JP2011073145A - Printer and cleaning cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently clean a delivery face while simplifying structure of a printer. <P>SOLUTION: This printer is constituted to separate a cleaning sheet 521 from the delivery face 321 and to recover an already used portion of the cleaning sheet 521 by a reduced amount of a sheet route, by a sheet recovery part 523, when finishing the cleaning, by transmitting a force from one motor 53 to an advancing and retracting mechanism 525 and the sheet recovery part 523, by a drive transmission mechanism 526, in a cleaning part 51, and is constituted to bring an unused part of the cleaning sheet 521 into contact with the next delivery face 321 and to feed the cleaning sheet 521 from a sheet feed part 522, when starting the next cleaning. The delivery face 321 is cleaned efficiently while simplifying the structure of the printer, by carrying out the driving of the advancing and retracting mechanism 525 for advancing and retracting a push part 524, and the recovery and the feed of the cleaning sheet 521, by one driving source, as shown in this manner. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet printing apparatus and a cleaning cartridge used in the ink jet printing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printing apparatus that performs printing on a print medium by scanning a discharge portion in which a plurality of discharge ports that discharge minute droplets of ink are arranged relative to the print medium has been used. ing. In such a printing apparatus, the ejection surface is cleaned by wiping ink adhering to the ejection surface having a plurality of ejection openings with a wiper formed of rubber or synthetic resin. Further, in Patent Document 1, after the nozzle surface of the discharge portion is wiped with a flexible blade (wiper) made of rubber, plastic seal or the like, the blade is moved and the removal member formed by sponge or felt is cut. A technique for removing ink from the blade surface by inserting it into a section is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-217490

  By the way, in the apparatus of patent document 1, the removal member which removes the ink adhering to a wiper is needed, and since the structure which moves a wiper to a removal member and inserts into a notch | incision part is also needed, an apparatus structure will be complicated. . In addition, since the removal member is used repeatedly, the wiper is wiped with a sponge or felt that contains ink, and the ink cannot be removed from the wiper, or the ink contained in the sponge or felt adheres to the wiper. There is a risk of letting you. If the wiper in such a state is used, the cleaning efficiency of the ejection surface is lowered. Furthermore, in the middle of moving the wiper to the removal member, the ink may flow down along the surface of the wiper and may contaminate the apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to efficiently clean the ejection surface while simplifying the structure of the printing apparatus.

  The invention according to claim 1 is an ink jet type printing apparatus, comprising: a discharge unit that discharges micro droplets of ink toward a print medium from a plurality of discharge ports formed on a discharge surface; and the discharge unit. A print medium moving mechanism for moving the print medium relative to the discharge unit in synchronization with the ink discharge, a cleaning unit having a tape-shaped cleaning sheet, and the discharge unit with respect to the cleaning unit. A discharge unit moving mechanism that cleans the discharge surface with the cleaning sheet that contacts the discharge surface by relatively moving, and the cleaning unit feeds an unused portion of the cleaning sheet; A sheet collecting unit for collecting a used portion of the cleaning sheet, and a front portion between the sheet feeding unit and the sheet collecting unit. A pressing portion that presses a part of the cleaning sheet toward the ejection surface, an advance / retreat mechanism that advances and retracts the pressing portion relative to the ejection surface, one drive source, and a force from the drive source. Use of the cleaning sheet comprising the advance / retreat mechanism and a drive transmission mechanism that drives the sheet collection unit, and the cleaning mechanism retracts the pressing portion from the ejection surface and contacts the ejection surface when cleaning is completed. The sheet collection unit collects the cleaning sheet by the amount corresponding to the decrease in the sheet path from the discharge surface to the sheet collection unit via the pressing unit from the sheet feeding unit. At the start, the advancing / retracting mechanism moves the pressing portion toward the discharge surface or another discharge surface, and the sheet feeding portion moves as the sheet path increases. The pressing portion is brought into contact with the unused portion of the cleaning sheet on the ejection surface or the other ejection surface while feeding the training sheet.

  Invention of Claim 2 is a printing apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising: The said discharge part has a some discharge surface arranged in the relative movement direction by the said discharge part moving mechanism, The said discharge part When the discharge unit relatively moves in the relative movement direction by the moving mechanism, the pressing portion is repeatedly advanced and retracted, and the plurality of discharge surfaces are sequentially cleaned.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the printing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the discharge unit includes at least one other row similar to the row of the plurality of discharge surfaces and the row. Are arranged in the relative movement direction, and printing on the print medium is completed by one relative movement of the print medium with respect to the discharge portion by the print medium movement mechanism.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cleaning sheet is a nonwoven fabric.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the cleaning sheet is pulled while the sheet feeding portion generates a resistance force when the cleaning sheet is pulled. A winding unit that is fed out from the sheet feeding unit, wherein the sheet collection unit collects a used portion of the cleaning sheet in a roll shape, and a reverse rotation prevention mechanism that prevents reverse rotation of the winding unit; The rotation transmitted from the driving source is transmitted to the winding unit, and when a resistance force caused by the sheet feeding unit is generated when the cleaning sheet is wound, the rotation is transmitted from the driving source. And a sliding mechanism for stopping the rotation of the winding unit.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning cartridge that is detachably attached to an ink jet printing apparatus and that cleans a discharge surface on which an ink discharge port is formed, the tape-shaped cleaning sheet, and the cleaning sheet A portion of the cleaning sheet between the sheet feeding portion and the sheet collecting portion, and a sheet collecting portion for collecting a used portion of the cleaning sheet. A pressing portion that presses toward the discharge surface; an advance / retreat mechanism that advances and retracts the press portion relative to the discharge surface; and a force from a single drive source provided in the printing apparatus to transmit the advance / retreat mechanism and the A drive transmission mechanism for driving the sheet collection unit, and moving the discharge unit relative to the cleaning unit The cleaning sheet in contact with the discharge surface is cleaned by the cleaning sheet, and when the cleaning is completed, the advancement / retraction mechanism retracts the pressing portion from the discharge surface and is in contact with the discharge surface. The sheet collecting unit collects the cleaning sheet by a reduction amount of the sheet path from the discharge surface to the sheet collecting unit via the pressing unit through the pressing unit, and starts the next cleaning. Sometimes, the advancing / retreating mechanism moves the pressing portion toward the discharge surface or another discharge surface, and the sheet feeding portion feeds the cleaning sheet according to the increase in the sheet path, while the pressing portion does not remove the cleaning sheet. The use portion is brought into contact with the discharge surface or the other discharge surface.

