JP2010247363A - Liquid jetting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jetting apparatus which can surely perform capping at a recording head of a line system. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid droplet ejecting apparatus 11 includes a liquid jetting head 29 which is arranged in a position halfway of a conveyance route of a target 12 and jets a liquid from nozzles 30 formed in a nozzle formation surface 29a; a target conveying means 13 which conveys the target 12 so as to pass a position opposed to the nozzle formation surface 29a on the conveyance route on the basis of a driving force of a first drive source; and a cap body conveying means 15 which conveys a cap body 14 for capping a nozzle formation region on the nozzle formation surface 29a hermetically so as to advance to and retreat from the position opposed to the nozzle formation surface 29a on the conveyance route Z1 on the basis of a driving force of a second drive source. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) is known as a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target. This printer performs printing by ejecting ink (liquid) supplied to a recording head (liquid ejecting head) from a nozzle formed on a nozzle forming surface of the recording head toward a recording sheet (target).

  As such a printer, a serial type in which the recording head ejects ink while reciprocating along the recording paper conveyance plane during printing, and a recording head that records without moving along the recording paper conveyance plane. There is a line type that is arranged so as to cover the entire width of the sheet in the direction orthogonal to the recording sheet conveyance direction in the middle of the sheet conveyance path. For example, the printer of Patent Document 1 is known as a printer having a line type recording head.

JP 2006-272554 A

  By the way, it is important for the recording head to cap the nozzle formation surface when ink is not ejected to prevent the nozzle from drying or adhering dust. However, in the case of the line head system as shown in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to provide a capping mechanism that caps the nozzle forming surface because the recording head does not normally move to a position outside the recording paper conveyance path. .

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a liquid ejecting apparatus that can reliably perform capping in a line type recording head.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head that is disposed at a midway position in a target transport path and that can eject liquid from nozzles formed on a nozzle forming surface, and the target. A target transport unit that transports the target based on the driving force of the first drive source so that the target passes through a position facing the nozzle formation surface on the transport path, and a cap in a state where the nozzle formation region on the nozzle formation surface is sealed And a cap body transporting means for transporting the cap body based on the driving force of the second drive source so that the cap body can be moved forward and backward to a position facing the nozzle forming surface on the transport path.

  According to the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, since the cap body is conveyed below the nozzle forming surface so as to be able to advance and retreat, it is possible to reliably cap the line-type liquid ejecting head. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the nozzles from drying or adhere to dust, and the reliability is high with good liquid ejection characteristics.

In the droplet discharge device, a first member surrounding the nozzle formation region is provided on the nozzle formation surface side of the liquid ejecting head, and the surface of the cap body facing the nozzle formation surface is provided. Is preferably provided with a second member that can be adsorbed by magnetic force with the first member.
According to this configuration, the nozzle forming surface and the cap body can be easily and reliably brought into close contact by the magnetic force.

In the droplet discharge device, it is preferable that a vacuum suction unit capable of holding the cap body by vacuum suction is provided on the nozzle forming surface side of the liquid jet head.
According to this configuration, the cap body can be securely adhered to the nozzle forming surface by the vacuum suction means.

The droplet discharge device preferably includes a cleaning unit that cleans the cap body in the middle of the transport path of the cap body.
According to this configuration, since the cap body can be cleaned, a highly reliable liquid ejecting apparatus that can repeatedly use the cap body can be provided.

In the droplet discharge device, the cleaning unit includes a wipe member that slides on a surface of the cap body that faces the nozzle formation surface, and the liquid scraped from the cap body by the wipe member. It is preferable to have a suction mechanism for sucking the air.
According to this configuration, since the liquid scraped off by the wipe member sliding on the cap body is sucked by the suction mechanism, the liquid adhering to the cap body can be removed.

It is a schematic diagram of a printer. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a paper transport mechanism. FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial plan view schematically illustrating a printer. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. It is a schematic cross section which shows the curve path | route part of the upstream of the circulation path | route of a chain. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 1. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of a cleaning mechanism. It is a block diagram of a control apparatus. It is the plane schematic diagram and cross-sectional schematic diagram of a cap sheet. It is explanatory drawing of the recording head provided with the vacuum suction means. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in an ink jet printer will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the terms “vertical direction”, “front / rear direction”, and “left / right direction” refer to the directions indicated by arrows in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 11 as a liquid ejecting apparatus includes a paper transport mechanism (target transport means) 13 that is driven to transport a paper (target) 12, A sheet conveying mechanism (cap body conveying means) 15 that is driven to convey the cap sheet (cap body) 14 is provided.

  The paper transport mechanism 13 is driven behind the drive pulley 17 by a drive pulley 17 that rotates about an axis along the left-right direction based on a drive force of a paper transport motor (first drive source) 16 (see FIG. 10). A driven pulley 18 that is rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of the drive pulley 17 at the same height as the pulley 17 is provided. In addition, the drive pulley 17 and the driven pulley 18 are biased so that the lower positions of the drive pulley 17 and the driven pulley 18 are rotatable about an axis parallel to the axes of the pulleys 17 and 18 and the shaft center moves downward. Two tension pulleys 19 and 20 are provided. Each of the pulleys 17 to 20 has a pair of support plates 21 and 22 (FIGS. 2 and 3) in which both end portions of the shaft portions 17a, 18a, 19a, and 20a are provided in a manner parallel to the left-right direction. Reference).

  As shown in FIG. 1, each pulley 17 to 20 in the paper transport mechanism 13 has an endless transport belt (target transport member) 23 in a substantially square annular shape with tension applied by the tension pulleys 19 and 20. It is hung so as to form a circuit path. The transport belt 23 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1 as the drive pulley 17 rotates, thereby transporting the paper 12 toward the front indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 1 as the transport direction X. Is configured to do. That is, the paper transport mechanism 13 transports the paper 12 fed onto the transport belt 23 from a paper feed tray (not shown) located behind the driven pulley 18 toward the front as the transport belt 23 rotates. As a result, the paper is discharged to a paper discharge tray (not shown) positioned in front of the drive pulley 17.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first support plate (support) 21 located on the left side of the left and right support plates 21 and 22 in the paper transport mechanism 13 is relative to the main body frame (not shown) of the printer 11. The sheet conveying mechanism 15 is detachably assembled at a position avoiding the mechanism portion. On the other hand, the second support plate 22 located on the right side is fixed to the main body frame (not shown) of the printer 11 so as not to be detached. And each shaft part 17a-20a of each pulley 17-20 maintains the rotatable state of each pulley 17-20 with respect to the bearing part (illustration omitted) in which each left end was provided in the 1st support plate 21. However, while being supported so as not to be inserted / removed, their right ends are supported in a state where they can be inserted / removed with respect to a bearing portion (detachable portion) 22 a formed of a hole or a hole provided in the second support plate 22.

  That is, the paper transport mechanism 13 is configured such that the first support plate 21, the pulleys 17 to 20, and the transport belt 23 can be integrally handled by the user holding the first support plate 21 and moving it in the left-right direction. The mechanism unit 13 </ b> A thus formed is detachable from the printer 11. At the time of attachment / detachment, the attachment / detachment operation can be performed by moving the entire mechanism unit 13A along the axial direction of the bearing portion 22a serving as the attachment / detachment portion while holding the first support plate 21 that also functions as the holding portion. It is said that.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a platen 24 is formed in a flat shape at a position between the driving pulley 17 and the driven pulley 18 and between the left and right support plates 21 and 22. The upper surface of the driving pulley 17 and the driven pulley 18 is disposed so as to be at the same height as the uppermost portion of each peripheral surface. When the conveyor belt 23 rotates, the back surface of the belt portion on which the paper 12 is placed and conveyed in the conveying direction X on the conveyor belt 23 is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the platen 24. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, the conveyance belt 23 is formed such that the left and right width is wider than the left and right width of the paper 12, and the belt portion that slides on the platen 24 between the driving pulley 17 and the driven pulley 18. A conveyance path for the sheet 12 is configured, and a conveyance plane when the sheet 12 is conveyed in the conveyance direction X is configured by the surface 23a of the belt portion. The transport belt 23 is formed with a large number of circular vent holes 25 so as to penetrate between the front surface 23 a and the back surface that is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the platen 24. The air holes 25 are regularly formed so as to be arranged in a lattice pattern at equal intervals in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.

