JP2011245728A - Fluid jetting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluid jetting apparatus configured to quickly move heads and absorbing members, and thereby to shorten a flushing time while preventing soiling on a recording medium.SOLUTION: The fluid jetting apparatus includes: the linear absorbing members 12 each extending along a nozzle array L, disposed movably from one side to the other side of the nozzle array L to absorb the ink jetted from nozzles 24; and a traveling mechanism 13 configured to make the absorbing member 12 travel from the one side to the other side of the nozzle array L. The traveling mechanism 13 includes: a feed reel 16 which is disposed in a non-recording area, and is configured to feed the absorbing member 12 by unwinding the absorbing member 12 from a state where the absorbing member 12 has been taken up; a take-up reel 17 configured to take up the absorbing member 12 which has been fed from the feed reel 16; and a guiding part on which the first part which has been fed from the feed reel 16 of the absorbing member 12, and the second part to be taken up by a take-up rotor are wound, and which is configured to guide the absorbing member to the take-up rotor so that the winding state of the absorbing member with respect to the take-up rotor becomes the same as that with respect to the feed rotor.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) is widely known as a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects ink droplets onto a recording paper (medium). In such a printer, the ink is thickened or solidified due to evaporation of the ink from the nozzles of the recording head, dust adheres, and air bubbles are mixed, resulting in clogging of the nozzles and printing failure. There was a problem of being. Therefore, in such a printer, a flushing operation for forcibly ejecting the ink in the nozzle is performed separately from the ejection to the recording paper.

  Generally, in a scanning type printer, the recording head is moved to an area other than the recording area to perform a flushing operation. However, in a printer having a line head with a fixed recording head, the recording head is moved during the flushing operation. I can't let you.

  Therefore, for example, a method of ejecting ink toward an absorbing material (absorbing member) provided on the surface of a conveying belt that conveys recording paper has been considered (Patent Document 1). In this technique, an opening that allows insertion of the nozzle forming surface of the recording head is formed in a part of the conveying belt, and the surface facing the nozzle forming surface of the flushing belt that is not formed with the opening is the flushing. It is formed as an ink receiving part at the time.

  In the case of the above technique, the recording operation is performed on the recording paper on the conveying belt facing the nozzle forming surface with the recording head inserted into the opening provided in the flushing belt, and the flushing is performed. The operation is performed on the portion where the opening is not formed by rotating the flushing belt after raising the recording head to bring the nozzle forming surface out of the opening.

  However, if flushing is performed on a planar absorbent material, the mist-like ink may be scattered due to the wind pressure accompanying the ejection of ink droplets, and the recording paper or the conveyor belt may be soiled.

JP 2007-62339 A

  Therefore, a linear absorbent material is used, and the linear absorbent member (absorbent material) is disposed between the line head and the recording paper (recording medium), and ink is ejected and flushed toward this. Thus, it is conceivable that the ink is received by the absorbing member. In this case, since there is a limit to the amount of ink that can be received with respect to this absorbing member, when the ink is received to some extent, the absorbing member is moved, flushed toward a new area of the absorbing member, and ink is received again. It is possible to make it.

  However, since the ink is saturated when the ink is absorbed by the linear absorbing member, it is necessary to wind up the absorbing member every time the flushing process is performed. If the absorbing member that has received the ink is moved to the retracted position without winding it, the ink may be dripped by vibration during stoppage, and the inside of the apparatus may be contaminated, and the recording paper conveyance surface may be soiled by the ink. .

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a fluid ejecting apparatus that uses a linear member as an absorbing member that receives a fluid and can prevent contamination in the apparatus due to the fluid when the absorbing member is moved. One of the purposes is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention has a nozzle row composed of a plurality of nozzles arranged in a direction intersecting with the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and fluid that ejects fluid from the nozzle row A fluid ejecting apparatus including an ejecting head, which extends along the nozzle row and is movably provided from one side to the other side of the nozzle row, and absorbs the fluid ejected from the nozzle A linear absorbing member that moves, a moving mechanism that moves the absorbing member in a direction crossing the nozzle row, a sending rotary body that feeds out the absorbing member from a wound state, and the sending rotation A winding rotary body that winds up the absorbing member fed from the body, and travels the absorbing member from one side to the other side of the nozzle row; The absorbing member when moving in a direction intersecting the nozzle row, characterized in that and a delivery mechanism for delivering the absorbing member to the winding rotary member from said delivery rotary member by a predetermined amount.

  The fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a delivery mechanism that feeds the absorbent member from the delivery rotator to the take-up rotator by a certain amount when the absorbent member is moved in the direction intersecting the nozzle row by the moving mechanism. Therefore, when the absorbing member is moved between the flushing position and the retracted position, it is possible to wind up a part of the absorbing member that has absorbed the fluid during the flushing process. Thereby, it can prevent that the inside of an apparatus is contaminated by the absorption member which received the fluid. In addition, since the fluid can be received in the new part of the absorbing member (the part not absorbing the fluid) during the next flushing process, the fluid discharged by the flushing process can be sufficiently retained.

  The feeding mechanism includes a driving roller around which the absorbing member is wound, a pair of pinch rollers that are arranged on both sides of the driving roller and press the absorbing member toward the central axis of the driving roller, and the driving roller And a rack meshing with the pinion, and the drive roller, the pinch roller, and the pinion are movable with respect to the fixed rack by the moving mechanism. It is preferable to be configured.

  According to the present invention, as the drive roller, the pinch roller, and the pinion are moved by the moving mechanism, the pinion meshes with the fixed rack or the state is released. The pinion meshed with the rack is moved in a direction crossing the nozzle row while rotating. The drive roller connected to the pinion rotates with the pinion. At this time, since the absorbing member hung around the driving roller is pressed by the pair of pinch rollers, it is sent out as the driving roller rotates.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the delivery mechanism has a one-way clutch function that restricts rotation of the drive roller in only one direction.

  According to the present invention, the reverse rotation of the drive roller is prevented, and the absorbing member is not rewound toward the delivery rotating body.

  The absorbing member extends along the nozzle row, and the moving mechanism absorbs the fluid ejected from the nozzle, and the position retracted from the flight path of the fluid ejected from the nozzle; Relative to each other, and the one-time delivery amount of the absorbing member is the diameter of the driving roller, the pitch of the pinion and the rack, or the position for absorbing the fluid ejected from the nozzle. The distance is preferably set according to the distance from the position where the fluid ejected from the nozzle is retracted from the flight path.

