JP2014205330A - Cleaning liquid supply mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning liquid supply mechanism which supplies a cleaning liquid to a wiper device and a cap device.SOLUTION: A cleaning liquid supply mechanism supplies a cleaning liquid to a cap device and a cleaning liquid tank of a wire device and comprises: moving means where an ink head is disposed; an encoder that detects a travel distance of the moving means; cleaning liquid supply means which is disposed in the moving means and supplies the cleaning liquid to the cap device and the cleaning liquid tank; opening/closing means which is disposed in the moving means and is connected with a cleaning liquid discharge part in the cleaning liquid supply means, the opening/closing means enabling the cleaning liquid discharge part to discharge the cleaning liquid and makes the cleaning liquid discharge part unable to discharge the cleaning liquid; an engagement member which is disposed near the cap device and the wiper device and brings the opening/closing means into the opening state to enable the cleaning liquid discharge part to discharge the cleaning liquid when the moving means moves; and control means which controls the moving means so that the moving means rests at a predetermined position on the basis of the travel distance detected by the encoder.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning liquid supply mechanism, and more particularly to a cleaning liquid supply mechanism suitable for use in an ink jet printer that performs printing on a medium such as recording paper by numerical control, for example, high-speed and high-resolution color printing.

  In this specification, “medium” refers to various recording media made of paper such as plain paper, various materials such as resin materials such as PVC and polyester, and materials such as aluminum, iron, and wood. Is included.

  Further, in the present specification, the “inkjet method” means various conventionally known methods, including various continuous methods such as a binary deflection method or a continuous deflection method, and various on-demand methods such as a thermal method or a piezoelectric element method. This means a printing method using an inkjet technique according to the above method.

  Conventionally, the entire operation is controlled by a microcomputer, and predetermined printing is performed by an ink jet method using an ink head that moves along a width direction of the recording paper on a recording paper supplied by a paper feeding device as a medium. Such an ink jet printer is known.

In the present specification, the width direction of the recording paper is appropriately referred to as “main scanning direction”.

  In an ink head in such an ink jet printer, a plurality of ink jet nozzles are formed as ejection openings for ejecting ink onto recording paper.

In order to prevent the ink ejection failure in the ink jet nozzle, in the ink jet printer, the surface of the ink head on which the ink jet nozzle is formed is located at different positions on the movement path of the ink head in the area where printing is not performed. A wiper device for wiping and a cap device for capping the region where the inkjet nozzle is formed are provided.

  The wiper device wipes the surface of the ink head on which the ink jet nozzle is formed (hereinafter, “the surface on which the ink jet nozzle is formed” is appropriately referred to as “ink jet nozzle surface”), thereby wiping the surface of the ink jet nozzle. Remove adhering deposits.

  Here, in the wiper device, the removed deposits are attached to the surface of the wiper that actually removes the deposits on the inkjet nozzle surface after the deposits on the inkjet nozzle surface are removed.

  For this reason, by immersing the wiper in a cleaning liquid tank or the like in which the cleaning liquid is stored, the wiper is cleaned to remove deposits attached to the wiper surface from the wiper surface.

  In such a cleaning liquid tank, the cleaning liquid must be replenished when the cleaning liquid decreases so that the cleaning liquid always becomes a constant amount.

For this reason, in an inkjet printer, a cleaning liquid supply mechanism that supplies a cleaning liquid is provided in a cleaning liquid tank that stores a cleaning liquid for cleaning the wiper in the wiper device.

  The cap device also protects the ink jet nozzles of the ink head and collects the ejected ink in order to eliminate clogging of the ink jet nozzles.

  The ink collected in the cap device is discharged to a waste liquid tank or the like connected to the cap device.

  Since the cap device protects the inkjet nozzles and collects ink as described above, a cleaning liquid is periodically supplied to the cap device, and the cap device is cleaned with the cleaning liquid.

  Note that the cleaning liquid supplied to the cap device is discharged to the waste liquid tank after the cap device is cleaned.

For this reason, the inkjet printer is provided with a cleaning liquid supply mechanism that supplies a cleaning liquid to the cap device.

  As described above, in the ink jet printer, it is necessary to provide a cleaning liquid supply mechanism for separately supplying a cleaning liquid to the wiper device and the cap device arranged in the movement path of the ink head.

  Here, if the cleaning liquid supply mechanism for the wiper device and the cleaning liquid supply mechanism for the cap device can be shared, the arrangement space of the cleaning liquid supply mechanism can be reduced, and the overall size of the inkjet printer can be reduced. .

Therefore, it has been desired to propose a cleaning liquid supply mechanism that can supply a cleaning liquid to the wiper device and the cap device arranged in the movement path of the ink head.

  Note that the prior art that the applicant of the present application knows at the time of filing a patent application is not an invention related to a known literature invention, so there is no prior art document information to be described in the present specification.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described demands of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning liquid that can supply a cleaning liquid to the wiper device and the cap device, respectively. It is intended to provide a supply mechanism.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is provided in a cap device that protects an ink jet nozzle of an ink head that discharges predetermined ink onto a medium by an ink jet method, and a wiper device that wipes the ink jet nozzle surface of the ink head. In the cleaning liquid supply mechanism for supplying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid tank for storing the cleaning liquid for cleaning the wiper, the cap device and the wiper device are positioned on the moving path of the ink head while moving in the main scanning direction. In addition, the moving means provided with the ink head, the encoder for detecting the moving amount of the moving means, the cleaning liquid provided in the moving means and sent from the cleaning liquid storage section is supplied to the cap device and the cleaning liquid tank. The cleaning liquid supply means for supplying the cleaning liquid and the moving means, An opening / closing means that is connected to a cleaning liquid discharge section in the liquid supply means and that enables the cleaning liquid to be discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge section in the open state; and that the cleaning liquid discharge section cannot be discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge section in the closed state; A state in which the cap device and the wiper device are disposed in the vicinity of the cap device and the wiper device is in contact with the opening / closing means when the moving means moves, and the opening / closing means is opened to discharge the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid discharge portion. And a control means for controlling the moving means to stop at a predetermined position based on the moving amount detected by the encoder.

  Further, the present invention is the above-described invention, wherein the cleaning liquid supply means includes an electromagnetic valve that controls supply of the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid discharge section, and the control means supplies the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid storage section to the cleaning liquid supply means. The electromagnetic valve is opened when the pump that feeds the valve is driven, and the electromagnetic valve is closed when the driving of the pump is stopped.