  On the other hand, the platen 24 is formed with a number of suction holes 26 penetrating the platen 24 in the vertical direction (thickness direction of the platen 24). Each suction hole 26 is in a position corresponding to each ventilation hole 25 of the conveyor belt 23 in the left-right direction, and at a position that is wider (for example, about three times) than each ventilation hole 25 in the front-rear direction. Is formed. The opening on the upper surface side of each suction hole 26 is formed in a long groove shape along the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, below the platen 24, a suction part 27 having a box shape for sucking the inside of each suction hole 26 covers the opening of each suction hole 26 on the lower surface side of the platen 24. A plurality of (three in this embodiment) fans 28 are provided in the suction portion 27. As the fan 28 is driven, the suction holes 26 are sucked into a negative pressure, so that the paper 12 placed on the transport belt 23 has a long groove-like opening in each suction hole 26. A downward suction force is applied through the vent hole 25 communicated with each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, ink as liquid can be ejected to a position corresponding to the front portion of the platen 24 and above the conveying belt 23 (a position along the conveying path). A recording head (liquid ejecting head) 29 is disposed in a state in which a nozzle forming surface 29 a serving as a lower surface thereof is opposed to the surface 23 a of the conveying belt 23. The recording head 29 is disposed so that its longitudinal direction extends in the left-right direction orthogonal to (crosses) the conveyance direction X of the paper 12, and its longitudinal dimension is the width direction (left-right direction) of the paper 12. ) Is longer than the dimension of.

  On the nozzle forming surface 29a of the recording head 29, a number of nozzles 30 convey a plurality of nozzle rows (four rows are shown in FIG. 1) in the transport direction X over the entire width direction (left and right direction) of the paper 12. It is formed so as to be arranged at a predetermined interval in the (front-rear direction). In the present embodiment, a region including all nozzles in the plurality of nozzle rows is referred to as a nozzle formation region 29A. In the present embodiment, an electromagnet (first member) 80 is provided on the nozzle formation surface 29a so as to surround the nozzle formation region 29A (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The electromagnet 80 is electrically connected to the control device 41. That is, the recording head 29 performs printing by ejecting ink over the entire width direction of the paper 12 on the paper 12 passing through the position facing the nozzle forming surface 29 a in the transport direction X. The so-called full line type recording head (line head) is used. In addition, when ink is ejected from the nozzles 30 of the nozzle formation surface 29a toward the surface of the paper 12 between the nozzle formation surface 29a of the recording head 29 and the surface 23a (conveyance plane) of the conveyance belt 23, ink is ejected. A slight gap (for example, about 1 mm) is set so that the droplets surely land on the intended position of the paper 12.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the sheet conveying mechanism 15 has a lower part on the opposite side of the recording head 29 with the platen 24 interposed therebetween, and a lower part than the circulation path of the conveying belt 23 in the paper conveying mechanism 13. A drive sprocket 32 that rotates around an axis parallel to the pulleys 17 to 20 of the paper transport mechanism 13 based on the driving force of the sheet transport motor (second drive source) 31 (see FIG. 10) is provided at the position. It has been.

  In addition, a pair of front and rear driven sprockets 33 and 34 are rotatable around an axis parallel to the axis of the drive sprocket 32 at a position in front of the drive pulley 17 and a position in the rear of the driven pulley 18 in the paper transport mechanism 13. Is provided. Further, between the drive sprocket 32 and the rear driven sprocket 34, a relay sprocket 35 and a tension sprocket 36 urged so that the center of the shaft moves upward are connected to the axis of the drive sprocket 32. It is provided so as to be rotatable around a parallel axis.

  The sprockets 32 to 36 are coaxially arranged at positions on the left and right outer sides of the paper transport mechanism 13 (specifically, the left and right support plates 21 and 22 that pivotally support the pulleys 17 to 20). It is provided so that it may become a left-right pair by arrangement | positioning. As shown in FIG. 1, in the pair of left and right sprockets 32 to 36, an endless chain (moving member, chain member) 37 is tensioned by the tension sprocket 36 in the paper transport mechanism 13. The conveyor belt 23 is looped around the circumference of the circulation path.

  That is, the sheet conveyance mechanism 15 is provided outside the circulation path of the conveyance belt 23 that circulates using the sheet conveyance motor 16 in the sheet conveyance mechanism 13 as a drive source, and is separated from the sheet conveyance motor 16 (see FIG. 10). ) As a drive source so that the chain 37 moves along a circular movement path. The chain 37 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1 as the drive sprocket 32 rotates. As shown in FIG. 4, the chain 37 is located between the front and rear driven sprockets 33 and 34, and is an upper side opposite to the surface 23 a (conveying plane) of the conveying belt 23 when viewed from the nozzle forming surface 29 a of the recording head 29. In addition, the paper transport mechanism 13 moves along the transport path of the paper 12 in a space above the upper end surfaces of the left and right support plates 21 and 22.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, between the two chains 37, a plurality of (in this embodiment, a pair of front and rear) belt-shaped sheet metal members (support members) 38 and 39 having a rigidity of the chain 37. In the circumferential movement direction, the recording head 29 is installed with an interval larger than the width in the front-rear direction of the nozzle forming surface 29a. Specifically, among the plurality of rigidly connecting pieces that form the chain 37 in a chain shape, each of the metal plates is connected to two connecting pieces that are separated by a distance corresponding to the interval in the circumferential movement direction of the chain 37. Both end portions (connecting portions) 38a and 39a of the members 38 and 39 are connected.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet metal members 38 and 39 are arranged so that the intermediate portions (support portions) 38 b and 39 b in the longitudinal direction are slightly inward from the both end portions 38 a and 39 a (specifically, the left and right support plates 21. , 22) and is bent in a crank shape so as to form a straight line on the inner peripheral side of the movement path (circulation path) forming the circular shape of the chain 37 rather than the both end portions 38 a, 39 a. That is, when each of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 rotates around the chain 37, the intermediate portions 38b and 39b move on the inner peripheral side of the circulation path rather than both end portions 38a and 39a connected to the connecting piece of the chain 37. Is configured to do.

  As a result, when the sheet metal members 38 and 39 pass through the arcuate curved path portions corresponding to the outer circumferences of the driven sprockets 33 and 34 as the chain 37 rotates, the inner circumference side is changed based on the inner ring difference. The moving intermediate portions 38b and 39b are configured to have a slower moving speed in the circumferential movement direction than both end portions 38a and 39a moving on the outer peripheral side. In other words, when the sheet metal members 38 and 39 pass through a linear path portion such as between the front and rear driven sprockets 33 and 34 during the circular movement, the intermediate portions 38b and 39b and the both end portions 38a and 39a are at a constant speed. Moving. On the other hand, when passing through an arcuate curved path portion formed continuously in the straight path portion on the upstream side and the downstream side of the straight path portion, the speed between the intermediate portions 38b and 39b and both end portions 38a and 39a. There is a difference.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the sheet metal members 38 and 39 move in the transport direction X along the transport path of the paper 12 as the chain 37 rotates, both end portions 38 a and 39 a are moved. The intermediate portions 38b and 39b on the inner side extend in a straight line in the direction perpendicular to (intersect) the transport direction X and along the surface 23a (transport plane) of the transport belt 23. When moving in the transport direction X, the two end portions 38a and 39a connected to the connecting piece of the chain 37 are opposite to the surface 23a (transport plane) of the transport belt 23 when viewed from the nozzle forming surface 29a. The intermediate portions 38b and 39b are configured to move in a space area on the surface 23a side of the conveyor belt 23 when viewed from the nozzle forming surface 29a. In this case, the straight intermediate portions 38b and 39b of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 are close to the surface 23a of the conveyor belt 23 by forming a very small gap (for example, 1 mm or less). Is formed. And the cap sheet | seat 14 which consists of the sheet | seat body 14A which has water repellency and flexibility with respect to each intermediate part 38b, 39b of such a sheet-metal member 38,39 is supported.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cap sheet 14 is composed of a single sheet body 14 </ b> A, and the sheet body 14 </ b> A is an intermediate portion 38 b of the sheet metal member 38 on the front side (in this case, the front) with respect to the sheet metal members 38 and 39. To the rear (in this case, the last) sheet metal member 39 is wrapped so as to form an endless shape. And the cap sheet 14 is polymerized at both ends of the sheet body 14A on the side that becomes the inner peripheral side (lower side in FIG. 5) when moving along the circular movement path in the wound state, By adhering the overlapped portion 14a, it is supported by the intermediate portions 38b, 39b of both the sheet metal members 38, 39 so as to be in an endless stretched state. That is, the cap sheet 14 is supported in a stretched state by the two sheet metal members 38 and 39 as the chain 37 rotates and is opposed to the nozzle forming surface 29a of the recording head 29 in a position mode, and the nozzle forming region 29A of the nozzle forming surface 29a. The cap is to be sealed.

