JP2023009716A - Cleaning device, cleaning method, liquid discharge unit, and liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cleaning device which enable stable liquid discharge from a liquid discharge surface.SOLUTION: A cleaning device which cleans a discharge surface from which a liquid is discharged, includes a suction processing part which applies suction processing to the discharge surface, a cleaning liquid application processing part which applies processing of providing a cleaning liquid to the discharge surface after the suction processing, and a re-suction processing part which applies re-suction processing to the discharge surface after the cleaning liquid application processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

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

Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet head (3) which has a nozzle surface (6) provided with ejection holes (8) and ejects ink as ink droplets from the ejection holes (3). a contact member (10) movably provided along the nozzle face; a suction part (31) for sucking ink droplets adhering to the nozzle face; The contact member has a groove portion (35) provided on the contact surface that contacts the nozzle surface and extending in the direction of movement thereof. An inkjet head cleaning device is disclosed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device that enables stable liquid ejection on a liquid ejection surface.

The present invention provides a cleaning device for cleaning an ejection surface that ejects a liquid, in which a suction processing unit performs a suction process on the ejection surface, and a process of applying a cleaning liquid to the ejection surface after the suction process. It is characterized by comprising a cleaning liquid application processing unit and a re-suction processing unit that performs re-suction processing on the ejection surface after the cleaning liquid application processing.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cleaning device that enables stable liquid ejection on the liquid ejection surface.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a main part showing an embodiment of a liquid ejection unit provided with a cleaning device of the present invention; Explanatory drawing which shows the operation example of a cleaning apparatus. Flow chart of cleaning operation. Explanatory drawing which shows the modification of this invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a main part showing another embodiment of a liquid ejection unit provided with the cleaning device of the present invention; 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a liquid ejection device; FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view of main parts of the head unit;

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of essential parts showing an embodiment of a liquid ejection unit provided with a cleaning device of the present invention, FIG. 1(a) being a top view and FIG. 1(b) being a side view.

A liquid ejection unit 100 includes a head unit 1 and a cleaning device 2 . The cleaning device 2 includes a cleaning section 21 , a cleaning liquid storage section 22 and a waste liquid recovery section 23 . The cleaning section 21 cleans the liquid ejection surface 10 a (hereinafter referred to as the ejection surface) of the head unit 1 .

The cleaning unit 21 has two suction ports 211 and 212 formed to face the ejection surface 10 a of the head unit 1 , and a cleaning liquid applicator 213 is installed between the suction ports 211 and 212 . The cleaning liquid applicator 213 is connected to the cleaning liquid container 22 via the cleaning liquid supply tube 22a. receive supply.

The configuration of the cleaning liquid applicator 213 is not particularly limited as long as it can apply the cleaning liquid Lc to the ejection surface 10a of the head unit 1 while facing the ejection surface 10a. However, in terms of uniformly applying the cleaning liquid Lc to the ejection surface 10a with a small amount of cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid applicator 213 uses a spray nozzle, an ultrasonic element, or the like to make the cleaning liquid Lc into a mist and apply it to the ejection surface 10a. It is preferable to

The suction ports 211 and 212 are connected to the waste liquid collecting section 23 via a suction hose 23a, and suck the purge droplets Lp and the like from the ejection surface 10a of the head unit 1. FIG. The waste liquid recovery unit 23 has a cyclone suction separator 231, and the suction force at the suction ports 211 and 212 is generated by this cyclone suction separator 231. FIG. The purge liquid droplets Lp and the like sucked by the suction ports 211 and 212 move in the suction hose 23a by suction of the cyclone suction separator 231, and are collected by the waste liquid recovery unit 23 as the waste liquid Lw. Also, the air in the waste liquid recovery unit 23 is purified by the cyclone suction separator 231 and discharged from the exhaust port 232 .