  According to the present invention, the absorbing member is sent out (wound up) while the absorbing member is moved between the position where the fluid ejected from the nozzle is absorbed and the position where the fluid ejected from the nozzle is retracted from the flight path. ) Is possible. For example, by sending the used part of the absorbing member that has absorbed the fluid after the flushing process has been moved from the position facing the nozzle row to the retracted position, it is sent out to the winding rotary body side by the sending mechanism ( When the absorption member is stopped at the position facing the nozzle or at the retracted position), the fluid-absorbing part comes into contact with the fluid-absorbing member and the inside of the fluid ejection device becomes dirty. This is prevented.

  Further, it is preferable that the traveling mechanism sends out the absorbing member by a certain amount when the absorbing member is moved in a direction intersecting the nozzle row by the moving mechanism.

  According to the present invention, as described above, the inside of the fluid ejecting apparatus becomes dirty by winding up the portion that has absorbed the fluid after the flushing process is completed and before it is moved to the retracted position. It is possible to reliably prevent problems.

  The traveling mechanism includes a reversing roller that reverses the traveling direction of the absorbing member between the feeding rotating body and the winding rotating body on the traveling path of the absorbing member, and the first absorbing member is disposed in the nozzle row. The nozzle row is configured to run from one side of the nozzle toward the other side and then again toward the one-direction side by the reversing roller and to extend along a nozzle row different from the nozzle row. The feeding rotator, the winding rotator, and the feeding mechanism are disposed on one side of the fluid ejecting head in the extending direction, and the reversing roller is disposed on the other side. preferable.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the fluid ejecting apparatus by centrally arranging the feeding rotary body and the winding rotary body on one side of the nozzle row. Moreover, it can comprise so that the injection | spray of the injected fluid may be performed with respect to two different nozzle rows by one traveling mechanism.

  Further, it is preferable that a winding drive unit that rotationally drives the winding rotary body is provided, and a back tension is applied to the sending rotary body.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to hold | maintain the tension | tensile_strength of an absorption member uniformly and can prevent that an absorption member bends.

  Further, both sides of the fluid ejecting head in the extending direction of the nozzle row, the delivery rotary body is arranged on one side, and the winding rotary body and the delivery mechanism are arranged on the other side. Is preferred.

  According to the present invention, since the absorbing member sent out from the sending rotary body arranged on one side in the extending direction of the nozzle row is wound up in the winding rotary body arranged on the other side, the absorbing member is The area facing the fluid ejecting head is smaller than when the absorbing member is reversed and traveled. For this reason, it becomes possible to send out the used part of an absorption member quickly to the position which does not oppose a fluid ejecting head with a sending mechanism. Thereby, the time required for maintenance can be shortened.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an overall configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment. The schematic structure perspective view of a head unit. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration perspective view of a recording head constituting the head unit. The schematic structure perspective view of a cap unit. The top view which shows schematic structure of a flushing unit. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of an absorption member, (a) Sectional drawing, (b) Plan view. (A) is a top view which shows the flushing position of an absorption member, (b) is a top view which shows the retracted position of an absorption member. The top view of the flushing unit at the time of arrange | positioning an absorption member to the flushing position (flushing start position). The top view of the flushing unit at the time of arrange | positioning an absorption member in the flushing position (flushing end position). The top view of the flushing unit at the time of arrange | positioning an absorption member to a retracted position. The top view which shows the principal part of the flushing unit in the printer of 2nd Embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.
In this embodiment, an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) is illustrated as the fluid ejecting apparatus.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a fluid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration perspective view of a printer.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes a head unit 2, a transport device 3 that transports a recording paper (recording medium), a paper feeding unit 4 that supplies the recording paper, and a recording paper printed by the head unit 2. Is provided with a paper discharge unit 5 that discharges the ink and a maintenance device 10 that performs maintenance processing on the head unit 2.

  The conveying device 3 is a recording paper in a state where a predetermined interval is provided between the recording head (fluid ejection head) 21 (21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, 21E) constituting the head unit 2 and the nozzle surface 23. Is configured to hold. The transport device 3 includes a driving roller unit 31, a driven roller unit 32, and a transport belt unit 33 including a plurality of belts that are looped between the roller units 31 and 32. Further, a holding member 34 that holds the recording paper is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the recording paper in the transport device 3 (on the paper discharge unit 5 side) and between the paper discharge unit 5.

The drive roller unit 31 is connected to a drive motor (not shown) at one end side in the rotation axis direction, and is configured to be rotationally driven by the drive motor. And the rotational power of this drive roller part 31 is transmitted to the conveyance belt part 33, and the conveyance belt part 33 is rotationally driven. A transmission gear is installed between the drive roller unit 31 and the drive motor as necessary. The driven roller unit 32 is a so-called free roller, and supports the transport belt unit 33 and rotates by being driven by the rotational drive of the transport belt unit 33 (drive roller unit 31).
The paper discharge unit 5 includes a paper discharge roller 51 and a paper discharge tray 52 that holds recording paper conveyed by the paper discharge roller 51.

  The head unit 2 is configured by unitizing a plurality (five in the present embodiment) of recording heads 21A to 21E. From each nozzle 24 (see FIG. 3) of each recording head 21A to 21E, A plurality of colors of ink (for example, black B, magenta M, yellow Y, and cyan C inks) are ejected. These recording heads 21 </ b> A to 21 </ b> E (hereinafter sometimes referred to as recording head 21) are unitized by being attached to the attachment plate 22. That is, in the head unit 2 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of recording heads 21 are combined, so that the effective print width of the head unit 2 is substantially equal to the horizontal width of the recording paper (width orthogonal to the transport direction). The line head module is configured. In addition, each structure itself in each recording head 21A-21E is made common.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration perspective view of the head unit.
As shown in FIG. 2, the head unit 2 has the recording heads 21 </ b> A to 21 </ b> E arranged in an opening 25 formed in the mounting plate 22. Specifically, the recording heads 21 </ b> A to 21 </ b> E are screwed to the back surface 22 b side of the mounting plate 22, so that the nozzle surface 23 protrudes from the front surface 22 a side of the mounting plate 22 through the opening 25. It has been done. The head unit 2 is mounted on the printer 1 by fixing the mounting plate 22 to a carriage (not shown).

