JP2012196883A - Maintenance device and liquid discharging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a maintenance device and a liquid discharging device, suppressing ink droplets (liquid droplets) from splashing back when flushing while suppressing a devices constitution from being complicated and enlarged.SOLUTION: The maintenance device is used for the discharge head 110 discharging liquid. The maintenance device has: a liquid receiving surface including a water repellent insulating part 120 and the first electrode 121 arranged exposed from the insulating part 120 and receiving liquid discharged from the discharge head 110; a liquid receiving part 116 having the second electrode 122 covered by the insulating part 120 and a discharge opening 116b discharging liquid discharged on the liquid receiving surface to the outside; and a control part controlling voltage applied between the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122.

Description

  The present invention relates to a maintenance device and a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) is widely known as a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects ink droplets from a nozzle of an ink jet head onto a recording paper (medium). In such a printer, a flushing process is performed in order to maintain or restore the ejection characteristics of the nozzles of the inkjet head (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

JP 2007-283658 A JP 2004-243708 A

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the cleaning mechanism is used to clean the porous body with the cleaning liquid in order to prevent the waste ink from being deposited on the porous body provided in the flushing box. Therefore, there is a problem that the apparatus configuration is complicated and the size is increased.
Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, since a mechanism for sucking air is provided so as not to contaminate the apparatus unit or recording paper of the apparatus by the splashing of the flushed ink liquid, the apparatus configuration is also used. However, there was a problem that it became complicated and large.

  The present invention has been made in view of at least one of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide ink droplets (droplets) during ink deposition and flushing while suppressing the complexity and size of the apparatus configuration. An object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance device and a liquid ejecting apparatus that suppress the rebound of the liquid.

  The maintenance device of the present invention is a maintenance device for an ejection head that ejects a liquid, and includes a water-repellent insulating portion and a first electrode that is exposed from the insulating portion, and is ejected from the ejection head. A liquid receiving portion having a liquid receiving surface for receiving the liquid; a second electrode covered by the insulating portion; and a discharge port for discharging the liquid sprayed to the liquid receiving surface to the outside; and the first electrode And a control unit for controlling a voltage applied between the second electrode and the second electrode.

  According to this maintenance device, the water repellent insulating portion is provided on the inner surface of the bottom portion of the liquid receiving portion, the first electrode is disposed so as to be exposed from the insulating portion, and the second electrode is provided on the outer surface side of the insulating portion. Therefore, by applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, the insulating portion can be changed from water-repellent to hydrophilic according to the principle of electrowetting, and the voltage can be reduced by turning off the power. By stopping the application, the insulating portion can be returned to water repellency again. Therefore, by turning on the power supply and making the bottom part (insulating part) hydrophilic particularly during flushing, the droplets that have landed on the bottom part (insulating part) can be spread and suppressed to rebound. Moreover, the liquid flushed by the discharging means can be easily flowed to the discharge port by turning off the power thereafter and returning the bottom portion (insulating portion) to water repellency. Therefore, the conventional air suction mechanism for preventing rebound and the cleaning mechanism for the porous body for preventing the accumulation of waste ink are not required, and the complexity and size of the apparatus can be suppressed.

In the maintenance device, the liquid receiving surface is preferably an inclined surface that descends toward the discharge port formed on the bottom surface of the liquid receiving portion.
In this way, as described above, the power is turned off and the bottom portion (insulating portion) is returned to water repellency, so that the flushed liquid easily flows toward the discharge port by the inclined surface.

In the maintenance device, the first electrode is continuously or intermittently arranged around the discharge port and continuously from a position far from the discharge port to a position close to the discharge port. It is preferable that they are arranged intermittently or intermittently.
In this way, the droplet that has landed on the bottom easily comes into contact with the first electrode in the vicinity of the landing position. Therefore, when the power is turned on, the droplet is charged by the first electrode, and the wettability with respect to the insulating portion charged to a different polarity by the second electrode is remarkably increased. That is, the insulating part becomes lyophilic as described above.

