JP2009247916A - Wiping unit for droplet discharging head, droplet discharging apparatus and method of cleaning droplet discharging head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wiping unit for a droplet discharging head which can carry out many wiping operations nearly simultaneously with a simple configuration, a droplet discharging apparatus and a method of cleaning the droplet discharging head. <P>SOLUTION: The wiping unit for the droplet discharging head carries out operations of wiping the nozzle surface by pressing a wiping sheet 34 toward the nozzle surface of the droplet discharging head and sliding, and has a first pressing roller 29 and a second pressing roller 30 for pressing the wiping sheet 34 toward the droplet discharging head, a cleaning member supplying device 43 for supplying the wiping sheet 34 to the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 and a cleaning member recovering device 44 for recovering the wiping sheet 34 supplied to the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30. The wiping sheet 34 is supplied so as to pass through the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 in this order. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a droplet discharge head wiping unit, a droplet discharge device, and a droplet discharge head cleaning method, and more particularly to an apparatus for cleaning a droplet discharge head with a simple configuration and high productivity.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet type droplet discharge device is known as a device for discharging droplets to a workpiece. The droplet discharge device moves along a table on which a workpiece such as a substrate is placed and the workpiece is moved in one direction, and a guide rail arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the table at a position above the table. And a carriage. The carriage is provided with an inkjet head (hereinafter referred to as a droplet discharge head), which discharges droplets onto the workpiece,
It was applied.

When filling the droplet discharge head with the functional liquid discharged by this droplet discharge head, or when solid matter is deposited in the channel of the droplet discharge head, the flow path of the droplet discharge head using the suction unit Aspirate the functional fluid inside. At this time, since the nozzle surface on which the nozzles are formed in the droplet discharge head is contaminated with the functional liquid, Patent Document 1 introduces a wiping unit that presses the cleaning member against the nozzle surface to wipe off the functional liquid.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-22251

When the size of the workpiece is larger than the droplet discharge head, in order to apply the functional liquid efficiently,
A large number of droplet ejection heads are mounted on the droplet ejection apparatus. At this time, in order to wipe a large number of droplet discharge heads efficiently, it is necessary to arrange a large number of wiping units. When a large number of wiping units are arranged, the apparatus becomes complicated. Therefore, a wiping unit that efficiently wipes a large number of droplet discharge heads with a simple configuration has been desired.

SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

[Application Example 1]
The wiping unit for a droplet discharge head according to this application example is a wiping unit for a droplet discharge head that performs a wiping operation on the nozzle surface by pressing and sliding a cleaning member against the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head. A plurality of pressing portions that press the cleaning member against the droplet discharge head, a supply portion that supplies the cleaning member to the pressing portion, and a recovery portion that collects the cleaning member supplied to the pressing portion; The cleaning member is supplied by sequentially passing through the plurality of pressing portions.

Here, the nozzle surface indicates the surface on which the nozzles of the droplet discharge head are formed. According to the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head, the cleaning member is supplied from the supply unit, passes through the plurality of pressing units, and is then collected by the collection unit. And the wiping operation | movement of a nozzle surface is performed in each press part. At this time, the number of pressing parts can be more than the number of supply parts and recovery parts. Therefore, many wiping operations can be performed substantially simultaneously with a simple configuration as compared with the case where one pressing unit is arranged for each one supply unit and collection unit.

[Application Example 2]
The wiping unit of the droplet discharge head according to the application example described above includes a cleaning member control unit that controls the supply unit and the recovery unit, and the cleaning member control unit uses one pressing unit for wiping operation. Control which collects the place of the cleaning member which had been used, without using the other pressing part for wiping operation is performed.

According to the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head, the cleaning member once used for the wiping operation is not used for the wiping operation by another pressing portion. Therefore, the adhering matter adhering to the cleaning member by the wiping operation of the nozzle surface does not adhere again to the other nozzle surfaces. As a result, deposits adhering to the nozzle surface can be reduced from the nozzle surface.

[Application Example 3]
The wiping unit of the droplet discharge head according to the application example described above includes a table that relatively moves the nozzle surface and the cleaning member, and the table reciprocates while sliding the cleaning member and the nozzle surface. A wiping operation is performed.

According to the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head, the wiping operation is performed by reciprocating. When the cleaning member slides in the place where the nozzle is located, the side surface in the direction in which the cleaning member advances among the inner side surfaces of the nozzle, compared with the side surface in the direction opposite to the direction in which the cleaning member advances, It is easy to wipe off. In this method, the cleaning member advances in two directions to perform the wiping operation. Therefore,
Compared with the case where the nozzle and the cleaning member slide in only one direction, the nozzle surface can be cleaned with high quality.

[Application Example 4]
In the wiping unit of the liquid droplet ejection head according to the application example described above, the wiping unit includes a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies a cleaning liquid to the cleaning member, and at least one of the plurality of pressing units includes the cleaning member impregnated with the cleaning liquid. And performing a wiping operation.

According to the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head, the cleaning liquid is applied to the nozzle surface via the cleaning member. When the deposit is present on the nozzle surface, the cleaning liquid is applied to the deposit. And it can make it easy to remove a deposit | attachment because a cleaning liquid peels the deposit | attachment of a nozzle surface from a nozzle surface.

[Application Example 5]
In the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head according to the application example described above, at least one of the plurality of pressing portions performs a wiping operation using the cleaning member that is dry.

Here, the dry cleaning member is not a cleaning member that does not contain water at all, but a cleaning member that is dry enough to absorb the liquid material. According to the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head, the liquid material can be removed from the nozzle surface by absorbing the liquid material adhering to the nozzle surface.

[Application Example 6]
In the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head according to the application example, at least one of the plurality of pressing portions is supplied with the dry cleaning member, and the cleaning member control unit is impregnated with the cleaning liquid. The speed at which the cleaning member is supplied to the pressing portion and the speed at which the dry cleaning member is supplied to the pressing portion are controlled.

According to the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head, the speed at which the cleaning member impregnated with the cleaning liquid slides on the nozzle surface and the speed at which the dry cleaning member slides on the nozzle surface are controlled. Accordingly, even when the optimum speed when the cleaning member impregnated with the cleaning liquid is slid on the nozzle surface and the optimum speed when the dry cleaning member absorbs the liquid material, each cleaning member is also different. Can be slid at an optimum speed.

[Application Example 7]
In the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head according to the application example, the supply unit and the recovery unit apply tension to the cleaning member.

According to the wiping unit of this droplet discharge head, since the tension is applied to the cleaning member, the cleaning member is not loosened. When the cleaning member is slid on the droplet discharge head with the cleaning member slackened, the cleaning member may be caught on the droplet discharge head.
At this time, the wiping operation may not be performed at a predetermined speed. Therefore, the wiping operation can be performed with high quality by applying tension to the cleaning member.

[Application Example 8]
In the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head according to the application example, the liquid discharge head includes a supply amount detection unit that detects a supply amount of the cleaning member, and uses the supply amount detected by the supply amount detection unit.
The cleaning member control unit controls the supply amount.

According to the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head, the supply amount is controlled using the supply amount of the cleaning member that is detected with high accuracy, so that the supply amount of the cleaning member can be accurately controlled. As a result, the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head can perform the wiping operation with an appropriate supply amount of the cleaning member.

[Application Example 9]
In the liquid droplet ejection head wiping unit according to the application example described above, when there are a plurality of the liquid droplet ejection heads, the plurality of pressing portions are arranged at locations facing the plurality of the liquid droplet ejection heads. And

According to the wiping unit of the droplet discharge head, the wiping operation is performed almost simultaneously on the plurality of droplet discharge heads without adjusting the location where the droplet discharge head is arranged or the location where the pressing portion is arranged. It can be performed. Therefore, when performing the wiping operation for a plurality of droplet discharge heads simultaneously, the wiping operation can be performed with high productivity.