Here, the suction port 211, the suction hose 23a, the waste liquid collecting section 23 and the cyclone suction separator 231 are examples of the suction processing section. Also, the cleaning liquid applicator 213, the cleaning liquid supply tube 22a, and the cleaning liquid storage section 22 are examples of the cleaning liquid application processing section. Further, the suction port 212, the suction hose 23a, the waste liquid collecting section 23 and the cyclone suction separator 231 are examples of the re-suction processing section. Next, operation of the cleaning device 2 will be described.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation example of the cleaning device.

Cleaning of the ejection surface 10 a of the head unit 1 is performed while the cleaning device 2 is moving relative to the head unit 1 . This embodiment will be described below based on the case where the cleaning device 2 is moved in the direction of the arrow with respect to the head unit 1 stopped at the cleaning position to clean the ejection surface 10a.

In the cleaning operation, first, the suction port 211 of the cleaning section 21 sucks most of the purge droplets Lp adhering to the ejection surface 10a (FIG. 2(a)). As the cleaning device 2 moves in the direction of the arrow, the suction port 211 moves along the ejection surface 10a while continuing to suck up the purge droplets Lp adhering to the ejection surface 10a.

Next, the ejection surface 10a through which the suction port 211 passes faces the cleaning liquid applicator 213, and the cleaning liquid applicator 213 sprays the mist-like cleaning liquid Lc onto the ejection surface 10a. As a result, the residue Lr that could not be removed by the previous suction floats (or dilutes the residue Lr) from the ejection surface 10a by the action of the cleaning liquid Lc, making it easier to remove the residue Lr from the ejection surface 1a ( FIG. 2(b)). As the cleaning device 2 moves in the direction of the arrow, the suction port 211 and the cleaning liquid applicator 213 move along the ejection surface 10a while continuing to suck the purge droplets Lp from the ejection surface 10a and spray the cleaning liquid Lc thereon. do.

Next, the ejection surface 10a through which the cleaning liquid applicator 213 passes faces the suction port 212, and the suction port 212 removes the liquid mixture Lx (a mixture of the residue Lr and the cleaning liquid Lc) adhering to the ejection surface 10a. Absorb (Fig. 2(c)). The movement of the cleaning device 2 in the arrow direction continues until the suction port 212 passes the ejection surface 10a (FIG. 2(d)). Then, when the suction port 212 has passed the ejection surface 10a, the cleaning operation is finished.

By performing the cleaning operation described above, it is possible to remove even a small amount of residue Lr remaining on the ejection surface 10a after the initial suction. Note that even if the residue Lr remains on the ejection surface 10a, the residue Lr is in a state of being mixed with the cleaning liquid Lc with a high boiling point, so it does not dry and adhere on the ejection surface 10a. can be removed in subsequent cleaning operations.

In addition, the suction port 211 and the suction port 212 are provided at positions separated from each other in the moving direction of the relative movement of the head unit 1 and the cleaning device 2, and the cleaning liquid applicator 213 is provided between the suction port 211 and the suction port 212. I have. As a result, the members of the suction port 211, the cleaning liquid applicator 213, and the suction port 212 are arranged in the order of the steps of the cleaning operation along the moving direction of the relative movement, so that the operation of each member during cleaning can be simplified. can do.

As described above, the cleaning device of the present embodiment does not require a wiping member, a wiper member, or the like for cleaning the discharge surface 10a, and the consumables in the cleaning device can be only the cleaning liquid. Therefore, the cleaning function can be maintained by replenishing the cleaning liquid, and the running cost can be greatly reduced.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of the cleaning operation.

When the cleaning operation for the ejection surface 10a of the head unit 1 is started, the cleaning device 2 performs a suction process for the ejection surface 10a (step S1). In this suction process, the purge droplets Lp adhering to the ejection surface 10a are sucked by the suction port 211 of the cleaning section 21 constituting the cleaning device 2. FIG. The suction port 211 moves along the ejection surface 10a along with the movement of the cleaning device 2, and continues to suck the purge droplets Lp adhering to the ejection surface 10a during this movement.

