JP2016078246A - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet recording device that can effectively suppress ink stains on an ink discharge surface of a recording head.SOLUTION: The inkjet recording device comprises a recording portion having a recording head, a wipe unit, a cleaning mechanism and a wipe lifting mechanism. The wipe unit has wipe blades 35a-35c that wipe off purge ink pushed out from the recording head. The cleaning mechanism has a lengthy cleaning member 83. The inkjet recording device can perform cleaning operation by which tip surfaces of the wipe blades are brought into contact with the cleaning member at one or more liquid absorption positions which have spaces at an opposite side of the winer blades across the cleaning member, and then the tip surfaces of the wipe blades are pressed against a pressing member 91 through the cleaning member at one or more finishing positions in which the pressing member is disposed at the opposite side of the wipe blades across the cleaning member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as paper.

  2. Description of the Related Art As a recording apparatus such as a facsimile, a copying machine, and a printer, an ink jet recording apparatus that forms an image by ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as paper or an OHP sheet is widely used because it can form a high-definition image.

  In such an ink jet recording apparatus, usually, a recovery process is performed in which the ink thickened in the discharge nozzle is periodically and forcibly discharged from the discharge port of the recording head. As the recovery process, for example, after the ink is forcibly pushed out (purged) from the ejection port of the recording head, the purge ink on the ink ejection surface is wiped off by a wipe blade. At this time, the purge ink adheres to the tip surface of the wipe blade.

  Since the ink adhering to the wipe blade dries and thickens over time, the thickened ink was rubbed against the ink ejection surface during the next wiping operation, and the nozzle area could not be cleaned sufficiently. . In addition, the thickened ink may cause nozzle clogging.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a head cleaning device including a cleaning unit that scrapes off ink adhering to the tip surface of the wipe blade. Patent Document 2 discloses an inkjet recording apparatus that removes ink adhering to a wipe blade by simultaneously sandwiching the tip surface and the wiping surface (side surface) of the wipe blade with an absorber member.

  Patent Document 3 discloses an ink jet image forming apparatus that includes a long nonwoven fabric as a cleaning means, and updates a portion of the nonwoven fabric that comes into contact with the wipe blade by winding the nonwoven fabric with a winding roller. Yes. Further, the wiping surface of the wipe blade is brought into contact with the vertical surface of the nonwoven fabric, and the upper surface (tip surface) of the wipe blade is brought into contact with the horizontal surface of the nonwoven fabric, so that the ink adhered to the tip surface and wiping surface (side surface) of the wipe blade is removed. The method of removing separately and the method of rubbing a wipe blade on a nonwoven fabric by rotating a winding roller in the state which contacted the nonwoven fabric with the wipe blade are also described.

JP 2005-169985 A JP 2011-25621 A JP 2011-136466 A

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to uniformly bring the cleaning unit into contact with the wipe blade, and a member for further scraping off the ink scraped off by the cleaning unit is required. Therefore, the cleaning mechanism is complicated. become. In the method of Patent Document 2, when the amount of ink adhering to the wipe blade is large, it may not be sufficiently removed by simply pinching the tip surface and the wiping surface of the wipe blade once. Also in the method of Patent Document 3, when the wipe blade is rubbed against the nonwoven fabric, the wipe blade is bent, and the contact state between the wipe blade and the nonwoven fabric becomes non-uniform, so that the ink adhering to the wipe blade is sufficiently removed. Sometimes it could not be removed.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that can ensure the wiping performance of a wipe blade that cleans the ink discharge surface of a recording head and effectively suppress ink contamination on the ink discharge surface. And

  In order to achieve the above object, a first configuration of the present invention is an inkjet recording apparatus including a recording unit, a wipe unit, a cleaning mechanism, and a wipe lifting mechanism. The recording unit includes a recording head provided with a nozzle region in which a discharge nozzle that discharges ink is opened on a recording medium. The wipe unit has a wipe blade that wipes out the purge ink forcedly ejected from the ejection nozzle. The cleaning mechanism includes a long cleaning member that is fed from the delivery roller and wound around the winding roller, and a roller driving device that rotates the winding roller. The wipe lifting mechanism raises and lowers the wipe unit to bring the wipe blade into contact with and away from the cleaning member substantially perpendicularly. The ink jet recording apparatus can perform a cleaning operation for removing ink adhering to the wipe blade by bringing the tip surface of the wipe blade into contact with the cleaning member. In the cleaning operation, the tip surface of the wipe blade is brought into contact with the cleaning member at one or more liquid absorption positions having a space on the opposite side of the wipe blade with the cleaning member interposed therebetween, and the tip surface of the wipe blade is once separated from the cleaning member. After that, the front end surface of the wipe blade is pressed against the pressing member through the cleaning member at one or more finishing positions where the pressing member is disposed on the opposite side of the wipe blade with the cleaning member interposed therebetween.

