JP2014193625A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress foreign material from remaining on a surface of a conveying member.SOLUTION: A printer performs a first wiping operation (step 4) in which a tip of a main wiper is brought into contact with a surface of a conveying belt, and then the main wiper and the surface of the conveying belt are relatively moved in a conveying direction to wipe foreign material on the surface of the conveying belt. Then the foreign material remaining on the surface of the conveying belt are removed when the main wiper is separated from the surface of the conveying belt by performing a second wiping operation (step 5) in which a tip of a sub-wiper is brought into contact with the surface of the conveying belt after the main wiper is separated from the surface of the conveying belt, and then the sub-wiper is moved in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction with respect to the surface of the conveying belt.

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium.

  Patent Document 1 describes a cleaning device including a blade for wiping off ink adhering to the surface of a conveyor belt. The blade of this cleaning device is fixed to a blade support member supported so as to be able to swing, and can be separated from and brought into contact with the surface of the conveyor belt.

JP 2004-136533 A

  However, in the cleaning device described in Patent Document 1, after wiping off ink adhering to the surface of the transport belt with a blade, when the blade is separated from the surface of the transport belt, ink that cannot be wiped off with the blade is transported. It remains on the surface of the belt. As a result, when the recording medium is conveyed by the conveying belt, there arises a problem that the remaining ink adheres to the recording medium and stains the recording medium.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus in which foreign matter hardly remains on the surface of a conveying member.

  The recording apparatus of the present invention has a recording head for recording an image by discharging a liquid onto a recording medium, and a surface that is arranged to face the recording head, and the surface moves in the transport direction while supporting the recording medium. Accordingly, the conveyance member that conveys the recording medium in the conveyance direction, the first and second wipers that are arranged so that the front end can be separated from the surface, and the first wiper that is at a position separated from the surface. The first wiper and the first wiper are configured to perform a first wiping operation in which the tip is brought into contact with the surface and the first wiper and the surface are relatively moved in the transport direction to wipe off foreign matters on the surface. A first wiping driving means for driving at least one of the conveying members; and the tip of the second wiper at a position spaced from the surface is brought into contact with the surface; A second wiping driving means for moving the second wiper so as to perform a second wiping operation for wiping foreign matter on the surface by moving in a direction intersecting the transport direction with respect to the surface; Control means for controlling the second wiping drive means. Then, the control means performs the first wiping operation and the second wiping performed so as to wipe off foreign matters remaining on the surface when the first wiping operation is performed and the first wiper is separated from the surface. The first and second wiping driving means are controlled so that a first cleaning sequence including an operation is executed.

  According to this, the foreign matter remaining on the surface of the conveying member after the first wiping operation can be removed from the surface by the second wiping operation. For this reason, it is difficult for foreign matter to remain on the surface of the conveying member. As a result, when the recording medium is conveyed by the conveying member, the foreign matter is less likely to adhere to the surface of the recording medium facing the conveying member, and the recording medium is less likely to become dirty.

  In the present invention, with respect to the transport direction, it is determined that the first cleaning sequence is performed when the length of the adhesion area of the foreign matter adhered to the surface is equal to or longer than the length of the second wiper, and the length of the adhesion area Is further provided with a determination unit that determines to execute the second cleaning sequence when the length of the second wiper is less than the length of the second wiper. The control means controls the first and second wiping drive means so that the first cleaning sequence is performed when the determination means determines to execute the first cleaning sequence, and the determination means When it is determined that the second cleaning sequence is to be performed, the second cleaning sequence is performed in which the second wiping operation is performed so as to wipe off the foreign matter on the surface without performing the first wiping operation. Thus, it is preferable to control the second wiping driving means. Accordingly, either the first or second cleaning sequence can be executed according to the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface in the conveyance direction, and the maintenance time required for the cleaning sequence can be effectively shortened. . In the present invention, the determination means actually measures the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface in the transport direction, and determines whether the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface is greater than or equal to the length of the second wiper. Whether the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface in the transport direction is greater than or equal to the length of the second wiper is determined based on the mode of determining whether the length is less than or equal to the length of the second wiper. It includes any of the modes in which it is estimated whether the length is less than or equal to the length of.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the determination unit determines to execute the second cleaning sequence only when a predetermined amount or less of liquid is ejected from the recording head onto the surface. As a result, the second cleaning sequence is executed when a predetermined amount or less of liquid is ejected from the recording head to the surface, so that it is possible to reliably remove foreign substances containing liquid from the surface.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the pressing force of the second wiper on the surface in the second wiping operation is smaller than the pressing force of the first wiper on the surface in the first wiping operation. Accordingly, the liquid can be reliably collected in a narrow range with the first wiper having a large pressing force, and the liquid collected in the narrow range can be wiped without shifting the conveying member with the second wiper having a small pressing force. it can. Although the wiping ability of the second wiper is smaller than that of the first wiper, there is almost no problem even if some wiping is left in the liquid collected in a narrow area.

  Further, in the present invention, the surface of the transport member is a position that separates the first wiper from the surface and extends in a direction intersecting the transport direction and is more repellent than other regions of the surface. A liquid-repellent region having high liquidity is formed, and the control means performs the second wiping drive so that, in the second wiping operation, the second wiper wipes foreign matter adhering to the liquid-repellent region. It is preferable to control the means. Thereby, the foreign matter on the liquid repellent area can be easily removed even by the second wiper having a small pressing force. For this reason, it becomes difficult for foreign matter to remain on the surface.

  Further, in the present invention, there is provided an adsorbing means for electrostatically adsorbing the recording medium to the surface of the conveying member, and the control means is a predetermined range shorter than the length of the recording medium on the surface in the conveying direction It is preferable that the first wiping driving means is controlled so that the first wiper is separated from the surface. As a result, even when the foreign matter remaining when the first wiper is separated from the surface is wiped off by the second wiper, the foreign matter remains to some extent, so that the suction force of the suction means to the recording medium is reduced within a predetermined range. Since the predetermined range is narrower than that of the recording medium, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the adsorption force with respect to the recording medium as a whole surface.

  According to the recording apparatus of the present invention, the foreign matter remaining on the surface of the conveying member after the first wiping operation can be removed from the surface by the second wiping operation. For this reason, it is difficult for foreign matter to remain on the surface of the conveying member. As a result, when the recording medium is conveyed by the conveying member, the foreign matter is less likely to adhere to the surface of the recording medium facing the conveying member, and the recording medium is less likely to become dirty.

1 is a schematic side view showing an overall configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic plan view of the conveyance unit shown in FIG. It is an electric circuit diagram formed in the conveyance unit shown in FIG. It is a schematic perspective view of the maintenance unit shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of a sub wiper. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a printer. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the control apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the contents of maintenance executed by a printer control apparatus.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, an overall configuration of an ink jet printer 1 as an embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The printer 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped casing 1a. A paper discharge unit 31 is provided on the top of the casing 1a. The internal space of the housing 1a is divided into spaces A, B, and C in order from the top. In the spaces A and B, a paper transport path that continues to the paper discharge unit 31 is formed. In the space C, a cartridge 39 as an ink supply source for the inkjet head 10 is accommodated.

