JP2016215427A - Liquid wiping device and liquid wiping method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid wiping device and a liquid wiping method capable of inhibiting a liquid from dispersing when wiping a first wiping member with a second wiping member.SOLUTION: In a liquid wiping device, a wiper cleaner 16 is held to an attitude that the wiper cleaner face angle α between a wiper cleaner face 18 and a horizontal face p is an initial angle (0°<α<180°). For the wiping treatment of the nozzle face 32 of the liquid wiping device 1, a link mechanism 25 is driven to make an elastomer wiper 13 reciprocate, and the marginal part 15a of a wiper face 15 slides on the nozzle face 32 to wipe the nozzle face 32. When the wiper 13 continues to reciprocate and makes the wiper cleaner 16 wipe the wiper 13, wiper cleaner 16 is held at an angle that the wiper cleaner face angle α between the wiper cleaner face 18 and the horizontal face p is larger than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid wiping device and a liquid wiping method, and more particularly, to a liquid wiping device and a liquid wiping method for wiping ink adhering to a liquid ejection device in an ink jet recording apparatus.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus, ink is ejected as droplets onto a recording medium from an ejection port formed on the ejection surface of the liquid ejection apparatus, and an image is formed on the recording medium. During this image formation, a part of the ejected ink may adhere to the ejection surface of the liquid ejection device, and the adhered ink may dry and thicken, resulting in a gel-like ink. For this reason, if ink remains on the ejection surface of the liquid ejection device, the ejection port may become clogged, making it impossible to eject ink or changing the ink ejection direction. In addition, the adhered ink may be dripped onto the recording medium. As described above, if ink adheres to the ejection surface of the liquid ejection device, a desired image may not be formed. For this reason, the ink jet recording apparatus has conventionally been provided with a liquid wiping device for wiping ink adhering to the ejection surface of the liquid ejection device.

  A conventional liquid wiping device includes a wiper as a blade-like first wiping member and a wiper cleaner as a second wiping member formed of an elastic body such as rubber, and the wiper adheres to the ejection surface of the liquid ejection device. The ink is wiped off, and the wiper cleaner wipes off the ink adhering to the wiper. Specifically, the wiper moves over the entire ejection surface while bringing its tip into contact with the ejection surface of the liquid ejection device, and wipes off and wipes off ink adhering to the ejection surface. The wiper cleaner moves while the tip of the wiper is in contact with the tip of the wiper, contacts the wiper and the tip of the wiper, and wipes off the ink adhering to the wiper.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, when wiping the wiper, the wiper moves linearly, the wiper cleaner rotates, the wiper and the wiper cleaner move while moving toward each other, the tips come into contact with each other, and slide. A technique for scraping off ink adhering to a wiper is disclosed. The wiper cleaner continues to rotate after coming into contact with the wiper and stops after coming into contact with an absorbent body formed of a sponge or a porous body. The absorber absorbs ink adhering to the wiper cleaner and removes the ink from the wiper cleaner.

JP 2009-241366 A

  In the conventional liquid wiping apparatus described in Patent Document 1, ink attached to the ejection surface of the liquid ejection apparatus can be removed by wiping with a wiper cleaner. However, wiping of the wiper with the wiper cleaner is performed when the wiper is linear. , The wiper cleaner rotates and moves upward, and comes into contact with each other while moving. At this time, the wiper of the elastic body receives a force in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the wiper because it moves in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the wiper cleaner when contacting the wiper cleaner. For this reason, the wiper needs to be largely deformed after the wiper and the wiper cleaner come into contact and until the contact is released. That is, in the conventional liquid wiping device, the amount of deformation of the wiper increases, and the ink remaining on the wiper may be easily scattered.

  As described above, in the conventional liquid wiping device, suppression of ink scattering at the time of wiping the wiper formed of an elastic body by the wiper cleaner has been demanded.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid wiping device and a liquid that can suppress the scattering of liquid when the first wiping member is wiped by the second wiping member. It is to provide a wiping method.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid wiping device according to the present invention includes a discharge surface wiping surface that is a surface capable of contacting a discharge surface provided with a discharge portion for discharging liquid in the liquid discharge device, and an elastic body. A first wiping member comprising: a second wiping member comprising a first wiping member wiping surface that is a surface capable of contacting the discharge surface wiping surface of the first wiping member; the first wiping member; and the second wiping member. And a holding means for holding the second wiping member. The moving means moves the first wiping member so that the discharge surface wiping surface is on the discharge surface. The first wiping member and the second wiping member are moved to enable the first wiping member wiping surface and the ejection surface wiping surface to slide with each other, The holding means wipes the discharge surface of the first wiping member. The first wiping member wiping surface and the ejection surface wiping surface slide relative to each other in a state where the portion including the first wiping member wiping surface of the second wiping member overlaps at least partially. In this case, the second wiping member is held such that an angle between the first wiping member wiping surface and the horizontal plane is a predetermined angle larger than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees.

  According to this configuration, when the first wiping member wiping surface and the ejection surface wiping surface slide relative to each other, the angle between the first wiping member wiping surface and the horizontal plane is greater than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees By holding the second wiping member such that the drag force generated when the first wiping member and the second wiping member move during sliding can be reduced. For this reason, when the 1st wiping member wiping surface and the discharge surface wiping surface slide, it can control that the 1st wiping member changes greatly, and it can control that a droplet (liquid) scatters. Can do.

  In the liquid wiping device according to one aspect of the present invention, the holding unit holds the second wiping member so as to be rotatable in a wiping direction in which the first wiping member wiping surface faces and in a direction opposite to the wiping direction. And the holding means holds the second wiping member held at the predetermined angle so that the first wiping member wiping surface is rotatable on the wiping direction side, and the first wiping member is rotatable. The wiping member wiping surface is held so as not to rotate in the opposite direction side.

  According to this configuration, when the ejection surface wiping surface and the first wiping member wiping surface slide on each other, the second wiping member is continuously held at a predetermined angle by the holding member. The wiping member wiping surface can slide closely against each other. In addition, when the first wiping member contacts the opposite side of the first wiping member wiping surface of the second wiping member toward the opposite side of the ejection surface wiping surface, the second wiping member rotates, so the second wiping It can suppress that a member prevents this movement of the 1st wiping member.

  In the liquid wiping apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the holding unit rotates the second wiping member holding member that holds the second wiping member, and the second wiping member holding member in the wiping direction and the opposite direction. A holding base that is pivotably held about an axis, wherein the second wiping member holding member is capable of contacting the holding base in the opposite direction, and the second wiping member holding member The second wiping member is held at the predetermined angle by contacting the holding base with each other.

  According to this configuration, since the second wiping member can be mechanically held at a predetermined angle, control of the second wiping member is not required, and the above effect can be achieved with a simple configuration.

  In the liquid wiping device according to an aspect of the present invention, the center of gravity of the second wiping member and the second wiping member holding member when the second wiping member is held at the predetermined angle is It is located on the lower side in the vertical direction with respect to the rotation axis.

  According to this configuration, the second wiping member and the second wiping member holding member are subjected to a rotational force in a direction in contact with the holding base due to their own weights. Can be held at an angle of

  In the liquid wiping device according to one aspect of the present invention, the second wiping member is made of an elastic body.

  According to this configuration, since the first wiping member and the second wiping member are both elastic bodies, even if the overlap amount is increased, the first wiping member and the second wiping member can be deformed when they are slid with each other. It can be secured. Further, when the second wiping member becomes an elastic body, the droplets scraped off from the first wiping member are likely to scatter, but the angle between the first wiping member wiping surface and the horizontal surface is greater than 0 degree and 90 degrees. Since the second wiping member deformed at the time of sliding tries to return to the original shape because the second wiping member deformed at the time of sliding is held at a smaller predetermined angle, the liquid droplets scattered at the time of shape deformation are ejected downward. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the droplets from scattering upward or to the side.

  The liquid wiping apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a supply pipe having elasticity, and includes a cleaning liquid supply unit capable of supplying a cleaning liquid to the second wiping member via the supply pipe. The holding means is urged in the opposite direction.

  According to this configuration, the second wiping member can be cleaned by supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply means, and the rotated second wiping member is brought into a predetermined angle state by the urging of the supply pipe. Can be returned.

  In the liquid wiping device according to one aspect of the present invention, in the second wiping member, the first wiping member wiping surface is from one end to the other end that can contact the discharge surface wiping surface of the first wiping member. An end portion that extends, the end portion is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, the one end side is formed to be higher in the vertical direction than the other end side, the cleaning liquid supply means, The cleaning liquid can be supplied to the one end side of the second wiping member from above in the vertical direction.