Further, in the maintenance device, the control unit sequentially applies no voltage to the first electrode and the second electrode from a state in which the voltage is applied from a side far from the discharge port to a side closer to the discharge port. The voltage is preferably controlled so as to be in a state.
If it does in this way, voltage control will be carried out so that it may become a non-application state sequentially from the state where the voltage is impressed from the side far from the discharge port to the near side by the control part with respect to the 1st electrode and the 2nd electrode. By performing the above, it is possible to easily move the flushed liquid toward the discharge port. That is, the liquid can flow toward the discharge port.

A liquid ejecting apparatus according to an aspect of the invention includes an ejecting head that ejects liquid and the maintenance device.
According to this liquid ejecting apparatus, as described above, since the liquid droplets that have landed on the bottom part (insulating part) are wetted and spread, and the maintenance apparatus having the liquid receiving part that can suppress the rebound, it is provided. A conventional mechanism for sucking air is not necessary, and it is possible to avoid complication and enlargement of the apparatus configuration. Further, since the liquid receiving part can easily flow the liquid flushed by the discharge means to the discharge port, a conventional porous body cleaning mechanism is not required, and the apparatus configuration is complicated and enlarged. Can be avoided.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of an ink supply system. (A)-(c) is a figure which shows the structure of a flushing mechanism. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a printer. (A)-(d) is explanatory drawing of the effect | action which concerns on flushing operation | movement. It is a top view of a flushing box.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, each member has a different scale so that each member has a size that can be recognized on the drawing.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes an ink jet printer as a liquid ejecting apparatus. The printer 100 is a device that performs a printing process while conveying a sheet-like medium M such as paper or a plastic sheet. The printer 100 includes a housing 101, an ink jet mechanism 102 that ejects ink onto the medium M, an ink supply mechanism 103 that supplies ink to the ink jet mechanism 102, a transport mechanism 104 that transports the medium M, and an ink jet mechanism 102. A maintenance mechanism (maintenance device) 105 that performs maintenance operations and a control device (control unit) 106 that controls these mechanisms are provided.

  Hereinafter, the XYZ rectangular coordinate system is set, and the positional relationship of each component will be described with reference to the XYZ rectangular coordinate system as appropriate. In this embodiment, the liquid ejection direction is the Z direction, the head moving direction is the Y direction, and the direction orthogonal to the Z direction and the Y direction is the X direction.

  The casing 101 is formed so that the Y direction is the longitudinal direction. The casing 101 is provided with each part of the ink jet mechanism 102, the ink supply mechanism 103, the transport mechanism 104, the maintenance mechanism 105, and the control device 106. The casing 101 is provided with a platen 13. The platen 13 is a support member that supports the medium M, and is disposed at the center in the X direction in the housing 101. The platen 13 has a flat surface (not shown) oriented in the + Z direction, and this flat surface is used as a support surface that supports the medium M.

  The transport mechanism 104 includes a transport roller, a motor that drives the transport roller, and the like. The transport mechanism 104 transports the medium M from the −X side of the housing 101 into the housing 101 and discharges the medium M from the + X side of the housing 101 to the outside of the housing 101. Further, the transport mechanism 104 transports the medium M so that the medium M passes over the platen 13 inside the housing 101. Further, the transport mechanism 104 is controlled by a control device 106 such as transport timing and transport amount.

  The ink jet mechanism 102 includes a head (jet head) 110 that ejects ink (liquid), and a head moving mechanism 107 that holds and moves the head 110. The head 110 ejects ink toward the medium M sent onto the platen 13. In this embodiment, the ink ejected from the head 110 is conductive and aqueous containing an electrolyte. The head 110 has an ejection surface (nozzle formation surface) 110a that ejects ink. The ejection surface 110 a is oriented in the −Z direction and is disposed so as to face the flat surface of the platen 13.

  The head moving mechanism 107 has a carriage 4, and the head 110 is fixed to the carriage 4. The carriage 4 is in contact with a guide shaft 8 that extends in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the housing 101. The head 110 and the carriage 4 are arranged above the platen 13 (+ Z direction).

