JP2015086036A - Belt cleaning device and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a belt cleaning device which lowers the concentration of contamination of a cleaning fluid to a predetermined concentration or lower.SOLUTION: A belt cleaning device cleans a surface of a conveyor belt with a cleaning fluid and includes: a cleaning member which rotatably contacts with the surface and cleans the surface with the cleaning fluid; a cleaning fluid storage part which stores the cleaning fluid; and a partition part which protrudes from a bottom part of the cleaning fluid storage part and separates the cleaning fluid storage part into a cleaning region where a part of the cleaning member is immersed in the cleaning fluid and a discharge region where the cleaning fluid is discharged. A distance between the cleaning member and the partition part gradually is reduced toward an upper end of the partition part.

Description

The present invention relates to a belt cleaning device that cleans a transport belt that transports an object to be transported and a recording apparatus including the belt cleaning device.
In the present application, the recording apparatus includes types such as an ink jet printer, a line printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, inkjet recording apparatuses are widely used as apparatuses for recording high-definition images on recording media such as paper and fabric. In particular, when the recording medium is long, a belt conveyance device including an endless conveyance belt is used to convey the recording medium in close contact with the conveyance belt.

  Also, this recording apparatus may perform so-called borderless recording. At this time, ink ejected from the recording head may adhere to the conveyance belt. Further, ink may adhere to the transport belt even when the recording medium is mis-fed or when the recording medium is thin. For this reason, if the ink is left attached to the transport belt, the newly sent recording medium may be soiled by the attached ink.

  In addition, depending on the type of recording medium to be recorded in this recording apparatus, foreign matters such as paper dust, lint, and pretreatment material may adhere to the surface of the conveyor belt. For this reason, if the foreign matter adhering to the conveyance belt is left unattended, it will adhere to the back side of the newly sent recording medium and deteriorate the product quality, and it will affect the friction between the conveyance belt and the recording medium. This may make the conveyance of the recording medium unstable.

  For this reason, there is a recording apparatus including a belt cleaning device that cleans the transport belt in order to remove ink, foreign matters, and the like attached to the transport belt (Patent Document 1).

  The belt cleaning device in this recording apparatus is located below the conveying belt wound around the driving roller and the driven roller, and along the moving direction of the conveying belt, the watering pipe, brush roller, scraping blade, liquid absorbing Rollers are provided in order. The sprinkling pipe injects the cleaning liquid onto the opposite part of the surface of the conveyor belt.

  Each of the brush roller and the liquid absorbing roller is configured to be rotatable in the same direction as the moving direction. Furthermore, a part of each roller is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid storage part. The scraping blade is disposed at a position between the brush roller and the liquid absorption roller so as to scrape foreign matter or the like attached to the surface of the transport belt.

  The brush roller and the scraping blade remove dirt from the surface of the transport belt by scraping off the cleaning liquid sprayed from the sprinkling pipe and adhering to the surface of the transport belt. At this time, the removed cleaning liquid is stored in a cleaning liquid storage section in which a part of the brush roller is stored.

  Further, the cleaning liquid storage unit is configured to maintain a predetermined liquid level so that a part of the brush roller is immersed. That is, in this belt cleaning apparatus, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply pipe in order to keep the liquid level of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid reservoir in a predetermined liquid level. The supply port of this cleaning liquid supply pipe is located above the liquid level of the cleaning liquid, and supplies a new cleaning liquid that is not contaminated from above the liquid level to the cleaning liquid reservoir. The cleaning liquid reservoir is provided with an overflow pipe, and when the liquid level of the cleaning liquid exceeds a predetermined liquid level, the cleaning liquid overflows and is discharged from the cleaning liquid storage section through the overflow pipe.

JP 2012-116617 A

  By the way, in this cleaning liquid reservoir, the cleaning liquid is supplied and discharged in the vicinity of the liquid level of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid reservoir, so that the cleaning liquid that has become dirty by cleaning the conveyor belt, foreign matter removed from the conveyor belt, etc. Will not be discharged from the overflow pipe and will settle to the bottom of the cleaning liquid reservoir.

As a result, this belt cleaning device cannot positively discharge dirt or foreign matter that has settled at the bottom of the cleaning liquid reservoir. The conveyor belt will be washed. As a result, the cleaning performance of the belt cleaning device to the conveyor belt is lowered.
Further, when the brush roller is rotated, the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid reservoir is scraped up by the brush roller. At this time, the deposited dirt and foreign matter are stirred in the cleaning liquid reservoir, and a part of the dirt adheres to the brush roller. As a result, there is a possibility that the contaminated cleaning liquid or foreign matter may adhere again to the transport belt. For this reason, there is a possibility of deteriorating the cleaning efficiency of the conveyor belt.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a belt cleaning device that can reduce the contamination of the cleaning liquid to a predetermined concentration or improve the cleaning efficiency of the conveyor belt. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, a belt cleaning apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a belt cleaning apparatus that cleans the surface of a conveyor belt with a cleaning liquid, wherein the belt cleaning apparatus is rotatably contacted with the surface, and the surface is cleaned with the cleaning liquid. A cleaning member for cleaning with, a cleaning liquid storage unit for storing the cleaning liquid, a cleaning region protruding from the bottom of the cleaning liquid storage unit, and a part of the cleaning member immersed in the cleaning liquid, And a partition part that separates into a discharge region for discharging the cleaning liquid, wherein a distance between the cleaning member and the partition part gradually decreases toward an upper end of the partition part.