  In the present invention, it is possible to efficiently clean the ejection surface while simplifying the structure of the printing apparatus. In the invention of claim 6, the replacement of the cleaning sheet can be simplified.

1 is a perspective view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a bottom view which shows the internal structure of a flame | frame. It is a top view which shows the internal structure of a flame | frame. It is a bottom view of an inkjet head unit. It is a block diagram which shows the function of a control unit. It is a side view of a cleaning part. It is a top view of the 4th gear and a sheet recovery part. It is a top view of a sheet feeding part. It is a side view of a cleaning part. It is a side view of a cleaning part. It is a side view of a cleaning part.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that performs color printing on a sheet-like print medium 9 by an inkjet method. The printing apparatus 1 includes a printing medium moving mechanism 27 that is a scanning mechanism that moves the printing medium 9 in the Y direction (hereinafter also referred to as “scanning direction”) in FIG. 1, and a printing medium that is moving by the printing medium moving mechanism 27. 9 includes a discharge unit 3 that discharges fine ink droplets 9, a cleaning unit 5 that cleans the discharge unit 3, and a control unit 4 that controls these components.

  The discharge unit 3 is disposed inside a frame 26 disposed above the print medium moving mechanism 27 (that is, on the (+ Z) side). The frame 26 straddles the print medium moving mechanism 27 on the base 20. It is fixed to the frame 25 provided. The cleaning unit 5 is attached to the lower side ((−Z) side) of the frame 26 on the (+ X) side of the print medium moving mechanism 27.

  In the print medium moving mechanism 27, a plurality of rollers 271 that are long in the X direction in FIG. 1 are arranged in the Y direction, and a roll-shaped print medium 9 (supply roll) is disposed on the (+ Y) side of the plurality of rollers 271. ) Is provided, and a winding unit 273 that holds the roll-shaped print medium 9 (winding roll) is provided on the (−Y) side of the plurality of rollers 271. Actually, the print medium 9 is rolled in each of the supply unit 272 and the winding unit 273. In the following description, the print medium 9 simply means the print medium 9 being transported (that is, the print medium 9 on the plurality of rollers 271).

  One roller 271a of the print medium moving mechanism 27 is provided with an encoder 29 that detects the moving speed of the print medium 9 in the scanning direction. A print medium movement control unit 42 (see FIG. 5) described later is based on the output of the encoder 29. By controlling the rotation of the motor of the winding unit 273, the print medium 9 moves in the (−Y) direction at a constant speed. At this time, by applying a load (tension) in the direction opposite to the moving direction (that is, (+ Y) direction) to the print medium 9 by the motor included in the supply unit 272, the print medium on the plurality of rollers 271. 9 moves smoothly without undulations.

  2 and 3 are a bottom view and a plan view showing the internal structure of the frame 26, respectively. In FIG. 3, in order to facilitate understanding of the drawing, the frame 26 is drawn with a broken line, and the internal configuration of the frame 26 is drawn with a solid line. The frame 26 is actually longer in the X direction than that shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the discharge unit 3 includes a plurality (eight in this embodiment) of inkjet head units 31 each of which is a discharge unit that discharges water-based ink, and is in the horizontal Y direction. A plurality of inkjet head units 31 arranged in the scanning direction (that is, in the scanning direction) are attached to the frame 26.

  The plurality of inkjet head units 31 have the same structure, and each has a slider 302 shown in FIG. Each inkjet head unit 31 is attached via a slider 302 to a linear guide 301 extending in the X direction that is horizontal and perpendicular to the Y direction at the top of the frame 26. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the frame 26 is provided with eight linear guides 301 to which eight inkjet head units 31 are attached, and stoppers 303 are provided on both sides of each linear guide 301 in the X direction. It is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of (eight in the present embodiment) ejection unit moving mechanisms 6 are provided inside the frame 26, and each ejection unit moving mechanism 6 is driven to drive each ejection unit. The inkjet head unit 31 corresponding to the moving mechanism 6 moves in the X direction. Each discharge unit moving mechanism 6 has a structure in which a ball screw 62 is connected to a motor 61 and a nut 63 fixed to the inkjet head unit 31 is attached to the ball screw 62. When the motor 61 rotates, the inkjet head unit 31 moves smoothly in the X direction along the linear guide 301 together with the nut 63.

