JP4239459B2 - Ink jet printer and cleaning device thereof - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an inkjet printer including a print head having a nozzle that ejects ink onto a print surface, and a configuration of a cleaning device thereof.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A schematic configuration of a print head of a conventional ink jet printer is shown in FIG. 1, and the print head 1 is provided with a nozzle 2 and ejects ink from the nozzle 2 to form an image on a print surface 3.
An ink cartridge 4 for supplying printing ink to the print head 1 is provided, and an unused ink reservoir 4 a formed therein is connected to the print head 1 via a first path 11.
The print head 1 has a head unit 5, and the nozzle 2 for ink ejection is opened in the head unit 5. A pressure chamber 6 is formed inside the head unit 5 and communicates with the nozzle 2, and the actuator 7 applies ejection energy to the ink inside the pressure chamber 6 to eject it from the nozzle 2. A common ink chamber 8 communicates with the pressure chamber 6, and ink can be injected into the common ink chamber 8 from an ink supply port 9.
[0003]
Here, incompatibility of materials constituting the first path 11 from the ink cartridge 4 to the ink supply port 9, intrusion of air or contaminants when the ink cartridge 4 is connected to the first path 11, or environmental change Due to precipitation of components in the ink due to the above, bubbles and impurities (hereinafter simply referred to as “impurities”) d may be mixed in the ink.
In order to capture and remove these impurities d, a configuration is known in which a filter 10 is provided in the ink supply port 9 to prevent clogging of the nozzles (not limited to the ink supply port 9 portion). A configuration in which a filter is disposed inside the head unit 5 is also known).
[0004]
Further, there is known an ink jet printer main body provided with a purge mechanism 13 so that impurities e mixed in the head unit 5 can be removed by forcibly sucking ink in the head unit 5.
As shown in FIG. 2, the purge mechanism 13 includes a purge cap 14, a second path 12 that connects the purge cap 14 and the waste ink reservoir 4 b of the ink cartridge 4, and an intermediate part of the second path 12. A purge pump 15, and when performing a purge operation, a purge cap 14 is brought into contact with the head unit 5 so as to cover the nozzle 2 of the head unit 5, and is placed inside the head unit 5. The defective ink containing the accumulated impurities e and the like can be sucked by the purge pump 15 connected to the purge cap 14. The sucked ink mixed with the impurities e is discarded to the waste ink reservoir 4b in the ink cartridge 4 via the second path 12.
[0005]
Air bubbles contained in the ink supplied from the first path 11 are captured by the air trap 30. In a slow flow in a normal ink ejection state, ink flows to the head unit 5 through the first chamber 33 of the air trap 30, the filter 31, and the second chamber 35 below the first chamber 33. Bubbles are raised by buoyancy in the first chamber 33 and stored in the ceiling of the first chamber 33 (a lump of stored bubbles is indicated by reference numeral 36). When a fast ink flow is generated by the purge pump 15 as described above, since the resistance of the filter 31 is large, the ink passes over the partition wall 32 and passes from the third chamber 34 through the second chamber 35 to the head unit 5. Flowing. At that time, the air bubbles 36 stored in the ceiling portion of the first chamber 33 are also discarded to the waste ink reservoir 4b through the same path.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the filter 10 described above cannot capture the impurity d indefinitely. If the impurity d is deposited on the filter 10 and exceeds the allowable amount due to long-term use, the filter 10 is clogged and ink can be supplied. It will disappear. In addition, the purge mechanism 13 described above can remove the impurities e that have passed through the filter 10 to some extent, but cannot remove the impurities d that are captured by the filter 10 and remain on the filter 10. In the head unit 5, there is a possibility that the components in the ink are deposited and deposited.
Therefore, if the filter 10 is clogged, the print head 1 must be disassembled and the head unit 5 must be washed or the filter 10 must be taken out and replaced. This requires time-consuming and complicated work. There is a problem that not only is the cost high, but there is also a large loss that the printer cannot be used.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems will be described.
