JP2017193064A - Liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a spare consumption of a wiping member.SOLUTION: A liquid discharging device comprises: a head 4 having a nozzle face 41 equipped with a nozzle 4n for discharging a liquid; caps 21a and 21b for capping the nozzle face 41; a wiping mechanism 400 containing a web 201 for moving relative to the nozzle face 41 for wiping the nozzle face 41; and a control part 500 for controlling the wiping action by the web 402 of the wiping mechanism 400. The control part 500 has a non-volatile memory 504 for storing the wiping region 440 when the nozzle face 41 is wiped by the web 402. On the basis of the stored wiping region 440, a non-wiped region 441 not having wiped the nozzle face 41 in the use region of the web 402 is detected to perform a control to wipe the nozzle face 41 with the non-wiped region 441.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for discharging a liquid.

  When a liquid discharge head that discharges liquid is used, a maintenance / recovery mechanism (maintenance mechanism) including a cap for capping the nozzle surface and a wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface is provided to maintain and recover the state of the nozzle.

  Conventionally, for example, a first cleaning step of wiping and cleaning the nozzle surface of a head to which liquid has been applied using a non-wetting region of a band-shaped liquid absorber, and liquid applied to a region other than the nozzle formation region of the nozzle surface A wet area forming step for forming a wet area in which the absorbent capacity is reduced by a predetermined amount by absorbing the liquid in the liquid absorbent body, and wiping and cleaning the nozzle surface of the head using the wet area of the liquid absorbent body A head cleaning method comprising a second cleaning step is known (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 5149231

  By the way, when wiping and cleaning the nozzle surface using a belt-like wiping member such as a web, the wiping member is replaced even if a portion that does not contact the nozzle surface remains, and the wiping member is consumed wastefully and the wiping member is replaced. There is a problem in that downtime occurs.

  This invention is made | formed in view of said subject, and it aims at reducing the useless consumption of a wiping member.

In order to solve the above problems, an apparatus for ejecting a liquid according to claim 1 of the present invention provides:
A liquid discharge head for discharging liquid;
A strip-shaped wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface of the liquid discharge head;
Wiping control means for controlling the wiping operation by the wiping member, and
The wiping control means includes
A means for storing a used region used for wiping the nozzle surface of the wiping member;
Based on the stored used area, an unused area of the wiping member that does not wipe the nozzle surface is detected, and control is performed to wipe the nozzle surface in the unused area.

  According to the present invention, useless consumption of the wiping member can be reduced.

It is plane explanatory drawing of the mechanism part of an example of the apparatus which discharges the liquid which concerns on this invention. It is a principal part side surface explanatory drawing similarly. FIG. 6 is an explanatory plan view for explaining the head configuration. It is a typical explanatory view of an example of a maintenance recovery mechanism. It is block explanatory drawing of a control part. It is side surface explanatory drawing of an example of a wiping mechanism. It is front explanatory drawing similarly. It is bottom surface explanatory drawing of a carriage. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the 1st example of the unused area | region (unwiping area | region) of a wiping member. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the collective wiping operation which performs wiping operation | movement collectively about several heads. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the individual wiping operation | movement which performs wiping operation | movement individually about several heads. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the 2nd example of an unused area | region. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the 3rd example of an unused area | region. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of control of maintenance operation | movement including control of wiping operation | movement. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of control of the maintenance operation | movement including control of the wiping operation | movement in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of control of the maintenance operation | movement containing the wiping operation | movement in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the wiping operation | movement in 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of control of the maintenance operation | movement in the 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the wiping mechanism of 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the application | coating mechanism of a washing | cleaning liquid similarly. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of an example of control of the maintenance operation | movement in the 4th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing with which it uses for description of the tank part in 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing similarly used for description of wiping operation | movement. It is a flowchart with which it uses for description of an example of control of the maintenance operation | movement in said 5th Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. An example of an apparatus for ejecting liquid according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory plan view of the mechanism of the apparatus, FIG. 2 is an explanatory side view of the main part, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory plan view for explaining the head configuration. FIG. 3 shows the recording head as seen from above.

  This apparatus is a serial type apparatus, and a main guide member 1 spanning the left and right side plates 91A and 91B holds the carriage 3 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction. The main scanning motor 6 reciprocates in the main scanning direction (carriage movement direction) via a timing belt 9 spanned between the driving pulley 7 and the driven pulley 8.

  In the carriage 3, liquid discharge heads (hereinafter simply referred to as “heads”) 4 a and 4 b are arranged with their positions shifted in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the heads 4a and 4b (referred to as “head 4” when not distinguished from each other, hereinafter the same) have four nozzle rows 40 (40a) each including a plurality of nozzles 4n. ˜40d).

  Each nozzle row 40a of the heads 4a and 4b is a black (K) liquid, each nozzle row 40b is a cyan (C) liquid, each nozzle row 40c is a magenta (M) liquid, and each nozzle row 40d. Discharges yellow (Y) liquid, respectively. That is, the two heads 4a and 4b are arranged with their positions shifted in the sub-scanning direction to increase the nozzle row length in one scan.

