

  In the ink jet recording system, an image is recorded on a recording medium by rapidly pressurizing ink in a pressurized liquid chamber of the ink jet recording head and ejecting the ink from a discharge port toward the recording medium. Various methods have been proposed for applying ink, such as those that use thermal energy generated by an electrothermal transducer (heater) and those that use mechanical energy of a piezoelectric element.

  In such an ink jet recording method, the ink is ejected from the ejection port of the recording head, so that the ink in the vicinity of the ejection port thickens or the ejection port forming surface is formed by evaporation of the solvent in the ink. There is a possibility that the ink component is solidified (also referred to as “nozzle surface”). If such a thickened or individualized product of ink exists, there is a risk of ink ejection failure. For this reason, a wiping means is used that wipes and cleans the nozzle surface with a wiper at a predetermined time interval or during a recording head recovery operation.

  In recent years, in various recording systems including an ink jet recording system, high color development on a recording medium has been required in order to record a high-definition image. Among inks that satisfy such requirements, there are inks that have a high evaporation rate of the solvent in the ink, and the thickened or solidified material of the ink adheres firmly to the nozzle surface.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a method of applying a cleaning liquid (treatment liquid) to a wiper that wipes the nozzle surface as a method of removing the ink component firmly adhered to the nozzle formation surface.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-138502

  As described above, in the method of wiping the nozzle surface through the cleaning liquid, it is important not to leave the cleaning liquid on the nozzle surface. Since the cleaning liquid itself dissolves the ink components well, if much remains on the nozzle surface, it may mix with the ink and adversely affect the image quality of the recorded image and the ejection of the ink. In addition, when a cleaning liquid having a high viscosity remains around the ejection port, the ink ejection direction is affected, and the landing position of the ink on the recording medium may be shifted.

  An object of the present invention is to quickly remove at least a part of the cleaning liquid from the discharge port forming surface of the recording head, and to record a high-quality image at low cost, and a method for wiping the inkjet recording head Is to provide.

  The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention performs recording using an ink jet recording head capable of ejecting ink from an ejection port, and wipes the ejection port forming surface on which the ejection port is formed in one direction with the inkjet recording head. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a relatively moving wiper; and an applying unit for applying a cleaning liquid to the wiper. The wiper includes a first wiper positioned on the front side in the one direction, and a rear side in the one direction. A second wiper positioned on the discharge port forming surface, wherein the applying means contacts the discharge port forming surface with respect to an amount of the cleaning liquid adhering to a region of the first wiper contacting the discharge port forming surface. (2) Apply the cleaning liquid so as to reduce the amount of the cleaning liquid adhering to the wiper area. The features.

  The inkjet recording head wiping method of the present invention is a discharge port formation in which the discharge port is formed by relatively moving an inkjet recording head capable of discharging ink from the discharge port and a wiper to which a cleaning liquid is applied. A wiping method for wiping a surface in one direction, wherein the wiper uses a first wiper located on the front side in the one direction and a second wiper located on the rear side in the one direction, In order to reduce the amount of the cleaning liquid adhered in the region of the second wiper in contact with the discharge port forming surface, rather than the amount of the cleaning liquid adhered in the region of the first wiper in contact with the discharge port forming surface, The cleaning liquid is applied.

  According to the present invention, the amount of cleaning liquid applied to the second wiper at the rear side in the wiping direction is made smaller than the amount of cleaning liquid applied to the first wiper at the front side in the wiping direction. Thus, after the first wiper cleans the discharge port forming surface of the recording head using a sufficient cleaning liquid, at least a part of the cleaning liquid on the discharge port forming surface can be quickly removed by the second wiper. it can. That is, after the ink on the discharge port forming surface is redissolved by the cleaning liquid applied to the first wiper, the re-dissolved ink and cleaning liquid on the discharge port forming surface are removed or reduced by the second wiper. be able to.

  As described above, after wiping the recording head discharge port forming surface with the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid can be removed or reduced quickly, so that the ink discharge state in the recording head can be maintained well with a simple structure. High-quality images can be recorded. In addition, the selectivity of the cleaning liquid and ink can be improved, and more effective wiping and high-quality image recording can be performed using the optimum cleaning liquid and ink. In addition, effective wiping can shorten the recording time and suppress consumption of the cleaning liquid. Suppressing the consumption of the cleaning liquid leads to a reduction in cost per recorded matter. Further, since the amount of waste cleaning liquid after wiping is reduced, the volume of the absorber can be reduced to absorb it, and the capacity of the tank for holding the cleaning liquid can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of the ink jet recording apparatus that uses the cleaning liquid.