[0008]
That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the print head having a nozzle for ejecting ink to the print surface, the first path for supplying the print ink to the print head, and the nozzle of the print head are detachably covered. An ink jet printer having a cap and a second path connected to the first path through the nozzle in a state where the cap covers the nozzle, and a waste cleaning liquid reservoir in the first path, A cleaning liquid reservoir can be attached to and detached from the second path. When the cleaning liquid reservoir and the waste cleaning liquid reservoir are mounted and the nozzle is covered with the cap, the first path and the second path from the cleaning liquid reservoir to the waste cleaning liquid reservoir are provided. A first flow means for flowing the cleaning liquid through two paths, an unused ink reservoir in the first path, and a waste ink reservoir in the second path are detachable. When the unused ink reservoir and the waste ink reservoir are mounted and the nozzle is covered with the cap, the ink flows from the unused ink reservoir to the waste ink reservoir through the first path and the second path. And a second fluid means. And the second fluid means is ,in front First route as well as The second process On the road There is a switching means for enabling switching between a first state in which the existing liquid cannot flow and a second state in which the liquid can flow in the direction from the second path to the first path. The switching means is an ink jet printer that switches from the first state to the second state when the cleaning liquid reservoir and the waste cleaning liquid reservoir are mounted and the nozzle is covered with the cap.
[0009]
With this configuration, it is possible to cause the cleaning liquid to flow by the first flow means and to push away impurities in the print head and discard them in the waste cleaning liquid reservoir. Therefore, impurities inside the print head can be easily removed. Further, the ink can be made to flow by the second flow means so that impurities inside the print head can be washed away and discarded in the waste ink reservoir. Further, the path for forcibly flowing the ink can also be used as the path for flowing the cleaning liquid, and the configuration can be simplified. Further, since a suction flow in a direction opposite to the suction flow of the purge operation can be generated, impurities accumulated on the filter in the print head can be removed and discarded into the waste cleaning liquid reservoir. Therefore, there is no need to replace the filter.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the switching unit includes a purge pump provided in the middle of the second path and capable of forcibly sucking ink, and the cap and the purge pump in the second path. A bypass path connecting the flow path between the suction side, the discharge side of the purge pump and the flow path between the cleaning liquid reservoir, and in the second path, the cap and the suction side of the purge pump, A first switching valve that can be selectively switched to either a connected state or a state in which the cap and the bypass path are connected; a discharge side of the purge pump and a cleaning liquid reservoir in the second path; And a second switching valve that can be selectively switched to either the state of connecting the bypass path and the state of connecting the cleaning liquid reservoir. When the cleaning liquid flows from the cleaning liquid reservoir to the waste cleaning liquid reservoir, the first switching valve connects the cap and the bypass path in the second path, and the second switching valve A switching valve connects the bypass path and the cleaning liquid reservoir in the second path.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the switching means includes a purge pump provided in the middle of the second path and capable of forcibly sucking ink, and the purge pump has an arcuate inner periphery. A guide member configured in the above, a tube disposed along the inner periphery of the guide member and constituting a part of the second path, a disc rotatable along the inner periphery of the guide member, and the circle A long hole provided in the plate, a shaft supported so as to be movable along the long hole, and a roller that is rotatably supported by the shaft and presses the tube as the disk rotates in one direction. And the long hole has a planar shape that decreases the distance from the central axis of the disk as it goes to the front side in one direction of the disk. When the disk is rotated in the one direction, the roller is It moves to a position for pressing the serial tube, and the disc the one direction in which the roller and is rotated in the reverse direction is moved to a position for releasing the pressure on the said tube.
With this configuration, when the disk is rotated by a small amount in the direction opposite to the one direction, the roller releases the pressure on the tube. If the disc is stopped in this state, the flow path inside the tube is not blocked, so that the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid reservoir can flow backward from the discharge side to the suction side in the tube.
[0011]
[0012]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge mounting portion in which end portions of the first path and the second path are adjacently arranged, the ink cartridge storing the unused ink reservoir and the waste ink reservoir, and the cleaning liquid reservoir and the waste. The cleaning cartridge containing the cleaning liquid reservoir is replaced with the cartridge mounting portion so as to be detachable.
[0013]
With this configuration, the configuration using the unused ink reservoir and the waste ink reservoir and the configuration using the cleaning liquid reservoir and the waste cleaning liquid reservoir can be easily switched by exchanging the cartridge, and the maintenance work is convenient.
[0014]
[0015]
[0016]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print head having a nozzle for ejecting ink to the print surface, a first path for supplying printing ink to the print head, and a cap detachably covering the nozzle of the print head. A cleaning device used in an inkjet printer having a second path connected to the first path through the nozzle with a cap covering the nozzle, the cleaning apparatus comprising: A cleaning liquid reservoir removable to one of the first path and the second path, a waste cleaning liquid reservoir removable to the other, and the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid reservoir passing through the first path and the second path A first flow means for generating a pressure enough to flow to a waste cleaning liquid reservoir, the cleaning liquid reservoir, the waste cleaning liquid reservoir, and the first fluid means are integrally accommodated. It characterized in that it has a cartridges housing, a cleaning device.
