JP2010260211A - Fluid jetting apparatus and method for cleaning the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid jetting apparatus maintaining the cleaner function of a cleaning device for a long period of time as one purpose thereof, and to provide a method for cleaning the fluid jetting apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The inkjet printer 1 includes: a recording head 5 having a nozzle surface 5A where nozzles 14 for jetting ink are disposed; a rotary cleaner 11 having a wiping member 22 which can come in contact with the nozzle surface 5A and wipes the nozzle surface 5A while rotating about the axis; and a maintenance part 18 which supplies cleaning liquid 24 having moistness to the wiping member 22 before wiping the nozzle surface 5A. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

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

  An ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as a “printer”), which is a type of fluid ejecting apparatus, is used for recording media such as printing paper from nozzles formed on a nozzle surface of a recording head (fluid ejecting head) mounted on a carriage. Printing is performed by ejecting ink (fluid).

  However, in this case, ink may remain in the vicinity of the nozzles of the recording head, and if left with a very small amount of ink attached, solidification, dust, dust, and the like may easily occur, resulting in ejection failure.

Therefore, cleaning for removing solidified ink, dust, dust, and the like from the nozzle surface is periodically performed. As a method for cleaning the recording head, for example, methods disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 below are known.
In the fluid ejecting apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the nozzle surface is moved by moving the recording head in a state where a cleaner made of a blade and a sponge provided so as to be in contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head is in contact with the nozzle surface. It is the structure which wipes away.
The fluid ejecting apparatus described in Patent Document 2 includes a blade that is slidable on the nozzle surface of the recording head and a rotary cleaner made of a porous material, and after the nozzle surface is wiped with a cleaner wet with a cleaning liquid The ink attached to the blade is removed.

JP 2002-361879 A JP 2008-149709 A

  In the above configuration, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface and blade is removed using a cleaner made of sponge or the like, but the ink contained in the sponge cannot be completely removed, and the remaining ink remains. Thicken or solidify by drying. In this case, the ink absorption capacity is reduced, that is, the function as a cleaner is reduced, and it is difficult to always maintain the function as a cleaner.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and provides a fluid ejecting apparatus and a cleaning method therefor, which is one of the objects for maintaining the cleaning function of the cleaning apparatus in a satisfactory state at all times.

  In order to solve the above problems, a fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a fluid ejecting head having a nozzle surface provided with a nozzle for ejecting a fluid, a nozzle surface that is capable of contacting the nozzle surface and rotates about an axis. A rotary cleaner having a wiping member for wiping off and a maintenance unit for supplying a cleaning liquid to the wiping member.

  According to the present invention, the fluid attached to the nozzle surface can be efficiently removed by wiping the nozzle surface of the fluid ejecting head while the rotary cleaner rotates around its axis. In addition, since the wiping member contains cleaning liquid, the fluid removal efficiency with respect to the nozzle surface of the fluid ejecting head is improved, and the fluid absorbed by the wiping member is prevented from drying and is prevented from thickening or solidifying. can do. Thereby, it is possible to always maintain the cleaner function as a rotary cleaner.

The maintenance section preferably includes a cleaning liquid tank that holds the cleaning liquid, a supply section that supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid tank, and a discharge section that discharges the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank.
According to the present invention, since the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank can be replaced, the cleaning efficiency of the rotary cleaner is improved.

Moreover, it is preferable that a wiping member consists of a porous body.
According to the present invention, since the wiping member is made of a porous body, the cleaning liquid and fluid holding ability is improved. Moreover, since the fluid easily penetrates into the wiping member, the effect of removing the fluid can be kept good.

The cleaning liquid preferably contains at least one of glycerin, ethylene glycol, or triethylene glycol.
According to the present invention, by supplying a cleaning liquid having moisture retention to the wiping member, even if the rotary cleaner after wiping is left standing for a long time, the fluid thickens or solidifies. Can be prevented. For this reason, it is possible to maintain the fluid removal capability of the rotary cleaner for a long period of time.