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a recording head (fluid ejecting head) constituting the head unit.
As shown in FIG. 3, the recording heads 21 </ b> A to 21 </ b> E (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the recording head 21) constituting the head unit 2 are formed with a plurality of nozzle rows L each including a plurality of nozzles 24. A head main body 25A having a nozzle surface 23 and a support member 28 to which the head main body 25A is attached are configured.

  Each of the recording heads 21A to 21E has nozzle rows (L (Y), L (M), and L (C) corresponding to four colors (yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk)). ), L (Bk)), and therefore, four nozzle rows L are formed. In each nozzle row (L (Y), L (M), L (C), L (Bk)), these nozzle rows (L (Y), L (M), L (C), L (Bk)) Are arranged in a horizontal direction intersecting the recording paper conveyance direction. Specifically, they are arranged in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the recording paper conveyance direction.

  The recording heads 21A to 21E are arranged such that the nozzle rows corresponding to the same color in the arrangement direction of the recording heads 21A to 21E are one row. In addition, for each nozzle row (L (Y), L (M), L (C), L (Bk)) in each of the recording heads 21A to 21E, two rows are formed for each color, for a total of 8 rows. Also good. In that case, it is preferable that the two nozzle rows provided for each color are arranged in a staggered manner.

  The support member 28 has overhang portions 26, 26 formed on both sides of the nozzle surface 23 in the longitudinal direction, and the overhang portions 26, 26 are used to screw the recording head 21 to the back surface 22 b of the mounting plate 22. Through-holes 27 are formed. Thus, the plurality of recording heads 21 are attached to the attachment plate 22 to constitute the head unit 2 (see FIG. 1).

  The maintenance device 10 includes a cap unit 6 that performs a suction process on the head unit 2 and a flushing unit 11 that receives ink ejected by a flushing operation.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the cap unit.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cap unit 6 performs maintenance processing on the head unit 2, and a plurality (five in the present embodiment) of cap units 61 </ b> A to 61 </ b> E corresponding to the recording heads 21 </ b> A to 21 </ b> E are unit. It is constituted by having been made. The cap unit 6 is disposed at a location outside the recording area of the head unit 2 and in an area below the conveyance surface of the non-recording paper.

  Each of the cap portions 61A to 61E (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the cap portion 61) is provided corresponding to each of the recording heads 21A to 21E, and is provided on the nozzle surface 23 of each of the recording heads 21A to 21E. It is comprised so that contact | abutting is possible. Under such a configuration, the cap portions 61A to 61E are in close contact with the nozzle surfaces 23 of the recording heads 21A to 21E, respectively, thereby performing a suction operation for discharging ink (fluid) from the nozzles 24 of the nozzle surfaces 23. Can be done well.

  Each of the cap portions 61A to 61E wipes the cap main body 67, a seal member 62 that is provided in a frame shape on the upper surface of the cap main body 67, and contacts the recording head 21, and the nozzle surface 23 of the recording head 21. A wiping member 63 used during the wiping process, and a housing portion 64 that integrally holds the cap body 67 and the wiping member 63.

  Two holding portions 65 (one not shown) for holding the housing portion 64 on the base member 69 are formed at the bottom of the housing portion 64. These holding portions 65 are arranged at diagonal positions in the housing portion 64 in plan view. Each holding portion 65 is formed with a through hole 65b into which a screw for screwing and fixing the housing portion 64 to the base member 69 is inserted.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing a schematic configuration of the flushing unit.
As shown in FIG. 5, the flushing unit 11 includes a plurality of absorbing members 12 that absorb ink droplets (fluid) discharged during the flushing operation, and a support mechanism 9 that supports these absorbing members 12. ing.
The absorbing member 12 is a linear member that absorbs ink droplets ejected from each nozzle 24, and two absorbing members 12 are provided for one head unit 2 in this embodiment. Each absorbing member 12 is arranged in a state extending along the corresponding nozzle row (L (Y), L (M), L (C), L (Bk)), and each nozzle surface 23. And the recording paper conveyance area (conveyance surface).

The absorbing member 12 is formed of, for example, a thread material, and a member that can efficiently absorb and hold (receive) ink is preferably used. Specifically, SUS304, nylon, nylon with hydrophilic coating, aramid, silk, cotton, polyester, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, polyarylate, zylon (trade name), or a composite fiber containing a plurality of these Thus, the absorbent member 12 can be formed.
More specifically, the absorbent member 12 can be formed by twisting or bundling fiber bundles formed from fibers or composite fibers.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the absorbing member 12, where (a) is a cross-sectional view and (b) is a plan view. As shown in these drawings, the absorbent member 12 is formed, for example, by twisting two fiber bundles 12a formed from fibers.

  Further, as other examples, a linear member in which a plurality of fiber bundles made of SUS304 are twisted together, a linear member in which a plurality of fiber bundles made of nylon are twisted together, or a fiber bundle made of nylon with a hydrophilic coat applied A linear member in which a plurality of fiber bundles made of aramid are twisted together, a linear member in which a plurality of fiber bundles made of silk are twisted together, and a plurality of fiber bundles made of cotton are twisted together A linear member in which fiber bundles made of Berryma (trade name) are bundled, a linear member in which fiber bundles made of Soarion (trade name) are bundled, and a fiber bundle made of Hamilon 03T (trade name) A bundled linear member, a linear member in which a fiber bundle made of Dyneema Hamiron DB-8 (trade name) is bundled, a linear member in which a fiber bundle made of Vectran Hamilon VB-30 is bundled, Linear member bundled with fiber bundles made of Milon S-5 Core Kevlar Sleeve Polyester (trade name), Linear member bundled with fiber bundles made of Hamilon S-212 Core Cabble Sleeve Polyester (trade name), Hamilon SZ A linear member in which fiber bundles made of -10 core zylon sleeve polyester (trade name) are bundled, and a linear member in which fiber bundles made of Hamilon VB-3 Vectran (trade name) are bundled are suitable as the absorbent member 12 Used.

