JP2016068501A - Liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid discharge device that is facilitated in inserting a wiper into a clearance of a wiper cleaner.SOLUTION: The liquid discharge device includes wiper guides 50, 51 arranged at least one side in a relative movement direction of the wiper 41 to the wiper cleaner 46 relative to the wiper cleaner 46, having a clearance to the wiper cleaner 46 that is smaller than a length in the relative movement direction, and arranged on both sides of the wiper 41 to regulate deformation of the wiper 41 when the wiper 41 is inserted into the clearance of the wiper cleaner 46.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device that ejects liquid.

  As a liquid discharge apparatus that discharges liquid from a plurality of discharge ports formed on the discharge surface of a liquid discharge head toward a discharge target, an ink jet printer that discharges ink from an ink jet head and prints on recording paper is known. Yes. In this ink jet printer, foreign matter such as ink adhering to the ejection surface is wiped off with a wiper formed of rubber or the like. For example, in the inkjet printer of Patent Document 1, a slit is formed in a wiper cleaner made of sponge or the like in order to remove ink adhering to the wiper after wiping off ink on the ejection surface, and the wiper is passed through the slit. Yes.

JP 2004-188611 A

  However, since the wiper has flexibility, when the wiper is inserted into the slit of the wiper cleaner, the tip of the wiper is caught by the entrance of the slit and the wiper is bent and deformed, and the wiper cannot be smoothly passed through the slit. There is. As a result, the wiper or the wiper cleaner may be damaged.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus in which a wiper can be easily inserted into a gap of a wiper cleaner.

  A liquid discharge apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a liquid discharge head having a discharge surface on which a plurality of discharge ports for discharging liquid are formed, and a first surface that is movable relative to the liquid discharge head in a first direction A plate-like wiper that wipes the discharge surface with at least the first surface, the tip on the discharge surface side, and the tip with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the discharge surface A wiper having an end on the opposite side, a wiper cleaner that cleans liquid adhered to at least the first surface of the wiper, and the wiper and the wiper cleaner are relatively moved in a third direction that intersects the first direction. A wiper cleaner, wherein the wiper cleaner comprises an absorber that absorbs liquid, the first contact portion that contacts the first surface of the wiper, and the first A wiper cleaner disposed on at least one side in the third direction with respect to the wiper cleaner, the second contact portion disposed opposite to the contact portion and contacting the second surface of the wiper. Is a wiper guide whose distance is less than the length of the wiper in the third direction, the first guide piece facing the first surface of the wiper, and the second surface of the wiper. And a wiper guide that is disposed on both sides of the wiper and restricts deformation of the wiper when the wiper is inserted into a gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion. It is characterized by providing.

  According to this configuration, the wiper is inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner in a state of being disposed between the first guide piece and the second guide piece. Therefore, even if the wiper is caught by the wiper cleaner, the wiper guide can restrict the wiper from being bent and deformed. Therefore, the wiper can be easily inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner.

In a liquid ejection device according to a second aspect, in the first aspect, a separation distance between the first guide piece and the second guide piece in the first direction is longer than a length of the wiper in the first direction. When the wiper is not in contact with the wiper cleaner, the first surface of the wiper and the first guide piece are separated in the first direction, and the second surface of the wiper and the second The guide pieces are separated in the first direction.
According to this configuration, the wiper can be easily inserted into the gap between the first guide piece and the second guide piece, and the liquid adhering to the wiper can be prevented from moving to the first guide piece and the second guide piece.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the liquid ejection device according to the first aspect, the first guide piece includes an end portion of the first guide piece closest to the wiper cleaner and an end portion of the second guide piece closest to the wiper cleaner. The separation distance in the direction is the same as the length of the wiper in the first direction.
According to this configuration, bending deformation of the wiper when the wiper is inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner can be prevented more reliably, and the wiper can be inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner more easily.

In a liquid ejection device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the invention, the distance between the first guide piece and the second guide piece in the one direction is shorter as the wiper cleaner is closer. It is characterized by.
According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure both ease of inserting the wiper into the gap of the wiper guide and ease of inserting the wiper into the gap of the wiper cleaner.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the third direction is a direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction, and the first guide piece. Is opposed to a portion closer to the end than the tip of the wiper.
According to this structure, since the 1st guide piece does not oppose the front-end | tip of a wiper, it can prevent that the liquid adhering to the front-end | tip of a wiper transfers to a 1st guide piece.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect, the second guide piece is opposed to a portion closer to the tip of the wiper than the first guide piece.
Since more liquid adheres to the first surface than the second surface, according to the above configuration, it is possible to suppress bending deformation near the tip of the wiper while suppressing liquid from transferring from the wiper to the wiper guide. In addition, this invention includes the case where a 2nd guide piece opposes the front-end | tip of a wiper.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fifth or sixth aspect, the second guide piece is opposed to a portion closer to the end than the tip of the wiper.
According to this configuration, since not only the first guide piece but also the second guide piece does not face the tip of the wiper, it is possible to more reliably suppress the liquid adhering to the wiper from moving to the wiper guide. In addition, this invention includes the case where a 2nd guide piece opposes the terminal of a wiper.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fifth aspects, the third direction is a direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction, and the second guide piece. Is opposed to the tip of the wiper.
According to this structure, since the 2nd guide piece opposes the front-end | tip of a wiper, the bending deformation of the front-end | tip vicinity of a wiper can be suppressed more reliably.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the liquid ejection device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the liquid is formed continuously to the lower end of the first guide piece, and the liquid moved from the wiper to the wiper guide flows downward. A discharge unit is provided.
According to this configuration, even if the liquid moves from the wiper to the wiper guide, the liquid can be prevented from remaining attached to the wiper guide.