  Corresponding to the four nozzle rows 40a to 40d of the heads 4a and 4b, tank portions 5a and 5b (see FIG. 2) for temporarily storing liquids of respective colors are provided. The head 4 and the tank unit 5 constitute discharge units 45A and 45B.

  On the apparatus main body side, a cartridge holder 51 to which a main tank (liquid cartridge) 50 containing liquid of each color is replaceably mounted is disposed.

  The cartridge holder 51 is provided with a liquid feed pump section 52, and each head 4 is supplied from the main tank 50 by a liquid feed pump 54 (FIG. 5) of the liquid feed pump section 52 via a supply tube (liquid supply path) 56 for each color. Each color liquid is supplied to each tank part 42.

  On the other hand, in order to convey the sheet material 10, a conveyance belt 12 is provided as a conveyance means for adsorbing the sheet material 10 and conveying it at a position facing the head 4. The transport belt 12 is an endless belt and is stretched between the transport roller 13 and the tension roller 14.

  The transport belt 12 rotates in the sub-scanning direction when the transport roller 13 is rotationally driven by the sub-scanning motor 16 via the timing belt 17 and the timing pulley 18. The conveying belt 12 is charged (charged) by a charging roller while moving around, or the sheet material 10 is sucked by a suction unit.

  Further, a maintenance / recovery mechanism 20 that performs maintenance / recovery of the head 4 is disposed on the side of the conveyance belt 12 on one side of the carriage 3 in the main scanning direction.

  The maintenance / recovery mechanism 20 includes, for example, suction and moisturizing caps 21a and 21b for capping the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4, and a wiping mechanism 400 including a web 402 as a wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface 41. . A suction means is connected to the cap 21.

  Also, an encoder scale 123 formed with a predetermined pattern is stretched between the both side plates 91A and 91B along the main scanning direction of the carriage 3, and an encoder made of a transmission type photosensor that reads the pattern of the encoder scale 123 on the carriage 3. A sensor 124 is provided. These encoder scale 123 and encoder sensor 124 constitute a linear encoder (main scanning encoder) that detects the movement of the carriage 3.

  Further, a code wheel 125 is attached to the shaft of the transport roller 13 and an encoder sensor 126 including a transmission type photo sensor for detecting a pattern formed on the code wheel 125 is provided. These code wheel 125 and encoder sensor 126 constitute a rotary encoder (sub-scanning encoder) that detects the amount and position of movement of the conveyor belt 12.

  In this apparatus, the sheet material 10 is fed onto the conveying belt 12 and sucked, and is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by the circumferential movement of the conveying belt 12.

  Therefore, by driving the head 4 according to the recording signal while moving the carriage 3 in the main scanning direction, the liquid is discharged onto the stopped sheet material 10 to record one line. Then, after the sheet material 10 is conveyed by a predetermined amount, the next line is recorded.

  Upon receiving a recording end signal or a signal that the rear end of the sheet material 10 has reached the recording area, the recording operation is terminated and the sheet material 10 is discharged to a discharge tray (not shown).

  Next, an example of the maintenance and recovery mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory view of the maintenance and recovery mechanism.

  The maintenance and recovery mechanism 20 includes a cap holder 201 including a holding mechanism that holds the cap 21 and a wiping mechanism 400 that wipes and cleans the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4 with a web 402 that is a belt-like wiping member. . Here, raising and lowering of the cap 21 will be described, and the wiping mechanism 400 will be described later.

  A suction pump 211 as a suction means is connected to the cap 21 via a suction path 210 such as a flexible tube. When performing the operation of maintaining and recovering the head 4, the head 4 is moved to a position where it can be capped by the cap 21.

  A cam shaft 213 rotatably supported by the frame 212 is disposed below the cap holder 201, and a cap cam 214 for raising and lowering the cap holder 201 is provided on the cam shaft 213.

  In order to rotationally drive the suction pump 211 and the cam shaft 213, the rotation of the motor (maintenance and recovery motor) 221 is engaged with the motor gear 222 provided on the motor shaft 221a and the pump gear 223 provided on the pump shaft 211a of the suction pump 211 is engaged. It is matched. Further, an intermediate gear 226 with a one-way clutch 227 is meshed with an intermediate gear 224 integral with the pump gear 223 via an intermediate gear 225, and a camshaft is connected to an intermediate gear 228 coaxial with the intermediate gear 226 via an intermediate gear 229. The cam gear 230 fixed to 213 is engaged.

  In the maintenance and recovery mechanism 20, when the motor 221 rotates forward, the motor gear 222, the intermediate gear 224, the pump gear 223, the intermediate gears 225 and 226 rotate, and the shaft 211a of the suction pump 211 rotates. As a result, the suction pump 211 operates to suck the inside of the cap 21. Since the other gears 228 and thereafter are blocked by the one-way clutch 227, they do not rotate (activate).

