JP2010188545A - Liquid jetting apparatus and method for cleaning in liquid jetting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jetting apparatus which can remove foreign substances in a simple constitution without using an exclusive device, and to provide a method for cleaning in a liquid jetting apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The recording apparatus 10 includes a recording head which jets an ink, and a pressurization pump 62 for supplying the ink to the recording head by pressurizing an ink pack 61 through pressurization of the air. Spraying members 69a, 69b, 69c and 72 are connected via tubes 63, 66, 68 and 71 to the pressurization pump 62. A compressed air is generated by the pressurization pump 62 and sprayed from compressed air outlets 70a, 70b, 70c and 73 to a platen and the nozzle formation surface of the recording head. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus and a cleaning method in the liquid ejecting apparatus.

  Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus is widely known as one of liquid ejecting apparatuses. An ink jet recording apparatus performs recording by ejecting (discharging) ink droplets (liquid) from a recording head onto printing paper.

  In this type of apparatus, there is known a technique for removing foreign matters such as paper dust on a printing paper and a deposit on a nozzle forming surface (Patent Documents 1, 2, 3, etc.). In Patent Document 1, a dedicated fan is placed on the carriage and the fan is operated simultaneously with the printing operation, and printing is performed after paper dust on the printing paper is blown away. In Patent Document 2, a dedicated cylinder filled with compressed gas is provided, and compressed gas is blown onto the nozzle forming surface to remove foreign matters on the nozzle forming surface. In Patent Document 3, the pressurized gas is stored in a dedicated gas tank, and foreign matter on the nozzle forming surface is removed by blowing the pressurized gas onto the nozzle forming surface. The gas tank is pressurized by the reciprocating movement of the carriage.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-118095 JP 2007-98719 A JP-A-8-197742

  However, foreign substances such as paper dust and deposits on the nozzle formation surface are blown away by printing with air or a special gas, but it is necessary to provide a separate device such as a fan, cylinder, or gas tank exclusively for this purpose. Therefore, the apparatus main body is enlarged.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus capable of removing foreign matters with a simple configuration without using a dedicated device, and a cleaning method in the liquid ejecting apparatus. There is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention is generated by a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid, driving means that is driven to pressurize or depressurize air, and driving of the driving means. And a compressed air spraying means for spraying the compressed air to a location requiring cleaning.

  According to this configuration, the compressed air generated by the driving of the driving unit is sprayed onto the portion requiring cleaning by the compressed air blowing unit, thereby removing foreign matter. As a result, foreign matters can be removed with a simple configuration without using a dedicated device.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the compressed air spraying unit includes a compressed air pipe extending from the driving unit to a location where cleaning is necessary, and a compressed air discharge port provided in the compressed air pipe.

The liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention further includes a buffer for storing the compressed air.
According to this configuration, the compressed air is stored in the buffer, and the stored compressed air is sprayed to the location requiring cleaning. Therefore, compressed air can be used effectively.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the liquid ejecting head may be reciprocated between two scanning ends, and the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head is maintained at one scanning end of the liquid ejecting head. A maintenance means was provided, and a compressed air discharge port for blowing the compressed air onto the nozzle forming surface was provided at the other scanning end.

  According to this configuration, the compressed air discharge port for blowing the compressed air to the nozzle forming surface is provided at a position far from the maintenance means for maintaining the nozzle forming surface of the liquid jet head, so that the foreign matter blown off by the compressed air is maintained. It is possible to prevent adhesion to the means and adhesion to the nozzle formation surface of the liquid jet head.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the compressed air spraying unit may perform the state in which the cap is in contact with the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head when the compressed air is sprayed to a location where cleaning is necessary.

  According to this configuration, the compressed air is blown to the place where cleaning is necessary in a state where the cap is in contact with the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head, and the foreign matter blown off by the compressed air at this time is liquid. Adhesion to the nozzle formation surface of the ejection head can be prevented.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the driving unit may include a pressure pump for supplying the liquid to the liquid ejecting head, a decompression pump for supplying the liquid to the liquid ejecting head, and the liquid ejecting head. A maintenance pump for forcibly sucking liquid is preferable.

