JP2011136451A - Maintenance device and fluid ejector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a maintenance device which can clean a nozzle formation surface of a fluid ejecting head, and can clean also a side surface of the fluid ejecting head, and a fluid ejector. <P>SOLUTION: A cleaning unit 35 of the maintenance device includes a slope 39a of a rubbing member 39 used for cleaning the nozzle formation surface 21a in the recording head 21 which ejects inks from nozzles 22, a downside plane part 39b of the rubbing member 39 used for cleaning the side surface 21b at the recording head 21, and a rotating member 37 which can operate while supporting the rubbing member 39 and operates so that a corresponding surface of the rubbing member 39 contacts with the surface to be cleaned when the recording head 21 is cleaned. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a maintenance device and a fluid ejection device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, an ink jet printer (hereinafter also referred to as “printer”) is known as a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects fluid from nozzles formed on a nozzle forming surface of a fluid ejecting head. In such printers, in order to prevent and repair clogging caused by thickening of the ink in the nozzles, a wiping device that wipes ink adhering to the nozzle formation surface with a wiper blade (hereinafter referred to as “wiper”) is maintained. It is provided as a kind of device. In addition, when the wipeability of the ink deteriorates due to the durability deterioration of the wiper, etc., the ink remaining on the nozzle formation surface dries and thickens to inhibit ink discharge. A rubbing device that scrapes off deposits such as thickened ink may be further provided as a kind of maintenance device.

  By the way, in such a wiping device in a printer, the ink wiped off by the wiper may remain attached to the wiper, and when the wiper contacts the fluid ejecting head again, the ink may adhere to the side surface of the fluid ejecting head. is there. Then, the ink thickened and adhered to the side surface of the fluid ejecting head is reattached to the wiper, and when the nozzle forming surface is wiped again for cleaning with the wiper in the state where the thickened ink is reattached, the thickened ink is removed. There was a problem of reattaching to the nozzle forming surface. Further, there is a problem that the thickened ink attached to the side surface of the fluid ejecting head cannot be removed even by the rubbing device.

  Thus, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a printer that prevents ink from adhering to the side surface of a fluid ejecting head has been proposed. In other words, the printer of Patent Document 1 includes an absorber that absorbs ink on the side surface of the fluid ejecting head, and the ink adhering to the wiper is absorbed by the absorber.

JP 2001-105616 A

  By the way, in the printer of Patent Document 1, the wiper repeatedly comes into contact with the absorber provided on the side surface of the fluid ejecting head during wiping. Therefore, the thickened ink that has been thickened by drying after being absorbed by the absorber adheres to the wiper again, and there is a possibility that the wiper cannot exhibit a sufficient cleaning function.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance device and a fluid ejecting apparatus that can clean the nozzle forming surface of the fluid ejecting head and also clean the side surface of the fluid ejecting head. Is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a maintenance device according to the present invention includes a first cleaning unit used for cleaning a first cleaning unit in a fluid ejecting head that ejects fluid from a nozzle, and a first cleaning unit in the fluid ejecting head. 2 It is operable while supporting the second cleaning unit used for cleaning the cleaned unit, the first cleaning unit, and the second cleaning unit, and when the respective cleaned units are cleaned, And a support portion that operates so that a corresponding cleaning portion of each of the cleaning portions contacts the cleaning portion.

  According to this structure, the 1st cleaning part and the 2nd cleaning part which respond | correspond respectively at the time of cleaning respectively correspond to the 1st cleaning part and the 2nd cleaning part by operating the support part which supports the 1st cleaning part and the 2nd cleaning part. Make proper contact with the part to be cleaned. Therefore, in the fluid ejecting head, different cleaned parts can be appropriately cleaned by the corresponding cleaning parts.

In the maintenance apparatus according to the present invention, the support portion is capable of rotating and supports the first cleaning portion and the second cleaning portion at different positions in the rotation direction.
According to this configuration, the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit respectively correspond to the first to-be-cleaned unit and the first cleaning unit at the time of cleaning by rotating the support unit that supports the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit. 2 Touch the part to be cleaned appropriately. Therefore, since the support part which supports a 1st cleaning part and a 2nd cleaning part can be reduced in size, a maintenance apparatus can be reduced in size.

  In the maintenance device according to the aspect of the invention, the first cleaned portion is configured by a nozzle forming surface of the fluid ejecting head, while the second cleaned portion is configured by a side surface of the fluid ejecting head.

  According to this configuration, when cleaning the fluid ejecting head, the first cleaning unit contacts the nozzle forming surface of the fluid ejecting head, while the second cleaning unit contacts the side surface of the fluid ejecting head. Therefore, the nozzle forming surface and the side surface of the fluid ejecting head can be appropriately cleaned by operating the support portion and using different cleaning portions, namely the first cleaning portion and the second cleaning portion.

  The maintenance device according to the present invention includes a maintenance member in which the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit are integrated, and the maintenance member is connected to the first cleaning unit in the operation direction along with the operation of the support unit. The second cleaning unit is configured to be displaced.