  Further, since the one-way clutch 227 is connected by the reverse rotation of the motor 221, the rotation of the motor 221 is transferred to the cam gear 230 via the motor gear 222, the intermediate gear 224, the pump gear 223, the intermediate gears 225, 226, 228, and 229. As a result, the cam shaft 213 rotates. At this time, the suction pump 211 is structured not to operate by the reverse rotation of the pump shaft 211a. As the cam shaft 213 rotates, the cap cam 214 rises and falls at a predetermined timing.

  Next, an outline of the control unit of this apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control unit.

  The control unit 500 includes a CPU 501 that controls the entire apparatus, a ROM 502 that stores fixed data such as various programs including a program that performs control according to the present invention that is executed by the CPU 501, and a RAM 503 that temporarily stores image data and the like. Including a main control unit 500A.

  The control unit 500 includes a rewritable nonvolatile memory (for example, NVRAM) 504 for holding data while the apparatus is powered off, image processing for performing various signal processing, rearrangement, and the like on image data, and the like. And an ASIC 505 for processing input / output signals for controlling the entire apparatus.

  The control unit 500 includes a data transfer unit for driving and controlling the head 4 and a print control unit 508 including a drive signal generating unit, and a head driver (driver IC) 509 for driving the head 4 provided on the carriage 3 side. It has.

  The control unit 500 includes a main scanning motor 6 that moves and scans the carriage 3, a sub-scanning motor 16 that moves the conveyor belt 12, movements (up and down) of the caps 21 and 22 of the maintenance and recovery mechanism 20, driving of the maintenance and recovery mechanism 20, and the like. The motor drive part 510 for driving the maintenance recovery motor 221 which performs is provided.

  The control unit 500 includes a supply system driving unit 512 that drives the liquid feeding pump 54 of the liquid feeding pump unit 52 that performs liquid feeding from the liquid cartridge 50 to the head 4 side.

  The control unit 500 also serves as a wiping control unit. The control unit 500 drives each unit of the wiping mechanism 400 via the wiping mechanism driving unit 515, and detects and stores a use area of the web 402 that is a wiping member.

  The control unit 500 includes an I / O unit 513. The I / O unit 513 acquires information from a temperature sensor and various other sensor groups 570 mounted on the apparatus, extracts information necessary for controlling the apparatus, and uses it for various controls.

  An operation panel 514 for inputting and displaying information necessary for this apparatus is connected to the control unit 500.

  Here, the control unit 500 has an I / F 506 for transmitting and receiving data and signals to and from the host side. The data is received from the printer driver 591 side of the host 590 such as an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, an image reading apparatus, or an imaging apparatus via an I / F 506 via a cable or a network.

  The CPU 501 of the control unit 500 reads and analyzes the print data in the reception buffer included in the I / F 506, performs necessary image processing, data rearrangement processing, and the like in the ASIC 505, and prints the image data. The data is transferred from the unit 508 to the head driver 509.

  The print control unit 508 transfers the above-described image data as serial data, and outputs a transfer clock, a latch signal, a control signal, and the like necessary for transferring the image data and confirming the transfer to the head driver 509.

  The print control unit 508 includes a drive signal generation unit including a D / A converter that converts D / A conversion of drive pulse pattern data stored in the ROM 502, a voltage amplifier, a current amplifier, and the like. A drive waveform composed of one drive pulse or a plurality of drive pulses is generated and output to the head driver 509.

  The head driver 509 selects a driving pulse that constitutes a driving waveform provided from the print control unit 508 based on image data corresponding to one row of the head 4 that is serially input to the pressure generating unit of the head 4. The head 4 is driven. At this time, by selecting part or all of the pulses constituting the drive waveform or all or part of the waveform elements forming the pulses, for example, dots of different sizes such as large drops, medium drops, and small drops Can be sorted out.

  Next, an example of the wiping mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 together with FIG. 3 described above. FIG. 6 is an explanatory side view of the wiping mechanism, FIG. 7 is an explanatory front view, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory bottom view of the carriage.

  The wiping mechanism 400 includes a web 402 as a strip-shaped wiping member that wipes the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4. The web 402 is preferably made of a sheet-like material that has absorptivity and has at least liquid resistance to the liquid to be used, and does not generate fuzz or dust. For example, a nonwoven fabric, cloth, film, For example, paper.

  The width of the web 402 in the main scanning direction is set to a width that allows the plurality of heads 4a and 4b to be wiped together.

  The wiping mechanism 400 includes a feed roll 403 that feeds the roll-shaped web 402 and a take-up roll 404 that winds the fed web 402. Between these rolls 403 and 404, a plurality of intermediate rolls 406 for holding the web 402 are arranged. Moreover, it has the press part 405 (405a, 405b) which makes the web 402 contact the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4 by pressing the web 402. FIG.

  The pressing portion 405 is provided for each head 4 so as to be contactable for each head 4, and moves up and down independently with respect to the nozzle surface 41. The tip of the pressing portion 405 that contacts the web 402 is preferably an elastic body such as rubber so as not to damage the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4.

  A code wheel 414 is attached to the take-up roll 404, and an encoder sensor 413 including a transmission type photo sensor for detecting a pattern formed on the code wheel 414 is provided. The code wheel 414 and the encoder sensor 413 constitute an encoder that detects the moving distance (winding distance) of the web 402. The control unit 500 receives the detection signal of the encoder sensor 413, counts (detects) the winding distance, detects the use area, and stores it in the nonvolatile memory 504.