  According to the present invention, the ink adhering to the tip surface of the wipe blade can be efficiently absorbed by the cleaning member. Further, it is possible to suppress the ink adhering to the wipe blade from reattaching to the ink ejection surface of the recording head and soiling the ink ejection surface.

The figure which shows the structure of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which looked at the 1st belt conveyance part and recording part of the printer of one embodiment of the present invention from the upper part 1 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a recording unit of a printer according to an embodiment of the invention. The figure which shows the structure of the recording head which comprises the line head of the recording part of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which looked at the recording head of the printer of one embodiment of the present invention from the ink discharge side. The figure which shows structures, such as a recording part of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention, a cap unit, and a wipe unit. The figure which shows the structure of the cap unit of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the cap unit and cleaning mechanism of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention from the downward direction The figure which shows the structure of the carriage of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the carriage of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the wipe unit of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the wipe unit of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the cleaning mechanism of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the state which the 1st belt conveyance part of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention fell. The figure which shows the state which the wipe unit of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention moved to the 1st position. The figure which shows the state which press-contacted the wiper of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention to the wiping start position of the ink discharge surface of a recording head. The figure which shows the state which wipes off the purge ink pushed out to the ink discharge surface of the recording head with the wiper of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the state which has arrange | positioned the wiper of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention in the 1st wiping position which opposes a liquid absorption position. The figure which shows a mode that a wiper contacts the surface of the fiber web in a liquid absorption position in multiple times substantially perpendicularly. The figure which shows the state which moved the wiper from the state of FIG. 19, and has arrange | positioned in the 2nd wiping position which opposes a finishing position. The figure which shows a mode that a wiper contacts the surface of the fiber web in a finishing position in multiple times substantially perpendicularly Side sectional view showing a state in which ink remaining on the front end surface of the wiper is absorbed by the fiber web The figure which shows the state which rotated the winding roller from the state of FIG. 22, and moved the part arrange | positioned in the finishing position of the fiber web to the liquid absorption position. The figure which shows the state which the cap unit and wipe unit of the printer of one Embodiment of this invention moved to the 1st position. The figure which shows the state which the ink adhered to the uneven | corrugated level | step difference part of the front-end | tip surface of a wiper The figure which shows a mode that the ink adhering to the uneven | corrugated level | step-difference part of the front-end | tip surface of a wiper is removed by the fiber web. The figure which shows the structure which performs liquid absorption cleaning operation in two liquid absorption positions. The figure which shows the structure which performs finish cleaning operation in two finishing positions.

  Hereinafter, an inkjet printer 100 (inkjet recording apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 has a paper feed cassette 2 a that is a paper storage portion disposed inside the printer main body 1. Inside the paper feed cassette 2a, a sheet P of cut paper before printing, which is an example of a recording medium, is accommodated. A paper feeding device 3a is disposed on the downstream side of the paper feeding cassette 2a in the paper conveyance direction, that is, above the left side of the paper feeding cassette 2a in FIG. By this paper feeding device 3a, the paper P is separated and sent one by one toward the upper left of the paper feeding cassette 2a in FIG.

  Further, the printer 100 includes a first paper transport path 4a therein. The first paper transport path 4a is located at the upper left, which is the paper feeding direction in the case of the paper feeding cassette 2a. The paper P delivered from the paper feed cassette 2a is transported vertically upward along the side surface of the printer main body 1 by the first paper transport path 4a.

  A registration roller pair 13 is provided at the downstream end of the first paper transport path 4a with respect to the paper transport direction. Further, a first belt conveyance unit 5 and a recording unit 9 are disposed in the immediate vicinity of the registration roller pair 13 on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2a (or the paper sent out from the manual paper feed tray 2b) reaches the registration roller pair 13 through the first paper transport path 4a. The registration roller pair 13 feeds the paper P toward the first belt conveyance unit 5 while correcting the oblique feeding of the paper P and timings the ink ejection operation performed by the recording unit 9.