  According to this configuration, the cleaning liquid can be efficiently supplied to the entire extending direction of the end portion of the first wiping member wiping surface.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid wiping method according to the present invention comprises an ejection surface wiping surface that is a surface capable of abutting on an ejection surface provided with an ejection section for ejecting liquid in a liquid ejection apparatus, and an elastic body. A liquid wiping method for a liquid wiping device comprising: a first wiping member comprising: a second wiping member having a first wiping member wiping surface that is a surface capable of contacting the discharge surface wiping surface of the first wiping member. A discharge surface wiping step of moving the first wiping member and sliding the discharge surface on the discharge surface to wipe liquid from the discharge surface; and the first wiping member and the second wiping member A first wiping member wiping step for wiping liquid from the first wiping member by moving at least one of the members and sliding the first wiping member wiping surface and the ejection surface wiping surface relative to each other; 1 wiping member wiping step, In a state where the portion including the discharge surface wiping surface of the 1 wiping member and the portion including the first wiping member wiping surface of the second wiping member are at least partially overlapped, the first wiping member wiping surface and the When the discharge surface wiping surface slides on each other, the second wiping member is held such that the angle between the first wiping member wiping surface and the horizontal surface is a predetermined angle greater than 0 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees. It is characterized by doing.

  According to this configuration, when the first wiping member wiping surface and the ejection surface wiping surface slide relative to each other, the angle between the first wiping member wiping surface and the horizontal plane is greater than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees By holding the second wiping member such that the drag force generated when the first wiping member and the second wiping member move during sliding can be reduced. For this reason, when the 1st wiping member wiping surface and the discharge surface wiping surface slide, it can control that the 1st wiping member changes greatly, and it can control that a droplet (liquid) scatters. Can do.

  The liquid wiping method according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first wiping member returning step of moving the first wiping member wiped by the second wiping member in the first wiping member wiping step. In the wiping member wiping step, the first wiping member is moved from a start position to an end position, and the first wiping member wiping surface of the second wiping member is placed on the first wiping member wiping surface between the start position and the end position. The first wiping member is moved from the end position to the start position in the first wiping member returning step, and the first wiping member is moved to the second wiping position. When the member is in contact with the member, the second wiping member rotates in the moving direction of the first wiping member.

  According to this configuration, in the first wiping member wiping step, the ejection surface wiping surface and the first wiping member wiping surface can slide closely together. Moreover, in a 1st wiping member return step, since a 2nd wiping member rotates in the moving direction of a 1st wiping member, it can suppress that a 2nd wiping member prevents the movement of a 1st wiping member.

  In the liquid wiping method according to an aspect of the present invention, when the first wiping member and the second wiping member are in contact with each other in the first wiping member returning step, the second wiping member is the first wiping member. The first wiping member rotates in a direction opposite to the moving direction, returns to the holding position in the first wiping member wiping step, and is held at the holding position.

  According to this configuration, the discharge surface wiping surface and the first wiping member wiping surface can be returned to a slidable state after the first wiping member returning step.

  The liquid wiping method which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention is equipped with the washing | cleaning liquid supply step which supplies a washing | cleaning liquid to a said 2nd wiping member, In the said washing | cleaning liquid supply step, the said 1st wiping member wiping surface with which the said 1st wiping member is provided The cleaning liquid is supplied from the one end toward the other end at the end extending from one end to the other end that can come into contact with the discharge surface wiping surface.

  According to this configuration, the first wiping member can be wiped by the second wiping member washed with the cleaning liquid, and the wiping performance of the liquid from the first wiping member can be improved.

  According to the liquid wiping device and the liquid wiping method according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the liquid from being scattered when the first wiping member is wiped by the second wiping member.

It is a figure for showing a schematic structure of an ink jet recording device to which a liquid wiping device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. FIG. 2 is a diagram for illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing unit in the inkjet recording apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carriage when the carriage in the printing unit shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from below. It is a figure for showing schematic structure of the liquid wiping apparatus concerning an embodiment of the invention, Drawing 4 (a) is a perspective view of liquid wiping apparatus, and Drawing 4 (b) is a side view of liquid wiping apparatus. FIG. It is a figure for showing schematic structure of the wiper mechanism in the liquid wiping apparatus shown in FIG. FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams for illustrating a schematic configuration of a wiper cleaning mechanism in the liquid wiping apparatus illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the wiper cleaning mechanism, and FIG. 6B is a side view of the wiper cleaning mechanism. is there. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the wiper cleaning mechanism as seen from the back, and FIG. 7B is a front view of the wiper cleaning mechanism shown in FIG. It is the perspective view of the wiper cleaning mechanism which saw. FIG. 8A is a diagram for explaining the operation of the liquid wiping device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8A is a diagram for illustrating a state in which the wiper wipes the nozzle surface of the recording head; FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating a state where the wiper cleaner is wiping the wiper, and FIG. 8C is a state where the wiper is in contact with the wiper cleaner from the opposite direction side to the wiping direction. It is a figure for showing. It is a flowchart of the wiping process which the liquid wiping apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention performs. It is a side view of the wiper mechanism for showing the modification of the wiper in the liquid wiping apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the wiper cleaning mechanism for showing the modification of the wiper cleaner in the liquid wiping apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the wiper cleaning mechanism for showing the other modification of the wiper cleaner in the liquid wiping apparatus concerning an embodiment of the invention.

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

  A liquid wiping device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to an inkjet recording device 2. FIG. 1 is a diagram for illustrating a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus 2 to which a liquid wiping apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the direction intersecting the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction intersecting the main scanning direction is defined as the vertical direction, the upper side in FIG. 1 is defined as the upper side, and the lower side in FIG. Further, the right side in FIG. 1 is the right direction, and the left side is the left direction. In the present embodiment, the main scanning direction coincides with the left-right direction, and the main scanning direction, the sub-scanning direction, and the up-down direction are orthogonal to each other.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet recording apparatus 2 includes a casing 3, a printing unit 30 for forming an image on a recording medium M such as paper, cloth, a resin sheet made of vinyl chloride, polyester, or the like, a casing And a transport unit 40 that transports the recording medium M provided in the lower portion of the body 3 in the sub-scanning direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1). The inkjet recording apparatus 2 includes at least one ink tank 4 that stores ink supplied to the printing unit 30, and the ink in the ink tank 4 can be supplied to the printing unit 30 by an ink supply device (not shown). ing. The ink jet recording apparatus 2 includes a control unit 50 that controls each operation unit of the ink jet recording apparatus 2. For example, the ink tanks 4 are provided in a number corresponding to the type of ink used.

  The printing unit 30 is disposed in the housing 3 and, as shown in FIG. 2, a recording head 31 as a liquid ejection device that ejects ink supplied from the ink tank 4 toward the recording medium M; A carriage 34 for holding the recording head 31 and a suction device 37 as a maintenance mechanism for the recording head 31 are provided. 2 shows the printing unit 30 in a maintenance station that performs maintenance of the recording head 31.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the recording head 31 has an end portion 31a on which a nozzle surface 32 is formed as an ejection surface, which is a flat end surface, and ejects ink to the end portion 31a. A plurality of nozzles (not shown) are formed at regular intervals, and nozzle discharge ports 33 are opened on the nozzle surface 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the carriage 34 includes a recording head holding portion 35 that is a flat plate portion. The recording head holding portion 35 has an opening 35 a having a shape corresponding to the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31. Is formed. In the carriage 34, the end 31 a of the recording head 31 is inserted into the opening 35 a of the recording head holding unit 35, and the surface (lower surface) of the recording head holding unit 35 on the side facing the recording medium M as described later. The recording head 31 is held so as to be flush with or protrude from the surface 35b).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 34 includes a guide rail engaging portion 36 extending from the recording head holding portion 35, and the guide rail engaging portion 36 is provided in the main scanning direction ( It engages with the guide rail 5 so as to be movable along the guide rail 5 extending in the left-right direction in FIG. In the inkjet recording apparatus 2, the carriage 34 is engaged with the guide rail 5 so that the lower surface 35 b, that is, the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31 faces the recording medium M conveyed by the conveying unit 40.

  The printing unit 30 includes a carriage moving device (not shown), and the carriage 34 can be reciprocated in the main scanning direction along the guide rail 5 by driving the carriage moving device. The carriage moving device enables the carriage 34 to reciprocate along the guide rail 5 by, for example, rotating a pulley on which an endless belt is stretched by a motor. The carriage 34 moves in a region facing the recording medium M when forming an image, and is positioned at a standby position in the maintenance station, which is a position not facing the recording medium M when not forming an image. The standby position is, for example, in the vicinity of the right end of the housing 3 (see FIG. 1).

  The printing unit 30 includes at least one recording head 31, for example, the number of recording heads 31 corresponding to the number of ink tanks 4, that is, the type of ink. In the present embodiment, for example, four ink tanks 4 for storing black, yellow, magenta, and cyan inks are provided, and each ink tank 4 is connected to eject ink of each color. Four recording heads 31 are provided.