  On the other hand, an adhesion sensor 412 that detects liquid adhering to the web 402 is provided on the surface of the carriage 3 that faces the wiping mechanism 400. As the adhesion sensor 412, a reflective photosensor, an imaging device, or the like can be used. The control unit 500 inputs the detection result of the adhesion sensor 412 and detects whether or not the liquid (waste liquid) adheres to the surface of the web 402, the degree of adhesion (liquid adhesion level), and the like.

  The wiping mechanism 400 includes a web 402, a feeding roll 403, a winding roll 404, a pressing unit 405, a driving mechanism including a winding motor that rotationally drives the winding roll 404, and the like. 420.

  The moving member 420 is disposed so as to be capable of reciprocating in the arrow Y direction (wiping direction) that is a direction along the nozzle row 40 of the head 4 (nozzle arrangement direction). The movement of the moving member 429 in the wiping direction is performed by a moving mechanism including a rack 421, a pinion 422, and a moving member moving motor 532 that rotates the pinion 422.

  Further, the moving member 420 is disposed so as to be movable (movable up and down) in the direction in which the web 402 advances and retreats with respect to the nozzle surface 41, here in the up-down direction. The moving member 420 is moved up and down by, for example, a lifting mechanism including a cam 425 and a moving member lifting motor 533 that rotates the cam 425.

  A winding motor that rotationally drives the winding roll 404 of the wiping mechanism 400, a moving member moving motor 532 that reciprocates the moving member 420 in the arrow Y direction, a moving member lifting motor 533 that moves the moving member 420 up and down, and the like Drive control is performed from 500 through a wiping mechanism drive unit 515.

  Next, the wiping operation will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a first example of a used area (wiping area) and an unused area (unwiping area) of the wiping member, and FIG. 10 is a collective wiping operation in which the wiping operation is collectively performed for a plurality of heads. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an individual wiping operation in which the wiping operation is individually performed for a plurality of heads.

  The wiping operation is performed, for example, after maintenance is requested, the head 4 is covered with the cap 21, the liquid is sucked from the nozzle 4n (head suction), and decapped.

  As illustrated in FIG. 9, the non-volatile area 441 that is not used for wiping except the used area 440 of the web 402 that is used for wiping is stored and held in the nonvolatile memory 504 of the control unit 500. That is, the used area 440 is stored by storing the unused area 441.

  Therefore, when performing the collective wiping operation for the plurality of heads 4a and 4b, the carriage 3 is moved to a position where the plurality of heads 4a and 4b can be wiped simultaneously facing the web 402 as shown in FIG. .

  And based on the unused area | region 441 memorize | stored in the memory 504, it winds up so that the unused area | region 441 of the web 402 may be located in the near side of the head 4 by winding up with the winding roll 404. FIG.

  Thereafter, the pressing portion 405 corresponding to each head 4 is raised, and the web 402 is brought into contact with the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4. Then, the wiping operation of wiping the nozzle surface 41 with the web 402 is performed while moving the wiping mechanism 400 in the direction of arrow Y (in this case, the direction of the arrow Y1) by the moving mechanism while performing winding by the winding roll 404. .

  Then, after the wiping of the nozzle surface 41 is completed, the pressing portion 405 is lowered and the used region 440 of the web 402 is stored.

  In this case, the used area 440 can be detected and stored by detecting whether or not the liquid is attached to the web 402. Alternatively, the amount of rotation of the take-up roll 404 can be detected by the detection output of the encoder sensor 413, and the used region 440 can be detected and stored from the distance moved by the web 402 while being pressed against the nozzle surface 41.

  The winding distance is the distance in the length direction of the nozzle row 40 of the head 4 each time, and the used region = winding distance of the head 4 in the nozzle row direction × number of wipings (wiping times). The used area 440 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 504.

  On the other hand, when performing the individual wiping operation for the plurality of heads 4a and 4b, for example, as shown in FIG. 11A, the carriage 3 is moved to a position where the head 4b to be wiped can be wiped. By winding the winding roll 404 in the front-rear direction, the web 402 is wound so that the unused area 441 comes to the front side of the head 4b.

  Thereafter, the pressing portion 405 corresponding to the head 4b is raised, and the web 402 is brought into contact with the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4b. Then, the web 402 is wiped off while being taken up by the take-up roll 404 while the wiping mechanism 400 is moved in the arrow Y direction. The pressing unit 405 is lowered and the use area of the web 402 is stored.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, the carriage 3 is moved to a position where the wiping target head 4a can be wiped. By winding the winding roll 404 in the front-rear direction, the web 402 is wound so that the unused area 441 comes to the front side of the head 4a.

  Thereafter, the pressing portion 405a corresponding to the head 4a is raised, and the web 402 is brought into contact with the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4a. The wiping mechanism 400 wipes the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4a with the web 402 while moving the wiping mechanism 400 in the direction of arrow Y (in this case, the direction of arrow Y1) by the moving mechanism while performing winding by the winding roll 404. Perform the action.