  According to this configuration, since the maintenance member is a configuration in which the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit are integrated, when the maintenance member is operated by the support unit, the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit are Displace and clean different parts of the fluid ejection head. Therefore, the number of parts of the maintenance device can be reduced while properly cleaning different portions of the fluid ejecting head with the corresponding maintenance member portions, so that the maintenance device can be downsized.

The fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a fluid ejecting head that ejects fluid and the maintenance device having the above-described configuration.
According to this structure, the same effect as the invention concerning the maintenance device can be obtained.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a printer according to a first embodiment. The plane schematic diagram of the maintenance apparatus in 1st Embodiment. The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the cleaning unit in 1st Embodiment. (A)-(f) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram for demonstrating each maintenance operation | movement of the cleaning unit with respect to the recording head in 1st Embodiment, (a) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram just after the rubbing start of a nozzle formation surface, b) is a schematic cross-sectional view during rubbing of the nozzle forming surface, (c) is a schematic cross-sectional view before starting rubbing on the side surface of the recording head, (d) is a schematic cross-sectional view during rubbing the side surface of the recording head, and (e). Is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nozzle forming surface before starting wiping, and (f) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nozzle forming surface during wiping. The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the cleaning unit 35 in 2nd Embodiment. (A)-(f) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram for demonstrating each maintenance operation | movement of the cleaning unit with respect to the recording head in 2nd Embodiment, (a) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram before the rubbing start of a nozzle formation surface, b) is a schematic cross-sectional view during rubbing of the nozzle forming surface, (c) is a schematic cross-sectional view before starting rubbing on the side surface of the recording head, (d) is a schematic cross-sectional view during rubbing the side surface of the recording head, and (e). Is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nozzle forming surface before starting wiping, and (f) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nozzle forming surface during wiping. (A) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the cleaning unit in a 1st modification, (b) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the cleaning unit in a 2nd modification.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) which is a kind of fluid ejecting apparatus and a maintenance device provided in the printer will be described below with reference to FIGS. . In the following description, the terms “front-rear direction”, “vertical direction”, and “left-right direction” refer to “front-rear direction”, “vertical direction”, and “left-right direction” indicated by arrows in FIG. 1 unless otherwise specified. Direction ".

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 of the present embodiment includes a main body case 11 having a rectangular shape in plan view. A platen 12 is installed along the longitudinal direction (the main scanning direction which is the left-right direction in FIG. 1) in the lower part of the main body case 11, and a waste ink tank (not shown) is provided below the platen 12. It has been. The platen 12 is a support for supporting the paper P as a target, and based on the driving force of the paper feed motor 14 of the paper feed mechanism 13, the platen 12 is moved in the sub-scanning direction (front and rear in FIG. 1). Direction).

  In the main body case 11, a guide shaft 15 extending in parallel with the longitudinal direction (left and right direction) of the platen 12 is installed above the platen 12, and a carriage 16 is attached to the guide shaft 15 in the axial direction of the guide shaft 15 ( It is supported so that it can reciprocate along the left-right direction. A driving pulley 17 and a driven pulley 18 are rotatably supported at positions corresponding to both ends of the guide shaft 15 on the inner surface of the main body case 11. A carriage motor 19 serving as a drive source when the carriage 16 is reciprocated is connected to the drive pulley 17, and a timing belt 20 that fixes and supports the carriage 16 is hung between the pair of pulleys 17 and 18. . Accordingly, the carriage 16 is movable in the main scanning direction via the timing belt 20 by driving the carriage motor 19 while being guided by the guide shaft 15.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a recording head 21 as a fluid ejecting head is provided on the lower surface side of the carriage 16. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of nozzle openings 22 are formed in the nozzle forming surface 21 a formed by the lower surface of the recording head 21. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of (five in the present embodiment) ink cartridges 23 for detachably mounting ink as fluid to the recording head 21 are detachably mounted on the carriage 16. . Printing is performed by ejecting ink contained in each ink cartridge 23 onto the recording paper P from the nozzle openings 22.

  Further, the carriage 16 is positioned at one end portion (right end portion in FIG. 1) of the main body case 11, that is, a non-printing area where the paper P does not reach when the printer 10 is powered off or when the recording head 21 is maintained. Home position HP is provided. At a position below the home position HP, a maintenance device 24 that performs various maintenance operations is provided so that ink ejection from the recording head 21 to the paper P is favorably maintained.

Next, the maintenance device 24 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 2, the maintenance device 24 includes a rear frame 27 and a front frame 28 that are supported on the main body case 11 via a bracket (not shown). A first drive motor 29 capable of forward and reverse rotation is attached to the rear frame 27. And the toothed pulley 30 is connected to the front end of the output shaft 29a of the 1st drive motor 29 so that power transmission is possible.