  In the space A, there are four heads 10 that respectively eject magenta, cyan, yellow, and black ink, a transport unit 21 that transports the paper P in the transport direction (the direction from left to right in FIG. 1), and the transport unit 21. A maintenance unit 60 provided near the lower end, a guide unit for guiding the paper P, and the like are arranged. In the space A, a control device (control means) 1p that controls the operation of each part of the printer 1 and controls the operation of the entire printer 1 is disposed.

  The control device 1p controls the recording operation (the conveyance operation of the paper P by each part of the printer 1, the ink ejection operation synchronized with the conveyance of the paper P, etc.) based on the image data supplied from the external device. Based on the wiping command, the control device 1p controls the driving of the transport unit 21 and the maintenance unit 60 to perform maintenance. Here, the maintenance refers to a series of operations including wiping for removing foreign matters (ink, paper dust, etc.) on the surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8. Specific contents of the maintenance will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The conveyance unit 21 includes belt rollers 6 and 7, an endless conveyance belt 8 wound between the rollers 6 and 7, a nip roller 4 and a separation plate 5 disposed outside the conveyance belt 8, and an inside of the conveyance belt 8. It has the adsorption platen 22 etc. which are arrange | positioned. The belt roller 7 is a driving roller and is rotated by a conveyance motor 121 (see FIG. 6) driven by the control device 1p, and rotates clockwise in FIG. As the belt roller 7 rotates, the conveyor belt 8 travels in the direction of the thick arrow in FIG. The belt roller 6 is a driven roller and rotates clockwise in FIG. 1 as the transport belt 8 travels.

The conveyance belt 8 is made of, for example, polyimide or fluororesin, and has a volume resistivity and flexibility of about 10 ⁸ to 10 ¹⁴ Ωcm, but can have the same volume resistivity and flexibility. Any material can be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a liquid repellent region 8 b extending in the main scanning direction is formed on the surface 8 a of the transport belt 8. The liquid repellent region 8b is liquid repellent coated with a fluororesin or a silicon water repellent and has higher liquid repellency than other regions of the surface 8a. When the transport belt 8 is formed of a fluororesin, the liquid repellent region 8b is coated with a fluororesin having a higher fluorine content than the fluorine content of the fluororesin of the transport belt 8. Further, the liquid repellent region 8 b is formed over the entire width of the transport belt 8. Further, the liquid repellent area 8b is formed shorter than the paper P and a sub wiper 51 described later in the sub scanning direction.

  Here, the sub-scanning direction is a direction parallel to the transport direction of the paper P by the transport unit 21, and the main scanning direction is a direction parallel to the horizontal plane and orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the suction platen 22 includes a plate-like base member 32 made of an insulating material, two electrodes 33 and 34 bonded to the upper surface 32 a of the base member 32, and these electrodes 33. , 34, and a protective film 23 bonded to the upper surface 32a so as to cover the whole, and is disposed to face the four heads 10 with the conveying belt 8 interposed therebetween, and supports the upper loop of the conveying belt 8 from the inside. The electrodes 33 and 34 have a plurality of long portions 33a and 34a extending along the sub-scanning direction (conveyance direction), and the long portions 33a and 34a are alternately arranged in the main scanning direction. It has a tooth shape. The electrodes 33 and 34 are connected to a power source 36 (see FIG. 6) provided in the housing 1a. The power source 36 is controlled by the control device 1p. The suction platen 22 and the power source 36 constitute suction means for sucking the paper P onto the surface 8a of the transport belt 8.

The protective film 23 is made of, for example, polyimide or fluororesin and has a volume resistivity of about 10 ⁸ to 10 ¹⁴ Ωcm. Any material can be used as long as it can have the same volume resistivity. It may be.

  The nip roller 4 is disposed at the upstream end of the suction platen 22 and at a position facing the long portions 33 a and 34 a of the electrodes 33 and 34. The nip roller 4 presses the sheet P sent out from the sheet feeding unit 1 b against the surface 8 a of the transport belt 8.

  In this configuration, the conveyor belt 8 is rotated by rotating the belt roller 7 clockwise in FIG. 1 under the control of the control device 1p. At this time, the belt roller 6 and the nip roller 4 also rotate with the rotation of the conveying belt 8. At this time, different electric potentials are applied to the two electrodes 33 and 34 (the electrode 33 is a positive or negative potential and the electrode 34 is a ground potential) under the control of the control device 1p.

  That is, when a voltage is applied between the electrodes 33 and 34, a current flows between the electrodes 33 and 34 via the transport belt 8 and the paper P. FIG. 3 shows an electric circuit formed when a voltage V is applied between the electrodes 33 and 34. Note that the electric circuit shown in FIG. 3 is only one model assumed when the present embodiment is idealized as an electrical configuration.

  This electric circuit includes a path of electrode 33 → conveying belt 8 → paper P → conveying belt 8 → electrode 34. Rk, Rgb, Rb, Rgp and Rp in FIG. 3 represent the electrical resistance of each part along this path. Specifically, Rk, Rgb, Rb, Rgp and Rp are the electric resistance of the protective film 23 between the electrodes 33 and 34 and the conveying belt 8, the electric resistance of the gap between the protective film 23 and the conveying belt 8, and the conveying It corresponds to the electric resistance of the belt 8, the electric resistance of the gap between the conveying belt 8 and the paper P, and the electric resistance in the paper P, respectively.

  Further, this electric circuit includes detour paths connected in parallel to the above-described paths, and Rkm and Rbm indicate the electric resistances of these detour paths. Specifically, Rkm indicates the electrical resistance of a detour path that directly connects the electrodes 33 and 34 only through the protective film 23. Rbm represents the electrical resistance of a detour path connecting the electrode 33 side and the electrode 34 side via the conveyance belt 8 without the paper P.

  In addition, when a voltage is applied between the electrodes 33 and 34, electric charges are accumulated in the above-described members and gaps, thereby forming a capacitor connected in parallel to each electric resistance as shown in FIG. When a minute current for charging the capacitor flows in the gap between the paper P and the conveyance belt 8, an electric field is generated in the gap. As a result, a Johnsen-Rahbek force (adsorption force) is generated between the paper P and the conveyor belt 8. Due to this attracting force, the paper P on the transport belt 8 is electrostatically attracted to the surface 8a.

  Thus, the paper P sent out from the paper supply unit 1b is transported in the transport direction while being attracted to the surface 8a by the suction force of the suction platen 22. Further, at this time, when the sheet P conveyed while being adsorbed on the surface 8a of the conveying belt 8 sequentially passes immediately below the four inkjet heads 10 (region facing the ejection surface 10a), the control device 1p Each inkjet head 10 is controlled to eject ink of each color toward the paper P. Thus, a desired color image is formed on the paper P. The peeling plate 5 is disposed to face the belt roller 7, peels the paper P from the surface 8a, and guides the paper P further downstream in the transport direction.