  Then, after the wiping of the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4a is completed, the pressing portion 405a is lowered and the used area 440 of the web 402 is stored.

  The wiping of the head 4b can be performed in the same manner.

  Here, a second example of the unused area will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the same.

  In the second example, the area of the web 402 corresponding to the space (space between heads) HS between the two heads 4 a and 4 b is also used as the unused area 441.

  Next, a third example of the unused area will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the same.

  In the third example, the space NS between the nozzle rows 40 of the head 4 is also used as the unused area 441.

  Next, the control of the maintenance operation including the control of the wiping operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the maintenance operation is started, the cap 21 is raised and the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4 is capped.

  And it is discriminate | determined whether the some head 4a, 4b is wiped off collectively.

  Here, when the plurality of heads 4a and 4b are wiped at once, the opening / closing valve 202 of the suction path 210 communicating with the plurality of heads 4a and 4b is opened, and the suction pump 211 is driven to suck the liquid from the nozzle 4n. Perform head suction. After completion of the suction, the cap 21 is lowered.

  And it winds up to the unused area | region 441 of the web 402 with the winding roll 404, and positions the unused area | region 441 in the wiping start position. The carriage 3 is moved to the wiping position (wiping position 1), the pressing portions 405a (pressing portion 1) and 405b (pressing portion 2) located at the position facing the target head 4 are raised, and the wiping operation by the web 402 ( The movement of the wiping mechanism 400 and the winding of the web 402) are performed.

  Thereafter, the pressing parts 1 and 2 are lowered, the used area 440 of the web 402 is stored, and the maintenance is completed.

  On the other hand, when wiping individually (when wiping every single head), the opening / closing valve 202 of the suction path 210 leading to the head 4a or 4b to be wiped is opened, and the suction pump 211 is driven to drive the nozzle Head suction for sucking liquid from 4n is performed. After completion of the suction, the cap 21 is lowered.

  And it winds up with the winding roll 404 so that the unused area | region 441 of the web 402 may be located in the wiping start position. The carriage 3 moves to a position (wiping position 2) where the head 4a or 4b to be wiped can be wiped.

  Thereafter, the pressing portion 1 or 2 corresponding to the head 4a or 4b to be wiped is raised, and the wiping operation by the web 402 is performed.

  And the press part 1 or 2 is lowered | hung, the used area | region 440 of the web 402 is memorize | stored, and a maintenance is complete | finished.

  Next, the maintenance operation control including the wiping operation control in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the maintenance operation is started, the unused area 440 is detected (searched) based on the used area 440 of the stored web 402.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the detected unused area 441 is longer than the length that can wipe the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4 (this is referred to as “predetermined length that can be wiped”).

  Here, if the unused area 441 is not longer than a predetermined length that can be wiped off, a predetermined amount of the web 402 is taken up and the next unused area 441 is searched.

  And when the unused area | region 441 is more than the predetermined length which can be wiped off, control similar to the wiping operation mentioned above is performed.

  That is, the cap 21 is raised and the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4 is capped.

  And it is discriminate | determined whether the some head 4a, 4b is wiped off collectively. That is, in the present embodiment, it is possible to switch between a collective wiping operation for wiping the plurality of heads 4a, 4b at once and an individual wiping operation for wiping the plurality of heads 4a, 4b for each single head.

  Here, when wiping the plurality of heads 4a and 4b in a lump, head suction for sucking liquid from the nozzle 4n is performed, and the cap 21 is lowered after the suction is finished.

  Then, the web 402 is taken up by the take-up roll 404 to the wiping start position, and the unused area 441 is set to the wiping start position. Thereafter, the carriage 3 is moved to the wiping position (wiping position 1), the pressing portions 1 and 2 at positions facing the target head 4 are raised, and the wiping operation by the web 402 is performed.

  Thereafter, the pressing parts 1 and 2 are lowered, the used area 440 of the web 402 is stored, and the maintenance is completed.

  On the other hand, when wiping individually (when wiping for each single head), head suction is performed on the head 4a or 4b to be wiped, and the cap 21 is lowered after the suction is completed.

  Then, the web 402 is taken up by the take-up roll 404 to the wiping start position, and the unused area 441 is set to the wiping start position. Thereafter, the carriage 3 is moved to a position (wiping position 2) where the head 4a or 4b to be wiped can be wiped, the pressing portion 1 or 2 is raised, and the web 402 performs a wiping operation.

  Thereafter, the raised pressing portion 1 or 3 is lowered, the used area 440 of the web 402 is stored, and the maintenance is finished.

  Further, when the adhesion sensor 412 is mounted as described above, the web 402 is sensed by the adhesion sensor 412 before the wiping operation is performed, and the wiping method is changed according to the detection result of the adhesion sensor 412. You can also

  In this case, the adhesion sensor 412 includes a reflective photosensor, an imaging device (camera), and the like, and detects the presence or absence of liquid adhesion to the web 402 or the degree of liquid adhesion. When the reflection type photosensor is mounted in the carriage 3, the detection of the liquid adhesion to the web 402 and the presence / absence detection of the sheet material 10 can be performed.