  In addition, between the rear frame 27 and the front frame 28, two lead screws 31 extending in a substantially horizontal direction are installed so as to be spaced apart in parallel in the left-right direction. A toothed pulley 30 and a pulley (not shown) are respectively attached to the rear end portions of both lead screws 31, and between the pulley (not shown) and the toothed pulley 30 connected to the output shaft 29 a of the first drive motor 29. An endless pinion belt 32 is hung. Further, the front end portions of both lead screws 31 are rotatably supported by the front frame 28. Therefore, with the generation of the driving force due to the rotation of the first drive motor 29, both the lead screws 31 are configured to rotate synchronously in the same direction around the respective axes.

  One moving member 33 is attached to each of the lead screws 31. As shown in FIG. 2, each moving member 33 has a hole (not shown) penetrating in a radial direction in a part of a cylindrical part (not shown) that becomes a screwing portion with respect to the lead screw 31, and a pin (not shown) is formed in the hole. It is inserted. And in each cylindrical part, the front-end | tip of each pin is engaged with the thread groove 34 formed in the outer peripheral surface of the lead screw 31. FIG. Therefore, when this pin is guided while being engaged with the thread groove 34 when the lead screw 31 is rotated, the two moving members 33 are paired on the left and right sides, and move forward and backward along the axial direction of both the lead screws 31. It is configured.

  In the present embodiment, when the first drive motor 29 is driven forward, both lead screws 31 rotate in the forward direction, and the moving member 33 moves forward from the rear frame 27 side to the front frame 28 side. It is configured to (forward). On the other hand, when the first drive motor 29 is driven in reverse, both lead screws 31 rotate in the reverse direction, and both moving members 33 are moved backward (returned) from the front frame 28 side to the rear frame 27 side. Is configured to do.

  A cleaning unit 35 used for cleaning the recording head 21 is provided between the pair of left and right moving members 33. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cleaning unit 35 includes a rotation member 37 having a substantially rectangular cross section that is rotatably supported with a rotation shaft 36 installed between the left and right moving members 33 as a rotation center. It has. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotation member 37 has a center of rotation at a position deviated from the center of the substantially rectangular cross section toward one corner (lower right corner in FIG. 3). As shown in FIG.

  Further, from the first outer surface (lower surface in FIG. 3) 37a which is one of the two outer surfaces close to the axis of the rotation shaft 36 among the four outer surfaces extending in the left-right direction of the rotating member 37, rubber or the like is acceptable. A wiper member 38 formed in a strip shape from a flexible material is extended in a direction perpendicular to the first surface 37a (vertically downward in FIG. 3). The wiper member 38 moves to the nozzle forming surface 21a when the cleaning unit 35 slides in contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a of the recording head 21 by moving relative to the recording head 21 in the front-rear direction as the moving member 33 moves. The ink and dust that adheres are wiped away and cleaned.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the rotating member 37 has a rubbing member 39 as a maintenance member having a polygonal cross section made of a porous material or a fiber material (nonwoven fabric, woven fabric, felt or the like) capable of absorbing ink. The rotation member 37 is supported along the longitudinal direction. That is, the rubbing member 39 includes, as shown in FIG. 3, a second surface (left side surface in FIG. 3) 37b that is two outer surfaces far from the axis of the rotation shaft 36 among the four outer surfaces of the rotating member 37, and Two orthogonal surfaces corresponding to the third surface (upper side surface in FIG. 3) 37c are attached along the longitudinal direction of the rotating member 37 as joint surfaces. In this respect, the rotation member 37 functions as a support portion that supports a rubbing member (maintenance member) 39. The rubbing member 39 is an absorber that absorbs ink formed to be approximately the same length as the rotating member 37, and supports the rotating shaft 36 together with the rotating member 37 in a support state joined to the rotating member 37. It is configured to rotate integrally around the center.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the rubbing member 39 has a combined cross-sectional shape with a cross-sectional shape of the rotating member 37 in a state where it is attached to the rotating member 37. It forms a trapezoidal shape of unequal legs cut so that one oblique side is formed by a straight line connecting the midpoints of the sides. And the surface which becomes a hypotenuse in the trapezoid shape becomes the slope part 39a extended diagonally downward toward the front side frame 28 side in the stand-by state shown in FIG.

  Further, in the trapezoidal shape, the lower surface that constitutes the lower bottom of the trapezoidal shape by extending flush with the first surface 37a of the rotating member 37 and the upper bottom facing the lower surface thereof. The upper surfaces to be configured are a lower flat surface portion 39b and an upper flat surface portion 39c extending in the horizontal direction in the standby state shown in FIG. In the cross-sectional shape of the rubbing member 39 shown in FIG. 3, the left side surface portion 39d that is the left side connecting the inclined surface portion 39a and the lower flat surface portion 39b is the other outer surface (the inclined surface portion 39a, etc.) of the rubbing member 39. ) At a position farther away from the axis of the rotary shaft 36 than in FIG.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, in the cleaning unit 35, the distance L1 from the axis of the rotating shaft 36 to the upper flat surface 39c of the rubbing member 39 is the nozzle of the recording head 21 from the axis of the rotating shaft 36 in the vertical direction. It is set to be larger than the distance L0 to the formation surface 21a (that is, the distance L0 <the distance L1). This is for the purpose of absorbing ink adhering to the nozzle forming surface 21a by the rubbing member 39, and for causing the rubbing member 39 to slidably contact the nozzle forming surface 21a. Considering the dimensional tolerance of the member 39 and the positional accuracy between the rubbing member 39 and the nozzle forming surface 21a, the size is set so as not to be smaller than the distance L0 (that is, not to contact). Further, the distance L2 from the axis of the rotation shaft 36 to the inclined surface 39a of the rubbing member 39 is set to be slightly larger than the distance L1. That is, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), when the inclined portion 39a is brought into sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a, an appropriate contact pressure is obtained compared to the case shown in FIG. The attached solidified material can be wiped off.