  A second belt conveyance unit 12 is disposed on the downstream side (right side in FIG. 1) of the first belt conveyance unit 5 with respect to the paper conveyance direction. The paper P on which the ink image is recorded by the recording unit 9 is sent to the second belt conveyance unit 12, and the ink ejected on the surface of the paper P is dried while passing through the second belt conveyance unit 12.

  A decurler unit 14 is provided on the downstream side of the second belt conveyance unit 12 with respect to the sheet conveyance direction and in the vicinity of the right side surface of the printer main body 1. The paper P from which the ink has been dried by the second belt conveyance unit 12 is sent to the decurler unit 14, and the curl generated on the paper P is corrected using a plurality of rollers arranged in the paper width direction.

  A second paper transport path 4b is provided on the downstream side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the decurler unit 14 with respect to the paper transport direction. The paper P that has passed through the decurler unit 14 is discharged from the second paper transport path 4b to a paper discharge tray 15 provided outside the right side surface of the printer 100 via a discharge roller pair.

  A wipe unit 19 and a cap unit 30 are disposed below the second belt conveyance unit 12. The wipe unit 19 moves horizontally below the recording unit 9 when performing the above-described purge, and wipes off ink pushed out from ejection nozzles 18 (see FIG. 2) of recording heads 17a to 17c described later. Collect the remaining ink. The cap unit 30 horizontally moves below the recording unit 9 when capping the ink discharge surfaces F (see FIG. 4) of the recording heads 17a to 17c, and further moves upward to be attached to the lower surfaces of the recording heads 17a to 17c. Is done.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the recording unit 9 includes a head housing 10 and line heads 11 </ b> C, 11 </ b> M, 11 </ b> Y, and 11 </ b> K held by the head housing 10. These line heads 11 </ b> C to 11 </ b> K form a predetermined interval (for example, 1 mm) with respect to the conveyance surface of the first conveyance belt 8 stretched around a plurality of rollers including the driving roller 6 and the driven roller 7. A plurality (three in this case) of recording heads 17a to 17c are arranged in a zigzag pattern along a paper width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2) that is supported at a height and perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction. The line heads 11 </ b> C to 11 </ b> K have a recording area that is equal to or larger than the width of the paper P to be transported. Can be discharged.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a nozzle region R in which a large number of ejection nozzles 18 are arranged is provided on the ink ejection surfaces F (see FIG. 4) of the recording heads 17a to 17c. Since the recording heads 17a to 17c have the same shape and configuration, the recording heads 17a to 17c are shown in one drawing in FIGS.

  In the recording heads 17a to 17c constituting the line heads 11C to 11K, inks of four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) stored in ink tanks (not shown) are respectively stored in the line heads 11C to 11K. Supplied for each color.

  Each of the recording heads 17a to 17c discharges ink from the discharge nozzle 18 toward the paper P that is sucked and held on the transport surface of the first transport belt 8 according to the image data received from the external computer. As a result, a color image in which four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are superimposed is formed on the paper P on the first transport belt 8.

  Further, in order to prevent ink discharge failure due to drying or clogging of the recording heads 17a to 17c, the printing nozzles of all the recording heads 17a to 17c can be started from the discharge nozzles 18 at the start of printing after being stopped for a long time. Is prepared for the next printing operation by executing a purge for ejecting ink having a high viscosity in the nozzles from the ejection nozzles 18 of the recording heads 17a to 17c whose ink ejection amount is not more than a specified value.

  As shown in FIG. 6, below the recording unit 9, two guide rails 60a and 60b are fixed along both end portions parallel to the paper transport direction (arrow A direction). A pair of guide plates 61a and 61b are fixed to the guide rails 60a and 60b, and the side edges of the cap unit 30 are supported at the lower ends of the guide plates 61a and 61b. A carriage 71 is slidably supported on the guide rails 60 a and 60 b, and the wipe unit 19 is placed on the carriage 71.

  The cap unit 30 can reciprocate between a first position directly below the recording unit 9 and a second position (position in FIG. 6) retreated in the horizontal direction (arrow A direction) from the first position. The recording heads 17a to 17c are capped by moving upward at the first position.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the cap unit 30 includes a sheet metal cap tray 30a, twelve concave cap portions 30b disposed on the upper surface of the cap tray 30a, and four height direction positionings. And a protrusion 30c.