  The colors of ink used are various colors such as the above-described normal colors such as black, yellow, magenta, and cyan, light colors of these normal colors, orange, green, white, metallic, and clear colors. In addition, various inks can be used as the ink, for example, UV ink that is cured by UV (ultraviolet) irradiation, aqueous ink such as aqueous sublimation transfer ink, or solvent-based ink such as solvent ink. Can do.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the suction device 37 is disposed below the guide rail 5 at the standby position of the carriage 34 in the housing 3, and includes a cap main body 38 and the same number of caps 39 as the recording heads 31. And an ink discharge pipe (not shown) and a suction pump (not shown). The cap 39 has a shape corresponding to the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31. For example, the cap 39 is formed in a shape that can cover the nozzle surface 32 by using an elastically deformable resin material. Specifically, the suction device 37 has four caps 39 corresponding to the recording heads 31. Each cap 39 is held by a cap main body 38, and specifically, is held at a position facing the nozzle surface 32 of each recording head 31 below the carriage 34 located at the standby position. The cap body portion 38 can move the cap 39 in the vertical direction. When the cap 39 is moved upward, the cap 39 can accommodate and cover the nozzle surface 32 of the corresponding recording head 31.

  A suction pump (not shown) forms a negative pressure in a space formed between the cap 39 and the nozzle surface 32 by moving each cap 39 upward to cover the corresponding nozzle surface 32, thereby forming a recording head. The ink in the 31 nozzles can be sucked. The ink discharge pipe (not shown) can discharge the ink sucked by the suction pump to a waste ink tank (not shown).

  As described above, the suction device 37 can execute the ink discharge process of sucking and discharging the ink remaining in the nozzles of the recording head 31 through the cap 39 in a state where the carriage 34 is in the standby position. . Further, the intake device 37 may cover each nozzle surface 32 with each cap 39 when the carriage 34 is located at the standby position.

  The control unit 50 includes an operation panel 51 disposed in the housing 3 and a control device 52. The control device 52 is electrically connected to the printing unit 30, the transport unit 40, and other units of the other inkjet recording apparatus 2. Connected, and controls the operation of each part of the ink jet recording apparatus 2 in accordance with an input signal from the operation panel 51, and performs image forming processing on the recording medium M, ink discharge processing, maintenance processing of the printing unit 30 described later, and the like. Execute. The control device 52 is specifically a microcomputer, and includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an input port, and an output port.

  Note that each of the above-described components of the inkjet recording apparatus 2 has a known configuration, and further detailed description is omitted. In addition, although the inkjet recording apparatus 2 includes the transport unit 40, the inkjet recording apparatus 2 may not include the transport unit 40. In this case, the inkjet recording apparatus 2 has a mounting table on which the recording medium M can be mounted facing the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31, and a carriage 34 that holds the recording head 31 of the printing unit 30. However, it is movable in the sub-scanning direction in addition to the main scanning direction.

  In the inkjet recording apparatus 2, when an operator instructs execution of image forming processing via the operation panel 51, the transport unit 40 appropriately transports the recording medium M in the sub-scanning direction (from rear to front), and the printing unit 30. Then, the carriage 34 is reciprocated in the main scanning direction, and ink is appropriately discharged from the recording head 31 to form a desired image on the recording medium M. When the operator instructs execution of the ink discharge process via the operation panel 51, the cap 39 of the suction device 37 moves toward the carriage 34 positioned at the standby position, and the cap 39 moves the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31. The ink remaining in the nozzle is sucked and discharged by a suction pump (not shown).

  Further, the ink jet recording apparatus 2 is provided with the liquid wiping device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The liquid wiping device 1 has a carriage 34 in a maintenance station in the housing 3 as shown in FIG. In the vicinity of the standby position, the guide rail 5 is disposed below. The liquid wiping device 1 performs a maintenance process, specifically, a wiping process (cleaning process) for the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31.

  Next, the liquid wiping device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a diagram for illustrating a schematic configuration of the liquid wiping device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the liquid wiping device 1, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the liquid wiping device 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the liquid wiping device 1 wipes the ink adhered to the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31 and the ink adhered to the wiper mechanism 10. And a wiper moving mechanism 12 as a moving means that enables the wiper mechanism 10 to move.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the wiper mechanism 10 in the liquid wiping apparatus 1 illustrated in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). As shown in FIG. 5, the wiper mechanism 10 includes a wiper 13 as a first wiping member, and a wiper holding portion 14 that holds the wiper 13.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the wiper 13 is a rectangular or substantially rectangular thin flat blade-like member, and a wiper surface as a discharge surface wiping surface that is a surface that can contact the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31. 15 is formed. The wiper 13 is held by the wiper holding part 14 on one end side. For example, the wiper 13 is held by the wiper holding unit 14 with the one end side embedded in the wiper holding unit 14. The wiper surface 15 includes an edge portion 15 a formed so as to come into contact with the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31 on the tip end 13 a side which is a free end facing the end portion held by the wiper holding portion 14 of the wiper 13. ing. As will be described later, the wiper surface 15 extends in the up-down direction and faces the sub-scanning direction in the inkjet recording apparatus 2.

  The width w1 (see FIG. 5) in the extending direction of the tip 13a of the wiper 13 is larger than the width w2 (see FIG. 3) in the main scanning direction of the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31. More specifically, the width w1 of the wiper 13 is larger than the width w2 of the nozzle surface 32 by a predetermined width, and the wiper 13 is brought into contact with the nozzle surface 32 at the tip 13a in a posture toward the sub-scanning direction. In this case, only one nozzle surface 32 is covered (crossed), and the adjacent nozzle surfaces 32 are not covered. The width w1 of the wiper 13 may be large enough to cover the plurality of nozzle surfaces 32. In addition, the width w1 of the wiper 13 may be a size that covers only a part of the nozzle surface 32, but the width w1 of the wiper 13 is a predetermined width larger than the width w2 of the nozzle surface 32 as described above. It is preferable to make it larger only because it is possible to wipe the entire nozzle surface 32 substantially uniformly.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the wiper holding portion 14 includes guide holes 14 a that are a pair of through holes extending in a direction facing the wiper surface 15 of the wiper 13 and penetrating the wiper holding portion 14. A guide shaft provided in a wiper moving mechanism 12 described later is inserted into the guide hole 14a. The wiper holding part 14 is inserted into or engaged with the guide shaft of the wiper moving mechanism 12 at both ends in the extending direction of the tip 13a of the wiper 13 of the wiper holding part 14 instead of the guide hole 14a. 14 may be supported by a guide shaft so as to be movable.

  The wiper 13 is elastic and flexible, and has a strength that allows the ink to be removed by sliding the edge 15a, and damages the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31. It is preferably formed from a material having characteristics such as resistance to acidic or alkaline solvents. As a material of the wiper 13, for example, a resin material such as propylene or a rubber material such as EPDM can be used.

  6 is a diagram for illustrating a schematic configuration of the wiper cleaning mechanism 11 in the liquid wiping apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the wiper cleaning mechanism 11, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the wiper cleaning mechanism 11. The wiper cleaning mechanism 11 includes a wiper cleaner 16 as a second wiping member and a wiper cleaner holding mechanism 17 as a holding means for holding the wiper cleaner 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the wiper cleaner 16 is a rectangular or substantially rectangular thin plate-like blade-like member, and is a surface that can contact the wiper surface 15 of the wiper 13. A wiper cleaner surface 18 is formed as a single wiping member wiping surface. The wiper cleaner 16 is held by a wiper cleaner holding mechanism 17 on one end side. The wiper cleaner surface 18 is formed on the wiper surface 15 of the wiper 13, particularly on the edge 15 a of the wiper surface 15, on the side of the tip 16 b which is the free end opposite to the end held by the wiper cleaner holding mechanism 17 of the wiper cleaner 16. And an edge portion 18a formed so as to abut against.

  Similar to the wiper 13 described above, the wiper cleaner 16 is elastic and flexible, and has a strength that allows ink to be removed by sliding the edge portion 18a. It is preferable that the wiper surface 15 is formed from a material having characteristics such as resistance to an acid or alkaline solvent without damaging the wiper surface 15. As a material of the wiper cleaner 16, for example, a resin material such as propylene or a rubber material such as EPDM can be used. The wiper cleaner 16 does not necessarily have elasticity, and may be any material that does not damage the wiper 13 and can remove ink from the wiper 13, for example, a fiber that can be impregnated with a cleaning liquid. An impregnating member having a surface may be formed on the surface. As the impregnation member, for example, a waste made of cloth or paper may be used. The elastic wiper cleaner 16 may be the same as the wiper 13 and may be compatible with the wiper 13.