  A cleaning method in a liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention is a cleaning method in a liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid and a driving unit that is driven to pressurize or depressurize air. Generating compressed air, and blowing the generated compressed air onto a portion requiring cleaning.

  According to this structure, compressed air is produced | generated by the drive means driven in order to pressurize or depressurize air, and the produced | generated compressed air is sprayed on a cleaning required location. Thereby, a foreign material is removed. As a result, foreign matters can be removed with a simple configuration without using a dedicated device.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the outline of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment. The block diagram which shows the outline of a nozzle missing inspection apparatus. 1 is a schematic plan view of a recording apparatus. 1 is a schematic front view of a recording apparatus. The schematic front view of the recording device for demonstrating an effect | action. The schematic front view of the recording device for demonstrating an effect | action. The schematic front view of the recording device for demonstrating an effect | action. The block diagram for demonstrating the outline of the recording apparatus of another example. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of another recording apparatus according to another example.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a basic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a recording apparatus 10) as a liquid ejecting apparatus has a base 11 (main body frame), and a carriage 12 reciprocates relative to the base 11. It is configured freely. A long guide shaft 13 having both ends fixed to its left and right side walls is installed inside the base body 11, and the carriage 12 is guided and guided along the guide shaft 13 inserted through the insertion hole. A part of the belt 14 is fixed. Therefore, when the carriage motor 16 is driven, the timing belt 14 is driven, and the carriage 12 reciprocates in the main scanning direction (x direction in the figure) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the platen 15 by driving the timing belt 14. .

  An ink jet recording head (hereinafter referred to as a recording head 18) as a liquid ejecting head for ejecting liquid is mounted on the surface (lower side) of the carriage 12 facing the recording paper 17 (recording medium). The nozzle forming surface 18a (see FIG. 2) is configured to face the recording paper 17 with a slight gap. An ink cartridge 19 is detachably provided at the left corner of the base 11, and the ink cartridge 19 is connected to the recording head 18 via a valve unit (pressure adjusting unit) disposed on the carriage 12 by an ink supply tube 20. Then, ink as a liquid can be supplied to the recording head 18 by a pressurizing mechanism of the ink cartridge 19 described later. The ink is black and, for example, yellow, cyan, and magenta, and ink cartridges for each color are detachably loaded. A plurality of rows of nozzles 50 (see FIG. 2) are formed on the nozzle forming surface 18 a of the recording head 18, and ink can be ejected from each nozzle 50.

  A maintenance unit 22 is arranged in a non-printing area (home position 21) which is one end side (right end side) of the carriage 12 in the base body 11 of FIG. The maintenance unit 22 includes a cap 23 and a wiping member 24. The maintenance unit 22 raises the cap 23 and the wiping member 24 when the recording head 18 mounted on the carriage 12 moves directly above, so that the cap 23 surrounds the nozzle 50 with respect to the nozzle forming surface 18 a of the recording head 18. Can be contacted. A suction pump 25 for applying a negative pressure to the internal space of the cap 23 is disposed at a position adjacent to the maintenance unit 22. In this embodiment, the suction pump 25 is a tube pump, and a driving force transmitted from a paper feed motor 26 that drives each roller (not shown) for conveying and discharging the recording paper 17 via a reduction gear train. A rotating body that rotates using the above, a cylindrical body that accommodates the rotating body, and a flexible tube that is partially wound around the outer periphery of the rotating body. The suction pump 25 is configured such that when the rotating body rotates, a plurality of rollers (pressing portions) attached to the outer periphery of the rotating body handle the tube in one direction (moves while pressing). The gas inside is pushed out and a negative pressure is generated in the upstream space. One end on the suction side of the tube is connected to a cap 23 of the maintenance unit 22, and the other end on the discharge side of the tube is connected to a waste liquid tank 27 disposed below the platen 15.