  The cap part 30b is disposed at a position corresponding to the recording heads 17a to 17c. As a result, the cap unit 30 moves upward at the first position, whereby each cap portion 30b caps the ink ejection surface F of each recording head 17a to 17c. When the cap unit 30 is raised toward the recording unit 9 in order to cap the recording heads 17a to 17c, the height direction positioning projection 30c contacts the housing 10 of the recording unit 9 to thereby eject the ink from the cap unit 30b. The contact state with the surface F is kept constant.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a cleaning mechanism 80 described later is screwed to the lower surface of the cap unit 30.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the wipe unit 19 can reciprocate between a first position directly below the recording unit 9 and a second position retracted in the horizontal direction (arrow A direction) from the first position. Yes, it is configured to move upward at the first position and perform a wiping operation described later.

  Specifically, on the outside of the guide rail 60b, there is a drive motor 72 for moving the carriage 71 in the direction of arrow AA ', and a gear train (not shown) engaged with the drive motor 72 and the rack teeth 71a of the carriage 71. ) And a cover member 73 covering them. When the drive motor 72 rotates forward, the gear train rotates, and the carriage 71 and the wipe unit 19 move from the second position to the first position. The drive motor 72 and the gear train constitute a wipe unit moving mechanism that moves the wipe unit 19 in the horizontal direction.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, support arms 74 that support the wipe unit 19 from the lower surface side and can swing (rise or fall) are provided at the four corners of the carriage 71. The support arms 74 adjacent to each other in the direction of the arrow AA ′ are connected by a rotation shaft 75. Further, on the outside of the carriage 71, a wipe lifting motor 76 for swinging the support arm 74 and a gear train (not shown) engaged with the wipe lifting motor 76 and the gear of the rotary shaft 75 are attached. It has been. When the wipe lifting motor 76 rotates in the forward direction, the gear train or the like rotates, and the rotating shaft 75 rotates, so that the support arm 74 swings (stands up). As a result, the wipe unit 19 rises. The wipe lifting / lowering motor 76, the gear train, the rotating shaft 75, the support arm 74, and the like constitute a wipe lifting / lowering mechanism that moves the wipe unit 19 in the vertical direction (arrow BB 'direction). A guide groove 71b extending in the vertical direction is formed on the inner surface of the carriage 71, and the wipe unit 19 moves up and down along the guide groove 71b.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the wipe unit 19 includes a substantially rectangular wiper carriage 31 to which a plurality of wipers (wipe blades) 35 a to 35 c are fixed, and a support frame 40 that supports the wiper carriage 31. ing.

  Rail portions 41a and 41b are formed at opposite edges of the upper surface of the support frame 40. The rollers 36 provided at the four corners of the wiper carriage 31 abut against the rail portions 41a and 41b, so that the wiper carriage 31 is The support frame 40 is slidably supported in the direction of the arrow CC ′.

  On the outside of the support frame 40, a wiper carriage moving motor 45 for moving the wiper carriage 31 in the horizontal direction (arrow CC ′ direction) and rack teeth (not shown) of the wiper carriage moving motor 45 and the wiper carriage 31 are provided. An engaging gear train (not shown) is attached. As the wiper carriage moving motor 45 rotates forward and backward, the gear train rotates forward and backward, and the wiper carriage 31 reciprocates in the horizontal direction (arrow CC ′ direction). The wiper carriage moving motor 45, the gear train, and the like constitute a wipe moving mechanism that moves the wipers 35a to 35c along the ink discharge surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c.

  The wipers 35a to 35c are rubber members made of, for example, EPDM for wiping off ink discharged from the discharge nozzles 18 of the recording heads 17a to 17c. The wipers 35a to 35c are brought into pressure contact with the wiping start position outside the nozzle region R (see FIG. 5) where the discharge nozzle 18 is exposed from a substantially vertical direction, and move the wiper carriage 31 to move the ink discharge surface F including the nozzle region R. Wipe in a predetermined direction (arrow C direction in FIG. 11).

  The four wipers 35a are arranged at substantially equal intervals. Similarly, the four wipers 35b and the four wipers 35c are also arranged at substantially equal intervals. The wipers 35a and 35c are disposed at positions corresponding to the left and right recording heads 17a and 17c (see FIG. 3) constituting the line heads 11C to 11K, respectively. The wiper 35b is disposed at a position corresponding to the central recording head 17b (see FIG. 3) constituting each of the line heads 11C to 11K, and the moving direction of the wiper carriage 31 relative to the wipers 35a and 35c (arrow CC). It is fixed by being shifted by a predetermined distance in a direction orthogonal to the 'direction).