According to a tenth aspect of the invention, in the ninth aspect of the invention, the liquid discharge section includes a groove extending in the vertical direction on a surface of the wiper facing the first surface.
According to this configuration, the liquid discharge part can easily cause the liquid to flow downward depending on the shape thereof, and therefore, the cost can be suppressed as compared with the case where the liquid easily flows downward by surface treatment or the like.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to tenth aspects, a part of the wiper guide enters a gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion. Features.
According to this configuration, the wiper can be smoothly inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner simply by moving the wiper along the wiper guide.

In a liquid ejection apparatus according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the second contact portion is made of an absorber that absorbs liquid.
According to this configuration, the liquid attached to the second surface as well as the first surface of the wiper can be removed by the wiper cleaner.

  In a twelfth aspect of the invention, the liquid ejection device of the thirteenth aspect includes a cleaner holder that fixes both ends of the wiper cleaner in the one direction, and when the wiper is inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner, The wiper cleaner is deformed so as to bend in a relative movement direction between the wiper cleaner and the wiper with both end portions in the first direction as fulcrums.

  According to this configuration, when the wiper is inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner, the wiper cleaner is deformed so as to bend with both end portions in the first direction as fulcrums, and thus the gap is easily widened. Therefore, the wiper can be moved smoothly in the gap.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the thirteenth aspect, the cleaner holder includes a first wall closest to the wiper when the wiper wipes the liquid on the discharge surface, and the first wall is opposite to the first wall. A first notch that exposes the gap of the wiper cleaner is formed on the first wall, and the gap of the wiper cleaner is exposed on the second wall. A second notch is formed, and the length of the second notch in the first direction is shorter than the length of the first notch in the first direction.

  Since the second notch of the second wall is shorter in the first direction than the first notch of the first wall, the second wall has a larger area in contact with the wiper cleaner than the first wall. Therefore, when the wiper moves relative to the wiper cleaner in the direction from the first wall to the second wall and passes through the gap of the wiper cleaner, the wiper cleaner is deformed compared to when the wiper moves in the opposite direction. Therefore, the wiper cleaner can be brought into strong contact with the wiper, and the cleaning accuracy can be improved.

  In the present invention, when the wiper and the wiper cleaner move relative to each other, the wiper is inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner while being sandwiched between two guide pieces of the wiper guide disposed on at least one side in the relative movement direction. . Therefore, the wiper guide can restrict the wiper from being bent and deformed, and the wiper can be smoothly inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner.

1 is a schematic plan view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the control system of an inkjet printer. It is the III-III arrow line view of FIG. (A) is a perspective view of the wiper, the wiper cleaner, and the wiper guide as viewed from the rear of FIG. 1 when the wiper is in the wipe position, and (b) is the wiper, the wiper cleaner, and the wiper guide that are being moved. It is the perspective view seen from the front of FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of a maintenance unit. It is a figure which shows the process in which a wiper moves from a standby position to a wipe position. It is a figure which shows the process in which a wiper moves from a wipe position to a standby position. It is a figure equivalent to Fig.6 (a) of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is a figure equivalent to FIG.5 (c) of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is a perspective view of the wiper cleaner and wiper guide of the inkjet printer of a modification. It is a figure equivalent to Fig.6 (a) of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is a figure equivalent to Fig.6 (a) of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is a front view of the wiper cleaner of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is a figure equivalent to FIG.6 (b) of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the inkjet printer of a change form.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment. 1 is defined as front / rear / left / right, and the vertical direction in FIG. 1 is defined as the up / down direction, and is used as appropriate in the following description.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer 1 (liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention) includes a platen 2 on which recording paper P is placed, and a carriage that can reciprocate in a scanning direction (left-right direction) parallel to the platen 2. 3, the inkjet head 4 (the liquid ejection head of the present invention) mounted on the carriage 3, the transport mechanism 5 that transports the recording paper P in the paper feed direction (forward) perpendicular to the scanning direction, and the liquid in the inkjet head 4. A maintenance unit 6 that performs various maintenance operations relating to maintenance / recovery of ejection performance, a control device 7 (see FIG. 2) that controls the entire inkjet printer 1, and the like are provided.

  On the upper surface of the platen 2, the recording paper P supplied from a paper feeding mechanism (not shown) is placed. Two guide rails 10 and 11 extending in parallel with the scanning direction (left and right direction) are provided above the platen 2, and the carriage 3 has two guide rails 10 and 11 in a region facing the platen 2. Along the scanning direction in the scanning direction. The two guide rails 10 and 11 extend from the platen 2 to a position (maintenance position) that is separated from the platen 2 to the right along the scanning direction (left-right direction). It is configured to be movable from an area (recording area) facing the paper P to the maintenance position, which is a non-recording area. In addition, an endless belt 14 wound between two pulleys 12 and 13 is connected to the carriage 3. When the endless belt 14 is driven by the carriage drive motor 15, the carriage 3 is connected to the endless belt 14. 14 moves in the scanning direction.

