JP2009285885A - Fluid injection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow proper capping by simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: This fluid injection device is provided with a head having an injection nozzle for injecting a fluid, and an opening forming face formed with an opening of the nozzle, and a sealing member having a recess, and for bringing an inner wall face of the recess into contact with the head, to seal the opening forming face. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus including a head having a nozzle for ejecting fluid.

  As one of fluid ejecting apparatuses, an ink jet printer that prints an image by ejecting fluid (for example, ink) onto various media such as paper, cloth, and film is known. The printer includes a head having a nozzle for ejecting fluid, and prints an image on a medium by ejecting the fluid to the nozzle.

Further, the head is provided with an opening forming surface on which nozzle openings are formed. Here, if the nozzle opening is kept in contact with the outside air, problems such as clogging occur in the opening. In order to solve such a problem, a sealing member that contacts the head and seals the nozzle opening is provided in the fluid ejecting apparatus (see Patent Document 1). This sealing member has a recess that contacts the head, and seals the opening of the nozzle by bringing the tip of the recess into contact with the head (so-called capping).
JP 2005-335404 A

  By the way, if the processing accuracy of the concave portion is poor (for example, the height of the concave portion is not uniform), the concave portion may not properly contact the head (for example, a gap is formed between the portion having the low concave portion height and the head). And air flows in from the gap). In such a case, capping cannot be performed appropriately.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to appropriately perform capping with a simple configuration.

In order to solve the above problems, the main present invention is:
A nozzle that ejects fluid, and a head having an opening forming surface in which an opening of the nozzle is formed;
A sealing member that has a recess and seals the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface of the recess into contact with the head;
A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising:

  Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  At least the following will be made clear by the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

A nozzle that ejects fluid, and a head having an opening forming surface in which an opening of the nozzle is formed;
A sealing member that has a recess and seals the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface of the recess into contact with the head;
A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising:
When the inner wall surface is brought into contact with the head, the concave portion tends to come into contact with the head (the contact width is large, or even if the height of the concave portion varies), the structure is simple. Thus, it becomes possible to perform capping appropriately.

In addition, such a fluid ejection device,
The head has an adjacent surface adjacent to the opening forming surface at an outer periphery of the opening forming surface;
The width of the recess is larger than the width of the opening forming surface,
The sealing member preferably seals the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface into contact with the adjacent surface.
In such a case, since the inner wall surface is brought into contact with the adjacent surface, it is possible to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the opening forming surface when the opening forming surface is sealed, so that deformation of the opening forming surface can be prevented. .

In addition, such a fluid ejection device,
The head has an adjacent surface adjacent to the opening forming surface on the outer periphery of the opening forming surface, and a side surface adjacent to the adjacent surface on the side opposite to the opening forming surface,
The width of the recess is larger than the width of the opening forming surface,
It is desirable that the sealing member seals the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface into contact with an intersection portion of the adjacent surface and the side surface.
In such a case, it is possible to prevent an excessive force from acting on the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface into contact with the intersecting line portion, so that the deformation of the opening forming surface can be prevented.

In addition, such a fluid ejection device,
The opening forming surface is opposed to the recess,
The adjacent surface is a slope inclined with respect to the opening forming surface;
It is desirable that the inclination direction of the adjacent surface is a direction away from the facing concave portion.
In such a case, when the inner wall surface is brought into contact with the adjacent surface, for example, the inner wall surface is likely to be in close contact with the adjacent surface along the inclination direction, so that the opening forming surface can be effectively sealed.

In addition, such a fluid ejection device,
The head has an adjacent surface adjacent to the opening forming surface at an outer periphery of the opening forming surface;
It is desirable that the sealing member seals the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface into contact with an intersection line between the opening forming surface and the adjacent surface.
In such a case, since the shape of the head can be simplified by bringing the inner wall surface into contact with the intersection line between the opening forming surface and the adjacent surface, it is possible to appropriately perform capping with a simpler configuration.