[Application Example 10]
A droplet discharge device according to this application example includes a droplet discharge head and a wiping unit of the droplet discharge head that performs a wiping operation of the nozzle surface by pressing a cleaning member against the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head. A droplet discharge device, wherein the wiping unit supplies a plurality of pressing portions that press the cleaning member against the droplet discharge head, a supply portion that supplies the cleaning member to the pressing portion, and a supply to the pressing portion. And a recovery part for recovering the cleaning member, wherein the cleaning member is supplied through a plurality of the pressing parts sequentially.

According to this droplet discharge device, the cleaning member is supplied from the supply unit, passes through the plurality of pressing units, and is then collected by the collection unit. And the wiping operation | movement of a nozzle surface is performed in each press part. At this time, more pressing parts can be arranged than the number of supply parts and recovery parts. Therefore, many wiping operations can be performed substantially simultaneously with a simple configuration as compared with the case where one pressing unit is arranged for each one supply unit and collection unit. As a result, the droplet discharge device can be a device including a wiping unit that can clean the nozzle surface with high productivity.

[Application Example 11]
The droplet discharge head cleaning method according to this application example is a droplet discharge head cleaning method using a wiping unit that performs a wiping operation of the nozzle surface by pressing a cleaning member against the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head. The wiping unit includes a plurality of pressing portions that press the cleaning member against the droplet discharge head, a supply step of supplying the cleaning member to the plurality of pressing portions, and a plurality of the cleaning members. A wiping process of pressing and wiping the liquid droplet ejection head, wherein the cleaning member is supplied by sequentially passing through the plurality of pressing parts.

According to this droplet discharge head cleaning method, the cleaning member is supplied from the supply section through the plurality of pressing sections. And the wiping operation | movement of a nozzle surface is performed in each press part. At this time, since one cleaning member is supplied to the plurality of pressing portions, the cleaning member can be supplied to the plurality of pressing portions by one supply. Therefore, the cleaning member can be easily supplied as compared with the method of supplying the cleaning member to each of the plurality of pressing portions. As a result, the cleaning member can be supplied to each of the plurality of pressing portions with high productivity by a simple method.

[Application Example 12]
In the droplet discharge head cleaning method according to the application example described above, the wiping unit collects the location of the cleaning member used by one of the pressing units for the wiping operation without using the other pressing units for the wiping operation. It is characterized by that.

According to this droplet discharge head cleaning method, the cleaning member once used for the wiping operation is not used for the wiping operation by another pressing portion. Therefore, the adhering matter adhering to the cleaning member by the wiping operation of the nozzle surface does not adhere again to the other nozzle surfaces. As a result, deposits adhering to the nozzle surface can be reduced from the nozzle surface.

[Application Example 13]
In the droplet discharge head cleaning method according to the application example described above, the wiping unit performs a wiping operation by reciprocating while sliding the cleaning member on the nozzle surface.

According to this droplet discharge head cleaning method, the wiping unit reciprocates to perform the wiping operation. In this method, the cleaning member advances in two directions to perform the wiping operation. Therefore, it is possible to clean the nozzle surface with higher quality than when the nozzle and the cleaning member slide in only one direction.

[Application Example 14]
In the droplet discharge head cleaning method according to the application example described above, the method includes a cleaning liquid supply process for supplying a cleaning liquid to the cleaning member, and in the wiping process, at least one of the plurality of pressing portions is dry. A wiping operation is performed using a cleaning member, and at least one of the plurality of pressing portions performs a wiping operation using the cleaning member impregnated with the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning member impregnated with the cleaning liquid is the nozzle The wiping operation is performed at a speed different from the speed at which the surface slides and the speed at which the dry cleaning member slides at the nozzle face.

According to this droplet discharge head cleaning method, the cleaning liquid is applied to the nozzle surface via the cleaning member. When the deposit is present on the nozzle surface, the cleaning liquid is applied to the deposit. This cleaning liquid peels off the deposit on the nozzle surface from the nozzle surface, thereby facilitating removal of the deposit. And the speed at which the cleaning member impregnated with the cleaning liquid slides on the nozzle surface,
The wiping operation is performed at a speed different from the speed at which the dry cleaning member slides on the nozzle surface. Therefore, even when the optimum speed when applying the cleaning liquid to the nozzle surface is different from the optimum speed when the dry cleaning member absorbs the liquid material, each cleaning member is slid at the optimum speed. can do.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
In addition, each member in each drawing is illustrated with a different scale for each member in order to make the size recognizable on each drawing.

(First embodiment)
An example in which the droplet discharge device according to the present embodiment, a characteristic wiping unit provided in the droplet discharge device, and a droplet discharge head are cleaned using the wiping unit will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Droplet discharge device and wiping unit)
First, a droplet discharge device 1 that discharges and applies droplets to a workpiece will be described with reference to FIGS. There are various types of droplet discharge devices, but a device using an ink jet method is preferable. The ink jet method is suitable for microfabrication because it can eject fine droplets.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the droplet discharge device. As shown in FIG. 1, the droplet discharge device 1 includes a base 2 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The longitudinal direction of the base 2 is defined as the Y direction, and the direction orthogonal to the Y direction is defined as the X direction.

On the upper surface 2a of the base 2, a pair of guide rails 3a and 3b extending in the Y direction are provided so as to protrude over the entire width in the Y direction. On the upper side of the base 2, a stage 4 having a linear motion mechanism (not shown) corresponding to the pair of guide rails 3a and 3b is attached. The linear motion mechanism of the stage 4 is, for example, a linear motion mechanism including a linear motor extending in the Y direction along the guide rails 3a and 3b. When a drive signal corresponding to a predetermined number of steps is input to the linear motion mechanism, the linear motor moves forward or backward, and the stage 4 moves in the Y-axis direction by an amount corresponding to the number of steps. Advancing or returning at a predetermined speed along. This action causes stage 4
Scans in the Y direction.

A placement surface 5 is formed on the upper surface of the stage 4, and a suction-type substrate chuck mechanism (not shown) is provided on the placement surface 5. When the substrate 6 is placed on the placement surface 5, the substrate 6 is positioned and fixed at a predetermined position on the placement surface 5 by the substrate chuck mechanism.

A pair of support bases 7a and 7b are erected on both sides in the X direction of the base 2, and the pair of support bases 7a.
7b is provided with a guide member 8 extending in the X direction. On the upper side of the guide member 8, a storage tank 9 that stores the functional liquid to be discharged is provided.

On the other hand, on the lower side of the guide member 8, a guide rail 10 extending in the X direction is provided so as to protrude over the entire width in the X direction. A carriage 11 as a table formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is arranged along the guide rail 10. The carriage 11 has a mechanism similar to the linear motion mechanism of the stage 4 and can scan in the X direction. On the lower surface of the carriage 11,
A droplet discharge head 12 is provided in a protruding manner. The stage 4 scans the substrate 6 in the Y direction, and the carriage 11 scans the droplet discharge head 12 in the X direction. The droplet discharge head 12 can discharge and apply a liquid material to a desired location on the substrate 6.

A maintenance device 13 is disposed on the side opposite to the base 2 in the direction opposite to the X direction and opposite the movement range of the carriage 11. The maintenance device 13 has a mechanism for cleaning the droplet discharge head 12. Is arranged. The maintenance device 13 includes a base 14 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. On the upper surface 14a of the base 14, a pair of guide rails 15a and 15b extending in the Y direction.
Is projected over the entire width in the Y direction. On the upper side of the base 14, a pair of guide rails 1
Maintenance stage 16 as a table having a linear motion mechanism (not shown) corresponding to 5a and 15b.
Is arranged. The maintenance stage 16 includes a linear motion mechanism similar to that of the stage 4, and the maintenance stage 16 is movable along the guide rails 15a and 15b.

A discharge receiving portion 17 is disposed on the Y-direction side on the maintenance stage 16, and a receiving tray formed in a concave shape and a sponge-like absorption mat disposed on the receiving tray are disposed in the discharge receiving portion 17. The maintenance stage 1 is positioned so that the discharge receiving portion 17 is located at a position facing the droplet discharge head 12.
After moving 6, the liquid material is discharged from the droplet discharge head 12. At this time, the discharged liquid material is absorbed by the discharge receiving portion 17. On the other hand, a wiping device 18 is disposed on the side of the maintenance stage 16 opposite to the Y direction, so that the wiping device 18 can wipe off functional liquid and dust adhering to the droplet discharge head 12. This wiping device 18, maintenance stage 16,
A wiping unit 19 is composed of the base 14 and the like.

