JP2010208215A - Apparatus and method for jetting fluid - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus and a method for jetting fluid which have a constitution wherein opposite faces opposing to a medium are covered with films capable of allowing ultraviolet rays irradiated from the opposite faces to pass, and changes portions, of the films, which cover the opposite faces without using a special device. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus for jetting fluid includes: a head 41 equipped with nozzles; irradiation devices 51 which are opposed to a medium and irradiate with ultraviolet rays; a moving body which moves in the moving direction in the state of mounting the head and the irradiation devices; ring-shaped films 61 capable of allowing ultraviolet rays to pass; supporting parts 22 which are mounted to the moving body, support the films in positions where parts of the films cover opposite faces, and have protrusion parts 22b which are hooked with the films and protrude from end parts of the moving body in the moving direction; and rollers 62 which are rotatably held by a body of the apparatus for jetting fluid, and slide the films on the protrusion parts so as to change portions of the films in the positions to cover by rotating with moving of the moving body and by rubbing peripheral surfaces of the rollers against the films in the state of rotating. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus and a fluid ejecting method.

  Fluid ejecting apparatuses such as ink jet printers are already widely known. Some fluid ejecting apparatuses eject a fluid droplet that is cured by receiving ultraviolet rays from a nozzle of a head toward a medium. Such a fluid ejecting apparatus includes an ultraviolet irradiator, and the irradiator irradiates ultraviolet rays from a surface facing the medium in order to cure and fix the fluid droplets landed on the medium to the medium. .

  By the way, when the head ejects fluid droplets from the nozzle, minute fluid droplets that are finer than the fluid droplets are inevitably generated. If such a microfluidic droplet floats and adheres to the opposing surface of the irradiator, it will impede ultraviolet irradiation of the irradiator. In order to prevent the microfluid droplets from adhering to the opposing surface of the irradiator, the opposing surface of the irradiator may be covered with a film capable of transmitting ultraviolet rays (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In other words, if the facing surface of the irradiator is covered with the above film, it is possible to direct the ultraviolet light transmitted through the film to the fluid droplet while preventing the microfluid droplet from directly adhering to the facing surface. .

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-223916

  However, when the opposing surface of the irradiator is covered with a film, microfluidic droplets adhere to the film. If microfluidic droplets continue to adhere to the portion of the film that covers the facing surface, the efficiency of ultraviolet light irradiation is reduced by the microfluidic droplets that accumulate on the portion. For this reason, in the configuration shown in Patent Document 1, the film is wound up by a winding device at a predetermined time (specifically, when the irradiation intensity of ultraviolet rays after passing through the film is lower than the predetermined intensity). The part which covers the said opposing surface inside is changed. However, in order to save equipment and reduce manufacturing costs of the fluid ejecting apparatus, it is possible to move the film without providing a special apparatus such as a winding device and to change the portion of the film covering the facing surface. desirable.

  Then, this invention is made | formed in view of said subject, The place made into the objective is changing the part which covers the said opposing surface in a film, without using a special apparatus.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the main invention is (A) a nozzle that includes a nozzle and ejects a fluid droplet that is cured by receiving ultraviolet rays from the nozzle toward the medium, and (B) a facing surface that faces the medium. An irradiator that irradiates ultraviolet rays from the facing surface, (C) a moving body that moves in the moving direction with the head and the irradiator mounted thereon, and (D) a ring shape that can transmit ultraviolet rays. And (E) a support part that is attached to the movable body and supports the film in a state where a part of the film is positioned at a covering position that covers the facing surface, the film being hung, A support portion including a protruding portion protruding from an end portion of the moving body in the moving direction; and (F) a roller rotatably supported by the fluid ejecting apparatus main body, which moves in the moving direction by the movement of the moving body. Shi The protrusion is rotated by coming into contact with the protrusion through the film, and the protrusion of the roller is rubbed against the film in a rotating state so that a portion of the film positioned at the covering position is changed. A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: (G) a roller that slides the film on the part.
Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer. 2 is a diagram illustrating main components of the printer 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | sequence of the nozzle Nz. 3 is a front view of a head unit 40, a fixing unit 50, and a protection unit 60. FIG. It is a figure which shows a mode when the head 41 ejects the ink droplet. 6A to 6E are transition diagrams showing the operation of the protection unit 60. It is a figure which shows a mode that the feed roller 62 moves the cover film 61. FIG.

