JP2012061785A - Liquid jetting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jetting device that moisturizes a recording head and cleans a nozzle well.SOLUTION: The device includes: the recording head 15 having a plurality nozzles which jets recording liquid for adhering to a target to record and a supply port 30 supplying moisture liquid; and a cap 40 having a recording liquid reception part KJ for receiving the recording liquid with facing to the nozzle while coming into contact with the recording head 15 and a moisture reception part HJ for receiving the moisture liquid with facing to the supply port 30.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an ink jet printer.

  Conventionally, ink jet printers are widely known as liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject liquid onto a target. In this printer, printing (image formation) is performed on a recording medium as a target by ejecting ink (recording liquid) supplied to a recording head functioning as a liquid ejecting head from nozzles formed on the recording head. It has become. In such a printer, recently, as described in, for example, Patent Document 1, it contacts the recording head to receive ink discharged from the recording head during cleaning, and the recording head is moisturized during non-printing. For this reason, there are some equipped with a cap that contacts the recording head.

  That is, in the printer of Patent Document 1, the recording head has a plurality of head chips (unit heads). The cap includes a plurality of ink storage portions (recording liquid receiving portions) provided so as to correspond to the head chips, and a moisturizing liquid storage portion (humidity holding liquid receiving portion) provided adjacent to the ink storage portions. Part).

JP 2009-285982 A

  By the way, in the case of the printer of Patent Document 1, the recording head that ejects the moisturizing liquid is provided separately from the recording head that ejects ink. When the plurality of head chips in the recording head that ejects the moisturizing liquid are in a position facing the moisturizing liquid storage portion in the cap when the cap moves relative to the recording head that ejects the moisturizing liquid, The moisturizing liquid is jetted toward the moisturizing liquid storage unit.

  For this reason, since the cap cannot be moved relative to the cap while the cap is in contact with the recording head to cover the recording head and the recording head is covered, the head chip of the recording head that ejects the moisturizing liquid is used as the moisturizing liquid storage portion. It cannot move to the position state facing. For this reason, the moisturizing liquid could not be supplied into the cap.

  Accordingly, in such a conventional printer, an ink absorber is provided in the ink container separately from the moisturizing liquid container in the cap, and the ink is absorbed and held in the ink absorber to improve the moisture retention in the cap. It was.

  However, the ink absorber that absorbs and holds the ink in this way is clogged when the absorbed and dried ink is dried, and the ink discharged into the ink containing portion due to cleaning cannot be sufficiently absorbed. there were.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that can keep the recording head moisturized and clean the nozzles satisfactorily.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting a recording liquid that is attached to a target and performing recording, and a supply port for supplying a moisturizing liquid, and the recording head And a cap having a recording liquid receiving portion that can receive the recording liquid facing the nozzle and a moisturizing liquid receiving portion that can receive the moisturizing liquid facing the supply port.