  When all the wiping is performed only in the unused area 441, the position determined as the unused area 441 obtained from the detection result of the adhesion sensor 412 is set as the wiping start position, and the same wiping operation as described above is performed.

  Next, the control of the maintenance operation including the wiping operation in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the maintenance operation is started, the adhesion sensor 412 detects the liquid adhering to the web 402. Then, the degree of liquid adhesion (liquid adhesion level) to the web 402 is detected from the detection result of the adhesion sensor 412.

  And it is discriminate | determined whether the length of the area | region whose liquid adhesion level is below a predetermined threshold value is more than predetermined amount.

  At this time, when the length of the region where the liquid adhesion level is equal to or less than the threshold is not equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the web 402 is wound up by a predetermined amount, and whether or not the length of the region where the liquid adhesion level is equal to or less than the threshold is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount. To determine.

  Then, when the length of the region where the liquid adhesion level is equal to or less than the threshold value is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, the same operation as the maintenance operation described above with reference to FIG. 14 is performed. When the wiping operation is performed by reusing the used area 440, the wiping operation is performed with the position determined by the adhesion sensor 412 as the liquid adhesion level equal to or lower than the threshold as the wiping start position.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the used area | region 440 of the web 402 is used again, and wiping is performed (reuse). That is, the amount of liquid adhering to the web 402 changes in one wiping operation according to the amount of liquid sucked from the head 4 by the cap 21, and when the amount of sucked liquid is small, the amount of liquid adhering also decreases in the used region 440. The used area 440 can be reused.

  By reusing the used area 440 of the web 402, the consumption amount of the web 402 can be suppressed rather than using the unused area 440 every time.

  For example, in the case of performing control to change the amount of liquid to be sucked according to the discharge state, it may be configured to perform control for reusing the web 402 in the next maintenance operation in which maintenance with a small amount of sucked liquid is performed. it can.

  Next, the wiping operation in the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the explanatory view of FIG.

  In this embodiment, when the used area 440 of the web 402 is reused, control is performed to determine whether or not to reuse the web 402 based on the wiped color and the wiped color.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 17, when wiping the head 4k that discharges black after wiping yellow, the mixed color is such that yellow can be visually recognized even if it enters the black head 4k. Most likely not. Therefore, it is determined whether or not to reuse each color such that the black head 4k is wiped as it is in the used area 440y where the yellow head is wiped.

  Next, the control of the maintenance operation in the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the operation panel 514 allows the user to select and specify whether priority is given to printing speed or priority on consumption suppression of the web 402. A configuration that can be designated from the host 600 side can also be adopted.

  Therefore, it is determined whether or not the printing speed priority is selected.

  Here, when the printing speed priority is selected, the control for wiping the plurality of heads 4 at a time is selected, and the wiping operation for wiping the plurality of heads 4 at the time of maintenance is performed to finish the maintenance. .

  On the other hand, when the printing speed priority is not selected, a control for wiping the plurality of heads 4 individually (wiping for each single head) is selected, and for each of the plurality of heads 4 during maintenance, the control is performed. The maintenance operation is completed by performing a wiping operation for individually wiping.

  When printing speed priority is selected, the time required for maintenance is shortened by wiping a plurality of heads at once, and the reduction in printing speed can be suppressed by reducing downtime. On the other hand, when consumption suppression is selected, the wiping area of the web 402 can be increased by wiping every single head, and consumption of the web 402 can be suppressed.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 19 is an explanatory view of the wiping mechanism of the embodiment, and FIG. 20 is an explanatory view of the cleaning liquid coating mechanism.

  In the present embodiment, an application mechanism 401 that applies the cleaning liquid 408 to the fed web 402 is provided.

  The coating mechanism 401 has a tubular roll 407 containing a cleaning liquid 408, and the roll 407 is provided with a plurality of holes 409 in the main scanning direction. Further, a pressing mechanism 410 that presses the roll 407 against the web 402 and a pressing roller 411 that presses the web 402 against the roll 407 from the side opposite to the pressing mechanism 410 are provided.

  As the cleaning liquid 408, a highly volatile solvent is used. As a result, waste liquid or foreign matter adhering to the nozzle surface 41 of the head 4 can be efficiently removed.

  In addition, when the highly volatile cleaning liquid 408 is used, the coating mechanism 401 is preferably covered with a cover 415 or the like so that the cleaning liquid 408 does not come into contact with the atmosphere.

  If the state where it is difficult to volatilize by being covered with a cover or the like is maintained, the cleaning liquid 408 is included when the web 402 is set in the apparatus main body without using the coating mechanism 401, and a virtual line in FIG. As shown, the rolled web 402 may be covered with a cover 416.

  In this embodiment, when the cleaning liquid 408 is applied to the web 402, the roll 407 in the state shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 is rotated by about 90 ° in the direction of arrow C in FIG. Let us face you. As a result, the internal cleaning liquid 408 is applied to the web 402.