  According to this aspect, since the distance between the cleaning member and the partition portion gradually decreases toward the upper end of the partition portion, the cleaning liquid supplied to the cleaning region is formed by the cleaning member and the partition portion. Overflows the upper end of the partition. For this reason, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid increases when the cleaning liquid passes through the gradually narrowing flow path. As a result, the overflowing cleaning liquid moves to the discharge area while washing away the dirt on the cleaning member. Therefore, the contamination of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning region can be reduced to a predetermined concentration or less, and the cleaning efficiency by the cleaning member of the conveyor belt can be improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the upper end of the partition portion is located below a rotation axis of the cleaning member.

  According to this aspect, since the upper end of the partition portion is located below the rotation shaft of the cleaning member, the position where the cleaning liquid overflows the upper end is also located below the rotation shaft. Therefore, the cleaning liquid in a state where the flow rate of the cleaning liquid between the partition portion and the cleaning member is increased can be discharged to the discharge region.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the third aspect includes a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning region, and the cleaning liquid supply unit supplies at least a part of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning region. It supplies below the liquid level of the said washing | cleaning liquid prescribed | regulated by the upper end of the said partition part.

  According to this aspect, since the cleaning liquid supply unit supplies at least a part of the cleaning liquid below the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning region is caused to convect and the cleaning liquid becomes dirty. To make uniform. Further, the dirt accumulated at the bottom of the cleaning area in the flow path of the cleaning liquid can be rolled up on the liquid surface and discharged from the cleaning area) by the flow of the cleaning liquid overflowing the upper end of the partition. As a result, the concentration of dirt of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning region can be set to a predetermined concentration or less.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the rotation direction of the cleaning member is opposite to the traveling direction of the transport belt.
According to this aspect, by rotating the cleaning member in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the transport belt, the relative speed between the transport belt and the cleaning member can be increased, and the cleaning member with respect to the transport belt can be increased. Cleaning efficiency can be improved.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect, the distance between the partition portion and the cleaning member in the traveling direction of the conveyor belt is the cleaning liquid on the side where the cleaning liquid supply unit is provided. It is smaller than the distance between the side wall of a storage part and the said cleaning member, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to this aspect, the distance between the partition part and the cleaning member in the transport direction of the transport belt is set between the cleaning member and the side wall of the cleaning liquid storage part on the side where the cleaning liquid supply part is provided. By making the distance smaller than the distance, the pressure and flow velocity of the cleaning liquid between the partition part and the cleaning member can be made higher than the distance between the side wall of the cleaning liquid storage part and the cleaning member. As a result, the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning member in the vicinity of the cleaning liquid discharger can be improved.

  In the belt cleaning device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the third to sixth aspects, the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit to the cleaning region is supplied to the cleaning liquid supply unit. A guide member for guiding toward the bottom of the region is provided.

According to this aspect, since the guide member guides the cleaning liquid supplied to the cleaning area toward the bottom of the cleaning area, the dirt or the like accumulated at the bottom of the cleaning area can be pushed away toward the cleaning liquid discharge section. it can. Furthermore, since a new cleaning liquid that is not contaminated in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning area is supplied, the concentration of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning area can be reduced. Therefore, the cleaning member can clean the conveyor belt with a cleaning liquid within a range in which the concentration of dirt is acceptable, and the cleaning efficiency can be improved.
Further, according to this aspect, the concentration of dirt of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning area can be set to a predetermined concentration or less, and dirt, foreign matter, and the like precipitated in the cleaning area can be discharged from the cleaning area. .

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, the bottom of the cleaning region is provided with a plurality of grooves extending from the cleaning liquid supply section toward the partition section.

  According to this aspect, since the plurality of grooves extending from the cleaning liquid supply section toward the partition section are provided, the dirt accumulated in the bottom portion by guiding the cleaning liquid supplied to the cleaning area through the grooves. Or the like can be swept away to the liquid discharge area, and the discharge of the dirt can be promoted.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the sixth or seventh aspect, the guide member is formed as a plate-like member, and the guide member is a direction in which the cleaning liquid flows from the cleaning liquid supply unit toward the partition unit. It is extended in the direction which crosses.

According to this aspect, since the guide member extends in a direction that intersects the direction in which the cleaning liquid flows from the cleaning liquid supply unit toward the partition, the diffusion of the cleaning liquid in the intersecting direction is performed. Can do. Therefore, the cleaning liquid can be supplied uniformly over the entire bottom of the cleaning region. Furthermore, the flow of the cleaning liquid can be made uniform in the intersecting direction, and it is possible to reduce the remaining of dirt and the like locally in the cleaning area.
The “plate-like member” in the present embodiment is not limited to a flat plate, but includes a concave plate, a convex plate, a corrugated plate, and the like.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect, the guide member includes a plurality of guide strips that gradually increase a distance from each other in the intersecting direction from the cleaning liquid supply unit.

  According to this aspect, since the plurality of guide strips that gradually increase the mutual distance are provided in the intersecting direction, the guide strip is supplied when the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply section to the guide member. The cleaning liquid can be diffused in the intersecting direction along the line to make the flow of the cleaning liquid uniform in the intersecting direction.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth or ninth aspect, the guide member includes a plurality of guide grooves that gradually increase a distance from each other in the intersecting direction from the cleaning liquid supply unit. And

  According to this aspect, since the plurality of guide grooves that gradually increase the distance from each other are provided in the intersecting direction, the guide grooves are supplied when the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit to the guide member. The cleaning liquid can be diffused in the intersecting direction along the line to make the flow of the cleaning liquid uniform in the intersecting direction.