  In addition to the carriage 4, the head moving mechanism 107 includes a pulse motor 9, a driving pulley 10 that is rotationally driven by the pulse motor 9, and the driving pulley 10 that is provided on the opposite side in the width direction of the housing 101. A pulley 11, and a timing belt 12 that is stretched between the drive pulley 10 and the idle pulley 11 and connected to the carriage 4 are provided.

  The carriage 4 is connected to a timing belt 12 and is provided so as to be movable in the Y direction as the timing belt 12 rotates. When moving in the Y direction, the carriage 4 is guided by a guide shaft 8.

  The ink supply mechanism 103 is for supplying ink to the head 110. A plurality of ink cartridges 6 are accommodated in the ink supply mechanism 103. The printer 100 according to this embodiment has a configuration (off-carriage type) in which the ink cartridge 6 is accommodated at a position different from the head 110. The ink supply mechanism 103 has a supply tube TB that connects the head 110 and the ink cartridge 6. The ink supply mechanism 103 has a pump mechanism (not shown) that supplies ink stored in the ink cartridge 6 to the head 110 via the supply tube TB.

  The maintenance mechanism 105 is disposed at the home position of the head 110. This home position is set in an area outside the area where printing is performed on the medium M. In the present embodiment, the home position is set on the Y side of the platen 13. The home position is a place where the head 110 waits when the printer 100 is turned off, when recording is not performed for a long time, or when maintenance work is performed.

  The maintenance mechanism 105 is an embodiment of the maintenance device according to the present invention. The maintenance mechanism 105 wipes the ejection surface 110a of the head 110, the capping mechanism 112 covering the ejection surface 110a, and the nozzle NZ ( 3) and a flushing mechanism 115 for performing a flushing process for ejecting ink. A suction mechanism 113 such as a suction pump is connected to the capping mechanism 112. The suction mechanism 113 allows the capping mechanism 112 to suck the space on the ejection surface 110a while covering the ejection surface 110a of the head 110, for example. The waste ink discharged from the head 110 to the maintenance mechanism 105 side is collected by, for example, a waste liquid collection mechanism (not shown).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the printer 100 according to the present embodiment pressurizes the ink pack 6a provided in the ink cartridge 6 to supply ink to the head 110 side via the supply tube TB. 300. The supply system 300 includes an expansion / contraction member 301 that can pressurize the ink pack 6a by expansion / contraction, a pump 302, and a transport tube 303 that conveys air sent from the pump 302 to the expansion / contraction member 301. Yes. The pump 302 is electrically connected to the control device 106, and its driving is controlled by the control device 106.

  The pump 302 is configured to be open to the atmosphere. Accordingly, the supply system 300 operates such that the expansion / contraction member 301 swelled by supplying compressed air via the transport tube 303 presses the ink pack 6a, and the expansion / contraction member 301 that presses the ink pack 6a by releasing to the atmosphere. By repeating the reduction operation, the ink can be efficiently pumped and supplied from the ink pack 6a to the head 110 via the supply tube TB. The transport tube 303 is provided with a valve V1, and the opening and closing operation of the valve V1 is controlled by the control device 106.

When supplying ink from the ink pack 6a to the head 110, the control device 106 drives the pump 302 with the valve V1 opened.
The control device 106 is connected to a power source (not shown) of the printer 100. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a predetermined voltage is applied to the control device 106 between the first electrode and the second electrode provided in the flushing box (liquid receiving portion) in the flushing mechanism 115 as will be described later. A control mechanism 106a that performs on / off control of the power source for the power supply is provided. A power source for applying a predetermined voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode is obtained from the power source of the printer 100.

3A to 3C are diagrams showing the configuration of the flushing mechanism 115 according to this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the flushing mechanism 115 connects the flushing box (liquid receiving portion) 116 that receives the ink flushed (jetted) from the nozzle NZ of the head 110 and the ink received by the flushing box 116. And a waste ink tank 118 that is collected via a tube 117.