In addition, such a fluid ejection device,
The recess is made of an elastic body,
The sealing member preferably seals the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface into contact with the head in a state where the concave portion is bent.
In such a case, the inner wall surface is brought into contact with the head while the concave portion is bent, so that the contact pressure acting on the head when the opening forming surface is sealed can be made uniform.

In addition, such a fluid ejection device,
In the opening forming surface, a plurality of nozzle openings are formed over the width of the medium on which the fluid lands.
The sealing member preferably seals the entire opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface of one of the recesses into contact with the head.
In the case of a configuration in which the opening forming surface is sealed with one concave portion, the concave portion is likely to be elongated, so that the processing accuracy of the concave portion is liable to deteriorate. On the other hand, by bringing the inner wall surface of the elongated recess into contact with the head, the recess can be properly brought into contact with the head regardless of the processing accuracy of the recess. Since the contact of the recess is more difficult, the effect of appropriately capping with a simple configuration is more effectively achieved.

=== Outline of inkjet printer ===
The configuration of the printer 1 and the printing process will be described by taking an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as the printer 1) as an example of the fluid ejecting apparatus.

<<< Configuration of Printer 1 >>>
The configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the printer 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the printer 1. FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the printer 1 transports the paper S (medium). 2B is a diagram of the head unit 30 and the like viewed from the direction X illustrated in FIG. 2A.

  The printer 1 that has received the print data from the computer 60, which is an external device, controls each unit (the transport unit 20, the head unit 30, the maintenance unit 70, etc.) by the controller 10 and forms an image on the paper S. Further, the detector group 40 monitors the situation in the printer 1, and the controller 10 controls each unit based on the detection result.

  The controller 10 is a control unit for controlling the printer 1. The interface unit 11 is for transmitting and receiving data between the computer 60 as an external device and the printer 1. The CPU 12 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the entire printer 1. The memory 13 is for securing an area for storing the program of the CPU 12 and a work area. The CPU 12 controls each unit by a unit control circuit 14 according to a program stored in the memory 13.

  The transport unit 20 feeds the paper S to a printable position, and transports the paper S by a predetermined transport amount in the transport direction during printing. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the transport unit 20 includes a paper feed roller 21, a transport roller 22, a platen 23, and a paper discharge roller 24. The paper feed roller 21 is a roller for feeding the paper S inserted into the paper insertion slot into the printer 1. The transport roller 22 is a roller that transports the paper S fed by the paper feed roller 21 to a printable area. The platen 23 supports the paper S being printed. The paper discharge roller 24 is a roller for discharging the paper S to the outside of the printer 1.

  The head unit 30 is for ejecting ink as a fluid onto the paper S. The head unit 30 includes a head 31 (details will be described later) having a large number of nozzles that eject ink. Then, the head unit 30 forms dots on the paper S by ejecting ink onto the paper S being conveyed, and prints an image on the paper S. The head unit 30 according to the present embodiment can form dots for the paper width at a time.

  The maintenance unit 70 is for performing various maintenance operations in order to maintain good ink ejection from the head 31 (specifically, nozzles). The maintenance unit 70 includes a cap member 80 that is an example of a sealing member that seals (capping) a nozzle during non-printing. The detailed configuration of the cap member 80 will be described later.

<<< Print processing >>>
A printing process of the printer 1 having the above-described configuration will be described. When receiving a print command and print data from the computer 60, the controller 10 analyzes the contents of various commands included in the print data and performs the following processing using each unit.
First, the controller 10 rotates the paper feed roller 21 to feed the paper S to be printed into the printer 1. Then, the controller 10 rotates the transport roller 22 to position the fed paper S at the print start position.
Next, the sheet S is conveyed by the conveying roller 22 without stopping at a constant speed, and passes under the head 31 (above the platen 23). While the paper S passes under the head 31, ink is intermittently ejected from each nozzle. As a result, a dot row (raster line) composed of a plurality of dots along the transport direction is formed on the paper S. Finally, the controller 10 discharges the paper S on which image printing has been completed by the paper discharge roller 24.

