JP2018122537A - Liquid discharge device and cleaning method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable effective cleaning of a conveying mechanism in a liquid discharge device while preventing the drying of a discharge port surface of the liquid discharge heads, without increasing the size of the device.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device comprises: liquid discharge heads having a discharge port surface with a plurality of discharge ports formed therein; a conveying mechanism provided opposite to the discharge port surface and conveying a recording medium; and humidification means for performing humidification operation to humidify the discharge port surface. The liquid discharge device is further provided with enclosure means capable of enclosing at least a part of the conveying mechanism facing the discharge port surface and the discharge port surface; and control means for causing the humidification means to perform humidification operation while the part facing the discharge port surface is enclosed by the enclosure means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device and a cleaning method thereof.

  A liquid ejection apparatus typified by an ink jet recording apparatus includes a liquid ejection head provided with ejection openings for ejecting liquid, and ejects liquid from the ejection opening onto a recording medium such as paper to perform recording on the recording medium. . Since the ink is easily fixed when the discharge surface of the liquid discharge head is dried, a printer having a humidifying mechanism for humidifying the discharge surface as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is generally known. By supplying air humidified with a humidifying liquid such as water to the discharge space, drying of the discharge surface is suppressed. In addition, there are recording medium conveyance mechanisms using various mechanisms such as a belt, an electrostatic adsorption mechanism, an adhesive member, and an air (vacuum) adsorption mechanism, and recording is performed while conveying the recording medium by these conveyance mechanisms. To complete. The scanning path of the transport mechanism may be contaminated by the ejection liquid or its mist during the preliminary ejection from the ejection port or the execution of the recovery sequence for the ejection port. On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses an ink jet printer including a cleaner unit having an application member for applying a cleaning liquid and a blade for wiping the cleaning liquid in order to remove dirt on the belt-shaped transport mechanism. In addition, in order to facilitate removal of dirt on the transport mechanism, a pre-coating liquid is ejected from the head to the surface of the transport mechanism.

JP 2012-139865 A JP 2012-116077 A

However, the ink jet printer of Patent Document 2 needs to include a dedicated head or tank in order to discharge the precoat liquid, and the apparatus becomes large.
An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection apparatus capable of efficiently cleaning the transport mechanism without increasing the size of the apparatus while suppressing drying of the ejection port surface of the liquid ejection head, and a cleaning method therefor. There is.

A liquid discharge apparatus according to the present invention includes a discharge port surface having a plurality of discharge ports and a liquid discharge head that performs recording by discharging liquid from a plurality of discharge ports to a recording medium. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising a transporting mechanism that transports a recording medium and a humidifying unit that performs a humidifying operation for humidifying a discharge port surface, wherein at least a portion of the transport mechanism facing the discharge port surface and a discharge port Enclosing means capable of enclosing the outlet surface, and control means for causing the means to perform a humidifying operation in a state where the enclosing means surrounds the portion facing the discharge port surface.
The cleaning method of the present invention includes a liquid discharge head that has a discharge port surface on which a plurality of discharge ports are formed and discharges liquid from the plurality of discharge ports to perform recording on a recording medium, and is provided opposite to the discharge port surface. And a transport mechanism that transports the recording medium, and a cleaning method for a liquid ejection device, the enclosing process surrounding at least a portion of the transport mechanism facing the ejection port surface and the ejection port surface, and after the enclosing process, And a humidifying step of humidifying the discharge port surface.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejection apparatus capable of efficiently cleaning the transport mechanism without increasing the size of the apparatus while suppressing drying of the ejection port surface of the liquid ejection head.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a liquid ejection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a bottom view showing a liquid discharge head. It is a figure which shows the circulation path | route of humidified air. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a sealing member. It is a flowchart which shows the process in the 1st operation example. It is a flowchart which shows the process in the 2nd operation example. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting table used by the 2nd operation example. It is the schematic which shows the liquid discharge apparatus of other embodiment. It is a figure which shows another form of the supply port and collection | recovery port of humidified air.