FIG. 2A is a schematic plan view showing the carriage. As shown in FIG. 2A, one droplet 11 has three droplet discharge heads 12 arranged at regular intervals in the substantially Y direction. The three droplet discharge heads 12 are supplied with red, blue and green functional liquids. The droplet discharge heads 12 that discharge the functional liquids of the respective colors are arranged in a staggered manner in the X direction.

A nozzle plate 20 is disposed on the surface of the droplet discharge head 12, and a plurality of nozzles 21 are formed on the nozzle plate 20. The number of nozzles 21 may be set in accordance with the pattern to be ejected and the size of the substrate 6. In this embodiment, for example, one nozzle plate 20 is formed with one array of nozzles 21, Eleven nozzles 21 are arranged in the row.

FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part for explaining the structure of the droplet discharge head. FIG.
As shown in b), the droplet discharge head 12 includes a nozzle plate 20, and a nozzle 21 is formed on the nozzle plate 20. Nozzle 2 above nozzle plate 20
A cavity 22 serving as a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle 21 is formed at a position facing 1. The functional liquid 23 as a liquid material stored in a supply device (not shown) is supplied to the cavity 22 of the droplet discharge head 12 via a flow path (not shown).

Above the cavity 22, a vibration plate 24 that vibrates in the vertical direction (Z direction) and expands and contracts the volume in the cavity 22, and a piezoelectric element as a drive unit that expands and contracts in the vertical direction to vibrate the vibration plate 24. 25 is arranged. When the droplet discharge head 12 receives a nozzle drive signal for controlling and driving the piezoelectric element 25, the piezoelectric element 25 expands, and the diaphragm 24 expands and contracts the volume in the cavity 22 to add the cavity 22. Press. As a result, the functional liquid 23 corresponding to the reduced volume is discharged as droplets 26 from the nozzles 21 of the droplet discharge head 12. In this droplet discharge head 12, the nozzle 21, the cavity 22, the diaphragm 24, and the piezoelectric element 2
The droplet discharge element 27 is composed of 5 or the like, and a plurality of droplet discharge elements 27 are arranged in one droplet discharge head 12. In addition, in the nozzle plate 20, a surface on the side where the droplets 26 are discharged is referred to as a nozzle surface 20a.

Fig.3 (a) is a schematic perspective view which shows a wiping apparatus. As shown to Fig.3 (a), the wiping apparatus 18 is provided with the housing | casing 28 formed in the rectangular parallelepiped. Two pressing rollers, a first pressing roller 29 as a pressing portion and a second pressing roller 30 as a pressing portion, are arranged on the upper surface 28a of the housing 28. The first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 are formed in a columnar shape, and a part of the columnar radial direction protrudes from the housing 28. When the functional liquid 23 adhered to the nozzle surface 20a is wiped off, the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 are pressed against the nozzle surface 20a. The length of the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 in the X direction is longer than the length of the droplet discharge head 12 in the X direction, and one pressing portion wipes one droplet discharge head 12. Be able to.

FIG. 3B is a schematic side view showing the wiping device and the carriage. As shown in FIG. 3B, the interval between the droplet discharge heads 12 arranged in the Y direction is the same as the interval between the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30. The first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 can each be disposed at a location facing the droplet discharge head 12.

FIG. 4A is a schematic top view showing the structure of the wiping device, and FIG. 4B is a schematic side view showing the structure of the wiping device. And FIG.4 (b) has shown the figure seen from AA 'in Fig.4 (a). As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the wiping device 18 includes a base 31. A first side plate 32 and a second side plate 33 are erected on the base 31.
The first side plate 32 and the second side plate 33 are rectangular plates, and the first side plate 32 and the second side plate 33 are arranged in parallel.

In the first side plate 32, a supply roll 35 around which a wiping sheet 34 as a cleaning member is wound is disposed below the Y direction. The wiping sheet 34 may be any material that has tensile strength and can easily absorb the functional liquid 23 and the cleaning liquid. As the material of the wiping sheet 34, for example, a sheet or cotton cloth made of polyester fiber or polypropylene fiber, or a sheet made of fiber having a structure in which polyester and polyamide are laminated can be used. In particular, when a woven fabric made of fibers having a laminated structure of polyester and polyamide is used, the cleaning liquid adheres to the nozzle surface 20a in addition to being able to wipe off dirt on the nozzle surface 20a well in the wiping operation using the cleaning liquid. This is advantageous in that the cleanliness of the nozzle surface 20a can be improved. In this embodiment, for example, a woven fabric made of fibers having a laminated structure of polyester and polyamide is employed.

The supply roll 35 is arranged with its axial direction parallel to the base 31, and a supply motor 36 is connected to the shaft of the supply roll 35. The supply motor 36 is a servo motor and includes an encoder inside. The supply motor 36 receives signals such as a rotation angle, a rotation speed, and torque and rotates under predetermined conditions.

A first idle pulley 37 is disposed above the supply roll 35, and a second pressing roller 30 is disposed in the Y direction above the supply motor 36. The first idle pulley 37 is arranged to change the traveling direction of the wiping sheet 34. The first idle pulley 37 is provided with a supply amount detection device 38 as a supply amount detection unit composed of a rotary encoder or the like. By detecting the rotation angle of the first idle pulley 37, the wiping sheet 34 is provided.
Can detect the supply amount that passes through the first idle pulley 37.

The second pressing roller 30 is a member that presses the wiping sheet 34 against the nozzle surface 20a of the liquid droplet ejection head 12, and is preferably an elastic material. The hardness is obtained by adding an additive to a material such as natural rubber, urethane, or silicon rubber. The thing which adjusted can be used. In the present embodiment, for example, natural rubber added with an additive is employed. The second pressing roller 30 is urged in the Z direction by a spring (not shown).

A first pressing roller 29 is disposed in the Y direction of the second pressing roller 30, and the first pressing roller 29
A second idle pulley 39 is disposed below the second pressure roller 30. The wiping sheet 34 is arranged so as to pass through the second pressing roller 30, the second idle pulley 39, and the first pressing roller 29 in this order. By disposing the wiping sheet 34 so as to pass through the second idle pulley 39, the length of the wiping sheet 34 from the second pressing roller 30 to the first pressing roller 29 can be set longer. Yes.

The first pressing roller 29 is a member that presses the wiping sheet 34 against the nozzle surface 20 a of the droplet discharge head 12, similarly to the second pressing roller 30, and the same material as the second pressing roller 30 can be used. . In the present embodiment, for example, natural rubber added with an additive is employed. The first pressing roller 29 is urged in the Z direction by a spring (not shown).

A third idle pulley 40 is disposed below the first pressing roller 29 in the Y direction, and a collection roll 41 is disposed below the third idle pulley 40. And the first pressing roller 2
The wiping sheet 34 passing through 9 is wound around the collection roll 41 via the third idle pulley 40. The third idle pulley 40 is arranged to change the traveling direction of the wiping sheet 34 as with the first idle pulley 37.

A collection motor 42 is disposed on the collection roll 41. Similar to the supply motor 36, the collection motor 42 is a servo motor and includes an encoder therein. Then, the recovery motor 42 receives signals such as a rotation angle, a rotation speed, and torque and rotates under predetermined conditions.

In the wiping device 18, a cleaning member supply device 43 as a supply unit is configured by the supply roll 35, the supply motor 36, the first idle pulley 37, and the like. And the cleaning member collection | recovery apparatus 4 as a collection part by the 3rd idle pulley 40, the collection | recovery roll 41, the collection | recovery motor 42, etc.
4 is configured.

