JP2012196932A - Liquid ejection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce adhesion of liquid to a conveyance medium.SOLUTION: An apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head that has a nozzle forming face on which a nozzle for ejecting liquid to the conveyance medium conveyed to a first position is formed; a driving part that moves the liquid ejection head between the first position and a second position where the ejection of the liquid is stopped and stands by; a wiping part that is disposed between the first position and the second position and wipes out the nozzle formation face; and a liquid removal part that is disposed between the wiping part and the first position and comes into contact with the liquid remaining on a portion removed from the nozzle forming face in the liquid ejection head to remove the liquid.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  In an ink jet recording head (hereinafter simply referred to as a recording head) as a liquid ejecting apparatus, a maintenance process for maintaining or recovering a good ejection state of liquid droplets ejected from nozzles is periodically performed. As a specific maintenance operation, for example, there is a wiping operation that removes the adhering matter adhering to the nozzle surface by wiping ink (fluid) etc. adhering to the nozzle forming surface by jetting with a wiper (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-108375 A

  However, in the above wiping operation, the ink attached to the nozzle forming surface may be pushed to the side in the moving direction of the recording head and may adhere to the side surface of the recording head. In this case, the ink may drip from the recording head and adhere to paper or the like.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus capable of reducing the adhesion of a liquid to a transport medium.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head having a nozzle forming surface on which nozzles for ejecting liquid to a transport medium transported to a first position, and the first position and the liquid ejecting. A drive unit that moves the liquid ejecting head between a second position that stops and waits; a wiping unit that is provided between the first position and the second position and that wipes the nozzle forming surface; A liquid removing unit that is provided between the wiping unit and the first position, and that contacts the liquid remaining in a portion of the liquid ejecting head that is off the nozzle forming surface and removes the liquid.

  According to the present invention, it is provided between the wiping unit and the first position, and includes a liquid removal unit that removes the liquid by contacting the liquid remaining in the portion of the liquid ejecting head that is off the nozzle formation surface. The liquid remaining in the portion that cannot be wiped off by the wiping portion can also be removed. Thereby, since it can suppress that a liquid remains in a liquid ejecting head, it can reduce that a liquid adheres to a conveyance medium.

The liquid ejecting apparatus is preferably provided in a region including the first position, further including a support portion that supports the transport medium, and the liquid removal portion is preferably provided in the support portion.
According to the present invention, the apparatus further includes the support unit that is provided in the region including the first position and supports the conveyance medium, and the liquid removal unit is provided in the support unit. There is no need. Thereby, the space in an apparatus can be saved.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the liquid removing unit is disposed at a position corresponding to an end of the liquid ejecting head in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the liquid ejecting head.
According to the present invention, the liquid removing unit is provided at a position corresponding to the end of the liquid ejecting head in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the liquid ejecting head, and thus is pushed away to the side of the liquid ejecting head. Liquid can be removed.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the liquid removing unit is provided so that at least a part thereof protrudes from the end.
According to the present invention, since at least a part of the liquid removing portion is provided so as to protrude from the end portion, it is possible to more reliably remove the liquid that has spilled around the side portion of the liquid ejecting head.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the liquid removing unit is formed using a material that absorbs the liquid.
According to the present invention, since the liquid removing unit is formed using the material that absorbs the liquid, the liquid can be absorbed when the liquid removing unit contacts the liquid. Thereby, a liquid can be removed efficiently.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the liquid removing unit is disposed so as not to contact the liquid ejecting head.
According to the present invention, since the liquid removing unit is provided in a non-contact manner with the liquid ejecting head, the liquid can be removed while suppressing the influence on the liquid ejecting head.

1 is an overall view showing a configuration of a printing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a partial configuration of a printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a partial configuration of a printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the printing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus PRT (liquid ejecting apparatus) according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, an ink jet printing apparatus will be described as an example of the printing apparatus PRT.

