JP4633694B2 - Pad holder and printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a holder for a cleaning pad of a print head of a printer and a printing apparatus.

  Conventionally, in an inkjet printer, when printing is finished, a maintenance mechanism scrapes off excess ink adhering to the nozzle surface of a print head in which a plurality of nozzle holes are formed or removes foreign matter adhering to the nozzle surface. It was.

  As described in Non-Patent Document 1, a pad holder for holding a cleaning pad of a cleaner unit that removes foreign matters such as ink adhering to a nozzle surface is mounted and supported on a support member of a maintenance mechanism. .

The pad holder is provided with a claw for preventing the cleaning pad from coming off in order to store and fix the cleaning pad in the pad case.
Design Registration No. 1274097

  However, even when the above-mentioned claw is provided, when the extra ink adhering to the nozzle surface of the print head is scraped off or the foreign matter adhering to the nozzle surface is removed, the pad comes off from the pad case, This could cause a malfunction of the printing device. Therefore, in order to securely fix the pad, it is necessary to adhere to the pad case or other complicated fixing means.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to reliably fix a cleaning pad with a simple configuration.

In order to achieve the above object, a pad holder according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises:
A pad holder for holding a cleaning pad for cleaning a nozzle surface of a print head of a printing apparatus,
A first pad case having protrusions inserted through a plurality of holes formed in both end portions of the long first cleaning pad, and housing the first cleaning pad;
A first holding member for holding the first pad case ,
The first holding member is disposed in a long and flat main body that receives the first pad case, and is erected on both ends of the main body, and is in contact with an upper surface and a side surface of the first pad case. And a pair of covering members each having an L shape so as to come into contact with the first cleaning pad. The first cleaning pad is housed by the flat plate-like main body and the pair of L-shaped covering members. Holding the pad case together with the first cleaning pad,
Each of the covering members covers the protruding portion of the first pad case, and the first cleaning pad is removed from the protruding portion while preventing the first cleaning pad from slipping out of the protruding portion . Hold in the pad case ,
It is characterized by that.

In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention provides:
A maintenance mechanism provided with a support member for mounting the pad holder described above ,
The nozzle surface of the print head under the control of the pre-Symbol maintenance mechanism for cleaning by the pad holder,
It is characterized by that.

In order to achieve the above object, a printing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention provides:
A maintenance mechanism provided with a support member for mounting the pad holder described above,
The maintenance mechanism includes a wiper for wiping the nozzle surface of the print head;
A long second pad case having protrusions inserted through a plurality of holes formed at both ends of the long second cleaning pad and accommodating the second cleaning pad; A pad holding member having a long second holding member for holding the second pad case,
The second holding member is disposed in a long and flat main body that receives the second pad case, and is provided upright at both ends of the main body, and is in contact with the upper surface and the side surface of the second pad case. A pair of covering members each of which is L-shaped so as to come into contact therewith, and the second cleaning pad is housed by the flat plate-shaped main body and the pair of L-shaped covering members. Holding the pad case together with the second cleaning pad,
Each covering member covers the protruding portion of the second pad case, and the second cleaning pad is removed from the protruding portion while preventing the second cleaning pad from slipping out of the protruding portion. Hold in the pad case,
The control unit of the maintenance mechanism controls the wiper so that the nozzle surface of the print head is cleaned by the wiper and the wiper is cleaned by the second cleaning pad held by the pad holding member. It is characterized by that.

  According to the above configuration, the protrusions formed in the pad case are inserted into the plurality of holes formed at both ends of the cleaning pad, and the engaging portion is covered with the covering member. Is securely fixed.

  A printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the outline of the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
For example, the printing apparatus 1 prints the expiration date on a film M that is transported by adding a print head device 11 to a film transport path 2 of a film packaging apparatus that wraps food or the like (not shown). The rollers 2a and 2b in the transport path 2 are used as a platen roller and a feed roller, respectively. Various changes can be made, for example, the printing apparatus is configured separately from the film packaging apparatus, and the print head apparatus 11 is provided in the conveyance path of a print medium such as a film of the conveyance apparatus under the control of the printing apparatus.