Next, a cleaning liquid application process is performed on the ejection surface 10a through which the suction port 211 has passed (step S2). In the cleaning liquid application process, the cleaning liquid applicator 213 of the cleaning unit 21 sprays the cleaning liquid Lc onto the ejection surface 10a after the suction process. Due to the action of the cleaning liquid Lc, the residue Lr that could not be removed by the suction process floats from the ejection surface 10a (or dilutes the residue Lr), making it easier to remove the residue Lr from the ejection surface 10a. The suction port 211 and the cleaning liquid applicator 213 move along the ejection surface 10a along with the movement of the cleaning device 2, and continue sucking the purge droplets Lp from the ejection surface 10a and spraying the cleaning liquid Lc during this movement.

Next, the ejection surface 10a through which the cleaning liquid applicator 213 has passed is re-sucked (step S3). In the re-suction process, the suction port 212 of the cleaning unit 21 sucks up the liquid mixture Lx (a mixture of the residue Lr and the cleaning liquid Lc) adhering to the ejection surface 10a. The movement of the cleaning device 2 continues until the suction port 212 passes the ejection surface 10a, and once the suction port 212 has passed the ejection surface 10a, the cleaning operation ends.

As described above, in the cleaning device 2 for cleaning the ejection surface 10a that ejects liquid, the present embodiment includes the suction port 211 that performs suction processing on the ejection surface 10a, the suction hose 23a, the waste liquid recovery unit 23, and the cyclone suction. A separator 231 (an example of a suction processing unit), a cleaning liquid applicator 213 that applies cleaning liquid Lc to the discharge surface 10a after suction processing, a cleaning liquid supply tube 22a, and a cleaning liquid container 22 (a cleaning liquid application processing unit). example), a suction port 212 for re-suctioning the ejection surface 10a after cleaning liquid application processing, a suction hose 23a, a waste liquid recovery unit 23, and a cyclone suction separator 231 (an example of a re-suction processing unit).

As a result, stable liquid ejection from the ejection surface 10a can be maintained for a long period of time.

Further, as described above, the suction process, the cleaning liquid application process, and the re-suction process are performed while the cleaning device 2 moves relative to the ejection surface 10a.

Further, as described above, the suction port 211 and the suction port 212 are provided at positions separated from each other in the moving direction of the relative movement, and the cleaning liquid applicator 213 is provided between the suction port 211 and the suction port 212 .

As a result, the members of the suction port 211, the cleaning liquid applicator 213, and the suction port 212 are arranged in the order of the steps of the cleaning operation along the moving direction of the relative movement, thereby simplifying the operation of each member during cleaning. be able to.

Also, as described above, the cleaning liquid applicator 213 includes an ultrasonic element.

As a result, the cleaning liquid applicator 213 can make the cleaning liquid Lc mist and apply it to the ejection surface 10a, and evenly apply the cleaning liquid Lc to the ejection surface 10a with a small amount of cleaning liquid.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a modification of the present invention.

This modified example does not include the suction port 212 and has only the suction port 211 . In the case of this modification, while the cleaning device 2 moves on the forward path, the suction process by the suction port 211 and the cleaning liquid application process by the cleaning liquid applicator 213 are performed. Switch the direction of movement to the opposite direction. Then, the suction port 211 is used to perform the suction process again while the cleaning device 2 moves on the return path.

As described above, in this modified example, the suction process and the re-suction process are performed using the same suction port 211 .

As a result, the configuration of the cleaning unit 21 can be simplified, and the cost of the device can be reduced.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing essential parts of another embodiment of a liquid ejection unit provided with a cleaning device of the present invention, FIG. 5A being a top view and FIG. 5B being a side view. Members that are substantially the same as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1, and descriptions thereof are omitted here.