  A distance L3 from the axis of the rotation shaft 36 to the left side surface portion 39d of the rubbing member 39 is larger than the distance L2 (that is, as shown in FIG. 4D, the lower flat surface portion 39b is set in the vertical direction. The contact width can be obtained in the vertical direction with respect to the side surface 21b of the recording head 21). The distance L3 is set to be greater than the distance from the axis of the rotating shaft 36 to the tip of the wiping member 38. This is because when the wiping member 38 comes into contact with the side surface 21 b of the recording head 21, the ink attached to the wiping member 38 may be scattered to the side farther from the axis of the rotation shaft 36 than the tip of the wiping member 38. Accordingly, the distance L3 of the rubbing member 39 is made longer than the length of the wiping member so as to absorb such ink that may be scattered.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first gear 40 is fixed to a position between the moving member 33 and the rubbing member 39 on one end (right end in the present embodiment) side of the rotating shaft 36. Further, a second drive motor 41 is disposed between the left and right lead screws 31 in front of the rear frame 27 in plan view, and the power of the second drive motor 41 can be transmitted to its output shaft. A second gear 42 is provided. When the cleaning unit 35 is positioned closest to the rear frame 27 side (hereinafter referred to as “standby position”) as shown in FIG. 2, the first gear 40 and the second gear 42 mesh with each other. In this case, the rotation shaft 36 can rotate by a rotation angle corresponding to the drive amount of the second drive motor 41.

  When the cleaning unit 35 rotates the rotation member 37 by a predetermined rotation angle, the member used for cleaning the recording head 21 during the maintenance is arranged in a cleaning posture among the wiper member 38 and the rubbing member 39. It has become. That is, in the cleaning unit 35, for example, from the standby posture shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rotation member 37 rotates about 30 degrees clockwise in FIG. Thus, the entire surface of the inclined surface portion 39a can be brought into sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a by being displaced to a posture (hereinafter referred to as “first cleaning posture”). In this respect, in the present embodiment, the nozzle forming surface 21a of the recording head 21 functions as a first cleaned portion, and the inclined portion 39a of the rubbing member 39 functions as a first cleaning portion.

  Further, the rotating member 37 rotates about 90 degrees clockwise in FIG. 3 so that the lower flat surface portion 39b of the rubbing member 39 faces the side surface 21b of the recording head 21 (hereinafter referred to as “second cleaning posture”). And the lower flat surface portion 39b can be brought into sliding contact with the side surface 21b of the recording head 21. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the side surface 21b of the recording head 21 functions as a second cleaning portion, and the lower flat surface portion 39b of the rubbing member 39 functions as a second cleaning portion. Then, when the rotating member 37 rotates about 180 degrees clockwise in FIG. 3, the wiper member 38 is displaced to a posture in which the tip of the wiper member 38 faces the nozzle forming surface 21 a side (hereinafter referred to as “third cleaning posture”). Thus, the wiper member 38 can be slidably contacted with the nozzle forming surface 21a.

Next, the operation of the maintenance device 24 configured as described above will be described below, particularly focusing on the maintenance operation using the cleaning unit 35.
In the standby state before the maintenance operation is performed, the cleaning unit 35 is held in a standby posture in which the upper flat portion 39c of the rubbing member 39 is directed upward in the vertical direction as shown in FIGS. On the frame 27 side, the first gear 40 is positioned at the standby position where the second gear 42 is engaged. In the following, the direction in which the cleaning unit 35 in the standby posture rotates so as to be in the cleaning posture (clockwise in FIG. 3) is indicated as the positive direction, while the cleaning unit 35 in the cleaning posture is in the standby posture. The direction of rotation (counterclockwise in FIG. 3) is shown as the reverse direction.

  Now, for example, when an ink droplet ejected from the nozzle opening 22 of the recording head 21 to the recording paper P bounces during printing or after performing suction cleaning for sucking and discharging ink in the recording head 21. Unnecessary ink may adhere to the nozzle forming surface 21a. Such adhering ink may affect the ejection direction of the ink from the nozzle opening 22 and cause a printing defect. Therefore, in such a case, wiping as a maintenance operation by the wiper member 38 is performed.