[0017]
By using this cleaning device, it is possible to cause the cleaning liquid to flow by the first flow means, to push away impurities in the print head of the ink jet printer, and to dispose of them in the waste cleaning liquid reservoir. Therefore, impurities inside the print head can be easily removed. In addition, since the cleaning liquid reservoir and the waste cleaning liquid reservoir can be connected to the two paths by a single operation of attaching the cartridge housing, the maintenance work is further facilitated. Further, since the first flow means is provided on the cleaning device side, it is not necessary to specially provide such a flow means on the printer body side, which can contribute to the compactness of the printer.
[0018]
[0019]
[0020]
[0021]
[0022]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the waste cleaning liquid reservoir communicates with the first path and the cleaning liquid reservoir communicates with the second path when the ink jet printer is used.
With this configuration, it is possible to generate a suction flow in a direction opposite to the suction flow of the purge operation, so that impurities accumulated on the filter in the print head can be removed and discarded into the waste cleaning liquid reservoir. Therefore, there is no need to replace the filter.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the first flow means is in a negative pressure state formed inside the waste cleaning liquid reservoir.
[0023]
With this configuration, since the flow means is provided inside the waste cleaning liquid reservoir, the cleaning cartridge can be made compact. Further, since the flow means is in a negative pressure state and can be easily produced as compared with a mechanical flow means such as a pump, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
[0024]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the invention will be described.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the configuration of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a view showing a state at the moment when the cleaning cartridge is attached. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the cleaning with the cleaning liquid is completed.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the purge pump. FIG. 7 is a view showing a modified example of the purge pump.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 3, the ink jet printer according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a first switching valve 21 interposed between the purge mechanism 13 and the flow path connecting the purge cap 14 and the suction side of the purge pump 15. Further, a second switching valve 22 is interposed between the flow path connecting the discharge side of the purge pump 15 and the waste ink reservoir 4b of the ink cartridge 4.
The configuration of the print head 1 and the ink cartridge 4 is exactly the same as the configuration of the prior art shown in FIG.
[0026]
A specific configuration of the purge pump 15 is shown in FIG. 6. The purge pump 15 includes a guide member 41 having an inner circumference formed in an arc shape, and an elastic tube disposed along the inner circumference of the guide member 41. 42 and a roller 43 that presses the tube 42. Specifically, the roller 43 has a support shaft 46 fixed to the periphery of the disc 44 and is rotatably supported by the support shaft 46. The disc 44 is driven to rotate about a shaft 45 by a motor (not shown). One end of the tube 42 is connected to the first switching valve 21, and the other end is connected to the second switching valve 22.
In this configuration, when the disk 44 is driven to rotate around the shaft 45 in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 6, the roller 43 rotates while crushing the tube 42 between its outer periphery and the inner periphery of the guide member 41, The ink inside the tube 42 is sent out. As a result, ink can be sucked from the first switching valve 21 side and discharged to the second switching valve 22 side.
[0027]
In FIG. 3, the first switching valve 21 and the second switching valve 22 operate in conjunction with each other, (1) the purge cap 14 and the suction pump 15 are connected to each other, and the discharge side of the purge pump 15 is connected. And (2) the purge cap 14 is connected to the waste ink reservoir 4b of the ink cartridge 4 via the bypass path 23 (not via the purge pump 15). You can switch to the state.
The “second flow means” in the claims corresponds to the one including the purge pump 15, the first and second switching valves 21 and 22, and the bypass path 23 in the present embodiment.
[0028]
FIG. 3 shows how the purge mechanism 13 forcibly sucks the ink inside the head unit 5. The purge cap 14 comes into contact with and closely contacts the head unit 5 so as to cover the nozzle 2, whereby the second path 12 connecting the purge cap 14 and the waste ink reservoir 4 b of the ink cartridge 4 is connected to the nozzle 2 and the pressure chamber. 6. Connected to the first path 11 for supplying ink from the unused ink reservoir 4 a of the ink cartridge 4 to the head unit 5 via the common ink chamber 8.