[First Embodiment]
Next, a first embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the liquid ejection apparatus of the present embodiment. The liquid discharge apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a line head type ink jet recording apparatus, but the present invention can also be applied to a serial type liquid discharge apparatus including a humidifier.
The liquid ejection apparatus 100 includes a main body control unit 102 provided inside the exterior 101. For example, the main body control unit 102 is disposed with a display at a position that is easily visible to the user. The main body control unit 102 includes a user interface such as a button or a touch panel, and can receive a command from the user. A control circuit that controls the entire liquid ejection apparatus 100 is also stored in the main body control unit 102. A paper feed tray 150 is provided at a lower position inside the exterior 101 and a recording medium 103 such as a recording paper is placed thereon. A transport mechanism 105 is provided inside the exterior 101 and above the paper feed tray 150. Further, liquid discharge heads 104a to 104d are arranged so as to face the surface of the transport mechanism 105 that transports the recording medium 103. In the example shown in FIG. 1, in the transport mechanism 105, an endless belt 131 is stretched between a pair of rollers 132 and 133, and a driving motor (not shown) for driving the belt 131 is provided on the roller 132. It is connected. The drive motor is controlled by the main body control unit 102. However, the transport mechanism to which the present invention is applied is not limited to this, and other forms of transport mechanisms can be used.

The paper feed tray 150 and the transport mechanism 105 are connected by a supply path 151, and the recording medium 103 is supplied in the direction indicated by the arrow. The recording medium 103 supplied from the supply path 151 to the transport mechanism 105 is transported from left to right in FIG. 1 while facing the liquid ejection heads 104a to 104d. The liquid discharge heads 104a to 104d respectively discharge recording liquids of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) to the recording medium 103 being transported by the transport mechanism 105. Then, recording is performed on the recording medium 103.
In the transport mechanism 105, a platen 111 is disposed at a position facing the liquid ejection heads 104a to 104d and facing the back side of the recording medium 103 being transported. In the example shown here, the platen 111 is disposed so as to support the back side of the belt 131. By providing the platen 111, the recording medium 103 is held on the transport mechanism 105 so that the distance between the recording medium 103 and the liquid ejection heads 104a to 104d is constant. Further, cleaning mechanisms 106 and 107 are provided for performing a cleaning operation for cleaning the surface of the transport mechanism 105 on which dirt may adhere, in the example shown here, the surface of the belt 131. In the following description, a portion on the surface of the transport mechanism 105 that may be contaminated by facing the liquid ejection heads 104a to 104d is also referred to as a target region. The cleaning mechanisms 106 and 107 are each composed of a wiper blade or sponge made of an elastic material. Alternatively, the cleaning mechanisms 106 and 107 may be devices that suck liquid such as recording liquid attached to the surface of the transport mechanism 105. These cleaning mechanisms 106 and 107 are driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) and abut against the surface of the transport mechanism 105 when necessary to remove attached dirt. These two cleaning mechanisms 106 and 107 may be of the same type. Alternatively, for example, the cleaning mechanism 106 may be used as a wiper blade to roughly remove dirt, and then the cleaning mechanism 107 may be used as a sponge to remove the remaining dirt.

  The recording paper 103 on which recording liquid is discharged and recorded by the liquid discharge heads 104 a to 104 d while being transported by the transport mechanism 105 is directed to a discharge tray 155 formed on the top of the exterior 101 via a discharge path 156. Sent. In addition, in the exterior 101, a storage tank 108 that holds humidified liquid, a supply pipe 109 that supplies humidified air, a recovery pipe 110 that collects humidified air, and the vicinity of the liquid discharge heads 104a to 104d are sealed. The sealing member 202 is provided. The storage tank 108, the supply pipe 109, the recovery pipe 110, and the sealing member 202 will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram of the surface of the liquid ejection head 104a that faces the recording medium 103 as observed from below in FIG. Since the liquid ejection heads 104b to 104d have the same configuration as the liquid ejection head 104a, description thereof is omitted. The liquid discharge head 104a has a surface provided with a plurality of discharge port arrays formed by arranging a plurality of discharge ports, and this surface is referred to as a discharge port surface 201. The recording liquid is discharged onto the recording medium 103 from the discharge port on the discharge port surface 201. The periphery of the discharge port surface 201 is surrounded by a sealing member 202. The sealing member 202 is movable up and down (vertical direction in FIG. 1), and is driven between an upper (separated) position and a lower (close) position by a driving mechanism such as a motor (not shown). This drive mechanism is controlled by the main body control unit 102. When the sealing member 202 is in the lower position, the sealing member 202 can be in close contact with the transport mechanism 105 to hold the discharge port surface 201 inside the sealed space. On the other hand, since the sealing member 201 is separated from the transport mechanism 105 at the upper position, it is possible to perform recording on the recording medium 103 by the liquid discharge head 104 a while transporting the recording medium 103 by the transport mechanism 105. Inside the sealing member 202, a supply port 203 and a recovery port 204 are opened close to the discharge port surface 201 in order to circulate humid air inside the closed space. The supply port 203 is connected to the supply pipe 109, the recovery port 204 is connected to the recovery pipe 110, humid air is supplied from the supply port 203 into the sealed space, and the humid air is recovered from the recovery port 204. The supply pipe 109 and the supply port 203 form a humidified air supply means, and the collection pipe 110 and the collection port 204 form a humidified air collection means.