  An external view of the print head device 11 is shown in FIG. 2, a perspective view seen from the AA line side is shown in FIG. 3A, and a perspective view seen from the BB line side is shown in FIG. 3B. Show. As shown in the figure, the print head device 11 includes a print head 111, a head carrier 112, a horizontal movement mechanism 121, a vertical movement mechanism 131, a housing part 141, and a maintenance mechanism 20.

  The print head 111 is of an ink jet type and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped head portion 111a. As shown in FIG. 4, on the lower surface (nozzle surface) 111b of the head portion 111a, nozzle holes 111c for ejecting ink supplied from an ink cartridge (not shown) have a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction of the nozzle surface 111b. A plurality are formed.

  The head carrier 112 is a plate-like member in which an opening 112a is formed. The head carrier 112 supports the print head 111 so as to face the platen roller 20a with the nozzle surface 111b of the print head 111 facing downward.

  The horizontal movement mechanism 121 includes a horizontal guide shaft 122, a timing belt 123, and a motor 124.

  The horizontal guide shaft 122 is a bar member arranged in the Y direction (horizontal direction).

  The timing belt 123 is a belt-like member that does not expand and contract. The timing belt 123 is suspended on a pair of pulleys 125.

  The motor 124 is composed of a stepping motor, and drives the timing belt 123 by rotationally driving one pulley 125 of the pair of pulleys 125.

  The vertical movement mechanism 131 includes a frame body 132, a vertical guide shaft 133, a cam 134, a belt grip portion 135, and a motor 136.

  The frame body 132 is slidably inserted into the horizontal guide shaft 122 of the horizontal movement mechanism 121. The frame 132 supports the head carrier 112.

  The vertical guide shaft 133 is a bar member disposed in the Z direction (vertical direction) on the frame body 132.

  One end of the cam 134 is provided with a protruding portion 134 a that is in sliding contact with the opening 112 a of the head carrier 112. The cam 134 is fixed to the rotating plate 137.

  The belt grip portion 135 is fixed to the frame body 132. The belt gripping part 135 grips a part of the timing belt 123 of the horizontal moving means 121 from both sides, and is fixed to a part of the timing belt 123. Thus, the motor 124 is driven and the timing belt 123 is rotationally driven, so that the vertical moving means 131 is moved in the Y direction along the horizontal guide shaft 122 together with the print head 111.

  The motor 136 is a stepping motor. The motor 136 rotates the rotating plate 137.

  The casing 141 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member that houses the print head 111, the horizontal moving unit 121, the vertical moving unit 131, and the maintenance mechanism 20. The casing 141 has an opening (not shown) that exposes the nozzle surface 111b of the print head 111 on the lower surface.

  The maintenance mechanism 20 is disposed in the casing 141 of the print head device 11 adjacent to the print head 111. The maintenance mechanism 20 includes a cleaner unit 21, a wiper unit 27, and a cap unit 28 arranged along the horizontal direction (Y direction) of the print head device 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, the cleaner unit 21 includes a cleaning pad tray 22, a pad case 23, a support member 24, a cleaning pad 25, and a limit switch 26. The cleaning pad tray 22, the pad case 23, and the cleaning pad 25 constitute a cleaning pad portion 21a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning pad portion 21a is inserted from the opening 21b of the housing 141, and is attached to the support member 24 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the cleaning pad tray 22 includes a tray body 221, a holding member 222, and guide pins 223.

  The tray body 221 has a flat plate portion 221a on which the pad case 23 is placed.

  The holding member 222 is composed of a member having a pair of L-shaped portions that are arranged upright at both ends of the flat plate portion 221 a of the tray body 221. The L-shaped portion of the holding member 222 contacts the upper surface and the side surface of the pad case 23. The holding member 222 has a protrusion 222a that engages with the engaging member of the pad case on the side surface where the L-shaped portion is erected. The L-shaped portion of the holding member 222 is in contact with the upper surface and the side surface of the pad case 23, and the pad case 23 is fixed and held by the elastic force of the engaging member engaged with the protrusion 222a.

