JP2010155466A - Cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning apparatus which can reduce an abrasion of a wiping off member consisting of an elastic body in spite of its simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning apparatus 10 comprises an elastic blade 26 and a sub-elastic blade 51. The elastic blade 26 is installed in a cleaner lever 25 which is composed movably back and forth. On the other hand, the sub-elastic blade 51 is disposed so as to block up an area where the elastic blade 26 passes, and is supported by a blade support part 46 in such a manner that a radius of curvature (R1) when it is bent to the upper part caused by contact with the elastic blade 26 differs from a radius of curvature (R2) when it is bent to the lower part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device for wiping a nozzle surface of an inkjet head in an inkjet printer, and an inkjet printer including the cleaning device.

  An ink jet printer performs printing on recording paper by ejecting ink droplets from each ink nozzle of an ink jet head. If each ink nozzle is clogged, the print quality will be degraded and the printer will be unable to print. turn into. The clogging of the ink nozzle occurs when the ink in the ink nozzle is dried to increase its viscosity, or when paper dust adheres to the nozzle surface on which the ink nozzle is arranged.

  Therefore, the inkjet printer is equipped with a cleaning device, and the carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted is periodically moved to the cleaning device installed at a position outside the printing range, and the nozzle is used by this cleaning device. The surface is wiped and ink with increased viscosity is discharged from the ink nozzle.

  A general cleaning device includes a lock lever for locking an inkjet head moved by a carriage in a cleaning position, a head cap for covering a nozzle surface of the locked inkjet head, and a head cap that is covered. An ink suction pump for forcibly sucking ink from each ink nozzle and a wiper blade made of a rubber plate or the like for wiping the nozzle surface are provided. The wiper blade prevents unnecessary wear of the wiper blade by moving the wiper blade to a wiping position that can contact the nozzle surface only when wiping the nozzle surface. Further, the lock lever and the wiper blade are driven by using the rotational force of the drive motor of the ink suction pump from the viewpoint of miniaturization and compactness of the apparatus.

  As a wiper blade in an inkjet printer cleaning device, for example, a wiper blade proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-251145 is known. In this publication, a main blade configured to be rotatable and a sub blade fixed in a moving region thereof are provided. By wiping ink or the like adhering to the main blade with the sub blade, The deposits are prevented from transferring to the nozzle surface.

  Here, from the viewpoint of preventing clogging of the ink nozzles, an ink jet printer has been proposed in which the nozzle surface of the ink jet head is arranged facing downward. In this case, the wiper blade ascends from below and wipes the nozzle surface against the inkjet head that reciprocates in the horizontal direction with the nozzle surface facing downward.

  However, in the cleaning device in which the wiper blade moves up and down, the inkjet head passes horizontally above the wiper blade, so that foreign matters such as paper dust adhering to the nozzle surface fall into the opening as the wiper blade movement region. And may adhere to the wiper blade. Foreign matter such as paper dust adhering to the wiper blade is not preferable because it may adhere to the nozzle surface again when the nozzle surface is wiped.

  Therefore, in order to remove the foreign matter adhering to the wiper blade with the sub blade, the sub blade is disposed on the movement path of the wiper blade and the wiper blade is wiped with the sub blade. However, if both contact states are not properly managed, both blades will be worn out in a short period of time. Of course, it is possible to reduce the friction with the wiper blade by moving the sub blade, but on the other hand, a separate member is required to move the sub blade, resulting in an increase in the number of parts. End up.

  Next, in a conventional cleaning device, a drive motor of an ink suction pump is used as a drive source of the wiper blade from the viewpoint of reducing the number of parts of the device and reducing the size and size. In general, the rotational force of the drive motor of the ink suction pump is taken out via a frictional power transmission path and transmitted to the wiper blade.

  As described above, when the wiper blade is moved while being in contact with the sub blade, a large driving force is required compared to the case where only the wiper blade is moved due to the frictional force between them. However, in the conventional drive mechanism that transmits power only by the frictional force, there is a fear that the drive force of the wiper blade is insufficient and the wiper blade cannot be moved. Further, even if an external force is applied for some reason while the wiper blade is moving, the wiper blade may not be able to move.

  An object of the present invention is to propose a cleaning device including a sub wiper member for wiping a wiper member for wiping the nozzle surface of an inkjet head, and capable of reducing wear of these wiper members.

  Another object of the present invention is a cleaning device including a sub wiper member for wiping the wiper member for wiping the nozzle surface of the inkjet head, and foreign matter such as paper dust dropped from the inkjet head adheres to the wiper member. The present invention proposes a cleaning device that can prevent the above-described problem.

  Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device including a wiper member for wiping the nozzle surface of the inkjet head, and capable of reliably moving the wiper member between a wiping position and a retracted position. There is.

  In order to achieve the above and other objects, the present invention provides a cleaning device for cleaning a nozzle surface of an inkjet head: a first wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface; and the first wiping member And a lever driving mechanism for moving the first wiping member to a retracted position away from the nozzle surface and a wiping position where the nozzle surface can be wiped by moving the cleaner lever. A flat wiping member made of an elastic body disposed so as to come into contact with the first wiping member is provided in the movement path of the first wiping member.

  In the cleaning device of the present invention, the first wiping member is in contact with the second wiping member while moving between the wiping position and the retracted position. It is possible to avoid excessive wear of the member.

  Here, when the first wiping member moves up and down between the retracted position located on the lower side and the wiping position located on the upper side, the second wiping member It is desirable that the wiping member is disposed at a position above the retracted position.

  According to this configuration, in a state where the first wiping member is retracted, the second wiping member is positioned above the first wiping member, and the movement path of the first wiping member is blocked. Therefore, even if a foreign substance such as paper dust falls from the inkjet head that moves above the first wiping member, it does not adhere to the first wiping member.

  The cleaner lever preferably includes a third wiping member that can contact the second wiping member during movement. In this way, the foreign matter attached to the second wiping member is wiped by the third wiping member, so that the foreign matter attached to the second wiping member can be prevented from attaching to the first wiping member again. .

  Further, the second wiping member is supported by a first support member on a side surface on the retracted position side of the first wiping member, and a side surface on the wiping position side of the first wiping member is a second support member. The length of the portion of the second wiping member that is supported by the second wiping member that protrudes from the first support member is longer than the length of the portion of the second wiping member that protrudes from the second support member. It is desirable to be short.

  Thus, if the length of the support member supporting the second wiping member is different on both sides, the first wiping member is the second wiping member as compared with the case where the length of the support member is the same. When moving while contacting the wiping member, the frictional force generated in the second wiping member can be reduced. Therefore, wear of the second wiping member is reduced, and long-term use becomes possible.

  Moreover, it is desirable that the front end surface of the first wiping member is in contact with the side surface of the second wiping member in an inclined state. If it does in this way, the 2nd wiping member can be made to contact the edge part of the 1st wiping member reliably, and the 2nd wiping member is bent on the edge part of the 1st wiping member. I can do it. Therefore, it is possible to remove the foreign matter adhering to the edge portion of the first wiping member evenly.