The absorbent member 12 using nylon fibers is made of nylon that is widely used as a general-purpose water thread, and therefore is inexpensive.
The absorbent member 12 using metal fibers made of SUS material is excellent in corrosion resistance and can absorb various inks. Also, the absorbent member 12 has high wear resistance compared to a resin and can be used repeatedly.

The absorbent member 12 using ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fibers has high cutting strength and chemical resistance, and is resistant to organic solvents, acids, and alkalis. Thus, since the absorbent member 12 using the ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber has a high cutting strength, it can be pulled with a strong tension and can be prevented from bending. For this reason, for example, when the absorption capacity is increased by increasing the diameter of the absorbing member 12, or when the diameter of the absorbing member 12 is not increased, printing is performed by reducing the distance from the heads 21A to 21E to the conveyance area of the recording paper. Accuracy can be improved. Further, the absorption member 12 using a xylon or aramid fiber can be expected to have the same effect as the absorption member 12 using an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber.
The absorbent member 12 using cotton fibers is excellent in ink absorbability.

In such an absorbing member 12, since the dropped ink is held in the trough portions 12b (see FIG. 6) formed between the fibers and between the fiber bundles 12a by surface tension, the ink is absorbed and received.
Further, a part of the ink dripped onto the surface of the absorbing member 12 directly permeates the inside of the absorbing member 12, and the rest of the ink travels through the valley 12b formed between the fiber bundles 12a. Then, a part of the ink that has penetrated into the absorbing member 12 gradually moves in the extending direction of the absorbing member 12 inside the absorbing member 12, and is dispersed and held in the extending direction of the absorbing member 12. The ink that travels along the valley 12b of the absorbent member 12 gradually penetrates into the interior of the absorbent member 12 while traveling along the valley 12b, and the rest remains in the valley 12b. Distributed and held in the current direction. That is, the ink dropped on the surface of the absorbing member 12 does not stay in the portion where all of the ink is dropped over the long term, but is dispersed and absorbed around the dropped portion.

The material for forming the absorbent member 12 actually installed in the printer 1 is ink-absorbing property, retention ink property, tensile strength, ink resistance, moldability (amount of flaking and fraying), twisting property, cost, etc. Is selected as appropriate.
The ink absorption amount of the absorbing member 12 is the sum of the ink amount that can be held between the fibers of the absorbing member 12 and the ink amount that can be held in the valley portion 12b. For this reason, the material for forming the absorbing member 12 is selected so that the ink absorption amount is sufficiently larger than the ink amount discharged by flushing in consideration of the replacement frequency of the absorbing member 12 and the like.

The amount of ink that can be held between the fibers of the absorbing member 12 and the amount of ink that can be held in the valley 12b can be defined by the capillary force in the fiber gap depending on the contact angle between the ink and the fiber and the surface tension of the ink. . That is, the gap between the fibers is increased by forming using thin fibers, and the surface area of the fibers is increased as a whole, so that even if the cross-sectional area of the absorbent member 12 is the same, the absorbent member 12 has a larger amount. Ink can be absorbed. Therefore, in order to increase the gaps between the fibers, microfibers (ultrafine fibers) may be used as the fibers forming the fiber bundle 12a.
However, the ink holding force of the absorbing member 12 is reduced by increasing the gap between the fibers and reducing the capillary force. For this reason, it is necessary to set the gap between the fibers so that the ink holding force in the absorbing member 12 does not drip when the absorbing member 12 moves.

  Further, the thickness of the absorbing member 12 is, for example, about 5 to 75 times the diameter (nozzle diameter) of the nozzle 24 (nozzle diameter). In a general printer, the gap between each nozzle surface 23 and the recording paper in each recording head 21A to 21E is about 1 mm to 2 mm, and the nozzle diameter is about 0.02 mm. Therefore, if the diameter of the absorbing member 12 is 0.5 mm or less, the absorbing member 12 can be disposed between the nozzle surfaces 23 and the recording paper without being in contact with each other. Even if the error is taken into account, the ejected ink droplet can be reliably captured. Therefore, it is preferable that the absorbing member 12 has a thickness (diameter) of about 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm, that is, about 10 to 25 times the nozzle diameter. The cross-sectional shape of the absorbing member 12 is not necessarily circular, and may be a polygon or the like. Here, since it is difficult to make the absorption member into a complete circle, the circle includes a substantially circle.

  Further, the length of the absorbing member 12 is preferably sufficient for the effective print width of the head unit 2. In the printer 1 of this embodiment, as described later, the used (ink-absorbed) region of the absorbing member 12 is wound up sequentially, and the ink is absorbed in almost the entire region of the absorbing member 12. The whole structure is replaced. Therefore, the length of the absorbing member 12 is preferably about several hundred times the effective printing width of the head unit 2 so that the replacement period of the absorbing member 12 can be practically used.

The absorbent member 12 having such a configuration is supported by a support mechanism 9 as shown in FIG.
The support mechanism 9 includes a traveling mechanism 13, a moving mechanism 14, and a delivery mechanism 70. In FIG. 5, a part of the head unit 2 is omitted, and only two recording heads 21 are shown. The recording heads 21 constituting the head unit 2 have a total of 8 rows, 2 for each color of the nozzle rows L (Y), (M), (C), and (Bk). Show.

  The traveling mechanism 13 is provided on a pair of support substrates 15A and 15B disposed in the non-recording areas on both sides of the head unit 2 in the extending direction of the nozzle row L, and the absorbing member 12 is connected to the nozzles of the recording head 21. It is for running along the line L from one side to the other side. In this embodiment, since two absorption members 12 are provided as described above, two traveling mechanisms 13 are also provided correspondingly. The number of absorbing members 12 is not limited to two, and may be provided, for example, as many as the number of nozzle rows L of the recording head 21. In that case, the number of absorbing members 12 is also included in the traveling mechanism 13. It is also possible to provide as many as that number.

  The traveling mechanism 13 includes a feeding reel (feeding rotator) 16 on one support substrate 15A, a winding reel (winding rotator) 17 of the same type, and a winding motor (winding drive unit) for driving the reel. ) 17A and the other support substrate 15B are provided with reversing rollers 89 (89a, 89b) for reversing the traveling direction of the absorbing member 12.