  Further, the second wiper can be cleaned by sliding the first wiper against the second wiper. Further, the first wiper is brought into sliding contact with the second wiper, and the cleaning liquid applied to the second wiper is moved to the first wiper, whereby the cleaning liquid can be used in the first wiper.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a serial scan type inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applicable.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an ink jet recording head, in which a plurality of nozzles capable of ejecting ink are formed as nozzle rows. The nozzle row is formed in a direction (for example, a direction orthogonal) intersecting a main scanning direction described later. The nozzle can eject ink from an ejection port formed on an ejection port formation surface (hereinafter, also referred to as “nozzle surface”) 2 using an electrothermal transducer (heater), a piezoelectric element, or the like. When the electrothermal converter is used, the ink in the nozzle is foamed by the heat generation, and the ink can be ejected from the ejection port using the foaming energy. Reference numeral 3 denotes a carriage on which a recording head 1 and an ink tank 31 for supplying ink to the recording head 1 are mounted. Reference numerals 4 and 5 denote first and second wipers for wiping the nozzle surface 2 of the recording head 1.

  6 is a cap part capable of capping the nozzle surface 2, 7 is a carriage motor for reciprocating the carriage 3 in the main scanning direction of the arrow X, and 8 is a guide shaft for guiding the carriage 3 to be reciprocally movable. . Reference numeral 32 denotes a transport roller for transporting a recording medium (not shown) in the sub-scanning direction of an arrow Y that intersects (orthogonally in this example) the main scanning direction. The operation of ejecting ink from the ejection port of the recording head 1 while moving the recording head 1 together with the carriage 3 in the main scanning direction and the operation of transporting the recording medium in the sub scanning direction are repeated on the recording medium sequentially. Images can be recorded.

  Reference numeral 9 denotes a recovery unit motor, which moves the first and second wipers 4 and 5 in the directions of arrows A1 and A2, or moves the cap unit 6 in the vertical direction of arrows B1 and B2, or is introduced into the cap unit 6. It is provided as a drive source for generating negative pressure. In the case of this example, the directions of arrows A1 and A2 are directions along the main scanning direction. Reference numeral 10 denotes a processing liquid applicator (cleaning liquid applying means) for adhering the cleaning liquid (also referred to as “processing liquid”) to the first and second wipers 4 and 5, depending on the material capable of holding the processing liquid. The formed processing liquid holding part 10A (see FIG. 3) is provided. Further, the treatment liquid applicator 10 is provided with a scrubber (see FIGS. 2 and 3) for scraping off ink adhering to the first and second wipers 4 and 5. The first and second wipers 4 and 5, the cap unit 6, the treatment liquid applicator 10, and the recovery unit motor 8 are unitized. Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as a recovery unit.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the recovery unit, and reference numeral 11 in the drawing denotes a processing liquid storage unit in which the processing liquid is stored. The processing liquid applicator 10 of this example is configured to apply the processing liquid to the wipers 4 and 5 when the wipers 4 and 5 come into contact with the processing liquid holding unit 10A. However, the processing liquid applicator 10 may be configured to apply the processing liquid to the wiper, and may be configured to spray the processing liquid directly onto the wiper, for example.

  FIG. 3 is a side view when the recording head 1 is moved above the cap unit 6, and is a diagram for explaining an operation when wiping the nozzle surface 2 through the processing liquid 14. The wipers 4 and 5 are moved in the directions of the arrows A1 and A2 together with the wiper holding portion 13 that holds the wipers 4 and 5. The direction of the arrow A1 is a direction (wiping direction) for the wipers 4 and 5 to wipe the nozzle surface 2, and the wiper 4 is located in front of the wiper 5 in the wiping direction.