  Next, the lever drive mechanism of the cleaning device according to the present invention includes a rotational drive source, a gear train rotated by the rotational drive source, and friction with a predetermined pressing force against one of the gears constituting the gear train. A friction type clutch lever that is engaged and arranged concentrically with the gear, a first cam portion that converts rotation of the clutch lever into movement of the cleaner lever, and the clutch lever, It is desirable to include a meshing portion that meshes with the gear train over a predetermined rotation angle range of the lever.

  In the lever drive mechanism having this configuration, the rotational force of the rotational drive source can be transmitted by frictional force and can be transmitted by meshing. Therefore, by appropriately setting the meshing transmission range, even if an external force is applied to the cleaner lever, the movement can be reliably performed.

  Here, the meshing state of the gear train and the meshing portion of the clutch lever may be formed while the first wiping member moves in contact with the second wiping member. desirable.

  When the first wiping member comes into contact with the second wiping member, the cleaner lever that supports the first wiping member receives a large drag from the second wiping member. Therefore, there is a possibility that the cleaner lever cannot be moved reliably with the driving force by friction transmission. However, in the present invention, when the first and second wiping members are in contact with each other, the driving force is transmitted to the cleaner lever by mesh transmission, so that even if the drag force from the second wiping member acts The cleaner lever can be moved.

  Here, the first cam part includes a first cam follower formed on the cleaner lever, and a first cam surface that contacts the first cam follower when the cleaner lever moves toward the wiping position. And a second cam surface that contacts the first cam follower when the cleaner lever moves toward the retracted position, and the first and second cam surfaces form a predetermined angle. desirable.

  Thus, since the cleaner lever is moved by the cam surfaces having different angles, the cleaner lever can be reliably moved in the target direction.

  Next, the cleaning device of the present invention has a lock lever that fixes the inkjet head in a predetermined position, and the lever driving mechanism fixes the rotational force of the rotational drive source and the lock lever to the inkjet head. It is desirable to include a second cam portion that converts the driving force to move to a locked position and an unlocked position away from the inkjet head.

  In this case, the first cam portion for moving the cleaner lever is a first cam for reciprocating the cleaner lever between the wiping position and the retracted position as the clutch lever rotates. It is desirable that a region and a second cam region that keeps the cleaner lever in the retracted position even when the clutch lever rotates are provided. Similarly, the second cam portion includes a third cam region for reciprocally moving the lock lever between the locked position and the unlocked position as the clutch lever rotates, and the clutch lever rotates. However, it is desirable to include a fourth cam region that keeps the lock lever in the unlock position.

  According to this configuration, since the cleaner lever and the lock lever can be moved by a necessary stroke amount, the stroke amount can be minimized, which is advantageous for downsizing of the apparatus.

  In particular, while the first cam portion is in the first cam region, the second cam portion is in the fourth cam region, and the first cam portion is in the second cam region. It is desirable that the second cam portion shifts to the third cam region when shifted.

  In a typical configuration, the second cam region in the first cam portion can be defined by an arcuate cam groove centered on the rotation center of the clutch lever. Similarly, the fourth cam region in the second cam portion can be defined by an arcuate cam groove centering on the rotation center of the clutch lever.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning device has an ink pump device for sucking ink from the ink nozzles of the ink jet head, and the motor for driving the ink pump device is used as the rotation drive source. Is done.

It is a perspective view which shows the cleaning apparatus and inkjet head in an inkjet printer provided with the cleaning apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the principal part of the cleaning apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the cleaning device and the ink jet head of FIG. 1 and shows a state where an elastic blade is in a retracted position. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the cleaning device and the ink jet head of FIG. 1 and shows a state where an elastic blade is in a wiping position. (A) (b) It is a perspective view which shows the cleaner lever and elastic blade with which the cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1 was mounted | worn. (A) (b) (c) It is explanatory drawing which shows the wiping operation | movement of the sub blade in the cleaning apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship with the 1st cam part of the clutch lever of the cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1, a 2nd cam part, and a tooth | gear part. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the cleaner lever of the cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1, a lock lever, and the tooth | gear part of a clutch lever, and shows the state which only the cleaner lever retracted. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the cleaner lever of the cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1, a lock lever, and the tooth | gear part of a clutch lever, and shows the state which the cleaner lever and the lock lever retracted. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship with the cleaner lever of the cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1, a lock lever, and the tooth | gear part of a clutch lever, and shows the state which only the lock lever retracted. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the cleaner lever of the cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1, a lock lever, and the tooth | gear part of a clutch lever, and shows the state which the cleaner lever is going to evacuate from a wiping position. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the cleaner lever of the cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1, a lock lever, and the tooth | gear part of a clutch lever, and shows the state which contacted the ink jet head side, before a lock lever reached a lock position. Is.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an inkjet printer equipped with a cleaning device to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The overall configuration of the inkjet printer is the same as that of a serial inkjet printer that has been generally known so far, and therefore illustration and description thereof are omitted in this specification. In the following, only the carriage on which the cleaning device and the inkjet head are mounted will be illustrated and described.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cleaning device in an ink jet printer of this example and an ink jet head mounted on a carriage at a position facing the cleaning device, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of the cleaning device. It is.

  First, the overall configuration of the inkjet head 2 and the cleaning device 10 in the inkjet printer 1 of this example will be described with reference to these drawings. The inkjet head 2 is mounted on the carriage 82 with the nozzle surface 3 facing downward, and can reciprocate in the horizontal direction indicated by arrows A and B in FIG.

  The cleaning device 10 is disposed at a position outside the printing area of the inkjet head 2, and includes a head cap 12 and an elastic blade 26 that is a first wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface 3 of the inkjet head 2. A sub-elastic blade 51 which is a second wiping member for wiping the elastic blade 26; a pump unit 14 for absorbing ink from ink nozzles (not shown) arranged on the nozzle surface 3 of the inkjet head 2; And a lock lever 61 for locking the carriage 82 on which the inkjet head 2 is mounted at the position (cleaning position) shown in FIGS.

  When the inkjet head 2 is moved to the cleaning position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the head cap 12 moves upward along the cam groove 11 b formed in the housing 11 with the movement of the inkjet head 2. 2 nozzle surface 3 is covered. In this state, the lock lever 61 is moved upward to lock the carriage 82. By driving the pump unit 14 in this locked state, ink can be sucked and discharged from the ink nozzles arranged on the nozzle surface 3. Further, when the lock lever 61 is unlocked and the elastic blade 26 as the first wiping member is moved to a height at which it can come into contact with the nozzle surface 3, and the inkjet head 2 is reciprocated in this state, the elastic blade 26 is moved. Thus, foreign matters such as paper dust attached to the nozzle surface 3 are wiped off. Further, the sub-elastic blade 51 is positioned on the movement path of the elastic blade 26 in a substantially horizontal posture, and contacts the elastic blade 26 passing through the sub-elastic blade 51 to wipe off foreign matter adhering to the elastic blade 26. To do.