  In the present embodiment, the flushing box 116 has a bottomed rectangular tube shape, and a bottom portion 116a thereof is formed in a regular quadrangular pyramid shape. That is, the bottom portion 116a of the flushing box 116 is constituted by a side surface portion of a regular quadrangular pyramid arranged upside down so as to form a vertex downward, and a discharge port 116b is formed in the central portion that becomes the vertex portion. Yes. A discharge pipe 116c is formed in communication with the discharge port 116b. Under such a configuration, the inner surface of the bottom portion 116a is an inclined surface that descends toward the discharge port 116b. Here, the inclined surface constitutes a discharge means for flowing the flushed ink (liquid) in the present invention to the discharge port 116b. Although it does not specifically limit as an inclination angle of an inclined surface, It is preferable that it is about 20 degrees-45 degrees with respect to a horizontal surface.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, which is a sectional side view of the main part, the bottom part 116a is formed so that its inner surface is covered with an insulating layer (insulating part) 120, and a part thereof is a second part. One electrode 121 is exposed and formed. For example, as shown in FIG. 3C, which is a plan view of the bottom portion 116a, the first electrode 121 has a linear and square frame-shaped electrode portion 121a arranged around the discharge port 116b. In addition, a large number (a plurality) of the square frame-shaped electrode portions 121a are intermittently arranged on the side farther from the side closer to the center of the discharge port 116b (in other words, on the side closer to the far side). . These square frame-shaped electrode portions 121a are arranged independently of each other and are controlled independently by wiring (not shown).

  The distance between the electrode portions 121a and 121a adjacent to each other on the inner side and the outer side is preferably a length close to the diameter of the droplet (liquid) ejected from the nozzle Nz of the head 110, and the number of the diameters of the droplets. It is supposed to be about double to several tens of times. These electrode parts 121a are independently connected to the control mechanism 106a in the control device (control part) 106 shown in FIG. Therefore, the first electrode 121 is connected to the power source via the control mechanism 106a. Moreover, since these electrode parts 121a are in direct contact with ink as will be described later, it is preferable that these electrode parts 121a are formed of a metal having high corrosion resistance, such as gold, platinum, silver, titanium, or the like.

  The insulating layer 120 is insulative and water-repellent, and therefore normally has low wettability with respect to conductive and water-based ink and has a large contact angle. As such an insulating layer, for example, a fluororesin film such as Teflon (registered trademark), a parylene film formed by a chemical vapor deposition method, or the like is used. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, the insulating layer 120 is connected to the electrode portion 121a in a state where each electrode portion 121a of the first electrode 121 is exposed on the inner surface of the bottom portion 116a. They are arranged to form the same surface without forming a step between them. The thickness of the insulating layer 120 is set such that the surface (inner surface) side is sufficiently charged by a second electrode described later.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the bottom electrode 116a of the flushing box 116 is provided with a second electrode 122 in contact with the back surface (outer surface) of the insulating layer 120. The second electrode 122 is in contact with the insulating layer 120 to be electrically connected to the insulating layer 120 and to charge the surface (inner surface) side thereof, and is connected to the ground electrode. The second electrode 122 is made of a metal such as aluminum.

Under such a configuration, a predetermined voltage is applied between the second electrode 122 and the first electrode 121 by a power source connected via the control mechanism 106a. Note that the predetermined voltage is set such that the potential difference between the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122 becomes a magnitude necessary to cause an electrowetting phenomenon described later, for example, 220V.
Further, in the present embodiment, the control mechanism 106a controls the power supply on and off, and controls the voltage from the electrode portion 121a far from the discharge port 116b toward the electrode portion 121a near the discharge port 116b. Strength control can be performed sequentially.

  Further, wiring (not shown) connected to the second electrode 122 and the first electrode 121 is disposed on the back surface (outer surface) side of the second electrode 122, and the second electrode 122 and the first electrode 121 are further provided. An insulating resin 123 is provided so as to cover the wiring. Furthermore, a plate material (not shown) such as a metal that bears the mechanical strength of the flushing box 116 may be provided outside the insulating resin 123 as necessary.