  The maintenance unit 60 includes a main wiper 41, a sub wiper 51, a wiper cleaner 45, and the like. Each part of the maintenance unit 60 is disposed at a position facing the lower loop of the conveyor belt 8. A platen 9 that supports the lower loop of the conveyance belt 8 from the inside is disposed inside the conveyance belt 8 and at a position facing the wipers 41 and 51 with the conveyance belt 8 interposed therebetween. The presence of the platen 9 prevents the conveyor belt 8 from being bent by the pressing force of the wipers 41 and 51 when the wipers 41 and 51 remove foreign matters, and effectively secures the wiping performance. A more specific configuration of the maintenance unit 60 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

  As shown in FIG. 1, each head 10 is a line-type head having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape elongated in the main scanning direction. The lower surface of each head 10 is a discharge surface 10a in which a large number of discharge ports are opened. During recording (image formation), black, magenta, cyan, and yellow inks are ejected from the ejection surfaces 10a of the four heads 10, respectively. The heads 10 are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the sub-scanning direction, and are supported by the housing 1 a via the head holder 3. The head holder 3 has the head 10 so that the discharge surface 10a faces the surface 8a of the upper loop of the transport belt 8 and a predetermined gap suitable for recording is formed between the discharge surface 10a and the surface 8a. Holding.

  The guide unit includes an upstream guide portion and a downstream guide portion disposed with the transport unit 21 interposed therebetween. The upstream guide portion has two guides 27 a and 27 b and a pair of feed rollers 26. The guide unit connects a paper feeding unit 1 b (described later) and the transport unit 21. The downstream guide portion has two guides 29 a and 29 b and two pairs of feed rollers 28. The guide unit connects the transport unit 21 and the paper discharge unit 31.

  In the space B, the paper feeding unit 1b is detachably arranged with respect to the housing 1a. The paper feed unit 1 b includes a paper feed tray 24 and a paper feed roller 25. The paper feed tray 24 is a box that opens upward, and can store paper P of a plurality of types of sizes. The paper feed roller 25 feeds the uppermost paper P in the paper feed tray 24 and supplies it to the upstream guide section.

  As described above, in the spaces A and B, the paper transport path from the paper feed unit 1b to the paper discharge unit 31 via the transport unit 21 is formed. Based on the recording command received from the external device, the control device 1p includes a paper feed motor 125 for the paper feed roller 25 (see FIG. 6), a feed motor 127 for the feed roller of each guide unit (see FIG. 6), and conveyance. The motor 121 (see FIG. 6) and the like are driven. The paper P sent out from the paper feed tray 24 is supplied to the transport unit 21 by the feed roller 26. At this time, as described above, the control device 1p controls the power source 36 to attract the sheet P conveyed on the conveying belt 8 to the front surface 8a. When the paper P passes directly below each head 10 in the transport direction, ink of each color is sequentially ejected from the head 10, and a color image is formed on the paper P. The ink ejection operation is performed based on a detection signal from the paper sensor 20. Thereafter, the paper P is peeled off by the peeling plate 5, conveyed upward by the two feeding rollers 28, and discharged from the upper opening 30 to the paper discharge unit 31.

  In the space C, the cartridge unit 1c is detachably attached to the housing 1a. The cartridge unit 1 c includes a tray 35 and four cartridges 39 accommodated in the tray 35 side by side. The cartridge 39 supplies ink to the corresponding head 10 via a tube (not shown).

  Next, the configuration of the maintenance unit 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the maintenance unit 60 includes a main wipe mechanism 40 and a sub wipe mechanism 50.

  The main wipe mechanism 40 includes a main wiper 41 and a wiper cleaner 45. The main wiper 41 is a plate-like member made of an elastic material such as rubber and used in the first wiping operation described later, and extends in the main scanning direction. The base end (lower end) of the main wiper 41 is fixed to the peripheral surface of the shaft 42. The shaft 42 extends in the main scanning direction, and is supported by the frame 62 so as to be rotatable about an axis along the main scanning direction together with the main wiper 41. The frame 62 is fixed to the housing 1a (see FIG. 1).

  The main wipe mechanism 40 includes a gear 43a fixed to the output shaft of the motor 41M, a gear 43b meshed with the gear 43a, and a worm gear 43c that rotates as the gear 43b rotates as components that rotate the shaft 42. At one end of the shaft 42, a worm wheel 42g meshing with the peripheral surface of the worm gear 43c is provided. When the gears 43a, 43b, 43c rotate with the drive of the motor 41M, the worm wheel 42g rotates. As a result, the shaft 42 rotates about the axis along the main scanning direction, and the inclination angle of the main wiper 41 with respect to the horizontal plane changes.

  The inclination angle of the main wiper 41 is in contact with the surface 8a of the conveying belt 8 while the vicinity of the tip of the main wiper 41 is bent during the first wiping operation, and the tip of the main wiper 41 is conveyed during the time other than the first wiping operation. It is controlled by the control device 1p so as to be separated from the surface 8a of the belt 8. In addition, the inclination angle of the main wiper 41 is controlled by the control device 1p so that the tip of the main wiper 41 is separated from the wiper cleaner 45 when the wiper cleaning is not described later.

  The main wiper 41 has a length in the main scanning direction slightly longer than the width of the transport belt 8 and is disposed over the entire width of the transport belt 8. That is, the main wiper 41 is arranged such that the center in the main scanning direction coincides with the center in the width direction of the transport belt 8 and the main wiper 41 protrudes on both sides in the width direction of the transport belt 8 in plan view. Therefore, the tip of the main wiper 41 contacts the entire width of the conveyor belt 8 during wiping.

  The wiper cleaner 45 is a member used at the time of wiper cleaning, and is made of an absorber such as a sponge. The wiper cleaner 45 has a cylindrical shape, extends in the main scanning direction, and is supported by the shaft 46. The shaft 46 extends in the main scanning direction, and is supported by the frame 62 so as to be rotatable about an axis along the main scanning direction together with the wiper cleaner 45.

  The main wipe mechanism 40 is a component that rotates the shaft 46. The pulley 47 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 45M, the pulley 46p is fixed to one end of the shaft 46, and is wound between the pulley 46p and the pulley 47. It has a belt 48 that is turned. When the pulley 47 rotates as the motor 45M is driven, the belt 48 travels and the pulley 46p rotates. As a result, the shaft 46 rotates with the wiper cleaner 45 about the axis along the main scanning direction.