  Height positioning protrusions 46 are provided at four locations on the upper surface of the support frame 40. When the support frame 40 is raised to the recording unit 9 side in order to perform the wiping operation of the ink discharge surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c by the wipers 35a to 35c, the height direction positioning projection 46 is a head housing of the recording unit 9. 10, the contact state between the wipers 35 a to 35 c and the ink discharge surface F is kept constant.

  On the upper surface of the support frame 40, an ink collection tray 44 for collecting waste ink wiped from the ink ejection surface F by the wipers 35a to 35c and collected by a cleaning mechanism 80 described later is disposed. An ink discharge hole (not shown) is formed at a substantially central portion of the ink collection tray 44, and the tray surfaces 44a and 44b on both sides across the ink discharge hole are inclined downward toward the ink discharge hole. ing. Waste ink wiped from the ink ejection surface F by the wipers 35a to 35c and dropped onto the tray surfaces 44a and 44b flows toward an ink discharge hole (not shown). Thereafter, the ink is recovered into a waste ink recovery tank (not shown) through an ink recovery path (not shown) connected to the ink discharge hole.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 13, the cleaning mechanism 80 includes twelve main body portions 81 screwed to the lower surface of the cap unit 30, a fiber web 83 accommodated in the main body portion 81, a take-up roller 85, and delivery. A roller 87 and two guide rollers 89 are included.

  The main body 81 is arranged in the same number (12) as the number of wipers 35a to 35c at positions corresponding to the wipers 35a to 35c.

  The fiber web 83 is wound around the delivery roller 87 in a roll shape, and the fiber web 83 fed from the delivery roller 85 is taken up by the take-up roller 85. The guide roller 89 is pressed against the inner surface of the fiber web 83 between the delivery roller 87 and the take-up roller 85 to apply a predetermined tension (tension) to the fiber web 83.

  A drive input gear (not shown) is attached to the rotation shaft of the take-up roller 85, and when the drive force is transmitted from the web drive motor 90 to the drive input gear, the take-up roller 85 has a predetermined line. Rotates at high speed. As a result, the fiber web 83 is sequentially sent out from the sending roller 87. Further, the guide roller 89 rotates following the fiber web 83 that moves as the delivery roller 87 and the take-up roller 85 rotate.

  A pressing member 91 and a support member 93 are disposed on the back side of the fiber web 83 (the side opposite to the wipers 35a to 35c). The pressing member 91 and the support member 93 are made of an elastic material such as sponge, rubber, rubber sponge (foamed rubber), and are spaced at a predetermined interval in the moving direction of the fiber web 83 (the arrow direction in FIG. 13). Is arranged. Between the pressing member 91 and the support member 93 is a liquid absorption position L1 for absorbing ink adhering to the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c. Further, the portion facing the pressing member 91 is a finishing position L2 where the ink remaining on the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c without being absorbed at the liquid absorbing position L1 is wiped off.

  The pressing member 91 and the support member 93 may be in contact with the surface of the fiber web 83, are disposed at a predetermined interval from the surface of the fiber web 83, and the fiber web 83 is contacted by the wipers 35 a to 35 c. The structure which contacts the surface may be sufficient.

  Although not shown in FIG. 8, the rotation axis of the winding roller 85 is common to the four main body portions 81 arranged in the paper width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 8), and one web drive motor 90 is used. The winding rollers 85 of the four main body portions 81 are simultaneously rotated.

  Next, the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c in the printer 100 of this embodiment will be described.

  When the recovery process of the recording heads 17a to 17c is performed by the wipe unit 19, the first belt conveyance unit 5 disposed to face the lower surface of the recording unit 9 is lowered as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the wipe unit 19 is moved from the second position to the first position by the wipe unit moving mechanism with the cap unit 30 left at the second position.

  Prior to the wiping operation, ink is supplied to the recording heads 17a to 17c. The supplied ink 22 is forcibly pushed out (purged) from the ejection nozzle 18. By this purging operation, the thickened ink, foreign matter and bubbles in the discharge nozzle 18 are discharged, and the recording heads 17a to 17c can be recovered.