  Specifically, a metal layer 81 (second member) having a size overlapping the electromagnet 80 provided on the nozzle formation surface 29a of the droplet discharge head 29 in plan view is formed on the nozzle formation surface 29a side of the cap sheet 14. Has been. Thereby, the cap layer 14 is attracted to the electromagnet 80 by the magnetic force when the magnetic force is generated. Thereby, the cap sheet 14 can hold the nozzle 30 in a moisturized state, and can prevent the nozzle 30 from being dried and dust and foreign matter from adhering to the inside of the nozzle 30.

  Further, when the cap sheet 14 passes through the position facing the nozzle forming surface 29a of the recording head 29 in a stretched state in this way, the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 and the nozzle forming surface 29a The sheet body 14A of the cap sheet 14 is interposed therebetween. Therefore, even if the intermediate portions 38b, 39b of the sheet metal members 38, 39 vibrate in the vertical direction during movement, the intermediate portions of the sheet metal members 38, 39 with respect to the nozzle forming surface 29a of the recording head 29. The parts 38b and 39b are not in direct contact. Further, the liquid ejected from the recording head 29 does not adhere to the intermediate portions 38b, 39b of the sheet metal members 38, 39.

  The cap sheet 14 is bonded to the inner surface side of the front end portion in the moving direction of the sheet body 14A that is endless with respect to the intermediate portion 38b of the first sheet metal member 38 that is the front side in the transport direction X, while the transport direction X In FIG. 5, the inner side 39b of the second sheet metal member 39 on the rear side is in a support state in which the inner surface side of the sheet body 14A is not bonded. That is, the front end portion of the cap sheet 14 in the movement direction is fixed to the foremost first sheet metal member 38 in the positioning support state in the circumferential movement direction, while the rear end portion is more than the front end portion in the movement direction. Is supported so as to be slidable in the circumferential movement direction with respect to the second sheet metal member 39 on the rear side.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the optical sensor is located behind the recording head 29 in the conveyance direction X of the paper 12 and above the right second support plate 22. (Detecting means) 42 is provided. The light sensor 42 projects light toward the upper end surface of the second support plate 22, and when the light is reflected from the upper end surface of the second support plate 22, the light sensor 42 receives the reflected light. It consists of a light receiving sensor. A sheet metal member that supports the cap sheet 14 when the light is shielded by passing through both ends 38a and 39a of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 installed between the left and right chains 37 below the optical sensor 42. A detection signal indicating that 38 and 39 have passed through the arrangement position of the optical sensor 42 is output to the control device 41. Accordingly, the control device 41 can grasp that the cap sheet 41 has approached the vicinity of the recording head 29.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the surface on the inner peripheral side (lower side in FIG. 5) when the cap sheet 14 is stretched between the two sheet metal members 38, 39 has, for example, a large number of fibers in a brush shape. The brushed surface (cleaning function surface) 43 is raised. As shown in FIG. 1, when the cap sheet 14 stops at the standby position P corresponding to the tension pulley 20 on the rear side of the paper transport mechanism 13 on the circulation path of the chain 37, The brush surface 43 is in sliding contact with the surface 23a of the wound conveyor belt 23 so that it can be wiped off. That is, the brush surface 43 of the cap sheet 14 exhibits a cleaning function capable of wiping the surface 23a of the conveyor belt 23 by slidingly contacting the surface 23a of the conveyor belt 23 that moves around with a speed difference.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 to 8, the position corresponding to the front and rear driven sprockets 33, 34 in the sheet conveying mechanism 15 and between the left and right chains 37 is A pair of guide plates (guide means) 44 and 45 are provided. Each guide plate 44, 45 is made of a metal plate, and is bent so that the cross-sectional shape of each guide plate 44, 45 is curved along the arcuate path portion of each chain 37 that meshes with the corresponding driven sprocket 33, 34. Has been. That is, the guide plates 44 and 45 are formed so that the inner peripheral surfaces (engagement portions) 44a and 45a have a concave curved surface shape along the path direction of the curved path portion forming the arc shape of each chain 37. Yes. Although not shown, the guide plates 44 and 45 are supported on the main body frame of the printer 11 via brackets.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the upstream guide plate 44 corresponding to the rear driven sprocket 34 is made of a substantially rectangular plate having rigidity, and the upper end edge of the plate 12 A notch portion (target passage portion) 46 having an opening width that is wider than the left and right width and shorter than the left and right lengths of the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 is formed. The notches 46 allow passage of the paper 12 fed onto the transport belt 23 from the paper feed tray side. A pair of left and right projecting pieces 47 are provided on the left and right sides of the notch 46. Is formed.

  When the sheet metal members 38 and 39 supporting the cap sheet 14 pass through an arcuate curved path along the outer periphery of the driven sprocket 34 during the circular movement, the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 are used. Is engaged with the inner peripheral surface 44a of the upstream guide plate 44 through the sheet body 14A to guide the moving direction. That is, when passing through the arcuate curved path portion, the sheet metal members 38 and 39 and the cap sheet 14 supported by the sheet metal members 38 and 39 in an expanded state tend to be deformed outward by the action of centrifugal force. However, outward deformation of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 and the cap sheet 14 is suppressed by the inner peripheral surface 44 a of the upstream guide plate 44.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the downstream guide plate 45 corresponding to the front driven sprocket 33 has a substantially rectangular shape having two rigidity with the same left-right width as the protruding piece portion 47 of the upstream guide plate 44. It is comprised by the shape board piece. The two downstream guide plates 45 are separated in the left-right direction so that the distance between the inner edges facing each other in the left-right direction is the same as the opening width of the notch 46 in the upstream guide plate 44. Has been placed. Therefore, the sheet 12 discharged from the transport belt 23 to the sheet discharge tray side can pass through the space area 45b between the left and right downstream guide plates 45. In this respect, the downstream guide plate 45 has the inner edge of both. The space region 45b in between functions as a target passing portion. Further, when the sheet metal members 38 and 39 supporting the cap sheet 14 pass through an arcuate curved path portion along the outer periphery of the driven sprocket 33 in the course of the circular movement, intermediate portions 38b and 39b of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 are used. Is engaged with the inner peripheral surface 45a of the both guide plates 45 through the sheet body 14A to guide the moving direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the position is opposite to the front side of the tension pulley 19 on the front side of the tension pulley 19 in the sheet conveyance mechanism 13 (opposite the nozzle forming surface 29 a), outside the circulation path of the chain 37 in the sheet conveyance mechanism 15. A cleaning mechanism (cleaning means) 48 for cleaning the cap sheet 14 is provided at a cleaning position downstream of the position.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the cleaning mechanism 48 is connected to a resin-made or rubber-made blade (wipe member) 62 having a curved tip, a suction pump (not shown), and the like. A suction mechanism 51 to be operated. The blade 62 may be configured by laminating a plurality of materials, or may be configured from a single material. The cleaning mechanism 48 abuts the blade 62 on the cap surface 14 b that is the outer peripheral surface of the cap sheet 14, thereby wiping off ink adhering to the cap surface 14 b and sucking the ink scraped off by the blade 62 into the suction mechanism 51. By sucking. In this case, the support base 61 capable of sandwiching the cap sheet 14 passing through the cleaning position (position where the blade 62 and the cap sheet 14 are in contact) with the blade 62 inside the circulation path of the chain 37. Is disposed as a clamping member. As a result, the ink scraping property of the blade 62 is improved.

  Specifically, the cleaning mechanism 48 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of cleaning units 63. As shown in FIG. 9A, each cleaning unit 63 includes the blade 62 and the suction mechanism 51, and the width thereof is set to be at least larger than the width of the cap surface 14 b of the cap sheet 14. . Thus, the cleaning mechanism 48 can reliably remove ink from the cap surface 14b.

  The cleaning mechanism 48 abuts the blade 62 on the cap surface 14 b that is the outer peripheral surface of the cap sheet 14, thereby wiping off ink adhering to the cap surface 14 b and sucking the ink scraped off by the blade 62 into the suction mechanism 51. By sucking.

  The blade 62 has a tapered tip part, and the tip part has a smaller thickness than the other part. Specifically, the tip portion of the blade 62 has a thickness of 50 μm or less.