A cleaning liquid nozzle 46 that ejects the cleaning liquid 45 onto the wiping sheet 34 is disposed below the first pressing roller 29, and a cleaning liquid supply device 47 is disposed below the second idle pulley 39. The cleaning liquid nozzle 46 and the cleaning liquid supply device 47 are connected by a tube 48. The cleaning liquid supply device 47 includes a container for storing the cleaning liquid 45 and a pump.
Then, the pump of the cleaning liquid supply device 47 pressurizes the cleaning liquid 45, so that the tube 48
Then, the cleaning liquid 45 is sent to the cleaning liquid nozzle 46. The sent cleaning liquid 45 is ejected from the cleaning liquid nozzle 46 and applied to the wiping sheet 34. And the applied cleaning solution 4
5 is impregnated in the wiping sheet 34, and the first pressing roller 29 performs a wiping motion while pressing the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 against the nozzle surface 20a.
The cleaning liquid supply section is constituted by the cleaning liquid nozzle 46, the cleaning liquid supply device 47, the tube 48, and the like.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a wiping sheet impregnated with the cleaning liquid, and shows the wiping sheet 34 wound around the collection roll 41. As shown in FIG. 5, the wiping sheet 34 is alternately provided with impregnation regions 34 a impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 and dry regions 34 b not impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45. Then, the impregnation region 3 in the longitudinal direction of the wiping sheet 34
The length of 4a is substantially the same as the length of the drying region 34b. And the impregnation region 34
The combined area of “a” and the dry area 34 b is defined as a cleaning area 34 c per time, and the cleaning area 34 c per time is arranged and formed on the wiping sheet 34.

After the first pressing roller 29 performs the wiping operation using the impregnation region 34 a, the drying region 34 b passes through the first pressing roller 29. Then, the next impregnation region 34 a moves to the place of the first pressing roller 29. At this time, the drying area 34 b used by the second pressing roller 30 is the first pressing roller 2.
9 is collected without being used for the wiping operation.

FIG. 6 is an electric control block diagram of the droplet discharge device. In FIG. 6, the control device 51 of the droplet discharge device 1 includes a CPU (arithmetic processing device) 52 that performs various arithmetic processes as a processor and a memory 53 that stores various kinds of information.

The main scanning drive device 54, the sub-scanning drive device 55, and the head drive circuit 56 that drives the droplet discharge head 12 are connected to the CPU 52 via an input / output interface 57 and a data bus 58. Further, an input device 59, a display device 60, a supply drive device 61, and a collection drive device 62 are also connected to the CPU 52 via an input / output interface 57 and a data bus 58. Further, a supply amount detection device 38, a liquid supply drive device 63, and a maintenance stage drive device 64 are also connected to the CPU 52 via an input / output interface 57 and a data bus 58.

The main scanning drive device 54 is a device that controls the movement of the stage 4, and the sub-scanning drive device 55 is a device that controls the movement of the carriage 11. The main scanning drive device 54 controls the movement of the stage 4, and the sub-scanning drive device 55 controls the movement of the carriage 11, thereby moving and stopping the droplet discharge head 12 to a desired position with respect to the substrate 6. Is possible.

The head drive circuit 56 is a circuit that drives the droplet discharge head 12. And CPU52
The head drive circuit 56 drives the droplet discharge head 12 according to the discharge conditions such as the drive voltage, the number of discharges, and the discharge interval.

The input device 59 is a device that inputs various processing conditions for discharging the droplets 26. For example, the input device 59 is a device that receives and inputs coordinates for discharging the droplets 26 on the substrate 6 from an external device (not shown). The display device 60 is a device that displays processing conditions and work conditions.
The operator performs an operation using the input device 59 based on the information displayed on the screen.

The supply drive device 61 is a device that drives the cleaning member supply device 43, and the supply drive device 61 drives the cleaning member supply device 43 in accordance with supply conditions such as supply start and stop, supply speed, and the like that the CPU 52 instructs. The recovery drive device 62 is a device that drives the cleaning member recovery device 44.
The recovery drive device 62 drives the cleaning member recovery device 44 in accordance with recovery conditions such as the start and stop of recovery, the recovery speed, etc. indicated by the CPU 52. The supply amount detection device 38 detects the supply amount of the wiping sheet 34 and outputs data of the detected supply amount to the CPU 52.

The liquid supply driving device 63 drives the cleaning liquid supply device 47. The liquid supply driving device 63 drives the cleaning liquid supply device 47 in accordance with supply conditions such as the start and stop of supply of the cleaning liquid 45 and the supply amount indicated by the CPU 52. To do. The cleaning liquid 45 is ejected from the cleaning liquid nozzle 46 to the wiping sheet 34 under a predetermined supply condition and applied. The maintenance stage driving device 64 is a device that controls the movement and stoppage of the maintenance stage 16.

The memory 53 is a semiconductor memory such as a RAM or a ROM, a hard disk, a CD-R.
It is a concept including an external storage device such as OM. Functionally, a storage area for storing the program software 65 in which the operation control procedure in the droplet discharge device 1 is described is set. Further, a storage area for storing discharge position data 66 that is coordinate data of the discharge position in the substrate 6 is also set. Further, a storage area for storing the discharge waveform data 67 corresponding to the amount of the functional liquid 23 to be discharged is also set. Further, the supply speed and supply amount when supplying the wiping sheet 34 to the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30, the wiping sheet 34.
A storage area for storing the cleaning member management data 68 such as tension applied to is also set. In addition, a storage area for storing cleaning condition management data 69 such as the speed and the number of times of wiping the droplet discharge head 12 to be discharged is also set. In addition, a storage area for storing a main scanning movement amount for moving the substrate 6 in the main scanning direction (Y direction) and a sub scanning movement amount for moving the carriage 11 in the sub scanning direction (X direction); A storage area that functions as a work area for the CPU 52, a temporary file, and other various storage areas are set.

In accordance with the program software 65 stored in the memory 53, the CPU 52 performs control for ejecting the functional liquid 23 as droplets 26 at predetermined positions on the surface of the substrate 6 and the droplet ejection head 1.
Control for maintaining 2 is performed. As a specific function realization unit, the liquid droplet ejection head 12 includes an ejection computation unit 70 that performs computations for ejecting the droplets 26. If the discharge calculation unit 70 is divided in detail, the discharge calculation unit 70 has a main scanning control calculation unit 71 for calculating control for scanning and moving the substrate 6 in the main scanning direction (Y direction) at a predetermined speed. In addition, the ejection calculation unit 70 includes a sub-scanning control calculation unit 72 that calculates control for moving the droplet discharge head 12 in the sub-scanning direction (X direction) by a predetermined sub-scanning movement amount. Further, the discharge calculation unit 70 includes various control units such as a discharge control calculation unit 73 that performs calculation for controlling which nozzle among a plurality of nozzles in the droplet discharge head 12 is operated to discharge the functional liquid 23. It has a function calculation unit.

In addition to the discharge calculation unit 70, the CPU 52 has a cleaning calculation unit 74 that performs control for cleaning the droplet discharge head 12. If the cleaning calculation unit 74 is divided in detail, the cleaning calculation unit 74 has a cleaning member control calculation unit 75 as a cleaning member control unit that controls supply and recovery of the wiping sheet 34. The cleaning member control calculation unit 75 supplies the supply drive device 61 with the supply amount of the wiping sheet 34,
Outputs instructions for supply speed, supply start, supply stop, etc. Further, the cleaning member control calculation unit 75 outputs an instruction such as a recovery speed to the recovery drive device 62.

Further, the cleaning member control calculation unit 75 outputs an instruction for the tension of the wiping sheet 34 to the supply driving device 61 and the recovery driving device 62. The supply driving device 61 is provided with the cleaning member supply device 4.
3 controls the amount of current to be supplied to the servo motor provided in the control unit 3, and the recovery drive device 62 controls the amount of current supplied to the servo motor provided in the cleaning member recovery device 44. The cleaning member supply device 43 and the cleaning member recovery device 44 can supply and recover the wiping sheet 34 at the supply and recovery speed and tension specified by the cleaning member control calculation unit 75.

Further, the cleaning calculation unit 74 has a stage control calculation unit 76. Stage control calculation unit 76
Outputs an instruction to move and stop to the maintenance stage driving device 64. The maintenance stage driving device 64 controls the wiping device 18 to move between a place facing the droplet discharge head 12 and a standby place, and reciprocates the wiping device 18 at a place facing the droplet discharge head 12. To control.