  Further, the present invention is the above invention, wherein the control means calculates the amount of cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means based on the number of rotations of the pump, and when the amount of cleaning liquid becomes a predetermined amount, The drive of the pump is stopped and the electromagnetic valve is closed.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the above-described invention, the opening / closing means is formed with a first hole, and is capable of contacting the fixing member fixedly disposed on the moving means and the engaging member. In addition, a rotation member and a second hole are rotatably disposed on the fixed member, and a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction is formed by rotation of the rotation member in the fixed member. A movable member that is movably disposed on the stationary member, and a biasing member that is disposed on the fixed member and biases the movable member in a first direction in the sub-scanning direction. When the rotating member comes into contact, the rotating member rotates, and the moving member moves in the second direction in the sub-scanning direction against the urging force of the urging member, whereby the first The second hole communicates with the second hole, and the opening / closing means is opened to perform the washing. It is obtained so as to allow discharge of the cleaning liquid from the liquid discharge portion.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the above-described invention, the moving member is guided in the sub-scanning direction by a guide portion formed on the fixed member, and the rotating member is first in the first direction in the main scanning direction. And a second convex portion is formed in the second direction in the main scanning direction, and the moving member is formed with a third convex portion in the first direction in the main scanning direction. In addition, when the fourth convex portion is formed in the second direction in the main scanning direction and the moving member is urged in the first direction in the sub-scanning direction by the urging member, the rotation member The first convex portion and the third convex portion of the moving member are in contact with each other, the second convex portion of the rotating member and the fourth convex portion of the moving member are in contact with each other, The rotating member rotates to move the transfer. When the member moves in the second direction in the sub-scanning direction against the urging force of the urging member, the first convex portion of the rotating member presses the third convex portion of the moving member. Then, the fourth convex portion of the moving member is separated from the second convex portion of the rotating member, or the first convex portion of the rotating member is the third convex portion of the moving member. The second convex part of the rotating member presses the fourth convex part of the moving member apart from the part.

  According to the present invention, in the above-described invention, the engagement member is provided in a region where printing by the ink head is not performed.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has an excellent effect that it is possible to supply the cleaning liquid to the wiper device and the cap device, respectively.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet printer provided with a cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention. 2A is a schematic perspective view of the wiper device provided in the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a diagram of the cap device provided in the ink jet printer shown in FIG. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a schematic configuration of the dog member. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the cleaning liquid supply unit connected to the cleaning liquid tank. FIG. 5A is a schematic configuration explanatory diagram of a carriage provided with an ink head, a cleaning liquid supply unit, and an opening / closing shutter, and FIG. 5B is a schematic configuration explanatory diagram of the opening / closing shutter. FIG.5 (c) is II sectional drawing of FIG.5 (b). 6 (a) and 6 (c) are schematic explanatory diagrams of the opening / closing shutter in a state in which the rotating member is rotated, and FIG. 6 (b) is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 6 (a). is there. FIG. 7A is an enlarged explanatory view of an essential part of the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7B is a view as seen from an arrow A in FIG. 7A. 7 (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 7 (b). FIG. 8A is an enlarged explanatory view showing an enlarged main part when the carriage is positioned in the side member in the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. ) In FIG. 8B, and FIG. 8C is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 8B.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an ink jet printer provided with an example of an embodiment of a cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention.

In the ink jet printer 100 shown in FIG. 1, a recording paper is used as a medium. The recording paper has a predetermined length in the width direction (main scanning direction) of the recording paper and is orthogonal to the main scanning direction. In other words, the recording paper is conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the recording paper (hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the recording paper is referred to as “sub-scanning direction”).

  The ink jet printer 100 is supported by a base member 102 and is disposed so as to extend in the main scanning direction, and is disposed perpendicular to the base member 104 at both left and right ends of the base member 104. Lateral members 106L, 106R, a central wall 108 connecting the two left and right side members 106L, 106R, a guide rail 110 extending in the main scanning direction on the wall surface of the central wall 108, and a central wall A carriage 114 fixedly disposed on a belt (not shown) movably disposed in the main scanning direction parallel to the wall surface 108 and slidably mounted on the guide rail 110; The recording head 200 is a medium that is positioned on the member 104, and an ink head portion 116 that is disposed in the carriage 114 so as to face the recording paper 200.

  Further, in the inkjet printer 100, the side member 106R is a region where printing is not performed, and the wiper device 118 and the cap device 120 are provided in the side member 106R.

Note that the overall operation of the inkjet printer 100 is controlled by the microcomputer 300.

  More specifically, on the carriage 114, three independent ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c are mounted as ink head portions 116 that eject liquid ink toward the recording paper 200 by an ink jet method (see FIG. Reference is made to FIG.

  Further, the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 supplies cleaning liquid stored in a cleaning liquid tank 14 (described later) to the wiper device 118 and the cap device 120 so as to be adjacent to the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c. (To be described later).

As the cleaning liquid, for example, a liquid that can dissolve the ink used, such as water or an organic solvent, can be used.

  On the lower surfaces of the three ink heads 120 a, 120 b, and 120 c, inkjet nozzles (not shown) are disposed as opposed to the recording paper 200 as ejection ports for ejecting ink onto the recording paper 200. It is installed.

  These inkjet nozzles are arranged in a line in the sub-scanning direction, protrude from holes (not shown) drilled in the bottom surface of the carriage 114, and are arranged outside the carriage 114. Is done.

Each of the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c is connected to an ink cartridge (not shown) containing ink of different colors via a tube, and ink is sent from the ink cartridge to each ink head. Ink is ejected from the inkjet nozzle (not shown) toward the recording paper 200.

  The carriage 114 is fixedly disposed on a belt (not shown). When the belt is wound by driving a motor (not shown) and moves in the main scanning direction, the belt 114 moves. Along with the wall surface of the central wall 108, the main scanning direction is moved.

  When the carriage 114 moves in this manner, ink heads 120a, 120b, 120c and a cleaning liquid supply unit 12 (described later) mounted on the carriage 114 also move on the recording paper 200 in the main scanning direction as the carriage 114 moves. .

That is, the ink heads 120a, 120b, 120c and the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 (described later) move together with the carriage 114 from the side member 106R side to the side member 106L side in the forward direction in the main scanning direction. It moves in the return direction in the main scanning direction from the side member 106L side to the side member 106R side.

  A main scale portion 40a having a predetermined grid-like slit is disposed at the upper end of the wall surface of the central wall 108. The carriage 114 includes a light source, a lens, and a light receiving element, and a main scale. A detection unit 40b is disposed so as to sandwich the portion 40a (see FIGS. 7C and 8C).

  That is, the main scale unit 40a and the detection unit 40b constitute an optical (transmission type) linear encoder 40.