  First, the wiper holding part 13 in the initial state as shown in FIG. 3A moves in the wiping direction indicated by the arrow A1 as shown in FIG. 3B. A treatment liquid 14 is applied to the wiper 5 by contact with a treatment liquid application unit 15 as described later. As the wiper holding part 13 moves in the direction of arrow A1, the wipers 4 and 5 wipe the nozzle surface 2 of the recording head 1 and then move in the direction of the treatment liquid applicator 10 as shown in FIG. Moving. Ink adhering to the wipers 4 and 5 when the nozzle surface 2 is wiped is removed by contacting the scrubber 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 3D, when the first wiper 4 comes into contact with the treatment liquid application unit 15, the treatment liquid 14 is applied to the first wiper 4.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3E, the wiper holding portion 13 moves in the direction of the arrow A2, so that the wipers 4 and 5 pass through the position of the scrubber 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 3 (f), in a situation where the recording head 1 is moved from the upper position of the cap portion 6 to another position, the wiper holding portion 13 returns to the initial state of FIG. 3 (a).

  By repeating the operations from FIG. 3A to FIG. 3F, the nozzle surface 2 of the recording head 1 is wiped through the processing liquid 14.

  The movable area of the wiper holding part 13 in the direction of the arrow A1 is such that the first wiper 4 is brought into contact with the treatment liquid application part 15 and the second wiper 5 is not brought into contact with the treatment liquid application part 15, as shown in FIG. It was set to such an area. As a result, the treatment liquid 14 is applied only to the first wiper 4. Therefore, at the time of wiping as shown in FIG. 3B, after the nozzle surface 2 is wiped by the first wiper 4 to which the processing liquid 14 is applied, the nozzle surface 2 is moved by the second wiper 5 to which the processing liquid 14 is not applied. Wipe immediately. Therefore, the treatment liquid 14 attached to the nozzle surface 2 during wiping by the first wiper 4 can be immediately removed by the second wiper 5 to immediately reduce the amount of the treatment liquid 14 attached to the nozzle surface 2.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the dimensional relationship of each part in the recovery part. In this example, the free length L1 of the first wiper 4 is 4.75 mm, and the free length L2 of the second wiper 5 is 4.5 mm. Further, the interval LB between the wipers 4 and 5 was 2.5 mm, and the penetration amount LB of the first wiper 4 with respect to the scrubber 12 was 1.5 mm. Moreover, the thickness of the wipers 4 and 5 in the directions of the arrows A1 and A2 was 0.5 mm.

  Actually, every time three solid images were recorded on an A4 size recording medium, the wiping operation of this example was performed, and solid images were recorded on a total of 30 A4 size recording media. I was able to get it. In the comparative example with respect to this example, the movable region of the wiper holding portion 13 in the direction of the arrow A1 is set wider than in the case of this example, and the treatment liquid 14 is also applied to the second wiper 5. In the case of this comparative example, in order to obtain a good recording result like this example, the frequency of the wiping operation has to be increased as compared with the case of this example.

  In this example, the movable region of the wiper holding portion 13 was adjusted so that the treatment liquid 14 was applied to the first wiper 4 and the treatment liquid 14 was not applied to the second wiper 5. However, the configuration for applying the treatment liquid 14 to the first wiper 4 and preventing the treatment liquid 14 from being applied to the second wiper 5 is not limited to this. For example, the free length L <b> 2 of the second wiper 5 may be shortened so that the second wiper 5 does not hit the treatment liquid application unit 15.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, the treatment liquid 14 is not applied to the second wiper 5. In the second embodiment, the treatment liquid 14 is once applied to the second wiper 5, and the treatment liquid 14 is removed by the first wiper 4. Thus, the wiping is performed in the state where the second wiper 5 has no treatment liquid 14 or is in a small amount.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the wiping operation in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, when the first wiper 4 and the second wiper 5 are in contact with the treatment liquid application unit 10A, the treatment liquid 14 is applied to the wipers 4 and 5. In the wipers 4 and 5, 4 A and 5 A are surfaces that wipe the nozzle surface 2 (hereinafter referred to as “wiping surfaces”), and 4 B and 5 B are surfaces that do not wipe the nozzle surface 2 (hereinafter “wiping surfaces”). Non-wiping surface). As shown in FIG. 5B, when the wiper holding part 13 passes the position of the treatment liquid application part 10A, the treatment liquid 14 is applied to the wiping surfaces 4A and 5A of the wipers 4 and 5.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), the first wiper 4 is bent in contact with the protrusion 22 that is movably provided in the treatment liquid applicator 10, and the non-wiping surface 4B is the second wiper. 5 is in contact with the wiping surface 5A. The protrusion 22 moves in the direction of the arrow D1, and is located on the movement locus of the first wiper 4 as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D and moves in the direction of the arrow D2. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5E, the first wiper 4 is retreated from the movement locus.