A liquid ejection unit 110 of the present embodiment differs from the liquid ejection unit 100 of FIG. 1 in that it includes a plurality of head units 1 each having an ejection surface 10a. A configuration such as that of this embodiment is applied, for example, to a full-color inkjet printing apparatus equipped with print heads of a plurality of colors. If a plurality of head units 1 are provided, the same number of cleaning devices 2 as the number of head units 1 are required.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, among the cleaning unit 21 , the cleaning liquid storage unit 22 and the waste liquid recovery unit 23 composing the cleaning device 2 , the cleaning liquid storage unit 22 and the waste liquid recovery unit 23 are shared by the plurality of head units 1 . That is, the cleaning liquid Lc is supplied to each cleaning liquid applicator 213 via the cleaning liquid supply tube 22 a branched from one cleaning liquid storage unit 22 . In addition, the purge droplets Lp, mixed liquid Lx, etc. sucked by the suction ports 211 and 212 of the cleaning units 21 are collected as the waste liquid Lw by the waste liquid collection unit 23 via the suction hose 23a branched from one waste liquid collection unit 23. do.

As described above, in this embodiment, the number of cleaning liquid storage units 22 and waste liquid recovery units 23 is smaller than the number of head units 1 for two or more head units 1 each having the ejection surface 10a. This embodiment exemplifies a configuration in which one cleaning liquid storage unit 22 and one waste liquid recovery unit 23 are provided for a plurality of head units 1 .

As a result, when configuring a liquid ejecting apparatus having a plurality of head units 1, such as a full-color inkjet printing apparatus, the size of the apparatus can be reduced.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an image forming apparatus as an example of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention.

Image forming apparatus 1000 includes loading section 50 , printing section 60 , drying section 70 and unloading section 80 . In the image forming apparatus 1000, the printing unit 60 applies liquid to the sheet material P carried in from the carry-in unit 50 to perform the required printing, and the drying unit 70 dries the liquid adhering to the sheet material P, and then the sheet material. P is discharged to the unloading section 80 .

The carry-in unit 50 includes a carry-in tray 51 on which a plurality of sheet materials P can be stacked, a feeding device 52 that separates and feeds the sheet materials P one by one from the carry-in tray 51, and a register that feeds the sheet materials P to the printing unit 60. and a roller pair 53 .

As the feeding device 52, it is possible to use any feeding device such as a device using rollers or rollers, or a device using air suction. After the leading edge of the sheet material P sent out from the carry-in tray 11 by the feeding device 52 reaches the registration roller pair 53, the registration roller pair 53 is driven at a predetermined timing to move to the printing section 60. FIG. Here, the sheet material P is an example of a recording medium.

The printing unit 60 includes a conveying drum 61 that holds and conveys the sheet material P on its outer peripheral surface, and a liquid ejection unit 62 that ejects liquid toward the sheet material P held by the conveying drum 61 . The printing unit 60 also includes a transfer drum 63 for receiving the sheet material P from the registration roller pair 53 and transferring it to the conveying drum 61 and a transfer cylinder 63 for receiving the sheet material P from the conveying drum 61 and transferring it to the drying unit 70 . A barrel 64 is provided.

The transfer drum 63 is configured such that a sheet gripper provided on the transfer drum 63 grips the leading edge of the sheet material P, and the transfer drum 63 rotates to convey the sheet material P toward the conveying drum 61 . Then, the transfer drum 63 transfers the sheet material P to the transport drum 61 at a position facing the transport drum 61 .

The conveying drum 61 also has a sheet gripper, and is configured to be able to grip the leading end of the sheet material P. As shown in FIG. Further, the transport drum 61 has a plurality of suction holes dispersedly formed on the surface thereof, and a suction device 65 generates a suction airflow toward the inside of the transport drum 61 in each of the suction holes.

Then, the conveying drum 61 grips the sheet material P moved from the transfer drum 63 to the conveying drum 61 by the sheet gripper, and the surface of the conveying drum 61 is adsorbed by the sucked air current of the suction device 65 to convey the sheet material P. .