  The substantially square cap 23 functions as a lid (capping function) for preventing the nozzle 50 of the recording head 18 from drying during the rest period of the recording apparatus 10, and also applies a negative pressure from the suction pump 25 to the recording head 18. A function of creating a space to act on the recording head and sucking and discharging ink from the recording head 18 is also provided. Further, when empty ejection (flushing) is performed in which ink is ejected from the recording head 18 at a position near the home position 21 by a drive signal that is not print data and the thickened ink or bubbles in the nozzle are ejected. It also has a tray function for receiving droplets ejected from the recording head 18 by flushing. Further, the nozzle 23 can be inspected using the cap 23.

  In the maintenance unit 22, a wiping member 24 in which a rubber material is formed in a strip shape is arranged to extend upward on the printing area side adjacent to the cap 23, and the carriage 12 after the suction operation of the recording head 18 is finished is positioned at the home position 21. When moving from the side to the printing region side, the nozzle forming surface 18a can be wiped off. Thereby, for example, after the cleaning operation (suction operation), the ink adhering to the nozzle forming surface 18 a can be scraped off by the wiping member 24.

Next, the nozzle missing inspection device will be described with reference to FIG.
The nozzle missing inspection device 40 includes a cap 23 serving as a droplet receiving unit disposed at the home position 21, an inspection region 41 provided inside the cap 23, a nozzle substrate 42 of the inspection region 41 and the recording head 18. And a voltage detection circuit 44 for detecting the voltage of the inspection region 41. The cap 23 is a tray-like member having an open upper surface, and is made of an elastic member such as an elastomer. An ink absorber 45 is disposed inside the cap 23. The ink absorber 45 includes an upper absorber 45a and a lower absorber 45b, and a mesh electrode member 46 is disposed between the absorbers 45a and 45b. The upper absorbent body 45a is made of a conductive sponge so as to have the same potential as the electrode member 46. This sponge is highly permeable so that the landed ink droplets can move downward quickly. In this embodiment, an ester urethane sponge is used. The inspection area 41 corresponds to the surface of the upper absorbent body 45a. The lower absorbent body 45b has higher ink retention than the upper absorbent body 45a, and is made of a nonwoven fabric such as felt. The electrode member 46 is formed as a lattice mesh made of a metal such as stainless steel. For this reason, the ink once absorbed by the upper absorbent body 45a is absorbed and held by the lower absorbent body 45b through the gap between the grid-like electrode members 46.

  The voltage application circuit 43 is electrically connected via a DC power source (for example, 400 V) and a resistance element (for example, 1 MΩ) so that the electrode member 46 is a positive electrode and the nozzle substrate 42 of the recording head 18 is a negative electrode. Yes. Here, since the electrode member 46 is in contact with the conductive upper absorber 45 a, the surface of the upper absorber 45 a, that is, the inspection region 41 has the same potential as the electrode member 46. The voltage detection circuit 44 integrates and outputs the voltage signal of the electrode member 46, an inverting amplification circuit 48 that inverts and amplifies the signal output from the integration circuit 47, and the inverting amplification circuit 48. And an A / D conversion circuit 49 for A / D converting the signal output from the controller and outputting it to the controller (not shown) side. The integration circuit 47 outputs a large voltage change by integrating the voltage change due to the flight / landing of a plurality of ink droplets because the voltage change due to the flight / landing of one ink droplet is small. The inverting amplifier circuit 48 inverts the sign of the voltage change and amplifies and outputs the signal output from the integrating circuit at a predetermined amplification factor. The A / D conversion circuit 49 converts the analog signal output from the inverting amplification circuit 48 into a digital signal and outputs it as a detection signal to the controller side.