  In the printing apparatus 1, during normal printing, each inkjet head unit 31 is fixed with respect to the linear guide 301 at a position indicated by a solid line in FIGS. 2 and 3 (hereinafter referred to as “printing position”). . When cleaning the discharge unit 3 to be described later, each inkjet head unit 31 is moved in the (+ X) direction by the discharge unit moving mechanism 6. In FIG. 3, the position after moving to the (+ X) side of the most (+ Y) side inkjet head unit 31 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  The most (+ Y) side ink jet head unit 31 and the second (+ Y) side ink jet head unit 31 in FIGS. 2 and 3 eject ink of K (black) color from the (+ Y) side. The third and fourth inkjet head units 31 (that is, the two inkjet head units 31 on the (−Y) side of the two K inkjet head units 31) eject C (cyan) ink. Further, the fifth and sixth inkjet head units 31 from the (+ Y) side discharge M (magenta) ink, and are seventh and eighth from the (+ Y) side (that is, the (−Y) side most). The inkjet head unit 31 discharges Y (yellow) ink.

  In the printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, with respect to the X direction, each inkjet head unit 31 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) extends over the entire print area on the print medium 9 (here, the X direction of the print medium 9 is The print medium moving mechanism 27 moves the print medium 9 relative to the discharge unit 3 once (that is, the print medium 9 moves in the (−Y) direction). The printing of the image on the printing medium 9 is completed (so-called one-pass printing is performed).

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged bottom view showing one inkjet head unit 31. As shown in FIG. 4, the inkjet head unit 31 includes a plurality (six in this embodiment) of inkjet heads 32, and these inkjet heads 32 have the same structure. A plurality of discharge ports 331 arranged in two rows approximately in parallel with the X direction in FIG. 4 are formed on the lower surface 321 (that is, the (−Z) side surface) of each inkjet head 32. The ink droplets are ejected from the ejection port 331 toward the print medium 9 (see FIG. 1). In the following description, the lower surface 321 of the inkjet head 32 is referred to as “ejection surface 321”.

  The inkjet head unit 31 includes three ejection surfaces 321 (hereinafter referred to as “ejection surface array”) arranged in the X direction, which is the movement direction of the inkjet head unit 31 by the ejection unit moving mechanism 6 (see FIG. 3). Similarly to the discharge surface row, another discharge surface row which is the three discharge surfaces 321 arranged in the X direction is moved in the Y direction which is the moving direction of the print medium 9 by the print medium moving mechanism 27 (see FIG. 1). Arranged. In each discharge surface 321, a plurality of discharge ports 331 (hereinafter referred to as “discharge port arrays”) arranged substantially parallel to the X direction, and a plurality of discharge ports arranged in the same manner as the discharge port arrays. The other ejection port arrays 331 are arranged in the Y direction, and the positions of the two ejection port arrays in the X direction are shifted by half the pitch of the ejection ports 331 in each ejection port array. In FIG. 4, for convenience of illustration, the size of the discharge ports 331 and the pitch of the discharge ports 331 on each discharge surface 321 are drawn larger than actual. In the actual inkjet head 32, a larger number of ejection ports 331 are formed on the ejection surface 321 than shown in FIG. 4.

  The inkjet head unit 31 further includes a center rib 311 that is an attachment member to which a plurality of inkjet heads 32 are attached. The center rib 311 has a T-shaped outer shape when viewed along the X direction, a plate-shaped rib upper portion 3111 having a main surface substantially perpendicular to the Z direction, and a main rib substantially perpendicular to the Y direction. A plate-like rib lower portion 3112 having a surface is provided.

  The plurality of inkjet heads 32 are arranged in the X direction so as to be alternately located on the (−Y) side and the (+ Y) side of the rib lower part 3112 of the center rib 311 (arranged in a so-called zigzag pattern). Each inkjet head 32 is arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps with the inkjet head 32 adjacent in the X direction in the Y direction. For example, the inkjet head 32 positioned closest to the (−X) side on the (−Y) side of the rib lower portion 3112 is in the X direction with the inkjet head 32 positioned closest to the (−X) side of the (+ Y) side of the rib lower portion 3112. (Ie, in the arrangement direction), the former (+ X) side end of the two inkjet heads 32 and the latter (−X) side end overlap in the Y direction.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the control unit 4 illustrated in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 also illustrates the configuration of the printing apparatus 1 connected to the control unit 4. The control unit 4 includes a drawing control unit 41 that controls the ejection of ink from the inkjet heads 32 of the eight inkjet head units 31 in the ejection unit 3, and a printing medium movement control unit 42 that controls the printing medium movement mechanism 27. , A discharge unit movement control unit 43 that controls the eight discharge unit moving mechanisms 6, and a cleaning control unit 44 that controls the 16 cleaning units 51 described later of the cleaning unit 5.

  When printing is performed by the printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, the print medium movement mechanism 27 is controlled by the print medium movement control unit 42 (see FIG. 5) of the control unit 4, so that the print medium 9 moves in the scanning direction. It is moved in the (−Y) direction. Further, the drawing control unit 41 (see FIG. 5) controls each inkjet head unit 31 (see FIG. 4) based on the data of the image to be printed on the print medium 9 in parallel with the movement of the print medium 9. Thus, every time the print medium 9 moves by a predetermined distance in the scanning direction, fine droplets of ink are ejected from the ejection port 331 (see FIG. 4) and applied onto the print medium 9. In other words, the print medium 9 moves relative to the ejection unit 3 in synchronization with the ejection of ink from each inkjet head unit 31 of the ejection unit 3. As a result, an image is printed on the print medium 9.

  Next, the cleaning unit 5 used for cleaning the discharge unit 3 in the printing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the structure of one cleaning unit 51 among the plurality of cleaning units 51 provided in the cleaning unit 5, and also shows a part of the inkjet head unit 31. In FIG. 6, in order to facilitate understanding of the drawing, a frame of a cleaning cartridge 52 to be described later is drawn with a broken line, and an internal configuration of the frame is drawn with a solid line. Of the six inkjet heads 32 of the inkjet head unit 31, only three inkjet heads 32 on the (+ Y) side of the rib lower part 3112 of the center rib 311 are illustrated.