The maintenance unit is preferably provided with a blade that contacts the wiping member of the rotary cleaner.
According to the present invention, the fluid adhered to the wiping member by the blade can be efficiently removed.

Moreover, it is preferable that the cleaning liquid tank is configured to be movable integrally with the rotary cleaner.
According to the present invention, since the cleaning liquid tank is configured to be movable integrally with the rotary cleaner, the wiping member can be cleaned with the cleaning liquid immediately after the rotary cleaner wipes the nozzle surface of the fluid ejecting head. Is possible. Thereby, the fluid removal effect of the rotary cleaner can be enhanced.

The maintenance unit preferably includes a cleaning liquid supply mechanism including the supply unit and a first cleaning liquid tank, and a cleaning liquid discharge mechanism including the discharge unit and a second cleaning liquid tank.
According to the present invention, the cleaning liquid tank for supplying the cleaning liquid to the rotary cleaner before wiping and the cleaning liquid tank for cleaning the rotary cleaner after wiping can be separated. It is possible to prevent the mixed cleaning liquid from being supplied.

  A cleaning method for a fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention is a cleaning method for a fluid ejecting apparatus including a fluid ejecting head having a nozzle surface provided with a nozzle for ejecting fluid, and supplying a cleaning liquid to a wiping member of a rotary cleaner And a step of wiping the nozzle surface of the fluid ejecting head with a rotary cleaner containing a cleaning liquid, and a step of cleaning the rotary cleaner sliding on the nozzle surface with the cleaning liquid.

  According to the present invention, the fluid attached to the nozzle surface can be efficiently removed by wiping the nozzle surface of the fluid ejecting head while the rotary cleaner rotates around its axis. Also, by cleaning the rotary cleaner with the above cleaning liquid, even if fluid remains in the wiping member, it is possible to prevent fluid drying and suppress thickening, etc. It can always be kept good.

Moreover, it is preferable to perform in each process, rotating a rotary cleaner.
According to the present invention, in each step, the fluid can be efficiently wiped by rotating the rotary cleaner, and the cleaning liquid is supplied to the wiping member without immersing the entire rotary cleaner in the cleaning liquid. It is possible to clean only the wiping member.

The cleaning liquid preferably contains at least one of glycerin, ethylene glycol, or triethylene glycol.
According to the present invention, even if the rotary cleaner after wiping is left unattended for a long time, the fluid attached to the wiping member is thickened by supplying the cleaning liquid as described above to the wiping member. It can be prevented from solidifying. For this reason, it is possible to maintain the fluid removal capability of the rotary cleaner for a long period of time.

Moreover, it is preferable to remove the fluid adhering to the rotary cleaner with a blade in the step of supplying the cleaning liquid to the rotary cleaner and the step of cleaning with the cleaning liquid.
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the fluid contained in the wiping member can be efficiently removed by removing the fluid adhering to the rotary cleaner with the blade.

Moreover, it is preferable to further have a step of replacing the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank.
According to the present invention, the fluid wiping function of the rotary cleaner can be maintained.

1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an ink jet printer according to a first embodiment. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an inkjet printer according to a first embodiment. FIG. The perspective view which shows typically the rotary cleaner of 1st Embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of the inkjet printer cleaning method according to the first embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the process order of the cleaning method of 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the inkjet printer of 2nd Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the inkjet printer of 3rd Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the inkjet printer of 4th Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of an ink jet printer (ink jet printer) as an embodiment of a fluid ejecting apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the ink jet printer, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a rotary cleaner.

  The ink jet printer 1 performs a recording process for printing predetermined information and images by ejecting ink (fluid) onto recording paper. As shown in FIG. 1, a control device 2 that controls the entire operation, an input The apparatus 3, the storage device 4, the recording head (fluid ejecting head) 5, the recording paper transport mechanism 9, the cleaning device 10, and the capping mechanism 12 are provided.