(Cleaning and discharging method of droplet discharge head)
Next, a manufacturing method for applying the functional liquid 23 to the substrate 6 after cleaning the nozzle surface 20a of the droplet discharge head 12 using the droplet discharge device 1 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process for cleaning the droplet discharge head and applying the functional liquid to the substrate. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method for cleaning the droplet discharge head and applying the functional liquid to the substrate. is there.

Step S1 corresponds to a discharge cleaning step, and is a step of discharging the functional liquid from the droplet discharge head to the discharge receiving portion and discharging the functional liquid in the flow path of the droplet discharge head. Next, the process proceeds to step S2 and step S3. Step S <b> 2 corresponds to a supplying step, and is a step of supplying an unused wiping sheet that is not soiled on the first pressing roller and the second pressing roller. Next, the process proceeds to step S4. Step S3 corresponds to a cleaning liquid supply process, is a process of applying a cleaning liquid to the wiping sheet, and is a process performed simultaneously with step S2. Next step S
4. Move. Step S4 corresponds to a head moving step, and is a step of moving the first pressing roller or the second pressing roller to a location facing the droplet discharge head to be wiped. Next, when wiping using a dry wiping sheet, the process proceeds to step S5, and when wiping using a cleaning liquid, the process proceeds to step S6 and step S7. Step S5 corresponds to a dry wiping process, and is a process of wiping the dry wiping sheet by pressing it against the nozzle surface with the second pressing roller. Next, the process proceeds to step S8. Step S6 corresponds to a wet wiping process, and is a process in which a wiping sheet impregnated with a cleaning liquid is pressed against the nozzle surface by a first pressing roller and wiped. Next, the process proceeds to step S8. Step S7 corresponds to a cleaning liquid supply process, which is a process of applying the cleaning liquid to the wiping sheet, and is a process performed simultaneously with step S6. Next, the process proceeds to step S8. Step S5 and step S6 may be performed simultaneously, or only one step may be performed. Steps S5 to S7 are combined to form the wiping process of step S11.

Step S8 corresponds to a wiping end determination step, and it is determined whether all droplet discharge heads scheduled to be wiped have been wiped. When it is determined that there are still droplet discharge heads to be wiped, the process proceeds to step S2, and when it is determined that all the droplet discharge heads have been wiped, the process proceeds to step S9. Step S9 corresponds to an application process, which is a process for discharging and applying a functional liquid to the substrate.
Thus, after cleaning the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head, the manufacturing process for applying the functional liquid to the substrate is completed.

Next, a manufacturing method for applying the functional liquid to the substrate after cleaning the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 8 in correspondence with the steps shown in FIG. FIG. 8A is a diagram corresponding to step S1. As shown in FIG. 8A, the control device 51 drives the carriage 11 and the maintenance stage 16 so that the droplet discharge head 12 is moved to the absorption mat 17a of the discharge receiving portion 17.
And move to the opposite location. Then, the droplet 26 is discharged from the nozzle 21 of the droplet discharge head 12 to the absorption mat 17a. By discharging, the functional liquid 23 in the flow path in the droplet discharge head 12 is discharged. Then, bubbles and precipitates contained in the functional liquid 23 are discharged together with the functional liquid 23. Although nine droplet ejection heads 12 are arranged on the carriage 11, only three droplet ejection heads 12 forming one row are shown in the figure, and the other droplet ejection heads 12 are Omitted. The three droplet discharge heads 12 are referred to as a right droplet discharge head 12a, a middle droplet discharge head 12b, and a left droplet discharge head 12c in order from the right.

FIG. 8B is a diagram corresponding to step S2. As shown in FIG. 8 (b), the wiping device 1
The unused wiping sheet 34 is supplied to the first first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30. At this time, the cleaning liquid 45 is sprayed by the cleaning liquid nozzle 46,
The wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 is supplied to the first pressing roller 29. on the other hand,
A dried wiping sheet 34 is supplied to the second pressing roller 30. At this time, the cleaning area 34 c for each wiping sheet 34 in FIG. 5 is supplied from the cleaning member supply device 43, and the already used wiping sheet 34 is recovered by the cleaning member recovery device 44. At this time, step S3 is performed in parallel. As shown in FIG. 4B, the cleaning liquid 45 is applied to the wiping sheet 34 by ejecting the cleaning liquid 45 from the cleaning liquid nozzle 46 onto the wiping sheet 34. Then, the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 is supplied to the first pressing roller 29.

FIG. 8C is a diagram corresponding to step S4 and step S6. First, wiping of the nozzle surface 20a in the droplet discharge heads 12 of one of the three arrays is performed. In step S4, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), the carriage 11 and the maintenance stage 16 are driven to move the right droplet discharge head 12a to a location facing the first pressing roller 29. In step S6, a wiping operation is performed. At this time, the first pressing roller 29 passes the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 from the nozzle surface 20a of the right droplet discharge head 12a.
Press on.

The wiping device 18 performs wiping motion by reciprocating the maintenance stage 16 while rotating the first pressing roller 29. The cleaning member supply device 43 is connected to the wiping sheet 34.
, And the cleaning member collecting device 44 collects the wiping sheet 34, thereby performing a wiping motion while supplying the unused wiping sheet 34 to the first pressing roller 29. The cleaning liquid 45 impregnated in the wiping sheet 34 is applied to the nozzle surface 20a. Then, the cleaning liquid 45 penetrates into the attached matter adhering to the nozzle surface 20 a, so that the attached matter becomes the nozzle surface 20.
It becomes easy to peel from a.

Step S7 is performed in parallel with step S6. As shown in FIG. 4B, the cleaning liquid 45 is ejected from the cleaning liquid nozzle 46 onto the wiping sheet 34, whereby the cleaning liquid 45.
Is applied to the wiping sheet 34. Then, the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 is supplied to the first pressing roller 29. After performing the wiping motion for a predetermined time, in step S8, it is determined to wipe the other droplet discharge heads 12.

FIG. 8D is a diagram corresponding to steps S4 to S6. As shown in FIG. 8D, the right droplet discharge head 12 is driven by driving the carriage 11 and the maintenance stage 16.
a is moved to a position facing the second pressing roller 30, and the medium droplet discharge head 12 b is moved to a position facing the first pressing roller 29. Right droplet discharge head 12a and medium droplet discharge head 12b
Is arranged at substantially the same interval as the interval between the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30. Accordingly, when the right droplet discharge head 12 a is located at a location facing the second pressing roller 30, the middle droplet ejection head 12 b can be positioned at a location facing the first pressing roller 29.

In step S6, the medium droplet discharge head 12b is wiped, and in step S5, the right droplet discharge head 12a is wiped. At this time, the middle droplet ejection head 12b and the right droplet ejection head 12a are wiped simultaneously. Wiping sheet 34 impregnated with cleaning liquid 45
The first pressing roller 29 presses the nozzle surface 20a of the medium droplet discharge head 12b. at the same time,
The second pressing roller 30 presses the dried wiping sheet 34 against the nozzle surface 20a of the right droplet discharge head 12a. Also at this time, the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 is supplied to the first pressing roller 29 by performing Step S7 in parallel with Step S6.

The maintenance stage 1 is rotated while rotating the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30.
As the 6 reciprocates, the wiping device 18 performs a wiping motion. At this time, in parallel with the wiping motion, the unused wiping sheet 34 is applied to the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30.
Is supplied. Deposits are peeled off by the cleaning liquid 45 on the nozzle surface 20a of the medium droplet discharge head 12b. In the right droplet discharge head 12a, the peeled deposits, the functional liquid 23, and the cleaning liquid 45 are removed by the wiping sheet. After performing a wiping exercise for a predetermined time,
In step S8, it is determined to wipe off the other droplet discharge heads 12.