  The main scale portion 40a of the linear encoder 40 is fixedly disposed at the upper end portion of the wall surface of the central wall 108 so that the extending direction coincides with the main scanning direction. On the other hand, the detection unit 40b is fixedly disposed on the lower surface 114-1a of the protrusion 114-1 provided on the rear side of the carriage 114.

  Accordingly, when the carriage 114 moves in the main scanning direction, the detection unit 40b fixedly disposed on the lower surface 114-1a of the protrusion 114-1 of the carriage 114 is in a state of sandwiching the main scale unit 40a. Will move.

A pulse signal corresponding to the amount of movement when the carriage 114 moves in the main scanning direction is output from the detection unit 40b to the microcomputer 300.

  The carriage 114 moves in the return direction at a predetermined timing such as when printing is not performed, and stays at the standby position in the side member 106R, and the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c disposed on the carriage 114 and the cleaning liquid. The supply unit 12 (described later) is positioned in the side member 106.

  Here, the wiper device 118 and the cap device 120 are disposed on the movement path of the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c mounted on the carriage 114 in the side member 106R.

In the inkjet printer 100, in the side member 106R, in addition to the wiper device 118 and the cap device 120, a cleaning liquid tank 14 for storing a cleaning liquid supplied to a cleaning liquid supply unit 12 (described later) is disposed. Has been.

  The wiper device 118 is movable on two guide rails 202-1 and 202-2 that extend in the sub-scanning direction on the fixed system member in the side member 106R and are disposed in parallel with each other. It is arranged.

  Specifically, a wiper 208 is disposed in a holder 204 having a substantially box-like body that is movably disposed on the guide rails 202-1 and 202-2. A cleaning liquid tank 210 for storing the cleaning liquid is disposed below the wiper 208 in the holder 204 (see FIG. 2A).

  The wiper 208 includes a wiper 208a that wipes the inkjet nozzle surface of the ink head 120a, a wiper 208b that wipes the inkjet nozzle surface of the ink head 120b, and a wiper 208c that wipes the inkjet nozzle surface of the ink head 120c. .

  The wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c are fixedly supported on the rotation shaft 224a of the motor 224, and the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c are rotated by the rotation of the motor 224. The rotating shaft 224a is rotatably disposed on the motor 224 in a state where the axial direction coincides with the main scanning direction.

  Then, when the motor 224 rotates in a predetermined direction, the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c rotate via the rotation shaft 224a.

  When the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c are positioned on the upper side in a vertical state, the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c can come into contact with the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c, respectively.

  When the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c are positioned on the lower side in the vertical state, the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c are immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank 210, respectively.

  A locking portion 212 is formed on the right side surface portion 204 a of the holder 204, and this locking portion 212 is fixed to the drive belt 214.

  The drive belt 214 is stretched endlessly between a pulley 218 and a pulley 220 that are fixed to the front end side of the rotating shaft 216 a of the motor 216.

  Therefore, when the pulley 218 rotates together with the rotation shaft 216a of the motor 216, the pulley 220 also rotates with the rotation of the rotation shaft 216a and the pulley 218, and the drive belt 214 is driven. As a result, the holder 204 fixed to the drive belt 214 via the locking portion 212 moves in the sub-scanning direction along the guide rails 202-1 and 202-2.

  Specifically, when the rotating shaft 216a of the motor 216 rotates in the direction of arrow C, the pulley 220 rotates in the direction of arrow D, and the holder 204 fixed to the drive belt 214 moves backward in the sub-scanning direction. Moves in the direction of arrow E from the front to the front.

  When the rotation shaft 216a of the motor 216 rotates in the direction of arrow F, the pulley 220 rotates in the direction of arrow G, and the holder 204 fixed to the drive belt 214 moves from the front side to the rear side in the sub-scanning direction. Move in the direction of arrow H.

  As the holder 204 moves, the wiper 208 and the cleaning liquid tank 210 also move in the sub scanning direction in the side member 106R.

Since the holder 204 moves on the guide rails 202-1 and 202-2 extended in the sub-scanning direction, the movement path of the holder 204, that is, the movement path of the wiper device 118, is the main scanning direction. Is perpendicular to the movement path of the ink head unit 116 that moves along

  The cap device 120 is provided on the right side of the wiper device 118 on the movement path of the ink head unit 116, and the cap 206 that protects the ink jet nozzles of each ink head is a fixed system in the side member 106R. It is disposed on the upper surface 205a of the base member 205 disposed on the member (see FIG. 2B).

  The cap 206 includes a cap 206a that protects the inkjet nozzles of the ink head 120a, a cap 206b that protects the inkjet nozzles of the ink head 120b, and a cap 206 that protects the inkjet nozzles of the ink head 206c.

  The base member 205 is raised when the carriage 114 is positioned above the cap device 120 under the control of the microcomputer 300, and the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c are mounted on the carriage 114, respectively. The ink jet nozzles of each ink head are protected by contacting with 120b and 120c.

Each of the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c is connected to a waste liquid tank (not shown) via a tube (not shown), and the ink and cleaning liquid discharged to the caps 206a, 206b 206c are It is discharged to the waste liquid tank.

  The cleaning liquid tank 14 is disposed in the side member 106R and is connected to the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 (described later) via a tube 62 (see FIG. 4).

  The tube 62 is provided with a pump 64. The pump 64 is controlled by the microcomputer 300, and the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank 14 is supplied to the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 (described later) via the tube 62. Will be supplied.

The rotation number of the pump 64 is counted by the microcomputer 300.

  Further, in the central wall 108, in a region where printing is not performed (that is, in the side member 106R in the present embodiment), the lower end of the wall surface protrudes forward from the wall surface. A dog member 50 which is a combined member is provided (see FIG. 3).

  The dog member 50 is provided at a height position where the dog member 50 can come into contact with a rotating member 24 (described later) provided on the opening / closing shutter 20 (described later).

The dog member 50 is provided with an inclined portion 50a at the left end, and the inclined portion 50a is inclined from the rear side to the front side as it advances from the left side to the right side. Further, an inclined portion 50b is provided at the right end portion, and the inclined portion 50b is inclined from the front side to the rear side as it proceeds from the left side to the right side.

  The cleaning liquid supply unit 12 is disposed between the discharge unit 12a that discharges the cleaning liquid, the tube 62, and the discharge unit 12a, and is an electromagnetic that controls supply of the cleaning liquid sent from the tube 62 to the discharge unit 12a by the pump 64. And a valve 12b (see FIG. 4).

  The cleaning liquid supply unit 12 is arranged in the carriage 114 side by side with the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c in the main scanning direction.