In addition, the inner surface of the discharge pipe 116c communicating with the discharge port 116b of the bottom portion 116a is exposed to the insulating layer 120 and the first insulating layer 120 in the same manner as the inner surface of the bottom portion 116a shown in FIG. The second electrode 122 is provided on the back surface (outer surface) of the insulating layer 120 in contact with the insulating layer 120. The first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122 are also connected to a power source via the control mechanism 106a.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, a connection tube 117 is externally attached to the discharge pipe 116c, and a waste ink tank 118 is disposed below the connection tube 117.

  The flushing mechanism 115 configured as described above receives the ejected ink (liquid) by the flushing box 116 during the flushing operation of the head 110, which will be described later, and discharges it from the discharge port 116a and discards it in the waste ink tank 118. It has become.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the printer 100. The printer 100 includes a control device 106 that controls the operation of the entire printer 100. The control device 106 is connected to an input device IP for inputting various information related to the operation of the printer 100, a storage device MR storing various information related to the operation of the printer 100, and the like. 107, a maintenance mechanism 105, and the like are connected. Further, the control device 106 is provided with a control mechanism 106a, and the control mechanism 106a controls the flushing mechanism 115 of the maintenance mechanism 105 as described above.

Next, the flushing operation in the printer 100 configured as described above will be described.
When performing the flushing operation, the control device 106 moves the head 110 to the flushing position, and causes the ejection surface 110a of the head 110 and the flushing box 116 of the flushing mechanism 115 to face each other as shown in FIG. State.

  At this position, ink is ejected from the nozzle NZ to perform flushing. Prior to this flushing operation, a predetermined voltage is applied between the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122 by the control mechanism 106a. Then, as shown in FIG. 5A, on the inner surface side of the bottom portion 116a of the flushing box 116, the first electrode 121 has a negative potential, for example, and the second electrode 122 has a reverse potential, that is, a positive potential. In addition, since the second electrode 122 has a positive potential, the insulating layer 120 in contact with the second electrode 122 also has a positive potential.

  When the ink ejected in such a state lands on the bottom 116a of the flushing box 116, a part of the ink droplets (droplets) I are exposed as shown in FIG. One electrode 121 is contacted and becomes a negative potential. Then, the ink droplet I instantly wets and spreads on the insulating layer 120 by the electrowetting principle as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. It is suppressed.

  Here, the principle of electrowetting will be described. Electrowetting means that when an electrode is insulated from a conductive liquid by an insulating film electrically connected to the electrode, a voltage is applied between the electrode and the liquid. This is a phenomenon in which the contact angle between the surface of the insulating film and the liquid is smaller than when there is no potential difference between them. That is, when a voltage is applied between the electrode (second electrode 122) and the liquid (ink droplet I), compared with the case where no potential difference exists between the electrode 122 and the liquid I, apparently the insulating film (insulating) Layer 120) The surface water repellency is reduced and wettability is increased.

  Therefore, when the ink droplet I that has landed on the bottom portion 116a comes into contact with the first electrode 121 and becomes a negative potential, a potential difference is generated with the insulating layer 120, thereby reducing the water repellency of the surface of the insulating layer 120. , The wettability becomes high and it becomes hydrophilic. As a result, the landed ink droplet I comes into contact with the first electrode 121 and instantly wets and spreads on the insulating layer 120, and its rebound is suppressed. Such an electrowetting phenomenon occurs similarly even if the first electrode 121 is set to a positive potential and the second electrode 122 is set to a negative potential.

  Further, even in the case of the ink droplet I that does not land directly on the first electrode 121, for example, as shown in FIG. 5C, ink that has landed first and contacts the first electrode 121 and has a negative potential. When in contact with the droplet, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5C, the ink spreads in the same manner as the ink droplet I shown in FIG. 5B.