  FIG. 3 shows a circulation path of the humidified air by taking the liquid discharge head 104a as an example. A similar mechanism is also provided in the liquid discharge heads 104b to 104d. In the storage tank 108 that stores the humidified liquid, humidified air exists above the liquid level of the humidified liquid. A pump 112 is provided to circulate the humidified air, and the pump 112 is controlled by the main body control unit 102. The suction port of the pump 112 is connected to a region above the storage tank 108 where humid air exists. The outlet of the pump 112 is connected to the supply pipe 109. The recovery pipe 110 is connected via a valve 113 to an area below the storage tank 108 where the humidifying liquid exists. As the humidifying liquid, for example, water or a liquid containing water as a main component is used. In this configuration, the humidified air is supplied in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. The humidified air is supplied to the space near the discharge port surface 201 of the liquid discharge head 104a via the supply pipe 109 and the supply port 203 (humidification operation). Thereafter, the water is recovered by the recovery pipe 110 and supplied to the lower part of the storage tank 108 to be humidified. Therefore, the storage tank 108 and the pump 112 constitute generation means for generating humid air by bringing the air into contact with the humidified liquid. The storage tank 108 may be provided in each of the liquid discharge heads 104a to 104d, or one storage tank 108 may be provided in common to the liquid discharge heads 104a to 104d. The valve 113 functions as a backflow prevention valve that prevents the humidified liquid in the storage tank 108 from flowing back when the humidified air is circulated. However, when the contamination on the transport mechanism 105 is particularly significant, the humidifying liquid can be directly applied onto the transport mechanism 105 by opening the valve 113.

  Humidified air is supplied from the supply port 203 and recovered from the recovery port 204 around each of the liquid ejection heads 104a to 104d. When the vicinity of the discharge port surface 201 of the liquid discharge heads 104 a to 104 d is humidified, the sealing member 202 moves downward and comes into close contact with the transport mechanism 105. As a result, the discharge port surface 201 is held in a closed space surrounded by the liquid discharge heads 104 a to 104 d, the sealing member 202, and the transport mechanism 105. When the sealing member 202 is lowered, the humidified air circulates in the closed space, and moisture evaporation from the discharge ports of the liquid discharge heads 104a to 104d is suppressed. Further, in this state, a portion (target region) included in the closed space on the surface of the transport mechanism 105 (for example, the surface of the belt 131) also comes into contact with the humidified air, and the dirt on the portion is easily wiped off. . In the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present embodiment, the transport mechanism 105 is driven after the surface of the transport mechanism 105 is easily wiped away by the humidified air, and the transport mechanism 105 is driven by removing the dirt by the cleaning mechanisms 106 and 107. Perform cleaning.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the sealing member 202. In FIG. 4, components other than the liquid discharge head 104 a, the sealing member 202, the transport mechanism 105, and the belt 131 are omitted for explanation. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the sealing member 202 moves upward, and thereby the sealing member 202 is separated from the transport mechanism 105. In this state, the transport mechanism 105 can be driven, and for example, recording can be performed on the recording medium (not shown in FIG. 4) transported by the transport mechanism 105 by the liquid ejection head 104a. On the other hand, FIG. 4B shows a state in which the sealing member 202 is lowered and is in close contact with the transport mechanism 105 to form a closed space. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the distance between the liquid ejection head 104a and the transport mechanism 105 is constant regardless of whether the sealing member 202 is in the upper position or the lower position. .
In the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present embodiment, a humidification mechanism provided to prevent evaporation of moisture from the ejection openings provided in the liquid ejection heads 104 a to 104 d is used, and humidification for removing dirt on the surface of the transport mechanism 105. I do. As a result, it is not necessary to hold a dedicated cleaning liquid used for cleaning, and the apparatus can be reduced in size, and the running cost required for the cleaning liquid can be reduced.