  A recording apparatus according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording medium that is a conveyance object on the conveyance belt, and a conveyance unit that includes a conveyance belt that conveys the conveyance object. And a belt cleaning device according to any one of the first to tenth aspects.

  According to this aspect, the same effect as that of any one of the first to tenth aspects can be obtained in the recording apparatus.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a recording apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a side sectional view of a belt cleaning apparatus according to a first embodiment. The top view of the belt washing | cleaning apparatus which concerns on a 1st Example. The sectional side view which shows the bottom part in the belt cleaning apparatus which concerns on a 2nd Example. The sectional side view which shows the guide member in the belt cleaning apparatus which concerns on a 3rd Example.

  In the XYZ coordinate system shown in each figure, the X direction indicates the conveyance direction of the recording medium, the Y direction indicates the carriage scanning direction, and the Z direction indicates the apparatus height direction.

  The overall configuration of the recording apparatus 10 will be outlined below with reference to FIG. The recording apparatus 10 includes a sending unit 12, a recording unit 14, a belt conveyance unit 16, a belt cleaning device 18, a drying unit 20, a winding unit 22, and a control unit 24.

  The sending unit 12 includes a recording medium support shaft 26, a first roller 28, a second roller 30, and a third roller 32. A recording medium P as a “conveyed medium” is wound around the recording medium support shaft 26 in a roll shape. Further, the sending unit 12 is provided with a rotation drive unit 34 that drives the recording medium P wound around the recording medium support shaft 26 to rotate toward the first roller 28. The first roller 28, the second roller 30, and the third roller 32 are rotatably provided on the apparatus main body 36.

  The recording medium P is pulled out from the recording medium support shaft 26 around which the recording medium P is wound by the rotation drive unit 34, and a belt described later via the first roller 28, the second roller 30, and the third roller 32. It is conveyed to the conveyance unit 16.

  The recording unit 14 is provided with a carriage guide shaft 38 extending in the Y-axis direction in FIG. 1 (the front and back direction in FIG. 1). The carriage guide shaft 38 is passed through the carriage 40. The carriage 40 is displaced in the Y-axis direction in FIG. 1 along the carriage guide shaft 38 by a carriage motor 42 and a driving mechanism (not shown). The carriage 40 is provided with a recording head 44 that ejects ink toward the recording medium P. A guide plate 46 is provided below the recording head 44 at a predetermined interval at a position facing the recording head 44.

  The belt conveyance unit 16 is disposed on the downstream side of the third roller 32 in the conveyance path of the recording medium P. The belt conveyance unit 16 includes a conveyance driving roller 48, a conveyance driven roller 50, a conveyance belt 52, and a pressing roller 54. The transport driven roller 50 is disposed on the downstream side of the third roller 32 in the transport path, and the transport drive roller 48 is disposed on the downstream side of the transport path of the transport driven roller 50. The transport driving roller 48 is rotationally driven by a driving motor 56. A transport belt 52 is wound around the transport drive roller 48 and the transport driven roller 50.

  Further, the conveyance belt 52 wound around the conveyance driving roller 48 and the conveyance driven roller 50 includes an upper winding portion 52a positioned on the upper side in the Z-axis direction in FIG. 1 and a lower winding portion 52b positioned on the lower side. And. In the present embodiment, the upper winding portion 52a moves from the conveyance driven roller 50 toward the conveyance driving roller 48, and the lower winding portion 52b moves from the conveyance driving roller 48 toward the conveyance driven roller 50. Has been. That is, the transport driving roller rotates counterclockwise in FIG.

  Further, the upper winding portion 52a is positioned so as to pass between the recording head 44 and the guide plate 46 in the Z-axis direction. The upper winding portion 52 a is sandwiched between the transport driven roller 50 and the pressing roller 54. The pressing roller 54 is rotatably disposed at the tip of a support arm 57 that is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 36. For this reason, the recording medium P conveyed from the third roller 32 is pressed against the upper winding portion 52a by the pressing roller 54, and is conveyed to the recording unit 14 by the upper winding portion 52a.

  In the recording unit 14, the recording medium P faces the recording head 44. The recording head 44 ejects ink toward the recording medium P and executes recording (printing). The recording medium P on which the recording has been performed is then transported by the transport driving roller 48 to the downstream side of the recording unit 14. Further, the lower winding portion 52b is positioned above a belt cleaning device 18 to be described later, and ink, foreign matter, etc. adhering to the conveying belt 52 are cleaned by the belt cleaning device 18.

  The drying unit 20 is disposed on the downstream side of the transport driving roller 48 in the transport path. The drying unit 20 includes a fourth roller 58, a heater 60, and a heat radiating plate 62. The fourth roller 58 is located on the downstream side of the transport driving roller 48, pulls away the recording medium P adhered to the upper winding portion 52 a, and guides the recording medium P toward the heat radiating plate 62.

  The heat radiating plate 62 has an arc-shaped heat radiating surface 62a. A heater 60 is provided inside the heat radiating surface 62a. The recording medium P is conveyed from the belt conveyance unit 16 to the upper end of the heat radiation surface 62a of the heat radiation plate 62 via the fourth roller 58, and is conveyed along the heat radiation surface 62a. In addition, when the thickness of the recording medium P is a thickness that does not allow the ink to reverse, the recording medium P is wound around the winding unit 22 via the drying unit 20 as it is.