The guide pin 223 has a body portion 223a and a flat portion 223b having an enlarged diameter.
The guide pins 223 are arranged spaced apart in the longitudinal direction on the surface of the flat plate portion 221a that faces the support surface of the support member 24. As shown in the drawing, the guide pin 223 is disposed so as to be separated from the center portion and the end portion of the flat plate portion 221a.

  The guide pins 223 engage with the openings 24 a of the support member 24 when the cleaning pad tray 22 is attached to and detached from the support member 24. Specifically, the guide pin 223 protrudes from the opening 24a of the support member 24, the side surface is in sliding contact with the opening 24a, the flat portion is in contact with the surface opposite to the support surface of the support member 24, and the opening 24a is extended. Guided in the direction. Therefore, each guide pin 223 has a flat portion that contacts and engages with the peripheral edge portion of the opening 24a of the support member 24, thereby preventing rattling (degree of freedom of inclination) during attachment and detachment. Thereby, the up-down or left-right inclination of the cleaning pad tray 22 at the time of attachment and detachment is regulated.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the pad case 23 is composed of a container having an open top surface. The pad case 23 has engaging members 231a and 231b that engage with the protrusions 222a of the holding member 222 at both ends. The engaging members 231a and 231b are coupled to an arm whose engaging portion extends from the end portion, and are locked to the protrusion 222a by the elastic force of the arm. Protruding portions (protruding portions, pins) 232a and 232b that protrude upward from the bottom surface are disposed at the center and corner portions of the pad case 23 in order to hold the housed cleaning pads 25.

  The cleaning pad 25 is made of a porous member such as urethane foam. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the cleaning pad 25 has a substantially rectangular planar shape, and a portion facing the ink nozzle is removed so as not to directly contact the ink nozzle. . The cleaning pad 25 holds a cleaning liquid for cleaning the nozzle surface 111b of the head portion 111a. The cleaning pad 25 is accommodated in the opening of the pad case 23. At this time, the protrusions 232 a and 232 b penetrate the through holes 25 a and 25 b of the cleaning pad 25. As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, when the pad case 23 is mounted on the tray body 221, the holding member 222 covers the protrusion 232a and the through hole 25a, so that the cleaning pad 25 is securely attached to the pad case 23. Retained. Further, as described above, the cleaning pad tray 22 is mounted on the support member 24 with its inclination restricted, so that the cleaning pad 25 housed in the pad case 23 is held horizontally.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the support member 24 has a flat plate portion having an opening 24a that is open at one end and extends in the longitudinal direction. The support member 24 supports the cleaning pad tray 22 placed on the upper surface of the flat plate portion.

  The support member 24 is horizontally attached to the frame 141a of the housing 141 so that the longitudinal direction extends in the X direction of FIG. 1, and a limit switch 26 is installed on the support member 24. The limit switch 26 includes an arm member 26 a that is pushed down by the guide pin 223, a micro switch 26 b that is turned on when the arm member 26 a is pressed, and a construction member 26 c that constructs the arm member 26 a and the micro switch 26 b on the support member 24. The When the cleaning pad tray 22 is not mounted on the support member 24, as shown in FIG. 9C, the arm member 26a and the contact plate 26d of the micro switch 26b are maintained at a separated position. The micro switch 26b is turned off, in other words, the limit switch 26 is turned off. When the cleaning pad tray 22 is mounted on the support member 24, the arm member 26a is pushed down by the guide pin 223 to push down the contact plate 26d of the micro switch 26b, and the micro switch 26b is turned on, in other words, the limit switch. 26 is turned on.

  The limit switch 26 detects that the central guide pin 223 provided in the cleaning pad tray 22 has reached a predetermined position of the opening 24a of the support member 24. Here, the central guide pin 223 is the center switch. Is turned on when it reaches the center of the housing 141 in the X-axis direction. Thus, the central guide pin 223 can be detected regardless of which side of the casing 141 the cleaning pad portion 21a is inserted.