(First operation example)
Next, an example of a sequence for cleaning the surface of the transport mechanism 105 in the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This sequence is executed under the control of the main body control unit 102. As will be apparent from the following description, the main body control unit 102 controls the supply of humidified air, executes a sequence of humidifying the surface of the transport mechanism 105 with the humidified air, and then causes the cleaning mechanisms 106 and 107 to perform cleaning. It functions as a control means. First, in S701, the presence / absence of a cleaning command is determined. There are several possible timings for issuing the cleaning command. That is,
(1) The number of recording media 103 on which recording has been performed after the previous cleaning operation or the number of ejections from the liquid ejection heads 104a to 104d is counted, and from the main body control unit 102 every time the count value reaches a predetermined value. Issue a cleaning command,
(2) A sensor for monitoring the degree of contamination of the conveyance mechanism 105 is provided, and the sensor detects the degree of contamination of the conveyance mechanism 105 and sends the information to the main body control unit 102. Based on the information, the main body control unit 102 determines whether the transport mechanism 105 needs cleaning, and issues a cleaning command when it determines that cleaning is necessary.
(3) When a user wants to perform cleaning, manually issue a cleaning command using a user interface provided in the main body control unit 102;
and so on. In the above (1) and (2), the main body control unit 102 predicts or determines the degree of contamination on the surface of the transport mechanism 105 and determines the humidification sequence and the timing for executing the cleaning.

  When it is determined in S701 that the cleaning command has not been issued, the main body control unit 102 ends the process as it is. On the other hand, when it is determined that a cleaning command has been issued, the main body control unit 102 first drives the transport mechanism 105 in S <b> 702 to move the portion to be cleaned to below the sealing member 202, thereby transporting the transport mechanism 105. Stop. After the completion of the movement, the main body control unit 102 moves the sealing member 202 downward and contacts the transport mechanism 105 in S703 to form the above-described closed space. As a result, the dirty portion on the surface of the transport mechanism 105 is sealed in the closed space. In step S704, the main body control unit 102 drives the pump 112 in this state to circulate the humid air in the closed space. Thereafter, in S705, the sealing member 202 is again moved upward to release the sealing. Next, in step S706, the main body control unit 102 drives the transport mechanism 105 again to move the portion to be cleaned to the position of the cleaning mechanism 106 or 107. In step S707, the main body control unit 102 executes cleaning by the cleaning mechanism 106 or 107. Regarding the proper use of the cleaning mechanisms 106 and 107, for example, two-stage cleaning may be performed by different cleaning mechanisms as described above. Further, when the cleaning mechanisms 106 and 107 are of the same type, the cleaning time may be shortened by selecting and using the one with the shorter moving distance of the transport mechanism 105. When the series of operations shown in S702 to S707 is completed, the main body control unit 202 determines whether there is another place to be cleaned in S708, and if there is such a place, the process returns to S702 and the next step is performed. If the place is not cleaned, the process ends.

The humidification performed in the present embodiment is for facilitating wiping off the dirt on the surface of the transport mechanism 105, and thus is humidified more than that for reducing the evaporation of moisture from the discharge port of the liquid discharge head 104a. The degree is great. When the surface of the transport mechanism 105 is humidified by circulating humidified air in S704, the discharge port surface 201 of the liquid discharge head 104 is also humidified, so that water droplets or the like may adhere to the discharge port surface 201. is there. In the liquid discharge head, when water droplets or the like adhere to the discharge port surface 201, the liquid discharge from the discharge port may not be normally performed. Therefore, when the transport mechanism 105 is humidified for cleaning by the above sequence and the surface of the transport mechanism 105 is cleaned, it is preferable to clean the discharge port surface 201 itself. As a method for cleaning the discharge port surface 201, a known technique such as preliminary discharge, wiping cleaning with a wiper blade or the like, suction with a suction mechanism can be used. In situations where dirt is attached to the surface of the transport mechanism 105, dirt is often attached to the discharge port surface 201, and thus the humidified discharge port surface 201 is cleaned to the recording medium 103. Recording quality can be improved.
By carrying out the cleaning of the transport mechanism 105 using the sequence as described above, the transport mechanism 105 is moistened with humidified air, and attached dirt can be easily removed. As a result, the transport mechanism 105 can be cleaned more efficiently and effectively than in the past.