  The cleaning liquid supply unit 12 is connected to the cleaning liquid tank 14 by a tube 62, and the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank 14 is sent to the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 by a pump 64 provided in the tube 62.

  That is, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid tank 14 to the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 by driving the pump 64 under the control of the microcomputer 300.

  When the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, the cleaning liquid is discharged from the discharge unit 12 a of the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 toward the open / close shutter 20 (described later), that is, the lower side.

  The cleaning liquid supply unit 12 is provided with an electromagnetic valve 12b between the discharge unit 12a and the tube 62. When the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid tank 14 when the electromagnetic valve 12b is open. The cleaning liquid is discharged from the discharge part 12a.

  The electromagnetic valve 12b is controlled by the microcomputer 300 so as to be in either an open state or a closed state, and the open state and the closed state in the microcomputer 300 are controlled by a pump 64 provided in the tube 62. This is done in synchronization with the control.

  That is, when the cleaning liquid is supplied by driving the pump 64, the electromagnetic valve 12b is controlled to be open, and when the pump 64 is not driven and the cleaning liquid is not supplied, the electromagnetic pal part 12b is controlled to be closed. That is, when the pump 64 is in a driving state, the electromagnetic valve 12b is controlled to be in an open state, and when the pump 64 is in a stopped state, the electromagnetic valve 12b is controlled to be in a closed state.

The discharge portion 12a is formed of a material that has flexibility and is resistant to the cleaning liquid to be used.

  In the carriage 114, an opening / closing shutter 20 is disposed below the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, and the discharge unit 12 a of the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 is connected to a moving member 26 (described later) of the opening / closing shutter 20. ing.

  The opening / closing shutter 20 is configured such that a rotating member 24 (which will be described later) as a constituent member thereof can abut on the dog member 50.

The opening / closing shutter 20 includes a fixing member 22 fixedly disposed on the carriage 114, a rotating member 24 rotatably disposed on the rear side of the fixing member 22, and a front-rear direction (secondary direction on the fixing member 22. The movable member 26 is provided so as to be movable in the scanning direction (see FIGS. 5B and 5C).

  More specifically, the fixing member 22 is disposed so that it protrudes from a hole (not shown) formed in the bottom surface portion of the carriage 114 and the lower surface 22 d is positioned outside the carriage 114.

  The fixed member 22 has a substantially arc shape on the rear side, and a guide portion 22a for guiding the moving member 26 from the substantially central portion to the front side is provided on the upper side.

Further, the fixing member 22 is provided with a hole 22c penetrating from the upper side to the lower side in the region where the guide portion 22a is formed. The diameter of the hole 22c substantially matches the diameter of a hole 26c (described later) provided in the moving member 26.

  The rotation member 24 is provided on the rear side of the fixed member 22, and the rear end portion 24 c of the rotation member 24 is provided on the rear side of the rear end portion 22 b of the fixed member 22.

  The rotating member 24 is rotatably disposed on the fixed member 22 by a pin 30 and rotates around the pin 30.

  A convex portion 24 a is provided on the left side of the front side of the rotating member 24, and a convex portion 24 b is provided on the right side of the front side of the rotating member 24. The convex portions 24a and the convex portions 24b are designed such that the central axes thereof coincide with each other and the central axes are parallel to the main scanning direction.

  Since the rotating member 24 comes into contact with the dog member 50, when the carriage 114 moves in the return direction in the main scanning direction, that is, from the left side to the right side, in the side member 106R. The dog member 50 comes into contact with the dog member 50 from the left end portion. Thereby, the rotation member 24 rotates to the left side.

Further, since the rotating member 24 is in contact with the dog member 50, the carriage 114 is moved to the right end portion of the guide rail 110 in the side member 106R, and then the carriage 114 is moved in the main scanning direction. When moving in the direction of the direction, that is, from the right side to the left side, the dog member 50 comes into contact with the dog member 50 from the right end portion. Thereby, the rotation member 24 rotates to the right side.

  The moving member 26 is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (sub-scanning direction) in the guide portion 22 a formed in the fixed member 22.

  And in the rear-end part of the moving member 26, the convex part 26a is provided in the left side, and the convex part 26b is provided in the right side. Note that the rear end surface 26aa of the convex portion 26a and the rear end surface 26ba of the convex portion 26b coincide with each other in the sub-scanning direction. Then, the convex portion 24a on the left side of the rotating member 24 comes into contact with the rear end surface 26aa, and the convex portion 24b on the right side of the rotating member 24 comes into contact with the rear end surface 26ba. Become.

  In addition, a hole 26c penetrating from the upper side to the lower side is formed at a substantially central portion of the moving member 26. The diameter of the hole 26c is the diameter of the hole 22c provided in the guide portion 22a of the fixing member 22. Is approximately the same.

  And the discharge part 12a of the washing | cleaning liquid supply part 12 is connected to this hole 26c (refer FIG.5 (c)).

  Further, the moving member 26 is connected to a spring 28 provided in a region where the guide portion 22a of the fixed member 22 is formed, and is always urged from the front side toward the rear side by the spring 28. It has become. 5B and 5C, a spring 28 is connected to the front member 22-1 and the moving member 26 of the fixed member 22 in the region where the guide portion 22a is formed.

  The spring 28 is always urged from the front side to the rear side, so that the left convex portion 26a of the moving member 26 and the left convex portion 24a of the rotating member 24 are in contact with each other. Thus, the convex portion 26b on the right side of the moving member 26 and the convex portion 26b on the right side of the rotating member 24 are in contact with each other.

  At this time, the positional relationship between the hole 22c and the hole 26 is such that the hole 26c is located on the rear side of the hole 22c and the hole 22c and the hole 26c do not communicate with each other. That is, the opening / closing shutter 20 is in a closed state.

  Here, the discharge portion 12a is connected to the hole 26c, and when the hole 22c and the hole 26c are not in communication, the hole 26c is connected to the outside of the open / close shutter 20 by the hole 22c provided in the fixing member 22. Communication is not established.

That is, when the open / close shutter 20 is in the closed state, it is impossible to discharge the cleaning liquid from the discharge portion 12a connected to the hole 26c to the outside of the open / close shutter 20.

  Here, in the side member 106R, when the carriage 114 moves in the return direction, the turning member 24 turns to the left side around the pin 30, whereby the convex portion 24a moves to the front side. At the same time, the convex portion 24b moves to the rear side (see FIGS. 6A and 6B).

  At this time, the convex portion 26a on the left side of the moving member 26 that has been in contact with the convex portion 24a is pressed forward, so that the moving member 26 resists the biasing force of the spring 28 and moves forward. Move to.