  As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the wiper unit 27 includes a drive motor 271, a pair of pulleys 272 and 273, an endless belt 274 passed between the pulleys 272 and 273, and an endless belt 274. And a wiper blade 275 having a depression (concave) portion 275a formed at the center, a gear train 276 that transmits power from the drive motor 271 to the pulley 272, and a cleaning pad portion 27a.

  When the drive motor 271 rotates, the pulley 272 rotates through the gear train 276. As the pulley 272 rotates, the endless belt 274 also rotates, and the wiper blade 275 attached to the endless belt 274 moves. In the maintenance mode, in a state where the print head 111 is disposed at a predetermined maintenance position (position shown in FIG. 10B), the tip of the wiper blade 275 slides on the nozzle surface 111b and wipes ink or foreign matter. Drop off. The wiper blade 275 is not in direct contact with the ink nozzle 111c due to the recess 275a of the wiper blade 275.

  The wiper blade 275 that has cleaned the nozzle surface 111b moves according to the movement of the endless belt 274 and slides on the surface of the cleaning pad portion 27a. As a result, ink and foreign matter adhering to the wiper blade 275 are removed and cleaned.

Next, the cleaning pad portion 27a will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The cleaning pad portion 27a basically has the same configuration as the cleaner unit 21 described with reference to FIGS. That is, the cleaning pad portion 27a includes a cleaning pad tray 371, a pad case 372, and a replaceable cleaning pad 373.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning pad portion 27a is inserted from the opening portion 27b of the housing 141, and is attached to the wiper unit 27 of the print head portion 11 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, the cleaning pad tray 371 includes a flat tray main body 411, a holding member 412, a cutout portion 413, and a knob portion 414.

The tray main body 411 has a flat plate shape, and a pad case 372 is placed thereon.
The holding member 412 is configured by a member having an L-shaped portion arranged so as to stand on both ends and one side of the tray body 411 of the tray body 411. The L-shaped portion of the holding member 412 covers the upper surface, the side surface, and one side portion of the pad case 372 in contact with each other.
The notch 413 is disposed between the tray main body 411 and the holding member 412, and the pad case 372 can be pushed out therefrom when the inserted pad case 372 is extracted.
The knob portion 414 is fixed to the tray body 411 and facilitates insertion and removal of the cleaning pad portion 27a.

  As shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C, the pad case 372 includes a container 421 having an open upper surface. Protruding portions (protruding portions, pins) 422a, 422b, and 422c that protrude upward from the bottom surface are disposed at both ends and the central portion of the container 421 in order to hold the stored cleaning pad 373.

  The cleaning pad 373 is made of a porous member such as urethane foam. As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the cleaning pad 373 has a substantially rectangular planar shape, and through holes 373a through which the protrusions 422a, 422b, and 422c of the pad case 372 are inserted at both ends and the center. , 373b, 373c. The cleaning pad 373 holds a cleaning liquid for cleaning the wiper blade 275. The cleaning pad 373 is stored in the container 421 of the pad case 372. At this time, the protrusions 422a, 422b, and 422c pass through the through holes 373a, 373b, and 373c of the cleaning pad 373.

  As shown in FIGS. 14A to 14C, when the pad case 372 is mounted on the cleaning pad tray 371, the pad case 372 is fixed by being pushed in, and the holding member 312 is protruded 422a, 422b and the through hole 373a. , 373b and the side of the cleaning pad 373, the cleaning pad 373 is securely held in the pad case 372.

  The cap unit 28 shown in FIG. 3 holds a cap that covers the nozzle surface 111b of the head portion 111a in order to prevent the nozzle holes from drying and prevent ejection failure due to an increase in ink viscosity.

  The control unit 3 includes an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), various memories, and the like. The control unit 3 drives the motor 124 of the horizontal movement unit 121 and the motor 136 of the vertical movement unit 131 of the print head device 11 to print the print head 111 held by the head carrier 112 on the print medium. And the cleaner unit 21 moves to the cleaning position for maintaining the nozzle surface 111b of the head portion 111a cleanly. The control unit 3 detects whether the limit switch 26a is on or off.