  Next, a wiping operation for wiping off the ink 22 discharged to the ink discharge surface F is performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the wiper unit 19 is lifted by the wipe lifting mechanism, so that the wipers 35a to 35c are brought into pressure contact with the wiping start positions of the ink discharge surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c.

  Then, the wiper carriage 31 is horizontally moved in the direction of arrow C by the wiper carriage moving motor 45 (see FIG. 11), so that the wipers 35a to 35c are discharged onto the ink discharge surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c as shown in FIG. The ink 22 is wiped off.

  After the wipers 35a to 35c move to the downstream end of the ink ejection surface F of the recording heads 17a to 17c, the wiper carriage 31 is lowered by the wipe lifting mechanism. As a result, the wipers 35a to 35c are retracted downward from the ink ejection surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c.

  Thereafter, the wiper carriage 31 is moved from the first position to the second position by the wipe moving mechanism. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 18, the wipers 35a-35c are arrange | positioned in the predetermined position (1st wiping position K1) just under the liquid absorption position L1.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 19, the wiper unit 19 is repeatedly moved up and down a plurality of times by the wipe lifting mechanism, whereby a plurality of wipers 35a to 35c are substantially perpendicular to the surface (outer peripheral surface) of the fiber web 83 at the liquid absorption position L1. Touch once. Thereby, at least a part of the ink 22 on the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c is absorbed by the fiber web 83 (liquid absorption cleaning operation). Thereafter, the wiper unit 19 is lowered by the wipe lifting mechanism, whereby the wipers 35a to 35c are separated from the surface of the fiber web 83.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 20, the wiper carriage 31 is moved from the first wiping position K1 to a predetermined position (second wiping position K2) immediately below the finishing position L2 by the wipe moving mechanism. Then, as shown in FIG. 21, the wiper unit 19 is repeatedly raised and lowered by the wipe lifting mechanism a plurality of times, so that the wipers 35 a to 35 c are moved a plurality of times substantially perpendicularly to the surface (outer peripheral surface) of the fiber web 83 at the finishing position L2. Contact. As a result, as shown in FIG. 22, the ink 22 remaining on the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c without being completely removed in the liquid absorption cleaning operation is absorbed by the fiber web 83 (finishing cleaning operation).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 23, the winding roller 85 is rotated to wind up the fiber web 83 by a predetermined amount, thereby moving the portion of the fiber web 83 that is disposed at the finishing position L2 to the liquid absorption position L1. deep. As a result, in the next liquid absorption cleaning operation, the ink 22 is absorbed into the portion used in the current finish cleaning operation.

  Next, an operation of attaching the cap unit 30 to the recording heads 17a to 17c in the printer 100 of the present embodiment will be described.

  When the recording heads 17a to 17c are capped by the cap unit 30, the first belt conveyance unit 5 disposed to face the lower surface of the recording unit 9 is lowered as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 24, with the cap unit 30 disposed on the wipe unit 19, the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 30 are moved from the second position to the first position by the wipe unit moving mechanism. Thereafter, the wipe unit 19 and the cap unit 30 are lifted by the wipe lifting mechanism to mount the cap unit 30 on the recording heads 17a to 17c.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the ink adhering to the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c can be reliably removed by continuously performing the liquid absorption cleaning operation and the finishing cleaning operation.

  Further, the wipers 35a to 35c come into contact with different portions of the fiber web 83 in the finish cleaning operation and the liquid absorption cleaning operation. As a result, a new portion of the fiber web 83 to which the ink is not attached comes into contact with the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c, and the portion to which the ink is attached is taken up by the take-up roller 85. In this case, it is possible to prevent the ink absorbed in the fiber web 83 from reattaching to the wipers 35a to 35c in the final cleaning operation.

  Further, in the liquid absorption cleaning operation, the wipers 35a to 35c are brought into contact with the fiber web 83 at the liquid absorption position L1 having a space opposite to the wipers 35a to 35c with the fiber web 83 interposed therebetween. The fiber web 83 is not compressed by this contact, and the liquid absorbing function of the fiber web 83 is maintained. Therefore, the ink adhering to the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c can be efficiently absorbed by the fiber web 83.

  At the liquid absorption position L1, both end portions in the moving direction of the fiber web 83 are supported by the pressing member 91 and the support member 93 from the opposite side to the wipers 35a to 35c, so that a predetermined tension is evenly applied to the fiber web 83. Has been granted. And the front end surface of the wipers 35a-35c contact | abuts the fiber web 83 in the approximate center part of the liquid absorption position L1. Thereby, the fiber web 83 can be made to contact uniformly to the whole tip end surface of the wipers 35a-35c.