=== Configuration of the Head 31 ===
FIG. 3A is a front view of the head 31. FIG. 3B is a side view of the head 31. FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement of nozzles on the nozzle surface 32.
As described above, the head 31 has a large number of nozzles (nozzle rows) that eject ink. Specifically, the head 31 includes four nozzle rows, that is, a black ink nozzle row (nozzle row K), a cyan ink nozzle row (nozzle row C), a magenta ink nozzle row (nozzle row M), and a yellow ink nozzle row. (Nozzle row Y). Each nozzle is provided with a pressure chamber (not shown) containing ink and a drive element (piezo element) for changing the volume of the pressure chamber to eject ink.
The head 31 has a rectangular shape. In the lower part of the head 31, there are a nozzle surface 32 which is an example of an opening forming surface in which the opening of the nozzle is formed, an inclined surface 33 which is an example of an adjacent surface, and an outer surface 34 which is an example of a side surface. Is formed.

  In the nozzle surface 32, as shown in FIG. 3C, openings of four nozzle rows are formed. The openings of the nozzle rows are arranged in a row at a constant interval d along the paper width direction. Further, the opening of each nozzle row (the number of nozzles in one nozzle row is n) is formed over the width of the paper S on which ink is landed (see FIG. 2B). In addition, the nozzle surface 32 of a present Example is a substantially horizontal surface.

  The inclined surface 33 is an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the nozzle surface 32. The inclined surface 33 is adjacent to the nozzle surface 32 on the outer periphery of the nozzle surface 32. In other words, the inclined surface 33 is formed so as to cover the periphery of the nozzle surface 32. Further, the inclination angle of the inclined surface 33 with respect to the nozzle surface 32 is an obtuse angle as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In FIG. 3A and the like, the inclined surface 33 is shown as a flat slope, but it may be a curved slope (having a curvature).

  The outer side surface 34 is adjacent to the inclined surface 33 on the side opposite to the nozzle surface 32. In other words, the outer surface 34 is formed so as to cover the periphery of the inclined surface 33. In addition, the outer side surface 34 of a present Example is a substantially vertical surface. The angle formed by the outer surface 34 and the inclined surface 33 is an obtuse angle.

=== Overview of Cap Member 80 ===
Incidentally, clogging may occur in the opening of the nozzle that ejects ink. This clogging is caused by, for example, an increase in ink viscosity due to evaporation of the solvent of the ink from the opening, solidification of ink, adhesion of dust or dust to the opening, and mixing of bubbles in the nozzle. appear. When clogging occurs in the nozzle opening, ink ejection becomes inappropriate (for example, ink is not ejected from the nozzle in which clogging has occurred), and printing failure occurs.

  For this reason, the maintenance unit 70 of the present embodiment is provided with a cap member 80 that seals the nozzle opening during non-printing. The cap member 80 has a function as a lid for preventing the ink in the nozzle opening from drying in order to suppress the occurrence of clogging. In order to realize this function, a capping operation described later is executed. In addition, if the nozzle opening is clogged, the cap member 80 seals the nozzle surface 32 and sucks ink from the nozzle opening by the negative pressure from the suction pump 75 (FIG. 1). Thus, it also has a function of eliminating clogging. In order to realize this function, a suction operation described later is executed.

  Therefore, in the following, after describing the configuration of the cap member 80, a capping operation and a suction operation, which are maintenance operations, will be described.

<<< Configuration of Cap Member 80 >>>
4A is a top view of the cap member 80. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 4A. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 4A. 5A and 5B are views showing the cap member 80 located at the standby position. 6A and 6B are views showing the cap member 80 located at the capping position.

The cap member 80 moves between a standby position (see FIGS. 5A and 5B) positioned during printing and a capping position (see FIGS. 6A and 6B) positioned during non-printing. Here, the standby position is a position away from the head 31 so as not to hinder the conveyance of the paper S during printing. On the other hand, the capping position is a position where the nozzle surface 32 is sealed by contacting (contacting) the head 31 during non-printing. Thus, the cap member 80 seals the nozzle surface 32 when positioned at the capping position.
And the cap member 80 has the case 81, the cap 82, and the absorber 87 as shown to FIG. 4A etc.