  The control device 2 electrically controls the operation of various components, and data is transferred between the input device 3, the storage device 4, the recording head 5, the recording paper transport mechanism 9, the cleaning device 10, the capping mechanism 12, and the like. It has various input / output interface circuits that perform transmission and reception, a CPU that performs predetermined arithmetic processing based on the data, and the like.

  The input device 3 inputs various commands and data related to recording processing from the outside to the control device 2, and includes an operation panel operated by a user, a communication device for inputting print data and the like from the outside.

  The storage device 4 stores operation programs for various components related to recording processing and data input from the input device 3.

  The recording head 5 includes a piezoelectric element 6 and a drive signal generator 7 that generates a drive signal input to the piezoelectric element 6, and ejects ink based on the drive signal input to the piezoelectric element 6.

  The ink used in the present embodiment uses dyes, pigments, and a liquid material in which a solvent for dissolving or dispersing them is a basic component and each additive is added as necessary. Here, a high-viscosity ink having a viscosity at about 20 ° C. of 15 mPa · s or more is used.

Next, the cleaning device 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning device 10 includes a rotary cleaner 11 that wipes the nozzle surface 5A of the recording head 5 on which a plurality of nozzles 14 are formed, a maintenance unit 18 that performs maintenance of the rotary cleaner 11, and a rotation. A rail unit 19 for guiding the movement of the cleaner 11 between the maintenance unit 18 and the recording head 5 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rotary cleaner 11 is provided with a wiping member 22 (porous body) on an outer surface 21 </ b> A of a rotary shaft 21 having a cylindrical shape, and is configured to be rotatable around the rotary shaft 21. Yes. The rotary cleaner 11 has a length longer than the long side of the nozzle surface 5A of the recording head 5 in the axial direction. Specifically, when the rotary cleaner 11 is to be opposed to the recording head 5, both end portions of the wiping member 22 along the axial direction are respectively positioned outside the length direction of the recording head 5. Further, as the wiping member 22, a porous member having high ink absorption such as sponge or nonwoven fabric is used.

The rotary cleaner 11 includes the rail portion 19 in a state in which the engaging portions 23 projecting outward in the axial direction from the side surfaces 21B (FIG. 3) on both sides in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 21 are engaged with the guide grooves 19a of the rail portion 19. It is supported by. The rotary cleaner 11 can slide along the nozzle surface 5 </ b> A of the recording head 5 by moving along the rail portion 19. Specifically, the movement of the rotary cleaner 11 is realized by the rotary cleaner moving mechanism 13 shown in FIG. 1, and moves so as to follow the guide groove 19a of the rail portion 19. That is, by moving relative to the recording head 5, it slides on the nozzle surface 5 </ b> A of the recording head 5.
The rotary cleaner 11 is rotated by a drive source (not shown).

  The rail portion 19 is a rail extending from the maintenance portion 18 to the lower side of the recording head 5, and supports the reciprocating movement of the rotary cleaner 11 between the maintenance position and the wiping operation position. The maintenance position described above refers to a position where the rotary cleaner 11 is disposed in the engaging recess 19b, and the wiping work position refers to a position where the rotary cleaner 11 contacts the nozzle surface 5A of the recording head 5. Point to.

  The rail portion 19 is formed with a guide groove 19a for supporting the rotary cleaner 11 in the extending direction. An engaging recess 19b that is recessed toward the cleaning liquid tank 15 is provided at the tip of the guide groove 19a on the maintenance section 18 side, and the engaging portion 23 of the rotary cleaner 11 is locked in the engaging recess 19b. As a result, the movement of the rotary cleaner 11 in the maintenance position in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction is restricted.

  The installation position of the rail portion 19 is appropriately determined according to the size (diameter) of the rotary cleaner 11 and the wiping member 22 of the rotary cleaner 11 has an appropriate contact pressure with respect to the nozzle surface 5 </ b> A of the recording head 5. Installed in contact.

  The maintenance unit 18 mainly includes a cleaning liquid tank 15 that holds the cleaning liquid 24, a supply unit 16 that supplies the cleaning liquid 24 to the cleaning liquid tank 15, and a discharge unit 17 that discharges the cleaning liquid 24 from the cleaning liquid tank 15.