  The inkjet head 4 is attached to the lower portion of the carriage 3, and a plurality of ejection ports 16 are formed on the lower surface (ejection surface 4 a) of the inkjet head 4 parallel to the upper surface of the platen 2. The discharge surface 4a is covered with a water repellent film (not shown). Then, ink is ejected from the plurality of ejection ports 16 of the ejection surface 4 a toward the recording paper P placed on the platen 2. The transport mechanism 5 has two transport rollers 17 and 18 arranged so as to sandwich the platen 2 in the paper feed direction, and the recording paper P placed on the platen 2 is fed by these two transport rollers 17 and 18. Transport in the paper feed direction (forward). The ink jet printer 1 then ejects ink from the ink jet head 4 that reciprocates in the scanning direction (left and right direction) together with the carriage 3 onto the recording paper P placed on the platen 2, and two transport rollers 17. , 18 conveys the recording paper P in the paper feeding direction (forward), thereby printing a desired image, character, or the like on the recording paper P.

  The maintenance unit 6 is disposed at a position corresponding to the maintenance position on the right side in the scanning direction (left-right direction) from the recording area of the inkjet head 4. When the inkjet head 4 moves to the maintenance position together with the carriage 3, the maintenance unit 6 performs a suction purge for discharging and discharging ink from the discharge port 16 in order to remove foreign matters or bubbles mixed in the inkjet head 4, The ink adhering to the surface 4a is wiped off, and the ink ejection performance of the inkjet head 4 is maintained and recovered. The maintenance unit 6 includes a wiper 41, a wiper cleaner 46, a suction cap 31, a suction pump 32, and the like.

  The suction cap 31 is disposed at a position facing the ejection surface 4a of the inkjet head 4 when the inkjet head 4 is in the maintenance position. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the suction cap 31 is driven in the vertical direction by the cap lifting mechanism 33. The cap lifting mechanism 33 is driven by the cap lifting motor 24 (see FIG. 2). The suction cap 31 is connected to the suction pump 32. 5A to 5D are cross-sectional views taken along line VV in FIG.

  When the suction cap 31 is driven upward by the cap lifting mechanism 33 when the inkjet head 4 is in the maintenance position, the suction cap 31 comes into close contact with the ejection surface 4 a of the inkjet head 4 and covers the plurality of ejection ports 16. In this state, when the suction pump 32 connected to the suction cap 31 is driven, the pressure in the suction cap 31 decreases, so that the ink in the inkjet head 4 is sucked and discharged from the discharge port 16 into the suction cap 31. (Suction purge).

  The wiper 41 is a flat plate member made of a flexible material such as rubber or synthetic resin. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A, the wiper 41 is disposed so that the end (lower end) 41d is held by the wiper holder 42 and orthogonal to the scanning direction. The wiper 41 is formed in a rectangular shape, and the tip (upper end) 41u of the wiper 41 extends in parallel with the ejection surface 4a. The tip 41 u of the wiper holder 42 is parallel to the end 41 d of the wiper 41.

  The wiper 41 is reciprocally driven linearly by a wiper moving mechanism 43 in a direction parallel to the ejection surface 4a and perpendicular to the scanning direction (hereinafter referred to as a wiper moving direction). The wiper 41 includes a wipe position (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 3) on the movement locus in the scanning direction of the carriage 3, and a standby position in front of the wipe position (indicated by a solid line in FIGS. 1 and 3). Driven between. The wiper moving mechanism 43 includes a rack 44 attached to the wiper holder 42, a pinion 45 that meshes with the rack 44, and a wiper drive motor 25 that rotationally drives the pinion 45. The specific configuration of the wiper moving mechanism 43 may be other than the above.

  The tip 41u of the wiper 41 is located above the discharge surface 4a. As shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, when the wiper 41 is in the wipe position, the inkjet head 4 moves in the scanning direction (specifically, leftward) at the maintenance position, so that the inkjet head Ink adhering to the four ejection surfaces 4 a is wiped off by the right surface 41 s 1 (the first surface of the present invention) of the wiper 41. After wiping, the ink mainly adheres to the right surface 41s1 of the wiper 41 and does not adhere much to the left surface 41s2 (second surface of the present invention). The width (length in the front-rear direction) of the wiper 41 is substantially the same as or longer than the length in the front-rear direction of the discharge surface 4a, and the wiper 41 can wipe the entire surface of the discharge surface 4a at one time. Yes.

  The wiper 41 is generally as thin as about 1 mm, for example, and the upper end of the wiper 41 is formed in a tapered shape. As a result, when the wiper 41 comes into contact with the ejection surface 4a, it can be easily curved and the ink on the ejection surface 4a can be wiped off reliably. In addition, when the restoring force to restore the curved state of the wiper 41 is large, the force received from the wiper 41 by the water repellent film covering the discharge surface 4a is also large. However, when the thickness is about 1 mm, the restoring force is relatively small. Therefore, the force that the water repellent film receives from the wiper 41 can be suppressed to prevent the water repellent film from peeling off.

  The wiper cleaner 46 is held by the cleaner holder 47 and is disposed between the standby position and the wipe position of the wiper 41. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the cleaner holder 47 is not shown. The wiper cleaner 46 is made of an absorbent material having elasticity such as sponge, and is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A slit 46a extending in parallel with the wiper moving direction from the lower end to the vicinity of the upper end is formed at a substantially central portion in the left-right direction of the wiper cleaner 46. The slit 46a is formed by cutting the absorber, and the gap of the slit 46a is smaller than the thickness of the wiper 41 and is almost zero. A portion on the right side of the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46 corresponds to the first contact portion of the present invention, and a portion on the left side of the slit 46a corresponds to the second contact portion of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the cleaner holder 47 fixes the left end portion 46 b and the right end portion 46 c of the wiper cleaner 46. Specifically, the wiper cleaner 46 is fixed by two fixing rods 48, 48 that pass through circular holes formed in the left and right end portions 46 b, 46 c of the wiper cleaner 46. The structure for fixing the left and right end portions 46b, 46c of the wiper cleaner 46 may be other than the above. The cleaner holder 47 covers a part of each of the front and rear surfaces of the wiper cleaner 46, the left and right surfaces, and the upper surface, and is supported in a cantilever manner by a support member (not shown). The front wall (second wall of the present invention) 47a and the rear wall (first wall of the present invention) 47b of the cleaner holder 47 are respectively formed with slits 46a and notches 47c and 47d exposing the periphery thereof.