  The case 81 has a rectangular shape like the head 31. The case 81 is moved between a standby position and a capping position by a drive mechanism (not shown). Further, a suction hole 88 through which ink is sucked during a suction operation is formed on the center side of the case 81. The suction hole 88 is connected to a tube 76 (FIG. 2A) through which ink flows. A suction pump 75 (FIG. 1) is provided on the path of the tube 76. Then, when the suction pump 75 operates during the suction operation, the ink forcibly discharged from the nozzle flows through the tube 76 through the suction hole 88. The ink flowing through the tube 76 is collected in a collection box (not shown).

  The cap 82 is for sealing the nozzle surface 32. The cap 82 is made of an elastic body such as rubber and is fixed to the upper portion of the case 81. The cap 82 has a wall 83 protruding along the outer edge. The wall 83 has an annular shape. For this reason, the cap 82 becomes a recessed part as a whole. Further, the cap 82 faces the nozzle surface 32 when positioned at the standby position and the capping position. The width of the cap 82 (specifically, the width in the transport direction and the paper width direction) is larger than the width of the nozzle surface 32 (the width in the transport direction and the paper width direction), respectively. In other words, the position of the tip 85 of the wall 83 of the cap 82 is located outside the nozzle surface 32.

  The cap 82 contacts the inclined surface 33 of the nozzle surface 32, the inclined surface 33, and the outer surface 34 of the head 31 when the cap member 80 is located at the capping position. Specifically, the inner wall surface 84 of the wall 83 contacts the inclined surface 33. As described above, the cap member 80 seals the entire nozzle surface 32 by bringing the inner wall surface 84 of one cap 82 into contact with the inclined surface 33. Thereby, the opening of each nozzle formed in the nozzle surface 32 can be sealed. Further, since the cap 82 is not brought into contact with the nozzle surface 32, it is possible to suppress an excessive pressure from acting on the nozzle surface 32, and as a result, deformation of the nozzle surface 32 can be prevented.

  Here, the contact state between the inner wall surface 84 and the inclined surface 33 will be described in more detail. The inclination direction of the inclined surface 33 inclined with respect to the nozzle surface 32 is a direction away from the facing cap 82. Accordingly, when the cap member 80 is located at the capping position, the wall 83 bends outward as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. That is, the cap member 80 seals the nozzle surface 32 by bringing the inner wall surface 84 into contact with the inclined surface 33 in a state where the cap 82 is bent. Thereby, the contact pressure when the inner wall surface 84 contacts the inclined surface 33 can be made substantially constant.

  In this embodiment, since the cap 82 bends along the inclined surface 33, the area of the inner wall surface 84 that contacts the inclined surface 33 can be increased. For this reason, sealing of the nozzle surface 32 by the cap 82 becomes more effective. Furthermore, if the height of the wall 83 is not uniform (the processing accuracy of the cap 82 is poor), the position of the inner wall surface 84 that contacts the inclined surface 33 differs in the vertical direction. However, even if the position is different, the contact of the inner wall surface 84 with the inclined surface 33 is ensured. For this reason, even if the processing accuracy of the cap 82 is poor, the cap 82 can properly seal the entire nozzle surface 33.

  The absorber 87 is for absorbing ink ejected from the nozzle. For example, the absorbent 87 absorbs ink ejected from the nozzles during the suction operation. The absorbent 87 is made of sponge or the like and is provided inside the cap 82. Note that the absorbent material 87 may not be provided.

<<< Capping operation >>>
A capping operation of the cap member 80 having the above-described configuration will be described. Here, the capping operation immediately after the printing process will be described. During the printing process, the cap member 80 is located at the standby position (FIGS. 5A and 5B).

  When the printing process is completed, the drive device operates according to the command from the controller 10, whereby the cap member 80 located at the standby position moves to the capping position (FIGS. 6A and 6B). That is, the cap member 80 located below the head 31 moves upward to seal the nozzle surface 32.