  Since flushing ejects a very large number of ink droplets I, when the ink droplets I are in contact with each other, a part of the ink droplets I are in contact with the first electrode 121, so that the whole has a negative potential. Thus, since it spreads on the insulating layer 120, the rebound at the time of landing can be remarkably suppressed as compared with the conventional case.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the bottom portion 116a is an inclined surface that descends toward the discharge port 116b, the ink that has landed on the insulating layer 120 on the upper side of the first electrode 121 as shown in FIG. The droplet I flows down by its own weight along the inclined surface and comes into contact with the first electrode 121. As a result, the ink droplet I also spreads on the insulating layer 120 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

  The ink droplet I wet-spread in this way flows down by its own weight along the inclined surface, and reaches the discharge port 116b. Then, the ink is discharged to the waste ink tank 118 through the discharge pipe 116 c and the connection tube 117. At that time, in order to speed up such discharge operation and prevent the ink droplet I from drying on the bottom portion 116a, the control mechanism 106a moves the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122 between the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122 after completion of the flushing operation. The application of the predetermined voltage is stopped. Then, since there is no potential difference between the insulating layer 120 and the ink droplet I, the insulating layer 120 returns to the original water repellency, and the ink droplet I has a larger contact angle with the insulating layer 120. Thus, the ink droplet I is more likely to flow down along the inclined surface of the bottom portion 116a, and is discharged from the discharge port 116b without continuing to adhere to the inner surface of the bottom portion 116a.

  In order to more reliably prevent the ink droplet I from drying on the bottom portion 116a, the control mechanism 106a causes the voltage from the electrode portion 121a far from the discharge port 116b to the electrode portion 121a closer to the discharge port 116b. The on / off of the power source is controlled so that the non-application state is sequentially applied from the state where the power is applied. When the on / off control is performed in this manner, the inner surface of the bottom 116a gradually changes from hydrophilic to water-repellent from the upper side to the lower side of the inclined surface, so that the ink droplet I is in a water-repellent region (the upper side of the bottom portion 116a). [The side far from the discharge port 116b]) is pushed out to the hydrophilic region (the lower side of the bottom part 116a [the side close to the discharge port 116b]), and the ink droplet I is discharged more quickly. .

  Here, the on / off of the power source is controlled so that the voltage is applied to the non-application state sequentially from the electrode portion 121a on the side far from the discharge port 11b to the electrode portion 121a on the near side. In this embodiment, the control mechanism 106a, together with the inclined surface of the inner surface of the bottom portion 116a, constitutes a discharge means for flowing the ink (liquid) flushed in the present invention to the discharge port 116b.

  The first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122 on the inner surface of the discharge pipe 116c are also applied with a predetermined voltage during the flushing operation to increase the wettability of the ink droplet I, thereby increasing the discharge property of the ink droplet I on the bottom 116a. At the end of the flushing operation, the non-applied state is restored to restore water repellency so that the ink droplet I flows more quickly from the inner surface of the discharge pipe 116c.

  In the maintenance mechanism (maintenance device) 105 including the flushing mechanism 115 having such a configuration, by applying a voltage between the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 122, insulation is performed according to the principle of electrowetting. The layer 120 can be changed from water-repellent to hydrophilic, and the insulating layer 120 can be returned to water-repellent again by turning off the power supply and stopping application of voltage.

Therefore, by turning on the power supply during flushing to make the insulating layer 120 hydrophilic, the ink droplet I that has landed on the insulating layer 120 (bottom portion 116a) spreads and the impact at the time of landing is reduced. The bounce can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that the device portion of the apparatus, the recording paper, and the like are soiled by the bounce of the flushed ink droplet I.
Further, the power is then turned off to return the insulating layer 120 (bottom portion 116a) to water repellency so that the ink droplet I flushed by the discharging means including the inclined surface and the control mechanism 106a can easily flow to the discharge port 116b. Can do. Therefore, the conventional air suction mechanism for preventing rebounding and the porous body cleaning mechanism for preventing the accumulation of waste ink are not required, and the apparatus configuration can be prevented from becoming complicated and large.

  Further, as the discharge means, an inclined surface that descends toward the discharge port 116b is formed on the inner surface of the bottom portion 116a, so that it is flushed by turning off the power and returning the insulating layer 120 (bottom portion 116a) to water repellency. The ink droplet I can easily flow to the discharge port 116b by the inclined surface.