  A nozzle missing inspection process is performed using the nozzle missing inspection device 40. In this inspection process, the recording head 18 is positioned above the cap 23, and the cap 23 is raised by a lifting mechanism (not shown) to a position where ink droplets ejected from the recording head 18 can land on the inspection region 41. Then, the inspection area 41 is opposed to the nozzle 50 of the recording head 18 in a non-contact state. Then, in a state where a voltage is applied between the nozzle substrate 42 and the electrode member 46 by the voltage application circuit 43, an ink droplet is ejected from the nozzle 50 by driving a piezoelectric vibrator (not shown). At this time, since the nozzle substrate 42 is a negative electrode, a part of the negative charge of the nozzle substrate 42 moves to the ink droplet, and the ejected ink droplet is negatively charged. As the ink droplet approaches the inspection area 41 of the cap 23, the positive charge increases in the inspection area 41 (the surface of the upper absorber 45a) due to electrostatic induction. Thereby, the voltage between the nozzle substrate 42 and the electrode member 46 becomes higher than the initial voltage value in a state where ink droplets are not ejected due to the induced voltage generated by electrostatic induction. Thereafter, when the ink droplet lands on the upper absorber 45a, the positive charge of the upper absorber 45a is neutralized by the negative charge of the ink droplet. As a result, the voltage between the nozzle substrate 42 and the electrode member 46 is lower than the initial voltage value. Thereafter, the voltage between the nozzle substrate 42 and the electrode member 46 returns to the initial voltage value.

  The amplitude of the output signal at this time depends on the magnitude of the voltage applied between the recording head 18 and the electrode member 46 and the distance from the recording head 18 (nozzle 50) to the upper absorber 45a (inspection region 41). In addition, it depends on the presence and size of flying ink droplets. For this reason, when the nozzle 50 is clogged and the ink droplet does not fly or the ink droplet is smaller than a predetermined size, the amplitude of the output signal becomes smaller than that in the normal state. The presence or absence of clogging can be determined. At this time, since the amplitude of the output signal due to the ink droplets for one shot is extremely small, the output signal is integrated by the ink droplets for a plurality of shots by ejecting the ink droplets for a plurality of shots (for example, three shots). Take out as.

  In the nozzle missing inspection, all nozzles 50 arranged in the recording head 18 are inspected for clogging. When this inspection is started, first, the carriage motor 16 is driven to move the carriage 12 so that the nozzle row to be inspected out of the nozzle rows of the recording head 18 faces the inspection position, and the nozzle to be inspected. Ink droplets charged from one nozzle 50 in the row are ejected at the ejection number of one segment (for a plurality of shots).

  Next, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the pressurizing mechanism of the ink cartridge 19 of the recording apparatus, and the mechanism (cleaning mechanism) that blows away foreign matters such as paper dust that comes out during printing and deposits on the nozzle forming surface 18a with air. ).

  In FIG. 3, an ink cartridge 19 has a cartridge case 60 as an outer case formed in an airtight state, and an ink pack 61 as a liquid pack formed of a flexible material and encapsulated with ink therein. It is stored. A space formed by the cartridge case 60 and the ink pack 61 constitutes a pressure chamber, and is configured such that pressurized air is supplied into the pressure chamber.

  The pressure pump 62 is connected to the pressure chamber of the ink cartridge 19 by a tube 63. An ink flow with a predetermined pressure is generated from the ink cartridge 19 through the ink supply tube 20 to each valve unit (each pressure adjusting unit) by the pressurized air accompanying the driving of the pressure pump 62. Yes. In addition, an atmosphere release valve 64 is provided in the middle of the tube 63 so that the pressurized air (compressed air) can be released to the atmosphere by driving the atmosphere release valve 64.

  With this configuration, each ink pack 61 accommodated in each ink cartridge 19 is pressurized by pressurized air, and is supplied from each ink cartridge 19 to each valve unit (each pressure adjusting unit) via the ink supply tube 20. In contrast, an ink flow with a predetermined pressure is generated. Then, ink is supplied from each valve unit (each pressure adjusting unit) to the recording head 18, and based on print data supplied to a piezoelectric vibrator (not shown) of the recording head 18, the nozzle formation surface 18 a of the recording head 18. The ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles 50 formed on the recording sheet 17 toward the recording paper 17.