  Note that the cleaning liquid 408 may be sprayed or the like. In the case of the roll 407, the user performs replacement when the cleaning liquid 408 is exhausted. Or it can also be set as the structure which detects that the washing | cleaning liquid 408 is lose | eliminated and supplies the washing | cleaning liquid 408 regularly in a pipe | tube according to a detection result.

  In addition, by providing the pressing mechanism 410 that presses the coating mechanism 401 against the web 402, an effect of suppressing the fluffing of the web 402 is also obtained. Since the fluff on the side of the head 4 that contacts the nozzle surface 41 affects the wiping property, the pressing direction is preferably a direction that takes it into account. Furthermore, by providing the opposing roller 411 at a position facing the coating mechanism 401 and the web 402, the coating mechanism 401 can be brought into contact with the web 402 more reliably.

  An example of the control of the maintenance operation in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In this control, in the control of FIG. 16, a process of applying the cleaning liquid 408 to the web 402 after the cap is lowered is added.

  Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the tank portion in the embodiment, and FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the wiping operation.

  In the case of using a liquid having high sedimentation properties such as white ink, magnetic ink, metallic ink, etc., the sedimentation property contained in the liquid 300 in the tank unit 5 as shown in FIG. The high component 300a settles.

  Therefore, when using a liquid with a high sedimentation property, during the standby (when not printing), the head 4d using the liquid 300 with a high sedimentation property is operated more than the head 4e using a liquid with a low sedimentation property. Increase the frequency of implementation.

  During printing, even the liquid 300 with high sedimentation is agitated and difficult to settle because the liquid is discharged, so the frequency of the maintenance operation during printing is the same regardless of the level of sedimentation.

  Therefore, whether the head 4d using the liquid 300 having high sedimentation and the head 4e using the liquid having low sedimentation are wiped at once or individually, whether it is during printing or in standby. It is different.

  That is, during printing, as shown in FIG. 23 (a), the heads 4d and 4e are wiped together to shorten the time required for maintenance. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 23B, it is not necessary to shorten the time required for maintenance during standby, and the heads 4d and 4e are individually wiped to suppress the consumption of the web 402. ing.

  An example of the control of the maintenance operation in the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In this control, in the control of FIG. 16, after the cap is raised, it is determined whether or not printing is in progress. When printing is in progress (printing), a batch wiping operation is performed and standby is not in progress. When it is in the middle, an individual wiping operation is performed.

  In this way, by switching the control method of the wiping operation during printing and during standby, both the printing speed and the consumption amount of the web 402 can be optimized.

  In the case of using a settling liquid, the head 4 is wiped in a lump during printing because the settling is small, and the settling is large during standby, so the head 4 is wiped individually in a longer time than in the lump. Thereby, the head which uses a sedimentation liquid is also cleaned normally, and the wiping area | region which can be reused by wiping alone can be increased, and the consumption of the web 402 can be suppressed.

  If the web 402 is white and the attached state such as white ink cannot be detected by the sensor, the above-described used area is stored instead of the sensor detection means, and the unused area is used.

  In the present application, the liquid to be ejected is not particularly limited as long as it has a viscosity and surface tension that can be ejected from the head, and the viscosity becomes 30 mPa · s or less at room temperature, normal pressure, or by heating and cooling. It is preferable. More specifically, solvents such as water and organic solvents, colorants such as dyes and pigments, functional materials such as polymerizable compounds, resins, and surfactants, and biocompatible materials such as DNA, amino acids, proteins, and calcium. , Edible materials such as natural pigments, solutions, suspensions, emulsions, and the like. These include, for example, inkjet inks, surface treatment liquids, components of electronic devices and light emitting devices, and formation of electronic circuit resist patterns. It can be used in applications such as liquids for use, three-dimensional modeling material liquids, and the like.

  As energy generation sources for discharging liquid, piezoelectric actuators (laminated piezoelectric elements and thin film piezoelectric elements), thermal actuators using electrothermal transducers such as heating resistors, electrostatic actuators consisting of a diaphragm and counter electrode are used. To be included.

  The “liquid ejection unit” is a unit in which functional parts and mechanisms are integrated with a liquid ejection head, and includes an assembly of parts related to liquid ejection. For example, the “liquid discharge unit” includes a combination of at least one of a head tank, a carriage, a supply mechanism, a maintenance / recovery mechanism, and a main scanning movement mechanism with a liquid discharge head.

  Here, the term “integrated” refers to, for example, a liquid discharge head, a functional component, and a mechanism that are fixed to each other by fastening, adhesion, engagement, etc., and one that is held movably with respect to the other. Including. Further, the liquid discharge head, the functional component, and the mechanism may be configured to be detachable from each other.

  For example, there is a liquid discharge unit in which a liquid discharge head and a head tank are integrated. Also, there are some in which the liquid discharge head and the head tank are integrated by being connected to each other by a tube or the like. Here, a unit including a filter may be added between the head tank and the liquid discharge head of these liquid discharge units.

  In addition, there is a liquid discharge unit in which a liquid discharge head and a carriage are integrated.