  Further, the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c are not necessarily flat, and as shown in FIG. 25, irregularities due to parting lines or the like during molding may occur. It is difficult to remove the ink 22 adhering to the uneven step portion. Therefore, in the finishing cleaning operation, the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c are brought into contact with the fiber web 83 at the finishing position L2 where the pressing member 91 is disposed on the opposite side of the wipers 35a to 35c with the fiber web 83 interposed therebetween. As a result, as shown in FIG. 26, the uneven step portion is pressed so as to bite into the fiber web 83, so that the ink 22 attached to the uneven step portion can be reliably removed.

  In addition, if the pressing load at the time of pressing the wipers 35a to 35c against the pressing member 91 with the fiber web 83 interposed therebetween is too strong, the wipers 35a to 35c are buckled, and the end surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c are fiber webs. Further, the wipers 35a to 35c may not be contacted uniformly with 83, and the wipers 35a to 35c may be damaged. Therefore, it is preferable that the pressing load of the wipers 35a to 35c in the finish cleaning operation is smaller than the buckling load of the wipers 35a to 35c.

  Furthermore, since the pressing member 91 is formed of an elastic material, the pressing member 91 is elastically deformed according to the shape of the tip surfaces of the wipers 35 a to 35 c, so that the uneven stepped portion is securely bited into the fiber web 83. I can do it. Further, when the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c are pressed, the fiber web 83 is not compressed more than necessary, and a decrease in the liquid absorption function of the fiber web 83 can be suppressed.

  Further, the wiper 35a to 35c is repeatedly brought into and out of contact with the fiber web 83 by a wipe raising and lowering mechanism (support arm 74, rotating shaft 75, wipe raising and lowering motor 76, etc.), thereby leading end surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c. The ink can be removed reliably. As a result, it is possible to prevent the ink discharge surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c from becoming dirty.

  In the recovery operation described above, the wipers 35a to 35c are brought into contact with and separated from the fiber web 83 substantially perpendicularly so that only the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c are brought into contact with the fiber web 83. In addition to removing ink adhering to the front end surface, ink adhering to the side surface within a predetermined range (within about 0.5 mm) from the front end surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c is also absorbed by the fiber web 83 by surface tension. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the ink attached to the side surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c from adhering to the ink ejection surfaces F of the recording heads 17a to 17c during the next recovery process of the recording heads 17a to 17c.

  Note that, at the finishing position L2, the wipers 35a to 35c after the ink has been substantially removed by the liquid absorption cleaning operation come into contact with the fiber web 83, so that the amount of ink adhesion is smaller than that at the liquid absorption position L1. Therefore, the fiber web 83 in one recovery operation is used by reusing the portion used in the current finishing cleaning operation (the portion where the ink has adhered at the finishing position L2) in the next liquid absorption cleaning operation of the wipers 35a to 35c. The amount of use can be reduced. Therefore, the use period of the fiber web 83 can be extended, and the replacement frequency of the fiber web 83 can also be reduced.

  Further, as described above, the cleaning operation is performed during the printing operation by performing the cleaning operation in which the fiber web 83 absorbs and removes the ink on the tip surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c at the second position (retracted position). be able to. As a result, a sufficient time for executing the cleaning operation can be ensured, so that the cleaning operation can be performed until the front end surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c and the ink in the vicinity thereof are sufficiently removed.

  Further, as described above, the cleaning mechanism 80 is attached to the lower surface of the cap unit 30. Thereby, the space for arranging the cleaning mechanism 80 and the cap unit 30 can be saved.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the liquid absorption position L1 and the finishing position L2 are provided one by one, and the liquid absorption cleaning operation and the finishing cleaning operation are performed once, but the liquid absorption position L1 or the finishing position L2 is 2 It is good also as a structure which provides at least one location and performs at least one of a liquid absorption cleaning operation or a finishing cleaning operation twice or more.