  3 and 4, a buffer 65 is provided upstream of the atmosphere release valve 64 in the tube 63. The buffer 65 is configured by an elastic bag, a part of the case with a film having elasticity, or the like, and the compressed air generated by driving the pressurizing pump 62 is stored in the buffer 65. A three-port solenoid valve 67 is connected to the atmosphere release port of the atmosphere release valve 64 via a tube 66, and one outlet port of the three-port solenoid valve 67 is blown through a tube 68 to spray members 69 a and 69 b made of square pipes. , 69c are connected. Compressed air is sent to the blowing members 69a, 69b, and 69c by the tube 68. The spray members 69a, 69b, and 69c are disposed above the platen 15 and extend in the front-rear direction (horizontal direction). The spray members 69a, 69b, and 69c are fixed to the base 11. Compressed air discharge ports 70a, 70b, 70c are provided at the front end portions of the blowing members 69a, 69b, 69c, and the compressed air discharge ports 70a, 70b, 70c are located directly above the platen 15. The three blowing members 69a, 69b, and 69c (compressed air discharge ports 70a, 70b, and 70c) are disposed at the center, right side, and left side in the extending direction of the platen 15. As a result, the compressed air can be discharged from the compressed air discharge ports 70a, 70b, and 70c directly downward and sprayed onto the platen 15.

  Further, a spray member 72 made of a square pipe is connected to the other outlet port of the three-port solenoid valve 67 through a tube 71. Compressed air is sent to the blowing member 72 by the tube 71. The spray member 72 is disposed below the carriage 12 on the left side of the left end surface of the platen 15. The spray member 72 is fixed to the base body 11. The spray member 72 is provided with a compressed air discharge port 73, and the compressed air discharge port 73 can discharge the compressed air directly upward and spray it onto the nozzle forming surface 18 a of the recording head 18 of the carriage 12. Yes.

  In this manner, the compressed air generated by the pressurizing pump 62 for pressurizing the ink pack 61 is supplied to the platen portion and the nozzle forming surface 18a by the tubes 63, 66, 68, 71 and the spray members 69a, 69b, 69c, 72. And the compressed air discharge ports 70a, 70b, 70c, 73 are discharged and the compressed air is discharged from the platen portion and the nozzle forming surface 18a, whereby foreign matter (paper dust) on the platen portion and the nozzle forming surface 18a is discharged. Etc.) can be blown away. At this time, compressed air for blowing is stored in the buffer 65.

  In the present embodiment, the pressurizing pump 62 constitutes driving means that is driven to pressurize the air. Further, the tubes 63, 66, 68, 71 and the blowing members 69a, 69b, 69c, 72 constitute a compressed air pipe extending from the pressurizing pump 62 to a location where cleaning is necessary. The compressed air piping and the compressed air discharge ports 70a, 70b, 70c, 73 constitute compressed air blowing means for blowing the compressed air generated by driving the pressurizing pump 62 to the places requiring cleaning.

Next, the operation (cleaning method) of the recording apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.
During normal use of the recording apparatus 10, the air release valve 64 is closed as shown in FIG. 5, and the air sent from the pressure pump 62 is sent only in the direction of the ink cartridge 19. Then, the ink pack 61 (see FIG. 3) is pressurized by driving the pressure pump 62, and the ink in the ink pack 61 is sent to the recording head 18 side through the ink supply tube 20. Further, the compressed air generated by driving the pressurizing pump 62 is stored in the buffer 65.