  3 and 4 are schematic front views of the cleaning device 10. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the elastic blade 26 as the first wiping member is in the retracted position. FIG. 4 shows the state in which the elastic blade 26 is a nozzle. The state which exists in the wiping position which can wipe the surface 3 is shown. 5A and 5B are perspective views showing the cleaner lever to which the elastic blade 26 is attached, and FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are partial side views showing the positional relationship between the elastic blade and the sub-elastic blade.

  The detailed structure of the cleaning device 10 of this example will be described with reference to FIGS. The cleaning device 10 of this example includes a flat box-shaped housing 11 made of, for example, resin, and this housing 11 is vertically attached to a device frame (not shown) of the inkjet printer 1. A horizontal frame portion 11 a that protrudes horizontally from the upper end portion of the housing 11 toward the housing rear side is formed. Here, a position that covers the nozzle surface 3 as the carriage 82 moves, A box-shaped head cap 12 is attached upward so as to be movable between the position retracted downward.

  A circular recess 13 projecting to the rear side of the housing 11 is formed in the middle position of the housing 11, and a substantially cylindrical pump unit 14 (ink suction pump) is mounted in the recess 13. The driving support shaft portion 15 of the pump unit 14 can rotate in the forward and reverse direction indicated by the arrow C or D (see FIG. 2).

  A drive motor 71 (rotation drive source) is attached to the housing 11 at a lower position of the pump unit 14, and an output shaft 71 b of the drive motor 71 extends in parallel with the drive support shaft portion 15 of the pump unit 14. A pinion gear 71a is fixed to the tip. A two-stage gear 72 is rotatably attached to the housing 11, and the two-stage gear 72 is composed of a large gear 72a and a small gear 72b formed in a coaxial state, and the large gear 72a meshes with the pinion gear 71a. ing. A pump gear 16 is inserted coaxially into the drive support shaft portion 15 of the pump unit 14, and the pump gear 16 meshes with a small gear 72 b of the two-stage gear 72. Accordingly, the rotational force of the drive motor 71 is transmitted to the pump gear 16 via the pinion gear 71a and the two-stage gear 72.

  Here, the pump unit 14 has an engagement portion 14a formed on an annular end surface thereof, and an engagement portion 16a is formed on a side surface of the pump gear 16 facing the pump unit 14. Therefore, when the pump gear 16 is rotated and the engaging portion 16a is engaged with the engaging portion 14a of the pump unit 14, the pump gear 16 is rotationally driven by the pump gear 16.

(Clutch lever)
Next, a friction engagement type clutch lever 17 is rotatably attached to the drive support shaft portion 15 of the pump unit 14 in a state of being superposed on the surface side of the pump gear 16. The clutch lever 17 has a clutch portion 17b formed in a substantially disc shape having substantially the same size as that of the pump gear 16, and a fan-shaped lever portion 17c is formed so as to extend from the clutch portion 17b in one radial direction. Has been.

  Since the clutch lever 17 is pressed against the side surface of the pump gear 16 by the compression coil spring 81, the clutch lever 17 slips on the friction surface due to the frictional force generated between the clutch portion 17 b and the pump gear 16. Unless it occurs, it rotates with the pump gear 16. That is, the clutch lever 17 is driven by the drive motor 71 through the pinion gear 71a, the gear train composed of the two-stage gear 72 and the pump gear 16, and the friction transmission path sequentially.

  2 and 3, a tooth portion 17m (meshing portion) that can mesh with the small gear 72b of the two-stage gear 72 is formed on the outer peripheral end surface of the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17 over a predetermined angle range. Has been. In a predetermined rotation range of the clutch lever 17, the tooth portion 17m is engaged with the small gear 72b. In this state, the clutch lever 17 is driven by the drive motor 71 through the meshing engagement of the tooth portion 17m together with the friction engagement.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 3, the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the housing 11 are provided with a first locking portion 21 and a second locking portion 21 for defining the upper and lower rotation limits of the lever portion 17 c of the clutch lever 17. The locking portion 22 is formed.

(Elastic blade and sub-elastic blade)
Next, on the surface side of the lever portion 17c of the clutch lever 17 having the above-described configuration, a cleaner lever 25 having an elastic blade 26 attached to the upper end is disposed in a state of partially overlapping the lever portion 17c. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the cleaner lever 25 has a main body portion 25a formed in a substantially L-shaped flat plate shape using, for example, resin or the like, and the main body portion 25a has a longitudinal direction. And an arm portion 25c formed so as to be bent in a direction substantially orthogonal to the lever portion 25b.

  An elastic blade 26 (first wiping member) is attached to the arm portion 25 c of the cleaner lever 25. The elastic blade 26 is a substantially rectangular plate having a configuration in which a rubber material 26a having a predetermined thickness (for example, about 0.8 mm) and a felt material 26b having a predetermined thickness (for example, about 0.7 mm) are bonded together. . The front end surface of the elastic blade 26 is a first blade portion 26c. The rubber material 26a has a so-called wiping function for wiping off ink and the like on the nozzle surface 3, and the felt material 26b has a so-called rubbing function for wiping off ink and the like on the nozzle surface 3.

  The lower end edge portion of the elastic blade 26 is attached to the arm portion 25c in a state of being overlapped with the arm portion 25c of the cleaner lever 25 with a predetermined width, and the overlapping portion is a metal blade 27 (third wiping member). Covered by. The metal blade 27 is a thin plate larger than the arm portion 25 c of the cleaner lever 25, and is disposed so as to be in close contact with the rubber material 26 a of the elastic blade 26.

  The lower end edge of the metal blade 27 slightly protrudes from the lower end edge of the arm portion 25c of the cleaner lever 25, and this functions as the third blade portion 27a. The third blade portion 27 a is parallel to the first blade portion 26 c of the elastic blade 26.

  The cleaner lever 25 having this configuration is movable up and down along the first and second guide grooves 41 and 42 formed in the housing 11. The first guide groove 41 extends from the middle position of the housing 11 to the upper portion of the housing 11 in the vertical direction. A corner groove 43 extending in the horizontal direction to the first locking portion 21 is continuous with the upper end portion of the guide groove 41.

  The second guide groove 42 is formed below the first guide groove 41 and extends from the middle position of the housing 11 to the lower part of the housing 11 in the vertical direction. The first and second guide grooves 41 and 42 are arranged in parallel at a constant interval d1.