  The printing operation of the printing apparatus having the above configuration is basically the same as the conventional one, and the characteristic maintenance operation of the print head apparatus 11 will be described below.

  At the standby position, the cap of the cap unit 28 is attached to the nozzle surface 111 b of the print head 111. When maintenance is instructed by a button (not shown), the control unit 3 starts the maintenance operation after confirming that the limit switch 26a is on, that is, the cleaning pad unit 21a is attached.

  When the maintenance operation is started, the control unit 3 drives the horizontal moving unit 121 and the vertical moving unit 131 so that the print head 111 is perpendicular to the horizontal direction in which the maintenance mechanism 20 is arranged and to the horizontal direction. 20 in the vertical direction that is in contact with and away from 20. The print head 111 moves from the standby position to a wiping position facing the wiper blade 275 of the wiper unit 27 as shown in FIG.

  The controller 3 drives the drive motor 271 to rotate the endless belt 274, thereby operating the wiper blade 275 of the wiper unit 27 to wipe the nozzle surface 111b. At this time, the wiper blade 275 removes excess ink and foreign matter adhering to the nozzle surface 111b. Subsequently, the wiper blade 275 that wiped the nozzle surface 111b wipes the cleaning pad 373 of the cleaning pad portion 27a, and the adhering ink and foreign matter are removed by the cleaning pad 373. The cleaned wiper blade 275 wipes the nozzle surface 111b again.

  Since the wiper blade 275 rubs the cleaning pad 373, a large force is applied to the cleaning pad 373 in the horizontal direction (long side direction), but through holes 373a and 373b formed at both ends and the center of the cleaning pad 373. , 373c are inserted into the protrusions 422a to 422c formed in the container 421 of the pad case 372, and the holding member 412 is covered on the upper surface of the protrusions 422a to 422c. There is nothing.

  When the wiping is completed, the control unit 3 stops the drive motor 271 and drives the vertical moving mechanism 131 and the horizontal moving mechanism 121 to move the print head 111 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, thereby cleaning the pad tray. It moves to the cleaning position opposite to 22. At this time, as described above, the cleaning pad 25 is housed in the pad case 23 and held horizontally, and held parallel to the nozzle surface 111b. Then, the control unit 3 drives the vertical movement mechanism 131 to press the nozzle surface 111 b of the print head 111 against the cleaning pad 25 held on the cleaning pad tray 22. The cleaning liquid held on the cleaning pad 25 removes excess ink and foreign matter adhering to the nozzle surface 111b, thereby cleaning the nozzle surface 111b.

  The controller 3 moves the print head 111 up and down a plurality of times to press the nozzle surface 11 b against the cleaning pad 25 a plurality of times. When pulling up the pressed print head 111, the cleaning pad 25 adsorbed on the nozzle surface 111b by the surface tension of the cleaning agent is also pulled upward. However, the protrusions 232a and 232b formed in the pad case 23 are inserted into the through holes 25a and 25b formed in the cleaning pad 25, respectively, and the holding member 222 is further provided on the upper surfaces of the protrusions 232a and the through holes 25a. Since the cover is covered, the cleaning pad 25 is not detached from the pad case 23.

  When the cleaning of the nozzle surface 111b is completed, the control unit 3 drives the vertical moving unit 131 and the horizontal moving unit 121 to move the print head 111 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and moves to the standby position. The cap held by the cap unit 28 is attached to the cleaned nozzle surface 111b.

  When the cleaning of the nozzle surface 111b is repeated as described above and the cleaning pad 25 becomes dirty and the cleaning capability decreases, the user replaces the cleaning pad in the following procedure.

  First, the cleaner unit 21 is extracted from the print head device 11. The engagement between the holding members 222a and 222b of the cleaning pad tray 22 and the engaging members 231a and 231b of the pad case 23 is released, and the cleaning pad tray 22 is removed. At this stage, the holding member 222 that has been covered by the protruding portion 232a of the cleaning pad tray 22 and the through hole 25a of the cleaning pad 25 is removed, and both end portions of the cleaning pad 25 are exposed. .