  The ink jet head unit 31 in FIG. 6 is located at a position moved to the (+ X) side from the above printing position. In the cleaning unit 5, two cleaning units 51 are arranged on the (+ X) side and the (−Z) side of each inkjet head unit 31 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The three inkjet heads 32 on the (−Y) side of the rib lower portion 3112 of the center rib 311 are cleaned, and the three inkjet heads 32 on the (+ Y) side of the rib lower portion 3112 are cleaned by the other cleaning unit 51. Done. In the present embodiment, the cleaning unit 5 includes 16 cleaning units 51, and the structure of each cleaning unit 51 is the same as that shown in FIG. 2 and 3, the cleaning unit 51 is not shown in order to facilitate understanding of the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning unit 51 is detachably attached to the printing apparatus 1 and is fixed to the cleaning apparatus 52 that cleans the plurality of ejection surfaces 321 of the inkjet head unit 31 and the printing apparatus 1 (that is, The motor 53 is a drive source (provided in a state where it cannot be easily attached and detached). The motor 53 is connected to the cleaning cartridge 52 and drives each component of the cleaning cartridge 52.

  The cleaning cartridge 52 is a tape-like non-woven fabric for cleaning that comes into contact with the ejection surface 321. The unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is held in a roll and the sheet is fed out to feed out the unused portion. And a sheet collecting unit 523 that winds and collects used portions of the cleaning sheet 521 in a roll shape. Further, the cleaning cartridge 52 is disposed between the sheet feeding unit 522 and the sheet collecting unit 523 (that is, in the middle of the sheet path that is the moving path of the cleaning sheet 521 from the sheet feeding unit 522 to the sheet collecting unit 523). ) Transmits force from the motor 53, a pressing portion 524 that presses a part of the cleaning sheet 521 toward the ejection surface 321 of the inkjet head unit 31, a forward / backward mechanism 525 that advances and retracts the pressing portion 524 with respect to the ejection surface 321 Then, a drive transmission mechanism 526 for driving the advance / retreat mechanism 525 and the sheet collection unit 523 is provided.

  The drive transmission mechanism 526 is connected to the first gear 541 connected to the motor 53, the second gear 542 connected to the first gear 541, the third gear 543 connected to the second gear 542, and the third gear 543. And a fourth gear 544 connected to the sheet collection unit 523 and the advance / retreat mechanism 525. In FIG. 6, a line connecting the tips of the teeth of each gear is indicated by a long broken line (the same applies to FIGS. 9 to 11).

  The advancing / retreating mechanism 525 includes a substantially sector-shaped fifth gear 5251 coupled to the fourth gear 544, and a support member having one end fixed to the rotating shaft 5252 of the fifth gear 5251 and the other end connected to the pressing portion 524. 5253 is provided. In the advancing / retracting mechanism 525, the fifth gear 5251 rotates about the rotation shaft 5252 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 6, so that the support member 5253 extending on the opposite side of the fifth gear 5251 with the rotation shaft 5252 interposed therebetween also rotates in the clockwise direction. It rotates and the pressing part 524 moves in the (+ Z) direction. Further, when the fifth gear 5251 rotates counterclockwise, the pressing portion 524 moves in the (−Z) direction. In the cleaning part 51, the position shown in FIG. 6 is the lower limit of the movement of the pressing part 524, and the pressing part 524 is prevented from further descending by a sensor not shown.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a connection structure between the fourth gear 544 and the sheet collecting unit 523. The sheet collection unit 523 includes a reel-shaped winding unit 5231, a shaft 5232 that is the central axis of the winding unit 5231 and protrudes in the Y direction from the winding unit 5231, a one-way clutch 5233 connected to the shaft 5232, and a shaft A torque limiter 5234 is provided between 5232 and the fourth gear 544. In the sheet collecting unit 523, the used part of the cleaning sheet 521 is collected in a roll shape by rotating the winding unit 5231 clockwise in FIG.

  The one-way clutch 5233 transmits the rotation to the winding unit 5231 only when the fourth gear 544 rotates clockwise in FIG. In other words, the one-way clutch 5233 prevents the winding portion 5231 from rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 6 and feeding the used portion of the cleaning sheet 521 toward the pressing portion 524 (that is, the one-way clutch 5233). This is a reverse rotation prevention mechanism that prevents reverse rotation of the winding unit 5231.

  The torque limiter 5234 shown in FIG. 7 transmits the rotation of the fourth gear 544 to the winding unit 5231 via the shaft 5232 when the torque applied to the shaft 5232 by the rotation of the fourth gear 544 is equal to or less than the set torque. When the torque becomes larger than the set torque, it slides on the shaft 5232 to interrupt the transmission of the rotation of the fourth gear 544 to the winding unit 5231. In other words, the torque limiter 5234 transmits the rotation transmitted from the motor 53 via the first gear 541 to the fourth gear 544 (see FIG. 6) to the winding unit 5231 via the shaft 5232, and at the same time, the cleaning sheet 521. When the winding force (see FIG. 6) is greater than a predetermined resistance force (that is, a resistance force corresponding to the set torque) during winding, the winding portion regardless of the rotation transmitted from the motor 53 This is a sliding mechanism that stops the rotation of 5231.

  FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the structure of the sheet feeding portion 522. As shown in FIG. 8, the sheet feeding unit 522 is a reel-shaped holding unit 5221 around which an unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is wound, and is a central axis of the holding unit 5221 and protrudes from the holding unit 5221 in the Y direction. In addition, a shaft 5222 inserted into a holder 529 formed on the frame of the cleaning cartridge 52 and a torque limiter 5224 provided between the shaft 5222 and the holder 529 are provided.