  The delivery reel 16 is obtained by winding the absorbing member 12 in advance for a predetermined length. From this state, the absorbing member 12 is unwound to be sent out to the head unit 2 side. A back tension is applied to the delivery reel 16 and it is biased in a direction opposite to the delivery rotation direction of the absorbing member 12. The take-up reel 17 takes up the absorbing member 12 delivered from the delivery reel 16, and is rotated by a take-up motor 17A.

  The reversing roller 89 provided on the support substrate 15B is configured by a pair of rollers 89a and 89b whose distance can be adjusted. Of these rollers 89a and 89b, one roller 89b is disposed corresponding to the roller 43 of the support substrate 15A, and the other roller 89a is disposed corresponding to the roller 42 of the support substrate 15A.

  In addition, the roller 42 and the roller 43 provided on the support substrate 15 </ b> A are arranged such that the position of the absorbing member 12 that circulates these rollers, that is, the location in the direction R perpendicular to the extending direction P of the nozzle row L is in the recording head 21. Of the plurality of (eight in this embodiment) nozzle rows L formed, the nozzle rows L are arranged so as to have the same interval as the pitch between the adjacent nozzle rows L, L. Therefore, the rollers 89a and 89b arranged corresponding to the rollers 42 and 43 are also arranged at the same interval as the pitch between the adjacent nozzle rows L and L in positions where the absorbing member 12 is positioned.

The sending mechanism 70 feeds the absorbing member 12 by a certain amount from the sending reel 16 to the take-up reel 17, and is arranged on the travel path of the absorbing member 12. The feeding mechanism 70 includes a driving roller 71 around which the absorbing member 12 is wound, a pair of pinch rollers 72a and 72b that are arranged on both sides in the radial direction of the driving roller 71 and press the absorbing member 12 in the central axis direction, and a driving roller A pinion 73 that is connected to 71 and rotates (integrally) with the driving roller 71 and a rack 74 that meshes with the pinion 73 are configured.
Of these, the drive roller 71 and the pinch rollers 72a and 72b are disposed on the front surface 15a of the support substrate 15A, and the pinion 73 and the rack 74 are disposed on the back surface 15b side of the support substrate 15A.

  The drive roller 71 and the pinion 73 are coaxial, and, for example, the pinion 73 is connected to one end side of the drive roller 71 that passes through the thickness direction of the support substrate 15A. Here, although the diameter of the pinion 73 is formed larger than the drive roller 71, about each diameter, it can change suitably.

  The rack 74 is not fixed to the support substrate 15A side, but is fixed to another printer member. Then, by the reciprocating movement of the support substrate 15A (15B) in the R direction in the figure, the pinion 73 provided on the support substrate 15A meshes with the rack 74 and rotates in the forward direction (clockwise) or the reverse direction (counterclockwise). Around).

  Further, since the pinion 73 and the driving roller 71 are integrally formed as described above, when the pinion 73 rotates in the normal rotation direction (clockwise), the driving roller 71 also rotates in the same direction. In addition, although mentioned later in detail, the drive roller 71 of this embodiment is set as the structure which does not rotate counterclockwise.

Based on such a configuration, the traveling mechanism 13 of the present embodiment supports the absorbing member 12 (first portion) fed from the feed reel 16 on one pinch roller 72a and is disposed on the head unit 2 side. After rotating the roller 42, the side opposite to the nozzle surface 23 of each recording head 21 of the head unit 2 is passed through to reach the roller 89a in the reversing roller on the support substrate 15B side, so that the absorbing member in this forward path 12 is extended along the nozzle row L. Further, after the roller 89a is circulated, the side opposite to the head unit 2 is again passed through the roller 89b and reaches the roller 43 on the support substrate 15A side, so that the absorbing member 12 in the return path also has a nozzle row. It extends along L.
In addition, the absorbing member 12 (second portion) that circulates around the roller 43 circulates around the drive roller 71 and further circulates around the other pinch roller 72b, and is then wound around the take-up reel 17. Here, the absorbing member 12 that circulates around the drive roller 71 is partially pressed (two places) by the pair of pinch rollers 72a and 72b.

  The moving mechanism 14 moves the absorbing member 12 in a direction R that intersects (in the present embodiment, orthogonal) with the extending direction P of the nozzle row L, so that the absorbing member 12 faces the nozzle 24 and the nozzle 24 It is moved between a flushing position for absorbing ink droplets (fluid) ejected from the nozzle and a retreat position for retracting from the flight path of ink droplets (fluid) ejected from the nozzle 24. Moreover, the moving mechanism 14 of this embodiment can also move each absorbing member 12 from a position facing a certain nozzle row L to a position facing a different nozzle row L.

  In other words, the moving mechanism 14 is constituted by a pair of moving mechanism portions 14A and 14B provided on the support substrates 15A and 15B, and the movement mechanism portions 14A and 14B operate in synchronization with each other. 15A and 15B are moved in the same direction in the direction R at the same time and with the same length.

  The moving mechanisms 14A and 14B are provided on the surfaces 15a and 15a of the support substrates 15A and 15B, that is, on the surface opposite to the surface on which the feed reel 16, the take-up reel 17, or the reverse roller 89 is provided. A ball screw stage 53, a motor 55 that rotates the ball screw 54, and a fixing block 56 that is fixed to the support substrates 15A and 15B and is movable with respect to the ball screw 54. is there. The motor 55 and the ball screw stage 53 are fixed to the printer 1 by a fixing member (not shown).

Under such a configuration, in the moving mechanism portions 14A and 14B, when the motor 55 rotates, the ball screw 54 rotates, and the fixed block 56 moves in the length direction of the ball screw 54, that is, the R direction in FIG. It is like that. Thereby, the support substrates 15A and 15B fixed to the moving mechanism portions 14A and 14B move in the same direction in the direction R at the same time and with the same length.
The motor 55 can rotate in the forward and reverse directions, and the fixed block 56, the support substrates 15A and 15B, and the absorbing member 12 can also reciprocate in the R direction.

  The motor 55 is controlled by a control unit (not shown), whereby the moving mechanism 14 changes the position of each absorbing member 12 with respect to the head unit 2 (nozzle row L) as set in advance. It seems to move.

  In FIG. 5, each of the moving mechanism units 14A and 14B includes a motor 55. However, a roller connected to the ball screw 54 of each of the moving mechanism units 14A and 14B and a timing belt hung around these rollers. By providing the above, it is possible to have a configuration that can be driven by a single motor.