The two switching valves 21 and 22 are set to the state (1) described above, the purge pump 15 is driven, and ink is sucked from the nozzle 2 through the purge cap 14. As a result, the ink flows from the unused ink reservoir 4a through the first path 11 and the second path 12, and the ink containing the impurity e is discarded in the waste ink reservoir 4b of the ink cartridge 4. The
[0029]
The ink cartridge 4 is detachably attached to the cartridge mounting portion 25 of the printer, and the end of the first path 11 and the end of the second path 12 are mutually connected to the cartridge mounting portion 25. Adjacent to each other.
The ink cartridge 4 is configured such that an unused ink reservoir 4 a that can be attached to and detached from the first path 11 and a waste ink reservoir 4 b that can be attached to and detached from the second path 12 are integrally accommodated in the cartridge housing 26. It is said. When the ink in the unused ink reservoir 4a becomes empty, the cartridge housing 26 can be replaced with a new one.
[0030]
In the present embodiment, it is desirable to adopt a known connection as shown below for the connection between the ink cartridge 4 and the first and second paths 11 and 12.
That is, the cartridge mounting portion 25 is provided with the hollow needles 37 and 38, and the unused ink reservoir 4a and the waste ink reservoir 4b of the ink cartridge 4 are closed with rubber seal members 39 and 40. When the ink cartridge 4 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 25, the hollow needles 37 and 38 pass through the seal members 39 and 40, so that the unused ink reservoir 4a of the ink cartridge 4 is discarded into the first path 11. The ink reservoirs 4b communicate with the second path 12, respectively.
[0031]
In the printer of the present invention, the cleaning cartridge 16 (cleaning device) can be replaced and attached to the cartridge mounting portion 25 with the ink cartridge 4.
FIG. 4 shows a state in which the cleaning cartridge 16 is attached to the cartridge mounting portion 25. This cleaning cartridge 16 has a cleaning liquid reservoir 16a that can be attached to and detached from the second path 12 inside the cartridge housing 17, and a first cartridge. A waste cleaning liquid reservoir 16b detachably attached to the path 11 is accommodated integrally. In the cleaning liquid reservoir 16 a, the cleaning liquid is sealed in a flexible bag 18, and the opening of the bag 18 is closed with a rubber-like seal member 50. In the waste cleaning liquid reservoir 16b, a spring 19 having elasticity in the direction of expanding the bag is accommodated in the flexible bag 20, and the bag 19 is compressed together with the bag 20 in the compressed state. The 20 openings are closed by a rubber seal member 49. That is, in the state before the cleaning cartridge 16 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 25, the bag 20 is urged in the expansion direction by the expansion force of the spring 19, but is closed by the seal member 49. The inside is in a negative pressure state. The bag 20, the spring 19, the seal member 49, and the negative pressure formed by them constitute the first flow means.
[0032]
When the cleaning cartridge 16 is attached, the purge cap 14 is brought into close contact with the head unit 5 to cover the nozzle 2 in advance, and the two switching valves 21 and 22 are switched to the state (2) described above.
FIG. 4 shows a state at the moment when the cleaning cartridge 16 is attached to the cartridge mounting portion 25 in the above state. In FIG. 4, the bag 18 of the cleaning liquid reservoir 16a communicates with the second path 12 through a hollow needle 38 that penetrates the seal member 50, and the bag 20 of the waste cleaning liquid reservoir 16b penetrates the seal member 50. The first path 11 communicates with the hollow needle 37. As a result, the bag 20 is rapidly expanded by the spring 19 and exhibits a suction action due to the negative pressure in the bag 20, and the first path 11, the common ink chamber 8 and the pressure chamber 6 inside the head unit 5, and the second path. The ink in 12 is sucked into the waste cleaning liquid reservoir 16b. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid reservoir 16a passes through the second path 12 and the bypass path 23, and the purge cap 14 → nozzle 2 → pressure chamber 6 → common ink chamber 8 → filter 10 → first path 11 It flows through and finally flows into the waste cleaning liquid reservoir 16b. Impurities d · e inside the ink are washed away by this flow, and finally sent to the waste cleaning liquid reservoir 16b as shown in FIG.
[0033]
In this way, by using the cleaning cartridge 16, the impurities de · e inside the print head 1 can be easily removed. In particular, since a suction flow in a direction opposite to the suction flow of the purge operation shown in FIG. 3 can be generated, the impurities d accumulated on the filter 10 can be removed and discarded into the waste cleaning liquid reservoir 16b. There is no need to replace the filter 10.
Further, since impurities can be removed not only by using the cleaning cartridge 16 but also by using the purge pump 15, there are more options for removing impurities, and maintenance is performed by an appropriate method as necessary. It is possible.