The liquid ejection section 62 includes head units 1 (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D). For example, the head unit 1A uses cyan (C) liquid, the head unit 1B uses magenta (M) liquid, the head unit 1C uses yellow (Y) liquid, and the head unit 1D uses black (K) liquid. Dispense each. If necessary, a head unit for ejecting special liquids such as white, gold, and silver liquids and processing liquids such as surface coating liquids may be provided. Here, each head unit 1 of the liquid ejection section 62 corresponds to the head unit 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, and as shown in FIGS. A liquid ejection unit 100 is configured together with the device 2 .

Each head unit 1 of the liquid ejecting section 62 ejects according to a drive signal corresponding to print information. When the sheet material P held by the conveying drum 61 passes through the area facing the liquid ejection section 62, the head unit 1 ejects the liquid of each color and prints an image on the sheet material P according to the print information.

The drying unit 70 includes a drying mechanism unit 71 for drying the liquid attached to the sheet material P in the printing unit 60, and a suction transport mechanism unit 72 for transporting the sheet material P from the printing unit 60 in a state of being sucked. . The sheet material P received by the suction conveying mechanism portion 72 passes through the drying mechanism portion 71 and moves to the carry-out portion 80 . When passing through the drying mechanism portion 71, the drying mechanism portion 71 performs a drying process on the liquid on the sheet material P. As shown in FIG. As a result, liquid components such as moisture in the liquid evaporate, the coloring agent contained in the liquid is fixed on the sheet material P, and curling of the sheet material P is suppressed. Then, the drying section 70 carries out the sheet material P after drying to the carry-out section 80 .

The carry-out section 80 includes a carry-out tray 81 on which a plurality of sheet materials P can be stacked, and the carry-out tray 81 sequentially stacks and holds the sheet materials P from the drying section 70 . In this embodiment, the feeding device 52, the pair of registration rollers 53, the transfer drum 63, the transfer drum 61, the transfer drum 64, and the suction transfer mechanism 72 are examples of transfer means.

In the image forming apparatus 1000, for example, a pre-processing unit that performs pre-processing on the sheet material P is arranged on the upstream side of the printing unit 60, or post-processing is performed on the sheet material P to which liquid has adhered. A post-processing section can also be arranged between the drying section 70 and the unloading section 80 .

As the pretreatment unit, for example, there is one that performs a pre-coating process of applying a treatment liquid to the sheet material P for suppressing bleeding by reacting with the liquid. Further, as a post-processing unit, for example, a sheet reverse conveying process for reversing a sheet printed by the printing unit 60 and sending it to the printing unit 60 again for printing on both sides of the sheet material P, and a sheet binding process for binding a plurality of sheets. There are things that perform processing, etc.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory plan view of a main portion showing an example of the head unit.

The head unit 1 has a plurality of heads 10 arranged in a staggered manner on a base member 11 and having ejection surfaces 10a each having a nozzle array 10b in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid are arranged.

Among the rows of heads 10 arranged in a zigzag pattern, rows of heads 10 aligned in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of sheet material P are referred to as a first head row 12 and a second head row 13, respectively.

In the present invention, liquids include solvents such as water and organic solvents, colorants such as dyes and pigments, functional imparting materials such as polymerizable compounds, resins and surfactants, DNA, amino acids, proteins, calcium and the like. Solutions, suspensions, emulsions, etc. containing biocompatible materials, edible materials such as natural pigments, and the like may also be used.

These can be used, for example, as inkjet inks, coating materials, surface treatment liquids, liquids for forming components of electronic elements and light-emitting elements, electronic circuit resist patterns, material liquids for three-dimensional modeling, and the like.

What has been described above is only an example, and the present invention has specific effects in each of the following aspects.

A first aspect is a cleaning device (for example, cleaning device 2) for cleaning an ejection surface (for example, ejection surface 10a) for ejecting liquid, in which a suction processing section (for example, suction port 211, suction hose 23a, waste liquid recovery unit 23, and cyclone suction separator 231), and a cleaning liquid application processing unit (for example, cleaning liquid applicator 213, cleaning liquid supply tube 22a) that applies cleaning liquid to the ejection surface after the suction processing. and cleaning liquid storage unit 22), and a re-suction processing unit (suction port 212, suction hose 23a, waste liquid recovery unit 23, and cyclone suction separator 231) that performs re-suction processing on the ejection surface after the cleaning liquid application processing. It is characterized by comprising

According to the first aspect, it is possible to provide a cleaning device that enables stable liquid ejection on the liquid ejection surface.