FIG. 7A is a plan view showing the flushing position of the absorbing member, and FIG. 7B is a plan view showing the retracted position of the absorbing member.
In this embodiment, the moving mechanism 14 moves the absorbing member 12 between the flushing position and the retracted position.
Here, as shown in FIG. 7A, the flushing position is a state in which the absorbing member 12 faces the corresponding nozzle row L (a plurality of nozzles 24 constituting the nozzle row L) (overlapping in plan view). That is, it is a position where ink droplets ejected from the nozzle row L during the flushing operation can be received and absorbed, that is, a position on the flight path of the ink.

  Here, the fact that the nozzle row L and the absorbing member 12 face each other does not necessarily mean that the center of the nozzle 24 and the center of the absorbing member 12 overlap in a plan view, but in a plan view. It means a state in which the nozzle 24 is positioned within the width of the absorbing member 12. In such a state, the absorbing member 12 can absorb the ink discharged from the nozzles 24.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7B, the retracted position in the absorbing member 12 is a state where it does not face the nozzle row L (a plurality of nozzles 24 constituting the nozzle row L) (does not overlap in plan view). In this position, the recording ink droplets ejected from the nozzles 24 during the recording operation are not absorbed by the absorbing member 12. In the present embodiment, it is a position that does not face the head unit 2 and is moved closer to the end of the ball screw 54 opposite to the end on the motor 55 side.

Next, the operation of the printer of this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the flushing unit when the absorbing member is disposed at the flushing start position (flushing position). FIG. 9 is a plan view of the flushing unit when the absorbing member is disposed at the flushing end position (flushing position). FIG. 10 is a plan view of the flushing unit when the absorbing member is disposed at the retracted position.

As shown in FIG. 8, the absorbing member 12 is arranged below the nozzle row L (flushing position) where the flushing process is first performed. In the present embodiment, the flushing process is performed on the two nozzle rows L, L on the motor 55 side, and the ink ejected from each nozzle 24 is received by the absorbing member 12. After performing the flushing process on these target nozzle rows L and L, the support mechanisms 15A and 15B are moved in the same direction in the direction R in the same direction by the moving mechanism units 14A and 14B, and then the flushing process is performed. The absorbing member 12 is made to face the nozzle rows L and L that execute the above. In this way, the flushing process is executed for all the nozzle rows L of the recording head 21.
Note that the meshing state of the rack 74 and the pinion 73 is released during the flushing process. For this reason, the drive roller 71 does not rotate.

  When the flushing process is completed, the moving mechanism units 14A and 14B are moved in the R direction by rotating the motor 55. Along with this, the support substrates 15A and 15B fixed to the moving mechanism portions 14A and 14B move in the same direction, and the absorbing member 12 is placed in the retracted position. In the present embodiment, when the support substrates 15A and 15B are moved from the position where the flushing process has been completed to the retracted position, the absorbing member 12 that has received ink is wound up by the delivery mechanism 70.

Specifically, when the support substrates 15A and 15B move in the R direction, the pinion 73 provided on the support substrate 15A approaches the rack 74 fixed to another printer member and meshes with the end 74a side. As the support substrates 15A and 15B further move, the pinion 73 meshed with the rack 74 rotates clockwise. Simultaneously with the rotation of the pinion 73, the drive roller 71 also rotates in the same direction (clockwise). Then, the absorbing member 12 hung around the driving roller 71 is pressed by the pinch rollers 72 a and 72 b, and is sent out as the driving roller 71 rotates. Then, the pinion 73 rotates while moving from one end 74 a side of the rack 74 toward the other end 74 b side, whereby the absorbing member 12 is sequentially sent out.
Until the support substrate 15A further moves and the pinion 73 is engaged with the end 74b of the rack 74, the absorbing member 12 having a predetermined length is sent out and taken up by the take-up reel 17.

  The length of the rack in the present embodiment corresponds to a single feed amount of the absorbing member 12, and the feed amount can be adjusted by changing to a rack having a different length. Here, the feed amount of the absorbing member is adjusted by the length of the rack, but the adjustment is also possible by changing the pitch of the rack and pinion mechanism constituted by the rack 74 and the pinion 73.

In a state where the absorbing member 12 is disposed at the retracted position, a new part of the absorbing member 12 faces the nozzle row L of each recording head 21. In this way, the used part of the absorbent member 12 is wound up before the absorbent member 12 is placed in the retracted position.
In the present embodiment, the take-up motor 17A is always driven to rotate the take-up reel 17 to such an extent that no slack of the absorbent member 12 occurs, and the absorbent member 12 is taken up.

On the other hand, even if the pinion 73 rotates in the reverse direction (counterclockwise), the absorbing member 12 is not pulled back. The delivery mechanism 70 of the present embodiment is provided with a one-way clutch function that prevents the rotation of the drive roller 71 from rotating in the reverse direction (counterclockwise), so that the rotation of the drive roller 71 is only in one direction. It is configured to be regulated and not rotate in the reverse direction.
That is, even if the pinion 73 rotates counterclockwise, the drive roller 71 does not rotate counterclockwise and is in a free state (FIG. 7B). For this reason, the delivery of the absorbing member 12 is stopped.
Actually, when the absorbing member 12 disposed at the retracted position is disposed at the flushing position, when the support substrates 15A and 15B are moved toward the head unit 2, the end 74b side of the rack 74 is associated with this movement. The pinion 73 that has meshed with the pinion 73 moves toward the end 74a while rotating in the reverse direction (counterclockwise). At this time, the driving roller 71 is not synchronized with the rotation of the pinion 73, and the absorbing member 12 is not sent out or pulled back.
As a result, the used part of the absorbing member 12 containing ink is surely taken up on the take-up reel 17 and the new part not containing ink is exposed between the rollers 42 and 43 and the reverse roller 89. be able to. In this way, preparation for the next flushing process is performed.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the absorbing member 12 can be sent out in the feeding direction by a predetermined amount, that is, the same length by the rack 74, the pinion 73, and the driving roller 71 that rotates at the same time. . Since the ink discharged from each recording head 21 in the flushing process is saturated when absorbed by the absorbing member 12, it is necessary to wind up the absorbing member 12 every time the flushing process is performed. However, if the absorbing member 12 that has received the ink is moved in the state immediately after the end of the flushing without being wound up and stopped at the retracted position, the absorbing member 12 that has received the ink is moved to another member by vibration at the time of stopping. There is a concern that the inside of the printer may become dirty due to contact or ink dripping.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, after the flushing is finished, the absorbing member 12 is moved to the retracted position, and at the same time, the absorbing member 12 is wound up by a certain amount. Before placing the absorbing member 12 in the retracted position, the rack 74 is moved at a predetermined speed, and at least the portion of the absorbing member 12 containing ink is taken up. As a result, the new absorbent member 12 extends between the rollers 42 and 43 and the reverse roller 89. Since the absorbing member 12 disposed at the retracted position is in a new state and does not contain ink, the above-described worry can be eliminated. In addition, since the ink can be received in the portion that does not contain ink each time during the flushing process, the ink protruding from each nozzle row L can be sufficiently retained.
In this way, by winding up the absorbing member 12 by the above-described delivery mechanism at the timing of moving the absorbing member 12 to the retracted position, a separate drive motor is not required, and a low-cost mechanism can be achieved.