  Further, when the thickness of the recording medium P is such that the ink is set off, the sheet R is supplied so as to overlap the recording medium P between the fourth roller 58 and the heat dissipation plate 62 in the transport path. The The slip sheet R is wound around a slip sheet roller 64 as shown in FIG. The interleaf R is drawn out from the interleaf roller 64 and is supplied via the fifth roller 66 between the fourth roller 58 and the heat radiating plate 62 in the conveyance path.

  The recording medium P is continuously heated by the heater 60 while being conveyed along the heat radiation surface 62 a of the heat radiation plate 62. By this heating, the solvent (moisture) of the ink soaked into the recording medium P evaporates, and the ink is fixed to the cloth that is the recording medium.

  The winding unit 22 includes a recording medium winding shaft 68, a tension roller 70, and a rotation drive unit 72. The recording medium take-up shaft 68 is driven to rotate by the rotation drive unit 72 and takes up the recording medium P that has been dried in the drying unit 20. The tension roller 70 is rotatably provided at the tip of a support arm 74 that is rotatably attached to the apparatus main body 36.

  The tension roller 70 is in contact with the recording medium winding shaft 68 while being rotated corresponding to the recording medium P. The tension roller 70 urges the recording medium P downward in the Z-axis direction by its own weight. For this reason, the recording medium P is wound around the recording medium winding shaft 68 in a state where an appropriate tension is applied by the tension roller 70, that is, to be wound up. When the slip sheet R is overlapped with the recording medium P, the tension roller 70 contacts the overlap sheet R side of the overlapped recording medium P and slip sheet R. Further, the interleaf R is wound around the recording medium winding shaft 68 together with the recording medium P.

  The control unit 24 controls operations of the sending unit 12, the recording unit 14, the belt conveyance unit 16, the belt cleaning device 18, the drying unit 20 and the winding unit 22, the conveyance speed of the recording medium P, the control of the recording operation, and the like. Yes.

  The above is the outline of the overall configuration of the recording apparatus 10 and the conveyance path of the recording medium P. Next, the belt cleaning device 18 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the traveling direction of the lower winding portion 52b of the conveyor belt 52 means a direction toward the + X axis direction in FIG.

<<<< first embodiment >>
The belt cleaning device 18 is located below the lower winding portion 52b of the conveyor belt 52. The belt cleaning device 18 includes a rotating brush 76 as a “cleaning member”, a cleaning liquid storage section 78, a cleaning liquid supply section 80, a cleaning liquid discharge section 82, a first wiper section 84, and a second wiper section 86. It has. A guide plate 87 (see FIG. 1) is provided at a position facing the belt cleaning device 18 above the lower winding portion 52b of the conveyor belt 52.

  Further, a Z-axis displacement mechanism 88 that displaces the position of the conveyor belt 52 relative to the lower winding portion 52b in the Z-axis direction in FIG. The Z-axis displacement mechanism 88 includes a support unit 90 that supports the lower part of the cleaning liquid storage unit 78, a drive unit 92 that moves the support unit 90 up and down along the Z-axis direction, and a base 94.

  The drive unit 92 is fixed to the apparatus main body 36 via a base 94. The Z-axis displacement mechanism 88 moves the belt cleaning device 18 up and down along the Z-axis direction and adjusts the relative position between the lower winding portion 52 b of the conveyor belt 52 and the rotating brush 76. When the belt cleaning device 18 comes into contact with the lower winding portion 52b, the guide plate 87 supports the lower winding portion 52b and maintains the lower winding portion 52b in a horizontal state.

  The cleaning liquid reservoir 78 is a box-like container extending in the Y-axis direction, and its upper part is open. The cleaning liquid storage section 78 is provided with a partition plate 98 as a “partition section” protruding from the bottom 96 of the cleaning liquid storage section. The partition plate 98 is divided into a storage tank 100 for storing the cleaning liquid and a discharge tank 102 for discharging the cleaning liquid toward the cleaning liquid discharge section 82 in the cleaning liquid storage section 78. Further, the upper end 98a of the partition plate 98 is positioned below in the Z-axis direction with respect to a rotating shaft 104 described later of the rotating brush 76. Further, the partition plate 98 functions as a “weir” that keeps the level of the cleaning liquid in the storage tank 100 constant. That is, the position of the upper end 98a in the Z-axis direction is the position of the liquid level.

  A rotating brush 76 is disposed in the storage tank 100. The rotating brush 76 includes a rotating shaft 104 and a brush portion 106 fitted on the rotating shaft. The brush unit 106 is provided with a plurality of brushes (not shown) connected in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 104. In the brush portion 106, the width of the brush provided in the axial direction corresponds to the width of the transport belt 52.

  As shown in FIG. 3, both ends of the rotating shaft 104 extend beyond the width of the storage tank in the Y-axis direction, that is, the width direction of the storage tank 100, and are supported by bearings (not shown). Furthermore, one end of the rotating shaft 104 is connected to a drive source (not shown). Thereby, the rotating shaft 104 is rotationally driven by a driving source (not shown). Therefore, in this embodiment, the rotating brush 76 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2 by the drive source (not shown).

  2 and 3, the position of the rotating brush 104 in the X-axis direction of the rotary brush 76 in the cleaning liquid storage section 78 is located closer to the cleaning liquid supply section 80. That is, in the cleaning liquid reservoir 78, the positional relationship of the rotation shaft 104 in the X-axis direction is set as follows. A distance a from the side wall 108 of the storage tank 100 in the + X-axis direction to the rotation shaft 104 is set to be smaller than a distance b from the side wall 110 of the discharge tank 102 on the −X-axis direction side to the rotation shaft 104. Further, in the X axis direction, the distance c from the rotary brush 76 to the partition plate 98 is set to be smaller than the distance d from the rotary brush 76 to the side wall 108 in the + X axis direction.