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

  First, (A) a nozzle is provided, and a head that ejects fluid droplets that are cured by receiving ultraviolet rays from the nozzle toward the medium; and (B) an opposing surface that faces the medium, and ultraviolet rays are emitted from the opposing surface. An irradiator, (C) a moving body that moves in the moving direction with the head and the irradiator mounted thereon, (D) a ring-shaped film capable of transmitting ultraviolet light, and (E) the moving body. A support unit that is attached and supports the film in a state where a part of the film is located at a covering position that covers the facing surface, the film being hung and protruding from an end of the moving body in the moving direction A support portion including the protruding portion, and a roller (F) rotatably supported by the fluid ejecting apparatus main body through the protrusion and the film moving in the moving direction by the movement of the moving body. A roller that rotates by contact, and slides the film on the protrusion so that a portion of the film positioned at the covering position changes by rubbing the peripheral surface of the roller against the film in a rotating state. , (G). With such a fluid ejecting apparatus, it is possible to change the portion of the film located at the covering position by using the movement of the moving body.

  Further, in the fluid ejecting apparatus, the film prevents adhesion of micro fluid droplets smaller than the fluid droplets generated when the head ejects the fluid droplets from the nozzles to the facing surface. For this purpose, it has a wiping body that covers the opposing surface at a portion located at the covering position, abuts against the film, and wipes the microfluid droplets attached to the film, and the moving body is When the end of the moving range is reached, the wiping body may be in contact with the film. With such a fluid ejecting apparatus, it is possible to remove microfluidic droplets adhering to the film, so that the film can be used repeatedly.

  In the fluid ejecting apparatus, the moving body reciprocates in the moving direction in a state where the two irradiators and the head disposed between the irradiators in the moving direction are mounted. The film is provided for each irradiator, the support portion, the protruding portion, and the roller are provided for each film, and the wiping body is disposed at each of both ends of the moving range, and the end of the moving range is provided. When the moving body moves toward the end, the end-side roller rotates by contacting the end-side projecting portion with the film hung on the projecting portion. The film is slid so that the portion located at the covering position inside changes, and the wiping body arranged at the end is moved to the protruding portion on the end side when the moving body reaches the end. Hanging The film abuts that, it is also possible to dispel the microfluidic droplets adhering to the film. In such a fluid ejecting apparatus, when the moving body is reciprocated within the moving range, the film covering the opposing surface of each irradiator is moved to change the portion located at the covering position in the film and adhere to each film. The removed microfluidic droplets can be removed.

  Further, in the above fluid ejecting apparatus, the fluid ejecting apparatus further includes a placement unit that places the medium in a state of facing the facing surface, and each of the support units provided for each of the films includes the head in the moving direction. Aside, a space formed between the head and the mounting portion is provided with a folded portion that folds the film so that the film faces the mounting portion along the normal direction of the facing surface. Each of the films provided for each of the irradiators at a position between the head and the irradiator in the moving direction is partitioned by a portion folded by the folded portion so as to go to the mounting portion. It is good to be. With such a fluid ejecting apparatus, it is possible to keep microfluid droplets in the space, and it is possible to suppress contamination in the fluid ejecting apparatus due to floating of the microfluidic droplets.

  Further, (A) an ejection operation for ejecting a fluid droplet that is cured by receiving ultraviolet rays onto a head provided with a nozzle from the nozzle toward the medium, and an irradiator including a facing surface that faces the medium; Performing an irradiation operation of irradiating ultraviolet rays while moving a moving body equipped with the head and the irradiator in a moving direction; and (B) a ring-shaped film capable of transmitting ultraviolet rays, A film that is supported by a support portion attached to the moving body in a state where a part of the film is located at a covering position that covers the facing surface, and is hung on a protruding portion that protrudes from an end portion of the moving body in the moving direction In order to change the portion located in the covering position, a roller rotatably supported by the fluid ejecting apparatus main body is moved in the moving direction by the movement of the moving body. A fluid jetting method comprising: (C) sliding the film on the projecting portion by rotating the roller by bringing the roller into contact with the film and rubbing the peripheral surface of the roller against the film in a rotating state; Is also feasible. According to such a fluid ejecting method, it is possible to move the film using the movement of the moving body and change the portion of the film located at the covering position.

=== Fluid Ejecting Device of the Present Embodiment ===
In order to describe the fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, hereinafter, an ink jet printer (hereinafter, printer 1) will be described as an example. The printer 1 is an apparatus that prints an image on a medium P using ink as an example of a fluid, and a method of printing an image by ejecting ink by the printer 1 corresponds to an example of a fluid ejecting method. The ink used in the printer 1 of this embodiment is an ultraviolet curable ink (hereinafter referred to as UV ink) that is cured by receiving ultraviolet rays. UV ink is an ink prepared by adding an auxiliary agent such as an antifoaming agent to a mixture of a vehicle containing a UV curable resin, a photopolymerization initiator, and a pigment. It hardens when a polymerization reaction occurs.