  In the sheet feeding unit 522, when the torque applied to the holding unit 5221 is equal to or lower than the set torque, the shaft 5222 is fixed to the holder 529 by the torque limiter 5224, and the holding unit 5221 does not rotate. Further, when the torque applied to the holding portion 5221 becomes larger than the set torque, the torque limiter 5224 slides on the shaft 5222 and the holding portion 5221 rotates.

  Therefore, in the sheet feeding unit 522, while the cleaning sheet 521 is pulled with a force equal to or less than a predetermined force (that is, a force corresponding to the set torque), the rotation of the holding unit 5221 is braked by the torque limiter 5224. When the cleaning sheet 521 is pulled with a force larger than the predetermined force, the holding portion 5221 rotates clockwise in FIG. 6 and the unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is drawn out. When the holding portion 5221 rotates, a resistance force is generated by the torque limiter 5224. In the cleaning unit 51, the set torque of the torque limiter 5224 of the sheet feeding unit 522 is set larger than the set torque of the torque limiter 5234 of the sheet collection unit 523.

  In the cleaning unit 51 shown in FIG. 6, the motor 53 rotates the first gear 541 of the drive transmission mechanism 526 clockwise by a predetermined angle, whereby the second gear 542 rotates counterclockwise, and the third gear 543. Rotates clockwise, and the fourth gear 544 rotates counterclockwise. As a result, the fifth gear 5251 of the advance / retreat mechanism 525 rotates clockwise, and the pressing portion 524 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 6 (hereinafter referred to as “retracted position”) to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. Hereinafter, it will be referred to as “wiping position”). In FIG. 9, in order to facilitate understanding of the drawing, the pressing portion 524 and the advance / retreat mechanism 525 at the retracted position are drawn by a two-dot chain line (the same applies to FIG. 11).

  In the cleaning unit 51, the sheet path from the sheet feeding unit 522 via the pressing unit 524 to the sheet collecting unit 523 increases due to the movement of the pressing unit 524 from the retracted position to the wiping position. As described above, since the fourth gear 544 of the drive transmission mechanism 526 rotates counterclockwise, the rotation of the fourth gear 544 is caused by the one-way clutch 5233 (see FIG. 7) to the winding unit 5231 of the sheet collection unit 523. It is not transmitted and the winding part 5231 does not rotate. On the other hand, in the sheet feeding unit 522, the cleaning sheet 521 is pulled as the sheet path increases, and a torque larger than the set torque of the torque limiter 5224 (see FIG. 8) is applied to the holding unit 5221. As a result, the unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is fed toward the pressing portion 524 while the sheet feeding portion 522 generates resistance.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the cleaning sheet 521 on the pressing portion 524 contacts the end portion on the (+ X) side of the ejection surface 321 in the ink jet head 32 disposed on the most (+ X) side of the ink jet head unit 31. . In the printing apparatus 1, the ink jet head 32 is controlled by the drawing control unit 41 (see FIG. 5) of the control unit 4, and a slight amount of ink is supplied to each ejection port 331 (see FIG. 4), so that the bottom of each ejection port 331. It stays on the side due to surface tension. Then, the inkjet head unit 31 is moved in the (+ X) direction by the discharge unit movement control unit 43 (see FIG. 5) of the control unit 4 (that is, the inkjet head unit 31 is moved relative to the cleaning unit 51). The discharge surface 321 is cleaned by the cleaning sheet 521 that contacts the discharge surface 321. At this time, the ink adhering to the discharge surface 321 is obtained by wiping the discharge surface 321 while absorbing the ink with the cleaning sheet 521 which is a non-woven fabric having absorbability, in a state where the ink stays below each discharge port 331. Thus, the ink can be more reliably removed from the ejection surface 321.

  When the most (+ X) side inkjet head 32 passes above the pressing portion 524 and the cleaning of the inkjet head 32 is completed, the motor 53 causes the first gear 541 of the drive transmission mechanism 526 to move at a predetermined angle in the cleaning unit 5. By rotating counterclockwise only, the second gear 542 rotates clockwise, the third gear 543 rotates counterclockwise, and the fourth gear 544 rotates clockwise. As a result, the fifth gear 5251 of the advance / retreat mechanism 525 rotates counterclockwise, and the pressing portion 524 descends from the wiping position indicated by the two-dot chain line to the retracted position indicated by the solid line, as shown in FIG. To do.

  In the cleaning unit 51, the used part of the cleaning sheet 521 that is in contact with the ejection surface 321 is separated from the ejection surface 321 and the sheet feeding unit 522 is moved away from the ejection surface 321 by the advance / retreat mechanism 525. , The sheet path from the pressing unit 524 to the sheet collecting unit 523 is reduced. The sagging of the cleaning sheet 521 caused by the decrease in the sheet path is wound around the winding unit 5231 when the winding unit 5231 of the sheet collection unit 523 rotates clockwise by the clockwise rotation of the fourth gear 544. As a result, the used portion of the cleaning sheet 521 moves from the pressing portion 524 to the sheet collecting portion 523 side (that is, in the (+ X) direction), and the unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is disposed on the pressing portion 524. .

  In the cleaning unit 5, the decrease amount of the sheet path due to the lowering of the pressing portion 524 is equal to or less than the rotation amount of the winding unit 5231 when it is assumed that the rotation of the fourth gear 544 is all transmitted to the winding unit 5231. Further, the length of the support member 5253 of the advance / retreat mechanism 525 and the diameter of the winding portion 5231 are set. For this reason, in the sheet collecting unit 523, the winding unit 5231 tries to rotate by the rotation of the fourth gear 544 even after the cleaning sheet 521 is wound up by a length equal to the amount of decrease in the sheet path.