The supply unit 16 stores a cleaning liquid 24 having moisture retention therein. The cleaning liquid 24 in the supply unit 16 is fed into the cleaning liquid tank 15 by the action of the first pump 26 disposed on the supply flow path 25.
As the cleaning liquid 24, a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin, ethylene glycol, triethylene glycol or the like is used, and a cleaning liquid containing at least one of these may be used. Since the polyhydric alcohol hardly volatilizes the volatile component (solvent component) in the ink, it is possible to suppress thickening of the ink. In the present embodiment, glycerin is used as the cleaning liquid 24.

  The cleaning liquid tank 15 has a tray shape formed in a size that allows the entire length of the rotary cleaner 11 to be inserted, and stores a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 24 supplied from the supply unit 16. The cleaning liquid tank 15 is provided with a blade 29 that comes into contact with the rotary cleaner 11 arranged at the maintenance position.

  The blade 29 is capable of removing ink adhering to the wiping member 22 of the rotary cleaner 11, and is formed of a member having high water repellency with respect to ink and having elasticity. The blade 29 has a length corresponding to the axial dimension of the rotary cleaner 11, and in particular, a blade having a length greater than the axial dimension of the rotary cleaner 11 is preferable. This ensures that the blade 29 contacts the entire width direction of the wiping member 22 in the rotary cleaner 11.

  The discharge part 17 is connected to the downstream side of the cleaning liquid tank 15 via the discharge flow path 27, and the waste discharged from the cleaning liquid tank 15 by the action of the second pump 28 disposed on the discharge flow path 27. Store (recover) the cleaning solution.

  The capping mechanism 12 includes a cap member 32 that can seal the nozzle surface 5A of the recording head 5, a waste ink tank 35 connected to the cap member 32 via a waste ink channel 33, and a waste ink channel 33. A discharged suction pump 34 is provided.

  The cap member 32 is disposed between the rail portions 19 that support both sides of the rotary cleaner 11, and rises in a state in which the rotary cleaner 11 is retracted from below the recording head 5, and the nozzles of the recording head 5. It is possible to seal the surface 5A.

  According to the inkjet printer 1 of the present embodiment, the rotary cleaner 11 wipes the nozzle surface 5A of the recording head 5 while rotating around its axis, thereby efficiently removing ink adhering to the nozzle surface 5A. Can do. Further, since the wiping member 22 contains the cleaning liquid 24 having moisture retention, the ink removal efficiency with respect to the nozzle surface 5A of the recording head 5 is improved and the wiping rotary cleaner 11 is left for a long time. Even if it exists, it can prevent that an ink thickens or solidifies. For this reason, it is possible to maintain the ink removal capability of the rotary cleaner 11 for a long period of time.

  Next, an embodiment of a cleaning method for the inkjet printer 1 according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the steps of the cleaning method of the inkjet printer 1, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the order of steps of the cleaning method.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning method of the inkjet printer 1 in the present embodiment includes a cleaning liquid feeding step S <b> 1 for supplying the cleaning liquid 24 from the supply unit 16 to the cleaning liquid tank 15, and a cleaning liquid for supplying the cleaning liquid 24 to the rotary cleaner 11. There are a supply step S2, a nozzle surface wiping step S3 for wiping the nozzle surface 5A with the rotary cleaner 11, a cleaning step S4 for cleaning the rotary cleaner 11, and a cleaning liquid replacement step S5 for replacing the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank. .

  First, in the cleaning liquid feeding step S1, a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 24 in the supply unit 16 is supplied into the cleaning liquid tank 15 by the action of the first pump 26 as shown in FIG.

Next, in the cleaning liquid supply step S2, as shown in FIG. 5A, the rotary cleaner 11 is disposed at the maintenance position and is disposed in the cleaning liquid tank 15 that holds a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 24. Or you may arrange | position the rotary cleaner 11 in a maintenance position previously.
Here, the supply amount of the cleaning liquid 24 is adjusted in the previous step so that the liquid level of the cleaning liquid 24 contacts the wiping member 22 of the rotary cleaner 11.