  According to this configuration, when the cap is in contact with the recording head, the supply port and the moisturizing liquid receiving portion face each other, so that the contact state between the cap and the recording head is maintained without moving the cap. Thus, the moisturizing liquid can be supplied to the moisturizing liquid receiving portion. As a result, for example, when the state in which the cap is kept in contact with the recording head is for a long time, the moisturizing liquid can be supplied from the supply port to the moisturizing liquid receiving portion even if the moisturizing liquid decreases due to evaporation or the like. it can. Therefore, the recording head can be moisturized for a long time without providing an absorber in the recording liquid receiving portion, and it is not necessary to provide an absorber in the recording liquid receiving portion. The nozzle can be satisfactorily cleaned without causing a failure.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, a partition that partitions the recording liquid receiving unit and the moisturizing liquid receiving unit may be provided in a region inside the outer wall of the cap, and the outer wall may be an elastic unit having elasticity at an opening edge. The elastic part has the outer wall between the two states, the state in which the partition that partitions the recording liquid receiving part is in contact with the nozzle forming surface on which the nozzle is formed and the state in which the partition is separated. It is deformed so as to maintain the state in contact with the recording head.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to bring the partition wall defining the recording liquid receiving portion into contact with or away from the recording head while keeping the outer wall of the cap in contact with the recording head. That is, in the separated state, the recording liquid receiving part and the moisturizing liquid receiving part communicate with each other through a gap between the partition wall and the recording head, and therefore are positioned at a position facing the recording liquid receiving part by the moisturizing liquid in the moisturizing liquid receiving part. Moisturizing the nozzle to do. In this state where the moisturized state is maintained, the cap is further brought closer to the recording head, so that the elastic portion is crushed and the partition wall can be brought into contact with the recording head. Therefore, for example, the negative pressure can be applied to the nozzle by cleaning the recording liquid by sucking the recording liquid from the nozzle, for example, by setting the negative pressure inside the recording liquid receiving portion, and the nozzle in a moisturized state. Can be cleaned well.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the moisturizing liquid receiving unit includes an absorber that absorbs and holds the moisturizing liquid.
According to this configuration, the moisturizing liquid supplied to the moisturizing liquid receiving unit is held in a state of being absorbed by the absorber. Therefore, for example, even when the cap moves, the moisturizing liquid can be stably held in the moisturizing liquid receiving portion without moving (flowing out) the moisturizing liquid.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention, the moisturizing liquid receiving portion is formed so as to surround each of the recording liquid receiving portions adjacently.
According to this configuration, the nozzles corresponding to the recording liquid receiving part can be in a uniform moisturizing state by the moisturizing liquid receiving part formed so as to be adjacently surrounded. Therefore, the nozzle can be cleaned well.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the cap includes one moisturizing liquid receiving unit, and a plurality of the recording liquid receiving units in a region of the one moisturizing liquid receiving unit.
According to this configuration, since the region of the moisturizing liquid receiving unit is continuously provided, the moisturizing liquid supplied from one supply port can be spread throughout the moisturizing liquid receiving unit. Further, since the moisturizing liquid receiving portion is provided so as to be adjacent to each of the plurality of recording liquid receiving portions, the number of supply ports is provided even when a plurality of recording liquid receiving portions are provided. A plurality of nozzles can be uniformly moisturized without increasing.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a bottom surface of a recording head. The schematic plan view of a cap. The functional block diagram for demonstrating operation | movement of a cap. Explanatory drawing which shows the operation state of the cap at the time of non-printing. Explanatory drawing which shows the operation state of the cap at the time of cleaning.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention is embodied in an ink jet printer will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, “front-rear direction”, “left-right direction”, and “up-down direction” refer to the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction indicated by arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. In this case, the “front-rear direction” corresponds to the width direction intersecting the target transport direction, the “up-down direction” corresponds to the vertical direction, and the “left-right direction” refers to the direction from the left side to the right side of the target. Corresponds to the transport direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer (hereinafter, also referred to as “printer”) 11 as a liquid ejecting apparatus prints the paper 12 and a transport unit 13 for transporting the paper 12 as a target. Recording head 15. The conveyance direction of the paper 12 is the right direction, and the recording head 15 is positioned on the upper side in the antigravity direction with respect to the paper 12.

  The transport unit 13 includes a rectangular plate-shaped support base 17 having a predetermined length in the left-right direction. A drive roller 18 extending in the front-rear direction (direction orthogonal to the paper surface) is disposed on the right side of the support base 17 so as to be rotationally driven by a drive motor 19, while a driven roller 20 extending in the front-rear direction is provided on the left side of the support base 17. It is arranged so that it can rotate. Further, a tension roller 21 extending in the front-rear direction is rotatably disposed below the support base 17.

  An endless transport belt 22 having a large number of through holes (not shown) is wound around the drive roller 18, the driven roller 20, and the tension roller 21 so as to surround the support base 17. In this case, the tension roller 21 is urged downward by a spring member (not shown), and by applying tension to the conveyor belt 22, looseness of the conveyor belt 22 is suppressed.

  Then, when the driving roller 18 is rotationally driven, the conveyor belt 22 is rotated in the clockwise direction when viewed from the front side (the front side of the paper) on the outside of the driving roller 18, the tension roller 21, and the driven roller 20. It has become. Further, when the sheet 12 is at a position facing the upper surface of the support table 17, the sheet 12 is sucked to the support table 17 through the conveyance belt 22 by a suction unit (not shown), and is on the downstream side from the left side that is the upstream side in the conveyance direction. It is conveyed toward the right side.