  As will be described later, when the wiper cleaner 16 slides on the wiper 13, the wiper cleaner holding mechanism 17 has an angle between the wiper surface 15 of the wiper 13 and the horizontal plane (wiper cleaner surface angle α) from 0 degree. The wiper cleaner 16 is held so that the angle is large and smaller than 90 degrees. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the wiper cleaner holding mechanism 17 holds the wiper cleaner as a second wiping member holding member that holds the wiper cleaner 16 on the one end side. The member 19 and the wiper cleaner holding member 19 are rotatable about a rotation axis x in a direction (hereinafter also referred to as a wiping direction) facing the wiper cleaner surface 18 of the wiper cleaner 16 and in a direction opposite to the wiping direction. And a holding base 20 for holding. In the wiper cleaner holding mechanism 17, the wiper cleaner holding member 19 and the holding base 20 face each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the holding base 20 includes, for example, a flat holding base body 21 and a rotary shaft 22 extending in the direction of the rotation axis x. The holding base body 21 includes a pair of flanges 21 a that are erected from the side facing the wiper cleaner holding member 19, and the pair of flanges 21 a holds the rotating shaft 22. Further, the holding base body 21 has a pair of contact surfaces 21 b on the side facing the wiper cleaner holding member 19 with which a protruding portion of a wiper cleaner holding member 19 described later comes into contact.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the wiper cleaner holding member 19 is held by the holding base 20 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis x via the rotary shaft 22. A pair of flanges 19 a that are erected from the side facing 20 are provided, and the flanges 19 a are rotatably supported on the rotary shaft 22. Further, the wiper cleaner holding member 19 has a protruding portion 19b protruding from the side facing the holding base 20 toward the holding base 20 on the wiper cleaner 16 side than the flange 19a. The protrusion 19b has a contact end 19c, which is an end on the holding base body 21 side, capable of coming into contact with the contact surface 21b of the holding base body 21 of the holding base 20, and in the present embodiment, A pair of protrusions 19b are formed on the wiper cleaner holding member 19 corresponding to the pair of contact surfaces 21b, and the contact ends 19c of the protrusions 19b can contact the corresponding contact surfaces 21b, respectively. It has become. The rotating shaft 22 may be fixed to the flange 19 a of the wiper cleaner holding member 19, and the flange 21 a of the holding base body 21 may be rotatably supported by the rotating shaft 22.

  In the inkjet recording apparatus 2, the wiper cleaner holding mechanism 17 holds the contact end 19c of the protrusion 19b of the wiper cleaner holding member 19 in a state where the wiper cleaner 16 is inclined downward from the vertical direction to the holding base 20 side. The shape, size, size, and the like of the configuration of the flanges 19a, 21a, the rotary shaft 22, the contact surface 21b, the protruding portion 19b, and the like are set so as to contact the contact surface 21b of the base body 20.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6B, in the state where the contact end 19c of the protrusion 19b of the wiper cleaner holding member 19 is in contact with the contact surface 21b of the holding base 20, the wiper cleaner 16 is Below the rotary shaft 22, the wiper cleaner surface 18 is inclined toward the holding base 20 by a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane p. The wiper cleaner surface angle α between the wiper cleaner surface 18 and the horizontal plane p is a predetermined angle larger than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees (hereinafter also referred to as an initial angle α1). For example, the wiper cleaner 16 is elastically deformed. It is 70 degrees in a state where it is not. Here, the horizontal plane p is a virtual horizontal plane, and is a horizontal plane in the usage state of the inkjet recording apparatus 2. The horizontal plane p coincides with a moving plane formed by the locus of the wiper 13. The wiper cleaner surface angle α is based on the horizontal plane p with respect to the inkjet device 2 in use.

  When the protrusion 19b of the wiper cleaner holding member 19 comes into contact with the contact surface 21b of the holding base 20, the wiper cleaner surface angle α between the wiper cleaner surface 18 and the horizontal plane p is greater than 0 degree and 90 degrees. In a state in which the wiper cleaning mechanism 11 is held in a posture with a predetermined initial angle α1 smaller than that (hereinafter also referred to as a wiper cleaning mechanism mounting posture), the protrusion 19b of the wiper cleaner holding member 19 contacts the holding base 20. It is held in a state of contact with the contact surface 21b (hereinafter also referred to as a wiper cleaner holding state). Specifically, the wiper cleaner 16 is attached to the assembly of the wiper cleaner 16 and the wiper cleaner holding member 19 within a range in which the wiper cleaner 16 rotates (swings) about the rotation axis x in the wiping process described later. A force for rotating in the direction of rotation approaching the holding base 20 (the direction of the arrow R in FIG. 6B) is generated. More specifically, in the wiper cleaning mechanism mounting posture, the entire center of gravity of the wiper cleaner 16 and the wiper cleaner holding member 19 is in the direction away from the holding base body 20 relative to the rotation shaft 22 (rotation axis x) in the horizontal direction. It is supposed to be located. With this configuration, in the wiper cleaning mechanism mounting posture, the wiper cleaner 16 and the wiper cleaner holding member 19 generate a force that rotates in the direction opposite to the wiping direction (in the direction indicated by the arrow R in FIG. 6B). The state where the portion 19b is in contact with the contact surface 21b (wiper cleaner holding state) is maintained, and the state where the wiper cleaner surface 18 is at the initial angle α1 with respect to the horizontal plane p is maintained. In the present embodiment, the entire center of gravity of the wiper cleaner 16 and the wiper cleaner holding member 19 is located below the rotary shaft 22 in the vertical direction. Further, the wiper cleaner holding state is maintained by the elastic force of the supply pipe of the cleaning liquid supply unit 23 described later in addition to the setting of the center of gravity described above. Note that the wiper cleaner holding state may be maintained only by the elastic force of the supply pipe of the cleaning liquid supply unit 23.

  As described above, in the wiper cleaning mechanism 11 in the wiper cleaning mechanism mounting posture, the wiper cleaner 16 has the wiper cleaner surface angle α between the wiper cleaner surface 18 and the horizontal plane p smaller than the initial angle α1. It cannot be rotated from the holding state in the direction opposite to the wiping direction, and can be rotated from the wiper cleaner holding state in the wiping direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the wiper cleaner 16 has a tip 16a side protruding at least partially below the holding base body 21 in the wiper cleaner holding state. 1, the wiper 13 is movable in the direction opposite to the wiping direction from the wiper cleaner 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the wiper moving mechanism 12 includes a pair of guide shafts 24, a pair of link mechanisms 25, and a link drive unit 26 for driving the link mechanism 25. Yes.

  In the liquid wiping device 1, the pair of guide shafts 24 are respectively inserted into the pair of guide holes 14 a formed in the wiper holding portion 14 of the wiper mechanism 10 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. They are held parallel to each other by a holding member (not shown). The wiper holding part 14 is slidable on the guide shaft 24 in the guide hole 14 a and is movable along the guide shaft 24. Accordingly, the wiper 13 is movable along the guide shaft 24 in a state where the direction in which the wiper surface 15 faces is parallel to the extending direction of the guide shaft 24. As described above, the guide shaft 24 may be provided so as to movably hold the support portion 14b formed at the end of the wiper holding portion 14.

  The link mechanism 25 is driven by the link drive unit 26 and has a configuration that enables the wiper mechanism 10 to reciprocate along the guide shaft 24. Each link mechanism 25 is, for example, illustrated in FIG. As shown to (b), the elongate flat 1st link 27 and the 2nd link 28 are provided. The first link 27 is connected to the link drive unit 26 so that power from the link drive unit 26 can be transmitted at an end 27a which is one end of the first link 27, and the second link is connected to the end 27b which is the other end. The end portions 28a, which are one end of 28, are connected to each other so as to be rotatable. Further, the second link 28 is connected to the wiper mechanism 10 at an end portion 28b which is the other end. For example, the second link 28 is pivotally supported on the side portion of the wiper holding portion 14 at the end portion 28b. The pair of link mechanisms 25 are respectively disposed along the pair of guide shafts 24. Each link mechanism 25 can be expanded or folded (expanded / retracted) by swinging the first link 27 and swinging the second link 28 in the direction opposite to the first link 27. As each link mechanism 25 is expanded or folded, the wiper mechanism 10 is reciprocated along the guide shaft 24.

  The link drive unit 26 includes a drive unit (not shown) that enables each link mechanism 25 to be expanded and folded. The link drive unit 26 includes, for example, a motor, a pulley, a gear, and the like (not shown) as the drive unit, and transmits the driving force of the motor to the first link 27 via the pulley, the gear, and the like. Is swung around the end 27a.

  As described above, in the liquid wiping device 1, electricity is supplied to the link driving unit 26 and a motor (not shown) is driven, whereby the link mechanism 25 is expanded or folded, and the wiper mechanism 10 is moved to the guide shaft 24. Reciprocated along. At this time, the wiper 13 reciprocates while the wiper surface 15 is held so as to face the extending direction of the guide shaft 24.

  In the liquid wiping device 1, the wiper cleaning mechanism 11 is configured so that the wiper cleaner surface 18 of the wiper cleaner 16 faces the wiper surface 15 side of the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 is rotatable, that is, a wiper cleaner holding member. 19 is attached so as not to interfere with other components such as the guide shaft 24 and the link mechanism 25. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the wiper cleaning mechanism 11 is disposed between the wiper mechanism 10 and the link driving unit 26, and is held by the wiper cleaner holding mechanism 17. The substrate 20 is held in the liquid wiping device 1 by a holding member (not shown).