  Then, as the wiper holding portion 13 further moves in the direction of arrow A1 as shown in FIG. 5D, the first wiper 4 is further curved, and the contact position of the first wiper 4 on the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5 P shifts in the direction of arrow C along the wiping surface 5A. As a result, the processing liquid 14 applied to the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5 is moved in the direction of arrow C by the first wiper 4 and swept toward the wiper holding portion 13 side (side away from the nozzle surface 2). .

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5E, the protrusion 22 moves in the direction of the arrow D2 and retracts from the movement locus of the first wiper 4, whereby the bending of the first wiper 4 is released and the second wiper is released. No contact with 5 either. Therefore, the processing liquid 14 on the edge portion 5C of the second wiper 5 and the region 5A-1 in contact with the nozzle surface 2 on the wiping surface 5A is removed or reduced.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5F, the wiper holding portion 13 moves in the arrow A2 direction. At that time, the treatment liquid 14 is also applied to the non-wiping surfaces 4B and 5B of the wipers 4 and 5 by the contact with the treatment liquid application unit 10A. However, these treatment liquids 14 do not affect the wiping of the nozzle surface 2. These treatment liquids 14 may be removed or reduced by contact with the scrubber 12.

  Actually, the wiping operation of this example was performed every time four solid images were recorded on the A4 size recording medium, and solid images were recorded on a total of 30 A4 size recording media. I was able to get it.

(Third embodiment)
In the second embodiment described above, the processing liquid 14 on the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5 is swept up to a position where it is not attached to the nozzle surface 3 by the first wiper 4. That is, the processing liquid 14 remains on the wiping surface 5 </ b> A of the second wiper 4. In the third embodiment, the processing liquid 14 on the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5 is moved to the head of the first wiper 4, and the processing liquid 14 adheres to the wiping surface 4A of the first wiper 4. Let Thereby, the cleaning effect of the nozzle surface 2 is improved.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the wiping operation of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, after the wipers 4 and 5 have passed through the position of the scrubber 12, the wipers 4 and 5 are treated with the treatment liquid coating unit 10A as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C. The treatment liquid 14 is applied by contacting the substrate. At that time, the first wiper 4 contacts the wiping surface 5 </ b> A of the second wiper 5. P is a contact position of the wipers 4 and 5, and the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5 increases as the degree of bending of the first wiper 4 increases as the wiper holding portion 13 moves in the direction of arrow A1. Along the direction of arrow C1.

  Thereafter, when the wiper holding portion 13 moves in the arrow A2 direction, the first wiper 4 is gradually released from being bent while being in contact with the second wiper 5. Therefore, the contact position P gradually moves in the direction of the arrow C2 along the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5. Accordingly, the contact position P moves toward the edge portion 5C of the second wiper 5, and the processing liquid 14 on the wiping surface 5A is swept toward the edge portion 5C. Then, the processing liquid 14 is swept away by the head 5C of the first wiper 5 as shown in FIG. 6D, and is removed or reduced from the wiping surface 5A.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6E, when the wipers 4 and 5 are moved to a position where they do not come into contact with the treatment liquid application unit 10A, the treatment liquid 14 swept to the head 5C of the second wiper 5 is caused by gravity. It flows down through the first wiper 4. That is, the processing liquid flows down along the wiping surface 4A and the non-wiping surface 4B of the first wiper 4. Therefore, more processing liquid 14 is applied to the wiping surface 4A of the first wiper 4. Further, the processing liquid 14 swept in the direction of the arrow C <b> 2 along the wiping surface 5 </ b> A of the second wiper 5 adheres to the head 5 </ b> D of the second wiper 5. However, since the adhesion amount is small, the amount that flows down from the head 5D along the wiping surface 5A is small, and the wiping operation of the nozzle surface 2 is not affected.

  As described above, in the present example, a large amount of the processing liquid 14 is applied to the first wiper 4, and the processing liquid 14 is not applied to the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5, or the applied amount is reduced (at least). And less than the amount applied to the first wiper 4).