  The blade 62 has a liquid repellent treatment applied to the lower surface 62a on the side sliding on the cap surface 14b. Here, as the liquid repellent treatment, any treatment can be used as long as it is a treatment that exhibits liquid repellency with respect to the ink. It can be illustrated. Thereby, when the blade 62 slides on the cap surface 14 b, it is possible to prevent ink from entering the gap between the cap surface 14 b and the blade 62, and the cap surface 14 b can be reliably wiped by the blade 62.

  The blade 62 is subjected to a liquid repellent treatment on the entire upper surface 62b opposite to the lower surface 62a. With this configuration, the ink scraped off from the cap surface 14b can be reliably recovered by being sucked by the suction mechanism 51 without adhering to the blade 62 by the liquid repellent treatment applied to the blade surface. The surface 62b can be collected without causing ink to adhere to the blade by increasing the suction force of the suction mechanism 51 as long as the liquid repellent treatment is applied to at least the tip portion. It is desirable to perform a liquid repellent treatment. In addition, when the liquid repellency is imparted to both surfaces (the upper surface 62b and the lower surface 62a) of the blade 62, the blade itself may be made of a water-repellent material.

  In this case, the support base 61 capable of sandwiching the cap sheet 14 passing through the cleaning position (position where the blade 62 and the cap sheet 14 are in contact) with the blade 62 inside the circulation path of the chain 37. Is disposed as a clamping member. As a result, the ink scraping property of the blade 62 is improved.

  The blade 62 is attached to the suction mechanism 51. The suction mechanism 51 includes a flange portion 64 that extends in a bowl shape so as to face the blade 62, and a suction port 51a that is guided to a suction pump (not shown). The flange portion 64 is formed so that the tip is curved, and the tip is opposed to the cap surface 14b. Further, when the blade 62 is in contact with the cap surface 14b, the flange portion 64 extends to a position covering the tip portion of the blade 62 when viewed from above the cap surface 14b.

  Further, the collar portion 64 extends from the suction mechanism 51 so as to narrow the upstream side (cap surface 14b side) of the ink suction path from the cap surface 14b to the suction port 51a of the suction mechanism 51. As described above, since the upstream side of the ink suction path is narrowed by the collar portion 64, the airflow speed at the time of suction is increased, and the cleaning efficiency can be improved. The inner surface of the suction port 51a is provided with liquid repellency to prevent the ink scraped by the blade 62 from adhering.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, the cleaning mechanism 48 has a plurality of blades 62 arranged in a staggered manner along the direction orthogonal to the sliding direction of the blades 62 (the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure). It has become a thing. By arranging the plurality of blades 62 in a staggered manner in this way, the length of each blade 62 can be set short, the resistance during sliding can be suppressed, and each blade 62 can be closely attached to the cap surface 14b. And high wiping properties can be obtained. Further, the cleaning mechanism 48 is configured to wipe the cap surface 14b twice by the blade 62 by arranging the blades 62 in a staggered manner. Therefore, the ink wiping property on the cap surface 14b is excellent.

As shown in FIG. 9C, the contact angle between each blade 62 and the cap surface 14b is preferably set to 15 degrees to 60 degrees, and is set to 45 degrees in this embodiment. The blade 62 scrapes the ink from the cap surface 14b in a state where the rotating cap sheet 14 is sandwiched between the blade base 62 and the support base 61. At this time, the suction mechanism 51 is operated. Then, since the upper surface 62b of the blade 62 has liquid repellency, the ink I scraped off by the blade 62 is satisfactorily sucked into the suction port 51a as a droplet.
At this time, by providing a vibration / swing mechanism (not shown) on the support base 61 and the cleaning unit 63, when the blade 62 slides on the cap surface 14b, at least one of the blade 62 and the cap sheet 14 is vibrated. It is like that. As described above, by vibrating at least one of the blade 62 and the cap sheet 14, the ink scraping property of the blade 62 can be improved.

  Each of the cleaning units 63 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the cap sheet 14 by a rotation motor 49 (see FIG. 10), and in a non-cleaning state, the blade 62 is not in contact with the cap surface 14b. It can be retained. Each cleaning unit 63 may be configured to rotate independently with respect to the cap sheet 14 or may be configured to rotate integrally.

Next, a control configuration in the printer 11 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 10, a control device (control means) 41 that comprehensively controls the operating state of the printer 11 includes an input side interface (not shown), an output side interface (not shown), a CPU 55, a ROM 56, a RAM 57, and the like. It is composed mainly of a digital computer equipped. A touch input type operation panel (input means) 58 provided on the surface of the main body frame of the optical sensor 42 and the printer 11 is electrically connected to the input side interface. The output side interface includes a piezoelectric element 59 that is driven when ink is ejected from the recording head 29, a paper conveyance motor 16, a fan 28, a sheet conveyance motor 31, a rotation motor 49, and an electromagnet 80, respectively. It is connected to the.

  In the control device 41, the ROM 56 stores a control program for controlling each mechanism (the piezoelectric element 59, the paper transport motor 16 and the like). The RAM 57 stores various information (such as a detection signal of the optical sensor 42) that can be appropriately rewritten while the printer 11 is being driven. The control device 41 controls each output side mechanism (piezoelectric element 59, paper transport motor 16 and the like) separately based on signals input from the input side optical sensor 42 and the operation panel 58. .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the purpose of moving the cap sheet 14 along the path is different on the circulation path of the chain 37 that rotates in order to convey the cap sheet 14 in the sheet conveyance mechanism 15. A plurality of path portions Z1 to Z3 are set.

  First, the cap sheet 14 is located downstream of the standby position P where the conveyance belt 23 is sandwiched between the tension pulley 20 and the chain 37 in the circumferential movement direction, and between the front and rear driven sprockets 33, 34. The path portion to be formed is a first path portion Z1 including a position facing the nozzle forming surface 29a. In the first path portion Z1, the nozzle layer 29A is sealed in a state where the cap sheet 14 seals the nozzle formation region 29A by causing the metal layer 81 of the nozzle formation surface 29a to correspond to the electromagnet 80 of the recording head 29 and driving the electromagnet 80. It is adsorbed on the formation surface 29a (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

  Next, a second path portion Z2 for cleaning the cap sheet 14 by the cleaning mechanism 48 is provided between the front driven sprocket 33 and the lower drive sprocket 32 on the circulation path of the chain 37. A predetermined interval is set between Z1 and Z1. The second path portion Z2 is set to a length including at least a region in which the cap sheet 14 moves between the time when the cap sheet 14 starts to contact the blade 62 and the time when the contact ends. .

  Then, on the circular path of the chain 37, between the second path part Z2 and the standby position P, the cap sheet 14 cleaned in the second path part Z2 is returned toward the standby position P for reuse. It is set as the 3rd path | route part Z3 to do. That is, the cap sheet 14 returns from the standby position P to the standby position P via the first path portion Z1, the second path portion Z2, and the third path portion Z3 in sequence as the chain 37 rotates, and the standby state P It waits in a stopped state at the position P until the next capping.

  Next, the operation of the printer 11 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described focusing on the capping operation after printing and the cleaning operation of the cap sheet 14. When printing is performed on the paper 12 in the printer 11, the paper 12 is sequentially fed from a paper feed tray (not shown) onto the transport belt 23 at a predetermined interval. At that time, as shown in FIG. 6, the sheet 12 passes through the notch portion (target passage portion) 46 of the upstream guide plate 44 and is fed onto the transport belt 23. At the same time, the control device 41 drives the paper transport motor 16 and the fan 28, and the transport belt 23 is downstream of the transport direction X in a state where the paper 12 is attracted and held on the surface 23a (transport plane) by the negative pressure. Transport to.

  When the paper 12 passes through a position facing the nozzle forming surface 29 a of the recording head 29, the control device 41 drives the piezoelectric element 59 in the recording head 29, and as a result, prints from the nozzle 30 of the recording head 29. Is ejected toward the surface of the paper 12. Thereafter, the paper 12 on which printing has been performed by ink ejection from the recording head 29 is further conveyed to the downstream side in the conveyance direction X as the conveyance belt 23 rotates, and as shown in FIG. The sheet 45 passes through a space area (target passage portion) 45b between the inner edges of the plate 45 and is discharged to a discharge tray.

  In the sheet conveying mechanism 15, the sheet conveying motor 31 is controlled to be in a driving stop state by the control device 41 with the cap sheet 14 positioned at the standby position P. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, if paper dust or dust adheres to the surface 23 a of the conveyor belt 23 that moves around, it is wiped by the brush surface 43 of the cap sheet 14 that is stopped at the standby position P. Is done. That is, after the surface 23a of the transport belt 23 of the paper transport mechanism 13 is wiped off by the brush surface 43 of the cap sheet 14 as described above, the succeeding paper 12 is newly placed on the cleaned surface 23a. And transport in the transport direction X.