  The fixed amount for winding up the absorbing member varies depending on the position of the nozzle 24 in the scanning direction of the absorbing member 12, but the necessary feeding length of the absorbing member 12 is also at the position of the nozzle 24 having the shortest moving distance. If it can be ensured, the absorbing member 12 can always be fed with a fixed length. As a result, the absorbing member 12 can be fed at the timing of feed scanning (winding up).

  In this embodiment, the absorbing member 12 is wound up via the rack 74 and the pinion 73 after completion of the flushing. However, the length of the rack 74 may be increased to move the absorbing member 12 during the flushing. . As a result, even during the flushing process, it is possible to receive ink at a portion that does not always contain ink.

In the present embodiment, the used portion of the absorbing member, that is, the portion immediately before being taken up by the take-up reel 17 (second portion) is hung around the drive roller 71. A new part immediately after being fed out from the drive roller 71 may also be hung around the drive roller 71. In this case, for example, the absorbing member 12 is supported so as not to be bent by adjusting the rotation speed on the take-up reel 17 side.
In addition, you may provide a groove | channel, a partition plate, etc. in a drive roller so that a used part and a new part may not mutually contact.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the configuration of the printer of the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a main part of the flushing unit in the printer of the second embodiment.

The flushing unit 91 of this embodiment includes a support mechanism 92, a traveling mechanism 93, a moving mechanism 14, and a delivery mechanism 94.
Both the support mechanism 92 and the moving mechanism 14 in this embodiment are provided on both sides of the head unit 2, that is, on one side and the other side in the arrangement direction of the recording heads 21. The travel mechanism 93 is provided on a pair of support substrates 15A and 15B disposed on both sides of the head unit 2, and the absorbent member 12 is moved along the nozzle row L of the recording head 21 from one direction side to the other side. It is made to run toward.

  The travel mechanism 93 includes a pair of delivery reels 16 and 16 on one support substrate 15A, and a pair of take-up reels 17 and 17 on the other support substrate 15B. In the present embodiment, since two absorbing members 12 are provided, two delivery reels 16 and two take-up reels 17 are provided correspondingly. The number of absorbing members 12 is not limited to two, and may be provided, for example, as many as the number of nozzle rows L of the recording head 21. In that case, the number of absorbing members 12 is also included in the traveling mechanism 13. It is also possible to provide as many as that number.

A back tension is applied to the delivery reels 16, 16 provided on the support substrate 15 </ b> A side, as in the previous embodiment, and it is urged in the direction opposite to the delivery rotation direction of the absorbing member 12.
On the support substrate 15B side, winding motors 17A and 17A for driving the winding reels 17 and 17 are provided, and the winding reels 17 and 17 are rotationally driven by the winding motors 17A and 17A.

  The moving mechanism 14 is composed of a pair of moving mechanism portions 14A and 14B provided on the support substrates 15A and 15B. The movement mechanism portions 14A and 14B operate in synchronization with each other, thereby supporting the support substrates 15A and 15B. Are moved in the same direction in the direction R at the same time and with the same length.

  The delivery mechanism 94 includes a pair of drive rollers 71, 71 provided on the support substrate 15B side, pinch rollers 72a, 72b corresponding to the drive rollers 71, 71, and pinions 73 connected to the drive rollers 71, 71. 73, and racks 74, 74 corresponding to the pinions 73, 73, respectively.

  The absorbing member 12 sent out from the delivery reels 16 and 16 on the support substrates 15A and 15A side is wound around the rollers 42 and 42 on the head unit 2 side, and the nozzle surface 23 of each recording head 21 of the head unit 2 is placed. The absorbing members 12 and 12 are extended along the corresponding nozzle rows L by passing the side facing to the rollers 43 and 43 on the support substrate 15B side.

  Further, the absorbing members 12 and 12 that have circulated around the rollers 43 and 43 are wound around the take-up reels 17 and 17 around the drive rollers 71 and 71 and one pinch roller 72b, respectively. Here, the absorbing members 12 and 12 that circulate around the drive rollers 71 and 71 are partially pressed by a pair of pinch rollers 72 a and 72 b corresponding to the drive rollers 71 and 71.

Also in the configuration of the present embodiment, while the absorbing member 12 is moved from the position where flushing is completed to the retracted position, it operates to wind up the used portion of the absorbing member 12 that has absorbed ink.
When the support mechanism 15A, 15B is moved by the moving mechanism 14 from the flushing end position of the absorbing member 12 (position facing the nozzle rows L, L closest to the retracted position) to the upstream side (retracted position side), The pinions 73 and 73 mesh with the corresponding racks 74 and 74 and rotate. In this embodiment, it is configured to rotate counterclockwise, but it can also be configured to rotate clockwise by appropriately changing the positions of the racks 74 and 74 and the take-up reels 17 and 17. .