  The user lifts both ends of the cleaning pad 25 upward, disengages the dirty cleaning pad 25 from the through holes 25a and 25b and the protrusions 232a and 232b of the pad case 23, and the dirty cleaning pad 25 is removed. Is removed from the pad case 23. Subsequently, the pad case 23 is cleaned, and the protrusions 232 a and 232 b of the pad case 23 are inserted into the through holes 25 a and 25 b of the new cleaning pad 25, and the cleaning pad 25 is attached to the pad case 23.

  Subsequently, the pad case 23 is attached to the cleaning pad tray 22 by engaging the engaging members 231 a and 231 b of the pad case 23 with the protrusions 222 a and 222 b of the holding member 222.

  Subsequently, the cleaning pad portion 21a including the cleaning pad tray 22 to which the pad case 22 is attached is inserted into the print head device 11 and attached to the support member 24 as shown in FIG.

  The user replaces the cleaning pad according to the same procedure even when the cleaning pad portion 27a of the wiper unit 27 is dirty and the cleaning capability is reduced. That is, the chestnut cleaning pad portion 27 a is extracted from the print head device 11. Next, the pad case 372 is removed from the cleaning pad tray 371, both ends of the cleaning pad 373 are lifted upward, and the through holes 373a to 373c of the dirty cleaning pad 373 and the protrusions 422a to 422c of the pad case 372 are removed. And the dirty cleaning pad 373 is removed. Subsequently, the pad case 372 is cleaned, and the protrusions 422a to 422c of the pad case 372 are inserted into the through holes 422a to 422c of the new cleaning pad 373, and the cleaning pad 373 is attached to the pad case 372. Subsequently, the pad case 372 is attached to the cleaning pad tray 371. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning pad portion 27a including the cleaning pad tray 371 to which the pad case 372 is attached is inserted into the print head device 11 and attached.

  According to such a configuration, the cleaning pad 25 of the cleaner unit 21 and the cleaning pad of the cleaning pad portion 27a can be fixed stably and reliably and can be replaced relatively easily. Therefore, it becomes easy to keep the nozzle surface of the print head device 11 clean.

  In addition, since the plurality of guide pins 223 are arranged, rattling (degree of freedom of inclination) when attaching / detaching the cleaning pad tray 22 is prevented, and insertion / extraction is easy.

  Further, the guide pin 223 can detect whether or not the cleaning pad portion 21a is attached.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and its application and modification are arbitrary.

  For example, the specific configuration of the pad case or the cleaning pad tray for holding the cleaning pads 25 and 373 is arbitrary. The important point is that a through-hole is formed in the cleaning pad and engaged with a protrusion disposed on the pad case or the like, and the upper part is covered with a holding member.

  The material and size of the cleaning pad and the material and size of the pad case are arbitrary.

  In order to prevent kinking, twisting, etc. of the cleaning pad, the through-holes of the cleaning pad are at least both ends of the cleaning pad in the long side direction (they do not need to be at the ends) and the short side It is desirable to arrange a total of four or more, one at each end position in the direction. You may arrange | position a through-hole further besides these four through-holes. However, it is desirable that the through holes arranged at both ends in the long side direction of the cleaning pad are arranged in a line symmetrical relationship. Further, the protrusion is arranged in accordance with the position of each through hole.

Moreover, you may reinforce each through-hole.
Further, the configuration of the cleaner unit 21 and the configuration of the cleaning pad portion 27a may be the same.