  The basic configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the printer 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating main components of the printer 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the nozzles Nz. FIG. 4 is a front view of the head unit 40, the fixing unit 50, and the protection unit 60.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes a controller 10, a carriage unit 20, a transport unit 30, a head unit 40, a fixing unit 50, and a protection unit 60. The controller 10 receives print data transmitted from the host computer HC and controls the units 20 to 60 via the unit control circuit 11. For example, the controller 10 controls the units 20 to 60 based on the print data, thereby executing a print process for printing an image corresponding to the print data on the medium P. The state in the printer 1 is monitored by the detector group 70, and the controller 10 controls the units 20 to 60 based on the detection result.

  The carriage unit 20 is a mechanism for reciprocating the carriage 21 (see FIG. 2) supported by the guide shaft 23 along the guide shaft 23 by the drive mechanism 24. The carriage 21 is an example of a moving body, and is a member that reciprocates within a predetermined range (that is, a moving range) in the moving direction in a state where a head 41 and an irradiator 51 described later are mounted. In the present embodiment, the axial direction of the guide shaft 23 corresponds to the moving direction of the carriage 21.

  The transport unit 30 is a mechanism that transports the medium P supplied into the printer 1 in a predetermined transport direction, and includes a platen 31 and a transport roller 32 as shown in FIG. The platen 31 is an example of a placement unit, on which the medium P is placed on the upper surface. The transport roller 32 transports the medium P by rotating while the outer peripheral surface thereof is rubbed against the medium P. The controller 10 controls the transport unit 30 to execute a transport operation for transporting the medium P on the platen 31 by a predetermined distance in the transport direction. In the present embodiment, the conveyance direction is a direction substantially orthogonal to the moving direction of the carriage 21 (that is, the axial direction of the guide shaft 23).

  The head unit 40 is a mechanism for ejecting droplet-like UV ink (hereinafter referred to as ink droplets) toward the medium P. The ink droplet corresponds to a fluid droplet and is ejected by a head 41 (see FIG. 2) of the head unit 40. The head 41 includes a nozzle Nz and ejects ink droplets from the nozzle Nz. The nozzles Nz are formed on a nozzle plate 41a (see FIG. 4) disposed below the head 41. In this embodiment, a plurality of nozzles Nz are formed for each CMYK ink color. The plurality of nozzles Nz formed for each ink color are arranged at a constant pitch in a row that intersects the moving direction of the carriage 21. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the openings of the plurality of nozzles Nz are arranged in a row for each ink color on the lower surface of the nozzle plate 41a (hereinafter, the nozzle surface 41b). The head 41 reciprocates in the moving range together with the carriage 21 at a position above the platen 31 while the nozzle surface 41b faces the platen 31 (in other words, the medium P supported on the platen 31).

  During the movement of the carriage 21, the controller 10 controls the head unit 40 to intermittently perform an ejection operation for ejecting ink droplets from the nozzles Nz toward the medium P on the head 41. The ejected ink droplets land on the medium P to form dots. The dots are formed one after another at regular intervals along the moving direction of the carriage 21. As a result, a row of dots (raster line) along the moving direction is formed. Note that the controller 10 of the present embodiment performs the above-described ejection operation in both the period in which the head 41 moves from one end to the other end in the moving direction and the period in which the head 41 moves from the other end toward the one end.

  The fixing unit 50 is a mechanism for irradiating the ink droplets landed on the medium P, that is, the dots with ultraviolet rays to cure the dots and fix them on the medium P. The fixing unit 50 includes an irradiator 51 as shown in FIG. The irradiator 51 has an ultraviolet light source 51a (see FIG. 4), and irradiates the ultraviolet rays emitted from the light source 51a through an irradiation plate 51b (see FIG. 4) disposed below the irradiator 51. That is, the irradiator 51 irradiates ultraviolet rays from the lower surface of the irradiation plate 51b (hereinafter referred to as the irradiation surface 51c). The irradiator 51 reciprocates in the movement direction together with the carriage 21 at a position above the platen 31 while the irradiation surface 51c is opposed to the platen 31 (in other words, the medium P supported on the platen 31). That is, the irradiation surface 51 c corresponds to a facing surface provided in the irradiator 51 and facing the medium P. In other words, the platen 31 supports the medium P in a state of facing the irradiation surface 51c.

  During the movement of the carriage 21, the controller 10 controls the fixing unit 50 to perform an irradiation operation for irradiating the irradiator 51 with ultraviolet rays from the irradiation surface 51 c toward the dots on the medium P. More specifically, the irradiator 51 moves in the moving direction so that the irradiation surface 51c passes over the landing position (that is, the dot formation position) of the ink droplet on the medium P after the head 41 ejects the ink droplet. 2 is mounted on the carriage 21 in a state adjacent to the head 41. Thereby, the controller 10 performs the ejection operation and the carriage operation during one movement period of the carriage 21 (that is, the period during which the carriage 21 moves from one end of the movement range to the other end or from the other end to the one end). Perform both irradiation operations. Then, when the ink droplets ejected by the head 41 in the ejection operation land on the medium P to form dots, the ink droplets soon come to be positioned immediately below the irradiation surface 51c, and ultraviolet rays irradiated from the irradiation surface 51c are irradiated. Receive and cure.