  On the other hand, in the printer 11, during the capping operation, the sheet conveying mechanism 15 is driven by the control device 41 as follows. That is, if the control device 41 receives a manual capping command signal based on a user input operation from the operation panel 58, or determines that the conditions set for executing the capping operation when the power is OFF are satisfied, The conveyance motor 31 is driven to start the circular movement of the chain 37.

  When the sheet conveying motor 31 is driven, the chain 37 starts rotating around, and the cap sheet 14 supported by the sheet metal members 38 and 39 is moved backward from the standby position P as shown in FIG. Along the outer periphery of the driven sprocket 34 on the side, it moves so as to draw an arcuate movement trajectory and is conveyed to the first path portion Z1. And when the cap sheet | seat 14 moves along the outer periphery of the driven sprocket 34 in that way, each intermediate part 38b, 39b of each sheet metal member 38, 39 of front and back of the upstream side guide plate 44 which makes a cross-sectional arc shape. The moving direction is guided by making sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface 44a via the cap sheet 14.

  Here, when each of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 passes through an arcuate curved path portion along the outer periphery of the driven sprocket 34, the inner peripheral side intermediate portion 38 b that supports the cap sheet 14 due to the influence of the inner ring difference, The moving speed of 39b becomes slower than the moving speed of both end portions 38a, 39a on the outer peripheral side connected to the chain 37. That is, a speed difference is generated between the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of the front and rear sheet metal members 38 and 39 when one is passing through the curved path portion and the other is passing through the straight path portion.

  Therefore, in the state where the front sheet metal member 38 first enters the curved path portion and the rear sheet metal member 39 is still passing the straight path portion before entering the curved path portion, the rear sheet metal member The intermediate part 39b of the member 39 tends to move closer to the front in the circumferential movement direction so as to close the gap with the intermediate part 38b of the front sheet metal member 38. At that time, the intermediate portion 39b of the sheet metal member 39 on the rear side is supported in a non-adhesive and slidable manner with respect to the sheet body 14A of the cap sheet 14. Forward approaching is allowed. Therefore, it is avoided that the cap sheet 14 supported in a stretched state between the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of both the sheet metal members 38 and 39 is bent due to distortion or receives unnecessary pulling force.

  On the other hand, in a state where the front sheet metal member 38 first passes through the curved path portion and passes through the straight path portion, and the rear sheet metal member 39 is still passing through the curved path portion, the rear sheet metal member 39. The intermediate portion 39b tends to move backward in the circumferential movement direction so as to increase the distance from the intermediate portion 38b of the front sheet metal member 38. In this case, the intermediate portion 39b of the rear sheet metal member 39 is supported in a non-adhesive and slidable manner with respect to the sheet body 14A of the cap sheet 14, so that the circumferential movement direction is as described above. Is allowed to move backward. Therefore, also in this case, it is avoided that the cap sheet 14 supported in a stretched state between the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of both the sheet metal members 38 and 39 is warped or receives unnecessary pulling force.

  Further, when the cap sheet 14 supported in a stretched state between the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of both the sheet metal members 38 and 39 moves to draw an arcuate movement locus, it tends to be deformed outward by centrifugal force. . However, in that case, the sheet portion to be deformed outward in the cap sheet 14 is in sliding contact with the central region (region below the notch 46) of the inner peripheral surface 44a of the upstream guide plate 44. . Therefore, when the cap sheet 14 supported in a stretched state on the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 moves along an outer periphery of the driven sprocket 34 so as to draw an arc-shaped movement locus, Is deformed so as to swell greatly, and is conveyed to the first path portion Z1 in a stable stretched state. Therefore, the cap sheet 14 is attracted and held in an appropriate surface contact state with the surface 23 a of the transport belt 23 in the first path portion Z1.

  Further, both end portions 38a and 39a of the chain 37 and the respective sheet metal members 38 and 39 connected to the connecting piece of the chain 37 are positioned above the left and right support plates 21 and 22 in the paper transport mechanism 13 along the transport direction X. Moving. For this reason, it is not necessary to secure a moving space for the chain 37 and the like at the same height as the surface 23a of the conveyor belt 23 on both the left and right sides of the conveyor belt 23, so that the degree of freedom in design of the printer 11 is less likely to be restricted.

  Thereafter, when the right end 38a of the both end portions 38a of the front sheet metal member 38 moves to a position below the position where the photosensor 42 is disposed, light projected and received by the photosensor 42 is blocked. A detection signal is output to the control device 41. Then, the control device 41 is based on the moving speed of the chain 37 at that time and the distance from the arrangement position (reference position) of the optical sensor 42 to the lower position of the recording head 29 (position facing the nozzle forming surface 29a). The time required for the metal layer 81 of the cap sheet 14 to be in a position mode facing the electromagnet 80 provided on the nozzle forming surface 29a is calculated.

  And the control apparatus 41 drives the electromagnet 80 at the passage timing of the time calculated | required by the calculation. Then, when the metal layer 81 of the cap sheet 14 and the electromagnet 80 face each other, the cap sheet 14 is attracted to the nozzle forming surface 29a by a magnetic force. Then, the control device 41 stops driving the sheet conveyance motor 31. As a result, the nozzle forming surface 29a is capped by the cap sheet 14.

  Then, the control device 41 ends the capping and drives the sheet conveying motor 31 when performing printing next time. The cap sheet 14 after capping moves so as to draw an arc-shaped movement locus along the outer periphery of the front driven sprocket 33 and is conveyed toward the second path portion Z2. When the cap sheet 14 moves along the outer periphery of the driven sprocket 33 as described above, each of the front and rear sheet metal members 38 and 39 is the same as when guided by the rear upstream guide plate 44. When the intermediate portions 38b and 39b are in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface 45a of the downstream side guide plate 45 having a circular arc shape through the cap sheet 14, the moving direction is guided.

  Even in this case, the intermediate portions 38b, 39b of the front and rear sheet metal members 38, 39 are connected to each other in the same manner as when passing through the arcuate curved path portion along the outer periphery of the rear driven sprocket 34. Due to the influence of the inner ring difference between the two end portions 38a and 39a on the side, a speed difference is generated between the two end portions 38a and 39a so as to approach and separate. However, also in this case, the intermediate portion 39b of the rear sheet metal member 39 is slidably supported by the sheet body 14A of the cap sheet 14 so as to be slidable. Movement and separation movement are allowed. Therefore, also in this case, it is avoided that the cap sheet 14 supported in a stretched state between the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of both the sheet metal members 38 and 39 is warped or receives unnecessary pulling force.

  In addition, when the cap sheet 14 supported in a stretched state between the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of both the sheet metal members 38 and 39 moves so as to draw an arcuate movement locus, the ink adhered during capping is on the left and right downstream sides. The space area 45b between the inner edges of the guide plate 45 is moved. Therefore, the downstream guide plate 45 is not soiled by the ink adhering to the cap sheet 14.

  Further, when the cap sheet 14 enters the arcuate curved path portion along the outer periphery of the driven sprocket 33 on the front side, the rotation motor 49 is driven to rotate by the control device 41. Then, the cleaning mechanism 48 rotates so that the blade 62 (cleaning unit 63) does not come into contact with the cap surface 14b and is in a non-cleaning posture mode. In this state, the rotation drive of the rotation motor 49 is stopped by the control device 41, and the cleaning mechanism 48 maintains the non-cleaning posture and the front end portion in the moving direction of the cap sheet 14 enters the second path portion Z2. Wait to do.

  Thereafter, when the front end portion of the cap sheet 14 enters the second path portion Z2 along with the circular movement of the chain 37, the control device 41 restarts the rotational drive of the rotation motor 49. Then, the cleaning mechanism 48 switches to the cleaning state, and operates the suction mechanism 51 while bringing the blade 62 into contact with the surface on the outer peripheral side of the cap sheet 14 (surface facing the nozzle forming region 29A).

  In addition, while the cap sheet 14 passes through the second path portion Z2 (that is, until the blade 62 passes through the cap surface 14b), the circumferential movement speed of the chain 37 is slower than the speed in the first path portion Z1. The driving state of the sheet conveying motor 31 is controlled by the control device 41 so as to be a slow speed (second speed). Therefore, the ink adhering to the cap sheet 14 at the time of capping is reliably absorbed and wiped by the cleaning mechanism 48 because the cap sheet 14 moves at a slow speed.