  In the sheet feeding unit 522, the rotation of the holding unit 5221 is braked by a torque limiter 5224 (see FIG. 8), and the set torque of the torque limiter 5224 of the sheet feeding unit 522 is set to the torque limiter 5234 ( 7), the torque limiter 5234 of the sheet collection unit 523 slips due to the resistance caused by the sheet feeding unit 522, and the transmission of the rotation of the fourth gear 544 to the winding unit 5231 is stopped. The As a result, the cleaning sheet 521 is collected by the sheet collecting unit 523 by the amount corresponding to the decrease in the sheet path.

  Further, by setting the set torques of the torque limiters 5224 and 5234 of the sheet feeding unit 522 and the sheet collecting unit 523 as described above, the cleaning sheet 521 is wound around the winding unit 5231 of the sheet collecting unit 523 and the sheet is collected. Even when the diameter of the portion 523 (that is, the outer diameter of the cleaning sheet 521 wound around the side surface of the winding portion 5231) increases, the recovery of the cleaning sheet 521 by the sheet recovery portion 523 reduces the sheet path. Can only be minutes.

  In the printing apparatus 1, the inkjet head unit 31 continues to move in the (+ X) direction while the pressing unit 524 is lowered in the cleaning unit 51 and after the pressing unit 524 is positioned at the retracted position. Of the three (+ Y) side inkjet heads 32, the second inkjet head 32 from the (+ X) side approaches the pressing portion 524, and the next cleaning is started. In the cleaning unit 51, the motor 53 rotates the first gear 541 of the drive transmission mechanism 526 clockwise by a predetermined angle, so that the pressing unit 524 is second from the retracted position by the advance / retreat mechanism 525 as shown in FIG. The inkjet head 32 moves toward the discharge surface 321, and the unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is pressed toward the discharge surface 321 by the pressing portion 524. In parallel with the contact of the cleaning sheet 521 with the ejection surface 321, the cleaning sheet 521 is fed out from the sheet feeding unit 522 as the sheet path increases.

  The cleaning unit 51 ejects the pressing unit 524 at the wiping position while the ejection surface 321 of the inkjet head 32 passes over the pressing unit 524 with respect to the inkjet head unit 31 continuously moving in the (+ X) direction. When the ejection surface 321 is cleaned in contact with the surface 321, and the cleaning of the ejection surface 321 is completed, the pressing portion 524 is retracted to the retracted position and an unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is supplied onto the pressing portion 524. Further, when the cleaning of the next discharge surface 321 is started, the pressing portion 524 is moved from the retracted position to the wiping position, and the unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is repeatedly brought into contact with the next discharge surface 321. In other words, when the inkjet head unit 31 is moved in the (+ X) direction by the discharge unit moving mechanism 6 (see FIG. 3), the pressing unit 524 is repeatedly advanced and retracted, and a plurality of discharge surfaces 321 arranged in the X direction. Are sequentially cleaned.

  In the printing apparatus 1, the six inkjet heads 32 are moved by the two cleaning units 51 corresponding to the inkjet head units 31 by moving the inkjet head units 31 to the positions indicated by the two-dot chain lines in FIG. 2. The cleaning of the discharge surface 321 ends. In the printing apparatus 1, all (eight) inkjet head units 31 may be cleaned in parallel, or each inkjet head unit 31 may be sequentially cleaned.

  As described above, in the printing apparatus 1, in the cleaning unit 51, the force from one motor 53 is transmitted to the advance / retreat mechanism 525 and the sheet collection unit 523 by the drive transmission mechanism 526, so that the cleaning sheet 521 is completed when the cleaning is completed. And the used portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is recovered by the sheet recovery unit 523, and at the start of the next cleaning, the unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is brought into contact with the next discharge surface 321 and the sheet The cleaning sheet 521 is fed out from the feeding unit 522. As described above, the structure of the printing apparatus 1 can be simplified by driving the advance / retreat mechanism 525 that advances and retreats the pressing portion 524 and the collection and feeding of the cleaning sheet 521 with one drive source. In addition, since the discharge surface 321 can always be wiped with a new cleaning sheet 521, the discharge surface 321 can be efficiently cleaned.

  Further, since the cleaning sheet 521 is a non-woven fabric, fibers constituting the cleaning sheet 521 are prevented from being caught on the ejection surface 321. Thereby, smooth cleaning of the ejection surface 321 is realized.

  As described above, in the cleaning unit 51, the unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is supplied onto the pressing unit 524 by the separation operation of the cleaning sheet 521 from the ejection surface 321. For this reason, when a plurality of ejection surfaces 321 are arranged in the relative movement direction of the inkjet head unit 31 by the ejection unit moving mechanism 6, the pressing unit 524 moves to the retracted position between the adjacent ejection surfaces 321. In addition, the unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is automatically supplied onto the pressing portion 524, and the next ejection surface 321 can be efficiently cleaned by the unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521. Therefore, the structure of the cleaning unit 51 is particularly suitable for a printing apparatus in which a plurality of ejection surfaces 321 are arranged in the moving direction of the inkjet head unit 31. Especially, it is particularly suitable for a printing apparatus that performs one-pass printing in which the number of ejection surfaces 321 arranged in the moving direction of the inkjet head unit 31 is increased.