  The wiper cleaner 46 is installed at a position where the portion above the wiper holder 42 of the wiper 41 can pass through the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46 while the wiper 41 moves between the standby position and the wipe position. Yes.

  A wiper guide 50 is disposed in front of the wiper cleaner 46, and a wiper guide 51 is disposed behind the wiper cleaner 46. The distance between the wiper guides 50 and 51 and the wiper cleaner is shorter than the width of the wiper 41 (length in the front-rear direction).

  The wiper guide 50 includes two plate-like guide pieces 52a and 52b arranged side by side in the scanning direction. Ink discharge portions 53a and 53b are connected to the lower ends of the two guide pieces 52a and 52b, respectively. The opposing surfaces of the two guide pieces 52a and 52b are orthogonal to the scanning direction, and the separation distance is longer than the thickness of the wiper 41 (the length in the scanning direction). The two guide pieces 52a and 52b are disposed at a height facing a portion below the tip 41u of the wiper 41. The upper portions of the two ink discharge portions 53a and 53b are inclined with respect to the vertical direction so that the separation distance becomes longer toward the lower portion, and the lower portions of the two ink discharge portions 53a and 53b are substantially in the vertical direction. It extends. The wiper guide 51 is provided symmetrically with the wiper guide 50 in the front-rear direction, and has two guide pieces 54 a and 54 a similar to the guide pieces 52 a and 52 b of the wiper guide 50. Two ink discharge portions 55a and 55b similar to the two ink discharge portions 53a and 53b are connected to the lower ends of the two guide pieces 54a and 54a, respectively.

  When the wiper 41 is in the standby position, the wiper 41 is disposed in the gap between the wiper guides 50 (between the two guide pieces 52a and 52b). When the wiper 41 is in the wipe position, the wiper 41 is behind the wiper guide 51. Placed in.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, when the wiper 41 moves backward from the standby position toward the wipe position, first, the wiper 41 is sandwiched between the wiper guides 50 and the rear end. 41 a is inserted into the slit 46 a of the wiper cleaner 46. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6B, even when the wiper 41 is caught by the entrance of the slit 46 a and is deformed by deformation, the deformation of the wiper 41 is restricted by the wiper 41 coming into contact with the wiper guide 50. Therefore, it is easy to insert the wiper 41 into the slit 46a.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D, when the wiper 41 moves forward from the wipe position toward the standby position, first, the wiper 41 has a gap between the wiper guide 51 (two guide pieces). 54a and 54b). Since the distance between the two guide pieces 54 a and 54 b is longer than the thickness of the wiper 41, the wiper 41 can be easily inserted into the gap of the wiper guide 51, and ink attached to the wiper 41 moves to the wiper guide 51. Can be suppressed. Further, since the two guide pieces 54 a and 54 b of the wiper guide 51 are opposed to a portion closer to the wiper guide 51 than the tip 41 u of the wiper 41, the ink attached to the vicinity of the tip 41 u of the wiper 41 moves to the wiper guide 51. Hateful. Further, since the ink discharge portions 55a and 55b are connected to the lower ends of the two guide pieces 54a and 54b, respectively, even if the ink moves from the wiper 41 to the wiper guide 51, the two ink discharge portions 55a and 55b follow. Since the ink flows downward, it is possible to prevent the ink from staying on the wiper guide 51 and fixing. For example, when the thickness of the wiper 41 is about 1 mm, the distance between the two guide pieces 52a and 52b (54a and 54b) facing each other is preferably about 1.3 mm, for example.

  Subsequently, the front end 41 b is inserted into the slit 46 a of the wiper cleaner 46 while the wiper 41 is sandwiched between the wiper guides 51. At this time, similarly to the case where the wiper 41 moves backward, the wiper guide 51 can restrict the deformation of the wiper 41, so that the wiper 41 can be easily inserted into the slit 46a. Thereafter, when the wiper cleaner 46 comes into contact with both surfaces of the wiper 41, the ink attached to the wiper 41 when the ejection surface 4a is wiped off can be removed by the wiper cleaner 46.

  As described above, since ink does not adhere much to the left surface (second surface of the present invention) 41s2 of the wiper 41, the portion that contacts the left surface 41s2 of the wiper cleaner (second contact portion of the present invention) is the wiper 41. There may be little involvement in cleaning. In both cases where the ink adheres to the left surface 41s2, the portion that contacts the left surface 41s2 of the wiper cleaner (second contact portion of the present invention) is the right surface (first surface of the present invention) 41s1 of the wiper 41. And the function of ensuring the contact surface pressure between the wiper cleaner 46 and the wiper cleaner 46.