  First, the carriage 16 is moved to the home position HP above the maintenance device 24 and stopped. Then, the second drive motor 41 is driven, and as shown in FIG. 4E, the cleaning unit 35 rotates about 180 degrees in the forward direction from the standby posture indicated by the broken line in the standby position at the standby position. Displaces to the cleaning posture. Next, when the first drive motor 29 is driven to rotate forward, the cleaning unit 35 moves forward as the lead screw 31 rotates in the forward rotation direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 4 (f), the wiper member 38 is slidably contacted with the nozzle forming surface 21 a of the recording head 21 while the cleaning unit 35 is moving forward to wipe off and remove the adhered ink.

  As described above, when the wiping of the nozzle forming surface 21a by the wiper member 38 is completed, the carriage 16 is moved from the home position HP to the printing region. Thereafter, when the first drive motor 29 is driven in reverse, the cleaning unit 35 moves backward and returns to the standby position with the rotation of the lead screw 31 in the reverse direction. Then, the second drive motor 41 is driven, and the cleaning unit 35 rotates about 180 degrees in the reverse direction from the third cleaning posture at the standby position and returns to the standby posture.

  In addition, if the wiping and removing ability of the ink deteriorates due to deterioration of the durability of the wiper member 38 or the like, the ink remaining after wiping is dried and thickened and adheres to the nozzle forming surface 21a to obstruct the ejection of the head, and increase. The viscous ink also adheres to the side surface 21 b of the recording head 21 via the wiper member 38. In such a case, rubbing, which is a maintenance operation by the rubbing member 39, is performed.

First, a case where the nozzle forming surface 21a of the recording head 21 is rubbed will be described.
In this case, the carriage 16 is moved to the home position HP above the maintenance device 24 and stopped. Then, as shown in FIG. 4A, the first drive motor 29 is driven to rotate forward, and the cleaning unit 35 remains in the standby posture with the rotation of the lead screw 31 in the forward rotation direction. Move forward. In the middle of the forward movement of the cleaning unit 35, when the inclined surface portion 39 a of the rubbing member 39 contacts the corner portion of the nozzle forming surface 21 a and the side surface 21 b of the recording head 21, the further cleaning unit 35 is further advanced thereafter. As shown in FIG. 4B, the cleaning unit 35 rotates in the forward direction and is displaced to the first cleaning posture. Then, the cleaning unit 35 moves forward while the slant portion 39a of the rubbing member 39 in the first cleaning posture is brought into sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a.

  Further, when the cleaning unit 35 moves forward to the front frame 28 side, the first drive motor 29 is driven in reverse, and the cleaning unit 35 moves backward. Then, the inclined surface portion 39a of the rubbing member 39 comes into sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a again. Such a reciprocating movement of the cleaning unit 35 is repeated a predetermined number of times (for example, three times), so that the inclined surface 39a as the first cleaning portion of the rubbing member 39 adheres to the nozzle forming surface 21a as the first cleaning portion. The absorbed ink is absorbed and the thickened ink is wiped away.

Next, a case where the side surface 21b of the recording head 21 is rubbed following the rubbing of the nozzle forming surface 21a will be described.
In this case, when the rubbing of the nozzle forming surface 21a by the inclined portion 39a of the rubbing member 39 is finished and the cleaning unit 35 returns to the standby position while maintaining the first cleaning posture, the second drive motor 41 is driven, As shown in FIG. 4C, the cleaning unit 35 rotates in the forward direction at the standby position and is displaced to the second cleaning posture. Then, the first drive motor 29 is driven to rotate forward, and the cleaning unit 35 moves forward until the lower flat surface portion 39b of the rubbing member 39 contacts the side surface 21b of the recording head 21, as shown in FIG. To do.

  When the lower flat portion 39b of the rubbing member 39 comes into contact with the side surface 21b of the recording head 21 and the forward movement of the cleaning unit 35 is stopped, the lower flat portion 39b of the rubbing member 39 is slid on the side surface 21b of the recording head 21. In the contact state, the carriage 16 is moved from the home position HP to a rubbing position RP (see FIG. 1) on the side opposite to the printing area. Then, after the carriage 16 has moved to the rubbing position RP, the carriage 16 is again moved from the rubbing position RP to the home position HP. Such a reciprocating movement of the carriage 16 is repeated a predetermined number of times (for example, three times), whereby the side surface of the recording head 21 as the second portion to be cleaned by the lower flat portion 39b as the second cleaning portion of the rubbing member 39. The ink adhering to 21b is absorbed and the thickened ink is wiped away.

  As described above, when the rubbing of the nozzle forming surface 21a and the side surface 21b of the recording head 21 by the rubbing member 39 is completed, the carriage 16 is moved from the home position HP to the printing area. Thereafter, when the first drive motor 29 is driven in reverse, the cleaning unit 35 moves backward and returns to the initial standby position with the rotation of the lead screw 31 in the reverse direction. Then, the second drive motor 41 is driven, and the cleaning unit 35 rotates in the reverse direction at the standby position and returns to the standby posture.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the maintenance device 24 of the present embodiment, the rotating member 37 that supports the rubbing member 39 that wipes and cleans the recording head 21 performs a predetermined operation so that the rubbing member 39 The inclined surface portion 39a and the lower flat surface portion 39b are in contact with the corresponding nozzle forming surface 21a and the side surface 21b of the recording head 21, respectively. That is, the inclined surface 39a as the first cleaning portion is in contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a as the first cleaning portion, and the lower flat surface portion 39b as the second cleaning portion is in contact with the side surface 21b as the second cleaning portion. Touch. Therefore, in the recording head 21, the nozzle forming surface 21 a and the side surface 21 b can be appropriately cleaned with different surfaces (the inclined surface portion 39 a and the lower flat surface portion 39 b) of the corresponding rubbing member 39.