  When the moving member 26 moves forward by the rotation of the rotating member 24, the hole 26 c provided in the moving member 26 is positioned on the hole 22 c provided in the guide portion 22 a of the fixed member 22. The hole 22c and the hole 26c communicate with each other. That is, the open / close shutter 20 is open.

  Thereby, the discharge part 12a connected to the hole 26c communicates with the outside of the open / close shutter 20.

Accordingly, when the rotation member 24 is rotated to the left side, the opening / closing shutter 20 is opened, and the cleaning liquid can be discharged outside the opening / closing shutter 20 from the discharge portion 12a connected to the hole 26c. Become.

  In addition, when the carriage 114 moves in the direction of travel within the side member 106R, the pivot member 24 pivots to the right side about the pin 30, thereby moving the convex portion 24a to the rear side. The convex portion 24b moves forward (see FIG. 6C).

  At this time, the convex part 26b on the right side of the moving member 26 in contact with the convex part 24b is pressed forward, so that the moving member 26 resists the urging force of the spring 28 and moves forward. Moving.

  When the moving member 26 moves forward by the rotation of the rotating member 24, the hole 26 c provided in the moving member 26 is positioned on the hole 22 c provided in the guide portion 22 a of the fixed member 22. The hole 22c and the hole 26c communicate with each other. That is, the opening / closing shutter 20 is in an open state.

  Thereby, the discharge part 12a connected to the hole 26c is in a state of communicating with the outside of the open / close shutter 20.

Therefore, when the rotation member 24 is rotated to the right side, the opening / closing shutter 20 is opened, and the cleaning liquid can be discharged to the outside of the opening / closing shutter 20 from the discharge portion 12a connected to the hole 26c. Become.

  In the above configuration, when printing is performed in the inkjet printer 100, an area in which printing is performed under the control of the microcomputer 300 based on the input print data (that is, in this embodiment, the side member). In the area where the carriage 114 other than 106R is movable.), The carriage 114 is moved in the forward and backward directions in the main scanning direction, and the recording head 200 moves in the sub scanning direction from the ink head unit 116. Ink is ejected (see FIGS. 7A and 7B).

  When the carriage 114 moves in the main scanning direction in the main scanning direction, the rotating member 24 of the opening / closing shutter 20 and the dog member 50 do not come into contact with each other. The convex portion 24a on the left side of the rotating member 24 and the convex portion 26a on the left side of the moving member 26 come into contact with each other and the convex portion on the right side of the rotating member 24 is urged from the front side to the rear side. The portion 24b and the convex portion 26b on the right side of the moving member 26 are in contact with each other.

  That is, in the area where printing is performed, the opening / closing shutter 20 is closed, that is, the hole 22c provided in the fixed member 22 and the hole 26c provided in the moving member 26 are not in communication. (See FIG. 7 (c)).

  Furthermore, since the pump 64 is stopped, the electromagnetic valve 12b is closed.

  Therefore, the cleaning liquid is not supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, and the opening / closing shutter 20 is closed even if the cleaning liquid leaks from the discharge unit 12a of the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 due to malfunction or the like. Therefore, the cleaning liquid does not leak out of the open / close shutter 20.

That is, in the area where printing is performed, the pump 64 is stopped, the electromagnetic valve 12b is closed, and the open / close shutter 20 is closed, so that the cleaning liquid leaks to the outside of the open / close shutter 20. There is nothing.

  Further, the carriage 114 moves to a standby position in the side member 106R at a predetermined timing such as printing (see FIGS. 8A and 8B).

  At this standby position, the ink jet nozzles provided in the ink heads of the ink head unit 116 are protected by the cap 206 of the cap device 120.

  When the carriage 114 moves back in the side member 106R in the return direction, the dog member 50 provided at the lower end of the central wall 108 in the side member 106R (that is, a region where printing is not performed) The rotating member 24 of the opening / closing shutter 20 disposed at 114 comes into contact, and the rotating member 24 rotates to the left side.

  That is, the carriage 114 moves in the return direction in the main scanning direction from the area where printing is performed, and moves to the area where printing is not performed, so that the rotation member 24 of the opening / closing shutter 20 is provided at the left end portion of the dog member 50. The inclined member 50a comes into contact with the dog member 50, and the rotating member 24 rotates to the left side (the state shown in FIG. 6A).

  When the rotation member 24 of the opening / closing shutter 20 is rotated to the left side, the convex portion 24a provided on the left side of the rotation member 24 is moved forward from the convex portion 26a provided on the left side of the moving member 26. The moving member 26 is moved from the rear side to the front side against the urging force of the spring 26.

  Thereby, in the opening / closing shutter 20, the hole 22 c provided in the fixed member 22 and the hole 26 c provided in the moving member 26 communicate with each other, and the discharge portion 12 a connected to the hole 26 c communicates with the outside of the opening / closing shutter 20. (See FIG. 8C).

For this reason, in the side member 106R, that is, in an area where printing is not performed, the open / close shutter 20 is opened, and the cleaning liquid can be discharged from the discharge section 12a of the cleaning liquid supply section 12.

  When wiping the ink jet nozzle surfaces of the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c with the wiper device 118, the carriage 114 and the wiper device 118 are connected with the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c with the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c. It is necessary to have a positional relationship in which each nozzle surface can be wiped.

  That is, when wiping the ink jet nozzle surface of each ink head, the wiper device 118 is moved to move the wipers 208a, 208b, 208c on the movement path of the ink head unit 116, and the carriage 114 is moved to move the ink. The heads 120a, 120b, and 120c are positioned to face the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c, respectively. The positions where the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c and the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c face each other are stored in the microcomputer 300 in advance.

  At this time, when the carriage 114 moves, the detection unit 40b of the linear encoder 40 outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the amount of movement when the carriage 114 moves.

  In the microcomputer 300, the movement of the carriage 114 is controlled based on the output pulse signal, and the wipers 208a, 208b, 208c and the ink heads 120a, 120b moved along the movement path of the ink head unit 116. , 120c, the carriage 114 is moved to a position facing each other, and the carriage 114 is stopped at the position.

  Thereby, the carriage 114 can be stopped at an appropriate position.

  As a technique for stopping the carriage 114 at a predetermined position by the linear encoder 40, for example, a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-103135 is used. It will be omitted.

Thereafter, the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c are brought into contact with the inkjet nozzle surface, and the wiper device 118 is moved in the sub-scanning direction to wipe each inkjet nozzle surface.

  Further, when supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 to the cleaning liquid tank 210 of the wiper device 118, the carriage 114 and the wiper device 118 are in a positional relationship in which the cleaning liquid can be supplied to the cleaning liquid tank 210 by the cleaning liquid supply unit 12. There is a need.