  Further, at least a part of the rotating shaft 104 is located in the + Z-axis direction, that is, above the position of the upper end 98a of the partition plate 98 in the Z-axis direction in FIG. Specifically, the position of the upper end 98 a of the partition plate 98 in the Z-axis direction is set below the center of the rotating shaft 104. Furthermore, it is desirable that the position of the upper end 98 a of the partition plate 98 in the Z-axis direction is positioned below the lower end of the rotating shaft 104. In this embodiment, the position of the upper end 98 a of the partition plate 98 in the Z-axis direction is set below the lower end of the rotating shaft 104.

  In addition, at least a part of the brush portion 106 of the rotating brush 76 is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the storage tank 100. That is, at least a part of the rotating brush 76 is located below the liquid level of the cleaning liquid in the storage tank 100.

  2 indicates a lower winding portion 52b of the conveyor belt 52. A two-dot chain line drawn so as to contact the rotating brush 76 in FIG. In FIG. 2, the lower winding portion 52b moves from the −X direction to the + X direction as indicated by an arrow. In contrast, the rotating brush 76 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2 in this embodiment. That is, the lower winding portion 52b and the rotating brush 76 move in the opposite directions at the portions that are in contact with each other. For this reason, since the relative speed of the rotary brush 76 with respect to the lower side winding part 52b becomes high, the cleaning efficiency of the rotary brush with respect to the conveyance belt 52 can be improved.

  Next, a first wiper portion 84 and a second wiper portion 86 are provided on the downstream side of the rotary brush 76 in the moving direction of the transport belt 52. The first wiper portion 84 includes a spacer 112, a first fixing plate 114, a first wiper blade 116, and a wiper blade pressing member 118. The first fixing plate 114 is attached to the inside of the upper end portion of the side wall 108 via a spacer 112.

  The first wiper blade 116 includes a distal end portion 116a and a proximal end portion 116b. The wiper blade pressing member 118 is fixed to the first fixing plate 114 with a screw member (not shown) in a state where the base end portion 116 b of the first wiper blade 116 is pressed against the first fixing plate 114. The tip end portion 116 a of the first wiper blade 116 is in contact with the lower winding portion 52 b of the transport belt 52 and scrapes off dirt and cleaning liquid that could not be removed by the rotating brush 76. The first wiper blade 116 is made of a soft elastic material (for example, silicon rubber). In addition, the 1st wiper part 84 is the attitude | position which stood up in the side view of the belt washing | cleaning apparatus 18 (refer FIG. 2).

  Next, a second wiper portion 86 is provided on the downstream side of the first wiper portion 84 in the moving direction of the transport belt 52. The second wiper portion 86 includes a second fixing plate 120, a second wiper blade 122, and a wiper blade pressing member 124. The second fixing plate 120 is fixed in an inclined posture with respect to the side wall 108.

  The second wiper blade 122 includes a distal end portion 122a and a proximal end portion 122b. The wiper blade pressing member 124 is fixed to the second fixing plate 120 by a screw member (not shown) in a state where the base end portion 122b of the second wiper blade 122 is pressed against the second fixing plate 120. The tip portion 122a of the second wiper blade 122 is in an inclined state and the upper corner portion is in contact with the lower winding portion 52b of the conveyor belt 52 and cannot be completely removed by the rotating brush 76 and the first wiper blade 116. Scrape off dirt and cleaning solution.

  The second wiper blade 122 is made of an elastic material (for example, urethane rubber) that is relatively harder than the first wiper blade 116. Note that the second wiper portion 86 is inclined to the downstream side in the moving direction of the transport belt 52 in a side view of the belt cleaning device 18 (see FIG. 2).

  For this reason, in this embodiment, the conveyance belt 52 is cleaned by the rotating brush 76 to which the cleaning liquid adheres and removes dirt and foreign matter adhering to the belt surface in the lower winding portion 52b. Further, dirt, foreign matter and cleaning liquid that could not be removed by the rotating brush 76 are removed by the first wiper blade 116 and the second wiper blade 122.

  Next, the configuration of the cleaning liquid reservoir 78 and the flow path of the cleaning liquid will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. A cleaning liquid supply unit 80 is provided on the side wall 108 on the + X axis direction side in the cleaning liquid storage unit 78, that is, the storage tank 100. The cleaning liquid supply unit 80 supplies the cleaning liquid from a cleaning liquid tank (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 36 to the storage tank 100 through the opening 126 provided in the side wall 108. The opening 126 is provided in the side wall 108 so that at least a part thereof is positioned below the upper end 98a of the partition plate 98. That is, the cleaning liquid supply unit 80 supplies a part of the cleaning liquid below the liquid level defined by the upper end 98a.

  Further, a plate-shaped guide member 128 is provided in front of the opening 126 in the cleaning liquid supply unit 80, that is, at a position on the storage tank 100 side. The guide member 128 protrudes from the side wall 108 and extends obliquely downward (in the −X direction and the −Z direction in FIG. 2). Moreover, the guide member 128 is extended in the width direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 3) of the washing | cleaning liquid storage part 78, ie, the storage tank 100, as shown in FIG. That is, the guide member 128 guides the cleaning liquid supplied from the opening 126 toward the bottom portion 96 of the storage tank 100. Furthermore, the guide member 128 diffuses the cleaning liquid supplied from the opening 126 toward the width direction of the storage tank 100 (Y-axis direction in FIG. 3).