  In the cleaning unit 51, a one-way clutch 5233 and a torque limiter 5234 are provided in the sheet collecting unit 523, so that the cleaning sheet 521 is more than a certain resistance force (that is, a resistance force corresponding to the set torque of the torque limiter 5234). When a large resistance force is generated, the rotation of the winding unit 5231 is stopped regardless of the rotation transmitted from the motor 53. As a result, a predetermined amount of the cleaning sheet 521 can be easily collected.

  In the printing apparatus 1, since the cleaning sheet 521 is accommodated in the cleaning cartridge 52 in each cleaning unit 51 of the cleaning unit 5, the replacement of the cleaning sheet 521 that is a consumable can be easily and quickly performed by replacing the cleaning cartridge 52. Can be done.

  In the above-described embodiment, the inkjet head unit 31 is moved to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 to complete the cleaning of the inkjet head unit 31. In the printing apparatus 1, for example, the inkjet head The inkjet head unit 31 may also be cleaned when the unit 31 moves in the (−X) direction from the position indicated by the two-dot chain line to the position indicated by the solid line.

  In this case, in parallel with the movement of the inkjet head unit 31 in the (+ X) direction, the three (+ Y) side inkjet heads 32 of the inkjet head unit 31 are cleaned, and the most (−X) side inkjet is performed. When the first cleaning of the head 32 is completed, the pressing unit 524 of the cleaning unit 51 moves away from the ejection surface 321 of the inkjet head 32 to the retracted position. When the movement of the inkjet head unit 31 in the (+ X) direction is stopped and the movement in the (−X) direction is started, the pressing portion 524 of the cleaning unit 51 is moved from the retracted position to the most (− X) moves toward the ejection surface 321 of the inkjet head 32, the unused portion of the cleaning sheet 521 comes into contact with the ejection surface 321 again, and the second cleaning is started. Cleaning is performed. In this way, even when the cleaning sheet 521 separated after cleaning the ejection surface 321 comes into contact with the ejection surface 321 again, as described above, the cleaning of the ejection surface 321 is simplified while simplifying the structure of the printing apparatus 1. Can be performed efficiently.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible.

  In the cleaning unit 51, the set torque of the torque limiter 5224 of the sheet feeding unit 522 is set larger than the set torque of the torque limiter 5234 of the sheet collection unit 523, so that the sheet is moved when the pressing unit 524 is moved to the retracted position. Although the holding portion 5221 of the feeding portion 522 does not rotate and the cleaning sheet 521 is collected by the reduction amount of the sheet path, the pressing portion 524 is moved to the retracted position instead of the torque limiter 5224 of the sheet feeding portion 522. At this time, another mechanism for stopping the rotation of the holding unit 5221 may be provided to prevent the cleaning sheet 521 from being fed out from the sheet feeding unit 522.

  In the sheet collecting unit 523 of the cleaning unit 51, various reverse rotation prevention mechanisms such as a ratchet may be provided instead of the one-way clutch 5233, and other various sliding mechanisms may be provided instead of the torque limiter 5234. Good (the same applies to the torque limiter 5224 of the sheet feeding portion 522). In the cleaning unit 51, the cleaning sheet 521 is collected by the reduction of the sheet path along with the movement of the pressing unit 524 to the retracted position, and the cleaning sheet 521 is fed out together with the movement of the pressing unit 524 to the wiping position. The sheet collecting unit 523 is not necessarily provided with a reverse rotation prevention mechanism or a sliding mechanism.

  The sheet collecting unit 523 does not need to roll up and collect the cleaning sheet 521 in a roll shape. For example, the used portion of the cleaning sheet 521 is collected without being rolled and sent out of the apparatus. May be.

  In the cleaning unit 51, the configuration other than the motor 53 is a cleaning cartridge 52 attached so as to be easily attached to and detached from the printing apparatus 1, but each configuration of the cleaning cartridge 52 is similar to the motor 53 in the printing apparatus 1. Only the cleaning sheet 521 that is fixed and is a consumable item may be replaced.

  In the printing apparatus 1, an inkjet head unit 31 that is a discharge unit includes one discharge surface row (that is, a plurality of discharge surfaces 321 arranged in the X direction) and at least one other similar to the discharge surface row. If the ejection surface arrays are arranged in the Y direction and ink is ejected from the ejection ports formed in these ejection surface arrays and one-pass printing is performed, the ejection surface array provided in the inkjet head unit 31 is As described above, the number is not limited to two, and three or more ejection surface arrays may be provided in the inkjet head unit 31.

  In the printing apparatus 1, some of the ejection unit moving mechanisms 6 among the plurality of ejection unit moving mechanisms 6 may be driven, and some of the inkjet head units 31 may be selectively cleaned. Alternatively, all the ejection unit moving mechanisms 6 may be connected to one motor and driven at the same time, and all the inkjet head units 31 may be cleaned at the same time.

  In the cleaning unit 5, only one cleaning unit 51 is provided, and cleaning is performed each time cleaning of one ejection surface row (that is, three ejection surfaces 321 arranged in the X direction) of one inkjet head unit 31 is completed. The unit 51 may move in the Y direction, and the plurality of inkjet head units 31 may be cleaned sequentially.

  In the printing apparatus 1, the print medium 9 may be moved relative to the inkjet head unit 31 by the print medium moving mechanism 27. For example, the print medium 9 is fixed and the inkjet head unit 31 is moved in the Y direction. Also good. Further, the inkjet head unit 31 may be moved relative to the cleaning sheet 521 of the cleaning unit 51 by the discharge unit moving mechanism 6. For example, the inkjet head unit 31 is fixed and the cleaning unit 51 is moved in the X direction. May be. The relative movement direction of the print medium 9 by the print medium movement mechanism 27 and the relative movement direction of the inkjet head unit 31 by the ejection unit movement mechanism 6 do not necessarily need to be perpendicular. The ink ejected from the inkjet head unit 31 is not limited to water-based ink. For example, ultraviolet curable ink may be ejected from the inkjet head unit 31.