  (2) In the maintenance device 24 of the present embodiment, the rotating member 37 that supports the rubbing member 39 rotates, so that the different surfaces of the rubbing member 39 correspond to the nozzle forming surface 21a of the recording head 21 corresponding to the cleaning head 21 respectively. Properly contacts the side surface 21b. Therefore, since the rotation member 37 which becomes a support part which supports the rubbing member 39 can be reduced in size, the maintenance apparatus 24 can be reduced in size.

  (3) In the maintenance device 24 of the present embodiment, since the rubbing member 39 is made of a porous material or a fiber material that can absorb ink, the ink adhering to the recording head 21 can be absorbed and wiped and cleaned. it can.

  (4) In the maintenance device 24 of the present embodiment, the rubbing member 39 is constituted by one member, and one surface (slope portion 39a) and the other one surface (lower flat surface portion 39b) of the one member are formed. It functions as a separate cleaning part for cleaning different parts to be cleaned (nozzle forming surface 21a, side surface 21b). That is, when the rubbing member 39 is rotated by the rotating member 37, different surfaces of the rubbing member 39 are in slidable contact with different portions of the recording head 21 for wiping and cleaning. Accordingly, the number of parts of the maintenance device 24 can be reduced while appropriately cleaning different portions of the recording head 21 with the corresponding surfaces of the rubbing members 39, so that the maintenance device 24 can be downsized.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the rubbing member in the cleaning unit 35 of the maintenance device 24 is divided into two rubbing members 43 and 44. Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the redundant description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating member 37 of the cleaning unit 35 in the maintenance device 24 of the present embodiment has a thick plate shape made of a porous material or a fiber material capable of absorbing ink in addition to the wiper member 38. A first rubbing member 43 and a thick plate-like second rubbing member 44 made of the same material as the first rubbing member 43 are erected on different surfaces. That is, in FIG. 5, the wiper member 38 is erected from the first surface 37a that is the lower side surface of the rotating member 37, and the second rubbing member 44 is erected from the second surface 37b that is the left side surface. The first rubbing member 43 is erected from the third surface 37c which is the upper side surface. The length of the second rubbing member 44 in the protruding direction is longer than the length of the first rubbing member 43 in the protruding direction.

  In the first rubbing member 43 and the second rubbing member 44, when the recording head 21 is cleaned, the upper surface portion 43a of the first rubbing member 43 is in sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a of the recording head 21, and the wiper in the second rubbing member 44 is wiped. The side portion 44 a on the member 38 side is in sliding contact with the side surface 21 b of the recording head 21. In this respect, in the present embodiment, the nozzle forming surface 21a of the recording head 21 functions as a first cleaned portion and the side surface 21b functions as a second cleaned portion, and the upper surface portion 43a of the first rubbing member 43 is the first. The cleaning portion and the side surface portion 44a of the second rubbing member 44 function as a second cleaning portion.

  As in the case of the first embodiment, when the cleaning member 35 rotates the rotation member 37 by a predetermined rotation angle, the cleaning unit 35 records during the maintenance among the wiper member 38, the first rubbing member 43, and the second rubbing member 44. A member used for cleaning the head 21 is arranged in a cleaning posture. That is, the cleaning unit 35 moves forward from a standby posture in which the upper surface portion 43a of the first rubbing member 43 faces upward at the standby position shown in FIG. 5, for example, so that the upper surface of the first rubbing member 43 as the first cleaning portion. The portion 43a is displaced to a posture that contacts the nozzle forming surface 21a as the first portion to be cleaned of the recording head 21 (that is, the first cleaning posture). In the first cleaning posture, the entire upper surface portion 43a of the first rubbing member 43 can be slidably contacted with the nozzle forming surface 21a.

  Similarly, in the cleaning unit 35, when the rotating member 37 rotates about 90 degrees in the forward direction from the standby posture, the side surface portion 44a of the second rubbing member 44 as the second cleaning portion becomes the second covered portion of the recording head 21. It is displaced to a posture (that is, a second cleaning posture) facing the side surface 21b as the cleaning unit. In the second cleaning posture, the side surface portion 44 a can be brought into sliding contact with the side surface 21 b of the recording head 21. Similarly, the cleaning unit 35 is configured so that the tip of the wiper member 38 faces the nozzle forming surface 21a side by rotating the rotating member 37 about 180 degrees in the forward direction from the standby position (that is, the third cleaning position). It is displaced to. In the third cleaning posture, the wiper member 38 can come into sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a.