  Here, the cap 82 abuts against the inclined surface 33 while being bent when the nozzle surface 32 is sealed. This point will be specifically described. First, immediately before the case 81 moving upward is positioned at the capping position, the inner wall surface 84 of the wall 83 contacts the inclined surface 33 (note that the front end portion 85 of the wall 83 can also contact the inclined surface 33). When the case 81 further moves upward while maintaining this contact state, the wall 83 is bent outward along the inclined surface 33 (in other words, the inclined surface 33 is bent by the wall 83). Have a function to guide Thereafter, as the case 81 further moves, the wall 83 is further bent along the inclined surface 33. As a result, when the case 81 is positioned at the capping position, the inner wall surface 84 of the bent wall 83 comes into contact (contacts) with the inclined surface 33.

  The cap member 80 is positioned at the capping position (with the inner wall surface 84 in contact with the inclined surface 33) until the printing process is executed in accordance with a command from the controller 10, and the nozzle surface 33 (opening of each nozzle row). ) Is sealed. Thereby, clogging of the nozzle opening is suppressed.

<<< Suction action >>>
Next, a suction operation for forcibly sucking ink from the nozzles to eliminate clogging at the nozzle openings will be described.

  Based on a command from the controller 10, when the cap member 80 is positioned at the capping position, the suction pump 75 operates to generate a negative pressure in the space between the cap 82 and the nozzle surface 32. Due to the negative pressure, the ink is forcibly discharged from the nozzle opening. The discharged ink then passes through the absorber 87 and the suction hole 88 and then flows through the tube 76 and is collected in the collection box. Thereby, clogging at the opening of the nozzle can be eliminated.

  By the way, due to the generation of the negative pressure, the nozzle surface 33 is more reliably sealed by the inner wall surface 84 during the suction operation. That is, as the negative pressure is generated, the atmospheric pressure inside the cap 82 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure outside the cap 82. The pressure difference acts on the cap 82 to press the wall 83 against the inclined surface 33, so that the inner wall surface 84 of the wall 83 is in close contact with the inclined surface 33. For this reason, sealing of the nozzle surface 33 becomes more reliable. As a result, ink suction by the suction pump 75 is performed more effectively.

=== Effectiveness of Printer 1 According to the Present Embodiment ===
As described above, the printer 1 of this embodiment includes (a) a head 31 having a nozzle for ejecting ink, and a nozzle surface 32 (an example of an opening forming surface) on which the nozzle opening is formed; And a cap member 80 (an example of a sealing member) that has a cap 82 (an example of a recess) and seals the nozzle surface 32 by bringing the inner wall surface 84 of the cap 82 into contact with the head 31 (FIG. 6A). FIG. 6B). As a result, as will be described below, it is possible to perform capping appropriately with a simple configuration.

  In the following, after describing the comparative example, the effectiveness of the printer 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining a comparative example. Unlike the present embodiment, the cap member 80 according to the comparative example seals the nozzle surface 32 (opening of each nozzle) by bringing the tip portion 85 of the wall 83 of the cap 82 into contact with the nozzle surface 32. Here, in the cap 82 according to the comparative example, the processing accuracy of the cap 82 is poor, and the height of the wall 83 is not uniform as shown in FIG. 7A (the position of the tip 85 is wavy). In particular, when the cap 82 is elongated, it is difficult to make the height of the wall 83 the same, and the height of the wall 83 tends to be uneven.

  Then, when such a cap 82 is brought into contact with the head 31, as shown in FIG. 7B, a part of the front end portion 85 of the wall 83 does not come into contact with the nozzle surface 32 (in FIG. The tip end portion 85 is not in contact with the nozzle surface 32). In such a case, air can flow from the gap between the nozzle surface 32 and the tip portion 85. For this reason, the nozzle surface 33 is not properly sealed, and the nozzle opening is easily clogged.

  On the other hand, in the case of the present embodiment, the inner wall surface 84 is brought into contact with the head 31 (specifically, the inclined surface 33), as shown in FIG. In addition, the cap 82 can be properly brought into contact with the head 31. That is, even if the height of the cap 82 is not uniform, the inner wall surface 84 can abut on the head 31 only by shifting the abutting position of the inner wall surface 84 to the head 31 in the vertical direction. More specifically, the cap 82 abuts (adheres) along the shape of the inclined surface 33 even if the processing accuracy is poor. In particular, it is more effective when the cap 82 is elongated as in the present embodiment (when the processing accuracy of the cap 82 tends to be worse).