  The sub wipe mechanism 50 includes a sub wiper 51 and a sub wiper cleaner 55a, and is disposed downstream of the main wipe mechanism 40 in the traveling direction of the transport belt 8 when the paper P is transported in the transport direction by the transport belt 8. . The sub wiper 51 is a plate-like member made of an elastic material such as rubber and used in a second wiping operation described later, and extends in the sub scanning direction. The length of the sub wiper 51 in the sub scanning direction is longer than the length of the liquid repellent region 8b. The base end (lower end) of the sub wiper 51 is fixed to the wiper supporter 51a. The wiper supporter 51a extends in the sub-scanning direction, and is supported by the frame 62 so as to be rotatable about the axis along the sub-scanning direction together with the sub-wiper 51 and to be movable in the main scanning direction. Sliders 52 are provided at both ends of the wiper supporter 51a in the sub-scanning direction, and the wiper supporter 51a is supported by a pair of sliders 52 so as to be rotatable about an axis along the sub-scanning direction. The sub wiper 51 and the wiper supporter 51a are urged by an urging member (not shown) such as a spring in the clockwise direction in FIG. The pair of sliders 52 are supported by a pair of bars 53 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction. Each of the bars 53 extends in the main scanning direction and is inserted through the slider 52.

  The sub-wipe mechanism 50 is a component that moves the sub-wiper 51 in the main scanning direction, and includes a pair of belts 54 each having a lower loop fixed to each of a pair of sliders 52, and a pulley 54a1 around which the pair of belts 54 are wound. 54a2, a pair of belts 54b around which a pair of belts 54 are wound, and pulleys 54b1 and 54b2 provided at both ends of the roller 54b. Further, the sub-wipe mechanism 50 includes a gear 54c that rotates integrally with the pulley 54b2 and a gear 54d that meshes with the gear 54c and is fixed to the output shaft of the motor 59M. When the gears 54c and 54d rotate with the drive of the motor 59M, the pulley 54b2 rotates. As the pulley 54b2 rotates, the roller 54b rotates and the pair of belts 54 travel. As a result, the slider 52 moves in the main scanning direction while supporting the wiper supporter 51a.

  In addition, the sub wipe mechanism 50 includes a plate 58 disposed below the wiper supporter 51a as a constituent member that rotates the sub wiper 51. The plate 58 is a plate-like member that is elongated in the main scanning direction and is arranged in parallel to the horizontal plane. As shown in FIG. 5A, the lower end of the wiper supporter 51a is in sliding contact with the surface of the plate 58 while the sub wiper 51 moves in the main scanning direction.

  The surface (upper surface) of the plate 58 is flat except for both ends in the main scanning direction. A step surface 58a is provided at one end of the plate 58 in the main scanning direction (an end on the upstream side in the moving direction of the sub wiper 51 during the wiping operation (arrow direction in FIG. 4)), and an inclined surface 58b is provided at the other end in the main scanning direction. . The step surface 58a is a surface that is lower than portions other than both ends of the surface of the plate 58 in the main scanning direction. A convex portion 58a1 is provided at the boundary between the step surface 58a and the portion other than the step surface 58a on the surface of the plate 58.

  The sub wiper cleaner 55a is a member that cleans the sub wiper 51 after the end of the second wiping operation, and is made of an absorber such as a sponge. The sub wiper cleaner 55a has a cylindrical shape, extends in the sub scanning direction, and is pivotally supported by the shaft 55b. The shaft 55b extends in the sub-scanning direction, and is supported by the frame 62 so as to be rotatable about an axis along the sub-scanning direction together with the sub-wiper cleaner 55a. The sub-wipe mechanism 50 is a pulley 57 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 51M, a pulley 55a1 fixed to one end of the shaft 55b, and between the pulley 57 and the pulley 55a1, as components that rotate the shaft 55b. A wound belt 56 is provided. When the pulley 57 rotates as the motor 51M is driven, the belt 56 travels and the pulley 55a1 rotates. As a result, the shaft 55b rotates about the axis along the sub-scanning direction together with the sub wiper cleaner 55a. The convex portion 58a1 protrudes upward from portions other than both ends of the main scanning direction on the surface of the plate 58, and a position where the convex portion 58a1 is immersed so as to have the same height as the portions other than both ends of the surface of the plate 58 in the main scanning direction. Can be moved to. Note that the convex portion 58a1 is biased upward, and in a state where no external force is applied, the convex portion 58a1 is located at a position protruding upward from portions other than both ends in the main scanning direction on the surface of the plate 58.

  Here, the operation of the sub wiper 51 during the second wiping operation will be described. The second wiping operation is an operation in which the sub wiper 51 moves along the main scanning direction while being in contact with the surface 8a, and wipes foreign matter from the surface 8a.

  The sub wiper 51 is opposed to the surface 8a of the transport belt 8 in the vertical direction at the home position at one end in the main scanning direction of the plate 58 at an inclination angle that does not contact the surface 8a at the home position at one end in the main scanning direction, except during the second wiping operation. It is stationary. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5B, the lower end 51a1 of the wiper supporter 51a is in contact with the slope of the convex portion 58a1 on the stepped surface 58a side.

  When the slider 52 is about to start moving in the main scanning direction with the driving of the motor 59M during the second wiping operation, the lower end 51a1 is convex as shown in FIGS. It rotates while contacting the slope of the portion 58a1. As a result, the sub wiper 51 and the wiper supporter 51a rotate about the axis along the sub-scanning direction against the urging force of the urging member, so that the inclination angle of the sub wiper 51 with respect to the horizontal plane gradually increases. The tip of the sub wiper 51 comes into contact with the surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8. When the slider 52 further moves in the main scanning direction, the convex portion 58a1 is pushed downward by the lower end 51a1, and the convex portion 58a1 is immersed so as to have the same height as the portion other than both ends in the main scanning direction on the surface of the plate 58. Move to position. When the slider 52 further moves in the main scanning direction, as shown in FIG. 5E, the lower end 51a1 passes through the convex portion 58a1, and the sub wiper 51 becomes θ3 having the largest inclination angle with respect to the horizontal plane. At this time, the sub wiper 51 and the wiper supporter 51a are urged by the urging member (force in the direction in which the inclination angle of the sub wiper 51 changes from θ3 to θ1), but the lower end 51a1 is supported on the surface of the plate 58. Therefore, the inclination angle of the sub wiper 51 is maintained at θ3. Then, the sub wiper 51 moves in the main scanning direction with its tip in contact with the surface 8a. When the sub wiper 51 reaches the other end in the main scanning direction of the plate 58 and the lower end 51a1 reaches the inclined surface 58b, the lower end 51a1 is separated from the surface (inclined surface 58b) of the plate 58, as shown in FIG. . As a result, the sub wiper 51 rotates together with the wiper supporter 51a by the urging force of the urging member about the axis along the sub-scanning direction, and the inclination angle of the sub wiper 51 with respect to the horizontal plane changes again from θ3 to θ1, and the tip of the sub wiper 51 Is separated from the surface 8 a of the conveyor belt 8. The moving speed of the sub wiper 51 in the main scanning direction is set to be higher than the relative moving speed of the main wiper 41 and the transport belt 8 in the first wiping operation in which the surface 8a is wiped by the main wiper 41.