  Since both ends 46b and 46c of the wiper cleaner 46 are fixed by fixing rods 48 and 48, when the wiper 41 is inserted into the slit 46a, the wiper cleaner 46 uses the both ends 46b and 46c as fulcrums. Deforms to bend in the direction of travel. Therefore, for example, compared to the case where the entire upper surface of the wiper cleaner 46 is fixed to the cleaner holder 47, the slit 46a is easy to expand, so that the wiper 41 can be moved smoothly in the slit 46a.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, when the wiper 41 passes rearward through the slit 46a, the rear surface of the wiper cleaner 46 is pressed against the rear wall 47b of the cleaner holder 47 so that the rear side of the wiper cleaner 46. The deformation to is regulated. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D, when the wiper 41 passes forward through the slit 46a, the front surface of the wiper cleaner 46 is pressed against the front wall 47a of the cleaner holder 47, and the wiper cleaner The forward deformation of 46 is restricted. The front wall cutout 47c of the cleaner holder 47 is shorter in the scanning direction (left-right direction) than the rear wall cutout 47d. Therefore, the front wall of the cleaner holder 47 has a larger contact area with the wiper cleaner 46 than the rear wall of the cleaner holder 47. Therefore, when the wiper 41 moves forward from the wipe position and passes through the slit 46a, the wiper cleaner 46 is less likely to be deformed than when the wiper 41 passes through the slit 46a in the reverse direction, and the wiper cleaner 46 is stronger against the wiper 41. The contact can be made, and the cleaning accuracy can be improved. Further, since the load on the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner 46 is suppressed when the wiper 41 moves from the standby position to the wiping position, the life can be extended.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the ink jet printer 1. 2 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) including various control circuits, and the like. The control device 7 executes various processes such as printing on the recording paper P by the ASIC according to the program stored in the ROM. The control device 7 is based on a print command input from an external device such as a PC, and a carriage motor 15 that drives the inkjet head 4, the carriage 3, and the conveyance rollers 17 and 18 of the conveyance mechanism 5. 23 is controlled to print on the recording paper P. The control device 7 drives the carriage drive motor 15 to control the position of the inkjet head 4 at the time of maintenance (suction purge or ink wiping), and also moves the suction cap 31 up and down, and the suction lift motor 24. The pump 32 and the wiper drive motor 25 that drives the wiper 41 are controlled to perform suction purge and ink wiping.

  A series of operations of the maintenance unit 6 will be specifically described. The control device 7 operates the maintenance unit 6 when it is necessary to perform suction purge of the inkjet head 4 immediately after power-on or when a purge command is input by the user.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, the inkjet head 4 is positioned at a maintenance position facing the suction cap 31. Next, the cap lifting / lowering motor 24 is driven to raise the suction cap 31 from the standby position shown in FIG. 5A, and the suction cap 31 is brought into close contact with the ejection surface 4a of the inkjet head 4 as shown in FIG. Let In this state, the suction pump 32 is driven to reduce the pressure in the suction cap 31. Thereby, foreign matter and bubbles mixed in the inkjet head 4 are sucked and discharged together with ink from the plurality of ejection ports 16 covered with the suction cap 31 (suction purge).

  When the suction purge for a certain time is completed, the suction cap 31 is lowered and returned to the standby position again. At this time, a part of the ink discharged from the discharge port 16 is attached to the discharge surface 4a. Then, the wiper 41 is continuously made to wipe the ink of the discharge surface 4a. First, as shown in FIG. 5C and FIGS. 6A to 6D, the wiper drive motor 25 is driven to move the wiper 41 from the standby position to the wipe position. At this time, the wiper 41 passes through the slit 46 a of the wiper cleaner 46.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5D, the carriage 3 is moved in a direction approaching the platen 2, the tip of the wiper 41 is brought into contact with the ejection surface 4 a of the inkjet head 4 and adhered to the ejection surface 4 a. The ink is wiped off with the wiper 41. Thereafter, the wiper drive motor 25 moves the wiper 41 from the wipe position to the standby position. At this time, since the wiper 41 passes through the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46, the ink attached to the wiper 41 when the ejection surface 4a is wiped off is removed by the wiper cleaner 46, and the wiper 41 is cleaned.

  In the present embodiment, the scanning direction (left-right direction) corresponds to the first direction of the present invention, the vertical direction perpendicular to the ejection surface 4a corresponds to the second direction of the present invention, and the wiper moving direction (front-rear direction) Direction) corresponds to the third direction.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made as long as they are described in the claims.

  In the above embodiment, the distance between the two guide pieces 52a and 52b facing each other and the two guide pieces 54a and 54b facing each other in the left-right direction is constant with respect to the front-rear direction. For example, as shown in FIG. The distance between the two guide pieces 152 a and 152 b included in the wiper guide 150 and the two guide pieces 154 a and 154 b included in the wiper guide 151 may be shorter as the distance from the wiper cleaner 46 is closer. According to this configuration, both ease of insertion of the wiper 41 into the gap between the wiper guides 150 and 151 and ease of insertion of the wiper 41 into the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46 can be ensured.

  In the above-described embodiment, the distance between the two guide pieces 52a and 52b facing each other and the two guide pieces 54a and 54b facing each other is longer than the thickness of the wiper 41. For example, the wiper guide shown in FIG. Like 150 (151), the distance between the ends of the two guide pieces 152a, 152b (154a, 154b) closest to the wiper cleaner 46 may be the same as the thickness of the wiper 41. According to this configuration, bending deformation of the wiper 41 when the wiper 41 is inserted into the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46 can be prevented more reliably, and the wiper 41 can be inserted into the slit 46a more easily.