  In the above embodiment, the maintenance mechanism 20 is disposed adjacent to the print head 111 in the casing 141 of the print head device 11. However, the maintenance mechanism 20 may be disposed, for example, outside the casing of the print head device 11 so as to be adjacent to the print head 111 moved from the printing position.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a casing of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic view of a print head device according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is the perspective view seen from the side surface (AA line direction). (B) is the perspective view seen from the front (BB line direction). It is a perspective view of the head part of a print head. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a cleaning pad tray of the cleaner unit of FIG. 3. (A) is an elevation view. (B) is a plan view. (C) is a side view. It is the schematic of the pad case of a cleaner unit. (A) is an elevation view. (B) is a plan view. It is the schematic of the cleaning pad of a cleaner unit. (A) is a top view. (B) is a side view. It is a block diagram of the cleaner unit after an assembly. (A) is an elevation view. (B) is a plan view. (C) is a side view. It is the schematic of the support member and limit switch of a cleaner unit. It is a figure which shows the structure of a wiper unit. (A) is a top view. (B) is a side view. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a cleaning pad tray of the cleaning pad portion of FIG. 3. (A) is an elevation view. (B) is a plan view. (C) is a side view. It is the schematic of the pad case of the pad part for washing | cleaning. (A) is an elevation view. (B) is a plan view. (C) is a side view. It is the schematic of the cleaning pad of a cleaning pad part. (A) is a top view. (B) is a side view. It is a block diagram of the washing | cleaning pad part after an assembly. (A) is an elevation view. (B) is a plan view. (C) is a side view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Print head apparatus 20 Maintenance mechanism 21 Cleaner unit 22 Cleaning pad tray 221 Tray main body 222 Holding member 223 Guide pin 23 Pad case 232a, 232b Protrusion part (protrusion part, pin)
24 Support member 25 Cleaning pad 25a, 25b Through hole 26 Limit switch 27 Wiper unit 27a Cleaning pad part 28 Cap unit 271 Drive motor 272, 273 Pulley 274 Endless belt 275 Wiper blade 275a Recessed part (notch part)
276 Gear train 371 Cleaning pad tray 372 Pad case 373 Cleaning pad 373a, 373b, 373c Through hole 411 Tray body 412 Holding member 413 Notch 414 Knob 421 Container 422a, 422b, 422c Protrusion (protrusion, pin)

Claims (3)

A pad holder for holding a cleaning pad for cleaning a nozzle surface of a print head of a printing apparatus,
A first pad case having protrusions inserted through a plurality of holes formed in both end portions of the long first cleaning pad, and housing the first cleaning pad;
A first holding member for holding the first pad case ,
The first holding member is disposed in a long and flat main body that receives the first pad case, and is erected on both ends of the main body, and is in contact with an upper surface and a side surface of the first pad case. And a pair of covering members each having an L shape so as to come into contact with the first cleaning pad. The first cleaning pad is housed by the flat plate-like main body and the pair of L-shaped covering members. Holding the pad case together with the first cleaning pad,
Each of the covering members covers the protruding portion of the first pad case, and the first cleaning pad is removed from the protruding portion while preventing the first cleaning pad from slipping out of the protruding portion . Hold in the pad case ,
A pad holder characterized by that. A maintenance mechanism comprising a support member for mounting the pad holder according to claim 1 ,
A printing apparatus, wherein the nozzle surface of the print head is cleaned by the pad holder under the control of the maintenance mechanism. A maintenance mechanism comprising a support member for mounting the pad holder according to claim 1 ,
The maintenance mechanism includes a wiper to wipe the nozzle face of the print head,
A long second pad case having protrusions inserted through a plurality of holes formed at both ends of the long second cleaning pad and containing the second cleaning pad; and A pad holding member having a long second holding member for holding the second pad case,
The second holding member is disposed in a long and flat main body that receives the second pad case, and is provided upright at both ends of the main body, and is in contact with the upper surface and the side surface of the second pad case. A pair of covering members each of which is L-shaped so as to come into contact therewith, and the second cleaning pad is housed by the flat plate-shaped main body and the pair of L-shaped covering members. Holding the pad case together with the second cleaning pad,
Each of the covering members covers the protrusion of the second pad case, and the second cleaning pad is removed from the protrusion while preventing the second cleaning pad from slipping out of the protrusion. Hold in the pad case,
Control unit of the maintenance mechanism is to clean by the second cleaning pad is held the wiper to the pad retaining member as well as cleanup the nozzle face of the print head by the wiper, control the wiper To
A printing apparatus characterized by that.

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