  After the end of the second wiping operation, the sub wiper 51 is moved to a position where the tip is in contact with the sub wiper cleaner 55a in a state where the tilt angle with respect to the horizontal plane is maintained at θ1 and the tip is separated from the surface 8a. Then, after the front end of the sub wiper 51 is cleaned by the sub wiper cleaner 55a, the sub wiper 51 moves in the main scanning direction toward the home position, as shown in FIG. In the vicinity of the home position, the lower end 51a1 abuts on the slope opposite to the step surface 58a of the convex portion 58a1, and after passing through the convex portion 58a1 while moving the convex portion 58a1 downward, the sub wiper 51 has an inclination angle with respect to the horizontal plane. It is maintained at θ1 and stopped at the home position with the tip being separated from the surface 8a.

  The inclination angles θ2 and θ3 are set so that the vicinity of the tip of the sub wiper 51 is in contact with the surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8 while being bent. At the inclination angle θ3, the pressing force of the sub wiper 51 on the surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8 is set to be smaller than the pressing force on the surface 8a of the main wiper 41 during the first wiping operation. Specifically, the distance between the shaft 51b that is the rotation center axis of the sub wiper 51 and the surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8 is the distance between the shaft 42 that is the rotation center axis of the main wiper 41 and the surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8. Is set to be longer. Note that the distance between the shaft 51b, which is the rotation center axis of the sub wiper 51, and the surface 8a of the transport belt 8 is the same as the distance between the shaft 42, which is the rotation center axis of the main wiper 41, and the surface 8a of the transport belt 8. Even in this case, the inclination angle of the sub wiper 51 with respect to the horizontal plane during the second wiping operation may be set to be smaller than the inclination angle of the main wiper 41 with respect to the horizontal plane during the first wiping operation. That is, the inclination angle of the main wiper 41 with respect to the horizontal plane during the first wiping operation may be set to be larger than θ3.

  That is, the wiping ability for wiping foreign matter from the surface 8 a of the sub wiper 51 is smaller than the wiping ability of the main wiper 41. As described above, the pressing force by the sub wiper 51 is smaller than that of the main wiper 41, so that the frictional force between the sub wiper 51 and the surface 8a is reduced during the second wiping operation. For this reason, during the second wiping operation, the conveyance belt 8 can be prevented from moving (displaced) in the main scanning direction as the sub wiper 51 moves in the main scanning direction. Since it can suppress that the conveyance belt 8 shifts | deviates to a main inspection direction, the fall of the conveyance accuracy of a conveyance belt can be suppressed. Further, as will be described later, the main wiper 41 having a large pressing force can reliably collect foreign matter in a narrow range, and the sub-wiper 51 having a small pressing force can remove foreign matter collected in a narrow range without shifting the conveying belt 8. can do. Even when the pressing force of the sub wiper 51 is reduced, the sub wiper 51 and the surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8 are in contact with each other, so that a desired amount of foreign matter is removed from the surface 8a. That is, what is removed by the sub wiper 51 is foreign matter remaining when the main wiper 41 is separated from the surface 8a (foreign matter collected in a narrow range by the main wiper 41). There are almost no hindrances because there are few. Here, the trouble is that the foreign matter attached to the front surface 8a adheres to the back surface of the paper P transported by the transport belt 8, or the suction force of the transport belt 8 to the paper P decreases due to the foreign matter attached to the front surface 8a. Thus, the conveyance belt 8 cannot convey the paper P.

  Further, components (such as the belt 54) that move the sub wiper 51 in the main scanning direction are arranged over the entire width of the transport belt 8. Therefore, during the second wiping operation, the sub wiper 51 moves from one end to the other end in the width direction of the conveyor belt 8 while the vicinity of the tip is bent and is in contact with the surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8, and the width of the conveyor belt 8 is increased. Remove all foreign material. The foreign matter removed by the wipers 41 and 51 is received by a tray (not shown) below the wipers 41 and 51.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 1p is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that is an arithmetic processing unit.
Unit (ROM) 101, ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, RAM (Random Access Memory: including nonvolatile RAM) 103, ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 104, I / F (Interface) 105, I / O ( Input / Output Port) 106 and the like. The ROM 102 stores programs executed by the CPU 101, various fixed data, and the like. The RAM 103 temporarily stores data necessary for executing the program (for example, image data relating to an image recorded on the paper P). In the ASIC 104, rewriting and rearranging of image data (for example, signal processing and image processing) are performed. The I / F 105 performs data transmission / reception with an external device. The I / O 106 inputs / outputs detection signals of various sensors.

  The control device 1p is connected to each motor 121, 125, 127, 41M, 45M, 51M, 59M, the paper sensor 20, the power source 36, the control board of each head 10, and the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the control device 1p has functional units such as a first cleaning sequence execution unit 131, a second cleaning sequence execution unit 132, and a determination unit 134 constructed by the above-described hardware. Yes.

  The first cleaning sequence execution unit 131 brings the front end of the main wiper 41 at a position separated from the surface 8a into contact with the surface 8a, and relatively moves the main wiper 41 and the surface 8a in the transport direction so as to be on the surface 8a. The motor 41M and the conveyance motor 121 are controlled so as to perform the first wiping operation for wiping off foreign matter. Note that the first wiping driving means is constituted by a part of the main wipe mechanism 40 that moves the main wiper 41 (including the motor 41M) and a part of the transport unit 21 that travels the transport belt 8 (including the transport motor 121). It is configured.

  The second cleaning sequence execution unit 132 brings the tip of the sub wiper 51 at a position separated from the surface 8a into contact with the surface 8a, and moves the sub wiper 51 and the surface 8a relatively in the main scanning direction so as to prevent foreign matter on the surface 8a. The motor 59M is controlled so as to perform the second wiping operation for wiping off. A second wiping drive means is configured by a part of the sub wipe mechanism 50 (including the motor 59M) that moves the sub wiper 51.

  The determination unit 134 performs the first cleaning sequence including the first and second wiping operations when the length of the adhesion area of the foreign matter adhered to the surface 8a is equal to or greater than the length of the sub wiper 51 in the sub scanning direction (conveyance direction). Determine to execute. The determination means actually measures the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface 8a in the transport direction, and whether the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface 8a is greater than or equal to the length of the sub wiper 51. Whether the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface 8a in the transport direction is equal to or longer than the length of the sub wiper 51 based on the first mode for determining whether or not the ink is attached to the transport belt 8 or not. This includes both the second mode in which it is estimated whether the length is less than or equal to the length. In the first aspect, the printer is provided with means (for example, an image sensor) for actually measuring the length of the adhesion area of the foreign matter adhered to the surface 8a in the transport direction. The determination unit 134 compares the length of the adhesion region actually measured by the measurement unit with the length of the sub wiper 51. Based on the signal from the measurement unit, the determination unit 134 determines whether the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface 8a in the conveyance direction is equal to or longer than the length of the sub wiper 51 or shorter than the length of the sub wiper 51. In the second mode, the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface 8a in the transport direction is based on the type of operation for attaching the ink to the transport belt (for example, when a jam occurs, purge, preliminary discharge). It is estimated whether it is above or below the sub wiper 51. In the following description, the second aspect will be described in detail.