Next, the operation of the maintenance device 24 configured as described above will be described below, particularly focusing on the maintenance operation using the cleaning unit 35.
Now, in the standby state before the maintenance operation is performed, the cleaning unit 35 is held in a standby posture in which the upper surface portion 43a of the first rubbing member 43 faces upward, and is positioned at a standby position that is also an initial position.

  For example, when wiping, which is a maintenance operation by the wiper member 38, is performed, the carriage 16 is moved to the home position HP and stopped as in the case of the first embodiment. Then, the second drive motor 41 is driven, and as shown in FIG. 6E, the cleaning unit 35 rotates about 180 degrees in the forward direction from the standby posture shown by the broken line in the drawing at the standby position. Displacement to the third cleaning posture. Next, when the first drive motor 29 is driven to rotate forward, the cleaning unit 35 moves forward. Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (f), the wiper member 38 is slidably contacted with the nozzle forming surface 21 a of the recording head 21 while the cleaning unit 35 is moving forward to wipe off and remove the adhered ink.

  When the wiping of the nozzle forming surface 21a by the wiper member 38 is completed as described above, the carriage 16 is moved from the home position HP to the printing area, and the cleaning unit 35 is moved backward to return to the standby position. Then, the second drive motor 41 is driven, and the cleaning unit 35 rotates in the reverse direction at the standby position and returns to the standby posture.

  When rubbing, which is a maintenance operation by the first and second rubbing members 43 and 44, is performed, the carriage 16 is moved to the home position HP and stopped as in the case of the first embodiment. First, when rubbing the nozzle forming surface 21a of the recording head 21, as shown in FIG. 6A, the first drive motor 29 is driven to rotate forward, and the cleaning unit 35 moves forward in a standby posture state. To do. Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), as the cleaning unit 35 advances, the upper surface portion 43a of the first rubbing member 43 assumes a first cleaning posture in which the nozzle forming surface 21a is in sliding contact. Then, the cleaning unit 35 moves forward to the front frame 28 side while maintaining the first cleaning posture in which the upper surface portion 43a of the first rubbing member 43 is in sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a.

  When the cleaning unit 35 moves forward to the front frame 28 side, the first drive motor 29 is driven in reverse and the cleaning unit 35 moves backward. At this time, the upper surface portion 43a of the first rubbing member 43 again comes into sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a. Such a reciprocating movement of the cleaning unit 35 is repeated a predetermined number of times (for example, three times), and the upper surface portion 43a of the first rubbing member 43 as the first cleaning portion is applied to the nozzle forming surface 21a as the first cleaning portion. The adhering ink is absorbed and the thickened ink is wiped away.

  When the rubbing of the nozzle forming surface 21a is finished by the upper surface portion 43a of the first rubbing member 43 and the cleaning unit 35 returns to the initial standby position, the second drive motor 41 is driven, as shown in FIG. Further, the cleaning unit 35 rotates and is displaced to the second cleaning posture. Then, the first drive motor 29 is driven to rotate forward, and the cleaning unit 35 moves forward until the side surface portion 44a of the second rubbing member 44 contacts the side surface 21b of the recording head 21, as shown in FIG. To do.

  When the side surface portion 44a of the second rubbing member 44 comes into contact with the side surface 21b of the recording head 21 and the forward movement of the cleaning unit 35 is stopped, the side surface portion 44a of the second rubbing member 44 is slid onto the side surface 21b of the recording head 21. With the contact, the carriage 16 is moved from the home position HP to the rubbing position RP. Then, after the carriage 16 has moved to the rubbing position RP, the carriage 16 is again moved from the rubbing position RP to the home position HP. Such reciprocating movement of the carriage 16 is repeated a predetermined number of times (for example, three times), and the side surface 21b as the second cleaned portion of the recording head 21 by the side surface portion 44a of the second rubbing member 44 as the second cleaning portion. The ink adhering to the ink is absorbed and the thickened ink is wiped away.

  As described above, when the rubbing of the nozzle forming surface 21a and the side surface 21b of the recording head 21 by the first rubbing member 43 and the second rubbing member 44 is finished, the carriage 16 is moved from the home position HP to the printing region. Thereafter, when the first drive motor 29 is driven in reverse, the cleaning unit 35 moves backward and returns to the initial standby position. Then, the second drive motor 41 is driven, and the cleaning unit 35 rotates at the standby position and returns to the standby posture.

According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(5) In the maintenance device 24 of the present embodiment, the relative movement direction of the recording head 21 and the cleaning unit 35 differs between the cleaning of the nozzle forming surface 21a of the recording head 21 and the cleaning of the side surface 21b. For this reason, the space required for the maintenance device 24 is smaller than when the relative movement directions of the recording head 21 and the cleaning unit 35 are the same when the nozzle forming surface 21a and the side surface 21b of the recording head 21 are cleaned. The maintenance device 24 can be downsized.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the above embodiment, when rubbing the side surface 21b of the recording head 21, the carriage 16 may not move from the home position HP to the rubbing position RP. In this case, however, a mechanism for moving the cleaning unit 35 along the side surface 21b of the recording head 21 is required.