(Second operation example)
This example of operation is characterized in that when humidifying the transport mechanism 105 and performing cleaning, parameters used in a sequence for performing humidification are changed according to the degree of contamination on the surface of the transport mechanism 105. The parameters to be changed include the time for performing humidification, the humidity of the humidified air, the presence / absence of direct application of the humidifying liquid, the amount of application, and the like. In the first operation example, the transport mechanism 105 is stopped and humidified, but humidification can be performed while driving the transport mechanism 105 so that the sealing member 202 slides on the transport mechanism 105. Therefore, the conveyance speed of the conveyance mechanism 105 (the humidification effect increases as the speed decreases), or when the conveyance mechanism 105 is stopped during humidification, the stop time may be included in the parameters used in the sequence for performing humidification. it can.

FIG. 6 illustrates a sequence performed in the second operation example. First, in S801, as in the case of S701 (FIG. 5) in the first operation example, the main body control unit 102 determines the presence or absence of a cleaning command. The timing at which the cleaning command is issued is the same as in the first operation example. Next, in step S <b> 802, the main body control unit 102 determines the degree of contamination of the transport mechanism 105. As the determination method, the following several methods are conceivable. That is,
(1) Count the number of recording media 103 on which recording has been performed after the previous cleaning or the number of ejections from the liquid ejection heads 104a to 104d, and determine the degree of contamination based on the counted value.
(2) A sensor for monitoring the degree of contamination of the conveyance mechanism 105 is provided, and the sensor detects the degree of contamination of the conveyance mechanism 105.
and so on.

  Next, the main body control unit 102 sets parameters to be used in the humidifying sequence with reference to the setting table in S803 based on the determined degree of dirt, and performs humidification and cleaning using the parameters in S804. carry out. The process in S804 corresponds to a process in which the processes in S702 to S707 in the first operation example are changed based on the set parameters.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of details of the contents of the setting table. The setting table describes a combination of a plurality of parameters prepared in advance for each degree of contamination, and is held in the main body control unit 102. In the setting table shown in FIG. 7, items represented by CL00 to CL43 and the like indicate ranks when the degree of contamination is ranked. The setting table shows the humidification time, humidity, conveyance speed and stop time of the conveyance mechanism as described above, and whether or not to apply the humidifying liquid directly and for each rank of the degree of contamination. . The main body control unit 102 can perform the minimum humidification operation according to the degree of contamination of the transport mechanism by making a selection based on the setting table. In the setting table, the first row indicated by the degree of contamination CL00 indicates a sequence in which the transport mechanism 105 is not humidified, and the lower row has a higher effect of providing moisture to the transport mechanism 105, that is, a cleaning effect. Shows increased humidification. Therefore, the higher the degree of contamination determined in S802, the larger the number indicated by CL in the setting table. In this second operation example, necessary and sufficient humidification can be performed according to the degree of contamination, shortening the time for performing the humidification, saving the humidifying liquid, or reducing insufficient cleaning due to insufficient humidification, etc. Can be realized. In the sequence of the degree of dirt CL00, a closed space is not formed by the sealing member 202 (that is, the humidification time is 0 second), and humidified air with a low degree of humidification (low humidity) is used as the discharge port surface of the liquid discharge head 104a It can be circulated in the vicinity of 201. Accordingly, by continuously executing the sequence of the degree of contamination CL00, it is possible to reduce the evaporation of moisture from the discharge port of the liquid discharge head 104a.

[Other Embodiments]
Next, a liquid ejection apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 shows a modification of the sealing member 202 of the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the liquid ejection heads 104a to 104d and the cap mechanism 501 that collectively caps the portions of the transport mechanism 105 that face the liquid ejection heads 104a to 104d are used as sealing members. When sealing, the cap mechanism 501 moves upward in FIG. At this time, when viewed from the conveyance direction of the recording medium 103 (perpendicular to the drawing sheet), the gap between the liquid ejection head 104a and the conveyance mechanism 105 remains open, but the other portions are closed. . Therefore, a substantially closed space is formed by the liquid discharge head 104a, the transport mechanism 105, and the cap mechanism 501.
FIG. 9 shows a modified example related to the supply port 203 and the recovery port 204 for circulation of humidified air. In FIG. 9A, a large number of supply ports 203 are provided along the entire outer periphery of the discharge port surface 201. The recovery ports 204 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge head 104a. On the other hand, in the case shown in FIG. 9B, the supply port 203 is arranged on one side across the discharge port surface 201 in parallel with the direction in which the discharge ports are arranged on the discharge port surface 201, and on the other side. A collection port 204 is arranged. The supply port 203 and the recovery port 204 are provided on the discharge port surface 201 in an elongated shape along the longitudinal direction of the discharge port surface 201.