  In addition, a plurality of cleaning liquid discharge portions 82 are provided at intervals in the width direction at the cleaning liquid storage portion 78, that is, the bottom portion 130 of the discharge tank 102. The cleaning liquid discharger 82 discharges the cleaning liquid that has flowed over the upper end 98 a of the partition plate 98 from the storage tank 100, that is, overflowed into the discharge tank 102 from the discharge tank 102. The cleaning liquid discharger 82 returns the discharged cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid tank (not shown) through a filter (not shown). That is, the cleaning liquid is configured to circulate from the cleaning liquid tank (not shown) to the cleaning liquid supply unit 80, the storage tank 100, the discharge tank 102, and the cleaning liquid discharge unit 82.

  Here, the flow path of the cleaning liquid will be described. The cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 80 into the storage tank 100 through the opening 126. The cleaning liquid supplied from the opening 126 is guided toward the bottom 96 of the storage tank 100 while being diffused by the guide member 128 in the width direction of the storage tank 100 (Y-axis direction in FIG. 3).

  Next, the cleaning liquid spreading in the width direction of the storage tank 100 at the bottom 96 of the storage tank 100 moves in the −X direction in FIG. 2. At this time, dirt and foreign matter deposited on the bottom 96 are also pushed away in the −X direction. The flow of the cleaning liquid that has moved to the vicinity of the partition plate 98 hits the partition plate 98 and changes the flow direction from the bottom 96 to the upper end 98 a of the partition plate 98. For this reason, the dirt and foreign matter that have been pushed near the partition plate 98 by the flow of the cleaning liquid at the bottom 96 are wound up toward the upper end 98a.

  Here, the flow path 132 formed between the partition plate 98 and the rotating brush 76 is configured to gradually narrow toward the upper end 98 a of the partition plate 98. For this reason, when the cleaning liquid goes from the bottom 96 to the upper end 98a of the partition plate 98 through the flow path 132, the pressure is increased because the flow path 132 is gradually narrowed, and the flow velocity is increased. For this reason, the dirt and foreign matter wound up in the vicinity of the partition plate 98 are caught in the fast flow of the cleaning liquid and discharged from the upper end 98a. As a result, it becomes easy to remove dirt, foreign matter, and the like from the storage tank 100.

  The direction in which the cleaning liquid flows in the flow path 132 is opposite to the direction in which the rotating brush 76 rotates. For this reason, the relative velocity of the cleaning liquid with respect to the rotating brush 76 is increased by increasing the flow rate of the cleaning liquid passing through the flow path 132. Thereby, the washing | cleaning property of the washing | cleaning liquid from which the washing | cleaning liquid which passes the flow path 132 removes dirt from the rotating brush 76 can be improved.

  The cleaning liquid that has passed over the upper end 98a of the partition plate 98 through the flow path 132, that is, overflowed, is discharged from the discharge tank 102 toward the cleaning liquid tank (not shown) through the cleaning liquid discharge section 82 together with dirt and foreign matter. . The cleaning liquid discharged from the cleaning liquid discharge unit 82 is removed of dirt and foreign matter by a filter (not shown), returned to the cleaning liquid tank, and then supplied to the storage tank 100 through the cleaning liquid supply unit 80 again.

  Therefore, it is possible to keep the concentration of dirt of the cleaning liquid in the storage tank 100 within an allowable range. As a result, the concentration of dirt of the cleaning liquid adhering to the brush portion 106 of the rotating brush 76 can be set within a permissible range, and the cleaning performance of the belt cleaning device 18 on the conveyor belt 52 can be improved.

<<< second embodiment >>>
With reference to FIG. 4, the belt cleaning apparatus 134 according to the second embodiment will be described. The belt cleaning device 134 according to the second embodiment is different from the belt cleaning device 18 according to the first embodiment in that an unevenness is formed at the bottom of the storage tank 100.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of grooves 138 are formed in the bottom portion 136 of the storage tank 100 at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the storage tank 100, that is, the Y-axis direction. The groove 138 extends from the side wall 108 on the + X direction side of the storage tank 100 to the partition plate 98 in the X-axis direction. Therefore, the cleaning liquid guided from the opening 126 to the bottom 136 by the guide member 128 flows along the groove 138.

  As a result, the cleaning liquid flows uniformly along the groove 138 from the opening 126 to the partition plate 98, so that dirt and foreign matter settled on the bottom 136 can be easily pushed toward the flow path 132. As a result, the dirt concentration of the cleaning liquid in the storage tank 100 can be maintained within an allowable range.

<<< Modified Example of Second Embodiment >>>
(1) In this embodiment, the groove 138 has a rectangular cross section as shown in FIG. 4, but may be formed in a V-shaped cross section instead of this structure.
(2) In the present embodiment, the groove 138 extends from the side wall 108 on the + X direction side of the storage tank 100 to the partition plate 98 in the X-axis direction, but a part between the side wall 108 and the partition plate 98 is used. It is good also as a structure which provides a groove | channel.