  In addition, there is a liquid discharge unit in which the liquid discharge head and the scanning movement mechanism are integrated by holding the liquid discharge head movably on a guide member that constitutes a part of the scanning movement mechanism. In some cases, a liquid discharge head, a carriage, and a main scanning movement mechanism are integrated.

  Also, there is a liquid discharge unit in which a cap member that is a part of the maintenance / recovery mechanism is fixed to a carriage to which the liquid discharge head is attached, and the liquid discharge head, the carriage, and the maintenance / recovery mechanism are integrated. .

  In addition, there is a liquid discharge unit in which a tube is connected to a liquid discharge head to which a head tank or a flow path component is attached, and the liquid discharge head and a supply mechanism are integrated. The liquid from the liquid storage source is supplied to the liquid discharge head via this tube.

  The main scanning movement mechanism includes a guide member alone. The supply mechanism includes a single tube and a single loading unit.

The “apparatus for ejecting liquid” includes an apparatus that includes a liquid ejection head or a liquid ejection unit and that ejects liquid by driving the liquid ejection head. The apparatus for ejecting a liquid includes not only an apparatus capable of ejecting a liquid to an object to which the liquid can adhere, but also an apparatus for ejecting the liquid into the air or liquid.

  This “apparatus for discharging liquid” may include means for feeding, transporting, and discharging a liquid to which liquid can adhere, as well as a pre-processing apparatus and a post-processing apparatus.

  For example, as a “liquid ejecting device”, an image forming device that forms an image on paper by ejecting ink, a powder is formed in layers to form a three-dimensional model (three-dimensional model) There is a three-dimensional modeling apparatus (three-dimensional modeling apparatus) that discharges a modeling liquid onto the powder layer.

  Further, the “apparatus for ejecting liquid” is not limited to an apparatus in which significant images such as characters and figures are visualized by the ejected liquid. For example, what forms a pattern etc. which does not have a meaning in itself, and what forms a three-dimensional image are also included.

  The above-mentioned “applicable liquid” means that the liquid can be attached at least temporarily and adheres and adheres, or adheres and penetrates. Specific examples include recording media such as paper, recording paper, recording paper, film, and cloth, electronic parts such as electronic substrates and piezoelectric elements, powder layers (powder layers), organ models, and test cells. Yes, unless specifically limited, includes everything that the liquid adheres to.

  The material of the above-mentioned “material to which liquid can adhere” is not limited as long as liquid such as paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics can be adhered even temporarily.

  In addition, the “device for ejecting liquid” includes a device in which the liquid ejection head and the device to which the liquid can adhere move relatively, but is not limited thereto. Specific examples include a serial type apparatus that moves the liquid discharge head, a line type apparatus that does not move the liquid discharge head, and the like.

  In addition, as the “device for ejecting liquid”, other than the above, a treatment liquid coating apparatus that ejects a treatment liquid onto a sheet in order to apply the treatment liquid to the surface of the sheet for the purpose of modifying the surface of the sheet, There is an injection granulation apparatus that granulates raw material fine particles by spraying a composition liquid in which raw materials are dispersed in a solution through a nozzle.

  Note that the terms “image formation”, “recording”, “printing”, “printing”, “printing”, “modeling” and the like in the terms of the present application are all synonymous.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Carriage 4 Liquid discharge head 12 Conveyance belt 20 Maintenance recovery mechanism 21a, 21b Cap 400 Wiping mechanism 402 Web (band-shaped wiping member)
500 Control unit

Claims (7)

A liquid discharge head for discharging liquid;
A strip-shaped wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface of the liquid discharge head;
Wiping control means for controlling the wiping operation by the wiping member, and
The wiping control means includes
A means for storing a used region used for wiping the nozzle surface of the wiping member;
Based on the used area stored, the unused area of the wiping member that is not wiping the nozzle surface is detected, and control is performed to wipe the nozzle surface in the unused area. A device that ejects liquid. Having detection means for detecting the liquid adhering to the wiping member;
The apparatus for ejecting liquid according to claim 1, wherein the used region is detected from a detection result of the detection unit. A plurality of liquid discharge heads for discharging liquid;
A strip-shaped wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface of the liquid discharge head;
Wiping control means for controlling the wiping operation by the wiping member;
Detecting means for detecting the liquid adhering to the wiping member,
The wiping control means includes
Detecting the degree of adhesion of the liquid to the wiping member from the detection result of the detection means;
A device for ejecting liquid, characterized in that a used region in which the degree of adhesion of the liquid is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold is determined, and the used surface is reused to wipe the nozzle surface. . Batch wiping operation for wiping the nozzle surfaces of the plurality of liquid ejection heads at once;
4. The liquid according to claim 1, wherein the liquid wiping operation can be switched between individual wiping operations for wiping the nozzle surfaces of some of the plurality of liquid ejection heads. 5. A device that discharges. The apparatus for discharging a liquid according to claim 4, wherein the individual wiping operation and the collective wiping operation are switched based on a region of the wiping member used for the wiping operation. The apparatus for ejecting liquid according to claim 4, wherein the batch wiping operation is switched during printing and the individual wiping operation is switched during standby. The apparatus for discharging a liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising means for supplying a cleaning liquid to the wiping member.

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