  In the above embodiment, the rubbing members 39, 43, 44 may be formed of a material other than the absorber. In this case, although the ink absorbing function is not provided, the function of wiping and removing the adhered ink can be ensured.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning unit 35 contacts each cleaning portion (nozzle forming surface 21a, side surface 21b) corresponding to each cleaning portion (slope portion 39a, lower flat surface portion 39b, etc.) in an operation mode other than rotation. A possible posture position may be obtained.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 7A, the cleaning unit 35 includes a moving body 45 that functions as a plate-like support portion that moves horizontally, and protrudes from two spaced apart positions on the moving body 45. A configuration may be adopted in which the first rubbing member 46 corresponding to the nozzle forming surface 21a and the second rubbing member 47 corresponding to the side surface 21b are erected on the pair of front and rear support bases 45a and 45b.

  In this case, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 7A, the first upper surface portion of the first rubbing member 46 as the first cleaning portion is brought into contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a as the first cleaning portion. When the cleaning unit 35 moves forward in the cleaning posture, the ink is wiped and removed from the nozzle forming surface 21a. On the other hand, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 7A, the second cleaning in which the side surface portion of the second rubbing member 47 as the second cleaning portion is brought into contact with the side surface 21 b as the second portion to be cleaned of the recording head 21. When the carriage 16 reciprocates along the guide shaft 15 in the posture, the thickened ink is wiped away from the side surface 21b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, the cleaning unit 35 has a configuration in which a rubbing member 50 having a horizontal L-shaped cross section is supported on a moving body 49 that functions as a plate-shaped support portion that moves horizontally. It is good. In this case, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 7B, the first flat surface portion 50a as the first cleaning portion in the rubbing member 50 is brought into contact with the nozzle forming surface 21a as the first portion to be cleaned. When the cleaning unit 35 moves forward in the cleaning posture, the ink is wiped and removed from the nozzle forming surface 21a. On the other hand, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 7B, the second cleaning posture in which the side surface portion 50b as the second cleaning portion of the rubbing member 50 is brought into contact with the side surface 21b as the second cleaning portion of the recording head 21. As the carriage 16 reciprocates along the guide shaft 15, the ink thickened from the side surface 21b is wiped away.

  In the above embodiment, the fluid ejecting apparatus is embodied in the ink jet printer 10, but a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges fluid other than ink (for example, toner) may be employed. Further, the present invention can be used for various liquid ejecting apparatuses (a kind of fluid ejecting apparatus) including a liquid ejecting head that ejects a minute amount of liquid droplets. In addition, a droplet means the state of the liquid discharged from a liquid ejecting apparatus, and shall include what pulls a tail in granular shape, tear shape, and thread shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ) And a liquid as one state of a substance, as well as a material in which particles of a functional material made of a solid such as a pigment or metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. Further, representative examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot melt inks. As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a color material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, a color filter, or the like in a dispersed or dissolved state. It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a bio-organic material used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid as a sample used as a precision pipette, a textile printing apparatus, a microdispenser, or the like. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as an acid or an alkali to etch the substrate may be employed. The present invention can be applied to any one of these liquid ejecting apparatuses.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printer as fluid ejecting apparatus, 21 ... Recording head as fluid ejecting head, 21a ... Nozzle forming surface as first cleaned part, 21b ... Side as second cleaned part, 22 ... Nozzle, 24 ... Maintenance 35, cleaning unit, 37: rotating member as a support, 38 ... wiper member, 39 ... rubbing member as maintenance member, 39a ... inclined surface as first cleaning part, 39b ... as second cleaning part Lower flat surface portion, 43 ... first rubbing member, 43a ... upper surface portion as first cleaning portion, 44 ... second rubbing member, 44a ... side surface portion as second cleaning portion, 45 ... moving body as support portion, 46: a first rubbing member that functions as a first cleaning unit, 47: a second rubbing member that functions as a second cleaning unit, 49: a moving body as a support unit, 50: a rubbing member, 0a ... upper flat portion of the first cleaning portion, 50b ... side face of the second cleaning unit.

Claims (5)

A first cleaning unit used for cleaning a first cleaned unit in a fluid ejecting head that ejects fluid from a nozzle;
A second cleaning unit used for cleaning the second cleaned portion in the fluid ejecting head;
It is possible to operate while supporting the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit, and at the time of cleaning each of the cleaned parts, the corresponding cleaning part among the cleaning parts contacts the cleaned part. A supporting part that operates on
A maintenance device comprising: The maintenance device according to claim 1, wherein the support unit is capable of rotating and supports the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit at different positions in the rotation direction. The first cleaning portion is configured by a nozzle forming surface of the fluid ejecting head, while the second cleaned portion is configured by a side surface of the fluid ejecting head. The maintenance device described in 1. A maintenance member in which the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit are integrated is provided, and the maintenance member includes the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit in the operation direction in accordance with the operation of the support unit. It is comprised so that it may displace. The maintenance apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. A fluid ejecting head for ejecting fluid;
A fluid ejection device comprising: the maintenance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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