  When the pressurization of the ink cartridge 19 is released (compressed air is discharged) at the power saving transition (power saving mode transition) or the power-off timing, as shown in FIGS. Air is sent from 65 through the tubes 66, 68 and 71 toward the compressed air outlet. At this time, the three-port solenoid valve 67 is switched to select whether the compressed air is blown to the platen 15 as shown in FIG. 6 or the nozzle forming surface 18a as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, foreign substances such as paper on the platen 15 can be blown off by blowing compressed air from the compressed air discharge ports 70a, 70b, 70b to the platen 15. At this time (when compressed air is blown onto the platen portion), the cap 23 is in contact with the nozzle forming surface 18a of the recording head 18 so as to surround the nozzle 50. This prevents foreign matter such as paper dust blown off from adhering to the nozzle forming surface 18a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when the compressed air is blown onto the nozzle forming surface 18a, the carriage 12 is moved over the compressed air discharge port 73 for blowing the nozzle forming surface. And compressed air is sprayed on the nozzle formation surface 18a from the compressed air discharge port 73, and a foreign material is blown away. At this time, the compressed air discharge port 73 for blowing the compressed air to the nozzle forming surface 18a is provided on the left end side (80 digit side) far from the cap 23 and the wiping member 24, so that foreign matters such as paper dust blown off can be removed. It is prevented that it adheres to the cap 23, the wiping member 24, etc. and is transferred to the nozzle 50 again.

  Thus, it has the step which produces | generates compressed air with the pressurization pump 62, and the step which sprays the produced | generated compressed air on a cleaning required location (a platen part, the nozzle formation surface 18a).

Here, since compressed air is stored in the buffer 65, a large amount of compressed air can be used for spraying.
Further, when it is determined by the automatic nozzle check using the nozzle missing inspection device 40 that there is a nozzle missing, or when manual cleaning is performed by the user, the following operation is performed.

  First, recovery is achieved only by blowing compressed air onto the nozzle forming surface 18a that does not consume ink. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the compressed air is blown from the compressed air discharge port 73 to the nozzle forming surface 18a. Then, a nozzle check using the nozzle missing inspection device 40 is performed, and if there is no abnormality, the process ends.

  On the other hand, when the compressed air is not recovered by spraying the nozzle forming surface 18a, a cleaning operation (flushing, ink suction operation, etc.) involving ink consumption is performed. As a result, it is possible to reduce ink consumption required for maintenance as compared with the conventional case.

  In this way, when the auto nozzle check determines that nozzles are missing or before manual cleaning is performed by the user, first, compressed air is blown onto the nozzle forming surface 18a, and cleaning is performed when recovery is still not possible. carry out.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Conventionally, the compressed air generated by the pressurizing pump 62 is simply discarded, but in the present embodiment, the compressed air supplied from the pressurizing pump 62 is sprayed to the cleaning-needed portions (the platen portion and the nozzle forming surface 18a). So that foreign matters such as paper dust were blown away. Specifically, compressed air stored using a pressurizing pump 62 for pressurizing the ink pack 61 and supplying ink to the recording head 18 is drawn to the platen portion and the nozzle forming surface 18a by the tubes 66, 68, 71. It is discharged (sprayed) onto the platen portion and the nozzle forming surface 18a at a predetermined timing, that is, at the timing of shifting to the power saving mode or turning off the power. Thereby, a foreign material can be removed with a simple configuration without using a dedicated device. Specifically, foreign matters such as paper dust on the platen part and adhered matter on the nozzle forming surface 18a can be blown away to avoid or recover from the missing dot state. In addition, a dedicated device such as a fan is not required to produce compressed air, and foreign matter such as paper dust on the platen and adhesion of the nozzle forming surface 18a can be blown out only by the mechanism of the recording apparatus. Prevents enlargement. In particular, the pressurizing pump 62 effectively uses the air that has been simply discharged when supplying ink, and does not require driving of a dedicated fan or the like, so that power consumption can be suppressed.

  (2) Since the buffer 65 for storing the compressed air for blowing off is provided, a larger amount of compressed air can be blown to the platen portion and the nozzle forming surface 18a by effectively using the compressed air, which is more effective.

  (3) The recording head 18 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate between two scanning ends, and a cap 23 as a maintenance means for maintaining the nozzle forming surface 18a of the recording head 18 and wiping are provided at one scanning end of the recording head 18. The member 24 was provided, and a compressed air discharge port 73 for blowing compressed air to the nozzle forming surface 18a was provided at the other scanning end. Therefore, since the compressed air discharge port 73 for blowing the compressed air to the nozzle forming surface 18a is provided at a position far from the cap 23 and the wiping member 24, the foreign matter blown off by the compressed air adheres to the cap 23 and the wiping member 24. Thus, it is possible to prevent the recording head 18 from adhering to the nozzle forming surface 18a.