  In the said embodiment, the two wiper guides 50 and 51 do not need to be symmetrical in the front-back direction. Further, the two guide pieces 52a and 52b (54a and 54b) constituting the wiper guide 50 (51) may not be symmetrical in the left-right direction. For example, like the wiper guide 251 shown in FIG. 9, the heights of the two guide pieces 254a and 54b may be different. More ink adheres to the right surface 41s1 (first surface of the present invention) of the wiper 41 than to the left surface 41s2 (second surface of the present invention). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the guide piece 254b (second guide piece of the present invention) facing the left surface 41s2 is disposed above the guide piece 54a (first guide piece of the present invention) facing the right surface 41s1. This makes it difficult for ink to move from the wiper 41 to the wiper guide 251. In FIG. 9, since the guide piece 254 b faces the tip 41 u of the wiper 41, the bending deformation near the tip 41 u of the wiper 41 can be more reliably suppressed. Note that both of the two guide pieces constituting one wiper guide may be opposed to the tip 41 u of the wiper 41.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of groove portions 3356 (in FIG. 10, the ink discharge portions in FIG. 10) extending in the vertical direction are formed on the opposing surfaces of the two ink discharge portions 355a and 355b arranged behind the wiper cleaner 46 (wipe position side). Only the groove portion 356 of 355b is displayed). As a result, the ink adhering to the guide pieces 54a and 54b can easily flow downward along the groove portions 3356 of the two ink discharge portions 355a and 355b, thereby preventing the ink from staying on the guide pieces 54a and 54b. it can. The groove portion 356 may extend to the guide pieces 54a and 54b. Similarly, a groove may be formed in the two ink discharge portions 53a and 53b arranged in front of the wiper cleaner 46 (on the standby position side).

  In the above embodiment, the guide piece 52a (52b, 54a, 54b) and the ink discharge portion 53a (53b, 55a, 55b) connected to the lower end of the guide piece are formed by a single plate-like member. , May be formed of separate members. Further, the guide piece itself may be formed of a plurality of rod-like or plate-like members arranged in the front-rear direction. The same applies to the ink discharge section. Further, the ink discharge portion may not be provided.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, part of the wiper guides 450 and 451 may enter the slit 46 a of the wiper cleaner 46. According to this configuration, the wiper 41 can be more reliably prevented from being caught by the wiper cleaner 46, and the wiper 41 can be easily inserted into the slit 46a. In FIG. 11, both of the two guide pieces 452a and 452b (454a and 454b) constituting one wiper guide 450 (451) enter the slit 46a, but only one guide piece enters the slit 46a. You may get in.

  In the above embodiment, the cleaner holder 47 contacts the front and rear surfaces of the wiper cleaner 46. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the wiper guide (50, 51) contacts the front surface and / or the rear surface of the wiper cleaner 46. Also good.

  The wiper cleaner 46 of the above embodiment has a horizontal entire lower surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, at least a portion (546d) directly below the slit 46a of the lower surface of the wiper cleaner 546 has a different height on the left and right. It may be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. Accordingly, the ink absorbed by the wiper cleaner 546 can be collected by moving downward along the inclined surface 546d. In FIG. 13, an ink discharge portion 546e protruding downward from the lowermost end of the inclined surface 546d is formed in the wiper cleaner 546, and ink is discharged from the ink discharge portion 546e.

  In the above-described embodiment, the wiper cleaner 46 is composed only of the absorber, but as shown in FIG. 14, for example, the wiper cleaner 646 is an ink absorbing portion 649a (first contact portion of the present invention) made of the absorber. For example, the wiper contact portion 649b (second contact portion of the present invention) formed of a synthetic resin or the like and having higher rigidity than the absorbent body may be used. The ink absorbing portion 649a contacts the right surface 41s1 (first surface of the present invention) of the wiper 41, and the wiper contact portion 649b contacts the left surface 41s2 (second surface of the present invention) of the wiper 41. Since the ink mainly adheres to the right surface 41s1, the wiper cleaner 646 can also clean the wiper 41. However, the wiper cleaner 46 of the above-described embodiment is preferable to improve the cleaning quality. The wiper contact portion 649b plays a role of ensuring a contact surface pressure between the right surface 41s1 of the wiper 41 and the ink absorbing portion 649a.

  In the above embodiment, when the wiper 41 is in the standby position, the rear end 41a of the wiper 41 is disposed between the two guide pieces 52a and 52b of the wiper guide 50. However, the standby position of the wiper 41 is the wiper guide. It may be forward of 50. However, in order to reduce the space for installing the wiper 41, the above embodiment is preferable.

  In the embodiment, the standby position of the wiper 41 is in front of the wipe position (paper feeding direction), but may be in the rear of the wipe position.

  In the embodiment, the wiper 41 moves and the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner 46 move relative to each other. For example, as shown in FIGS. 15 (d) to 15 (g) and FIGS. 16 (d) to 16 (g). In addition, the wiper cleaner 46 may move in the front-rear direction, so that the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner 46 may move relative to each other. In this modification, if the relative position of the guide member with respect to the wiper cleaner 46 when the wiper 41 is inserted into the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46 is the same as that in the above embodiment, the two wiper guides 50 and 51 are 46 may be movable together with the unit 46 or may be moved individually.