  For example, when the liquid absorption cleaning operation is performed twice, as shown in FIG. 27, two support members 93 are provided to form two liquid absorption positions L1, and two positions opposed to the respective liquid absorption positions L1. The wipers 35a to 35c may be brought into contact with and separated from the fiber web 83 at the first wiping positions K1 and K1 ′. When the finishing cleaning operation is performed twice, the wipers 35a to 35c are brought into contact with and separated from the fiber web 83 at the two second wiping positions K2 and K2 ′ opposite to the finishing position L2, as shown in FIG. You can make it.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the part between the pressing member 91 and the supporting member 93, or the part between the two supporting members 93 is made into the liquid absorption position L1, the both ends of the moving direction of the fiber web 83 are wiper 35a. If it is the structure supported from the side opposite -35c, it will not be restricted to this, For example, the part between the pressing member 91 and the guide roller 89 or the support member 93 and the guide roller 89 may also be made into the liquid absorption position L1. it can.

  The present invention is applicable to an ink jet recording apparatus that records on a recording medium by ejecting ink from a recording head. By using the present invention, the ink adhering to the wipe blade can be surely removed, and the ink adhering to the wipe blade is reattached to the ink discharge surface of the recording head in the next wiping operation, and the ink discharge surface becomes dirty. An image forming apparatus capable of suppressing the above can be provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Recording part 17a-17c Recording head 18 Discharge nozzle 19 Wipe unit 22 Ink 30 Cap unit 31 Wiper carriage 35a-35c Wiper (wipe blade)
45 Wiper carriage moving motor (wipe moving mechanism)
74 Support arm (wipe lifting mechanism)
75 Rotating shaft (wipe lifting mechanism)
76 Wipe lifting motor (wipe lifting mechanism)
80 Cleaning mechanism 83 Fiber web (cleaning member)
85 Winding roller 87 Delivery roller 89 Guide roller 90 Web drive motor (roller drive device)
91 Pressing member 93 Supporting member 100 Printer (ink jet recording apparatus)
P paper (recording medium)
R Nozzle area

Claims (9)

A recording unit having a recording head provided with a nozzle region in which a discharge nozzle for discharging ink is opened on a recording medium;
A wipe unit having a wipe blade for wiping the purge ink forced out from the discharge nozzle;
A cleaning mechanism having a long cleaning member that is drawn out from the delivery roller and wound around the take-up roller, and a roller driving device that rotates the take-up roller;
A wipe lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the wipe unit to bring the wipe blade into contact with and away from the cleaning member substantially perpendicularly;
An inkjet recording apparatus capable of performing a cleaning operation for removing the ink adhering to the wipe blade by bringing the tip surface of the wipe blade into contact with the cleaning member;
In the cleaning operation, the front end surface of the wipe blade is brought into contact with the cleaning member at one or more liquid absorption positions having a space on the opposite side of the wipe blade with the cleaning member interposed therebetween, and the front end surface of the wipe blade is After being once separated from the cleaning member, at one or more finishing positions where the pressing member is disposed on the opposite side of the wipe blade with the cleaning member interposed therebetween, the tip surface of the wipe blade via the cleaning member Is pressed against the pressing member.   The cleaning operation includes a liquid absorption cleaning operation in which the wipe blade is brought into contact with the cleaning member a plurality of times substantially perpendicularly at the liquid absorption position, and the wipe blade is applied to the pressing member via the cleaning member at the finishing position. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a finish cleaning operation of pressing a plurality of times substantially vertically is sequentially performed. A wipe moving mechanism for reciprocating the wipe blade along the moving direction of the cleaning member;
The wipe blade is disposed at a first wiping position opposite to the liquid absorption position to perform the liquid absorption cleaning operation, and the wipe moving mechanism moves the wipe blade from the first wiping position to the finishing position. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the finish cleaning operation is performed by moving to a wiping position.   After execution of the finishing cleaning operation, the roller driving device rotates the winding roller to wind up the cleaning member by a predetermined amount, so that the portion of the cleaning member arranged at the finishing position is the liquid absorption position. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus is moved.   5. The pressing load of the wipe blade when the front end surface of the wipe blade is pressed against the elastic member is smaller than a buckling load of the wipe blade. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus described.   The cleaning member is applied with a predetermined tension by supporting both ends in the moving direction of the cleaning member from the opposite side to the wipe blade at the liquid absorption position, and the tip surface of the wipe blade has the suction surface. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is in contact with the cleaning member at a substantially central portion of the liquid position.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is formed of an elastic material. The wipe unit can reciprocate between a first position directly below the recording unit and a second position retracted horizontally from the first position,
The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning operation is performed at the second position during a printing operation. A cap unit that caps the recording head during non-printing operation;
The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning mechanism is attached to a lower surface of the cap unit.

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