  Further, when the inner wall surface 84 is brought into contact with the head 31, as shown in FIG. 8B, the contact area (contact area) of the cap 82 with the head 31 can be increased (as compared with the case where the front end portion 85 is contacted). It is easy to increase the contact area). For this reason, the nozzle surface 32 can be effectively sealed with the cap 82. 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining the effectiveness in the case of this embodiment.

  From the above, according to the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the cap 82 can be properly abutted (contacted) with the head 31 regardless of the processing accuracy of the cap 82, so that it is appropriately capped with a simple configuration. It becomes possible.

=== Second Embodiment ===
9A and 9B are views according to the second embodiment, and show the cap member 80 located at the capping position. Other configurations of the printer 1 that are not described below are the same as those in the above-described embodiment (hereinafter also referred to as the first embodiment).

  Also in the second embodiment, when the cap member 80 is located at the capping position, the inner wall surface 84 of the cap 82 is brought into contact with the head 31 to seal the nozzle surface 32. However, in the first embodiment, the inner wall surface 84 abuts on the inclined surface 33 as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, whereas in the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. The wall surface 84 abuts (adheres to) the intersection 35 of the inclined surface 33 and the outer surface 34.

  In this way, by bringing the inner wall surface 84 into contact with the intersecting line portion 35, the cap 82 is appropriately brought into contact with the head 31 regardless of the processing accuracy of the cap 82 (cap). 82 and the head 31 is not formed), and as a result, it is possible to perform capping appropriately with a simple configuration. Further, according to the configuration of the second embodiment, the inner wall surface 84 is brought into contact with the intersecting line portion 35 between the inclined surface 33 and the outer surface 34, so that the contact pressure acting on the nozzle surface 32 during capping is reduced. This is effective in that it can be further reduced.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the inner wall surface 84 is in contact with the head 31 while the wall 83 is bent. However, the wall 83 may not be bent. Moreover, in FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B, although the intersection line part 35 is drawn as an edge, it is good also as curving by chamfering. Thereby, even if capping is repeated, abrasion of the intersection part 35 can be suppressed.

=== Third Embodiment ===
FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are views according to the third embodiment, and show the cap member 80 located at the capping position. Other configurations of the printer 1 that are not described below are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  Also in the third embodiment, when the cap member 80 is located at the capping position, the inner wall surface 84 of the cap 82 is brought into contact with the head 31 to seal the nozzle surface 32. However, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the inner wall surface 84 abuts (adheres to) the intersection 36 of the nozzle surface 32 and the outer surface 34. Further, unlike the first and second embodiments, the wall 83 of the cap 82 has a divergent shape. In the present embodiment, the wall 83 is not bent when contacting the intersecting line portion 36. However, the wall 83 may be bent.

  In this way, by bringing the inner wall surface 84 into contact with the intersecting line portion 36, the cap 82 can be brought into contact with the head 31 regardless of the processing accuracy of the cap 82, as in the first embodiment. As a result, it is possible to perform capping appropriately with a simple configuration. Further, according to the configuration of the third embodiment, the cap 82 can be properly brought into contact with the head 31 even if the inclined surface 33 is not provided on the head 31 (as a result, the manufacturing process of the head 31 can be simplified). ,It is valid.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the inclined surface 33 corresponds to the adjacent surface, but in the third embodiment, the outer surface 34 corresponds to the adjacent surface. 10A and 10B, the intersecting line portion 36 is depicted as an edge, but may be curved by chamfering.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The fluid ejecting apparatus and the like according to the present invention have been described above based on the above embodiment, but the above-described embodiment is for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and limits the present invention. is not. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes the equivalents thereof.

  In the above-described embodiment, the fluid ejecting apparatus is embodied as an ink jet printer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and liquids other than ink (liquids in which functional material particles are dispersed in addition to liquids, such as gels) It is also possible to embody a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges a fluid other than a liquid (including a fluid) or a fluid (such as a solid that can be ejected by flowing as a fluid).