  Furthermore, the irradiator 51 is mounted on the carriage 21 of the present embodiment at a position that sandwiches the head 41 in the movement direction. In other words, the carriage 21 reciprocates in the movement direction with the two irradiators 51 and the head 41 disposed between the irradiators 51 in the movement direction. In such a configuration, when performing the ejection operation and the irradiation operation while moving the carriage 21 in the movement direction, the two irradiation units 51 are switched and used in accordance with the direction in which the carriage 21 heads. More specifically, for example, when the carriage 21 moves from one end to the other end of the moving range, the irradiator 51 on one end side (positioned behind the head 41 when viewed in the direction the carriage 21 faces). While the irradiator 51) irradiates ultraviolet rays, the irradiator 51 on the other end side (irradiator 51 located in front of the head 41) does not irradiate ultraviolet rays.

  As the ultraviolet light source 51a, a metal halide lamp, a light emitting element (LED), a xenon lamp, a carbon arc lamp, a chemical lamp, a low pressure mercury lamp, a high pressure mercury lamp, or the like can be used.

  The protection unit 60 is a mechanism for protecting the irradiation surface 51c and preventing the irradiation surface 51c from being contaminated by ink mist. The ink mist is a microfluidic droplet (specifically, a droplet having a particle size of about 0.5 μm to 10 μm) that is smaller than the ink droplet (fluid droplet) (see FIG. 5), and the head 41 has the nozzle Nz. It inevitably occurs when ink droplets are ejected from the ink. Specifically, it is a satellite ink separated from an ink droplet ejected by the head 41, or a minute ink droplet stalled after being ejected from the nozzle Nz.

  If the ink mist floats and adheres to the irradiation surface 51c, it will cause the ultraviolet irradiation of the irradiator 51 to be inhibited. For example, if ink mist adheres to the irradiation surface 51c and then hardens on the irradiation surface 51c, the ink mist adheres to the irradiation surface 51c. If the ink mist fixed to the irradiation surface 51c is to be removed in this way, the irradiation surface 51c may be damaged. For this reason, the protection unit 60 has covered the irradiation surface 51c of each irradiation device 51 with the film (henceforth, cover film 61) which can permeate | transmit an ultraviolet-ray. Thereby, although ink mist adheres to the cover film 61, it can prevent that ink mist adheres directly to the irradiation surface 51c.

  As described above, the cover film 61 covers the irradiation surface 51c of each irradiator 51, and the ultraviolet light that each irradiator 51 irradiates from the irradiation surface 51c passes through the cover film 61 and then reaches the medium P. It comes to drop (dot). On the other hand, if the portion covering the irradiation surface 51c in the cover film 61 does not change, the ink mist continues to adhere to the portion and the ink mist accumulates, resulting in a decrease in ultraviolet irradiation efficiency (specifically, The ratio of the amount of ultraviolet light passing through the cover film 61 to the amount of ultraviolet light irradiated from the irradiation surface 51c decreases). On the other hand, the protection unit 60 of the present embodiment can change (replace) the portion of the cover film 61 that covers the irradiation surface 51c by moving the cover film 61 in order to suppress a decrease in irradiation efficiency. .

  In the printer 1 configured as described above, when the medium P is supplied into the printer 1, the controller 10 repeatedly performs the transport operation by the transport unit 30 a plurality of times. Further, the controller 10 performs the ejection operation and the irradiation operation while moving the carriage 21 in the movement direction between the conveyance operations. As a result, an image composed of a plurality of raster lines is printed on the medium P, and finally the medium P is discharged out of the printer 1. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the carriage 21 moves in the movement direction, the protection unit 60 moves the cover film 61 so that the portion of the cover film 61 covering the irradiation surface 51c changes (film feeding operation). Execute. Thereby, it becomes possible to cover the irradiation surface 51c with the cover film 61 while maintaining the irradiation efficiency. The configuration and operation of the protection unit 60 will be described in detail in the next section.

=== About Protection Unit 60 ===
Hereinafter, the protection unit 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state when the head 41 ejects ink droplets. 6A to 6E are transition diagrams showing the operation of the protection unit 60. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the feed roller 62 moves the cover film 61. 6A to 6E and FIG. 7, the direction in which the carriage 21 faces is indicated by an arrow with a symbol C.

<< Configuration of Protection Unit 60 >>
First, the configuration of the protection unit 60 will be described. The protection unit 60 includes the cover film 61, the feed roller 62, and the wiping device 63 described above (see FIG. 1).