  Then, by rotating the rotary cleaner 11 around its axis, the cleaning liquid 24 penetrates almost the entire wiping member 22. In this embodiment, it is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in the drawing, that is, counterclockwise. Here, excess cleaning liquid 24 can be removed by the blade 29, and it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid 24 from dripping from the rotary cleaner 11 taken out from the cleaning liquid tank 15 in a later step.

  Next, in the nozzle surface wiping step S3, first, as shown in FIG. 5B, the rotary cleaner 11 is arranged at the wiping start position. The wiping start position is a position facing the edge of the nozzle surface 5A of the recording head 5 in the wiping work position. And the rotary cleaner 11 is moved to a wiping direction, rotating the rotary cleaner 11 arrange | positioned in the wiping start position again. At this time, the wiping member 22 of the rotary cleaner 11 slides on the nozzle surface 5A and removes ink adhering to the nozzle surface 5A such as the vicinity of the nozzle 14 while absorbing it. Since the wiping member 22 contains the cleaning liquid 24, the ink on the nozzle surface 5A can be efficiently removed. In this way, the entire nozzle surface 5A is wiped. When the wiping of the nozzle surface 5A is finished, the rotation of the rotary cleaner 11 is stopped, and the ink absorbed by the wiping member 22 is prevented from scattering around.

Next, in cleaning process S4, as shown in FIG.5 (c), the rotary cleaner 11 which finished wiping off the nozzle surface 5A is rearranged to a maintenance position. Thereafter, the rotary cleaner 11 is rotated again to clean the entire wiping member 22 with the cleaning liquid 24, and the absorbed ink is removed.
The ink that does not fall off due to the rotation is removed by being scraped off by the blade 29 that contacts the wiping member 22.
During the cleaning, the rotation direction of the rotary cleaner 11 may be reversed as appropriate.

  Next, in the cleaning liquid replacement step S5, as shown in FIG. 5C, the waste cleaning liquid 30 mixed with the ink in the cleaning liquid tank 15 is discharged to the discharge unit 17 by the second pump. After the discharge of all the waste cleaning liquid 30 in the cleaning liquid tank 15 is completed, a new cleaning liquid 24 is supplied from the supply unit 16 into the cleaning liquid tank 15.

  Alternatively, the cleaning liquid 24 in the cleaning liquid tank 15 may be replaced by simultaneously driving the first pump 26 and the second pump 28 and supplying the cleaning liquid 24 while discharging the waste cleaning liquid 30. In this case, it is possible to further enhance the cleaning effect of the rotary cleaner 11 by executing it simultaneously with the previous cleaning step S4.

According to the present embodiment, since the wiping member 22 includes the cleaning liquid 24 having moisture retention, after cleaning the rotary cleaner 11 with the cleaning liquid 24, the ink temporarily remains in the wiping member 22. Even in this case, it is possible to prevent the ink from thickening or solidifying, so that the wiping ability of the rotary cleaner 11 can be maintained.
Further, even if the rotary cleaner 11 after wiping is left for a long time, the ink removing ability as a cleaner can be maintained for a long time.

  In the present embodiment, the rotary cleaner 11 is rotated in the cleaning liquid supply step S2, the nozzle surface wiping step S3, and the cleaning step S4. Thereby, in nozzle surface wiping process S3, it is possible to wipe off the ink on nozzle surface 5A efficiently. In the cleaning liquid supply step S2 and the cleaning step S4, the rotary cleaner 11 is rotated to supply the cleaning liquid 24 to the entire wiping member 22 without immersing the entire rotary cleaner 11 in the cleaning liquid 24, or to the wiping member. Only 22 can be cleaned.