  15 (a) to 15 (g) and FIGS. 16 (a) to 16 (g) will be described in detail. The wiper 41 can be moved up and down by a lifting mechanism 743 operated by a motor or the like. The two wiper guides 50 and 51 are reciprocated in a direction (front-rear direction) parallel to the ejection surface 4a and perpendicular to the scanning direction by a moving mechanism (not shown) operated by a motor or the like (corresponding to the moving mechanism of the present invention). It is possible. When the ink on the ejection surface 4a is wiped off, the wiper 41 is first lifted from the position shown in FIGS. 15 (a) and 16 (a) to the position shown in FIGS. 15 (b) and 16 (b). Let In this state, as shown in FIGS. 15C and 16C, the ink-jet head 4 is moved in the scanning direction, and the ink adhering to the ejection surface 4a is wiped off by the wiper 41. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 15 (d) and 16 (d), the wiper 41 is lowered, and as shown in FIGS. 15 (e) to (g) and FIGS. 16 (e) to (g), The wiper cleaner 46 and the two wiper guides 50 and 51 are reciprocated in the front-rear direction, and the ink attached to the wiper 41 is removed by the wiper cleaner 46.

  In the embodiment described above, the wiper 41 passes through the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46 when the wiper 41 moves in either the front-rear direction or the wiper cleaner 46. For example, as shown in FIG. Furthermore, when the wiper 41 moves relative to the wiper cleaner 46 in either the front-rear direction, the wiper 41 may not pass through the slit 46 a of the wiper cleaner 46. In this case, the wiper guide (wiper guide 51 in FIG. 16F) may be disposed only on one side of the wiper cleaner 46 in the front-rear direction, and the wiper guide may not be disposed on the other side of the wiper cleaner 46 in the front-rear direction.

  In the embodiment, the wiper 41 is arranged so that the width direction thereof is parallel to the ejection surface 4a and perpendicular to the scanning direction, and the wiper moving mechanism 43 drives the wiper 41 in the wiper width direction. The arrangement direction of the wiper 41 and the driving direction of the wiper 41 are not limited to the above. The wiper width direction may be any direction that intersects the direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to the ejection surface 4a and intersects the scanning direction. Further, the movement direction of the wiper 41 by the wiper moving mechanism 43 may not be completely parallel to the wiper width direction as long as the direction is along the wiper 41. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the wiper 41 is extended in the up-down direction, you may incline with respect to the up-down direction.

  In the above embodiment, the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner 46 are linearly moved in the width direction of the wiper 41. For example, as shown in FIGS. 17A to 17E, the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner 46 are moved. However, it may be relatively moved in the circumferential direction around the axis C1 in the direction orthogonal to the wiper 41. In this case, the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner intersect with each other in the direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the ejection surface 4a and in the direction intersecting with the scanning direction. Wiper guides 850 and 851 are disposed on both sides of the wiper cleaner 46 in the circumferential direction centered on C1. 17A to 17E, the wiper cleaner 46 is fixed, and the wiper 41 can be rotated by a wiper moving mechanism 843 that is operated by a motor or the like. However, the wiper 41 is fixed. The wiper cleaner 46 may rotate.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIGS. 18A to 18H, the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner 946 may be relatively moved in a direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the ejection surface 4a and along the wiper 41. 18 (a) to 18 (d) show views as seen from the scanning direction, and FIGS. 18 (e) to 18 (h) show the wiper 41 corresponding to (a) to (d), respectively. Sectional drawing cut | disconnected in the width direction center part is shown. 18A to 18H will be described in detail. The wiper 41 can be moved up and down by a wiper moving mechanism 943 that is operated by a motor or the like. The wiper cleaner 946 has a slit 946a whose length in the front-rear direction is slightly longer than the width of the wiper 41, and is disposed at a position overlapping the wiper 41 when viewed from the vertical direction. The wiper cleaner 946 is fixed to the cleaner holder 947 by a plurality of fixing rods 948 at both left and right ends. A wiper guide 950 is disposed below the wiper cleaner 946, and the wiper guide 950 includes two guide pieces 952a and 952b disposed on both sides of the wiper 41 in the thickness direction. Two ink discharge portions 953a and 953b are connected to the lower ends of the two guide pieces 952a and 952b. In normal times including printing, the wiper 41 is positioned below the wiper cleaner 946 as shown in FIGS. 18 (a) and 18 (e). When wiping the ink on the ejection surface 4a, first, the wiper 41 is raised as shown in FIGS. 18B, 18C, 18F, and 18G. At this time, even if the wiper 41 is caught by the entrance of the slit 946a and is deformed by bending, the wiper 41 comes into contact with the guide pieces 952a and 952b and the deformation is restricted, so that the wiper 41 can be easily inserted into the slit 946a. Next, as shown in FIG. 18D and FIG. 18H, the inkjet head 4 is moved in the scanning direction, and the ejection surface 4 a is wiped by the wiper 41. Thereafter, the wiper 41 is lowered to the position shown in FIG. At this time, the ink attached to the wiper 41 is removed by the wiper cleaner 946. 18A to 18H, the notch 947c that exposes the slit 946a in the lower wall of the cleaner holder 947 is shorter in the left-right direction (scanning direction) than the notch 947d in the upper wall. Therefore, when the wiper 41 is lowered, the wiper cleaner 946 can be brought into contact with the wiper 41 more strongly than when the wiper 41 is raised.

  In the above embodiment, the inkjet head 4 is moved to the left and the ejection surface 4a is wiped by the right surface 41s1 of the wiper 41. However, the inkjet head 4 is moved to the right and the ejection surface 4a is moved to the left surface 41s2 of the wiper 41. You may wipe it off with. Alternatively, the inkjet head 4 may be moved back and forth while the wiper 41 is placed at the wiping position, and the ejection surface 4a may be wiped off by the left and right sides 41s1 and 41s2 of the wiper 41.