  (4) Since the compressed air is blown to the place (platen portion) where cleaning is required, the cap 23 is in contact with the nozzle forming surface 18a of the recording head 18 so as to surround the nozzle 50. Thus, it is possible to prevent the foreign matter blown away by attaching to the nozzle forming surface 18 a of the recording head 18.

  (5) Prior to the cleaning of the recording head 18, compressed air is blown onto the nozzle forming surface 18 a, and if there is still an abnormality due to the nozzle missing inspection of the recording head 18, the cleaning is performed to perform maintenance. It is possible to reduce the consumption of ink necessary for the operation.

The above embodiment may be changed to another embodiment as described below.
In FIG. 7, compressed air is blown from the front to the nozzle forming surface 18a, but it is better to blow compressed air from a direction parallel to or oblique from the nozzle forming surface 18a as indicated by reference numeral 75 in FIG.

  A case has been described in which foreign matter such as paper dust or deposits on the nozzle forming surface 18a is removed using compressed air by the pressure pump 62 for supplying (pressing) ink from the ink cartridge 19 to the recording head 18. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, air that is discharged when the pump 80 is decompressed may be used by using a decompression pump 80 that is driven to decompress the air as the driving means. Specifically, a diaphragm 82 is provided inside a pump case 81 that is hermetically sealed in FIG. 8, a pump chamber R1 in the case is connected to an ink pack 84 via a flow path opening / closing valve 83, and a recording head. 18 is connected. The air introduction chamber R2 in the case is connected to the decompression pump 80 via the atmosphere release valve 85. By depressurizing the air introduction chamber R2 by the operation of the decompression pump 80, the volume of the pump chamber R1 is changed, and the ink in the ink pack 84 is supplied to the recording head 18. A three-port solenoid valve 67 is connected to the decompression pump 80 through a tube 86, and a buffer 65 is provided in the middle of the tube 86. Then, the compressed air generated when the decompression pump 80 is driven to decompress is stored in the buffer 65 and used to remove foreign matter. In the case of FIG. 8, the tubes 86, 68, 71 and the blowing members 69 a, 69 b, 69 c, 72 constitute compressed air piping that extends from the decompression pump 80 to the places where cleaning is necessary. The compressed air piping and the compressed air discharge ports 70a, 70b, 70c, 73 constitute compressed air spraying means for blowing the compressed air generated by driving the decompression pump 80 to the places requiring cleaning.

  As shown in FIG. 9, as a driving means, a maintenance pump (ink suction pump 25) for forcibly sucking ink from the recording head 18 by reducing the pressure in the cap 23 is used. The air discharged by the suction pump 25 by empty suction may be stored in the buffer 65 and used. Specifically, in FIG. 9, a buffer 65 is connected to the suction pump 25 by a tube 91 via a switching valve 90. In FIG. 9, compressed air from the pressurizing pump 62 and air from the ink suction pump 25 are stored in the buffer 65. Thus, by storing the compressed air supplied from a plurality of pumps in the buffer 65, more compressed air can be blown.

  In FIG. 9, when the compressed air generated by driving the suction pump 25 is blown, the tubes 91, 63, 66, 68, 71 and the blowing members 69a, 69b, 69c, 72 are used to bring the cleaning pump 25 to the place where cleaning is necessary. An extended compressed air pipe is configured. The compressed air piping and the compressed air discharge ports 70a, 70b, 70c, 73 constitute compressed air spraying means for spraying compressed air generated by driving the suction pump 25 to a location requiring cleaning. When compressed air is blown onto the nozzle forming surface 18a of the recording head using the decompression pump 80 of FIG. 9, the moisture retention is excellent.