  In this example, in order to execute such a wiping operation, the free length L1 of the first wiper 4 is 4.75 mm, and the free length L2 of the second wiper 5 is 3.6 mm. The distance LA between the wipers 4 and 5 (wiper distance) LA was set to 3.5 mm, and the penetration amount LB of the first wiper 4 with respect to the treatment liquid application part 10A was set to 1.5 mm. Moreover, the thickness of the wipers 4 and 5 in the directions of the arrows A1 and A2 was 0.5 mm. Actually, each time four solid images were recorded on the A4 size recording medium, the wiping operation of this example was performed, and solid images were recorded on a total of 30 A4 size recording media. Could get.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the above-described third embodiment, the treatment liquid 14 on the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5 is moved to the head 4C of the first wiper 4. In the fourth embodiment, the treatment liquid 14 once adhered to the second wiper 5 is removed or reduced, and the treatment liquid is directly adhered to the wiping surface 4A of the first wiper 4 to thereby remove the nozzle surface 2. Increase the cleaning effect.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a wiping operation according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, after the wipers 4 and 5 have passed through the position of the scrubber 12, the wipers 4 and 5 come into contact with the treatment liquid application unit 10A as shown in FIG. 7B. The treatment liquid 14 is applied. Then, when the wiper holding portion 13 further moves in the direction of the arrow A1, the edge portion of the first wiper 4 comes into contact with the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5 as shown in FIG. These contact positions P shift in the direction of arrow C1 along the wiping surface 5A of the wiper 5 as the wiper holding portion 13 moves in the direction of arrow A1.

  Thereafter, when the wiper holding portion 13 moves in the arrow A2 direction, the second wiper 5 receives a load in the arrow A2 direction from the first wiper 4 as shown in FIG. Further, since the frictional force between the second wiper 5 and the treatment liquid application unit 10A also acts, the second wiper 5 bends in the direction opposite to that shown in FIG. As a result, the head 4C of the first wiper 4 contacts the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5 as shown in FIG.

  Then, when the wiper holding portion 13 further moves in the direction of the arrow A2, the degree of bending of the first wiper 4 gradually increases while the head portion 5C of the first wiper 5 is in contact with the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5. Get smaller. Therefore, the head 5C of the first wiper 5 gradually moves in the direction of the arrow C2 along the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5, and the contact position thereof is shifted in the direction of the arrow C2. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7E, the processing liquid 14 on the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5 is scraped off and moves to the wiping surface 4A of the first wiper 4.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7F, a large amount of the processing liquid 14 is applied to the wiping surface 4A of the first wiper 4, and the processing liquid 14 is not applied to the wiping surface 5A of the second wiper 5, or the processing is performed. The amount of liquid 14 applied is reduced. The amount of treatment liquid 14 applied to the second wiper 5 is at least smaller than the amount applied to the first wiper 4.

  Although the treatment liquid 14 slightly adheres to the non-wiping surfaces 4B and 5B of the wipers 4 and 5, these surfaces do not come into contact with the nozzle surface 2 and therefore do not affect the nozzle surface 2. Alternatively, the non-wiping surfaces 4B and 5B may be brought into contact with the scrubber 12 to remove the treatment liquid 14 attached to those surfaces.

  In this example, in order to execute such a wiping operation, the free length L1 of the first wiper 4 is 4.75 mm, and the free length L2 of the second wiper 5 is 3.8 mm. The wiper interval LA between the first wiper 4 and the second wiper 5 was 3.5 mm, and the penetration amount LB of the first wiper 4 with respect to the treatment liquid application unit 10A was 1.5 mm. Moreover, the thickness of the wipers 4 and 5 in the directions of the arrows A1 and A2 was 0.5 mm. Actually, the wiping operation of this example was performed every time five solid images were recorded on the A4 size recording medium, and solid images were recorded on a total of 30 A4 size recording media. Could get.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording method in which recording is performed using an inkjet recording head capable of ejecting ink from an ejection port, and the ejection port forming surface of the recording head can be wiped in one direction using a wiper to which a cleaning liquid is applied. It can be widely applied to the apparatus. Therefore, the present invention is applicable not only to the serial scan type as described above, but also to a full line type ink jet recording apparatus using a long ink jet recording head extending over the entire width direction of the recording medium. can do.

  The wiper may include at least a first wiper positioned on the front side of the discharge port forming surface in the wiping direction and a second wiper positioned on the rear side of the wiping direction. When three or more wipers are included, it is desirable that the amount of the cleaning liquid attached to the wiper located on the rearmost side in the wiping direction is smaller than that of other wipers.