  In the embodiment, the ejection surface 4a is wiped by the wiper 41 by moving the inkjet head 4 in the scanning direction together with the carriage 3, but the wiper 41 is removed from the inkjet head 4 by an appropriate means such as a motor. You may comprise so that the discharge surface 4a may be wiped by moving.

  Further, the wiping direction of the wiper 41 (moving direction with respect to the ejection surface 4 a) is not limited to the direction away from the platen 2. For example, the wiper 41 may be moved in the direction approaching the platen 2, or the wiper 41 may be moved in the paper feed direction by arranging the wiper 41 in a direction intersecting the paper feed direction.

  The timing of performing ink wiping of the ejection surface 4a by the wiper 41 is not limited to after the suction purge described in the above embodiment. For example, the ink may be wiped after ink is ejected onto the recording paper P and printing is performed.

  In the above-described embodiment and its modifications, the present invention is applied to an ink discharge apparatus of an ink jet printer that discharges ink onto a recording sheet and prints an image or the like. The present invention can also be applied to a liquid ejection device used in various applications. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a liquid ejection device that ejects a conductive liquid onto a substrate to form a conductive pattern on the substrate surface.

1 Inkjet printer (liquid ejection device)
4 Inkjet head (liquid discharge head)
4a Discharge surface 16 Discharge port 41 Wiper 41d Terminal 41s1 Right surface (first surface)
41s2 left side (second side)
41u Tip 42 Wiper holder 43, 943 Wiper moving mechanism (moving mechanism)
46,546,646,946 Wiper cleaner 46a, 946a Slit (gap)
47,947 Cleaner holder 47a Front wall (second wall)
47b Rear wall (first wall)
47c, 947c Notch (second notch)
47d, 947d Notch (first notch)
48,948 Fixed rods 50, 51, 150, 151, 251, 450, 451, 850, 851, 950 Wiper guides 52a, 52b, 54a, 54b, 152a, 152b, 154a, 154b, 254b, 452a, 452b, 952a, 952b Guide pieces 53a, 53b, 55a, 55b, 355b, 953a, 953b Ink discharge part (liquid discharge part)
356 Groove portion 649a Ink absorbing portion (first contact portion)
649b Wiper contact part (second contact part)

Claims (14)

A liquid discharge head having a discharge surface formed with a plurality of discharge ports for discharging liquid;
A plate-like wiper that is movable relative to the liquid discharge head in a first direction, has a first surface and a second surface, and wipes the discharge surface by at least the first surface, A wiper having a surface-side tip and an end opposite to the tip in a second direction perpendicular to the discharge surface;
A wiper cleaner for cleaning the liquid adhering to at least the first surface of the wiper;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a moving mechanism that relatively moves the wiper and the wiper cleaner in a third direction intersecting the first direction;
The wiper cleaner
A first contact portion made of an absorber that absorbs a liquid, and in contact with the first surface of the wiper;
A second contact portion disposed opposite to the first contact portion and in contact with the second surface of the wiper,
A wiper guide that is disposed on at least one side in the third direction with respect to the wiper cleaner, and that is separated from the wiper cleaner by a distance less than a length of the wiper in the third direction, A first guide piece facing one surface and a second guide piece facing the second surface of the wiper, wherein the wiper is inserted into a gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion. And a wiper guide disposed on both sides of the wiper to restrict the deformation of the wiper. The separation distance in the first direction between the first guide piece and the second guide piece is longer than the length of the wiper in the first direction,
When the wiper is not in contact with the wiper cleaner,
The first surface of the wiper and the first guide piece are separated from each other in the first direction, and the second surface of the wiper and the second guide piece are separated from each other in the first direction. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The distance in the first direction between the end of the first guide piece closest to the wiper cleaner and the end of the second guide piece closest to the wiper cleaner is the length of the wiper in the first direction. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejection device is the same.   4. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a distance between the first guide piece and the second guide piece in the one direction is shorter as the distance from the wiper cleaner is closer. 5. The third direction is a direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first guide piece is opposed to a portion closer to the end than the tip of the wiper.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second guide piece faces a portion closer to the tip of the wiper than the first guide piece.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second guide piece faces a portion closer to the end than the tip of the wiper. The third direction is a direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction,
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second guide piece faces the tip of the wiper.   The liquid discharge according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a liquid discharge portion that is formed continuously with a lower end of the first guide piece and allows the liquid transferred from the wiper to the wiper guide to flow downward. apparatus.   10. The liquid ejection device according to claim 9, wherein the liquid discharge unit has a groove portion extending in a vertical direction on a surface of the wiper facing the first surface.   The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part of the wiper guide enters a gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second contact portion includes an absorber that absorbs liquid. A cleaner holder for fixing both ends of the wiper cleaner in the one direction;
When the wiper is inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner, the wiper cleaner is deformed so as to bend in the relative movement direction between the wiper cleaner and the wiper with both ends in the first direction as fulcrums. The liquid ejection device according to claim 12. The cleaner holder has a first wall closest to the wiper when the wiper wipes the liquid on the discharge surface, and a second wall opposite to the first wall;
A first notch that exposes the gap of the wiper cleaner is formed in the first wall,
A second notch for exposing the gap of the wiper cleaner is formed in the second wall,
The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a length of the second notch in the first direction is shorter than a length of the first notch in the first direction.

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