In addition, it is desirable that the rotary cleaner 11 is washed for each wiping operation to prevent ink from accumulating in the wiping member 22 and to restore the ink absorbing power of the wiping member 22 as needed.
In this embodiment, the ink wiping function of the rotary cleaner 11 can always be maintained in a good state by periodically replacing the cleaning liquid 24 in the cleaning liquid tank 15.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the inkjet printer according to the second embodiment. The basic configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the previous embodiment, but the configuration of the cleaning device 10 is different. Hereinafter, the configuration of the cleaning device 10 will be described in detail, and description of other common parts will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning device 10 of the present embodiment includes a maintenance unit 18 configured such that the cleaning liquid tank 15 can move integrally with the rotary cleaner 11. By moving the cleaning liquid tank 15 along with the rail portion 19 together with the rotary cleaner 11, the wiping member 22 can be cleaned immediately after wiping the nozzle surface 5A.
As a result, the nozzle surface 5A can be wiped off in the always cleaned portion, so that the ink removing effect can be enhanced.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the ink jet printer according to the third embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 7, the inkjet printer cleaning device 10 in the present embodiment includes a rotary cleaner 11, a rotary cleaner 11, a cleaning liquid supply mechanism 53 (cleaning liquid supply mechanism), a cleaning liquid discharge mechanism 54 (cleaning liquid discharge mechanism), and the like. A maintenance unit 18 is provided.

The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 53 includes a supply unit 16, a cleaning liquid tank 15A (first cleaning liquid tank), a first pump 26, and the like.
On the other hand, the cleaning liquid discharge mechanism 54 includes a cleaning liquid tank 15B (second cleaning liquid tank), the discharge unit 17, the second pump 28, and the like. The cleaning liquid tank 15B supplies the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 53 via a flow path (not shown). The unit 16 is connected.

The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 53 including the cleaning liquid tank 15A and the cleaning liquid discharge mechanism 54 including the cleaning liquid tank 15B are located on both sides in the width direction of the recording head 5, and the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 53 is on one end side in the extending direction of the rail portion 19 ( On the left side in the figure, the cleaning liquid discharge mechanism 54 is arranged on the other end side in the extending direction of the rail portion 19 (right side in the figure).
The rotary cleaner 11 reciprocates between the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 53 and the cleaning liquid discharge mechanism 54 along the rail portion 19.

  When cleaning the recording head 5 according to this embodiment, first, the cleaning liquid 24 is included in the wiping member 22 of the rotary cleaner 11 in the cleaning liquid tank 15A of the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 53, and then the rotary cleaner 11 is rotated. The nozzle surface 5A of the recording head 5 is wiped off. When the wiping operation of the nozzle surface 5A is completed, the rotary cleaner 11 is moved to the cleaning liquid discharge mechanism 54, and cleaning is performed in the cleaning liquid tank 15B.

  According to the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid tank 15A that contains the cleaning liquid 24 in the rotary cleaner 11 before the wiping work and the cleaning liquid tank 15B that cleans the rotary cleaner 11 after the wiping work are separated, thereby providing the cleaning liquid tank. Since it is possible to prevent ink from being mixed into 15A, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid mixed with ink from being supplied to the rotary cleaner 11 after cleaning. In addition, the number of ink replacements in the cleaning liquid tank 15B can be reduced, and the amount of ink used can be reduced.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the inkjet printer according to the fourth embodiment.
The inkjet printer of this embodiment is different from the previous embodiment in the configuration of the rail portion 19. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the rail 19 of the present embodiment is provided with an engaging recess 19c at the tip of the guide groove 19a.

  The engaging recess 19c has a width equal to or larger than the diameter of the engaging portion 23 so that the engaging position of the engaging portion 23 of the rotary cleaner 11 can be adjusted in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotary cleaner 11. It has become. By changing the engagement position of the rotary cleaner 11 (engagement portion 23) with respect to the engagement recess 19c, the contact pressure of the rotary cleaner 11 contacting the blade 29 can be changed. The shape of the engaging recess 19c is appropriately set according to the size of the rotary cleaner 11, the material of the wiping member 22, and the like.