  Further, the method of applying the cleaning liquid to the wiper is not limited to the method of the embodiment described above. In short, the cleaning liquid is set so that the amount of cleaning liquid attached in the region of the second wiper in contact with the discharge port forming surface is smaller than the amount of cleaning liquid in the region of the first wiper in contact with the discharge port forming surface. It suffices if it can be given.

  Therefore, the cleaning liquid need not be applied to the first wiper and the cleaning liquid need not be applied to the second wiper. In that case, for example, as in the first embodiment described above, the holding unit that holds the cleaning liquid and the first and second wipers are relatively moved so that only the first wiper contacts the holding unit. You can do it. Alternatively, at least a part of the cleaning liquid may be moved after the cleaning liquid is applied to the region of the second wiper that contacts the discharge port forming surface. In that case, at least a part of the cleaning liquid is moved on the second wiper side as in the second embodiment, or the second wiper is used as in the third and fourth embodiments. The first wiper can be moved from the side. Thus, the method of moving the cleaning liquid is arbitrary. For example, as in the above-described embodiment, the first wiper and the second wiper can be relatively displaced by the protrusion. That is, the protrusion and the first and second wipers move relative to each other, and the first wiper is deformed toward the second wiper, so that the first wiper moves while being in contact with the second wiper, that is, the sliding contact. By doing so, the cleaning liquid can be moved.

1 is a perspective view of a main part of an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is an expansion perspective view of the recovery part in FIG. (A) to (f) is an explanatory diagram of the wiping operation by the recovery unit of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the dimension of each part in the recovery part of FIG. (A) to (f) is an explanatory diagram of a wiping operation in the second embodiment of the present invention. (A) to (e) is an explanatory view of a wiping operation in the third embodiment of the present invention. (A) to (f) is an explanatory diagram of a wiping operation in the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Inkjet recording head 2 Discharge port forming surface (nozzle surface)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Carriage 4 1st wiper 5 2nd wiper 4A, 5A Wiping surface 4B, 5B Non-wiping surface 10 Processing liquid applicator 10A Processing liquid holding | maintenance part 12 Scrubber 14 Processing liquid (wiping liquid)
P Contact position

Claims (8)

A wiper that performs recording using an inkjet recording head capable of ejecting ink from the ejection port, and moves relative to the inkjet recording head so as to wipe the ejection port forming surface on which the ejection port is formed in one direction, and the wiper In an inkjet recording apparatus comprising: an applying unit for applying a cleaning liquid to
The wiper includes a first wiper located on the front side in the one direction, and a second wiper located on the rear side in the one direction,
The applying unit is configured to apply the cleaning liquid in an area of the second wiper in contact with the discharge port forming surface, rather than an amount of the cleaning liquid in an area of the first wiper in contact with the discharge port forming surface. An ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the cleaning liquid is applied so as to reduce the amount of the ink.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the applying unit applies the cleaning liquid to the area of the first wiper and does not apply the cleaning liquid to the area of the second wiper. The applying unit includes a holding unit that holds the cleaning liquid and moves relative to the first and second wipers,
The holding unit applies the cleaning liquid to the area by contacting the area of the first wiper, and does not apply the cleaning liquid to the area by not contacting the area of the second wiper. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:   2. The inkjet recording according to claim 1, wherein the applying unit applies the cleaning liquid to the area of the second wiper and then moves at least a part of the cleaning liquid to the outside of the area. apparatus.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the applying unit moves at least a part of the cleaning liquid applied to the region of the second wiper to the first wiper.   The applying means relatively displaces the first wiper and the second wiper to move at least a part of the cleaning liquid applied to the region of the second wiper, and the second wiper 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first wiper is brought into sliding contact with the region.   The said giving means includes a protrusion that deforms the first wiper toward the second wiper to bring the first wiper into sliding contact with the region of the second wiper. 2. An ink jet recording apparatus according to 1. A wiping method for wiping the discharge port forming surface in which the discharge port is formed in one direction by relatively moving an inkjet recording head capable of discharging ink from the discharge port and a wiper to which a cleaning liquid is applied Because
As the wiper, using a first wiper located on the front side in the one direction, and a second wiper located on the rear side in the one direction,
The amount of the cleaning liquid attached in the region of the second wiper in contact with the discharge port forming surface is less than the amount of the cleaning liquid attached in the region of the first wiper in contact with the discharge port forming surface. A method for wiping an ink jet recording head, comprising applying the cleaning liquid.

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