FIG. 8E is a diagram corresponding to step S4 to step S6 in the same manner. FIG. 8 (e)
As shown, the carriage 11 and the maintenance stage 16 are driven to move the medium droplet discharge head 12b to a location facing the second pressing roller 30, and the left droplet discharge head 12c is moved to the first pressing roller 29. And move to the opposite location. Then, the first pressing roller 29 presses the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 against the nozzle surface 20a of the left droplet discharge head 12c. At the same time, the second pressing roller 30 presses the dried wiping sheet 34 against the nozzle surface 20a of the medium droplet discharge head 12b.

Then, an unused wiping sheet 34 is used for the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30.
As the maintenance stage 16 reciprocates while supplying the wiping device, the wiping device 18 performs the wiping motion. Also at this time, the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 is supplied to the first pressing roller 29 by performing Step S7 in parallel with Step S6. After performing the wiping motion for a predetermined time, it is determined in step S8 that the other liquid droplet ejection heads 12 are wiped.

FIG. 8F is a diagram corresponding to step S4 and step S5. As shown in FIG. 8 (f), by driving the carriage 11 and the maintenance stage 16, the left droplet discharge head 12 c is moved to a location facing the second pressing roller 30. Then, the second pressing roller 30 presses the dried wiping sheet 34 against the nozzle surface 20a of the left droplet discharge head 12c.
At this time, the wiping device 18 performs a wiping motion as the maintenance stage 16 reciprocates while supplying the unused wiping sheet 34 to the second pressing roller 30. After performing the wiping motion for a predetermined time, it is determined in step S8 that the other liquid droplet ejection heads 12 are wiped. Next, the droplet discharge heads 12 are sequentially wiped by changing the arrangement of the droplet discharge heads 12.

FIG. 8G is a diagram corresponding to step S9. As shown in FIG.
The substrate 6 is placed on the placement surface 5. Then, the carriage 11 and the stage 4 are driven, and the droplet discharge head 12 is moved to a place opposite to the place where the functional liquid 23 is applied. Next, the droplet 26 is ejected from the droplet ejection head 12 while moving the carriage 11 and the stage 4.
Then, the functional liquid 23 is applied to the substrate 6 to draw a predetermined pattern. After the nozzle surface 20a of the droplet discharge head 12 is cleaned by the above steps, the manufacturing process for applying the functional liquid 23 to the substrate 6 is completed.

As described above, the present embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to this embodiment, the wiping sheet 34 is supplied from the cleaning member supply device 43, passes through the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30, and is then recovered by the cleaning member recovery device 44. In the first and second pressing rollers 29 and 30, the nozzle surface 20
The wiping operation of a is performed. At this time, the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 can be arranged more than the number of the cleaning member supply device 43 and the cleaning member collection device 44. Therefore,
Compared with the case where one pressing roller is arranged for each one cleaning member supply device 43 and cleaning member collection device 44, many wiping operations can be performed substantially simultaneously with a simple configuration.

(2) According to the present embodiment, the wiping sheet 34 once used for the wiping operation is not used for the wiping operation by another pressing roller. Therefore, the adhering matter adhering to the wiping sheet 34 by the wiping operation of the nozzle surface 20a does not adhere again to the other nozzle surface 20a. As a result, deposits adhering to the nozzle surface 20a can be reduced from the nozzle surface 20a.

(3) According to this embodiment, the wiping device 18 reciprocates to perform the wiping operation. Nozzle 2
When the wiping sheet 34 slides in a place where 1 is present, the side surface in the direction in which the wiping sheet 34 travels is compared with the side surface in the direction opposite to the direction in which the wiping sheet 34 travels, of the inner surface of the nozzle 21 It is easy to wipe off the deposits on the nozzle 21. In this method, the wiping sheet 34 advances in two directions to perform a wiping operation. Therefore, compared with the case where the nozzle 21 and the wiping sheet 34 slide in only one direction, the nozzle surface 20a can be cleaned with high quality.

(4) According to the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid 45 passes through the wiping sheet 34 and the nozzle surface 20.
It is applied to a. When the deposit is present on the nozzle surface 20a, the cleaning liquid 45 is applied to the deposit. Then, the cleaning liquid 45 can easily remove the deposits by peeling the deposits on the nozzle surface 20a from the nozzle surface 20a.

(5) According to the present embodiment, the functional liquid 23 and the cleaning liquid 45 adhering to the nozzle surface 20a are absorbed using the dried wiping sheet 34, whereby the functional liquid 23 is discharged from the nozzle surface 20a.
And the cleaning liquid 45 can be removed.

(6) According to this embodiment, since tension is applied to the wiping sheet 34,
The wiping sheet 34 is not loosened. When the wiping sheet 34 is slid on the droplet discharge head 12 with the wiping sheet 34 slackened, the wiping sheet 3
4 may be caught by the droplet discharge head 12. At this time, the wiping operation may not be performed at a predetermined speed. Therefore, the wiping operation can be performed with high quality by applying tension to the wiping sheet 34.

(7) According to this embodiment, since the supply amount is controlled using the supply amount of the wiping sheet 34 detected with high accuracy by the supply amount detection device 38, the supply amount of the wiping sheet 34 is controlled with high accuracy. be able to. As a result, the wiping device 18 can perform the wiping operation using an appropriate supply amount of the wiping sheet 34.

(8) According to the present embodiment, the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 can be disposed at locations facing the droplet discharge head 12, respectively. Then, the plurality of droplet ejection heads 12 are wiped substantially simultaneously without adjusting the location where the droplet ejection heads 12 are arranged and the location where the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 are arranged. The action can be performed. Therefore, when performing the wiping operation for the plurality of droplet discharge heads 12 simultaneously, the wiping operation can be performed with high productivity.

(9) According to the present embodiment, more pressing rollers can be arranged than the number of cleaning member supply devices 43 and cleaning member collection devices 44. As a result, the droplet discharge device 1 can be a device that includes the wiping unit 19 that can clean the nozzle surface 20a with a simple configuration and high productivity.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, an embodiment of a droplet discharge device will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the supply speed of the wiping sheet 34 supplied to the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 is different. Note that description of the same points as in the first embodiment is omitted.

FIG. 9 is a schematic side view showing the structure of the wiping device. That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the wiping device 80 includes an intermediate vehicle elevating device 81, and the intermediate vehicle elevating device 81 can raise and lower the second idle pulley 39. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the intermediate vehicle elevating device 81 raises the second idle pulley 39, and FIG. 9B shows that the intermediate vehicle elevating device 81 lowers the second idle pulley 39. Showing the time. The intermediate vehicle elevating device 81 includes a linear motion mechanism that can move up and down. This linear motion mechanism is, for example, a screw-type linear motion mechanism including a guide rail, a screw shaft (drive shaft) extending in the Z direction along the guide rail, and a ball nut screwed with the screw shaft. The drive shaft is connected to a Z-axis motor that receives a predetermined pulse signal and rotates forward and backward in steps. When a drive signal corresponding to a predetermined number of steps is input to the Z-axis motor, the Z-axis motor rotates forward or reversely, and the second idle pulley 39 corresponds to the same number of steps in the Z direction. Along the way, it moves forward or backward at a predetermined speed.

Next, the speed at which the cleaning member collection device 44 collects the wiping sheet 34, the speed of the wiping sheet 34 that passes through the first pressing roller 29, the speed at which the second idle pulley 39 moves up and down,
The relationship between the speed of the wiping sheet 34 passing through the second pressing roller 30 and the speed at which the cleaning member supply device 43 supplies the wiping sheet 34 will be described.

Since the wiping sheet 34 that has passed through the first pressing roller 29 is directly collected by the cleaning member collecting device 44, the cleaning member collecting device 44 collects the wiping sheet 34 at a speed of the wiping sheet 34 that passes through the first pressing roller 29. It will be the same speed as Similarly, since the wiping sheet 34 passing through the second pressing roller 30 is directly supplied to the cleaning member supply device 43, the speed of the wiping sheet 34 passing through the second pressing roller 30 is determined by the cleaning member supply device 43. 34 is the same as the speed at which 34 is supplied.