  On the cleaner lever 25 side, a first support slidable along the first guide groove 41 and the corner groove portion 43 on the end portion on the arm portion 25c side and on the other end portion of the lever portion 25b, respectively. A protrusion 31 and a second support protrusion 32 slidable along the second guide groove 42 are formed. The cleaner lever 25 in a state where the first support protrusion 31 and the second support protrusion 32 are inserted into the first guide groove 41 and the second guide groove 42, respectively, makes the elastic blade 26 in a vertical posture. It can move up and down along these guide grooves 41 and 42 while keeping it, the lowermost position is the retracted position, and the uppermost position is the wiping position where the nozzle surface 3 can be wiped.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the elastic blade 26 protrudes upward from the head cap 12 of the housing 11 when the first support protrusion 31 of the cleaner lever 25 enters the corner groove 43. The first blade portion 26 c is positioned above the nozzle surface 3 of the inkjet head 2. When entering the corner groove portion 43, the upper end portion of the cleaner lever 25 moves in the horizontal direction, and a protruding portion 25d protruding from the lever portion 25b on the extension of the arm portion 25c is provided on the upper portion of the corner groove portion 43. The fitting groove 44 is fitted from the side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal distance d <b> 1 between the first guide groove 41 and the second guide groove 42 of the housing 11 is the first support protrusion 31 and the second support protrusion 32 of the cleaner lever. Is set narrower than the interval d2 orthogonal to the extending direction of the arm portion 25c. Accordingly, the elastic blade 26 of the cleaner lever 25 is supported in a state where the first blade portion 26c is inclined by a predetermined minute angle α (for example, 5 degrees) with respect to the horizontal direction.

  Further, a blade accommodating portion 45 capable of accommodating the elastic blade 26 of the cleaner lever 25 is formed at a side position of the first guide groove 41 in the housing 11 and below the head cap 12. The blade housing portion 45 is formed in a substantially box shape, and its upper surface side is opened to a size that allows the elastic blade 26 to enter and exit.

  The sub elastic blade 51 (second wiping member) is supported by the blade support portion 46 (support member) so as to close the opening (in other words, in a state where the movement path of the elastic blade 26 is closed). The sub-elastic blade 51 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape from a rubber material, and the length of the second blade portion 51 a formed on the end edge in the longitudinal direction is the length of the first blade portion 26 c of the elastic blade 26. It is set larger than the length.

  The blade support portion 46 is composed of a second support member 47 and a first support member 48. These support members 47 and 48 are arranged in parallel with an interval slightly larger than the thickness of the sub-elastic blade 51. A slit hole into which the sub-elastic blade 51 can be inserted is formed in between. The sub elastic blade 51 is attached to the blade support portion 46 by being locked to a claw portion 49 provided on the back side in the slit hole.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6A, the sub-elastic blade 51 protrudes from the tip of the second support member 47 by a length L1 (for example, about 5 mm) on the upper surface, whereas on the lower surface. It protrudes from the first support member 48 by a length L2 (for example, about 7 mm).

(Lock lever)
On the other hand, a lock lever 61 is disposed in an upper part of the housing 11 at a position adjacent to the cleaner lever 25. The lock lever 61 is a rod-shaped body having an engaging portion 61 a that can be engaged with a carriage 82 having a tip portion mounted with the inkjet head 2.

  The housing 11 is provided with a third guide groove (not shown) for guiding the lock lever 61 in the vertical direction. When the engagement protrusion 61b provided in the middle part of the lock lever 61 slides along the third guide groove, the lock lever 61 moves up and down.

(Cams and teeth for driving the clutch lever and lock lever)
First, the first cam portion for converting the rotational movement of the clutch lever 17 into the reciprocating movement of the cleaner lever 25 will be described. A first cam groove 17d, which is a component of the first cam portion for moving the cleaner lever 25 up and down, is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the lever portion 17c of the clutch lever 17. The first cam groove 17d includes a first arc-shaped cam groove 17e formed with the same radius and a predetermined center angle with respect to the support shaft portion 17a of the clutch portion 17b, and the first arc-shaped cam groove 17d. The cam groove 17e is formed of a triangular cam groove 17f formed so as to extend in a substantially triangular region on the support shaft portion 17a side. The triangular cam groove 17f has a first cam surface 17f1 for moving the cleaner lever 25 provided with the elastic blade 26 to a wiping position where the nozzle surface 3 can be wiped, and the cleaner lever 25 in a direction away from the nozzle surface 3. A second cam surface 17f2 for movement is provided, and the first cam surface 17f1 and the second cam surface 17f2 are formed at a predetermined angle. On the other hand, a first cam follower 33 that is slidable by being inserted into the first cam groove 17d is formed in the middle part of the lever portion 25b of the cleaner lever 25.

  Next, the second cam portion for converting the rotational movement of the clutch lever 17 into the vertical movement of the lock lever 61 will be described. A second cam groove 17g for moving the lock lever 61 is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the clutch portion 17b in the clutch lever 17. The second cam groove 17g includes a second arcuate cam groove 17g1, an operating cam groove 17g2, and a locking groove 17g3.

  The second arcuate cam groove 17g1 is arranged so as to have a predetermined central angle with the same radius around the support shaft portion 17a of the clutch portion 17b. Further, the operating cam groove 17g2 is formed in a range of a predetermined center angle so that the radius gradually increases from one end of the second arcuate cam groove 17g1. The amount of increase in the radius of the operating cam groove 17g2 corresponds to the stroke length L1 of the engaging portion 61a of the lock lever 61 (see FIG. 8 described later). Furthermore, the locking groove 17g3 is formed so as to extend from the end of the operating cam groove 17g2 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the radial direction. On the other hand, a second cam follower 61c is formed at the lower end portion of the lock lever 61 and is slidable by being inserted into the second cam groove 17g.

  Here, the positional relationship among the clutch lever 17, the cleaner lever 25, and the lock lever 61 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In these drawings, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the first cam portion for rotating the clutch lever 17 of the cleaning device 10 of the present example, the second cam portion for moving the lock lever back and forth, and the tooth portion 17m. is there. 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are views showing the positional relationship between the cleaner lever 25 and the lock lever 61. FIG. 8 is a state in which the cleaner lever 25 is in the retracted position and the lock lever 61 is in the locked position. 9 shows a state in which the cleaner lever 25 and the lock lever 61 are both retracted, FIG. 10 shows a state in which only the lock lever is in a retracted position, and FIG. 11 shows a state in which the cleaner lever 25 is a nozzle. FIG. 12 shows a state when the surface is retracted from the wiping position where the surface can be wiped, and FIG. 12 shows a state when the lock lever 61 starts moving from the retracted position toward the lock position.

  In these figures, the center angle of the locking groove 17g3 in the second cam groove 17g is α01, the center angle of the operating cam groove 17g2 is α02, the sum of the center angle α01 and the center angle α02 is the rotation angle α1, and the first The central angle of the cam groove 17d is β1.