In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the suction process, the cleaning liquid application process, and the re-suction process are performed by the cleaning device (for example, the cleaning device 2) with respect to the ejection surface (for example, the ejection surface 10a). It is characterized in that it is executed while moving relative to each other.

In a third aspect, in the first aspect or the second aspect, the suction port of the suction processing unit (for example, suction port 211) and the suction port of the re-suction processing unit (for example, suction port 212) are Provided at positions separated from each other in the movement direction of the relative movement (for example, the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2), the cleaning liquid application unit of the cleaning liquid application processing unit is provided between the suction port of the suction processing unit and the suction port of the re-suction processing unit. It is characterized by having a device (for example, a cleaning liquid applicator 213).

According to the second aspect and the third aspect, each member of the suction port of the suction processing unit, the cleaning liquid applicator, and the suction port of the re-suction processing unit is arranged in the order of steps of the cleaning operation along the moving direction of the relative movement. arrangement, which simplifies the operation of each member during cleaning.

A fourth aspect is characterized in that, in the first aspect or the second aspect, the suction process and the re-suction process are performed using the same suction port (for example, the suction port 211). be.

According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to further simplify the configuration of the cleaning section and reduce the cost of the device.

In a fifth aspect, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the cleaning liquid A cleaning liquid storage unit (eg, cleaning liquid storage unit 22) connected to the application processing unit and a waste liquid recovery unit (eg, waste liquid recovery unit 23) connected to the suction processing unit and the re-suction processing unit are arranged in a number larger than the number of the head units. It is characterized by a small number.

According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to reduce the size of the liquid ejection device when configuring the liquid ejection device including a plurality of head units.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 head unit 10 liquid ejection head 2 cleaning device 21 cleaning section 22 cleaning liquid storage section 23 waste liquid recovery section 211 suction port 212 suction port 213 cleaning liquid applicator

JP-A-2004-284352

Claims (9)

In a cleaning device that cleans a liquid ejection surface,
a suction processing unit that performs suction processing on the ejection surface;
a cleaning liquid application processing unit that applies a cleaning liquid to the ejection surface after the suction processing;
A cleaning device, comprising: a re-suction processing unit that performs re-suction processing on the ejection surface after the cleaning liquid application processing. 2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein said suction processing, said cleaning liquid application processing and said re-suction processing are performed while said cleaning device moves relative to said ejection surface. The suction port of the suction processing unit and the suction port of the re-suction processing unit are provided at positions separated from each other in the moving direction of the relative movement, and the suction port of the suction processing unit and the suction port of the re-suction processing unit are provided. 3. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a cleaning liquid applicator of said cleaning liquid applicator is provided between. 3. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the suction process and the re-suction process are performed by the same suction port. For two or more head units having the ejection surface, a cleaning liquid storage unit connected to the cleaning liquid application processing unit and a waste liquid recovery unit connected to the suction processing unit and the re-suction processing unit are arranged in the number of the head units. 5. A cleaning device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the number is less than . 6. The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cleaning liquid application processing unit includes an ultrasonic element. In a cleaning method for cleaning an ejection surface for ejecting liquid,
a suction treatment step of applying a suction treatment to the ejection surface;
a cleaning liquid applying treatment step of applying a cleaning liquid to the ejection surface after the suction treatment step;
and a re-suction processing step of performing a re-suction processing on the ejection surface after the cleaning liquid application processing step. a liquid ejection head having an ejection surface for ejecting liquid;
A liquid ejection unit comprising the cleaning device according to claim 1 . a conveying means for conveying a recording medium;
a liquid ejection head having an ejection surface for ejecting liquid onto the recording medium;
A liquid ejection device comprising the cleaning device according to claim 1 .

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