  In the printing apparatus 1, for example, sheet-fed printing that sequentially prints on a plurality of print media that are not long may be performed. The cleaning unit 51 may be used for cleaning the discharge unit in a printing apparatus that performs printing while the discharge unit reciprocates in the X direction on the print medium 9 moving in the Y direction. The cleaning unit 51 may be used for cleaning a discharge unit having only one discharge surface 321.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 6 Discharge part moving mechanism 9 Print medium 27 Print medium moving mechanism 31 Inkjet head unit 51 Cleaning part 52 Cleaning cartridge 53 Motor 321 Discharge surface 331 Discharge port 521 Cleaning sheet 522 Sheet delivery part 523 Sheet collection part 524 Press part 525 Advance / Retreat Mechanism 526 Drive transmission mechanism 5231 Winding part 5233 One-way clutch 5234 Torque limiter

Claims (6)

An inkjet printing apparatus,
A discharge unit that discharges fine droplets of ink toward a print medium from a plurality of discharge ports formed on the discharge surface;
A print medium moving mechanism that moves the print medium relative to the discharge unit in synchronization with the discharge of ink from the discharge unit;
A cleaning unit having a tape-shaped cleaning sheet;
A discharge unit moving mechanism that cleans the discharge surface with the cleaning sheet that contacts the discharge surface by moving the discharge unit relative to the cleaning unit;
With
The cleaning unit is
A sheet feeding portion for feeding out unused portions of the cleaning sheet;
A sheet collecting unit for collecting a used part of the cleaning sheet;
A pressing unit that presses a part of the cleaning sheet toward the discharge surface between the sheet feeding unit and the sheet collecting unit;
An advancing / retreating mechanism for advancing / retreating the pressing portion with respect to the ejection surface;
One drive source,
A drive transmission mechanism that transmits a force from the drive source to drive the advance / retreat mechanism and the sheet collection unit;
With
When the cleaning is completed, the advance / retreat mechanism retracts the pressing portion from the discharge surface to separate the used portion of the cleaning sheet that is in contact with the discharge surface from the discharge surface, and from the sheet feeding portion to the pressing portion. The sheet collection unit collects the cleaning sheet by a reduction amount of the sheet path leading to the sheet collection unit via
At the start of the next cleaning, the advance / retreat mechanism moves the pressing portion toward the discharge surface or another discharge surface, and the pressing portion moves the cleaning sheet while the sheet supply portion extends the cleaning sheet as the sheet path increases. A printing apparatus, wherein an unused portion of a cleaning sheet is brought into contact with the ejection surface or the other ejection surface. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,
The discharge unit has a plurality of discharge surfaces arranged in a relative movement direction by the discharge unit moving mechanism,
The printing apparatus, wherein when the discharge unit moves relative to the relative movement direction by the discharge unit moving mechanism, the pressing unit is repeatedly advanced and retracted to sequentially clean the plurality of discharge surfaces. The printing apparatus according to claim 2,
The ejection unit has the plurality of ejection surface rows and at least one other row similar to the rows arranged in a relative movement direction of the print medium,
The printing apparatus is characterized in that printing on the print medium is completed by one relative movement of the print medium with respect to the discharge unit by the print medium moving mechanism. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The printing apparatus, wherein the cleaning sheet is a nonwoven fabric. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When the cleaning sheet is pulled, the cleaning sheet is fed out from the sheet feeding unit while the sheet feeding unit generates resistance.
The sheet collection unit is
A winding unit that collects a used part of the cleaning sheet into a roll; and
A reverse rotation prevention mechanism for preventing reverse rotation of the winding unit;
The rotation transmitted from the driving source is transmitted to the winding unit, and when a resistance force caused by the sheet feeding unit is generated when the cleaning sheet is wound, the rotation transmitted from the driving source is transmitted. Regardless of the slip mechanism that stops the rotation of the winding unit,
A printing apparatus comprising: A cleaning cartridge that is detachably attached to an ink jet printing apparatus and that cleans an ejection surface on which an ink ejection port is formed,
A tape-shaped cleaning sheet;
A sheet feeding portion for feeding out unused portions of the cleaning sheet;
A sheet collecting unit for collecting a used part of the cleaning sheet;
A pressing unit that presses a part of the cleaning sheet toward the discharge surface between the sheet feeding unit and the sheet collecting unit;
An advancing / retreating mechanism for advancing / retreating the pressing portion with respect to the ejection surface;
A drive transmission mechanism that transmits a force from one drive source provided in the printing apparatus to drive the advance / retreat mechanism and the sheet collecting unit;
With
The discharge surface is cleaned by the cleaning sheet that contacts the discharge surface by moving the discharge portion relative to the cleaning portion;
When the cleaning is completed, the advance / retreat mechanism retracts the pressing portion from the discharge surface to separate the used portion of the cleaning sheet that is in contact with the discharge surface from the discharge surface, and from the sheet feeding portion to the pressing portion. The sheet collection unit collects the cleaning sheet by a reduction amount of the sheet path leading to the sheet collection unit via
At the start of the next cleaning, the advance / retreat mechanism moves the pressing portion toward the discharge surface or another discharge surface, and the pressing portion moves the cleaning sheet while the sheet supply portion extends the cleaning sheet as the sheet path increases. A cleaning cartridge, wherein an unused portion of a cleaning sheet is brought into contact with the discharge surface or the other discharge surface.

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