  The printing apparatus PRT shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus that performs a printing process while conveying a sheet-like medium M such as paper or a plastic sheet. The printing apparatus PRT includes a housing PB, an inkjet unit IJ that ejects ink onto the medium M, an ink supply unit IS that supplies ink to the inkjet unit IJ, a transport unit CV that transports the medium M, and an inkjet unit IJ. A maintenance unit MN that performs the maintenance operation of the control unit, and a control device CONT that controls these units.

  Hereinafter, an 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 transport direction of the medium M is the X direction, the direction perpendicular to the X direction on the transport surface of the medium M is the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the plane including the X axis and the Y axis is the Z direction. To do. The rotation direction around the X axis is the θX direction, the rotation direction around the Y axis is the θY direction, and the rotation direction around the Z axis is the θZ direction.

  The housing PB is formed so that one direction is a longitudinal direction. The ink jet unit IJ, the ink supply unit IS, the transport unit CV, the maintenance unit MN, and the control unit CONT are attached to the housing PB. A platen 13 is provided in the housing PB. The platen 13 is a support member that supports the medium M. The platen 13 has a flat support surface 13 a directed to the medium M. The support surface 13a is a surface that supports the medium M.

  The transport unit CV includes a transport roller, a motor that drives the transport roller, and the like. The transport unit CV transports the medium M in the lateral direction of the housing PB so that the medium M passes through the transport area JA on the platen 13 in the X direction. In the transport unit CV, the transport timing and transport amount are controlled by the control device CONT.

  The ink jet unit IJ includes a head H that ejects ink and a head moving unit AC that holds and moves the head H. The head H ejects ink toward the medium M sent onto the platen 13. The head H has a nozzle forming surface Ha that ejects ink. The nozzle forming surface Ha is arranged in a state directed to the support surface 13a.

  The head moving unit AC moves the head H in the longitudinal direction of the housing PB. The head moving unit AC has a carriage 4 for fixing the head H. The carriage 4 is in contact with a guide shaft 8 that extends in the longitudinal direction of the housing PB. The head moving unit AC includes a unit that moves the carriage 4 in the Y direction along the guide shaft 8, such as a pulse motor 9, a driving pulley 10, an idle pulley 11, and a timing belt 12.

  The maintenance unit MN is provided in an area (home position) HP that is out of the transport area JA where the medium M is transported. The maintenance unit MN includes a capping unit CP, a wiping unit WP, and an ink removing unit RM. The capping unit CP covers the nozzle forming surface Ha of the head H. A suction part SC such as a suction pump is connected to the capping part CP. Waste ink discharged from the head H to the maintenance unit MN is collected in a waste liquid collection unit (not shown). The wiping unit WP wipes the nozzle forming surface Ha.

  The ink supply unit IS supplies ink to the head H. A plurality of ink cartridges (liquid containers) IC are accommodated in the ink supply unit IS. The printing apparatus PRT of the present embodiment has a configuration (off-carriage type) in which the ink cartridge IC is accommodated at a position different from the head H.

  The ink supply unit IS includes a pressure adjustment unit 6 that can individually adjust the pressure inside each ink cartridge IC. The ink supply unit IS has a supply tube TB that connects the head H and the ink cartridge IC. The supply tube TB is provided for each ink cartridge IC.

2 and 3 are diagrams showing a configuration of a part of the platen 13 and the maintenance unit MN.
As shown in FIG. 2, the capping portion CP is disposed at the home position HP of the head H. The wiping unit WP is disposed between the home position HP of the head H and the transport area JA of the medium M.

  The wiping unit WP wipes at least a region where the nozzle NZ is arranged in the nozzle forming surface Ha of the head H. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the nozzle NZ is disposed at the center of the nozzle forming surface Ha. In the X direction, the wiping portion WP is formed so as to cover a region where the nozzle NZ is formed. For this reason, the wiping unit WP wipes at least the region where the nozzle NZ is formed. On the other hand, the + X side end portion and the −X side end portion of the nozzle forming surface Ha are not covered by the wiping portion WP.

  An ink removing unit (liquid removing unit) RM is provided at an end of the support surface 13a of the platen 13 on the + Y side. The ink removing unit RM is arranged outside the transport area JA of the medium M on the support surface 13a. Therefore, the ink removing unit RM is disposed between the transport area JA and the home position HP, and is disposed closer to the transport area JA (−Y side) than the wiping unit WP.