  As the pinions 73 and 73 rotate, the driving rollers 71 and 71 rotate to feed the absorbing member 12. Along with the movement of the support substrates 15A and 15B, when the absorbing member 12 is disposed at the retracted position, that is, when the pinions 73 and 73 are engaged with the ends 74b and 74b of the racks 74 and 74, a certain amount of the absorbing member 12 is placed. Will be sent out. As a result, a part of the absorbing member 12 that has absorbed the ink is taken up by the take-up reels 17 and 17. If the used part of the absorbing member 12 does not face the nozzle row L (head unit 2), the used part need not be completely wound around the take-up reels 17, 17. . The length of the rack and the retreat position are set so that the ink can be absorbed in the new part during the next flushing process.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the area facing the head unit 2 can be reduced compared to the configuration in which the single absorbing member 12 is folded back to face the head unit 2 as in the previous embodiment. The amount by which the absorbing member 12 is wound up at once in the mechanism 94, that is, the amount of feeding out the absorbing member 12, can be reduced.
Thereby, it becomes possible to wind up the absorbing members 12 and 12 quickly, and it becomes possible to shorten the time required for maintenance.

  The preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the structure where the absorption member 12 followed in parallel with a nozzle row was demonstrated, in this invention, the extension direction of the absorption member 12 and the extension direction of a nozzle row are necessarily completely parallel. There is no need to do so. In other words, in the present invention, extending along the nozzle row is not limited to a state of being completely parallel to the nozzle row, but within a range where the absorbing member 12 can receive ink droplets (fluid) during flushing. If it is.

In the embodiment, the configuration in which the present invention is applied to a line head type printer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to a serial printer.
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the absorbing member 12 always moves between the head and the recording paper (medium) has been described. However, in the present invention, when the absorbing member 12 is retracted, the absorbing member 12 comes off from just below the head. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which it is moved to a region (for example, the side of the head).

  In the above embodiment, the fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention is applied to an ink jet printer. However, the fluid ejecting apparatus may be applied to a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges fluid other than ink. That is, the present invention can be applied to various fluid ejecting apparatuses including a fluid ejecting head that ejects a minute amount of liquid droplets. In addition, a droplet means the state of the fluid discharged from the said fluid ejecting apparatus, and shall include what pulls a tail in granular shape, tear shape, and thread shape. The fluid here may be a material that can be ejected by the fluid ejecting apparatus.

  For example, it may be in the state when the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid state with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ) And a fluid as one state of the substance, as well as particles in which functional material particles made of solid substances such as pigments and metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. In addition, as a typical example of the fluid, there is an ink as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various fluid compositions such as gel inks and hot-melt inks.

  As a specific example of the fluid ejecting apparatus, for example, a fluid 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, or a color filter in a dispersed or dissolved form. It may be a fluid ejecting apparatus for ejecting, a fluid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, a fluid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a fluid used as a precision pipette, a printing apparatus, a microdispenser, or the like.

  In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resins to form fluid injection devices that inject lubricating oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements, etc. A fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate, or a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate or the like may be employed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer (fluid ejecting apparatus), 2 Head unit, 9 Support mechanism, L nozzle row, 10 Maintenance apparatus, 11 Flushing unit, 12 Absorbing member, 13 Traveling mechanism, 14 Moving mechanism, 16 Sending reel, 17 Take-up reel, 21 Recording head (fluid ejection head), 24 nozzles, 61 cap part, 70 delivery mechanism, 71 drive roller, 72a pinch roller, 72b pinch roller, 73 pinion, 74 rack, 74a end, 74b end, 89 reverse roller, 89a Roller, 89b roller, 90 delivery mechanism, 91 flushing unit, 92 support mechanism, 93 travel mechanism, 94 delivery mechanism

Claims (8)

A fluid ejecting apparatus having a nozzle array including a plurality of nozzles arranged in a direction intersecting a conveyance direction of a recording medium, and including a fluid ejecting head that ejects fluid from the nozzle array,
A linear absorbent member that extends along the nozzle row and is movably provided from one side of the nozzle row toward the other side, and absorbs the fluid ejected from the nozzle;
A moving mechanism for moving the absorbing member in a direction crossing the nozzle row;
A feeding rotator that feeds out the absorbing member from the wound state; and a winding rotator that winds up the absorbing member that is fed from the sending rotator; A traveling mechanism that travels from one side to the other side;
A feeding mechanism that feeds the absorbing member by a certain amount from the sending rotator to the winding rotator when the absorbing mechanism moves the absorbing member in a direction intersecting the nozzle row. A fluid ejecting apparatus. The delivery mechanism is
A driving roller around which the absorbing member is wound;
A pair of pinch rollers disposed on both sides of the drive roller to press the absorbing member in the direction of the central axis of the drive roller;
A pinion connected to the drive roller and rotating with the drive roller;
A rack meshing with the pinion,
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving roller, the pinch roller, and the pinion are configured to be movable with respect to the fixed rack by the moving mechanism.   The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the delivery mechanism has a one-way clutch function that restricts rotation of the drive roller in only one direction. The absorbing member extends along the nozzle row, and is located between a position where the moving mechanism absorbs the fluid ejected from the nozzle and a position where the fluid ejected from the nozzle retreats from the flight path. It is possible to move relative,
The delivery amount of the absorbing member for one time is the diameter of the driving roller, the pitch of the pinion and the rack, or the position where the fluid ejected from the nozzle is absorbed, and the flight path of the fluid ejected from the nozzle 4. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fluid ejecting apparatus is set according to a distance from a position to be retracted. A moving mechanism for moving the absorbing member in a direction intersecting the nozzle row;
5. The travel mechanism according to claim 1, wherein when the absorbing member is moved in a direction intersecting the nozzle row by the moving mechanism, the traveling member sends out the absorbing member by a certain amount. The fluid ejection device according to one item. The traveling mechanism includes a reversing roller that reverses the traveling direction of the absorbing member between the feeding rotating body and the winding rotating body on the traveling path of the absorbing member, and the absorbing member is disposed on one side of the nozzle row. After traveling from the side toward the other side, it is configured so as to extend again along the nozzle row different from the nozzle row, and again toward the one direction side with the reverse roller,
Both sides of the fluid ejection head in the extending direction of the nozzle row,
The delivery rotator, the winding rotator and the delivery mechanism are arranged on one side,
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reversing roller is arranged on the other side. A winding drive unit that rotationally drives the winding rotary body;
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a back tension is applied to the delivery rotating body. Both sides of the fluid ejection head in the extending direction of the nozzle row,
The delivery rotor is arranged on one side,
The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the winding rotary body and the delivery mechanism are arranged on the other side.

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