  The determination unit 134 performs purging (an operation of applying pressure to the ink in the head 10 to discharge ink from all the discharge ports by driving the pump) toward the surface 8a of the conveyance belt 8, and the paper When the clogging (jam) of P occurs, it is estimated that the length of the adhered region of the foreign matter adhered to the surface 8a is equal to or longer than the length of the sub wiper 51, and it is determined that the first cleaning sequence is executed. When purging is performed toward the surface 8 a of the conveyor belt 8, a large amount of foreign matter adheres to the surface 8 a, and the length of the foreign matter attachment region is estimated to be longer than the length of the sub wiper 51. Because. If a jam occurs, ink is ejected from the head 10 even though the paper P is not being transported, and it is assumed that foreign matter has adhered to the surface 8a over the length of the sub wiper 51. It is to be done. In the first cleaning sequence, the first wiping operation described above is performed, and then the second wiping operation described above is performed so as to wipe off foreign matters remaining on the surface 8a when the main wiper 41 is separated from the surface 8a. That means.

  On the other hand, the determination unit 134 determines to execute the second cleaning sequence when it is estimated that the length of the adhesion region in the sub scanning direction is less than the length of the sub wiper 51. Specifically, the determination unit 134 adheres to the surface 8a when the preliminary ejection (the operation of ejecting ink from the ejection port by driving the actuator of the head 10 based on the preliminary ejection data different from the image data) is performed. It is estimated that the length of the foreign matter adhesion region is less than the length of the sub wiper 51. This is because the preliminary ejection in the present embodiment is controlled so as to be performed in the liquid repellent area 8 b, so that the length of the foreign matter adhesion area is estimated to be shorter than that of the sub wiper 51. Note that the determination unit 134 executes the first cleaning sequence when preliminary ejection is performed and a predetermined amount or more of ink is ejected from the head 10 to the surface 8a. Here, the “predetermined amount or more” refers to an amount of foreign matter remaining on the surface 8 a without being wiped off by the sub wiper 51 when the foreign matter attached to an area less than the length of the sub wiper 51 is wiped by the sub wiper 51. That is, the determination unit 134 determines to execute the second cleaning sequence only when a predetermined amount or less of ink is ejected from the head 10 to the surface 8a, that is, when foreign matter can be wiped off by the sub wiper 51. The second cleaning sequence refers to performing the above-described second wiping operation so as to wipe off the foreign matter on the liquid repellent region 8b without performing the first wiping operation.

  Next, the contents of maintenance performed by the control device 1p will be described with reference to FIG. The following processes are executed by the CPU 101 in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 102.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the control device 1p first determines whether or not a wiping command has been received (step 1: S1). The wiping command is received, for example, after the printer 1 is turned on, after purging or preliminary discharge is performed toward the surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8, and when a jam occurs.

  If the control device 1p does not receive the wiping command in step 1 (NO), the control device 1p continues the standby state. When the control device 1p receives a wiping command in step 1 (YES), the control device 1p proceeds to step 2 (S2). In step 2, the determination unit 134 determines whether or not to execute the first cleaning sequence. That is, when purge is performed or a jam occurs, the determination unit 134 determines that the first cleaning sequence is to be executed (YES), and proceeds to step 3 (S3), where the ink discharged in preliminary discharge is discharged. When the preliminary discharge with the amount not more than the predetermined amount is performed, the determination unit 134 determines that the second cleaning sequence in which the first wiping operation is not performed is executed (NO), and proceeds to step 6 (S6). Note that the determination unit 134 determines that the amount of ink ejected from the head 10 is equal to or less than the predetermined amount and the length of the attached region is the sub wiper 51 even when purge is performed or a jam occurs. If it is estimated that the length is less than the length of the second cleaning sequence, the second cleaning sequence may be executed. For example, when a jam occurs, the determination is made based on the image data.

  In step 3, the control device 1p drives the motor 41M with the conveyance belt 8 stopped, and rotates the main wiper 41 clockwise about the axis along the main scanning direction in FIG. During this rotation, the tip of the main wiper 41 comes into contact with the peripheral surface of the wiper cleaner 45 while being bent. At this time, the foreign matter adhering to the tip of the main wiper 41 adheres to the wiper cleaner 45 and is removed from the tip of the main wiper 41 (wiper cleaning).

  The control device 1p rotates the wiper cleaner 45 by a predetermined angle smaller than 360 degrees each time one or several wiper cleanings (S3) are completed. As a result, the portion of the wiper cleaner 45 with which the tip of the main wiper 41 comes into contact during wiper cleaning changes, and foreign matter adhering to the tip of the main wiper 41 can be effectively removed.

  Next, in step 4 (S4), the first cleaning sequence execution unit 131 first causes the conveyor belt 8 to travel by driving the conveyor motor 121, and the liquid repellent area 8b and the main wiper 41 face each other. In other words, the driving of the transport motor 121 is stopped at the timing when the specific portion in the liquid repellent region 8b and the tip of the main wiper 41 face each other. Here, the specific part is the center of the liquid repellent area 8b in the sub-scanning direction. Then, the first cleaning sequence execution unit 131 drives the motor 41M to slightly rotate the main wiper 41 about the axis along the main scanning direction, and the main wiper 41 located at a position separated from the surface 8a of the transport belt 8. Is brought into contact with the liquid repellent region 8b. The first cleaning sequence execution unit 131 stops driving the motor 41M at the timing when the tip of the main wiper 41 comes into contact with the surface 8a while being bent. Then, the first cleaning sequence execution unit 131 drives the transport motor 121 again to run the transport belt 8 one or several times. Thereby, the foreign matter on the surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8 is removed while being collected in a narrow area of the surface 8a by the main wiper 41 (first wiping operation). The first cleaning sequence execution unit 131 stops the driving of the transport motor 121 when the leading end of the main wiper 41 is in contact with a specific part of the liquid repellent region 8b after the transport belt 8 travels one or several turns. Then, with the conveying belt 8 stopped, the motor 41M is driven to slightly rotate the main wiper 41 about the axis along the main scanning direction, and the tip of the main wiper 41 is separated from the specific part of the liquid repellent region 8b. Let In the present embodiment, the position where the main wiper 41 in contact with the liquid repellent area 8b is separated after the first wiping operation is always a specific part of the liquid repellent area 8b.

  Next, in step 5 (S5), the second cleaning sequence execution unit 132 causes the transport belt 8 to travel by driving the transport motor 121, and the position where the liquid repellent area 8b and the sub wiper 51 face each other, that is, the liquid repellent area. At the timing when 8b is arranged above the sub wiper 51, the driving of the transport motor 121 is stopped. At this time, when the center of the sub wiper 51 and the center of the liquid repellent region 8b are exactly overlapped with each other in the sub scanning direction, the travel of the transport belt 8 is stopped. Thereby, the sub wiper 51 moves in the main scanning direction, so that the entire liquid repellent region 8 b can be wiped by the sub wiper 51.