  That is, when supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 to the cleaning liquid tank 210, the wiper device 118 is moved to move the cleaning liquid tank 210 on the moving path of the ink head unit 116, and the carriage 114 is moved to open and close. The hole 22c of the shutter 20 is positioned above the cleaning liquid tank 210. The position of the hole 22c of the opening / closing shutter 20 positioned above the cleaning liquid tank 210 is stored in the microcomputer 300 in advance.

  At this time, when the carriage 114 moves, the detection unit 40b of the linear encoder 40 outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the amount of movement when the carriage 114 moves.

  In the microcomputer 300, the movement of the carriage 114 is controlled based on the output pulse signal, and the opening of the opening / closing shutter 20 is located above the cleaning liquid tank 210 moved on the movement path of the ink head unit 116. The carriage 114 is moved to a position where the position 22c is located, and the carriage 114 is stopped at the position.

  Thereby, the carriage 114 can be stopped at an appropriate position.

  Thereafter, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 to the cleaning liquid tank 210. At this time, the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c cannot be brought into contact with the ink jet nozzle surfaces of the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c (specifically, the state shown in FIG. 2A). The

  At this time, the wiper device 118 is moved to move the cleaning liquid tank 210 on the moving path of the ink head unit 116, and the carriage 114 is moved so that the hole 22 c of the open / close shutter 20 is located above the cleaning liquid tank 210. Then, the electromagnetic valve 12b is opened by the microcomputer 300 and the pump 64 is driven.

  When a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, the microcomputer 300 stops driving the pump 64 and closes the electromagnetic valve 12b.

  In the microcomputer 300, the supply amount of the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 when the pump 64 rotates once is stored.

Therefore, the microcomputer 300 can calculate the amount of the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 based on the counted number of rotations of the pump 64 and the supply amount of the cleaning liquid per one rotation of the pump 64.

  Further, when capping the ink jet nozzles of the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c with the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c of the cap device 120, the carriage 114 and the cap device 120 are connected to each other with the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c. It is necessary to have a positional relationship capable of capping the inkjet nozzles 120b and 120c.

  That is, when capping the ink jet nozzles of the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c by the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c, the carriage 114 is moved so that the ink jet nozzles of the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c become the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c. The positions should be opposed to each other. The positions at which the ink jet nozzles of the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c face the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c are stored in the microcomputer 300 in advance.

  At this time, when the carriage 114 moves, the detection unit 40b of the linear encoder 40 outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the amount of movement when the carriage 114 moves.

  In the microcomputer 300, the movement of the carriage 114 is controlled based on the output pulse signal, and the carriage is moved to a position where the inkjet nozzles of the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c face the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c, respectively. 114 is moved, and the carriage 114 is stopped at the position.

  Thereby, the carriage 114 can be stopped at an appropriate position.

After that, the base member 205 is raised and the inkjet nozzles of the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c are brought into contact with the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c to protect the inkjet nozzles.

  Furthermore, when supplying the cleaning liquid to the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c by the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, the carriage 114 and the cap device 120 can be connected to the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c by the cleaning liquid supply unit 12. It needs to be related.

  That is, when the cleaning liquid is supplied to the caps 206a, 206b, and 206c by the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, the following is performed.

  First, when supplying the cleaning liquid to the cap 206a by the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, the carriage 114 is moved so that the hole 22c of the open / close shutter 20 is positioned opposite the cap 206a. The position where the hole 22c of the opening / closing shutter 20 faces the cap 206a is stored in the microcomputer 300 in advance.

  At this time, when the carriage 114 moves, the detection unit 40b of the linear encoder 40 outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the amount of movement when the carriage 114 moves.

  In the microcomputer 300, the movement of the carriage 114 is controlled based on the output pulse signal, and the carriage 114 is moved to a position where the hole 22c of the opening / closing shutter 20 faces the cap 206a. 114 is stopped.

  As a result, the carriage 114 stops at an appropriate position.

  Thereafter, the opening / closing shutter 20 is opened, and the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 to the cap 206a.

  At this time, the carriage 114 is moved so that the hole 22c of the opening / closing shutter 20 faces the cap 206a, and then the electromagnetic valve 12b is opened by the microcomputer 300 and the pump 64 is driven.

  When a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, the microcomputer 300 stops driving the pump 64 and closes the electromagnetic valve 12b.

  In the microcomputer 300, the supply amount of the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 when the pump 64 rotates once is stored.

Therefore, the microcomputer 300 can calculate the amount of the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 based on the counted number of rotations of the pump 64 and the supply amount of the cleaning liquid per one rotation of the pump 64.

  Next, when the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cap 206b by the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, the carriage 114 is moved so that the hole 22c of the open / close shutter 20 is positioned opposite the cap 206b. The position where the hole 22c of the opening / closing shutter 20 faces the cap 206b is stored in the microcomputer 300 in advance.

  At this time, when the carriage 114 moves, the detection unit 40b of the linear encoder 40 outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the amount of movement when the carriage 114 moves.

  In the microcomputer 300, the movement of the carriage 114 is controlled based on the output pulse signal, and the carriage 114 is moved to a position where the hole 22c of the opening / closing shutter 20 faces the cap 206b. 114 is stopped.

  As a result, the carriage 114 stops at an appropriate position.

  Thereafter, the opening / closing shutter 20 is opened, and the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 to the cap 206b.

  At this time, the carriage 114 is moved so that the hole 22c of the opening / closing shutter 20 faces the cap 206a, and then the electromagnetic valve 12b is opened by the microcomputer 300 and the pump 64 is driven.

  When a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, the microcomputer 300 stops driving the pump 64 and closes the electromagnetic valve 12b.

  In the microcomputer 300, the supply amount of the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 when the pump 64 rotates once is stored.

Therefore, the microcomputer 300 can calculate the amount of the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 based on the counted number of rotations of the pump 64 and the supply amount of the cleaning liquid per one rotation of the pump 64.

  Further, when supplying the cleaning liquid to the cap 206c by the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, the carriage 114 is moved so that the hole 22c of the open / close shutter 20 is positioned opposite the cap 206c. The position where the hole 22c of the opening / closing shutter 20 faces the cap 206c is stored in the microcomputer 300 in advance.

  At this time, when the carriage 114 moves, the detection unit 40b of the linear encoder 40 outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the amount of movement when the carriage 114 moves.

  In the microcomputer 300, the movement of the carriage 114 is controlled based on the output pulse signal, and the carriage 114 is moved to a position where the hole 22c of the opening / closing shutter 20 faces the cap 206c. 114 is stopped.