  In addition, the electrode portion 121a is arranged in a continuous line around the discharge port 116b, and the first electrode 121 is configured by disposing the electrode portion 121a intermittently from a position far from the discharge port 116b. Therefore, the ink droplet I that has landed on the bottom portion 116a easily comes into contact with the electrode portion 121a (first electrode 121) in the vicinity of the landing position. Therefore, when the power is turned on, the ink droplet I is charged by the first electrode 121 and the wettability with respect to the insulating layer 120 charged to a different polarity by the second electrode 122 is remarkably increased.

  Further, the discharge means sequentially applies a voltage from the electrode portion 121a far from the discharge port 116b toward the electrode portion 121a closer to the first electrode 121 including the electrode portion 121a. It is configured to control on / off of the power supply so as to be in a non-applied state. Therefore, from between the electrode part 121a on the side far from the discharge port 116b and the second electrode 122, the electrode part 121a on the near side Since the voltage control by the power source is performed so that the voltage is applied to the second electrode 122 in order from the voltage application state to the non-application state, the voltage control described above is performed by the control mechanism 106a. By performing the above, the flushed ink droplet I can be easily moved toward the discharge port 116b and discharged from the discharge port 116b.

  Further, in the printer (liquid ejecting apparatus) 100 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the flushing that can spread the ink droplet I that has landed on the insulating layer 120 (bottom portion 116a) and suppress the bounce. Since the maintenance mechanism (maintenance device) 105 having the box 116 is provided, a conventional mechanism for sucking air becomes unnecessary, and the apparatus configuration can be prevented from becoming complicated and large. Further, since the flushing box 116 can easily flow the liquid flushed by the discharge means to the discharge port 116b, a conventional porous body cleaning mechanism is not required, and the apparatus configuration is complicated and large. Can be avoided.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the first electrode is formed by the continuous linear and square frame-shaped electrode portion 121a. However, the first electrode is formed by the square frame-shaped electrode portions that are discontinuously arranged in a broken line shape. May be. In that case, the movement of the ink droplets can be compared with the case where the first electrode is formed in a continuous and linear frame by connecting wirings to the individual electrode portions arranged intermittently. It can be finely controlled.
Also, regarding the shape of the electrode portion 121a, various shapes can be employed corresponding to the shape of the flushing box (liquid receiving portion) 116 such as a circular frame shape instead of a square frame shape.

Further, the entire first electrode may be continuously formed in a spiral shape, for example, as shown in the plan view of FIG. In this way, the wiring for the first electrode 121 can be made one, and the structure can be simplified.
Further, the first electrode may be formed by intermittently arranging short linear electrode portions in a spiral shape as shown in FIG. In this case, by forming a wiring for each electrode part, the ink droplets can flow in a spiral shape, and the flushed ink droplets can be moved better toward the discharge port and discharged. it can.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Printer (liquid ejecting apparatus), 105 ... Maintenance mechanism (maintenance apparatus), 106 ... Control apparatus (control part), 106a ... Control mechanism, 110 ... Head (ejection head), 115 ... Flushing mechanism, 116 ... Flushing box ( (Liquid receiving part), 116a ... bottom part (liquid receiving surface), 116b ... discharge port, 120 ... insulating layer (insulating part), 121 ... first electrode, 121a ... electrode part, 122 ... second electrode

Claims (5)

A maintenance device for an ejection head that ejects liquid,
A liquid receiving surface that receives the liquid ejected from the ejection head, and a second electrode that is covered by the insulation portion, and includes a water repellent insulating portion and a first electrode that is exposed from the insulating portion. A liquid receiving part having a discharge port for discharging the liquid sprayed onto the liquid receiving surface to the outside;
A control unit for controlling a voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode;
A maintenance device comprising:   The maintenance device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid receiving surface is an inclined surface that descends toward the discharge port formed on a bottom surface of the liquid receiving portion.   The first electrode is continuously or intermittently arranged around the discharge port and continuously or intermittently from a position far from the discharge port to a position close to the discharge port. The maintenance device according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance device is provided.   The control unit is configured so that, with respect to the first electrode and the second electrode, the voltage is applied sequentially from the side far from the discharge port to the side closer to the discharge port, so that the non-application state is established. The maintenance device according to claim 3, wherein the voltage is controlled. An ejection head for ejecting liquid;
The maintenance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

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