  4B, the wiper cleaner surface 18 and the wiper surface 15 face each other so that the wiper cleaner surface between the wiper cleaner surface 18 and the horizontal plane p in the wiper cleaner holding state is provided. The liquid wiping device 1 is fixed so that the angle α is the initial angle α1 (0 ° <α1 <90 °). The distance (distance h1) from the plane q, which is a virtual plane including the axis of each guide shaft 24, to the tip 13a of the wiper 13 is the distance (distance) from the plane q to the tip 16a of the wiper cleaner 16 in the wiper cleaner holding state. A predetermined distance (distance Δh) is longer (overlapping) than h2). Thereby, when the wiper 13 is moved along the guide shaft 24, the edge 15 a of the wiper surface 15 comes into contact with the edge 18 a of the wiper cleaner surface 18.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the liquid wiping device 1 includes a cleaning liquid supply unit 23 as a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies the cleaning liquid to the wiper cleaner 16. In the inkjet recording apparatus 2, the cleaning liquid supply unit 23 is disposed, for example, above the wiper cleaner 16, and includes an elastic supply pipe 23 a and a solvent cartridge (not shown). The cleaning liquid supply unit 23 can supply the solvent from the solvent cartridge to the wiper cleaner surface 18 through the supply pipe 23a by opening and closing an opening / closing part such as an opening / closing valve of the solvent cartridge. The cleaning liquid supply unit 23 may be able to supply the solvent to the entire surface of the wiper cleaner 16.

  One end of the supply pipe 23a of the cleaning liquid supply section 23 is connected to a solvent cartridge (not shown), and the supply end 23b, which is the other end of the supply pipe 23a, is wiper cleaned as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b). The wiper cleaner holding member 19 of the mechanism 11 is attached. Specifically, the supply end 23 b of the supply pipe 23 a is attached to the wiper cleaner holding member 19 by being inserted into an opening 19 e of a flange 19 d provided on the wiper cleaner surface 18 side of the wiper cleaner holding member 19. The flange 19d extends in parallel with the extending direction of the tip 16a of the wiper cleaner 16, and a plurality of openings 19e are provided at equal intervals in the extending direction of the flange 19d. As a result, the supply pipe 23a can be easily attached to and detached from the wiper cleaner holding member 19, and the attachment position, that is, the supply position of the solvent to the wiper cleaner 16 can be easily selected and set. Yes.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the supply pipe 23a of the cleaning liquid supply unit 23 has a wiper cleaner in a direction in which the wiper cleaner 16 rotates in the direction opposite to the wiping direction (arrow R direction) on the supply end 23b side. The holding member 19 is attached so as to be urged by an elastic force. For this reason, as described above, even when the wiper cleaner 16 rotates in the wiping direction, the wiper cleaner 16 returns to the wiper cleaner holding state also by the supply pipe 23a.

  By supplying the solvent from the cleaning liquid supply unit 23 to the wiper cleaner 16, the wiper cleaner 16 can be cleaned and maintained in a wet state. Further, since the cleaning liquid supply unit 23 supplies the solvent from above the wiper cleaner 16, the supplied solvent is transmitted from the top to the bottom on the wiper cleaner surface 18. Therefore, as will be described later, the ink attached to the wiper cleaner surface 18 by wiping the wiper 13 can be washed away by the solvent, the wiper cleaner 16 can be kept clean, and the ink attached to the wiper 13 can be wiped off. It can be kept in an optimal state. As the solvent, various solvents can be used according to the type of ink.

  FIG. 7 is a view for showing a more specific form of the wiper cleaning mechanism 11, FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the wiper cleaning mechanism 11 as viewed from the back, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wiper cleaning mechanism 11 as viewed from the front. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the wiper cleaner holding member 19 includes a base body 19A to which the wiper cleaner 16 is attached and a frame body 19B that holds the base body 19A so as to partially cover the base body 19A. It may be. The frame body 19B is formed with flanges 19a and 19d, a protruding portion 19b, a contact end 19c, and an opening 19e, and the base 19A is detachably attached to the frame body 19B. In the frame 19B, the flange 19a and the protrusion 19b are integrally formed, and the end of the flange 19a is a contact end 19c. Further, in the base 19A, a guide groove 19f is formed in the vicinity of the opening 19e of the flange 19d. The guide groove 19f extends from the flange 19d to the wiper cleaner 16 and is recessed from the side facing the frame body 19B. In the liquid wiping device 1, the supply pipe 23a of the cleaning liquid supply section 23 is inserted into the opening 19e of the flange 19d of the frame body 19B, and the supply end 23b of the supply pipe 23a is positioned in the vicinity of the guide groove 19f (FIG. 7 ( a)). Therefore, the solvent supplied through the supply pipe 23a is supplied from the supply end 23b to the guide groove 19f of the base 19A, and is guided to the wiper cleaner surface 18 through the guide groove 19f.

  7A and 7B, the holding base 20 may be formed in a frame shape, and the wiper cleaning mechanism 11 is fixed to the holding base body 21 in the liquid wiping device 1. For this purpose, a flange 21c is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 7A, the holding base body 21 has a space facing the rotation shaft 22 so that the wiper cleaner holding member 19 can be rotated to enter the space. It has become. For this reason, the wiper cleaner holding member 19 is rotated, and the wiper cleaner 16 is rotated in the wiping direction, so that the wiper cleaner 16 can be extended upward. Thereby, the maintenance work of the wiper cleaner 16 can be performed in a posture in which the wiper cleaner 16 extends upward, and the maintenance work of the wiper cleaner 16 can be facilitated. Further, the wiper cleaner 16 can be easily replaced.

  The liquid wiping device 1 has the above-described configuration, and the wiper 13 is reciprocated between the start position and the end position along the guide shaft 24 when the link mechanism 25 is driven by the link driving unit 26. The edge portion 15a of the wiper surface 15 can contact and slide on the edge portion 18a of the wiper cleaner surface 18. The start position of the wiper 13 is the position where the wiper 13 is farthest from the wiper cleaner 16 in the wiping direction side, and the end position of the wiper 13 is from the wiper cleaner 16 in the direction opposite to the wiping direction. The farthest position. The wiper 13 is elastically deformed by moving further from the state in which the wiper surface 15 is in contact with the wiper cleaner surface 18 to the direction opposite to the wiping direction, and beyond the wiper cleaner 16, further opposite to the wiping direction. It moves to the end position after moving a predetermined distance in the direction and stops. When the wiper cleaner 16 contacts the wiper 13 that moves in the direction opposite to the wiping direction, the wiper cleaner 16 is held in the wiper cleaner holding state and does not rotate in the direction opposite to the wiping direction.

  When the wiper 13 is moved from the end position toward the start position by the link driving unit 26 via the link mechanism 25 from the wiping direction side, the wiper 13 is wiped on the surface opposite to the wiper surface 15. 16 is in contact with the surface opposite to the wiper cleaner surface 18. Since the wiper cleaner 16 can be rotated in the wiping direction from the wiper cleaner holding state, the wiper 13 abuts on the surface opposite to the wiper surface 15 on the surface of the wiper cleaner 16 opposite to the wiper cleaner surface 18. Then, the wiper cleaner 16 rotates in the wiping direction as the wiper 13 moves toward the wiping direction. When the wiper 13 is further moved, the contact between the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 is released, and the wiper cleaner 16 rotates in the direction opposite to the wiping direction to return to the wiper cleaner holding state. When the wiper 13 reaches the start position, the wiper 13 stops.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid wiping device 1 is disposed in a maintenance station of the printing unit 30 of the inkjet recording device 2 such that the guide shaft 24 extends below the guide rail 5 in the sub-scanning direction. For this reason, in the inkjet recording apparatus 2, the wiper surface 15 of the wiper 13 faces in the sub-scanning direction. In the inkjet recording apparatus 2, the start position of the wiper 13 is located in the vicinity of the suction device 37 on the downstream side (the feeding direction side of the storage medium M) in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the trajectory of the carriage 34. Similarly, in the inkjet recording apparatus 2, the wiper cleaning mechanism 11 is upstream of the guide rail 5 in the sub-scanning direction so that the end position of the wiper 13 is upstream of the guide rail 5 in the sub-scanning direction. It comes to become. Further, the liquid wiping device 1 in the ink jet recording apparatus 2 is configured so that the tip 13a of the wiper 13 can come into contact with the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31 when the recording head 31 is positioned on the track of the wiper 13. Are positioned in the vertical direction. Further, the extending direction d2 of the wiper surface 15 is directed in the vertical direction.

  Next, the operation of the liquid wiping device 1 having the above-described configuration will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the liquid wiping device 1, and FIG. 8A is a diagram for illustrating a state where the wiper 13 wipes the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31. FIG. 8B is a diagram for illustrating a state in which the wiper cleaner 16 is wiping the wiper 13, and FIG. 8C is a diagram in which the wiper 13 is applied to the wiper cleaner 16 from the side opposite to the wiping direction. It is a figure for showing a mode that it touches.

  In a state where the liquid wiping device 1 is not operating (immediately before the operation), the wiper mechanism 10 is located at the start position. When the link drive unit 26 is driven to swing the first link 27 of the link mechanism 25 downward, the end portion 28a of the second link 28 moves downward, and the link mechanism 25 is folded. Pulled by the end portion 28b of the two links 28, the wiper mechanism 10 moves along the guide shaft 24 from the start position toward the end position in the direction opposite to the wiping direction (hereinafter also referred to as forward movement).