  The cap sheet 14 from which the ink has been wiped off in the second path portion Z2 is transported to the standby position P via the third path portion Z3 to prepare for the next capping as the chain 37 rotates.

  When the cap sheet 14 moves through the third path portion Z3 toward the standby position P, the rotational speed of the chain 37 is faster than the speed in the first path portion Z1 (third speed). As described above, the driving state of the sheet conveying motor 31 is controlled by the control device 41. Therefore, the cap sheet 14 that has been cleaned by wiping the ink in the second path portion Z2 is quickly conveyed to the standby position P. When capping is performed again, the sheet conveying mechanism 15 is driven again in the same procedure as described above.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) At the time of capping, the cap sheet 14 supported in the stretched state by the intermediate portions 38b, 39b of the sheet metal members 38, 39 is held at a position facing the nozzle forming surface 29a. Therefore, the cap sheet 14 can be capped in a state where the nozzle forming region 29A is sealed, the nozzle 30 can be prevented from being dried or dust can be prevented from being deposited, and the ink sheet can be reliably provided with good ink ejection characteristics. Become. Further, the cap sheet 14 can be brought into close contact with the nozzle forming surface 29a simply and reliably by adsorbing the electromagnet 80 provided on the nozzle forming surface 29a and the metal layer 81 provided on the cap sheet 14 by magnetic force. .

  (2) Further, since the chain 37 to which the sheet metal members 38 and 39 are connected moves in a space area opposite to the surface 23a of the conveying belt 23 as viewed from the nozzle forming surface 29a, the printer 11 It is not necessary to secure the moving space at the same height position as the surface 23a of the conveyor belt 23. Therefore, even when the chain 37 for carrying the cap sheet 14 in and out of the recording head 29 at a position facing the nozzle forming surface 29a is provided, the possibility that the design freedom of the printer 11 is restricted can be reduced.

  (3) The sheet metal members 38 and 39 that support the cap sheet 14 in the sheet conveying mechanism 15 and the chain 37 that moves while the sheet metal members 38 and 39 are connected have rigidity. Further, the sheet metal members 38 and 39 have a shape in which a portion between the end portions 38 a and 39 a serving as a connecting portion to the chain 37 and the intermediate portions 38 b and 39 b supporting the cap sheet 14 is bent. Therefore, the cap sheet 14 can be transported in a stable posture to a position facing the nozzle forming surface 29a of the recording head 29 while ensuring the degree of freedom in designing the printer 11.

  (4) Since the front end portion in the moving direction is fixed to the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 connected to the chain 37, the sheet body 14A constituting the cap sheet 14 has a front end portion in the moving direction. Further, the rear side portion follows the movement of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 that move integrally with the chain 37 and moves in a state of being stretched rearward in the movement direction. Accordingly, since the cap sheet 14 is in a position mode facing the nozzle forming surface 29a of the recording head 29 in such a stretched state, the cap sheet 14 can be brought into close contact with the nozzle forming surface 29a.

  (5) When the front and rear sheet metal members 38 and 39 in the sheet conveying mechanism 15 pass through the arcuate curved path portion as the chain 37 moves, the intermediate portion 38b of the front sheet metal member 38 is affected by the inner ring difference. A speed difference occurs between the intermediate portion 39b and the intermediate portion 39b of the rear sheet metal member 39, and the intermediate portions 38b and 39b move relative to each other so as to approach or separate from each other. In such a case, if the sheet body 14A constituting the cap sheet 14 is fixed to the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of the sheet metal members 38 and 39, the sheet body 14A is distorted when the intermediate portions 38b and 39b are relatively moved. There is a risk that it will be bent or receive unnecessary pulling force. However, in this respect, in the above embodiment, the intermediate portion 39b of the rear sheet metal member 39 supports the sheet body 14A so as to be slidable. Therefore, when the intermediate portions 38b and 39b are relatively moved, There is no fear that 14A bends due to distortion or receives unnecessary pulling force, and the cap sheet 14 can be conveyed in a good posture.

  (6) The cap sheet 14 is simply wound around the intermediate portions 38b and 39b of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 so as to form an endless shape in which all the intermediate portions 38b and 39b are wrapped. Can be easily supported in the extended state. When the cap sheet 14 supported in such a stretched state passes through a position facing the nozzle forming surface 29a of the recording head 29, the sheet body 14A is interposed between the sheet metal members 38 and 39 and the nozzle forming surface 29a. Therefore, there is no possibility that the sheet metal members 38 and 39 directly contact the nozzle forming surface 29a. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the nozzle forming surface 29a of the recording head 29 from being damaged by the sheet metal members 38, 39 and the waste ink ejected from the nozzle 30 from adhering to the sheet metal members 38, 39.

  (7) When the sheet metal members 38 and 39 that support the cap sheet 14 move along the curved path portion, the inner peripheral surfaces 44a and 45a of the guide plates 44 and 45 engage with the sheet metal members 38 and 39, respectively. As a result, the sheet metal members 38 and 39 are guided so as to move along the path direction of the curved path portion, so that the sheet metal members 38 and 39 are not displaced outwardly by the centrifugal force. Therefore, the cap sheet 14 that moves along the curved path portion together with the sheet metal members 38 and 39 while being supported by the sheet metal members 38 and 39 is prevented from being greatly deformed outward by the centrifugal force. . Therefore, even when the cap sheet 14 is transported along the moving path including the curved path portion, the cap sheet 14 can be transported in a stable posture state.

  (8) A notch 46 that allows passage of the paper 12 is formed in the upstream guide plate 44 in the transport direction X, and the pair of downstream guide plates 45 allow the space of the paper 12 to pass. 45b is spaced apart. For this reason, when the paper 12 is transported in the transport direction X along the transport path from the paper feed tray to the paper discharge tray, the passage of the paper 12 is not hindered by the guide plates 44 and 45. Smooth conveyance can be ensured.

  (9) In particular, in the downstream guide plate 45, the position of the cap surface 14 b on which the ink adheres on the cap sheet 14 corresponds to the space region 45 b between the left and right downstream guide plates 45 is set to the sheet metal members 38, 39. The intermediate portions 38b and 39b move along the curved path portion. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the possibility that the downstream guide plate 45 is contaminated by the ink attached to the cap surface 14b of the cap sheet 14.

  (10) Further, in the upstream guide plate 44, the paper 12 can be transported onto the transport belt 23 through the notch 46 from the paper feed tray side. Further, when the cap sheet 14 in the previous stage that passes through the position facing the nozzle forming surface 29a moves through the upstream curved path portion, it can be suppressed from displacing the curved path portion outward. At that time, the sheet portion to be displaced outward in the cap sheet 14 is in sliding contact with a portion other than the notch 46 in the upstream guide plate 44, so that displacement can be more reliably suppressed. In addition, at that time, the cap sheet 14 is in the stage before capping, so the upstream guide plate 44 is not soiled with ink.

  (11) Each of the guide plates 44 and 45 has an arcuate shape in which the sheet metal members 38 and 39 that move while supporting the cap sheet 14 are engaged when the cap sheet 14 moves along the curved path portion. Since it can be smoothly slid with respect to the inner peripheral surfaces 44a and 45a, the moving direction can be smoothly guided.

  (12) When the cap sheet 14 passes the cleaning position, if the cleaning unit 63 (blade 62) is switched to the cleaning posture by the rotation motor 49, the ink attached to the cap sheet 14 by the blade 62 Can be wiped off. On the other hand, when it is not necessary to clean the cap sheet 14 passing through the cleaning position, for example, when the amount of ink adhering is small, the cleaning unit 63 (blade 62) can be switched to the non-cleaning posture by the rotation motor 49. Since the blade 62 does not come into contact with the moving cap sheet 14, the conveyance state of the cap sheet 14 by the sheet conveyance mechanism 15 can be satisfactorily maintained.

  (13) When the cap sheet 14 is cleaned, the suction mechanism 51 can suck the ink scraped off from the cap surface 14b by the blade 62. Therefore, the cap sheet 14 that can receive the ink ejected as the waste liquid from the recording head 29 can be easily and repeatedly used by cleaning it with a simple configuration. Therefore, it is possible to provide a highly reliable printer 11 that can repeatedly use the cap sheet 14.