  As a result, the carriage 114 stops at an appropriate position.

  Thereafter, the opening / closing shutter 20 is opened, and the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 to the cap 206c.

  At this time, the carriage 114 is moved so that the hole 22c of the opening / closing shutter 20 faces the cap 206c, and then the electromagnetic valve 12b is opened by the microcomputer 300 and the pump 64 is driven.

  When a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, the microcomputer 300 stops driving the pump 64 and closes the electromagnetic valve 12b.

  In the microcomputer 300, the supply amount of the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 when the pump 64 rotates once is stored.

Therefore, the microcomputer 300 can calculate the amount of the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 based on the counted number of rotations of the pump 64 and the supply amount of the cleaning liquid per one rotation of the pump 64.

  In the side member 106R, when moving the carriage 114 in the direction of travel, that is, from the right side to the left side, the carriage 114 is moved to the right end in the return direction, and then the carriage 114 is moved in the direction of travel. Move.

  Thereby, the rotation member 24 of the opening / closing shutter 20 comes into contact with the dog member 50 from the inclined portion 50b provided at the right end of the dog member 50, and the rotation member 24 rotates to the right side (FIG. 6). This is the state shown in (c).)

  Even when the rotating member 24 is rotated to the right side, the hole 22c and the hole 26c are in communication with each other. Therefore, the open / close shutter 20 is opened, and the cleaning liquid is supplied from the discharge section 12a of the cleaning liquid supply section 12. Can be discharged.

  Accordingly, in the side member 106R (an area where printing is not performed), the carriage 114 is appropriately moved under the control of the microcomputer 300, and the rotating member 24 of the open / close shutter 20 is moved to the left side or the right side. By rotating, the hole 22c and the hole 26c communicate with each other.

In this state, the wiping of the inkjet nozzle surface by the wiper device 118 described above, the supply of the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid tank 210 of the wiper device 118, the protection of the inkjet nozzle by the cap device 120, the caps 206a, 206b, 206c of the cap device 120 to Processing such as supply of cleaning liquid may be performed.

  As described above, the ink jet printer 100 having the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention has a dog member at the lower end portion of the central wall 108 in which the guide rail 110 for guiding the carriage 114 is disposed in the side member 106R. 50 was provided.

  In addition, the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 is provided on the carriage 114 on which the ink head unit 116 is mounted, and the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 is provided with the opening / closing shutter 20 in the discharge unit 12a that discharges the cleaning liquid.

  The opening / closing shutter 20 moves the moving member 26 by rotating the rotating member 24 by bringing the rotating member 24 into contact with the dog member 50 in the side member 106R, that is, in an area where printing is not performed. Thus, the hole 26 formed in the moving member 26 and connected to the discharge unit 12a of the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 and the hole 22c formed in the fixing member 22 are communicated, that is, opened.

  Further, outside the side member 106R, that is, in a region where printing is performed, the rotating member 24 does not rotate, and the moving member 26 is positioned on the rear side by the biasing force of the spring 28. The hole 26c formed in the moving member 26 and connected to the discharge part 12a of the cleaning liquid supply part 12 is not in communication with the hole 22 formed in the fixing member 22, that is, in a closed state.

  Therefore, in the inkjet printer 100 having the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention, the opening / closing shutter 20 is closed in the area where printing is performed, so that the cleaning liquid does not leak from the carriage 114.

  Further, since the open / close shutter 20 is in an open state in a region where printing is not performed, the cleaning liquid can be supplied from the discharge section 12a of the cleaning liquid supply section 12, and the cleaning provided in the side member 106R. The cleaning liquid can be supplied to the unit 118.

  Therefore, according to the ink jet printer 100 having the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention, the cleaning liquid can be supplied in an area where printing is not performed, and liquid leakage or the like may occur in an area where printing is performed. Therefore, the printing result does not cause a problem due to the cleaning liquid.

Further, according to the ink jet printer 100 provided with the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention, since the cleaning liquid cannot be supplied in the printing region, there is no possibility of causing a problem in the printing result due to erroneous supply of the cleaning liquid. .

  In addition, the inkjet printer 100 having the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention has a main scale portion 40a disposed at the upper end portion of the central wall, and a light source, a lens, and a light receiving element are disposed on the carriage 114 with the main scale portion 40a interposed therebetween. The detection unit 40b provided is arranged to constitute the linear encoder 40.

Thereby, in the inkjet printer 100 having the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention, the movement amount of the carriage 114 can be acquired, and the carriage 114 can be accurately stopped at a predetermined position.

  Further, the ink jet printer 100 having the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention includes an electromagnetic wave that controls the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 to supply the discharge unit 12a that discharges the cleaning liquid and the discharge unit 12a of the cleaning liquid sent from the cleaning liquid tank 14. And the valve 12b.

  The electromagnetic valve 12b is opened when the pump 64 serving as a drive source for sending the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 14 is driven, and the electromagnetic valve 12b is closed when the pump 64 is stopped.

  For this reason, in the inkjet printer 100 having the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention, the supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 can be controlled by the pump 64 and the electromagnetic valve 12b, and the cleaning liquid leaks from the discharge unit 12a. Disappears.

Even if there is a liquid leak from the discharge unit 12a, the opening / closing shutter 20 is closed in the area where printing is performed, so that the printing result does not cause a problem due to the cleaning liquid.

  Furthermore, the inkjet printer 100 provided with the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention calculates the supply amount of the cleaning liquid based on the rotation amount of the pump 64.

Thereby, the inkjet printer 100 provided with the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to the present invention can accurately supply the amount of the cleaning liquid to be supplied.

  The embodiment described above may be modified as shown in the following (1) to (11).

  (1) In the above-described embodiment, the ink heads 120a, 120b, and 120c are mounted on the carriage 114. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Two may be sufficient and four or more may be sufficient.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, in the inkjet printer 100, the side member 106R is set as a region where printing is not performed, and the side member 106R is set as a region where printing is performed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, a region where printing is not performed may be provided in the side member 106L.

  At this time, the wiper device 118 and the cap device 120 are disposed in the side member 106L.

  Moreover, you may make it provide the area | region where printing is not performed in both the side members 106L and 106R.

  At this time, the wiper device 118 and the cap device 120 are disposed on at least one of the side members 106L and 106R.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, the wiper device 118 and the cap device 120 are provided separately in the side member 106R. However, the wiper device 118 and the cap device 120 are not limited to this. A unit in which the device 118 and the cap device 120 are integrally provided may be provided.