Further, the cleaning liquid reservoir 16a and the waste cleaning liquid reservoir 16b are integrally accommodated in the cartridge housing 17 of the cleaning cartridge 16, and the cleaning liquid reservoir 16a and the waste cleaning liquid reservoir are simply installed by attaching the cleaning cartridge 16 instead of the ink cartridge 4. Since it is possible to connect 16b to each of the paths 12 and 11, the maintenance work is convenient. Further, since the (first) flow means has a negative pressure state in the waste cleaning liquid reservoir 16b in the cleaning cartridge 16, it is excellent in compactness as compared with a case where a pump or the like is specially provided.
[0034]
FIG. 5 shows a state in which the cleaning operation using the cleaning cartridge 16 has been completed. Thereafter, the used cleaning cartridge 16 is removed and the ink cartridge 4 is attached, and the normal purge operation shown in FIG. 3 is performed. Thus, the cleaning liquid in the print head 1 and the first path 11 is discarded into the waste ink reservoir 4b of the ink cartridge 4, and the ink in the unused ink reservoir 4a in the print head 1 and the first path 11 is disposed. As a result, the print head 1 is ready for printing again.
[0035]
In the present embodiment, it is desirable that the cleaning liquid is as close as possible to the ink components obtained by removing only the coloring components such as dyes or pigments from the ink used in the print head 1. In the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid is caused to flow in the direction opposite to the flow direction of the ink during the ejecting operation with respect to the print head 1, but the precipitate in the ink is melted by the cleaning liquid and washed away. If so, the cleaning liquid may flow in the same direction as the flow direction of the ink.
Before the cleaning cartridge 16 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 25, the spring 19 is mechanically held in a compressed state by a locking member or the like, and is locked in conjunction with the mounting of the cleaning cartridge 16 or by human operation. It is also possible to expand the bag 20 by releasing the member. The cleaning liquid can also be flowed using a normal pump or purge pump 15. When the purge pump 15 is used, the bypass path 23 becomes unnecessary.
[0036]
The switching valves 21 and 22 and the bypass path 23 are provided in the configuration of FIG. 3 because the cleaning liquid is allowed to flow from the discharge side to the suction side when the drive is stopped in the configuration of the purge pump 15 of FIG. This is because it is impossible, and it is necessary to pass the bypass passage 23 in order to send the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid reservoir 16a to the purge cap 14 side.
However, as a configuration of the purge pump, the switching valves 21 and 22 and the bypass path 23 can be omitted by adopting a modified example as shown in FIG. 7 that allows a reverse flow from the discharge side to the suction side.
[0037]
In the purge pump 15 ′ according to this modified example, the support shaft 46 that supports the roller 43 described above is slidable along a long hole 47 provided in the disc 44. The long hole 47 has such a shape that the distance from the shaft 45 is reduced toward the leading side in the drive direction of the disc 44 (the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 7). When the support shaft 46 is at the other end B of the long hole 47, the roller 43 does not protrude from the disc 44, and the roller 43 protrudes from the disc 44. The press is released.
[0038]
In the configuration shown in FIG. 7, when the disc 44 is rotated in the direction of the white arrow, the support shaft 46 of the roller 43 is positioned at one end A of the elongated hole, so that the disc 44 rotates while pressing the tube 42 against the roller 43. Operates the pumping action.
In order to stop the pump drive, the rotation of the disk 44 may be stopped. At this time, if the disk 44 is rotated by a small amount in the direction opposite to the direction of the white arrow, the support shaft 46 of the roller 43 has a long hole. The roller 43 moves relative to the end B, and the pressure on the tube 42 is released. If the disc 44 is stopped in this state, the flow path inside the tube 42 is not blocked, so that the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid reservoir 16a can flow back from the discharge side to the suction side in the tube 42.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
Since the present invention is configured as described above, impurities inside the print head can be easily removed, and maintenance work is also easy.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a conventional inkjet printer.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which ink in a head unit is forcibly sucked out.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state at the moment when a cleaning cartridge is attached.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which cleaning with a cleaning liquid is completed.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of a purge pump.