  A pair of upper and lower paper feed rollers 23 for feeding a plurality of unprinted paper sheets 12 one by one onto the transport belt 22 one by one is provided on the upper left side of the driven roller 20. On the other hand, a pair of upper and lower discharge rollers 24 for discharging the printed sheets 12 one by one from the transport belt 22 are provided on the upper right side of the drive roller 18.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the recording head 15 has a plurality of (in this embodiment, five) unit heads 25 (25 </ b> A to 25 </ b> E) arranged in the width direction (front-rear direction) of the paper 12. Thus, it is supported by the support plate 27. As shown in FIG. 2, the unit heads 25 are arranged in two rows in the left-right direction, and are in a so-called staggered arrangement manner in which the positions are shifted in the front-rear direction. A plurality of nozzle rows 29 (four in this embodiment) along the front-rear direction are arranged at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction on the nozzle forming surface 25a that is the lower surface of each unit head 25. Is formed. Each nozzle array 29 configured in this manner is supplied with different types of ink (recording liquid) and ejected from the nozzles 28. For example, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow inks are supplied in order from the right side.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the support plate 27 is provided with a supply port 30 having a lower opening 30a on the lower surface that is the same as the direction in which the nozzle 28 opens, at a position different from the position where the unit head 25 is provided. ing. A moisturizing liquid (for example, water) is supplied from the supply port 30.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, the printer 11 according to the present embodiment has a cap 40 (moving from below and contacting the recording head 15 (support plate 27) during non-printing or cleaning. 3 and 4). The cap 40 has substantially the same outer shape as the support plate 27, and is configured to cover the five unit heads 25 </ b> A to 25 </ b> E supported by the support plate 27 and the supply port 30.

Next, the cap 40 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the cap 40 includes a cap frame body 41 (see FIG. 4) having a substantially box shape having an opening on the upper side, and has a predetermined height in the vertical direction on the entire circumference of the opening end. The outer wall 42 is provided so as to form an annular side wall. The outer wall 42 is formed of an elastic portion 42a having at least an opening edge on the upper end side thereof having elasticity, and is compressed and deformed by a predetermined amount in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the elastic portion 42a is formed of an elastic material (for example, a material such as rubber or resin) integrally with the outer wall 42.

  In addition, in the region surrounded by the annular outer wall 42, partition walls 45 are provided at positions (here, five locations) corresponding to the nozzle formation surfaces 25a of the unit heads 25A to 25E, as viewed from above. It has been. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 45 is formed of an elastic material (for example, a material such as rubber or resin), and is in close contact with the nozzle forming surface 25a so that it can be compressed and deformed in the vertical direction. Each partition 45 is formed so as to surround the nozzle 28 in each unit head 25. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 45 is formed at a position corresponding to a substantially outer portion of the nozzle forming surface 25 a of each unit head 25. As a result, in the region surrounded by the outer wall 42, a region 46 corresponding to the outer shape portion of the nozzle forming surface 25 a of each unit head 25 is partitioned and formed by the partition walls 45. Accordingly, the region 46 has a substantially rectangular shape. The region 46 is provided with a bottom surface inclined downward from the peripheral side of the partition wall 45 toward the center side at the lower side thereof, and an opening hole 47 is provided at substantially the center of the bottom surface.

  In the cap 40, a region excluding a region surrounded by the partition wall 45 from a region surrounded by the outer wall 42 as viewed from above, that is, a region 43 inside the outer wall 42 and outside the partition wall 45 is a supply port. It functions as a moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ that receives the moisturizing liquid supplied from 30. The region 43 functioning as the moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ is formed so as to surround each of the regions 46 adjacent to each other. Thus, in the present embodiment, the cap 40 has the region 43 (moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ) as one continuous region, and has a plurality of regions 46 (recording liquid receiving portions KJ) in the region 43. is doing. A part of the region 43 (here, the right rear portion) can receive the moisturizing liquid facing the supply port 30. In this embodiment, the region 43 is provided with an absorbent body 44 (shaded portion in the figure) that absorbs and holds the moisturizing liquid supplied from the supply port 30 over almost the entire region 43. .

  On the other hand, the area 46 surrounded by the area 43 functions as a recording liquid receiving portion KJ that receives the ink ejected from each unit head 25. That is, the region 46 can receive the ink while facing the nozzle 28 in a state where the outer wall 42 of the cap 40 is in contact with the support plate 27 of the recording head 15.