  (14) By arranging a plurality of blades 62 in a staggered manner, the length of each blade 62 can be set short, and the resistance during sliding can be suppressed, and each blade 62 can be satisfactorily adhered to the cap surface 14b. High wiping property can be obtained by making it.

  (15) Since the liquid repellent treatment is applied to the lower surface 62a of the blade 62 on the side sliding on the cap surface 14b, when the blade 62 slides on the cap surface 14b, the gap between the cap surface 14b and the blade 62 Ink can be prevented from entering the ink, and the cap surface 14b can be reliably wiped by the blade 62.

  (16) Further, since the entire surface of the upper surface 62b of the blade 62 opposite to the lower surface 62a is subjected to the liquid repelling treatment, the ink scraped off from the cap surface 14b does not adhere to the blade 62 and the suction mechanism 51 It can be reliably recovered.

  (17) Since at least one of the blade 62 and the cap sheet 14 vibrates when the blade 62 slides on the cap surface 14b, the ink scraping property of the blade 62 can be improved.

  (18) Since the collar portion 64 extends so as to narrow the upstream side of the ink suction path from the cap surface 14b to the suction port 51a of the suction mechanism 51, the airflow speed at the time of suction is increased, and the cleaning efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, ink adhesion can be prevented by imparting liquid repellency to the inner surface of the suction port 51a.

  (19) By appropriately adjusting the conveyance speed during the conveyance of the cap sheet 14 through the control of the driving state of the sheet conveyance motor 31 by the control device 41, the conveyance efficiency of the cap sheet 14 can be improved with a simple configuration. it can.

  (20) Through the control of the driving state of the sheet conveying motor 31 by the control device 41, the cap sheet 14 is circulated and conveyed from the standby position P through the first path portion Z1, the second path portion Z2, and the third path portion Z3 in this order. The cap sheet 14 can be reused.

  (21) Further, in the second path portion Z2 provided with the cleaning mechanism 48, the cap sheet 14 is transported at a transport speed slower than the transport speed in the first path portion Z1, so that the transport purpose at that time is The purpose of cleaning a certain cap sheet 14 can be achieved effectively and reliably.

  (22) Further, in the third path portion Z3 that transports the cleaned cap sheet 14 back to the standby position P, the cap sheet 14 is transported at a higher transport speed than in the other path portions Z1 and Z2. The cap sheet 14 can be quickly returned to the standby position P. Therefore, for example, it is possible to cope with high-frequency capping using a small number of cap sheets 14 such as one sheet, and it is also possible to appropriately cope with an increase in the size of the printer 11 in which the path through which the cap sheet 14 is conveyed becomes long. .

  (23) For capping, when the cap sheet 14 transported toward the downstream side in the transport direction X by the sheet transport mechanism 15 approaches a position facing the nozzle forming surface 29a, the approach fact is detected by the optical sensor 42. Detection signal is output. And since the control apparatus 41 controls the drive of the electromagnet 80 based on the detection signal, the cap sheet 14 can adsorb | suck the electrode layer 80 and the electromagnet 81 reliably.

  (24) At the time of maintenance of the sheet transport mechanism 13, the entire mechanism unit 13A can be removed from the printer 11 for maintenance, and therefore various maintenance operations such as replacement of the transport belt 23 are accompanied by removal work of the sheet transport mechanism 15. And can be carried out easily.

  (25) Since the circulation path of the conveyance belt 23 in the sheet conveyance mechanism 13 is provided inside the circulation path of the chain 37 in the sheet conveyance mechanism 15, it can contribute to downsizing of the printer 11.

  (26) In the printer 11, the detachable portion that allows the mechanism unit 13 </ b> A of the paper transport mechanism 13 to be detachable is a bearing portion that is formed by a hole or a hole drilled in the inner surface of the second support plate 22 that is fixedly arranged in the printer 11. The shaft portions 17a to 20a of the pulleys 17 to 20 in the paper transport mechanism 13 can be inserted into and removed from the bearing portion 22a. Therefore, the attachment / detachment operation of the mechanism unit 13A of the paper transport mechanism 13 can be easily performed only by moving the shaft portions 17a to 20a of the pulleys 17 to 20 with respect to the bearing portion 22a in the insertion / extraction direction.

  (27) Further, when the mechanism unit 13A of the paper transport mechanism 13 is attached to or detached from the printer 11, the first support plate 21 as a support in the mechanism unit 13A functions as a gripping portion, and thus the mechanism unit 13A is Attaching and removing work can be performed stably.

  (28) The structure in which the entire mechanism unit 13A of the paper transport mechanism 13 can be attached and detached includes the shaft portions 17a to 20a of the pulleys 17 to 20 around which the transport belt 23 of the paper transport mechanism 13 is wound, and the sheet transport. This can be realized by adopting a configuration in which the shaft portions of the sprockets 32 to 36 around which the chain 37 in the mechanism 15 is wound do not coincide.

  (29) While the cap sheet 14 is stopped at the standby position P, the cap sheet 14 is in contact with the surface 23a of the conveyance belt 23 with a speed difference while holding the conveyance belt 23 between the tension pulley 20 of the sheet conveyance mechanism 13. Yes. Therefore, it is possible to wipe the surface 23a of the conveyor belt 23 that circulates for the conveyance of the paper 12 with the cap sheet 14, and the surface 23a of the conveyor belt 23 to which paper dust or dust may be attached. Can be cleaned.

  (30) When the front surface 23a of the transport belt 23 is cleaned by the cap sheet 14, the cap sheet 14 is stopped at the standby position P, while the transport belt 23 is in the operating state of the printer 11 in which the circular movement is continued. The transport belt 23 can be cleaned without reducing the throughput.

  (31) Further, in this case, the back surface side of the cap sheet 14 that is in contact with the surface 23a of the transport belt 23 is, for example, a brush surface 43 in which a large number of fibers are brushed up. The surface 23a can be cleaned.

  (32) When cleaning the cap sheet 14 at the cleaning position, the cleaning mechanism 48 contacts the cap surface 14 b of the cap sheet 14 with the cap sheet 14 being sandwiched between the support base 61 and the blade 62. To do. Therefore, the cap sheet 14 having flexibility is not bent, and the cleaning function can be favorably secured.

  (33) Further, in the sheet conveying mechanism 15, the moving member that moves to convey the cap sheet 14 along the circulation path is constituted by a chain 37. Therefore, for example, the chain 37 does not extend as compared with the case where the moving member is constituted by a belt, so that the conveyance accuracy of the cap sheet 14 is improved and the moving path of the moving member is lengthened. It can cope with the increase in size.

In addition, you may implement the said embodiment by the following modifications.
As shown in FIG. 11, the sheet body 14 </ b> A constituting the cap sheet 14 may be fastened by screws 66 on the upper surfaces of the pair of front and rear sheet metal members 38 and 39. In addition, illustration of an electrode layer is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.

  In this case, the front end portion of the sheet body 14A is fixed so as not to move relative to the intermediate portion 38b of the front sheet metal member 38 in the transport direction X, while the intermediate portion 39b of the rear sheet metal member 39 is fixed. The rear end portion of the sheet body 14A is supported so as to be relatively movable (that is, slidable). Specifically, a long hole 67 is formed along the conveying direction (moving direction) X of the cap sheet 14 at a position corresponding to the fixing position of the screw 66 in the sheet body 14 </ b> A. The shaft (convex portion) 66a is slidably inserted.

  Even in such a configuration, the sheet body 14A constituting the cap sheet 14 can be easily supported in the stretched state by the front and rear sheet metal members 38 and 39. When the sheet body 14A and the sheet metal members 38 and 39 supporting the sheet body 14A pass through the curved path portion having an arc shape, the screw 66 fixed to the intermediate portion 39b of the last sheet metal member 39 is used. The shaft (convex portion) 66a slides in the moving direction within the long hole 67 of the sheet body 14A, thereby avoiding the possibility that the sheet body 14A is bent due to distortion or receives unnecessary pulling force.

  In the embodiment described above, the sheet metal members 38 and 39 may support the cap sheet 14 by a plurality of three or more. Also in this case, the front end portion of the cap sheet 14 is fixed to the middle portion of the foremost sheet metal member, and the rear end side portion of the cap sheet 14 is slidably supported to the middle portion of other sheet metal members other than the foremost sheet metal member. It is desirable to do.

  In the said embodiment, you may comprise only a sheet-metal member. In this case, the sheet body 14 </ b> A constituting the cap sheet 14 may have a front end portion fixed to an intermediate portion of the one sheet metal member and a rear end side portion in a free end state. Even if comprised in this way, as the sheet metal member moves with the chain 37, the cap sheet | seat 14 is conveyed in the state expand | deployed to the back side of the moving direction.