  When the carriage 34 is moved so that the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31 is positioned on the track of the wiper mechanism 10, the wiper mechanism 10 moves forward so that the wiper 13 moves from the downstream side to the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction. And slides against. More specifically, the wiper surface 15 slides in contact with the nozzle surface 32 at the edge 15a. By this sliding, the wiper 13 wipes the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 32 from the nozzle surface 32. As described above, since the width w1 of the wiper 13 is large enough to cross one nozzle surface 32, only the nozzle surface 32 of one recording head 31 can be wiped by the wiper 13 in one forward movement.

  At this time, due to the elasticity of the wiper 13, the wiper 13 is elastically deformed in the direction opposite to the forward movement direction, and the elastic force due to this elastic deformation urges the edge 15 a of the wiper surface 15 toward the nozzle surface 32. . Due to the urging by the elastic force, the edge portion 15a of the wiper surface 15 is entirely abutted against the nozzle surface 32, and is also urged and abutted, so that the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 32 follows the nozzle surface 32 Can be wiped off effectively.

  When the wiper 13 continues to move and slides on the nozzle surface 32 of the wiper 13 in the sub-scanning direction to release the contact with the nozzle surface 32, the wiping of the nozzle surface 32 is completed. When the wiper 13 further moves forward, as shown in FIG. 8B, the wiper 13 contacts the wiper cleaner 16, and the wiper cleaner 16 performs wiping (cleaning) of the wiper 13. The wiper cleaner 16 slides in contact with the edge portion 15 a of the wiper surface 15 at the edge portion 18 a of the wiper cleaner surface 18, and wipes off ink adhered by wiping the nozzle surface 32 from the wiper surface 15.

  As described above, the wiper cleaner 16 is held in the wiper cleaner holding state, and the wiper cleaner surface angle α between the wiper cleaner surface 18 and the horizontal plane p with respect to the vertical direction is held at the initial angle α1. Therefore, when the wiper cleaner 16 slides on the wiper 13, the wiper 13 that moves forward contacts the wiper cleaner 16 that is maintained at an initial angle α1 that has a wiper cleaner surface angle α that is greater than 0 degree and less than 90 degrees. It will follow. Further, when the wiper cleaner 16 slides on the wiper 13, the protrusion 19 b of the wiper cleaner holding member 19 continues to contact the contact surface 21 b of the holding base 20, so that the wiper surface 15, the wiper cleaner surface 18, Are sliding to each other, the wiper cleaner surface angle α is maintained at an initial angle α1 of greater than 0 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees. For this reason, the drag generated between the wiper surface 15 and the wiper cleaner surface 18 during the sliding is reduced, and the wiper 13 can be prevented from being greatly deformed during the sliding. Even when the contact between the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 is released, the wiper cleaner surface angle α is the initial angle α1 which is greater than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees.

  When the wiper 13 further moves forward and the contact between the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 is released, the wiping of the wiper 13 by the wiper cleaner 16 is finished. When the contact between the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 is released, the wiper cleaner 16 that has been elastically deformed by the contact returns to its original shape, and by this reaction, the ink wiped from the wiper 13 is wiped by the wiper cleaner surface 18. Scatter from. As described above, the wiper cleaner surface angle α between the wiper cleaner surface 18 and the horizontal plane p when the contact between the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 is released is larger than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees. Since the initial angle α1 is maintained and the wiper cleaner surface 18 faces downward in the vertical direction, the ink scatters downward from the wiper cleaner surface 18 due to the recoil of the contact release. For this reason, unlike the prior art, ink does not scatter from the wiper cleaner surface 18 to the side or upward, and the ink splattering range can be made smaller than before. Thus, the range of liquid scattering when the wiper 13 is wiped by the wiper cleaner 16 can be suppressed. When the wiper 13 is further moved forward and reaches the end position, the link driving unit 26 is stopped.

  Further, when the link drive unit 26 is driven to rotate the first link 27 of the link mechanism 25 upward, the end portion 28a of the second link 28 moves upward, and the link mechanism 25 is unfolded. Pulled by the end portion 28 b of the two links 28, the wiper mechanism 10 moves along the guide shaft 24 from the end position toward the start position in the wiping direction side (hereinafter also referred to as reverse movement).

  When the wiper 13 moves backward from the end position, the wiper 13 comes into contact with the surface of the wiper cleaner 16 opposite to the wiper cleaner surface 18 on the surface opposite to the wiper surface 15. When the wiper 13 is further moved backward, as shown in FIG. 8C, the wiper cleaner 16 is rotated in the wiping direction from the wiper cleaner holding state while being pressed by the wiper 13. At this time, as described above, the supply pipe 23a of the cleaning liquid supply unit 23 presses the wiper cleaner holding member 19 so as to resist the rotation of the wiper cleaner 16 in the wiping direction. The wiper cleaner 16 is prevented from rotating vigorously. When the wiper 13 is further moved backward, the contact between the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 is released, and the wiper cleaner 16 rotates in the direction opposite to the wiping direction, so that the protrusion of the wiper cleaner holding member 19 19b comes into contact with the contact surface 21b of the holding base 20, the rotation of the wiper cleaner 16 is stopped, and the wiper cleaner 16 is again in the wiper cleaner holding state.

  Further, when the wiper 13 moves backward, the wiper 13 reaches the start position, the drive of the link drive unit 26 stops, and the wiper 13 stops at the start position. Prior to the backward movement of the wiper 13, the carriage 34 is returned to the standby position, and the nozzle surface 32 is separated from the track of the wiper 13. Thus, when the wiper 13 moves backward, the wiper 13 does not slide on the nozzle surface 32 on the surface opposite to the wiper surface 15, and ink is applied to the surface of the wiper 13 opposite to the wiper surface 15. It is possible to prevent adhesion.

  Next, the wiping process of the nozzle surface 32 performed by the liquid wiping device 1 will be described. In the liquid wiping device 1, when there is an instruction for wiping processing of the nozzle surface 32 via the operation panel 51, or according to the setting of periodic wiping processing, the operation of each part is controlled by the control device 52 and wiping processing is performed. Execute. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the wiping process executed by the liquid wiping apparatus 1.

  When the wiping process is started, first, the link driving unit 26 is activated, the link mechanism 25 is driven, the wiper mechanism 10 located at the start position starts the forward movement, and the wiper 13 starts the forward movement. (Step S1). As the wiper 13 moves forward, the wiper surface 15 approaches the wiper cleaner surface 18 while facing the wiper cleaner surface 18. When the wiper mechanism 10 continues to move and the edge 15a of the wiper surface 15 contacts the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31 from the downstream side on the sub-scanning line, the wiper 13 starts wiping the nozzle surface 32 (step S2). . In step S2, the wiper mechanism 10 continues to move, the edge 15a of the wiper surface 15 slides on the nozzle surface 32, and the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 32 is wiped from the nozzle surface 32 (FIG. 8 ( a))) When the edge 15a of the wiper surface 15 exceeds the nozzle surface 32, the wiping of the nozzle surface 32 by the wiper 13 is completed. The nozzle surface 32 to be wiped in step S2 is the nozzle surface of any one recording head 31 that is moved on the track of the wiper 13 by driving the carriage 34 before the wiper 13 starts wiping. 32. The nozzle surface 32 may be moved on the track of the wiper 13 at any timing before the start of wiping of the nozzle surface 32 by the wiper 13 (step S2). For example, the nozzle surface 32 may be moved on the track of the wiper 13 according to the start of the wiping process, or may be moved on the track of the wiper 13 before the start of the wiping process.

  When the wiper 13 continues to move and the edge 15a of the wiper surface 15 contacts the edge 18a of the wiper cleaner surface 18, wiping (cleaning) of the wiper 13 by the wiper cleaner 16 is started (step S3). When the wiper 13 is wiped by the wiper cleaner 16 in step S3, the wiper 13 comes into contact with the wiper cleaner 16 held in the wiper cleaner holding state as described above. That is, in the wiper cleaner 16 with which the wiper 13 is in contact, the protrusion 19b of the wiper cleaner holding member 19 is in contact with the contact surface 21b of the holding base 20, and the wiper cleaner surface 18 is inclined by the initial angle α1 from the horizontal plane p. The posture is maintained (see FIG. 8B).

  In step S3, the wiper mechanism 10 continues to move, the edge 18a of the wiper cleaner surface 18 slides on the wiper surface 15, and the ink adhering to the wiper surface 15 is wiped off from the wiper surface 15. When the edge 18a of 18 exceeds the wiper surface 15, wiping of the wiper 13 by the wiper cleaner 16 is completed. When wiping of the wiper 13 by the wiper cleaner 16 is completed and the contact between the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 is released, the vicinity of the tip 16a of the wiper cleaner 16 that has been elastically deformed by the contact returns to the original state. By this reaction, the ink wiped from the wiper 13 is scattered from the wiper cleaner surface 18. As described above, when the contact between the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 is released, the wiper cleaner surface angle α between the wiper cleaner surface 18 and the horizontal plane p is greater than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees. Therefore, the ink scatters downward from the wiper cleaner surface 18 by the reaction of the contact release. For this reason, unlike the prior art, ink does not scatter from the wiper cleaner surface 18 to the side or upward, and the ink splattering range can be made smaller than before. Thus, the scattering of the liquid at the time of wiping the wiper 13 by the wiper cleaner 16 can be suppressed. For this reason, the range to which ink adheres in the inkjet recording apparatus 2 can be suppressed, and further maintenance such as cleaning can be reduced.