  Next, the operation | movement regarding moisture retention which the cap 40 comprised in this way has is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. First, the functional operation relating to the cap 40 will be described based on the block diagram shown in FIG. 4, and then the moisturizing action will be described based on FIGS. 5 and 6. 4 to 6, the cap 40 is shown in cross section.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each unit head 25 provided on the support plate 27 is supplied with the ink generated by the pressure pump P <b> 1 and controlled by the valve V <b> 1 into the ink cartridge 35. The ink stored from the inside of the cartridge 35 is supplied. The supplied ink is discharged, for example, by ejecting or sucking a specific amount of ink from the nozzle 28 of the nozzle forming surface 25 a to the region 46 that becomes the recording liquid receiving portion KJ. Performance is restored. The discharged ink is sucked by the negative pressure generated by the suction pump P2 through a pipe (solid line in FIG. 4) connected to the opening hole 47 provided in the bottom surface (lower side) of the region 46, and the waste liquid tank T is stored.

  Similarly, the supply port 30 provided in the support plate 27 is introduced from the inside of the moisturizing cartridge 31 by introducing the pressure generated by the pressure pump P1 and controlled by the valve V2 into the moisturizing cartridge 31. The stored moisturizing liquid is supplied. A specific amount of the supplied moisturizing liquid is dropped (supplied) from the opening 30a to the region 43 serving as the moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ as necessary, so that the recording head 15 (nozzle 28) is moisturized. Works. This moisturizing action will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the operating state of the cap 40 during non-printing. As described above, since no ink is ejected from the nozzles 28 during non-printing, the cap 40 covers all the nozzle forming surfaces 25a of the recording head 15 so that the ink in the nozzles 28 is not dried. It is like that. That is, after the recording head 15 has moved to a position where it substantially overlaps the cap 40 in the vertical direction, the cap 40 is raised from below by a moving means (not shown), and the outer wall 42 of the cap 40 is moved to the recording head as shown in FIG. 15 support plates 27. Of course, the outer wall 42 is raised until the elastic portion 42a is compressed in a predetermined amount (lightly in this case) in the vertical direction so that the entire circumference thereof is in close contact with the support plate 27.

  On the other hand, at the time of non-printing, the partition wall 45 is in a state of being separated from the nozzle forming surface 25a. In the present embodiment, the height (the position of the upper end) of the outer wall 42 of the cap 40 is higher than the height (the position of the upper end) of the partition wall 45 provided inside the outer wall 42, that is, upward. It is formed in a position. By forming in this way, in a state where the elastic portion 42a of the outer wall 42 is lightly compressed, the partition wall 45 is spaced apart from the nozzle forming surface 25a so that a gap is easily formed between the partition wall 45 and the nozzle forming surface 25a. It has become.

  Thus, during non-printing, the nozzle formation surface 25a of the unit head 25 is all located in the sealed space formed by the outer wall 42 of the cap 40 coming into contact with the support plate 27. Therefore, the nozzle forming surface 25a of the unit head 25 is in a state where it is completely cut off from the atmosphere and a gap is formed between the unit head 25 and the partition wall 45. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the moisturizing liquid absorbed and held by the absorber 44 is vaporized (evaporated) in the space region surrounded by the outer wall 42, thereby connecting the regions through this gap. The space area below the formation surface 25a is moisturized. As a result, the nozzles 28 on the nozzle forming surface 25a are in a state in which ink drying is suppressed during non-printing.

  Further, in a non-printing state in which the cap 40 is in contact with the recording head 15, the absorber 44 is opposed to the supply port 30 that supplies the moisturizing liquid. Therefore, the moisturizing liquid can be supplied to the absorber 44 from the opening 30 a of the supply port 30 while the outer wall 42 is in contact with the support plate 27.

  In the printer 11 according to the present embodiment, the cap 40 may shift from a non-printing state in which the ink of the nozzle 28 is moisturized by such a moisturizing action to a cleaning state in which the nozzle 28 is cleaned. It can be done. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the operating state of the cap 40 during cleaning. As described above, ink is discharged from the nozzle 28 toward the region 46 during cleaning. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the ink ejected from the nozzle 28 can be reliably received in the region 46, or the region 46 can be held at a negative pressure and the ink can be reliably sucked into the region 46. As described above, the partition wall 45 comes into contact with the nozzle forming surface 25a in a close contact state.