When the second idle pulley 39 is lowered, the length of the wiping sheet 34 between the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 increases at a speed approximately twice the lowering speed. Then, the speed of the wiping sheet 34 supplied by the cleaning member supply device 43 is set to about 2 times the lowering speed of the second idle pulley 39 to the speed at which the cleaning member collection device 44 collects the wiping sheet 34.
The speed is doubled. At this time, the wiping sheet 34 can flow while maintaining a predetermined tension without slackening the wiping sheet 34. The speed at which the wiping sheet 34 passes through the second pressing roller 30 is approximately twice the speed at which the second idle pulley 39 descends to the speed at which the wiping sheet 34 passes through the first pressing roller 29. The speed can be increased.

Therefore, the speed at which the wiping sheet 34 passes through the second pressing roller 30 can be faster than the speed at which the wiping sheet 34 passes through the first pressing roller 29.
Further, when the second idle pulley 39 is raised, the speed at which the wiping sheet 34 passes through the second pressing roller 30 can be slower than the speed at which the wiping sheet 34 passes through the first pressing roller 29. . As a result, the speed at which the wiping sheet 34 passes through the second pressing roller 30 and the speed at which the wiping sheet 34 passes through the first pressing roller 29 can be set to different speeds. The speed at which the wiping sheet 34 slides on the nozzle surface 20a in the first pressing roller 29 and the speed at which the wiping sheet 34 slides on the nozzle surface 20a in the second pressing roller 30 can be controlled to different speeds. .

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a wiping sheet impregnated with a cleaning liquid. And it is a figure when flowing the wiping sheet | seat 34, moving down the 2nd idle pulley 39. FIG. Impregnation area 3
4d is an area where wiping movement is performed when the wiping sheet 34 passes the first pressing roller 29, and a drying area 34e is an area where wiping movement is performed when the wiping sheet 34 passes the second pressing roller 30. And the area | region which combined the impregnation area | region 34d and the dry area | region 34e becomes the cleaning area | region 34f per time.

The time for wiping the nozzle surface 20a using the impregnation region 34d and the time for wiping the nozzle surface 20a using the drying region 34e are the same time. Therefore, in the second pressing roller 30,
The wiping sheet 34 is moved quickly, and the functional liquid 23 and the cleaning liquid 4 are moved to the wiping sheet 34.
5 is absorbed.

FIG. 11 is an electric control block diagram of the droplet discharge device. As shown in FIG. 11, the control device 83 included in the droplet discharge device 82 is connected via an input / output interface 57 to an elevating drive device 84 that drives the intermediate vehicle elevating device 81. The program software 85 stored in the memory 53 includes a program for controlling the lifting drive device 84.
Therefore, the cleaning member control calculation unit 87 in the cleaning calculation unit 86 of the CPU 52 controls the supply driving device 61, the recovery driving device 62, and the elevation driving device 84 to control the wiping sheet 34.
It is designed to control the flow rate.

As described above, the present embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to this embodiment, the speed at which the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 slides on the nozzle surface 20a and the speed at which the dry wiping sheet 34 slides on the nozzle surface 20a are controlled. Is done. Accordingly, each wiping sheet is also used when the optimum speed when applying the cleaning liquid 45 to the nozzle surface 20a and the optimum speed when the dry wiping sheet 34 absorbs the functional liquid 23 and the cleaning liquid 45 are different. 34 can be slid at an optimum speed.

(2) According to the present embodiment, the impregnation region 3 when the cleaning liquid 45 is applied to the nozzle surface 20a.
By making the drying area 34e wider than 4d, the functional liquid 23 and the cleaning liquid 45 can be reliably absorbed.

The present embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes and improvements can be added. A modification will be described below.
(Modification 1)
In the first embodiment, the pressing roller includes two rollers, the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30, but three or more pressing rollers may be used. Fig.12 (a) is a schematic side view which shows the structure of a wiping apparatus. As shown in FIG. 12A, for example, three pressing rollers 89 as pressing portions may be arranged. When the three droplet discharge heads 12 are arranged, the three nozzle surfaces 20a can be wiped simultaneously, so that the nozzle surfaces 20a can be wiped with higher productivity.

(Modification 2)
In the first embodiment, the cleaning liquid nozzle 46 is disposed near the first pressing roller 29, which is the pressing roller closer to the cleaning member collecting device 44, and the cleaning liquid 45 is applied to the wiping sheet 34. Not limited to this, as shown in FIG. 12A, the wiping device 88 is configured to place the cleaning liquid nozzle 46 near the right pressing roller 89 a as a pressing portion that is a pressing roller 89 closer to the cleaning member supply device 43. It may be arranged. Then, the cleaning liquid 45 may be applied to the wiping sheet 34 near the right pressing roller 89a. At this time, by controlling the feed amount of the wiping sheet 34 and the timing of applying the cleaning liquid 45, the middle pressing roller 89b as the pressing portion on the inner side and the left pressing roller 89c as the pressing portion on the left side dry the wiping. The nozzle surface 20a can be wiped off by the sheet 34. It is also possible to control the wiping sheet 34 coated with the cleaning liquid 45 so as to be positioned on the middle pressing roller 89b and the left pressing roller 89c. Accordingly, each of the three pressing rollers 89 can use either a dry wiping sheet 34 or a wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45. At this time, since the place where the cleaning liquid nozzle 46 is arranged can be selected from a plurality of places, it is possible to provide a wiping unit in which the place where the cleaning liquid nozzle 46 is installed can be easily designed.

(Modification 3)
In the first embodiment, the first pressing roller 29 performs the wiping motion using the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45. The second pressing roller 30 performed a wiping motion using the dry wiping sheet 34. In addition to this, as shown in FIG. 12A, three pressing rollers are arranged, and one pressing roller performs a wiping motion using a wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45, and two pressing rollers. May perform a wiping motion using a dry wiping sheet 34. By performing the wiping motion twice using the dried wiping sheet 34, the functional liquid 23 and the cleaning liquid 45 can be surely wiped off. Further, the two pressing rollers may perform wiping motion using the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45, and one pressing roller may perform wiping motion using the dried wiping sheet 34. By performing the wiping motion twice using the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45, it is possible to further remove the deposits attached to the nozzle surface 20a.

(Modification 4)
In the first embodiment, the maintenance surface 16 reciprocates while the first pressing roller 29 and the second pressing roller 30 press the wiping sheet 34 against the nozzle surface 20a, thereby wiping the nozzle surface 20a. For example, as shown in FIG. 12B, the nozzle surface 20a may be wiped without causing the maintenance stage 16 to reciprocate. The wiping device 90 is a first pressing roller 29.
A third pressing roller 91 as a pressing portion is provided instead of the second pressing roller, and a fourth pressing roller 92 as a pressing portion is provided instead of the second pressing roller 30. The material constituting the third pressure roller 91 and the fourth pressure roller 92 is made of a material that is more easily deformed than the material constituting the first pressure roller 29 and the second pressure roller 30. For example, a foamed resin, a soft resin, an air spring in which air is put in a rubber tube, or the like can be used. In this modified example, urethane foam is employed. Using the third pressing roller 91 and the fourth pressing roller 92, the wiping sheet 34
When the nozzle surface 20a is pressed, the third pressing roller 91 and the fourth pressing roller 92 are deformed. The wiping sheet 34 can come into contact with a wide area of the nozzle surface 20a. In this state, the cleaning member supply device 43 supplies the wiping sheet 34 and the cleaning member collection device 44.
Collects the wiping sheet 34, so that the wiping sheet 34 is removed from the nozzle surface 20 a.
To slide. In this method, control for reciprocating the maintenance stage 16 is not required, and a simple control device can be obtained.

(Modification 5)
In the first embodiment, the tension of the wiping sheet 34 is controlled by controlling the torque of the supply motor 36 and the recovery motor 42. In addition, a spring is disposed so as to be connected to idle pulleys such as the first idle pulley 37, the second idle pulley 39, the third idle pulley 40, etc. You may control. The control device for the supply motor 36 and the collection motor 42 can be simplified. In addition, a movement limiting mechanism that limits the movement of the wiping sheet 34 is provided to control the movement and stop of the wiping sheet 34. The tension of the wiping sheet 34 may be controlled by controlling the torque of one of the movement limiting mechanism and the supply motor 36 and the recovery motor 42. Also in this case, the control device for the supply motor 36 and the recovery motor 42 can be simplified.