  In this example, the center angle β1 of the first cam groove 17d is set to be larger than the rotation angle α1 of the second cam groove 17g. Further, the first cam groove 17d is formed when the second cam follower 61c of the lock lever 61 is positioned at the intersection P between the operating cam groove 17g2 and the second arcuate cam groove 17g1 in the second cam groove 17g. The first cam follower 33 of the cleaner lever 25 is set to be in contact with the first cam surface 17f1 of the triangular cam groove 17f (see FIG. 9).

  Further, when the rotation angle of the first cam surface 17f1 of the first cam groove 17d necessary for the elastic blade 26 of the cleaner lever 25 shown in FIG. 8 to move by the stroke length L2 is the rotation angle β2, the second The center angle α2 of the second arc-shaped cam groove 17g1 of the cam groove 17g is set to be larger than the rotation angle β2.

  In addition, the tooth portion 17m formed on the outer peripheral surface of the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17 is disposed at a predetermined angular interval θo (see FIG. 7) from the first cam surface 17f1 of the triangular cam groove 17f. Has been. The predetermined angle is related to the arrangement of the correlation with the cleaner lever 25 or the lock lever 61, but it is preferable to set the angle in the range of 0 ° to about 90 °, for example, about 70 °. is doing.

  Further, the angle range θ1 (see FIG. 7) in which the tooth portion 17m is formed is also related to the moving distance of the cleaner lever 25 or the lock lever 61 and various tooth profile amounts, and is set to be, for example, about 54 °. ing.

(Operation of the cleaning device)
Next, the operation in the cleaning device 10 of the ink jet printer 1 of this example will be described.

Non-printing state (locked state)
First, in the non-printing (pause) state, as shown in FIG. 8, the clutch lever 17 is stopped at a position in contact with the second locking portion 22 on the lower side of the housing 11. In this state, the cleaner lever 25 is in the retracted position lowered from the wiping position by the stroke length L2. Further, the first cam follower 33 of the cleaner lever 25 is located at the upper end of the first arcuate cam groove 17e formed in the outer peripheral portion of the lever portion 17c of the clutch lever 17.

  In this non-printing state, the lock lever 61 is in a lock position that is lifted from the retracted position by the stroke length L1 and engages with a lock groove (not shown) provided in the carriage 82 on which the inkjet head 2 is mounted. Thus, the inkjet head 2 is locked (in this example, the carriage 82 on which the inkjet head 2 is mounted is locked). At this time, the second cam follower 61c of the lock lever 61 is positioned in the locking groove 17g3 in the second cam groove 17g formed in the outer peripheral portion of the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17.

  Further, in this non-printing state, the tooth portion 17 m formed on the outer peripheral surface of the clutch portion 17 b of the clutch lever 17 is not engaged with the small gear 72 b of the two-stage gear 72. Therefore, the power from the drive motor 71 is transmitted by the friction force generated between the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17 and the pump gear 16 formed by the pressing force of the compression coil spring 81 disposed on the pump gear 16. Will be.

  However, in this state, since the clutch lever 17 is in contact with the lower second locking portion, even if power for rotating the clutch lever 17 in this direction is applied, the clutch lever 17 and the pump gear 16 are not connected. Only slip occurs. Therefore, only the pump gear 16 rotates and the pump unit 14 is driven, so that suction operation of ink, bubbles, and the like from the ink nozzles arranged on the nozzle surface 3 of the inkjet head 2 becomes possible.

Next, in this non-printing state (locked state), when the clutch lever 17 is turned upward by the drive motor 71, the lock by the lock lever 61 is released. As shown in FIG. 9, the clutch lever 17 is rotated by the rotation angle α1 in the direction indicated by the arrow C from the position where it is in contact with the second locking portion 22 of the housing 11.
By this rotation, the lock lever 61 in the locked position is lowered by the stroke length L1 and reaches the retracted position. That is, the second cam follower 61c of the lock lever 61 is pushed downward by the operating cam groove 17g2 of the second cam groove 17g formed therein as the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17 rotates. It reaches the boundary between the operating cam groove 17g2 and the second arcuate cam groove 17g1.

  On the other hand, the cleaner lever 25 remains in the retracted position below the wiping position by the stroke length L2 as in the non-printing (pause) state. That is, the first cam follower 33 of the cleaner lever 25 slides along the first arcuate cam groove 17e formed on the outer peripheral portion of the lever portion 17c of the clutch lever 17, and therefore moves even if the clutch lever 17 rotates. Never do. After the clutch lever 17 rotates by the rotation angle α1, the first cam follower 33 of the cleaner lever 25 reaches the boundary between the arcuate cam groove 17e and the first cam surface 17f1 in the triangular cam groove 17f.

  On the other hand, when the clutch lever 17 rotates by the rotation angle α1, the tooth portion 17m formed on the outer peripheral surface of the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17 shifts to a state of being engaged with the small gear 72b of the two-stage gear 72.

  In such a state where the lock is released, the inkjet head 2 is reciprocated in the directions of arrows A and B (see FIG. 1) by the carriage 82, and printing can be performed on the conveyed recording paper.

Nozzle surface wiping state When the nozzle surface 3 of the inkjet head 2 is wiped using the elastic blade 26, the clutch lever 17 is in contact with the second locking portion 22 of the housing 11, as shown in FIG. The position is rotated in the direction indicated by arrow C by the rotation angle (α1 + β2). As a result, the clutch lever 17 comes into contact with the upper first locking portion 21.

  During the rotation of the clutch lever 17, the rotational force of the drive motor 71 is transmitted to the clutch lever by the frictional force between the pump gear 16 and the clutch lever 17 and the teeth 17 m formed on the outer peripheral surface of the clutch lever 17. Is transmitted directly without passing through the pump gear 16 by meshing with the small gear 72b. Therefore, even if an external force is applied, the clutch lever 17 can be reliably rotated.

  When the clutch lever 17 rotates, the first cam follower 33 of the cleaner lever 25 is moved to the arrow E by the first cam surface 17f1 of the first cam groove 17d formed in the outer peripheral portion of the lever portion 17c of the clutch lever 17. It is pushed up by the stroke length L2 in the upward direction shown.

  Here, the tooth portion 17m formed on the outer peripheral surface of the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17 is disengaged from the small gear 72b just before the clutch lever 17 rotates by (α1 + β2). Therefore, thereafter, the rotational force is transmitted to the clutch lever 17 by the frictional force with the pump gear 16, and the cleaner lever 25 is lifted by this rotational force.

  In this way, the cleaner lever 25 reaches a wiping position where the nozzle surface 3 can be wiped. In this state, the first support protrusion 31 and the second support protrusion 32 of the cleaner lever 25 include the corner groove 43 disposed in the horizontal direction from the upper end of the first guide groove 41 of the housing 11, and the second The protrusions 25 d that are located at the upper ends of the guide grooves 42 and protrude from the lever portion 25 b of the cleaner lever 25 fit into the fitting grooves 44 provided on the upper portion of the corner groove portion 43 from the side. As a result, the cleaner lever 25 can maintain a stable state at the wiping position.