  That is, in the cap 40, the elastic portion 42a is compressed in the vertical direction by a predetermined amount (in this case, strongly) so as to be closer to the support plate 27 than in the non-printing state shown in FIG. It rises until it reaches the state. Then, the cap 40 is configured such that the partition 45 is brought into contact with the nozzle forming surface 25a in the cleaning state by further compressing and deforming the elastic portion 42a from the non-printing state. In other words, the elastic portion 42a is deformed so that the outer wall 42 remains in contact with the support plate 27 between the two states of the partition 45 in contact with the nozzle forming surface 25a and the separated state. To do. Thus, the cap 40 shifts from the non-printing state to the cleaning state. Of course, the partition wall 45 may be compressed and deformed in a contact state with the nozzle forming surface 25a.

  As described above, at the time of cleaning, the cap 40 moves further upward from the position at the time of non-printing, so that the partition wall 45 abuts (adheres) to the nozzle formation surface 25a and the nozzle formation surface 25a of the unit head 25 and the partition wall A sealed space is formed between As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, during cleaning, the space area moisturized by the moisturizing liquid vaporized from the absorber 44 is blocked from the area 46 in the cap 40. Therefore, the moisturizing liquid vaporized in the space area cut off from the area 46 is not drawn into the area 46 where the negative pressure is applied during cleaning (that is, the sealed space between the nozzle forming surface 25a and the partition wall 45). It has become.

  Of course, at the time of cleaning when the partition wall 45 is in contact with the nozzle forming surface 25a, the absorber 44 is opposed to the supply port 30 for supplying the moisturizing liquid. Therefore, the moisturizing liquid is supplied from the opening 30a of the supply port 30 to the absorber 44 while the outer wall 42 is in contact with the support plate 27 and the partition wall 45 is in contact with the nozzle forming surface 25a. Can be done.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the supply port 30 and the region 43 serving as the moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ are opposed to each other when the cap 40 is in contact with the recording head 15, the contact state between the cap 40 and the recording head 15 is maintained. The moisturizing liquid can be supplied to the moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ (region 43) as it is. That is, the cap 40 (outer wall 42) contacts the recording head 15 (holding plate 27) even when the moisturizing liquid evaporates when the printer 11 is not used for a long time when not printing. The moisturizing liquid can be supplied from the supply port 30 to the moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ in a state of being left as it is. As a result, the recording head 15 (nozzle 28) can be moisturized for a long time without providing an absorber in the recording liquid receiving portion KJ (region 46). In addition, since it is not necessary to provide an absorber in the recording liquid receiving portion KJ (region 46), a situation of poor suction due to clogging of the absorber does not occur. Therefore, the recording head 15 can be moisturized and the nozzle 28 can be cleaned well.

  (2) The recording head 15 can be brought into contact with or separated from the partition wall 45 defining the recording liquid receiving portion KJ while the outer wall 42 of the cap 40 is kept in contact with the recording head 15. That is, in the separated state, the recording liquid receiving part KJ and the moisturizing liquid receiving part HJ communicate with each other through a gap between the partition wall 45 and the recording head 15, so that the recording liquid receiving part is received by the moisturizing liquid in the moisturizing liquid receiving part HJ. The nozzle located in the position facing KJ can be moisturized. The cap 40 is further moved closer to the recording head 15 while the moisturized moisturized state is maintained, whereby the elastic portion 42a of the outer wall 42 is crushed and the partition 45 is replaced with the recording head 15 (nozzle forming surface 25a). It can be made to contact. Therefore, for example, the negative pressure can be applied to the nozzle 28 efficiently by suctioning the ink from the nozzle 28 and cleaning it, for example, by setting the inside of the recording liquid receiving portion KJ to a negative pressure. 28 cleaning can be performed. Further, it is possible to maintain and maintain the moisturizing state of the space region defined by the outer wall 42 and the partition wall 45 and formed between the recording head 15 and the cap 40 at the time of cleaning, that is, the space region corresponding to the moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ. Therefore, when the cleaning is completed and the cap 40 is in a non-printing state, the nozzle forming surface 25a can be immediately put into a moisturizing state.

  (3) The moisturizing liquid supplied to the moisturizing liquid receiving unit HJ is held in a state of being absorbed by the absorber 44. Therefore, even when the cap 40 moves, the moisturizing liquid can be stably held in the moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ.