<<< Third embodiment >>>
With reference to FIG. 5, a belt cleaning apparatus 140 according to a third embodiment will be described. The belt cleaning apparatus 140 according to the third embodiment is different from the belt cleaning apparatus 18 according to the first embodiment in that a guide strip for guiding the cleaning liquid is provided on the guide member 128.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the guide member 128 of the present embodiment has a plurality of convex guide strips 142 for diffusing the cleaning liquid from the opening 126 in the width direction of the storage tank 100, that is, the direction intersecting with the flowing direction of the cleaning liquid. Is provided. The guide strip 142 of the present embodiment is formed so as to gradually spread in the width direction of the storage tank 100, that is, the Y-axis direction (see FIG. 5) from the position facing the opening 126 in the guide member 128. That is, the guide strips 142 are formed so that the distance from each other gradually increases in the Y-axis direction.

  Therefore, the cleaning liquid supplied from the opening 126 is guided toward the bottom portion 96 of the storage tank 100 while spreading in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the storage tank 100 along the guide line 142. For this reason, the flow of the cleaning liquid in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the storage tank 100 can be made uniform.

<<<< Modification of the third embodiment >>>>
(1) In this embodiment, the convex guide strip 142 is formed on the guide member 128. However, instead of this configuration, a plurality of guide grooves may be formed.
(2) In this embodiment, the guide strip 142 is a pair of guide strips, but instead of this configuration, a plurality of guide strips extend from the position facing the opening 126 toward the width direction and the bottom 96 and are adjacent to each other. It is good also as a structure which makes a predetermined angle with respect to the guide line to fit.

<<<< Modified Example of the First to Third Examples >>
(1) In this embodiment, the rotary brush 76 is composed of a plurality of brushes, but instead of this, a plate-like rubber member extending in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 104 is spaced at a constant interval in the circumferential direction of the rotary shaft 104. It is good also as a structure provided in this. Further, the plate-like rubber member may be provided in a spiral shape inclining in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 104. Alternatively, the brush unit 106 may be configured by a sponge or the like impregnated with a cleaning liquid.
(2) In the present embodiment, the first wiper blade 116 and the second wiper blade 122 are made of different materials, but instead of this structure, the first wiper blade 116 and the second wiper blade 122 are made of the same material. May be.
(3) In the present embodiment, the position of the upper end 98a of the partition plate 98 in the Z-axis direction is set to be further lower than the lower end below the center of the rotating shaft 104. The position of the upper end 98a of the plate 98 in the Z-axis direction may be set between the center of the rotating shaft 104 and the upper end.
(4) In this embodiment, the “partition section” is configured as the flat partition plate 98, but is not limited to the plate-like member, and the cleaning liquid storage section 78 is partitioned into the storage tank 100 and the discharge tank 102. You may comprise by the member etc. which can do.

  In summary, the belt cleaning devices 18, 134, and 140 of this embodiment are belt cleaning devices that clean the surface of the conveyor belt 52 with a cleaning liquid, and are located below the conveyor belt 52, and the surface of the conveyor belt 52 The rotary brush 76 that can be rotated, the cleaning liquid storage part 78 that stores the cleaning liquid that immerses a part of the rotary brush 76, and the cleaning liquid supplied to the cleaning liquid storage part 78 is discharged from the cleaning liquid storage part 78. And a cleaning liquid discharger 82 to be used. The cleaning liquid reservoir 78 includes a partition plate 98 protruding from the bottom 96 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 78, and discharges the cleaning liquid over the upper end 98 a of the partition plate 98 from the cleaning liquid reservoir 78 to the cleaning liquid discharge unit 82. The flow path 132 to the cleaning liquid discharge part 82 of the cleaning liquid formed by the partition plate 98 and the rotating rotary brush 76 gradually narrows toward the upper end 98 a of the partition plate 98.

  An upper end 98 a of the partition plate 98 is located below the rotation shaft 104 of the rotary brush 76. A cleaning liquid supply unit 80 that supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid storage unit 78 is provided. The cleaning liquid supply unit 80 supplies at least a part of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid storage unit 78 below the level of the cleaning liquid defined by the upper end 98 a of the partition plate 98.

  The rotation direction of the rotating brush 76 is opposite to the traveling direction of the lower winding portion 52b of the conveyor belt 52. The rotating shaft 104 of the rotary brush 76 is arranged so as to be offset toward the side where the cleaning liquid supply unit 80 is provided in the cleaning liquid storage section 78, that is, the side of the side wall 108. The distance c between the partition plate 98 and the rotary brush 76 in the traveling direction of the transport belt 52 is greater than the distance d between the side wall 108 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 78 on the side where the cleaning liquid supply unit 80 is provided and the rotary brush 76. Is also small.

The cleaning liquid supply unit 80 includes a guide member 128 that guides the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit to the cleaning liquid storage unit 78 toward the bottom 96 of the cleaning liquid storage unit 78.
A plurality of grooves 138 extending from the cleaning liquid supply unit 80 toward the cleaning liquid discharge unit 82 are provided in the bottom 96 of the cleaning liquid storage unit 78. The guide member 128 is formed as a plate member. The guide member 128 extends in the direction intersecting with the direction in which the cleaning liquid flows from the cleaning liquid supply unit 80 toward the cleaning liquid discharge unit 82, that is, in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the cleaning liquid storage unit 78.

  The guide member 128 includes a plurality of guide strips 142 that gradually increase the distance from the cleaning liquid supply unit 80 in the intersecting direction, that is, in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the cleaning liquid storage unit 78. Alternatively, the guide member 128 includes a plurality of guide grooves that gradually increase the distance from the cleaning liquid supply unit in the intersecting direction, that is, the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the cleaning liquid storage unit 78.