  After the cleaner lever 25 is lifted to the wiping position in this way, the inkjet head 2 is reciprocated in the direction of arrow A or B shown in FIG. 1 with respect to the elastic blade 26 attached to the upper end thereof. As a result, the elastic blade 26 wipes ink, paper dust, and the like on the slip surface 3.

  On the other hand, when the cleaner lever 25 is raised, the second cam follower 61c of the lock lever 61 extends along the second arcuate cam groove 17g1 of the second cam groove 17g formed in the outer peripheral portion of the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17. And slide. Therefore, even if the clutch lever 17 rotates, the lock lever 61 does not move and remains in its retracted position.

Next, when the cleaning of the nozzle surface 3 is completed and the printing operation is performed, the cleaner lever 25 must be retracted from the wiping position in the direction indicated by the arrow F. FIG. 11 shows a state immediately after the cleaner lever 25 is lowered.

  In this case, the first cam follower 33 of the cleaner lever 25 is pushed by the second cam surface of the triangular cam groove 17 f formed in the outer peripheral portion of the lever portion 17 c of the clutch lever 17.

  The first cam surface 17f1 and the second cam surface 17f2 of the triangular cam groove 17f are arranged with a predetermined angle γ0. Accordingly, when the clutch lever 17 is rotated by the rotation angle γ1 in the direction indicated by the arrow D from the position where it hits the first locking portion 21 of the housing 11, the first cam follower 33 of the cleaner lever 25 After hitting the second cam surface 17f2, the cleaner lever 25 is pushed and starts moving.

  This angle γ0 is related to the arrangement of the cleaner lever 25 and the clutch lever 17, but it is preferable to set the angle within a range of 0 ° (a state in which the cam surface 17f1 and the cam surface 17f2 are in parallel) or more. The angle can be 55 °.

  Here, when the clutch lever 17 rotates by γ1, the tooth portion 17m formed on the outer peripheral surface of the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17 is engaged with the small gear 72b of the two-stage gear 72. When the meshing is formed, the power of the drive motor 71 is transmitted through the frictional force generated between the clutch part 17b of the clutch lever 17 and the pump gear 16, and at the same time, the clutch lever directly through the meshing part. 17 is transmitted. Therefore, reliable power transmission is performed. Note that the lock lever 61 remains in its retracted position. In this way, the clutch lever 17 is again retracted to the position shown in FIG.

By the way, in order to control the position of the inkjet head 2 to perform printing, a highly accurate control method is used to greatly affect the print quality. However, when an unexpected external force or the like is applied, the inkjet head 2 may not stop at a position where it can be locked by the lock lever 61.

  In this case, even if the lock lever 61 is raised to lock the inkjet head 2, the tip of the lock lever 61 is different from the lock groove (not shown) of the inkjet head 2 as shown in FIG. It hits the part and can no longer rise.

  In this example, when the lock lever 61 is raised, the second cam follower 61c of the lock lever 61 slides along the operating cam groove 17g2 in the second cam groove 17g formed in the outer peripheral portion of the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17. To do. Therefore, when the lock lever 61 does not fit into the lock groove on the ink jet head 2 side and hits the other part, the cam follower 61c is located in the middle of the operation cam groove 17g2.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 12, the tooth portion 17m provided on the outer peripheral surface of the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17 is not engaged with the small gear 72b of the two-stage gear 72, and the power is supplied to the pump It is transmitted only by the frictional force generated between the clutch portion 17 b of the clutch lever 17 and the pump gear 16 generated by the pressing force of the compression coil spring 81 arranged on the gear 16. Therefore, when the lock lever 61 hits the surface of the ink jet head 2 before reaching the lock position, slippage occurs between the pump gear 16 and the clutch lever 17 and the lock lever 61 rises. There is no. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inkjet head 2 and the like from being damaged.

  As described above, in the cleaning device 10 of the present example, the first cam surface 17f1 and the second cam surface 17f2 of the triangular cam groove 17f formed on the outer peripheral portion of the lever portion 17c of the clutch lever 17 are provided in a predetermined manner. The angle of the second cam surface 17f2 and the corner groove 43 can be increased. As a result, only the rotational movement of the clutch lever 17 causes the cleaner to move along the first guide groove 41 disposed in the housing 11 extending in the vertical direction and the corner groove portion 43 extending in the horizontal direction from the upper end of the first guide groove 41. The lever 25 can be moved smoothly.

  Further, the power transmission path to the clutch lever 17 in the cleaning device 10 of this example is two systems, one is a transmission path by frictional force between the pump gear 16 and the clutch lever 17, and the other is This is a transmission path by meshing with a toothed portion 17m provided at a predetermined portion on the outer peripheral surface of the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17 and a small gear 72b of the two-stage gear 72 to which power is transmitted from the drive motor 71. .

  The power transmission path by meshing is limited to a predetermined rotation angle range of the clutch lever 17. In other words, only when the cleaner lever 25 is moving up and down.

  Therefore, for example, even when the inkjet head 2 cannot stop at a predetermined position for engaging with the lock lever 61, if the lock lever 61 hits the inkjet head 2, an unnecessarily drive control signal is sent to the drive motor 71. Even if the output is performed, the frictional surface between the clutch portion 17b of the clutch lever 17 and the pump gear 16 only slips, and each component is not damaged. Control processing when such a problem occurs can be simplified.

  Further, in a predetermined range where the tooth portion 17m and the small gear 72b of the two-stage gear 72 are meshed, the power is transmitted by the gear together with the frictional force, so that reliable power transmission is possible. For example, when the cleaner lever 25 is temporarily stopped in the middle of the retracted state, it is possible to stop the cleaner lever 25 at a position that is more reliable than the power transmission using only the frictional force, or to easily obtain power that is not sufficient with the frictional force.

In particular, in this example, while the elastic blade 26 attached to the cleaner lever 25 is in contact with the sub-elastic blade 51, the driving force is transmitted to the cleaner lever 25 by mesh transmission. Therefore, even if a large force is applied to the cleaner lever 25 due to frictional contact between both blades, the cleaner lever 25 can be reliably moved. (The details of the wiping operation by the sub-elastic blade 51 will be described later.)
Further, in the cleaning device 10 of the present example, when the clutch lever 17 is moved by the second cam groove 17g, the cleaner lever is moved by the first arcuate cam groove 17e of the first cam groove 17d. 25, and when the cleaner lever 25 is moved by the first cam groove 17d, the lock lever 61 cannot be moved by the second arcuate cam groove 17g1 of the second cam groove 17g. ing. Therefore, since either the cleaner lever 25 or the lock lever 61 can be moved by the rotation of the clutch lever 17, the stroke length L2 of the cleaner lever 25 and the stroke length L1 of the lock lever 61 are minimized. Can do.

  Accordingly, since only the space necessary for the stroke length L2 of the cleaner lever 25 and the stroke length L1 of the lock lever 61 needs to be secured in the housing 11, the cleaning device 10 itself can be downsized.