  Then, the second cleaning sequence execution unit 132 drives the motor 59M in the forward direction. As a result, the tip of the sub wiper 51 located at a position separated from the surface 8a of the transport belt 8 contacts the surface 8a (the liquid repellent region 8b), and further, the sub wiper 51 moves from the home position in the main scanning direction. Foreign matter on the liquid repellent region 8b of 8 (that is, foreign matter remaining on the surface by separating the main wiper 41 from the surface 8a (liquid repellent region 8b)) is collected in a narrow range of the liquid repellent region 8b by the sub wiper 51. (The second wiping operation). The second cleaning sequence execution unit 132 temporarily stops driving the motor 59M at the timing when the sub wiper 51 reaches the other end of the plate 58 in the main scanning direction. At this time, the tip of the sub wiper 51 is separated from the surface 8a (see FIG. 5F) and is in contact with the sub wiper cleaner 55a. Thereafter, the second cleaning sequence execution unit 132 drives the motor 59M in the reverse direction, and moves the sub wiper 51 in the reverse direction in the main scanning direction (opposite to the moving direction of the sub wiper 51 when removing foreign matter (arrow direction in FIG. 4)). (See FIG. 5G), and the drive of the motor 59M is stopped at the timing when the sub wiper 51 reaches the home position. Thus, the first and second wiping operations are completed.

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds from step 2 to step 6, in step 6, the second cleaning sequence execution unit 132 causes the conveyance belt 8 to travel by driving the conveyance motor 121. The driving of the transport motor 121 is stopped at the timing when the center of the liquid repellent region 8b just overlaps. Then, the second cleaning sequence execution unit 132 drives the motor 59M in the forward direction. As a result, the tip of the sub wiper 51 located at a position separated from the surface 8a of the transport belt 8 contacts the surface 8a (the liquid repellent region 8b), and further, the sub wiper 51 moves from the home position in the main scanning direction. The foreign matter on the liquid repellent area 8b of 8 (that is, foreign matter such as ink adhered to the liquid repellent area 8b by preliminary ejection) is removed while being collected in a narrow range of the liquid repellent area 8b by the sub wiper 51 (second cleaning). sequence). That is, the foreign matter in the liquid repellent area 8b is wiped without performing the first wiping operation (second wiping operation). The second cleaning sequence execution unit 132 temporarily stops driving the motor 59M at the timing when the sub wiper 51 reaches the other end of the plate 58 in the main scanning direction. At this time, the tip of the sub wiper 51 is separated from the surface 8a (see FIG. 5F) and is in contact with the sub wiper cleaner 55a. Thereafter, the second cleaning sequence execution unit 132 drives the motor 59M in the reverse direction, and moves the sub wiper 51 in the reverse direction in the main scanning direction (opposite to the moving direction of the sub wiper 51 when removing foreign matter (arrow direction in FIG. 4)). (See FIG. 5G), and the drive of the motor 59M is stopped at the timing when the sub wiper 51 reaches the home position. Thus, the second cleaning sequence ends.

  As described above, according to the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, since the first cleaning sequence in which the second wiping operation is performed after the first wiping operation is performed, the liquid repellent region 8b is performed in the first wiping operation. Foreign matter remaining on the surface is removed. For this reason, it is difficult for foreign matter to remain on the surface of the conveyor belt 8. As a result, when the paper P is transported by the transport belt 8, foreign matters are less likely to adhere to the surface (back surface) facing the front surface 8a of the paper P, and the paper P is less likely to get dirty.

  In addition, since the control device 1p has the determination unit 134 and can select either the first or second cleaning sequence according to the determination of the determination unit 134, the maintenance time required for the wiping operation can be effectively obtained. Can be shortened. That is, when preliminary ejection is performed on the liquid repellent region 8b, only the second wiping operation can be performed (second cleaning sequence), and the maintenance of the first cleaning sequence performing the first and second wiping operations is possible. Can be shorter than time.

  In addition, since the determination unit 134 determines that the second cleaning sequence is to be executed only when a predetermined amount or less of ink is ejected, foreign matter including ink can be reliably removed from the surface 8a.

  Further, since the liquid repellent region 8b is formed on the surface 8a of the transport belt 8, the second cleaning sequence execution unit 132 can wipe off the foreign matter remaining on the liquid repellent region 8b with the sub wiper 51 having a small pressing force. Therefore, it is possible to easily remove foreign matters from the liquid repellent region 8b. For this reason, it becomes difficult for foreign matter to remain on the surface 8a. Further, since the liquid repellent region 8b is formed, the sub wiper 51 moves faster than the relative movement speed of the main wiper 41 and the conveyor belt 8 during the first wiping operation. Even if the wiping performance due to is reduced, the foreign matter hardly remains on the liquid repellent region 8b. For this reason, it is possible to shorten the time required for maintenance while maintaining the cleaning property.

  Further, the first cleaning sequence execution unit 131 always keeps the main wiper 41 away from the surface 8a when the first wiping operation is finished and the specific part of the liquid repellent region 8b is in contact. That is, the first cleaning sequence execution unit 131 separates the main wiper 41 from the front surface 8a in the liquid repellent region 8b that is narrower than the length of the paper P in the transport direction. Therefore, even if the foreign matter remaining when the main wiper 41 is separated from the surface 8a is wiped off by the sub wiper 51, this range (liquid repellent region 8b: predetermined range) is larger than that of the paper P. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the adsorption force of the sheet P as the entire surface 8a. If the surface 8a of the conveyor belt 8 is wet with ink, when a voltage is applied to the electrodes 33 and 34, a current easily flows on the surface 8a in this range, and the adsorption force between the conveyor belt 8 and the paper P is increased. Will fall. However, since the wetted range of the surface 8a is narrower than that of the paper P, even if the paper P is attracted to the surface 8a on the surface 8a including the wetted range, the decrease in the attracting force can be suppressed. . In the present embodiment, the main wiper 41 is separated from the surface 8a at a specific portion of the liquid repellent area 8b, but a specific range narrower than the paper P is provided on the surface 8a instead of the liquid repellent area 8b. If the main wiper 41 is separated from the surface 8a within the determined range, the same effect as described above can be obtained. Further, this narrow specific range may be set to a range where ink adheres when preliminary ejection is performed. Further, the specific range may be wider than the liquid repellent region 8b. In the present embodiment, the specific part of the liquid repellent area 8b is the center of the liquid repellent area in the sub-scanning direction, but may be anywhere within the station repellent area 8b.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made as long as they are described in the claims. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the determination unit 134 is provided in the control device 1p. However, the first cleaning sequence that performs the first and second wiping operations when receiving each wiping command without providing the determination unit 134 is provided. May be executed. This simplifies the control configuration.