  As described above, the cover film 61 is transparent to ultraviolet rays and has a ring shape (endless shape). The cover film 61 is supported by the support portion 22 attached to the carriage 21, and a part of the cover film 61 is located at a covering position that covers the irradiation surface 51c. That is, the support part 22 supports the cover film 61 in a state where a part of the cover film 61 is located at the covering position.

  More specifically, the support portion 22 includes a plurality of pins 22a, an oval protrusion 22b, and a support roller 22c that is rotatably attached to the carriage 21 (see FIG. 4). Each pin 22a protrudes from the surface of the carriage 21 (specifically, the surface on which the head 41 and the irradiator 51 are mounted) along a direction intersecting the moving direction (that is, the transport direction), A cover film 61 is hung and the cover film 61 is bent at a substantially right angle. Similar to the pin 22a, the protruding portion 22b protrudes from the surface of the carriage 21 along the direction intersecting the moving direction. The protrusion 22b is located at the upper end corner of the surface (that is, protrudes from the end of the carriage 21 in the moving direction), and the cover film 61 is hung on the peripheral surface of the protrusion 22b. It is folded back into a U shape (see FIG. 4). The peripheral surface of the protrusion 22b is somewhat longer along the moving direction.

  The support roller 22c rotates around an axis that intersects the moving direction, and the cover film 61 is hung on the peripheral surface thereof, thereby folding the cover film 61 into a U shape (see FIG. 4). When the carriage 21 moves in the movement direction, the support roller 22c passes through a position slightly above the medium P on the platen 31. That is, a portion of the cover film 61 that is hung on the peripheral surface of the support roller 22c passes a position slightly above the medium P on the platen 31 when the carriage 21 moves in the movement direction (FIG. 5). reference).

  By the support part 22 as described above, the cover film 61 is supported in a state where a part of the cover film 61 is located at the covering position. In this state, the cover film 61 covers the irradiation surface 51c at a portion located at the covering position in order to prevent the ink mist from adhering to the irradiation surface 51c. In addition, the part located in the said cover position in the cover film 61 is spanned between the pair of pins 22a located in the vicinity of the irradiation surface 51c among the plurality of pins 22a, and is located immediately below the irradiation surface 51c. It is a part to do.

  Moreover, the support part 22 is supporting the cover film 61 movably in the stretching direction (in this embodiment, since the cover film 61 is ring-shaped, it is the continuous direction of the cover film 61). Therefore, a portion of the cover film 61 that is hung on the peripheral surface of the protrusion 22b can slide on the protrusion 22b along the moving direction.

  Further, of the pair of pins 22a located in the vicinity of the irradiation surface 51c, the pin 22a closer to the head 41 (hereinafter referred to as the pin 22d in the vicinity of the head 41) is, as shown in FIG. Located slightly outside the edge. At such a position, the pin 22d in the vicinity of the head 41 has the cover film 61 directed toward the platen 31 along the normal direction (vertical direction in the present embodiment) of the irradiation surface 51c (that is, downward). The cover film 61 is folded back. That is, the pin 22d in the vicinity of the head 41 corresponds to a folded portion that folds the cover film 61 so that the cover film 61 faces the platen 31 along the normal direction at the side of the head 41 in the moving direction. Note that the cover film 61 folded back toward the platen 31 by the pins 22d near the head 41 is folded back again at a position slightly above the platen 31 by the support roller 22c.

  Incidentally, two irradiators 51 are mounted on the carriage 21 of the present embodiment with the head 41 interposed therebetween. For this reason, in this embodiment, the cover film 61 is provided for each irradiator 51, and the support portion 22 (that is, the plurality of pins 22 a, the protruding portions 22 b, and the support roller 22 c) is provided for each cover film 61. The two cover films 61 and the two support portions 22 are arranged symmetrically about the head 41 as shown in FIG.

  Further, each of the support portions 22 provided for each cover film 61 includes the above-described pin 22a as the folded portion (that is, the pin 22d in the vicinity of the head 41), and each of the cover films 61 provided for each irradiator 51 includes The pin 22d near the head 41 is folded back toward the platen 31. Each portion of the cover film 61 that is folded back toward the platen 31 by the pins 22d in the vicinity of the head 41 (hereinafter referred to as a folded portion 61a to the platen 31) is located between the head 41 and the irradiator 51 in the moving direction. And extends to a position directly above the platen 31 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the space S (see FIG. 4) formed between the head 41 and the platen 31 is a position between the head 41 and the irradiator 51 in the moving direction, and the platen 31 of each of the two cover films 61 is. It is partitioned off by a folded portion 61a. As a result, the ink mist generated in the space S during the ejection operation can be retained in the space S, and therefore, contamination in the printer 1 due to the floating of the ink mist can be suppressed. The ink mist retained in the space S is attached to and captured by the cover film 61 (specifically, the folded portion 61a to the platen 31).