  Furthermore, since the cleaner lever 25 and the lock lever 61 are moved corresponding to the direction in which the clutch lever 17 rotates, the control means for controlling the rotation of the drive motor 71 can be simplified.

  In particular, in this example, when the lock lever 61 is located at the boundary portion P between the region where the lock lever 61 is moved (the operating cam groove 17g2) and the region where the lock lever 61 is not moved (the second arcuate cam groove 17g1), the cleaner lever The cleaner lever 25 is positioned at the boundary between the region (first arcuate cam groove 17e) where the 25 is not moved and the region (cam surface 17f1) where the 25 is moved. Therefore, since the rotation of the clutch lever 17 always involves the movement of either the lock lever 61 or the cleaner lever 25, the amount of rotation of the clutch lever 17 can be minimized. As a result, the drive control mechanism for the lock lever and the clutch lever can be made simpler.

  In addition, in this example, the elastic blade 26 of the cleaner lever 25 can be retracted to the vicinity of the lower side of the sub-elastic blade 51 while the lock lever 61 is not moved. There is an advantage that the time can be shortened when approaching the nozzle surface 3.

(Wiping operation by the sub elastic blade 51)
Next, the operation of the sub elastic blade 51 when the elastic blade 26 attached to the cleaner lever 25 is raised and lowered will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

  As described above, in the state where the elastic blade 26 is disposed in the blade accommodating portion 45 of the housing 11, the upper opening is covered with the sub elastic blade 51. Therefore, even if a foreign substance such as paper dust falls from the nozzle surface 3 of the inkjet head 2 that reciprocates above the sub elastic blade 51, it is captured by the sub elastic blade 51 and does not adhere to the elastic blade 26. .

  When the elastic blade 26 attached to the upper end of the cleaner lever 25 is raised, the first blade portion 26c approaches the sub elastic blade 51 while being inclined as shown in FIG. One end (left side in FIG. 3) of one blade portion 26c is in contact with the lower surface of the sub elastic blade 51, and thereafter, the linear contact portion between the first blade portion 26c and the sub elastic blade 51 is changed to the first portion. The first blade portion 26c is gradually expanded to the other end portion.

  On the other hand, after the left side portion of the sub elastic blade 51 is pushed up by the elastic blade 26, the sub elastic blade 51 gradually becomes on the first blade portion 26c of the elastic blade 26. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B, the elastic blade 26 rubs the one attached to the first blade portion 26 c against the lower surface of the sub elastic blade 51, while the sub elastic blade 51 has the blade support portion 46. The portion of the length L1 that protrudes from the second support member 47 is bent upward.

  As the cleaner lever 25 moves, the sub elastic blade 51 rubs on the rubber material 26a of the elastic blade 26 and the metal blade 27 while maintaining the state where the protruding portion is bent with a radius of curvature R1. As a result, not only what is attached to the first blade portion 26 c of the elastic blade 26, but also what is attached to the rubber material 26 a of the elastic blade 26 and what is attached to the metal blade 27 is scraped off.

  As described above, the inkjet head 2 is reciprocated in the direction of arrow A or B (see FIG. 1) with respect to the elastic blade 26 from which the deposits have been wiped off by the sub-elastic blade 51. As a result, the elastic blade 26 removes thickened ink, paper dust, and the like attached to the nozzle surface 3. That is, when the inkjet head 2 moves from the cleaning position shown in FIG. 1 in the direction of arrow B toward the print area, the nozzle surface 3 is wiped on the rubber material 26a side, and the inkjet head 2 is cleaned from the print area. When moving toward the arrow A in the direction of arrow A, the nozzle surface 3 is rubbed on the felt material 26b side.

  After the cleaning of the nozzle surface 3 of the inkjet head 2, when the cleaner lever 25 is lowered, the third blade portion 27 a of the metal blade 27 comes into contact with the sub elastic blade 51 in an inclined state. As a result, the foreign matter adhering to the upper surface of the sub-elastic blade 51 or the second blade portion 51a is scraped off to the blade housing portion 45 side.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6C, the sub-elastic blade 51 has a length L2 portion that protrudes from the first support member 48 of the blade support portion 46 as the cleaner lever 25 is lowered. While being in contact with the elastic blade 26, the state of being bent with a radius of curvature R2 larger than the radius of curvature R1 is kept substantially maintained.

  In this case, the drag that the elastic blade 26 receives from the sub-elastic blade 51 having the radius of curvature R2 is smaller than the drag that is received from the sub-elastic blade 51 having the radius of curvature R1, so that the elastic blade 26 is generated when the cleaner lever 25 is lowered. The frictional force is smaller than the frictional force generated in the elastic blade 26 when the cleaner lever 25 is raised. On the other hand, the drag force received by the sub-elastic blade 51 from the elastic blade 26 is smaller when the cleaner lever 25 is lowered than when the cleaner lever 25 is raised, so that the sub-elastic blade 51 is generated when the cleaner lever 25 is lowered. The frictional force is smaller than the frictional force generated in the sub elastic blade 51 when the cleaner lever 25 is raised.

  As described above, according to this example, the upper side of the elastic blade 26 is covered with the sub elastic blade 51, whereby foreign particles such as paper dust can be prevented from adhering to the elastic blade 26. As a result, the inkjet head 2 can prevent deposits from transferring from the elastic blade 26 to the nozzle surface 3.

  Further, since the sub elastic blade 51 wipes off the adhered matter of the elastic blade 26 with a large frictional force, the sub elastic blade 51 escapes from the elastic blade 26 with a small frictional force, so that the sub elastic blade 51 is simply fixed. Thus, the wear of the elastic blade 26 and the sub elastic blade 51 can be reduced, and as a result, the cleaning device 10 can be used for a long time without replacing the elastic blade 26 and the like.

  In particular, in this example, such an effect can be achieved by a simple configuration in which the sizes of the members (47, 48) that support the upper and lower surfaces of the sub elastic blade 51 are changed. In addition, it is preferable to make these support members 47 and 48 a single member because this effect can be achieved without increasing the number of parts.

  Here, one of the features of this example is that the bending moment M generated in the sub-elastic blade 51 is made different between when the cleaner lever 25 is raised and when the cleaner lever 25 is lowered. The frictional force generated in the elastic blade 26 and the frictional force generated in the sub-elastic blade 51 are made different from each other.

  The bending moment M of the sub elastic blade 51 is defined as shown in the following general formula. In this example, the curvature radius R is different between when the cleaner lever 25 is raised and when it is lowered. Instead, when the sub elastic blade 51 is bent upward and when it is bent downward. The sectional shape of the sub-elastic blade 51 itself (including the sectional shape due to the difference in the arrangement of the sub-elastic blade 51) and the material can be changed so that the secondary moment I and the longitudinal elastic modulus E are different.