  The main wiper 41 may extend in a direction crossing the main and sub scanning directions. Further, the sub wiper 51 may extend in a direction crossing the main and sub scanning directions. Further, during the second wiping operation, the sub wiper 51 may move in a direction crossing the main and sub scanning directions.

  During the first wiping operation, the main wiper 41 may be moved in the sub-scanning direction with the conveying belt 8 stopped or the conveying belt 8 running. Further, during the first wiping operation, the conveyor belt 8 may travel less than one turn with the tip of the main wiper 41 in contact with the surface 8a.

  The conveying member is not limited to the conveying belt, and may be, for example, a rotating drum. The main and sub wipers are not limited to a plate shape as long as the tip moves in contact with the surface of the conveying member and moves relative to the surface to remove foreign matter on the surface. It may be a shape.

  The present invention can be applied to both a line type and a serial type, and is not limited to a printer, and can also be applied to a facsimile machine, a copier, and the like. Further, recording is performed by discharging a liquid other than ink. The present invention can also be applied to a recording apparatus that performs. The present invention is not limited to the ink jet type, and can be applied to, for example, a laser type or thermal type recording apparatus. The recording medium is not limited to the paper P, and may be various recording media.

1 Inkjet printer (recording device)
1p control device (control means)
8 Conveying belt (conveying member)
8a Surface 8b Liquid repellent area 10 Inkjet head (recording head)
21 Conveyance unit 22 Adsorption platen (part of adsorption means)
40 Main wiper mechanism 41 Main wiper (first wiper)
50 Sub wiper mechanism 51 Sub wiper (second wiper)
134 determination unit (determination means)

However, the cleaning device described in Patent Document 1 cannot perform cleaning according to the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface of the transport belt in the transport direction, and cannot reduce the maintenance time .

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that can effectively shorten the maintenance time .

  The recording apparatus of the present invention has a recording head for recording an image by discharging a liquid onto a recording medium, and a surface that is arranged to face the recording head, and the surface moves in the transport direction while supporting the recording medium. Accordingly, the conveyance member that conveys the recording medium in the conveyance direction, the first and second wipers that are arranged so that the front end can be separated from the surface, and the first wiper that is at a position separated from the surface. First wiping that wipes foreign matter on the surface by bringing the tip into contact with the surface and relatively moving the first wiper and the surface in the transport directionActionA first wiping driving means for driving at least one of the first wiper and the conveying member, and the tip of the second wiper at a position spaced from the surface in contact with the surface. And moving the second wiper to move the second wiper in a direction intersecting the transport direction with respect to the surface to perform a second wiping operation for wiping foreign matter on the surface. Drive means and control means for controlling the first and second wiping drive means And the length of the adhesion area of the foreign matter adhering to the surface with respect to the conveying direction is the second wiper. It is determined that the first wiping operation is performed when the length is longer than the length of Determination means for determining that the second wiping operation is executed when the length of the second wiper is less than And the control means determines that the determination means performs the first wiping operation. The first wiping drive means is controlled so that the first wiping operation is executed. When the determination unit determines to execute the second wiping operation, The second wiping operation performed so as to wipe off the foreign matter on the surface without performing the iping operation Said to be executedThe second wiping driving means is controlled.
 

This ensures, in accordance with the length in the conveying direction of the foreign matter deposited on the surface, it is possible to perform one of the first and second wiping operation, that effectively shortens the maintenance time required for the wiping operation it can. In the present invention, the determination means actually measures the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface in the transport direction, and determines whether the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface is greater than or equal to the length of the second wiper. Whether the length of the foreign matter attached to the surface in the transport direction is greater than or equal to the length of the second wiper is determined based on the mode of determining whether the length is less than or equal to the length of the second wiper. It includes any of the modes in which it is estimated whether the length is less than or equal to the length of.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the determination unit determines to execute the second wiping operation only when a predetermined amount or less of liquid is ejected from the recording head onto the surface. As a result, the second wiping operation is performed when a predetermined amount or less of liquid is ejected from the recording head to the surface, so that it is possible to reliably remove foreign matters including liquid from the surface.

According to the recording apparatus of the present invention, the maintenance time can be effectively shortened .

Claims (6)

A recording head for recording an image by discharging liquid onto a recording medium;
A transport member configured to transport the recording medium in the transport direction by moving the surface in the transport direction while the surface is disposed facing the recording head and the surface supports the recording medium;
First and second wipers, the tips of which are disposed so as to be able to be separated from and attached to the surface;
The first wiper at a position spaced from the surface is brought into contact with the surface, and the first wiper and the surface are moved relative to each other in the transport direction to wipe off foreign matters on the surface. First wiping driving means for driving at least one of the first wiper and the transport member so as to perform one wiping;
The tip of the second wiper at a position separated from the surface is brought into contact with the surface, and the second wiper is moved in a direction intersecting the transport direction with respect to the surface to wipe off foreign matters on the surface. Second wiping driving means for moving the second wiper so as to perform a second wiping operation.
Control means for controlling the first and second wiping drive means,
The control means includes the first wiping operation, and the second wiping operation performed so as to wipe away foreign matters remaining on the surface when the first wiping operation is performed and the first wiper is separated from the surface. The recording apparatus is characterized in that the first and second wiping driving means are controlled so that a first cleaning sequence including With respect to the transport direction, it is determined that the first cleaning sequence is performed when the length of the adhesion area of the foreign matter adhered to the surface is equal to or longer than the length of the second wiper, and the length of the adhesion area is the second length. Determination means for determining that the second cleaning sequence is to be executed when the wiper length is less than the length of the wiper;
The control means controls the first and second wiping drive means so that the first cleaning sequence is executed when the determination means determines to execute the first cleaning sequence, and the determination means When it is determined that the second cleaning sequence is to be performed, the second cleaning sequence is performed in which the second wiping operation is performed so that the foreign matter on the surface is wiped without performing the first wiping operation. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second wiping driving unit is controlled.   The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit determines to execute the second cleaning sequence only when a predetermined amount or less of liquid is ejected from the recording head onto the surface.   The pressing force with respect to the surface of the second wiper in the second wiping operation is smaller than the pressing force with respect to the surface of the first wiper in the first wiping operation. The recording apparatus according to item 1. The surface of the transport member is a position that separates the first wiper from the surface and extends in a direction intersecting the transport direction and has higher liquid repellency than other regions of the surface An area is formed,
The said control means controls the said 2nd wiping drive means so that the said 2nd wiper may wipe away the foreign material adhering on the said liquid-repellent area | region in the said 2nd wiping operation | movement. The recording device described. Having an adsorption means for electrostatically adsorbing a recording medium on the surface of the conveying member;
The control means controls the first wiping driving means so as to separate the first wiper from the surface within a predetermined range shorter than the length of the recording medium on the surface with respect to the transport direction. The recording apparatus according to claim 4.

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