  In this way, the compressed air to be discharged is not only stored by the pressurizing pump 62 but also discharged from the depressurizing pump 80 in the case of the flow path pump supply system using the depressurizing pump 80 of FIG. It is also possible to store air in the buffer 65 in a compressed state by storing the air in the buffer 65, or in the same way, the air discharged when the ink suction pump 25 of FIG. Similar effects can be obtained. The pressurization pump 62 and the decompression pump 80 effectively use the air that has been simply discharged when the ink is supplied up to now, and it is not necessary to drive a dedicated fan or the like, thereby reducing power consumption. it can.

The buffer 65 may not be provided. For example, the compressed air when the pressurization of the ink cartridge 19 is ended by the pressurizing pump 62 may be blown.
In the case where the pressurizing pump 62 is used, the ink pack 61 is not provided, and the ink in the case may be sent to the recording head 18 by pressurizing the inside of the cartridge case 60.

  In the above embodiment, an ink jet recording apparatus is employed, but a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges liquid other than ink may be employed. The present invention can be used for various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a liquid ejecting head that ejects a minute amount of liquid droplets. In addition, a droplet means the state of the liquid discharged from the said liquid ejecting apparatus, and shall also include what pulls a tail in granular shape, tear shape, and thread shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ) And a liquid as one state of the substance, as well as particles in which functional material particles made of solid materials such as pigments and metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. Further, typical examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot-melt inks. As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a coloring material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, a color filter, or the like in a dispersed or dissolved state. It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a bio-organic material used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid as a sample used as a precision pipette, a textile printing apparatus, a microdispenser, or the like. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate or the like may be employed. The present invention can be applied to any one of these liquid ejecting apparatuses.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Inkjet recording apparatus as a liquid ejecting apparatus, 18 ... Recording head as a liquid ejecting head, 18a ... Nozzle formation surface, 23 ... Cap, 25 ... Suction pump as driving means, 50 ... Nozzle, 62 ... As driving means , 63 ... compressed air spraying means and compressed air piping, 65 ... buffer, 66 ... compressed air blowing means and compressed air piping, 68 ... compressed air blowing means and compressed air piping Tubes, 69a, 69b, 69c ... compressed air blowing means and compressed air piping constituting compressed air piping, 70a, 70b, 70c ... compressed air discharge ports constituting compressed air blowing means, 71 ... compressed air blowing means and compression Tube constituting air piping, 72... Compressed air spraying means and spraying constituting compressed air piping 73: Compressed air discharge port constituting compressed air blowing means, 80: Decompression pump as driving means, 86 ... Tube constituting compressed air blowing means and compressed air piping, 91 ... Compressed air blowing means and compressed air piping Constituting the tube.

Claims (9)

A liquid ejecting head for ejecting liquid;
Driving means driven to pressurize or depressurize the air;
Compressed air spraying means for spraying compressed air generated by driving of the driving means to a location requiring cleaning;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:   2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the compressed air spraying unit includes a compressed air pipe extending from the driving unit to a location where cleaning is necessary, and a compressed air discharge port provided in the compressed air pipe. .   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a buffer for storing the compressed air.   The liquid jet head is provided so as to be able to reciprocate between two scanning ends. A maintenance means for maintaining a nozzle forming surface of the liquid jet head is provided at one scanning end of the liquid jet head and the other scanning is performed. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a compressed air discharge port that blows the compressed air onto the nozzle forming surface is provided at an end.   2. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the compressed air is sprayed to a location where cleaning is required by the compressed air spraying means, the cap is in contact with the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head so as to surround the nozzle. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit is a pressure pump for supplying the liquid to the liquid ejecting head.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit is a decompression pump for supplying the liquid to the liquid ejecting head.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit is a maintenance pump for forcibly sucking the liquid from the liquid ejecting head. A cleaning method in a liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid and a driving unit that is driven to pressurize or depressurize air,
Generating compressed air by the drive means;
Spraying the generated compressed air on a portion requiring cleaning;
A cleaning method for a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

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