  The ink removing unit RM removes ink attached to the head H. As shown in FIG. 3, the ink removing unit RM has a pair of ink absorbing members 60. The ink absorbing member 60 is formed using a porous material such as sponge. The ink absorbing member 60 removes ink from the head H by absorbing ink adhering to the head H.

  The ink absorbing member 60 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example. The ink absorbing member 60 is disposed at a position corresponding to a region outside the region of the head H that is wiped off by the wiping unit WP. That is, the ink absorbing member 60 is disposed so as to face the end portion of the head H in the X direction as a region not covered by the wiping portion WP. A part of the ink absorbing member 60 is provided so as to protrude from the end of the head H in the X direction. For this reason, when the head H moves in the X direction, the side surfaces Hb on the + X side and the −X side of the head H pass through the + Z side of the ink absorbing member 60.

  The + Z side surface 60a of the ink absorbing member 60 is formed flat. The surface 60 a is disposed on the −Z side with respect to the nozzle forming surface Ha of the head H. Therefore, when the head H moves in the X direction, the head H passes through the + Z side of the ink absorbing member 60 without being in contact with the ink absorbing member 60 (non-contact state).

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the printing apparatus PRT.
Connected to the control device CONT are an input device IP for inputting various information related to the operation of the printing device PRT, a storage device MR storing various information related to the operation of the printing device PRT, and the like. A mobile unit AC, a maintenance unit MN, and the like are connected. The control device CONT can control, for example, the capping unit CP and the wiping unit WP in the maintenance unit MN.

  The printing apparatus PRT includes a drive signal generator 62 that generates a drive signal to be input to each piezoelectric vibrator 38. The drive signal generator 62 is connected to the control device CONT. The drive signal generator 62 receives data indicating the amount of change in the voltage value of the ejection pulse input to the piezoelectric vibrator 38 of the head H, and a timing signal that defines the timing for changing the voltage of the ejection pulse. The drive signal generator 62 is provided so that a drive signal can be individually supplied to each piezoelectric vibrator 38.

Next, the operation of the printing apparatus PRT configured as described above will be described.
When performing a printing operation using the head H, the control device CONT places the medium M on the −Z side of the head H by the transport unit CV. After disposing the medium M, the controller CONT inputs a drive signal from the drive signal generator 62 associated with the nozzle NZ to the piezoelectric vibrator 38 based on the image data of the image to be printed while moving the head H. When a drive signal is input to the piezoelectric vibrator 38, the piezoelectric vibrator 38 expands and contracts and ink is ejected from the nozzle NZ. A desired image is formed on the medium M by the ink ejected from the nozzles NZ.

  As a maintenance operation of the head H, the control device CONT performs, for example, a capping operation or a wiping operation. When performing the wiping operation, the control device CONT arranges the + Z side tip of the wiping portion WP closer to the + Z side than the nozzle forming surface Ha of the head H. When the control device CONT moves the head H in the −Y direction in this state, the nozzle forming surface Ha is wiped off by the + Z side tip of the wiping portion WP as shown in FIG.

  At this time, if a part of the ink wiped off by the wiping portion WP flows to a position deviated from the nozzle forming surface Ha, for example, the side surface Hb of the head H, it becomes difficult to remove the ink by the wiping operation. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the ink L remains on the side surface Hb of the head H. When the head H moves to the transport area JA in this state, the ink remaining on the surface of the head H may adhere to the medium M when the ink is ejected onto the medium M.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the ink removing unit RM is provided between the wiping unit WP and the transport area JA, as shown in FIG. 6, the head H is + Z of the ink removing unit RM. When reaching the side, the ink L remaining on the side surface Hb contacts the ink absorbing member 60 and the ink L is removed from the side surface Hb.