  The feed roller 62 is an example of a roller that is rotatably supported by the printer body, and rotates about an axis that intersects the moving direction. The printer main body corresponds to the fluid ejecting apparatus main body, and specifically, is a portion of the printer 1 that is separated from the carriage 21 (in this embodiment, the casing 2 of the printer 1). The feed roller 62 is disposed on the end side of the movement range of the carriage 21. Then, when the carriage 21 is moving toward the end of the movement range, the protruding portion 22 b passes just below the feed roller 62. At this time, the feed roller 62 comes into contact with the protruding portion 22 b that is moving together with the carriage 21 via the cover film 61. As a result, the movement of the protrusion 22b is transmitted to the feed roller 62, and the feed roller 62 rotates. Further, the feed roller 62 is rotated to cover film 61 (specifically, a portion exposed to the feed roller 62 in the cover film 61 hung on the circumference of the protrusion 22b). Rub. As a result, the cover film 61 slides on the protruding portion 22b so that the portion located at the covering position in the cover film 61 changes.

  As described above, the feed roller 62 is rotated by using the movement of the carriage 21 and the peripheral surface thereof is rubbed against the cover film 61 on the projecting portion 22b, so that the portion located in the cover position in the cover film 61 is located. The cover film 61 is sent so as to change (specifically, the cover film 61 is slid on the protrusion 22b). As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to move the cover film 61 using the movement of the carriage 21 and change the portion of the cover film 61 located at the cover position. In other words, in the present embodiment, a portion of the cover film 61 positioned at the cover position can be changed without providing a separate drive source for moving the cover film 61 in the printer 1. Equipment and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

  In this embodiment, a feed roller 62 is provided for each cover film 61, and each feed roller 62 is disposed on each end side of the movement range of the carriage 21 (see FIG. 4). The feed roller 62 on one end side is a cover that is brought into contact with the projecting portion 22b on one end side and hooked on the projecting portion 22b on one end side when the carriage 21 moves from the other end of the moving range toward one end. Move the film 61. When the carriage 21 moves from one end of the moving range to the other end, the other end side feed roller 62 comes into contact with the other end side protruding portion 22b and is hooked on the other end side protruding portion 22b. The cover film 61 is moved.

  The wiping device 63 is a device for wiping the ink mist adhering to the cover film 61 and cleaning the cover film 61. The wiping device 63 includes a wiper 63a as an example of a wiping body. The wiper 63 a contacts the cover film 61 at a position outside the feed roller 62 in the movement direction of the carriage 21, and wipes ink mist adhering to the cover film 61. The wiping operation by the wiping device 63 is performed when the carriage 21 reaches the end of the movement range. That is, the wiper 63a abuts against the cover film 61 (specifically, a portion of the cover film 61 exposed to the tip of the wiper 63a) when the carriage 21 reaches the end of the moving range, and the cover The ink mist adhering to the film 61 is wiped off. Further, the ink mist adhering to the cover film 61 is cured by receiving ultraviolet rays from the irradiator 51 on the cover film 61, and is wiped off by the wiper 63a in a cured state (specifically, scraped off).

  In the present embodiment, two wiping devices 63 are provided, and the wipers 63a of the wiping devices 63 are disposed at both ends of the moving range (see FIG. 4). When the carriage 21 reaches one end of the movement range, the wiper 63a on one end side contacts the cover film 61 supported by the support portion 22 on one end side and wipes ink mist adhering to the cover film 61. When the carriage 21 reaches the other end of the moving range, the wiper 63a on the other end side contacts the cover film 61 supported by the support portion 22 on the other end side and removes ink mist adhering to the cover film 61. Wipe away.

<Operation of Protection Unit 60>
Next, the operation of the protection unit 60 will be described. Note that the protection unit 60 operates in substantially the same manner in both the period in which the carriage 21 moves from the other end of the moving range toward one end and the period in which the carriage 21 moves from one end to the other end of the moving range. I do. For this reason, below, operation | movement in the period when the carriage 21 moves toward the one end from the other end of a movement range is demonstrated.

  During the period in which the carriage 21 moves from the other end to the one end of the movement range, as described above, the ejection operation and the irradiation operation are performed, and ink mist is generated by performing the ejection operation. At this time, the space S between the head 41 and the platen 31 is partitioned into a cover film 61 (specifically, a folded portion 61a to the platen 31) at a position between the head 41 and the irradiator 51 in the moving direction. Therefore, the ink mist is retained in the space S (see FIG. 6A).