M =-(E * I) / R
Where M: Bending moment
E: Longitudinal elastic modulus
I: Sectional moment of inertia
R: Radius of curvature Next, in this example, the third blade portion 27a of the metal blade 27 scrapes off the adhering matter of the sub elastic blade 51, so that the adhering matter of the sub elastic blade 51 is again applied to the elastic blade 26. It is possible to keep the original function of the elastic blade 26 for a long time by preventing the transition.

  Further, in this example, the first blade portion 26c of the elastic blade 26 is inclined and brought into contact with the sub elastic blade 51, so that the first blade portion 26c is simply in contact with the sub elastic blade 51 in parallel. It is possible to keep the time during which the sub elastic blade 51 is in contact with the first blade portion 26c longer than in the case of making the first blade portion 26c, and the first blade is bent by bending the sub elastic blade 51 on the first blade portion 26c. Since a large frictional force can be generated by the portion 26c, deposits on the first blade portion 26c of the elastic blade 26 can be removed evenly.

  This is the same in terms of the relationship between the third blade portion 27a of the metal blade 27 and the sub elastic blade 51, although the position is reversed as compared with the above case. Deposits in the region of the upper surface that contacts the third blade portion 27a can be removed evenly.

(The invention's effect)
As described above, the cleaning device of the present invention can surely wipe off foreign matter adhering to the ink nozzle surface of the ink jet head, and the device configuration is small and compact. Therefore, the ink jet printer equipped with the cleaning device of the present invention can perform high-quality printing without clogging of the ink nozzles due to foreign matters adhering to the nozzle surface of the ink jet head. Further, since the installation space for the cleaning device is small, a small and compact ink jet printer can be realized.

  2 Inkjet head, 3 nozzle surface, 10 cleaning device, 11 housing, 11a horizontal frame portion, 11b cam groove, 12 head cap, 13 recess, 14 pump unit, 14a engagement portion, 15 drive support shaft portion, 16 pump gear, 16a engaging portion, 17 clutch lever, 17a support shaft portion, 17b clutch portion, 17c lever portion, 17d cam groove, 17e arc-shaped cam groove, 17f triangular cam groove, 17f1 cam surface, 17f2 cam surface, 17g cam groove, 17g1 Arc-shaped cam groove, 17g2 Actuation cam groove, 17g3 Locking groove, 17m Tooth part, 21 Locking part, 22 Locking part, 25 Cleaner lever, 25a Body part, 25b Lever part, 25c Arm part, 25d Projection part, 26 Elastic blade (first wiping member), 26a Rubber material, 26b Fe Material, 26c blade part, 27 metal blade (third wiping member), 27a blade part, 31 support protrusion, 32 support protrusion, 33 cam follower, 41 guide groove, 42 guide groove, 43 corner groove part, 44 fitting Groove, 45 Blade housing part, 46 Blade support part, 47 Support member, 48 Support member, 49 Claw part, 51 Sub elastic blade (second wiping member), 51a Blade part, 61 Lock lever, 61a Engagement part, 61b Engagement protrusion, 61c cam follower, 71 drive motor, 71a pinion gear, 71b output shaft, 72 step gear, 72a large gear, 72b small gear, 82 carriage.

Claims (14)

In a cleaning device for cleaning the nozzle surface of an inkjet head,
A first wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface;
A cleaner lever supporting the first wiping member;
A lever drive mechanism for moving the cleaner lever to a retracted position away from the nozzle surface and a wiping position at which the nozzle surface can be wiped by moving the cleaner lever;
A cleaning device having a flat plate-like second wiping member made of an elastic body disposed so as to abut on the first wiping member in the movement path of the first wiping member. . In claim 1, the first wiping member is adapted to move up and down between the retracted position located on the lower side and the wiping position located on the upper side,
The cleaning device, wherein the second wiping member is disposed at a position above the retracted position.   The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaner lever includes a third wiping member that can come into contact with the second wiping member during movement. The side surface of the first wiping member on the side of the retracted position is supported by the first support member, and the side surface of the first wiping member on the side of the wiping position is the second wiping member. Supported by a second support member;
The length of the portion of the second wiping member protruding from the first support member is shorter than the length of the portion of the second wiping member protruding from the second support member. Cleaning device to do.   The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a front end surface of the first wiping member is in contact with the side surface of the second wiping member in an inclined state.   The lever drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the lever drive mechanism is frictionally engaged with a predetermined pressing force with respect to a rotation drive source, a gear train rotated by the rotation drive source, and one of the gears constituting the gear train, A friction type clutch lever arranged concentrically with the gear, a first cam portion for converting the rotation of the clutch lever into movement of the cleaner lever, and formed on the clutch lever. A cleaning device comprising: a meshing portion that meshes with the gear train over a rotation angle range.   In Claim 6, the meshing state between the gear train and the meshing portion of the clutch lever is formed while the first wiping member moves in contact with the second wiping member. A cleaning device.   7. The first cam portion according to claim 6, wherein the first cam follower is formed on the cleaner lever, and the first cam is in contact with the first cam follower when the cleaner lever moves toward the wiping position. And a second cam surface that comes into contact with the first cam follower when the cleaner lever moves toward the retracted position, and the first and second cam surfaces form a predetermined angle. A cleaning device. In Claim 6, It has a lock lever which fixes the ink-jet head in a predetermined position,
The lever drive mechanism converts a rotational force of the rotational drive source into a drive force for moving the lock lever to a locked position where the inkjet head is fixed and an unlocked position away from the inkjet head. A cleaning device comprising a cam portion. 10. The first cam portion according to claim 9, wherein the first cam portion rotates the clutch lever in a reciprocating manner between the wiping position and the retracted position as the clutch lever rotates, and the clutch lever rotates. And a second cam region that keeps the cleaner lever in the retracted position,
The second cam portion includes a third cam region for reciprocally moving the lock lever between the lock position and the unlock position in accordance with the rotation of the clutch lever, and even when the clutch lever rotates. And a fourth cam region that keeps the lock lever in the unlocked position.   In Claim 10, While the said 1st cam part exists in the said 1st cam area | region, the said 2nd cam part exists in the said 4th cam area | region, and the said 1st cam part is the said 2nd cam area | region. The cleaning device is characterized in that the second cam portion shifts to the third cam region when the cam region shifts. In Claim 10, said 2nd cam field of said 1st cam part is prescribed | regulated by the arc-shaped cam groove centering on the rotation center of said clutch lever,
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the fourth cam region of the second cam portion is defined by an arcuate cam groove centering on a rotation center of the clutch lever. In Claim 9, it has an ink pump device for sucking ink from the ink nozzle of the inkjet head,
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation drive source is a motor for driving the ink pump device.   An inkjet head, the cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 13 disposed at a position deviated from a print region by the inkjet head, and the inkjet head facing the print region and the cleaning device. An ink jet printer comprising: a carriage that reciprocates along a moving path including a position to be moved.

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