  When the wiping of the wiper 13 by the wiper cleaner 16 is completed, the wiper mechanism 10 continues to move to an end position away from the wiper cleaner 16 by a predetermined distance in the forward movement direction, the wiper mechanism 10 stops at the end position, and the wiper 13 Stops at the end position (step S4).

  When the wiper 13 is stopped at the end position, the cleaning liquid supply unit 23 performs a wiper cleaner cleaning process (step S5). In the wiper cleaner cleaning process, the cleaning liquid supply unit 23 supplies the solvent to the wiper cleaner 16 via the supply pipe 23a, and the solvent is transmitted on the wiper cleaner 16 so that the ink adhering to the wiper cleaner 16 is dissolved by the solvent. The wiper cleaner 16 is removed by being removed from the wiper cleaner 16. Further, the solvent adheres to the wiper cleaner 16, and the wiper cleaner 16 is maintained in a wet state.

  When the wiper cleaner cleaning process is completed, the link drive unit 26 is activated, the link mechanism 25 is driven, the wiper mechanism 10 located at the end position starts returning, and the wiper 13 starts returning ( Step S6).

When the wiper 13 continues to move back and the wiper 13 comes into contact with the surface of the wiper cleaner 16 opposite to the wiper cleaner surface 18 on the surface opposite to the wiper surface 15, the wiper cleaner 16 comes into contact with the wiper 13. Rotating in the wiping direction while maintaining (step S7) (see FIG. 8C). As described above, in step S7, the wiper cleaner 16 rotates in the wiping direction while maintaining contact with the wiper 13, so that the wiper 13 can be easily moved backward.
At this time, since the wiper cleaner surface angle α is maintained at an angle larger than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees, the wiper surface 15 of the wiper 13 extending in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. When the surface on the opposite side contacts the surface on the opposite side to the wiper cleaner surface 18, the angle formed by the surface on the opposite side to the wiper surface 15 and the surface on the opposite side to the wiper cleaner surface 18 becomes an acute angle. For this reason, when the wiper cleaner 16 does not rotate in the wiping direction, the wiper 13 is caught by the wiper cleaner 16, and the wiper 13 is difficult to return.

  When the wiper 13 further moves backward, the contact between the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 is released, and the wiper cleaner 16 rotates in the direction opposite to the wiping direction, so that the protrusion of the wiper cleaner holding member 19 19b abuts against the abutment surface 21b of the holding base 20, the rotation of the wiper cleaner 16 is stopped, and the wiper cleaner 16 is again in the wiper cleaner holding state (step S8).

  Further, when the wiper 13 moves backward, the wiper 13 reaches the start position, the drive of the link drive unit 26 stops, the wiper mechanism 10 stops at the start position, and the wiper 13 stops at the start position ( Step S9), the wiping process ends.

  When the wiper 13 moves backward on the track of the nozzle surface 32, for example, the carriage 34 is returned to the standby position, and the nozzle surface 32 is separated from the track of the wiper 13. The separation of the nozzle surface 32 from the track of the wiper 13 may be made at any timing as long as the wiper 13 passes before the track of the nozzle surface 32 passes.

  The wiping process described above is sequentially performed on the nozzle surface 32 of each recording head 31. Specifically, when one recording head 31 is selected and the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31 is moved and wiped on the track of the wiper 13 as described above, when the wiping process ends, the other recording heads 31 is selected. Similarly, the nozzle surface 32 of the selected other recording head 31 is also moved and wiped on the track of the wiper 13, and when the wiping process is completed, another recording head 31 is similarly selected and the wiping process is performed. Done. Thus, the wiping process is repeated until the nozzle surfaces 32 of all the recording heads 31 are wiped. The order of the nozzle surfaces 32 to be wiped is arbitrary, for example, based on the order in the main scanning direction. Note that the width w1 of the wiper 13 may be increased, or a plurality of wipers 13 may be provided in the wiper mechanism 10 so that the plurality of nozzle surfaces 32 can be wiped by a single wiping process. In this case, the wiper cleaner 16 is also correspondingly enlarged in width or arranged in plural.

  In the wiping process described above, it is preferable to wipe the wiper 13 with the wiper cleaner 16 to which the solvent is attached. This is because the ink can be wiped off while cleaning the wiper 13 with a solvent. Therefore, prior to wiping the wiper 13 by the wiper cleaner 16 in step S3 of the wiping process of FIG. 9, the wiper cleaner 16 may be cleaned in the same manner as in step S5.

  Further, the cleaning process of the wiper cleaner 16 in step S <b> 5 may not be performed for each wiping process of one nozzle surface 32. For example, the cleaning process of the wiper cleaner 16 may be performed after the wiping of all the nozzle surfaces 32 is completed.

  As described above, according to the liquid wiping device 1, when the wiper 13 is wiped by the wiper cleaner 16 (step S3), the wiper cleaner 16 is held in the wiper cleaner holding state, and the wiper cleaner surface 18 and the horizontal plane p The wiper cleaner surface angle α is maintained at an initial angle α1 that is larger than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees (see FIG. 8B). That is, the wiper cleaner surface 18 faces downward in the vertical direction. Therefore, when wiping of the wiper 13 by the wiper cleaner 16 is completed and the contact between the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 is released, the direction of ink scattered from the wiper cleaner 16 due to the reaction of the contact release is lowered. Can be limited. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the ink from splashing sideways or upward from the wiper cleaner 16 as in the prior art, and the range in which the ink scatters can be made smaller than in the prior art.

  Further, according to the liquid wiping device 1, when the wiper 13 moves backward and the wiper 13 comes into contact with the surface of the wiper cleaner 16 opposite to the wiper cleaner surface 18 on the surface opposite to the wiper surface 15, The wiper cleaner 16 rotates in the wiping direction. For this reason, the backward movement of the wiper 13 can be facilitated.

  As described above, according to the liquid wiping apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the scattering of ink when the wiper 13 is wiped by the wiper cleaner 16.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments of the present invention, and includes all aspects included in the concept and claims of the present invention. In addition, the configurations may be appropriately combined as appropriate so as to achieve at least part of the problems and effects described above. For example, the shape, material, arrangement, size, and the like of each component in the above embodiment can be appropriately changed according to the specific usage mode of the present invention.

  For example, in the liquid wiping device 1 described above, the wiper moving mechanism 12 can move only the wiper 13 (wiper mechanism 10). However, the wiper moving mechanism 12 causes the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 to move relative to each other. It may be movable. For example, the wiper moving mechanism 12 may allow only the wiper cleaner 16 to move, or may allow the wiper 13 and the wiper cleaner 16 to move.

  For example, the shape of the wiper 13 or the wiper cleaner 16 is not limited to the above-described rectangular or substantially rectangular thin flat plate shape, and may be another shape. FIG. 10 is a side view of the wiper mechanism 10 for illustrating a modified example of the wiper 13. As shown in FIG. 10, in the wiper 13 according to the modification, the wiper 13 has a shape in which the tip 13 a side is curved toward the direction in which the wiper surface 15 faces. In this case, the edge portion 15 a of the wiper surface 15 forms a curved surface that is recessed in a direction opposite to the direction in which the wiper surface 15 faces, and when sliding on the nozzle surface 32 of the recording head 31, the nozzle surface 32. The ink adhering to the ink can be scraped out by the edge 15a, and the wiping ability of the nozzle surface 32 by the wiper 13 can be further improved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the tip 13a of the wiper 13 may have a wedge shape in cross section along the direction in which the wiper surface 15 faces. Thereby, the followability to the nozzle surface 32 of the edge 15a of the wiper surface 15 can be improved.

  FIG. 11 is a side view of the wiper cleaning mechanism 11 for illustrating a modified example of the wiper cleaner 16. As shown in FIG. 11, in the wiper cleaner 16 according to the modification, the wiper cleaner 16 has a shape in which the tip 16 a side is curved toward the direction in which the wiper cleaner surface 18 faces. In this case, the edge portion 18 a of the wiper cleaner surface 18 forms a curved surface that is recessed in a direction opposite to the direction in which the wiper cleaner surface 18 faces, and the wiper surface when sliding on the wiper surface 15 of the wiper 13. The ink adhering to 15 can be scraped out by the edge 18a, and the wiping ability of the wiper surface 15 by the wiper cleaner 16 can be improved. In addition, the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply unit 23 can be retained on the edge 18 a of the curved wiper cleaner surface 18. For this reason, the edge portion 18a of the wiper cleaner surface 18 slides on the wiper surface 15 while holding the solvent when the wiper 13 is wiped, so that the ink adhering to the wiper surface 13 is wiped while dissolving. And the ability of the wiper cleaner 16 to wipe the wiper 13 can be further enhanced.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the tip 16a of the wiper cleaner 16 may have a wedge shape in cross section along the direction in which the wiper cleaner surface 18 faces. Thereby, the followable | trackability to the wiper surface 15 of the edge part 18a of the wiper cleaner surface 18 can be improved.