FIG. 7 is a view showing a modified example of the purge pump.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Print head
2 nozzles
3 Printing surface
4 Ink cartridge
4a Unused ink reservoir
4b Waste ink reservoir
5 Head unit
6 Pressure chamber
7 Actuator
10 Filter
11 First route
12 Second route
13 Purge mechanism
14 cap
15 Purge pump
16 Cleaning cartridge
16a Cleaning liquid reservoir
16b Waste cleaning liquid reservoir
25 Cartridge mounting part

Claims (7)

A print head having a nozzle for ejecting ink to the print surface; a first path for supplying ink for printing to the print head; and a cap for detachably covering the nozzle of the print head. In an inkjet printer having a second path connected to the first path through the nozzle in a state of covering the nozzle,
A waste cleaning liquid reservoir is provided in the first path, and a cleaning liquid reservoir is provided in the second path.
First flow means for causing the cleaning liquid to flow from the cleaning liquid reservoir to the waste cleaning liquid reservoir through the first path and the second path in a state where the cleaning liquid reservoir and the waste cleaning liquid reservoir are mounted and the nozzle is covered with the cap. When,
An unused ink reservoir is removable in the first path, and a waste ink reservoir is removable in the second path.
When the unused ink reservoir and the waste ink reservoir are mounted and the nozzle is covered with the cap, the ink flows from the unused ink reservoir to the waste ink reservoir through the first path and the second path. Two fluid means,
Said second flow means, before Symbol a first state to disable the flow of liquid present in the first path and the second route of the liquid from the second path to the first path Switching means that can switch to a second state that allows flow in the direction toward
The switching means is characterized in that when the cleaning liquid reservoir and the waste cleaning liquid reservoir are mounted and the nozzle is covered with the cap, the switching from the first state to the second state is performed.
Inkjet printer. 2. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit includes a purge pump provided in the middle of the second path and capable of forcibly sucking ink, and the cap in the second path. A bypass path connecting the flow path between the suction side of the purge pump, the discharge side of the purge pump and the flow path between the cleaning liquid reservoir, and in the second path, the cap and the purge pump A first switching valve that can be selectively switched between a state in which the suction side is connected and a state in which the cap and the bypass path are connected; and a discharge side of the purge pump in the second path; A second switching valve that can be selectively switched between the state of connecting the cleaning liquid reservoir and the state of connecting the bypass path and the cleaning liquid reservoir; And it is,
When the cleaning liquid is caused to flow from the cleaning liquid reservoir to the waste cleaning liquid reservoir by the first flow means, the first switching valve connects the cap and the bypass path in the second path. The ink jet printer, wherein the second switching valve connects the bypass path and the cleaning liquid reservoir in the second path. 2. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the switching unit includes a purge pump provided in the middle of the second path and capable of forcibly sucking ink,
The purge pump includes a guide member having an arcuate inner periphery, a tube disposed along the inner periphery of the guide member and constituting a part of the second path, and an inner periphery of the guide member. A rotatable disc, a slot provided in the disc, a shaft supported so as to be movable along the slot, and supported in one direction of the disc so as to be rotatably supported by the shaft. It consists of a roller that presses the tube with rotation,
The long hole has a planar shape that decreases the distance from the central axis of the disc as it goes to the front side in one direction of the disc,
The shaft moves to a position where the roller presses the tube when the disk is rotated in the one direction, and when the disk is rotated in a direction opposite to the one direction, the roller moves to the tube. An ink jet printer, wherein the ink jet printer is moved to a position where the pressing is released. The ink jet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a cartridge mounting portion in which ends of the first path and the second path are arranged adjacent to each other.
An ink jet comprising: an ink cartridge storing the unused ink reservoir and a waste ink reservoir; and a cleaning cartridge storing the cleaning liquid reservoir and the waste cleaning liquid reservoir replaced with the cartridge mounting portion. Printer. A print head having a nozzle for ejecting ink to the print surface; a first path for supplying printing ink to the print head; and a cap detachably covering the nozzle of the print head. A cleaning device used in an inkjet printer having a second path connected to the first path through the nozzle in a state of covering the nozzle,
The cleaning device includes a cleaning liquid reservoir that is attachable to and detachable from one of the first path and the second path, a waste cleaning liquid reservoir that is detachable to the other, and the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid reservoir to the first path and the second path. And a cartridge housing that integrally accommodates the cleaning liquid reservoir, the waste cleaning liquid reservoir, and the first fluidizing means. And a cleaning device.   6. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a waste cleaning liquid reservoir communicates with the first path and a cleaning liquid reservoir communicates with the second path in a use state attached to the ink jet printer. A cleaning device.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the first flow means is in a negative pressure state formed inside the waste cleaning liquid reservoir.

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