  Further, a vacuum suction means 85 may be used as a means for sucking the nozzle forming surface 29 a of the recording head 29 and the cap sheet 14. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the vacuum suction means 85 is provided so as to cover the outer surface of the recording head 29 so as to surround the nozzle formation region 29A, and protrudes beyond the nozzle formation surface 29a. The part 86 is included. A suction hole 86a is formed in the protrusion 86, and the surface of the cap sheet 14 can be sucked by a suction pump (not shown).

  When capping is performed in the recording head 29 provided with such a vacuum suction means 85, the cap sheet 14 is moved below the recording head 29 as shown in FIG. Subsequently, the control device 41 drives the vacuum suction means 85 based on the signal from the optical sensor 42. Thereby, the surface of the cap sheet 14 is vacuum-sucked through the suction hole 86a. Therefore, the cap sheet 14 can cap the recording head 29 with the nozzle forming surface 29a sealed.

In the above embodiment, the moving member of the sheet conveying mechanism 15 may be a ring-shaped body made of a wire or the like other than the chain 37 that is a chain member, or an endless belt body.
In the above embodiment, the movement space of the end portions 38a, 39a of the sheet metal members 38, 39 connected to the chain 37 and its connecting piece is opposite to the surface 23a (transport plane) of the transport belt 23 when viewed from the nozzle forming surface 29a. As long as the position is on the side, a space area between the left and right support plates 21 and 22 may be used. In this case, the sheet metal members 38 and 39 are not substantially bent in a crank shape, but are substantially U-shaped.

  In the modification shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the long hole 67 formed in the sheet body 14 </ b> A constituting the cap sheet 14 has a portion on the rear side in the sheet conveying direction in the longitudinal direction thereof rather than the front side. It may be a so-called gourd-shaped long hole that is wide. In such a configuration, the cap sheet 14 (sheet body 14A) can be easily attached and detached.

  In the said embodiment, if the cross-sectional shape of the guide plates 44 and 45 is along the circumferential direction of the driven sprockets 33 and 34, the shape bent in the ellipse shape or the polygonal shape may be sufficient. In short, the cross-sectional arc shape is not limited as long as the cap sheet 14 and the sheet metal members 38 and 39 supporting the cap sheet 14 can be prevented from being greatly displaced outward when passing through the curved path portion.

In the above embodiment, the upstream side guide plate 44 and the downstream side guide plate 45 may have the same form.
In the above-described embodiment, the guide plates 44 and 45 are not necessarily provided with the upstream guide plate 44 as long as at least the downstream guide plate 45 is provided.

  In the above embodiment, the guide plate may be provided at a position corresponding to the outer periphery of the sprockets 32, 35, 36 other than the driven sprockets 33, 34, such as a curved path portion along the circumferential direction of the drive sprocket 32.

  In the above embodiment, the guide plates 44 and 45 are configured such that the left and right end portions of the respective intermediate portions 38b and 39b of the sheet metal members 38 and 39 are directly engaged with the inner peripheral surfaces 44a and 45a serving as the engaging portions. There may be. In this case, the left-right width of the sheet body 14A may be narrowed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning unit 63 may be configured to manually switch the displacement between the cleaning posture mode and the non-cleaning posture mode without depending on the rotational drive of the rotation motor 49, and further, a cam mechanism or the like. These switching displacement mechanisms may be provided separately.

  In the above-described embodiment, the sheet conveyance mechanism 15 may be configured such that the chain 37 does not move along a circular movement path but reciprocates along an endless path.

  In the above embodiment, the conveyance speed of the cap sheet 14 may be two types, that is, the speed of the first path portion Z1 and the speeds of the other path portions Z2 and Z3.

  In the above embodiment, the timing of driving the electromagnet 80 at the time of capping may be calculated by the control device 41 based on the elapsed time from the start of movement from the standby position P. If comprised in this way, the optical sensor 42 will become unnecessary. In this case, the standby position P is the reference position.

  In the above embodiment, the detected portion is provided at a position corresponding to the cap surface 14 b in the front-rear direction (moving direction) of the cap sheet 14 with respect to the cap sheet 14, while the nozzle 30 (nozzle row) is provided for the recording head 29. The detecting means may be provided at a position corresponding to, and when the cap sheet 14 passes the position facing the nozzle forming surface 29a, the electromagnet 80 may be driven at a timing when the detecting means detects the detected portion.

  In the above-described embodiment, the control device 41 takes the time required to reach the position facing the nozzle forming surface 29a after passing (or starting to move) the reference position such as the standby position P when the cap sheet is conveyed. May be stored in advance, and the electromagnet 80 may be driven when the stored time elapses.

In the above embodiment, the cleaning mechanism 48 may be configured to be detachable from the printer 11.
In the above embodiment, a gripping arm that grips the mechanism unit 13 </ b> A of the paper transport mechanism 13 with respect to the printer 11 may be provided with a gripping arm in addition to the first support plate 21.

  In the above embodiment, when the mechanism unit 13A of the paper transport mechanism 13 is attached to and detached from the printer 11, the first support plate 21, the pulleys 17 to 20, and the transport belt 23 may be individually attached and detached. .

  In the above embodiment, the target transport member is configured to be capable of transporting the paper 12 in the transport direction X by rotating, and to be able to handle the first support plate 21 functioning as a support in the mechanism unit 13A. If it is, a conveyance roller may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, the detachable portion that allows the mechanism unit 13A of the paper transport mechanism 13 to be detachable from the printer 11 may be configured to be detachable other than the bearing portion 22a.

  In the above embodiment, the back surface side of the cap sheet 14 that contacts the front surface 23a of the transport belt 23 at the standby position P functions as a cleaning function surface in addition to the brush surface 43, such as an adhesive surface or a liquid-absorbing surface. It may be demonstrated. Further, the brush surface 43 may be a brush-like part instead of the entire surface.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cap sheet 14 is not necessarily limited to the configuration in which the cap sheet 14 is in a stopped state as long as the brush surface 43 on the back surface is in contact with the conveying belt 23 in a state having a speed difference. Therefore, if there is a speed difference, the cap sheet 14 moves around at a speed faster than the rotation speed of the conveyor belt 23, thereby wiping the surface 23 a of the conveyor belt 23 so as to pass the conveyor belt 23. But you can.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning mechanism 48 may include a plurality of types of cleaning members such as rollers, blades, and liquid-absorbing sheets, and may be rearranged so that they are appropriately selected and used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Printer (liquid ejecting apparatus), 12 ... Paper (target), 13 ... Paper conveyance mechanism (target conveyance means), 14 ... Cap sheet (cap body), 14b ... Mist adhesion surface (mist collection surface), 15 ... Sheet Conveying mechanism (cap body conveying means), 16... Paper conveying motor (first drive source), 23... Conveying belt (target conveying member), 29... Recording head (liquid ejecting head), 29 a. 31 ... Sheet conveyance motor (second drive source), 48 ... Cleaning mechanism (cleaning means), 51 ... Suction mechanism, 51a ... Suction port, 60 ... Opening, 62 ... Blade (cleaning member), 80 ... Electromagnet (first) 1), 81 ... Electrode layer (second member), 86 ... Vacuum suction means, P ... Standby position, X ... Transport direction

Claims (5)

A liquid ejecting head that is disposed in the middle of the transport path of the target and can eject liquid from nozzles formed on the nozzle forming surface;
Target transport means for transporting the target based on the driving force of the first drive source so that the target passes through a position facing the nozzle forming surface on the transport path;
Cap body transporting means for transporting a cap body that caps the nozzle formation area on the nozzle formation surface in a sealed state based on the driving force of the second drive source so as to be able to advance and retreat to a position facing the nozzle formation surface on the transport path. And a liquid ejecting apparatus.   A first member surrounding the nozzle formation region is provided on the nozzle formation surface side of the liquid ejecting head, and a surface facing the nozzle formation surface of the cap body is formed by the first member and a magnetic force. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a second member capable of being adsorbed is provided.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a vacuum suction unit capable of holding the cap body by vacuum suction is provided on the nozzle forming surface side of the liquid jet head.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning unit that cleans the cap body in the middle of the transport path of the cap body.   The cleaning unit includes a wipe member that slides on a surface of the cap body that faces the nozzle forming surface, and a suction mechanism that sucks the liquid scraped off from the cap body by the wipe member. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4.

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