  (4) By the moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ formed so as to be adjacently surrounded, the nozzle corresponding to the recording liquid receiving portion KJ can be surely brought into the moisturizing state. Therefore, the nozzle can be cleaned well.

  (5) Since the moisturizing liquid receiving part HJ is provided as one continuous area, the moisturizing liquid supplied from one supply port 30 can be spread over the entire area of the moisturizing liquid receiving part HJ. Accordingly, even when a plurality of recording liquid receiving portions KJ are provided, the nozzle 28 can be moisturized without increasing the number of supply ports 30.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the above embodiment, the moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ may be divided so as to be adjacent to each recording liquid receiving portion KJ. In this way, it is possible to adjust the moisturizing state for each nozzle 28 corresponding to the recording liquid receiving portion KJ. Therefore, for example, the nozzle 28 can be cleaned well by setting the moisture retention state corresponding to the ink for each nozzle 28. In this case, the supply port 30 may be provided for each of the divided moisturizing liquid receiving portions HJ.

  In the above-described embodiment, the moisturizing liquid discharge head for ejecting the moisturizing liquid may be mounted on the recording head 15 so that the moisturizing liquid discharge head is mounted as the supply port 30. If it carries out like this, the supply amount of the moisturizing liquid supplied to the moisturizing liquid receiving part HJ can be controlled appropriately.

  In the above embodiment, the moisturizing liquid receiving part HJ may not have the absorber 44. For example, when the moisturizing liquid is less likely to flow out of the moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ, this may be used. In this way, the moisturizing liquid can be spread over the entire moisturizing liquid receiving portion HJ more quickly than the absorbent body.

  -In the said embodiment, the elastic part 42a which the outer wall 42 has may be a hollow shape. In this case, the deformation is more easily crushed and the deformation amount is increased. Therefore, even if the movement amount of the cap 40 between the non-printing time and the cleaning time is large, the contact state between the outer wall 42 and the recording head 15 is stabilized. Can be maintained.

  In the above embodiment, the recording head 15 may be moved to the cap 40 side. When the cap 40 cannot be moved, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained by moving the recording head 15 relative to the cap 40 in this way.

  In the above embodiment, the target on which ink is attached and printed is of any material and shape that can accept liquid, such as paper, plastic film, seal, metal foil, glass plate, plate material, cloth, etc. Can be adopted.

  In the above embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus is embodied in the ink jet printer 11, but a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges liquid other than ink may be employed. The present invention can be used for various liquid ejecting apparatuses 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 the said liquid ejecting apparatus, and shall also 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. A liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting can be employed. Further, it may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacture, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid as a sample that is used as a precision pipette, a 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 11 ... Printer (liquid ejecting apparatus), 15 ... Recording head, 25a ... Nozzle formation surface, 27 ... Support plate, 28 ... Nozzle, 30 ... Supply port, 40 ... Cap, 42 ... Outer wall, 42a ... Elastic part, 43, 46 ... Area, 44 ... Absorber, 45 ... Partition, HJ ... Moisturizing liquid receiving part, KJ ... Recording liquid receiving part.

Claims (5)

A recording head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting a recording liquid to be recorded on the target and a supply port for supplying a moisturizing liquid;
A moisture retaining liquid that has an outer wall and is opposed to the nozzle in a state where the outer wall is in contact with the recording head and can receive the recording liquid and the supply port. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a cap having a liquid receiving portion. A partition is provided to partition the recording liquid receiving part and the moisturizing liquid receiving part in a region inside the outer wall of the cap;
The outer wall has an elastic portion having elasticity at the opening edge,
The elastic portion is configured such that the outer wall is located between the recording head and the outer wall between the two states of the state in which the partition partitioning the recording liquid receiving unit is in contact with and separated from the nozzle forming surface on which the nozzle is formed. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejecting apparatus is deformed so as to maintain a contacted state.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moisturizing liquid receiving unit includes an absorber that absorbs and holds the moisturizing liquid.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moisturizing liquid receiving portion is formed so as to surround each of the recording liquid receiving portions adjacent to each other.   5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cap has one moisturizing liquid receiving portion, and has a plurality of the recording liquid receiving portions in a region of the one moisturizing liquid receiving portion. .

Images