  For example, a liquid material injection device for injecting a liquid material in the form of dispersed or dissolved materials such as electrode materials and color materials used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, and surface-emitting displays, and biochip manufacturing It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a bio-organic substance used in the above, or a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid as a sample used as a precision pipette. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resins to form liquid injection devices that inject lubricating oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. Examples include a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto a substrate, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects gel, and a powder such as toner. It may be a powder jet recording apparatus that jets a solid. The present invention can be applied to any one of these injection devices.

  In the above embodiment, the length of the head 31 is equivalent to the width of the paper S. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the length of the head may be shorter than the width of the paper S, and ink may be ejected from the nozzles when a moving body (so-called carriage) having the head moves. By contacting the inner wall surface of the cap 82 also with the nozzle surface of the head having such a configuration, it is possible to appropriately perform capping with a simple configuration.

  In the printer 1 of the above-described embodiment, the fluid is ejected by applying a voltage to the driving element (piezo element) to expand and contract the ink chamber, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, a printer in which bubbles are generated in the nozzles using a heating element and fluid is ejected by the bubbles may be used.

1 is an overall configuration block diagram of a printer 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the printer 1. FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the printer 1 transports the paper S (medium). FIG. 3A is a front view of the head 31. FIG. 3B is a side view of the head 31. FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement of nozzles on the nozzle surface 33. 4A is a top view of the cap member 80. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 4A. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 4A. 5A and 5B are views showing the cap member 80 located at the standby position. 6A and 6B are views showing the cap member 80 located at the capping position. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining a comparative example. 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining the effectiveness in the case of this embodiment. 9A and 9B are diagrams according to the second embodiment. 10A and 10B are diagrams according to the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 printer,
10 controller, 11 interface unit, 12 CPU,
13 memory, 14 unit control circuit,
20 transport unit, 21 paper feed roller, 22 transport roller,
23 platen, 24 paper discharge roller,
30 head units, 31 heads, 32 nozzle surfaces, 33 inclined surfaces,
34 outer surface, 35 intersection line, 36 intersection line,
40 detector groups, 60 computers,
70 maintenance unit, 75 suction pump, 76 tube,
80 cap member, 81 case, 82 cap, 83 wall,
84 inner wall, 85 tip, 87 absorbent, 88 suction hole

Claims (7)

A nozzle that ejects fluid, and a head having an opening forming surface in which an opening of the nozzle is formed;
A sealing member that has a recess and seals the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface of the recess into contact with the head;
A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: The fluid ejection device according to claim 1,
The head has an adjacent surface adjacent to the opening forming surface at an outer periphery of the opening forming surface;
The width of the recess is larger than the width of the opening forming surface,
The fluid ejecting apparatus, wherein the sealing member seals the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface into contact with the adjacent surface. The fluid ejection device according to claim 1,
The head has an adjacent surface adjacent to the opening forming surface on the outer periphery of the opening forming surface, and a side surface adjacent to the adjacent surface on the side opposite to the opening forming surface,
The width of the recess is larger than the width of the opening forming surface,
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member seals the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface into contact with an intersection of the adjacent surface and the side surface. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The opening forming surface is opposed to the recess,
The adjacent surface is a slope inclined with respect to the opening forming surface;
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inclination direction of the adjacent surface is a direction away from the opposing concave portion. The fluid ejection device according to claim 1,
The head has an adjacent surface adjacent to the opening forming surface at an outer periphery of the opening forming surface;
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member seals the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface into contact with an intersection portion of the opening forming surface and the adjacent surface. The fluid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The recess is made of an elastic body,
The fluid ejecting apparatus, wherein the sealing member seals the opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface into contact with the head in a state where the concave portion is bent. The fluid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
In the opening forming surface, a plurality of nozzle openings are formed over the width of the medium on which the fluid lands.
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member seals the entire opening forming surface by bringing the inner wall surface of one of the concave portions into contact with the head.

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