  When supplying the cleaning liquid 24 to the rotary cleaner 11, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the engaging portion 23 is locked to the corner portion 20 a of the engaging recess 19 c, the blade 29 is attached to the wiping member 22. Touch lightly. For this reason, the cleaning liquid 24 contained in the wiping member 22 can be appropriately removed, and the cleaning liquid 24 is prevented from leaking from the wiping member 22 when the rotary cleaner 11 is inserted from the cleaning liquid tank 15. can do.

  When cleaning the rotary cleaner 11 with the cleaning liquid 24, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the engagement portion 23 is locked to the corner portion 20b of the engagement recess 19c, thereby increasing the contact pressure to the blade 29. be able to. That is, the wiping member 22 is pressed by the blade 29, and the removal efficiency of the ink in the wiping member 22 by the blade 29 can be improved. Here, the contact pressure with respect to the blade 29 is a contact pressure at which the wiping member 22 is not damaged by the blade 29.

  As described above, the preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the examples. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that it belongs to.

  For example, the rotary cleaner 11 may be cleaned every time the wiping operation is performed, or may be performed after the wiping operation is performed a plurality of times. Even if there is an interval between wiping operations, since the wiping member 22 contains the cleaning liquid 24 having moisture retention, the viscosity and solidification of the wiped ink can be suppressed. Can be prevented from significantly decreasing.

  Further, when wiping the nozzle surface 5A of the recording head 5 while rotating, it may be rotated by a driving source (not shown) as in the previous embodiment, or wiping while being driven by contacting the nozzle surface 5A. You may make it do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inkjet printer (fluid ejecting apparatus), 14 ... Nozzle, 5A ... Nozzle surface, 5 ... Recording head (fluid ejecting head), 11 ... Rotary cleaner, 22 ... Wiping member, 24 ... Cleaning liquid, 18 ... Maintenance part, 15 ... cleaning liquid tank, 15A ... first cleaning liquid tank, 15B ... second cleaning liquid tank, 6 ... supply section, 17 ... discharge section, 29 ... blade, 53 ... cleaning liquid supply mechanism, 54 ... cleaning liquid discharge mechanism

Claims (12)

A fluid ejecting head having a nozzle surface provided with a nozzle for ejecting fluid;
A rotary cleaner having a wiping member capable of contacting the nozzle surface and wiping the nozzle surface while rotating around an axis;
And a maintenance unit that supplies a cleaning liquid to the wiping member. The maintenance unit is
A cleaning liquid tank for holding the cleaning liquid;
A supply unit for supplying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid tank;
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge unit that discharges the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank.   The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping member is made of a porous body.   4. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid contains at least one of glycerin, ethylene glycol, and triethylene glycol. 5.   The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance unit includes a blade that contacts the wiping member of the rotary cleaner.   The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid tank is configured to be movable integrally with the rotary cleaner. The maintenance unit is
A cleaning liquid supply mechanism including the supply unit and the first cleaning liquid tank;
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning liquid discharge mechanism including the discharge unit and the second cleaning liquid tank. A cleaning method for a fluid ejecting apparatus including a fluid ejecting head having a nozzle surface provided with a nozzle for ejecting fluid,
Supplying cleaning liquid to the wiping member of the rotary cleaner;
Wiping the nozzle surface of the fluid ejecting head with the rotary cleaner containing the cleaning liquid;
Cleaning the rotary cleaner sliding on the nozzle surface with the cleaning liquid.   9. The fluid ejecting apparatus cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein each of the steps is performed while rotating the rotary cleaner.   10. The fluid ejection device cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning liquid contains at least one of glycerin, ethylene glycol, or triethylene glycol. In the step of supplying the cleaning liquid to the rotary cleaner and the step of cleaning with the cleaning liquid,
The method of cleaning a fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the fluid adhering to the rotary cleaner is removed by a blade.   The method for cleaning a fluid ejection device according to claim 8, further comprising a step of replacing the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank.

Images