  On the other hand, during the period in which the carriage 21 is moving toward one end of the moving range, the portion of the cover film 61 is the portion until the protruding portion 22b on the one end side is positioned directly below the feed roller 62 on the one end side. A (portion indicated by a broken line in FIG. 6A) is located at the cover position. Eventually, when the protruding portion 22b on the one end side is positioned immediately below the feeding roller 62 on the one end side due to the movement of the carriage 21, the feeding roller 62 on the one end side passes through the portion A of the cover film 61. 22b (see FIG. 6B). Thereby, the feed roller 62 on one end side receives a driving force from the protruding portion 22b on one end side, and rotates in the direction indicated by the symbol R in FIG. The direction R is the same as the direction C toward which the one-end-side protruding portion 22b is directed at a position where the one-end-side feeding roller 62 contacts the one-end-side protruding portion 22b.

  Then, the cover film 61 is rubbed against the cover film 61 hung on the protruding portion 22b on the one end side in a state where the feed roller 62 on the one end side rotates in the direction R, so that the cover film 61 is shown in FIG. It is sent in the direction marked with the symbol T. As a result, the portion located at the cover position in the cover film 61 changes from the portion A to a portion adjacent to the portion A. Thereafter, the feeding roller 62 on one end side releases the contact state with the protruding portion 22 b on one end side as the carriage 21 moves. Thus, the film feeding operation during the period in which the carriage 21 moves toward one end of the movement range is completed.

  When the carriage 21 further moves and reaches one end of the moving range, as shown in FIG. 6C, the wiper 63a on one end side comes into contact with the cover film 61 supported on the support portion 22 on one end side, and the cover film 61 Wipe ink mist adhering to the ink. When the carriage 21 reaches one end of the moving range, the feed roller 62 on the one end side is located on the other end side in the moving direction with respect to the protruding portion 22b on the one end side, and is positioned adjacent to the irradiator 51 on the one end side. (See FIG. 6C).

  Thereafter, the carriage 21 moves so as to return to the other end of the moving range by switching the moving direction. When the carriage 21 moves toward the other end of the movement range, the feed roller 62 on one end side comes into contact with the protruding portion 22b on the one end side again through the cover film 61, as shown in FIG. 6D. Here, in this embodiment, each feed roller 62 is configured to rotate only in one direction (direction R for the feed roller 62 on one end side). That is, during the period in which the carriage 21 moves toward the other end of the moving range, the feed roller 62 on one end side does not rotate and the cover film 61 does not move even if it contacts the protruding portion 22b on one end side. That is, the cover film 61 is sent only in one direction (for example, the direction T), and the part located at the cover position in the cover film 61 does not return to the original part (part A).

  When the carriage 21 further moves toward the other end of the moving range, as shown in FIG. 6E, the feed roller 62 on one end side and the protruding portion 22b on one end side move away from each other. On the other hand, the protruding portion 22b on the other end side approaches the feed roller 62 on the other end side, and the operation substantially similar to the above-described operation is repeated on the other end side of the moving range of the carriage 21 before long.

  As described above, each time the operation of moving the carriage 21 from the other end of the moving range toward the one end is performed, the portion of the cover film 61 that covers the irradiation surface 51c of the irradiation device 51 on the one end side is updated. Further, the ink mist adhering to the cover film 61 is wiped off by the wiper 63a. As a result, it is possible to protect the irradiation surface 51c satisfactorily while suppressing a decrease in the irradiation efficiency of ultraviolet rays, and to repeatedly use the cover film 61 that protects the irradiation surface 51c without replacement.