  When the head H moves on the + Z side of the ink removing unit RM, the ink L that has been wiped off by the wiping unit WP and has flowed to the side surface Hb once remains on the side surface Hb as shown in FIG. When the portion reaches the + Z side of the ink absorbing member 60, the ink L is removed by the ink absorbing member 60.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the state in which the ink L is absorbed by the ink absorbing member 60 in FIGS. 6 and 7 is viewed in the Y direction.
As shown in FIG. 8, the ink L is absorbed on both sides of the + X side ink absorbing member 60 and the −X side ink absorbing member 60.

  As described above, when the head H passes the ink removing unit RM, the nozzle forming surface Ha of the head H is wiped by the wiping unit WP. Further, the side surface Hb of the head H is removed by the ink removing unit RM even if the ink L adheres. For this reason, the ink L is prevented from remaining in the head H.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the head that is provided between the wiping unit WP and the transport area JA so as to be in non-contact with the head H and moves from the wiping unit WP toward the transport area JA. Since the ink removal unit RM that removes the ink L by contacting the ink L remaining on the side surface Hb that is a part of the H that is separated from the nozzle formation surface Ha is provided, it remains in a portion that cannot be wiped off by the wiping unit WP. Ink can also be removed. Thereby, since it is possible to suppress the ink L from remaining in the head H, it is possible to reduce the adhesion of the ink L to the medium M. Further, since the ink removing unit RM is provided in a non-contact manner with the head H, the ink can be removed while suppressing the influence on the head H.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the ink removing unit RM is provided on the platen 13, it is not necessary to separately provide a portion for supporting the ink removing unit RM. Thereby, the space in the printing apparatus PRT can be saved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the ink removing unit RM is provided at a position corresponding to the end of the head H in the direction (X direction) orthogonal to the moving direction of the head H, and at least a part of the ink removing unit RM is at the end. Since it is provided so as to protrude from the portion, the ink that has sneak into the side surface Hb of the head H can be more reliably removed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the ink removing unit RM is formed using a material that absorbs ink, when the ink removing unit RM contacts the ink L, the ink L can be absorbed and removed. it can. Thereby, ink can be removed efficiently.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the ink absorbing member 60 is provided as the ink removing unit RM has been described as an example. However, the configuration is not limited thereto. For example, a material that does not absorb ink may be used.

Further, in addition to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which a cover member is disposed at the X-side end portion of the nozzle forming surface Ha of the head H may be employed.
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the ink removing unit RM is provided in a non-contact manner with respect to the head H has been described as an example. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and the ink removing unit RM is attached to the head H. It does not matter as a structure which contacts.

  In the above embodiment, a printing apparatus that employs an inkjet system as a printing system has been described. Further, the recording apparatus is not limited to a printing apparatus, and may be another recording apparatus such as a FAX apparatus, a copying apparatus, or a multi-function machine having a plurality of functions. Further, as the recording apparatus, a liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting head that ejects or ejects a small amount of liquid droplets other than ink may be employed.

  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. It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus, a textile printing apparatus, or the like.

  PRT ... Printing device M ... Media CV ... Conveying section JA ... Conveying area H ... Head AC ... Head moving section Ha ... Nozzle forming surface WP ... Wiping section RM ... Ink removing section HP ... Home position NZ ... Nozzle Hb ... Side L ... Ink 13 ... Platen 60 ... Ink absorbing member

Claims (6)

A liquid ejecting head having a nozzle forming surface on which nozzles for ejecting liquid to the transport medium transported to the first position are formed;
A drive unit that moves the liquid ejecting head between the first position and a second position that stops and waits for ejection of the liquid;
A wiping portion provided between the first position and the second position, for wiping the nozzle forming surface;
A liquid provided between the wiping unit and the first position, and a liquid removing unit that contacts the liquid remaining in a portion of the liquid ejecting head that is off the nozzle forming surface and removes the liquid. Injection device. Provided in a region including the first position, further comprising a support portion for supporting the transport medium;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid removing unit is provided in the support unit. The liquid removal unit is disposed at a position corresponding to an end of the liquid jet head in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the liquid jet head. Liquid ejector. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the liquid removing unit is provided so that at least a part thereof protrudes from the end. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid removing unit is formed using a material that absorbs the liquid. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid removing unit is disposed so as not to contact the liquid ejecting head.

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