2 to 4, the sealing member 202 serves as a surrounding member that at least partially surrounds the discharge port surface 201 and the target region that is the portion of the surface of the transport mechanism 105 that faces the discharge port surface 201. Thus, a closed space can be formed. However, the surrounding means is not limited to the sealing member 202, and it is possible to perform the humidifying operation in a semi-sealed state so as to open a minimum space in which the transport mechanism 105 can operate. In such a semi-sealed state, although the humidification performance is slightly inferior to that in the case of being sealed, it is necessary to raise and lower the sealing member 202 as a sequence or to stop the transport mechanism 105 for humidification. Disappear. As a result, humidification and cleaning processing time can be shortened.
In the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention, as a method for adsorbing the recording medium 103 to the belt 131 of the transport mechanism 105, an arbitrary method such as a method using a weakly adhesive substance, an electrostatic adsorption method, an air (vacuum) adsorption method, or the like. Can be used. Further, a transport mechanism including a roller transport system that does not use a belt may be used. When a transport mechanism including a roller transport system is used, the humidification operation and the cleaning operation described above are performed on the rollers that configure the transport mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Liquid discharge apparatus 102 Main body control part 104a-104c Liquid discharge head 105 Conveyance mechanism 106,107 Cleaning mechanism 108 Storage tank 109 Supply path 110 Recovery path

Claims (15)

A liquid discharge head having a discharge port surface on which a plurality of discharge ports are formed and performing recording by discharging liquid from the plurality of discharge ports to a recording medium;
A transport mechanism that transports a recording medium provided to face the discharge port surface;
Humidifying means for performing a humidifying operation for humidifying the discharge port surface;
Enclosing means capable of enclosing at least a portion of the transport mechanism facing the discharge port surface and the discharge port surface;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a control unit that causes the humidifying unit to perform the humidifying operation in a state where the enclosing unit surrounds the portion facing the ejection port surface. A cleaning mechanism for performing a cleaning operation for cleaning the transport mechanism;
The control means causes the cleaning mechanism to perform the cleaning operation after the humidifying means performs the humidifying operation in a state where the enclosing means surrounds the portion facing the discharge port surface. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1.   3. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enclosing unit is a sealing member that can move between a position close to and a position apart from the transport unit.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the enclosing unit is in contact with the transport unit at the adjacent position.   The humidifying means includes a generating means for holding a humidifying liquid and humidifying air with the humidifying liquid to generate humidified air, and a supplying means for supplying the humidified air to a space near the discharge port surface. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid discharge apparatus is a liquid discharge apparatus.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the humidifying unit further includes a collecting unit capable of collecting the humidified air and returning the humidified air to the generating unit.   7. The liquid ejection according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines a timing at which the humidification operation and the cleaning operation are executed by judging a degree of contamination of the transport mechanism. apparatus.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit changes a parameter used in the humidifying operation by determining a degree of contamination of the transport mechanism.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit changes a parameter used in the humidifying operation with reference to a setting table that describes a combination of a plurality of parameters according to the degree of contamination.   The parameter used in the humidification operation includes at least one of a humidifying time, a humidity of the humidified air, a transport speed of the transport mechanism, and a stop time of the transport mechanism. 9. The liquid ejection device according to 9.   11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a mechanism that directly applies the humidifying liquid to the transport mechanism, wherein the parameter used in the humidifying operation further includes either presence or absence of the direct application of the humidifying liquid or an application amount. The liquid discharge apparatus as described.   8. The control unit according to claim 7, wherein the number of the recording media on which recording has been performed after the previous cleaning operation or the number of ejections has been counted, and the degree of contamination is determined based on the counted value. 12. The liquid ejection device according to any one of items 11 to 11.   12. The sensor according to claim 7, further comprising a sensor that monitors a degree of contamination of the transport mechanism, wherein the control unit determines the degree of contamination based on information detected by the sensor. The liquid discharge apparatus according to item 1. A liquid discharge head that has a discharge port surface on which a plurality of discharge ports are formed and discharges liquid from the plurality of discharge ports to perform recording on a recording medium, and conveys the recording medium provided facing the discharge port surface A liquid ejection device cleaning method comprising:
A surrounding step that surrounds at least a portion of the transport mechanism facing the discharge port surface and the discharge port surface;
A humidifying step of humidifying the discharge port surface after the surrounding step;
A cleaning method comprising: A cleaning method comprising a cleaning step of cleaning the transport mechanism after the humidification step.

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