  Further, in the present modification, as shown in FIG. 11, the wiper cleaner surface angle α between the wiper cleaner surface 18 and the horizontal plane p is equal to the plane d and the horizontal plane p that are tangential planes at the tip of the curved edge 18a. This angle is larger than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees, like the wiper cleaner surface 18 described above. For this reason, there can exist an effect similar to the above-mentioned effect.

  FIG. 12 is a front view of the wiper cleaning mechanism 11 for illustrating another modified example of the wiper cleaner 16. As shown in FIG. 12, in the wiper cleaner 16 according to another modification, the wiper cleaner 16 extends from one end 16b as one end to the other end in the main scanning direction (left-right direction in FIG. 12). A tip 16a of the wiper cleaner 16 extending to the other end 16c extends at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane l. The tip 16a is formed so that the one end 16b side is higher in the vertical direction v than the other end 16c side. Also on the wiper cleaner surface 18, the edge 18 a extends at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane p along the tip 16 a.

  The inclination angle θ of the tip 16a from the horizontal plane 1 uses the extension amount (extension amount e) from the wiper cleaner holding member 19 at one end 16b of the wiper cleaner 16 and the width (width w3) of the wiper cleaner 16 in the main scanning direction. Thus, e ≧ w3 × sin θ.

  Since the wiper cleaner 16 has the tip 16a extending at an angle θ from the horizontal direction as described above, in the cleaning process of the wiper cleaner 16, the supplied solvent causes the tip 16a to end one end by the action of gravity. It is transmitted from 16b to the other end 16c. For this reason, a solvent can be easily supplied to the whole width direction of wiper cleaner 16, and washing with a solvent can be performed more efficiently.

  Further, in the liquid wiping apparatus 1 including the wiper cleaner 16 according to the other modified example, in the cleaning process, as shown in FIG. 12, the supply pipe 23a of the cleaning liquid supply unit 23 is disposed above the one end 16b side of the wiper cleaner 16. The supply end 23b may be attached so that the solvent is supplied above the one end 16b of the wiper cleaner 16. As described above, the tip 16a of the wiper cleaner 16 extends at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane l, and the edge 18a of the wiper cleaner surface 18 similarly extends at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane l. . Therefore, even if the solvent is supplied only to the one end 16 b side of the wiper cleaner 16, the solvent is transmitted from the one end 16 b to the other end 16 c in the edge portion 18 a by the action of gravity, and the solvent is transferred to the entire edge portion 18 a of the wiper cleaner surface 18. Can be supplied. For this reason, the entire edge 18a of the wiper cleaner surface 18 can be cleaned.

  The wiper cleaner 16 may have a shape in which the modification shown in FIG. 11 is combined with another modification shown in FIG.

  Moreover, the order of each process of the wiping process which the liquid wiping apparatus 1 implements is not restricted to the above-mentioned order, It can be set as various orders according to a specific aspect. For example, first, the wiper 13 may be wiped by the wiper cleaner 16, the solvent held in the wiper cleaner 16 may be attached to the wiper 13, and then the above-described steps (steps S1 to S8) may be performed. Thereby, the nozzle surface 32 can be wiped by the wiper 13 to which the solvent is attached, and the thickened ink or the like can be easily wiped from the nozzle surface 32. Further, after the wiper cleaner 16 is cleaned (step S5), the wiper 13 may be wiped by the wiper cleaner 16, and then the above steps (steps S1 to 8) may be performed. Thereby, thickened ink etc. can be wiped off from the nozzle surface 32 more easily.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid wiping apparatus 2 Inkjet recording apparatus 10 Wiper mechanism 11 Wiper cleaning mechanism 12 Wiper moving mechanism (moving means)
13 Wiper (first wiping member)
15 Wiper surface (discharge surface wiping surface)
16 Wiper cleaner (second wiping member)
17 Wiper cleaner holding mechanism (holding means)
18 Wiper cleaner surface (first wiping member wiping surface)
19 Wiper cleaner holding member (second wiping member holding member)
19a, 21a Flange 19b Protruding portion 19c Contact end 20 Holding base 21b Contact surface 22 Rotating shaft 23 Cleaning liquid supply section (cleaning liquid supply means)
30 Printing section 31 Recording head 32 Nozzle surface (ejection surface)
33 Discharge port p Horizontal plane x Rotation axis α Wiper cleaner surface angle

Claims (11)

A first wiping member comprising an ejection surface wiping surface, which is a surface capable of coming into contact with an ejection surface provided with an ejection unit for ejecting liquid in the liquid ejection device;
A second wiping member comprising a first wiping member wiping surface which is a surface capable of contacting the discharge surface wiping surface of the first wiping member;
Moving means for allowing relative movement between the first wiping member and the second wiping member;
Holding means for holding the second wiping member;
The moving means moves the first wiping member so that the discharge surface wiping surface can slide on the discharge surface, and moves at least one of the first wiping member and the second wiping member. Enabling the first wiping member wiping surface and the ejection surface wiping surface to slide with each other;
In the state where the portion including the discharge surface wiping surface of the first wiping member and the portion including the first wiping member wiping surface of the second wiping member are at least partially overlapped with each other, When the 1 wiping member wiping surface and the discharge surface wiping surface slide relative to each other, the angle between the first wiping member wiping surface and the horizontal surface is a predetermined angle greater than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees. The liquid wiping apparatus, wherein the second wiping member is held.   The holding means holds the second wiping member so as to be rotatable in a wiping direction facing the first wiping member wiping surface and in a direction opposite to the wiping direction, and the holding means is at the predetermined angle. The held second wiping member is held so that the first wiping member wiping surface can rotate on the wiping direction side, and the first wiping member wiping surface cannot rotate on the opposite direction side. The liquid wiping device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid wiping device is held so as to become.   The holding means includes a second wiping member holding member that holds the second wiping member, and a holding base that holds the second wiping member holding member so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis in the wiping direction and the opposite direction. The second wiping member holding member is capable of contacting the holding base in the opposite direction, and the second wiping member holding member and the holding base are in contact with each other, The liquid wiping apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second wiping member is held at the predetermined angle.   The entire center of gravity of the second wiping member and the second wiping member holding member when the second wiping member is held at the predetermined angle is located below the rotation axis in the vertical direction. The liquid wiping apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,   The liquid wiping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second wiping member is made of an elastic body. A cleaning liquid supply means having an elastic supply pipe and capable of supplying a cleaning liquid to the second wiping member via the supply pipe;
The liquid wiping apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the supply pipe biases the holding unit in the opposite direction. In the second wiping member, the first wiping member wiping surface includes an end portion extending from one end to the other end capable of contacting the discharge surface wiping surface of the first wiping member, and the end portion is in a horizontal plane. And the one end side is formed to be higher in the vertical direction than the other end side,
The liquid wiping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply means can supply the cleaning liquid to the one end side of the second wiping member from above in the vertical direction. In the liquid ejection device, the ejection surface wiping surface is a surface that can come into contact with the ejection surface provided with the ejection section for ejecting liquid, and includes a first wiping member made of an elastic body, and an ejection surface wiping of the first wiping member A liquid wiping method of a liquid wiping device comprising a second wiping member comprising a first wiping member wiping surface that is a surface capable of contacting the surface,
A discharge surface wiping step of moving the first wiping member and sliding the discharge surface on the discharge surface to wipe the liquid from the discharge surface;
A first wiping member that wipes liquid from the first wiping member by moving at least one of the first wiping member and the second wiping member and sliding the first wiping member wiping surface and the ejection surface wiping surface together; A wiping member wiping step,
In the first wiping member wiping step, the portion of the first wiping member that includes the ejection surface wiping surface and the portion of the second wiping member that includes the first wiping member wiping surface are at least partially overlapped. Then, when the first wiping member wiping surface and the discharge surface wiping surface slide relative to each other, an angle between the first wiping member wiping surface and the horizontal plane is greater than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees The liquid wiping method characterized by holding the said 2nd wiping member so that it may become. A first wiping member returning step for moving the first wiping member wiped by the second wiping member in the first wiping member wiping step;
In the first wiping member wiping step, the first wiping member is moved from a start position to an end position, and the first wiping member wiping surface of the second wiping member is placed between the start position and the end position. Sliding on the discharge surface wiping surface of the first wiping member;
In the first wiping member returning step, when the first wiping member is moved from the end position to the start position and the first wiping member is in contact with the second wiping member, the second wiping member The liquid wiping method according to claim 8, wherein the first wiping member rotates in a moving direction.   In the first wiping member returning step, when the first wiping member and the second wiping member in contact with each other are dissociated, the second wiping member rotates in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the first wiping member. The liquid wiping method according to claim 9, wherein the liquid wiping method returns to the holding position in the first wiping member wiping step and is held at the holding position. A cleaning liquid supply step of supplying a cleaning liquid to the second wiping member;
In the cleaning liquid supply step, at an end portion extending from one end to the other end of the first wiping member provided on the first wiping member wiping surface and extending from one end to the other end, the one wiping member is directed from the one end toward the other end. The liquid wiping method according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning liquid is supplied.

Images