(Modification 6)
In the first embodiment, the piezoelectric element 25 is used as the pressurizing means for pressurizing the cavity 22, but other methods may be used. For example, the diaphragm 24 may be deformed and pressurized using a coil and a magnet. In addition, the heater wiring may be disposed in the cavity 22 to heat the heater wiring, thereby vaporizing the functional liquid 23 or expanding the gas contained in the functional liquid 23 for pressurization. In addition, the diaphragm 24 may be deformed and pressurized using electrostatic attraction and repulsion.

(Modification 7)
In the first embodiment, the cleaning liquid 45 is ejected from the cleaning liquid nozzle 46 and the cleaning liquid 45 is applied to the wiping sheet 34. However, other methods may be used. Use various methods such as a method of bringing a brush or sponge containing the cleaning liquid 45 into contact with the wiping sheet 34, a method of passing the wiping sheet 34 into the cleaning liquid 45 contained in the container, and a method of transferring using a roll coater. Can do.

(Modification 8)
In the first embodiment, servo motors are used as the supply motor 36 and the recovery motor 42, but stepping motors may be used. The supply amount of the wiping sheet 34 can be easily controlled.

(Modification 9)
In the first embodiment, the wiping device 18 reciprocates by moving the maintenance stage 16, but the wiping device 18 may reciprocate by moving the carriage 11. It is desirable to select a method that easily removes deposits on the nozzle surface 20a of the droplet discharge head 12.

(Modification 10)
In the second embodiment, since the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 passes through the first pressing roller 29, the wiping sheet 34 that is dried is the second pressing roller 3.
Although the speed of passing through 0 is set to be faster, the reverse may be possible. That is, even if the wiping sheet 34 impregnated with the cleaning liquid 45 passes through the first pressing roller 29, the speed at which the dried wiping sheet 34 passes through the second pressing roller 30 is set to be slower. good. It is desirable to adjust in accordance with how the deposits are removed and how the functional liquid 23 and the cleaning liquid 45 are removed.

1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of a droplet discharge device according to a first embodiment. (A) is a schematic plan view showing a carriage, (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining the structure of a droplet discharge head. (A) is a schematic perspective view which shows a wiping apparatus, (b) is a model side view which shows a wiping apparatus and a carriage. (A) is a schematic top view which shows the structure of a wiping apparatus, (b) is a schematic side view which shows the structure of a wiping apparatus. The figure which shows the wiping sheet which impregnated the washing | cleaning liquid. The electric control block diagram of a droplet discharge device. The flowchart which shows the manufacturing process which cleans a droplet discharge head and applies a functional liquid to a board | substrate. The figure explaining the method of cleaning a droplet discharge head and apply | coating a functional liquid to a board | substrate. The schematic side view which shows the structure of the wiping apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the wiping sheet which impregnated the washing | cleaning liquid. The electric control block diagram of a droplet discharge device. The schematic side view which shows the structure of the wiping apparatus which concerns on a modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Droplet discharge apparatus, 11 ... Carriage as a table, 12 ... Droplet discharge head, 16
A maintenance stage as a table, 18, 80, 88, 90 ... a wiping device, 19 ... a wiping unit, 20a ... a nozzle surface, 29 ... a first pressing roller as a pressing part, 30 ... a second pressing roller as a pressing part, 34 ... a wiping sheet as a cleaning member, 38 ... a supply amount detection device as a supply amount detection unit, 43 ... a cleaning member supply device as a supply unit, 44 ... a cleaning member recovery device as a recovery unit, 46 ... as a cleaning liquid supply unit No. 47 for cleaning liquid, 47. Cleaning device for supplying cleaning liquid, 48. Tube for cleaning liquid supplying section, 75. Cleaning member control calculating section for cleaning member control section, 89. Pressing roller for pressing section, 89 a. Right pressing roller as a pressing part, 89b ... Medium pressing roller as a pressing part, 89c ... Left pressing roller as a pressing part, 91 ... As a pressing part Third pressing roller, 92 ... fourth pressing roller as a pressing portion.

Claims (14)

A droplet discharge head wiping unit that performs a wiping operation of the nozzle surface by pressing and sliding a cleaning member on the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head,
A plurality of pressing portions that press the cleaning member against the droplet discharge head;
A supply unit for supplying the cleaning member to the pressing unit;
A recovery part for recovering the cleaning member supplied to the pressing part,
The wiping unit of a droplet discharge head, wherein the cleaning member is supplied through a plurality of the pressing portions sequentially. A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head according to claim 1,
A cleaning member control unit for controlling the supply unit and the recovery unit;
The cleaning member control unit performs control to collect the location of the cleaning member used by one pressing unit for the wiping operation without using the other pressing unit for the wiping operation. Wiping unit. A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head according to claim 2,
A table that relatively moves the nozzle surface and the cleaning member;
A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head, wherein the table performs a wiping operation by reciprocating while sliding the cleaning member and the nozzle surface. A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head according to claim 3,
A cleaning liquid supply unit for supplying a cleaning liquid to the cleaning member;
At least one of the plurality of pressing portions performs a wiping operation using the cleaning member impregnated with the cleaning liquid. A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head according to claim 3,
A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head, wherein at least one of the plurality of pressing portions performs a wiping operation using the dry cleaning member. A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head according to claim 4,
The cleaning member that is dry is supplied to at least one of the plurality of pressing parts, and the cleaning member control unit is a speed at which the cleaning member impregnated with the cleaning liquid is supplied to the pressing part, A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head, which controls a speed at which the cleaning member being dried is supplied to the pressing portion. A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head according to claim 4,
A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head, wherein the supply unit and the recovery unit apply tension to the cleaning member. A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head according to claim 2,
A supply amount detection unit for detecting the supply amount of the cleaning member;
A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head, wherein the cleaning member control unit controls the supply amount using the supply amount detected by the supply amount detection unit. A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head according to claim 2,
A wiping unit for a droplet discharge head, wherein when there are a plurality of the droplet discharge heads, the plurality of pressing portions are arranged at locations facing the plurality of droplet discharge heads. A droplet discharge apparatus having a droplet discharge head and a wiping unit of a droplet discharge head that performs a wiping operation of the nozzle surface by pressing a cleaning member against the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head,
The wiping unit includes a plurality of pressing portions that press the cleaning member against the droplet discharge head;
A supply unit for supplying the cleaning member to the pressing unit;
A recovery unit that recovers the cleaning member supplied to the pressing unit;
The droplet discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member is supplied by sequentially passing through the plurality of pressing portions. A method of cleaning a droplet discharge head using a wiping unit that performs a wiping operation of the nozzle surface by pressing a cleaning member against the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head,
The wiping unit has a plurality of pressing portions that press the cleaning member against the droplet discharge head,
A supplying step of supplying the cleaning member to the plurality of pressing portions;
A wiping step of pressing and wiping the cleaning member against the plurality of droplet discharge heads,
In the supplying step, the cleaning member is supplied by sequentially passing through the plurality of pressing portions. A method for cleaning a droplet discharge head according to claim 11,
The method of cleaning a droplet discharge head, wherein the wiping unit collects the location of the cleaning member used by one of the pressing portions for the wiping operation without using the other pressing portion for the wiping operation. A method of cleaning a droplet discharge head according to claim 12,
The method for cleaning a droplet discharge head, wherein the wiping unit performs a wiping operation by reciprocating while sliding the cleaning member on the nozzle surface. A method for cleaning a droplet discharge head according to claim 13,
A cleaning liquid supplying step of supplying a cleaning liquid to the cleaning member;
In the wiping process,
At least one of the plurality of pressing parts performs a wiping operation using the dry cleaning member,
At least one of the plurality of pressing parts performs a wiping operation using the cleaning member impregnated with the cleaning liquid,
The speed at which the cleaning member impregnated with the cleaning liquid slides on the nozzle surface and the speed at which the dry cleaning member slides on the nozzle surface perform a wiping operation at a different speed. A method for cleaning a droplet discharge head.

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