=== Other Embodiments ===
As described above, the fluid ejecting apparatus and the fluid ejecting method according to the present invention have been described based on the above embodiment by taking the printer 1 as an example. However, the above-described embodiment of the present invention is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes the equivalents thereof.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the two irradiators 51 are mounted on the carriage 21 with the head 41 interposed therebetween, and accordingly, the cover film 61 is provided for each irradiator 51 and includes the protrusion 22b. The feeding roller 62 is provided separately for the cover film 61. Further, the wiper 63a is disposed at each of both ends of the moving range of the carriage 21. As a result, in the above-described embodiment, when the carriage 21 is reciprocated within the movement range, the cover film 61 that covers the irradiation surface 51c of each irradiator 51 is moved to be located at the cover position in each cover film 61. And the ink mist adhering to each cover film 61 can be removed. However, only one irradiator 51 is mounted on the carriage 21 at a position adjacent to the head 41, and the cover film 61, the support portion 22, the feed roller 62, and the wiper 63a are provided one by one. May be.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the printer 1 which ejects the ink droplet as an example of a fluid droplet, it is not limited to this. As long as it is a fluid that cures by receiving ultraviolet rays, fluids other than inks (including liquids in which functional material particles are dispersed and fluids such as gels) and liquids other than inks The present invention can also be embodied in a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges (a solid that can be ejected by flowing as a fluid). For example, a liquid material ejecting apparatus that discharges a liquid material in the form of dispersed or dissolved materials such as electrode materials and color materials used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, and surface-emitting displays, and biochip manufacturing It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a bio-organic substance used in the above, or a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid as a sample used as a precision pipette. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resins to form liquid injection devices that inject lubricating oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. For example, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto a substrate, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects gel, and a powder such as toner It may be a powder jet recording apparatus that jets a solid. The present invention can be applied to any one of these injection devices.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer, 2 casing, 10 controller, 11 Unit control circuit, 20 Carriage unit, 21 Carriage, 22 Support part, 22a pin, 22b Protrusion part, 22c Support roller, 22d pin, 23 Guide shaft, 24 Drive mechanism, 30 Conveyance unit , 31 platen, 32 transport roller, 40 head unit, 41 head, 41a nozzle plate, 41b nozzle surface, 50 fixing unit, 51 irradiator, 51a light source, 51b irradiation plate, 51c irradiation surface, 60 protection unit, 61 cover film, 61a Folding part, 62 feeding roller, 63 wiping device, 63a wiper, 70 detector group, HC host computer, Nz nozzle, P medium, S space

Claims (5)

A head comprising a nozzle and ejecting fluid droplets that are cured by receiving ultraviolet rays from the nozzle toward the medium;
An irradiator that includes a facing surface facing the medium and that irradiates ultraviolet light from the facing surface;
A moving body that moves in a moving direction with the head and the irradiator mounted thereon;
A ring-shaped film capable of transmitting ultraviolet rays;
A support unit that is attached to the moving body and supports the film in a state where a part of the film is located at a covering position that covers the facing surface,
A support portion provided with a protrusion, the film being hung and protruding from an end of the moving body in the moving direction;
A roller rotatably supported by the fluid ejection device body,
Rotating by contacting the projecting part moving in the moving direction with the movement of the moving body through the film, and rubbing the peripheral surface of the roller against the film in a rotating state, A roller that slides the film on the protrusion so that a portion located at the covering position changes;
A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: The fluid ejection device according to claim 1,
The film is positioned at the cover position in order to prevent adhesion of fine fluid droplets smaller than the fluid droplets generated when the head ejects the fluid droplets from the nozzle to the opposing surface. Covering the opposite surface with a portion,
A wiping body for wiping the microfluidic droplet attached to the film in contact with the film;
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the moving body reaches an end of a moving range of the moving body, the wiping body contacts the film. The fluid ejection device according to claim 2,
The moving body reciprocates in the moving direction with the two irradiators and the head disposed between the irradiators in the moving direction mounted thereon,
The film is provided for each irradiator,
The support, the protrusion, and the roller are provided for each film,
The wiping body is disposed at each of both ends of the moving range,
When the moving body moves toward the end of the moving range,
The roller on the end side rotates by contacting the projecting portion on the end side via the film hung on the projecting portion, and the portion located in the covering position in the film changes. Slide the film so that
When the moving body reaches the end, the wiping body disposed at the end contacts the film hung on the protruding portion on the end side, and the microfluidic droplet attached to the film is removed. A fluid ejecting apparatus characterized by wiping. The fluid ejection device according to claim 3, wherein
Having a placement unit for placing the medium in a state of facing the facing surface;
Each of the support portions provided for each film is folded back at the side of the head in the moving direction so that the film is directed to the mounting portion along the normal direction of the facing surface. Part
The space formed between the head and the mounting portion is a position between the head and the irradiator in the moving direction, and is formed by the folded portion of each of the films provided for each irradiator. A fluid ejecting apparatus, wherein the fluid ejecting apparatus is partitioned by a portion folded back toward the mounting portion. An ejection operation for ejecting a fluid droplet, which is cured by receiving ultraviolet rays, onto a head provided with a nozzle from the nozzles toward the medium, and irradiation for irradiating the irradiator having an opposing surface facing the medium with ultraviolet rays from the opposing surface. Performing an operation while moving a moving body equipped with the head and the irradiator in a moving direction;
A ring-shaped film capable of transmitting ultraviolet rays, wherein a part of the film is supported by a support portion attached to the moving body in a state where the film is located at a covering position covering the facing surface, and in the moving direction. In order to change the portion located in the covering position in the film hung on the protruding portion protruding from the end of the moving body,
A roller that is rotatably supported by the fluid ejecting apparatus main body is rotated by bringing the protruding portion that is moving in the moving direction by the movement of the moving body into contact with the film, and the roller is rotated in a rotating state. Sliding the film on the protrusion by rubbing a peripheral surface against the film;
A fluid ejection method comprising:

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