  The recording apparatus 10 performs recording by ejecting ink from the recording head 44 to the belt conveyance unit 16 including the conveyance belt 52 that conveys the conveyance object P and the recording medium P that is the conveyance object on the conveyance belt 52. A recording unit 14 and belt cleaning devices 18, 134, and 140 are provided.

In this embodiment, the belt cleaning apparatus according to the present invention is applied to an ink jet printer as an example of a recording apparatus, but can be applied to other liquid ejecting apparatuses in general.
Here, the liquid ejecting apparatus uses an ink jet recording head, and is not limited to a recording apparatus such as a printer, a copier, and a facsimile machine that discharges ink from the recording head to perform recording on a recording medium. And a device for ejecting a liquid corresponding to the application from a liquid ejecting head corresponding to the ink jet recording head to an ejected medium corresponding to the recording medium, and attaching the liquid to the ejected medium.

  In addition to the recording head, as a liquid ejecting head, a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, and an electrode material (conductive paste) used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display or a surface emitting display (FED) Examples thereof include an ejection head, a bioorganic matter ejection head used for biochip production, and a sample ejection head as a precision pipette.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Recording apparatus, 12 ... Sending part, 14 ... Recording part, 16 ... Belt conveying part, 18, 134, 140 ... Belt washing apparatus, 20 ... Drying part, 22 ... Winding part, 24 ... Control part, 26 ... Recording Medium support shaft 28 ... first roller 30 ... second roller 32 ... third roller 34 ... rotation drive unit 36 ... device main body 38 ... carriage guide shaft 40 ... carriage 42 ... carriage motor 44 ... Recording head 46 ... Guide plate 48 ... Conveying drive roller 50 ... Conveying driven roller 52 ... Conveying belt 52a ... Upper winding part 52b ... Lower winding part 54 ... Pressing roller 56 ... Drive motor 57 ... support arm, 58 ... fourth roller, 60 ... heater, 62 ... heat dissipation plate, 62a ... heat dissipation surface, 64 ... slip-sheet roller, 66 ... fifth roller, 68 ... recording Body winding shaft, 70 ... tension roller, 72 ... rotary drive unit, 74 ... support arm, 76 ... rotating brush, 78 ... cleaning liquid reservoir, 80 ... cleaning liquid supply section, 82 ... cleaning liquid discharge section, 84 ... first wiper , 86 ... second wiper part, 87 ... guide plate, 88 ... Z-axis displacement mechanism, 90 ... support part, 92 ... drive part, 94 ... base, 96 ... bottom part, 98 ... partition plate, 98a ... upper end, 100 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Storage tank, 102 ... Discharge tank, 104 ... Rotating shaft, 106 ... Brush part, 108, 110 ... Side wall, 112 ... Spacer, 114 ... First fixing plate, 116 ... First wiper blade, 116a ... Tip part, 116b ... Base end 118, wiper blade pressing member 120, second fixing plate 122, second wiper blade 122a, distal end 122b, base end 124, wiper blur De pressing member, 126 ... opening, 128 ... guide member, 130 ... bottom, 132 ... passage, 136 ... bottom, 138 ... groove, 142 ... guide beads.

Claims (11)

A belt cleaning device for cleaning the surface of the conveyor belt with a cleaning liquid,
A cleaning member that rotatably contacts the surface and cleans the surface with the cleaning liquid;
A cleaning liquid reservoir for storing the cleaning liquid;
A partition that protrudes from the bottom of the cleaning liquid reservoir and separates the cleaning liquid reservoir into a cleaning area where a part of the cleaning member is immersed in the cleaning liquid and a discharge area that discharges the cleaning liquid;
The belt cleaning apparatus, wherein a distance between the cleaning member and the partition portion gradually decreases toward an upper end of the partition portion. The belt cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper end of the partition portion is positioned below a rotation shaft of the cleaning member.
A belt cleaning device. The belt cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning area.
The cleaning liquid supply unit supplies at least a part of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning region below a surface of the cleaning liquid defined by an upper end of the partition part.
A belt cleaning device. The belt cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a rotation direction of the cleaning member is opposite to a traveling direction of the conveyor belt.
A belt cleaning device. 5. The belt cleaning apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a distance between the partition portion and the cleaning member in the traveling direction of the transport belt is a side wall of the cleaning liquid storage portion on the side where the cleaning liquid supply portion is provided. Smaller than the distance between the cleaning member and
A belt cleaning device. In the belt washing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5,
The cleaning liquid supply unit includes a guide member that guides the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit to the cleaning region toward the bottom of the cleaning tank.
A belt cleaning device.   7. The belt cleaning apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of grooves extending from the cleaning liquid supply section toward the partition section are provided at the bottom of the cleaning area. In the belt washing apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, the guide member is formed as a plate-like member,
The guide member extends in a direction intersecting with a direction in which the cleaning liquid flows from the cleaning liquid supply unit toward the partition unit.
A belt cleaning device. The belt cleaning apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the guide member includes a plurality of guide strips that gradually increase a distance from each other in the intersecting direction from the cleaning liquid supply unit.
A belt cleaning device.   10. The belt cleaning apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the guide member includes a plurality of guide grooves that gradually increase a distance from each other in the intersecting direction from the cleaning liquid supply unit. apparatus. A transport unit including a transport belt for transporting the object to be transported;
A recording unit that performs recording by discharging ink from a recording head to a recording medium that is a conveyance object on the conveyance belt;
A belt cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A recording apparatus comprising:

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