  (4) In the above-described embodiment, the cap device 120 is disposed on the fixed system member in the side member 106R. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cap device 120 The device 120 may be configured to be movable in the sub-scanning direction like the wiper device 118.

  (5) In the above-described embodiment, the diameter of the hole 22c provided in the fixing member 22 of the opening / closing shutter 20 and the diameter of the hole 26c provided in the moving member 26 are substantially matched. Needless to say, the diameter of the hole 26c may be increased.

  (6) In the above-described embodiment, in the opening / closing shutter 20, the moving member 26 moves in the sub-scanning direction by the rotating member 24 and the spring 28, and the hole 22 c provided in the fixed member 22 and the moving member Although the hole 26 provided in the hole 26 is in a communication state or is not in a communication state, the configuration of the opening / closing shutter 20 is not limited to this.

  In other words, the opening / closing shutter 20 is configured such that when a predetermined member comes into contact with the dog member 50, the discharge part 12a of the cleaning liquid supply part 12 is opened and the cleaning liquid can be discharged from the discharge part 12a. Any configuration may be used.

  (7) In the above-described embodiment, the dog member 50 is provided in an area where printing is not performed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the area where the wiper device 118 is provided. The dog member 50 may be provided only in a region where the cap device 120 is disposed or only in a region where the wiper device 118 and the cap device 120 are disposed.

  (8) In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning liquid tank 210 is provided in the wiper device 118, and the wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c are cleaned by being immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank 210. Of course, the configuration is not limited to this, and a waste liquid tank is provided below the wipers 208a, 208b, 208c, and the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 supplies the cleaning liquid to each of the wipers 208a, 208b, 208c. The wipers 208a, 208b, and 208c may be cleaned by supplying them.

  (9) In the above embodiment, the control of the open state and the closed state of the electromagnetic valve 12b is performed in synchronization with the control of the pump 64, but it is of course not limited to this. is there.

  That is, when supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12, the pump 64 may be driven after the electromagnetic valve 12b is opened.

  Further, when the supply of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply unit 12 is stopped, the electromagnetic valve 12b may be closed after the driving of the pump 64 is stopped.

  (10) In the above-described embodiment, the linear encoder 40 is provided, and a pulse signal corresponding to the amount of movement of the carriage 114 is output from the linear encoder 40, whereby the position of the carriage 114 is detected. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this.

  That is, as a means for detecting the position of the carriage 114, various position-detectable encoders such as a rotary encoder may be provided instead of the linear encoder 40.

  (11) The above-described embodiment and the modifications shown in (1) to (10) may be combined as appropriate.

  The present invention is suitable for use in an ink jet printer.

  12 Cleaning liquid supply unit, 12b Solenoid valve, 14 Cleaning liquid tank, 20 Open / close shutter, 22 Fixed member, 22c, 26c Hole, 24 Rotating member, 26 Moving member, 28 Spring, 30 pin, 40 Linear encoder, 50 Dog member, 62 Tube, 64 pump

Claims (6)

A cap device that protects an ink jet nozzle of an ink head that discharges predetermined ink onto a medium by an ink jet method, and a wiper device that wipes the ink jet nozzle surface of the ink head, and a cleaning liquid tank that stores a cleaning liquid for cleaning the wiper In the cleaning liquid supply mechanism that supplies the cleaning liquid to
Moving means in which the ink head is disposed so that the cap device and the wiper device are positioned on a movement path of the ink head while moving in the main scanning direction;
An encoder for detecting the amount of movement of the moving means;
A cleaning liquid supply means that is disposed in the moving means and supplies the cleaning liquid delivered from the cleaning liquid reservoir to the cap device and the cleaning liquid tank;
A cleaning liquid discharge unit in the cleaning liquid supply unit is connected to the moving unit, enables the cleaning liquid to be discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge unit in the open state, and discharges the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid discharge unit in the closed state. Opening and closing means to make impossible,
A state in which the cap device and the wiper device are disposed in the vicinity of the cap device, and abutment with the opening / closing means when the moving means moves, and a state in which the cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge portion with the opening / closing means open. An engaging member,
A cleaning liquid supply mechanism, comprising: a control unit configured to control the moving unit to stop at a predetermined position based on a movement amount detected by the encoder. In the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to claim 1,
The cleaning liquid supply means includes an electromagnetic valve that controls supply of the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid discharge unit,
The control means opens the electromagnetic valve when a pump for sending the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid reservoir to the cleaning liquid supply means is driven, and closes the electromagnetic valve when the pump stops driving. A cleaning liquid supply mechanism. The cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to claim 2,
The control means calculates the amount of cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply means based on the number of revolutions of the pump, and when the cleaning liquid amount reaches a predetermined amount, stops the driving of the pump and the electromagnetic valve A cleaning liquid supply mechanism characterized in that is closed. In the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to any one of claims 1, 2, or 3,
The opening / closing means includes
A fixing member formed in a fixed manner on the moving means, the first hole being formed;
A rotating member that is capable of contacting the engaging member and is rotatably disposed on the fixed member;
A moving member formed with a second hole and movably arranged in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction by rotation of the rotating member in the fixing member;
A biasing member disposed on the fixed member and biasing the moving member in a first direction in a sub-scanning direction;
When the engaging member and the rotating member come into contact with each other, the rotating member rotates, and the moving member moves in the second direction in the sub-scanning direction against the urging force of the urging member. Thus, the first hole and the second hole communicate with each other, and the opening / closing means is opened to enable the discharge of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid discharge section. The cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to claim 4,
The moving member is guided in the sub-scanning direction by a guide portion formed on the fixed member,
The rotating member has a first convex portion formed in the first direction in the main scanning direction and a second convex portion formed in the second direction in the main scanning direction,
The moving member has a third convex portion formed in the first direction in the main scanning direction and a fourth convex portion formed in the second direction in the main scanning direction,
When the moving member is urged by the urging member in the first direction in the sub-scanning direction, the first convex portion of the rotating member and the third convex portion of the moving member abut. And the second convex portion of the rotating member and the fourth convex portion of the moving member abut,
When the rotating member rotates and the moving member moves in the second direction in the sub-scanning direction against the urging force of the urging member, the first convex portion of the rotating member is The third convex portion of the moving member is pressed, and the fourth convex portion of the moving member is separated from the second convex portion of the rotating member, or the first convex portion of the rotating member is separated. A cleaning liquid supply mechanism, wherein a convex portion is separated from the third convex portion of the moving member, and the second convex portion of the rotating member presses the fourth convex portion of the moving member. In the cleaning liquid supply mechanism according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5,
The engagement member is provided in a region where printing by the ink head is not performed.

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