JP4843369B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by discharging droplets onto a recording medium.

  As an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile, a copying machine, or a multi-function machine that combines these functions, and a plotter, a recording head composed of a droplet discharge head that discharges a droplet of recording liquid is used. Although it is also referred to as “paper”, it does not limit the material, but means that the liquid adheres, and the recording medium, recording medium, recording paper, transfer material, etc. are also used synonymously. Mounted with a liquid discharge type image forming unit for forming an image (recording, printing, printing, and recording are also used synonymously) by attaching a liquid droplet (hereinafter also referred to as an ink droplet) to a sheet. Are known.

  Such a liquid discharge type image forming apparatus requires a maintenance / recovery device that maintains and recovers the performance of the recording head that discharges the recording liquid. A typical maintenance / recovery device has a moisturizing cap, a suction cap, and a wiper blade. The moisturizing cap covers the nozzle surface with high airtightness in order to prevent thickening and fixing of the recording liquid in the vicinity of the nozzle caused by natural evaporation of the recording liquid ink. The suction cap sucks and discharges the thickened recording liquid from the nozzle. The suction cap may also be used as a moisturizing cap. The wiper blade wipes away the recording liquid adhering to the nozzle surface.

  The cap member in the maintenance / recovery device generally includes a contact member made of an elastic member that contacts the nozzle surface of the head and a recess forming member having a recess for receiving the recording liquid sucked from the nozzle on the nozzle surface.

  In the suction cap, it is known that components in the recording liquid are solidified by evaporation of water, which may adversely affect the suction operation of the cap and the ejection operation of the head.

  Therefore, in order to recover the suction force of the suction cap, in Patent Document 1, a pigment-based pigment that has been fixed by preliminarily discharging a dye ink having a low viscosity into the suction cap of the pigment ink or sucking the head of the dye ink is used. It is described that the ink is dissolved.

Further, Patent Document 2 describes that a moisturizing ink or a moisturizing liquid is discharged into a cap that covers the nozzle surface as a means for moisturizing the head surface.
JP 2003-154681 A JP 2001-261112 A

  However, as an ink colorant used in an ink jet recording apparatus as an image forming apparatus, a dye ink using a dye was mainly used in the beginning from the viewpoint of good color developability and high reliability. However, in recent years, there has been a tendency to use pigment inks using pigments for all colors in order to give recorded images light resistance and water resistance. Also, there is a tendency to increase the ink viscosity for the purpose of increasing the degree of freedom of ink formulation and for preventing bleeding after landing on plain paper.

  The viscosity of such a high viscosity pigment ink varies greatly depending on the temperature. For example, an ink having a viscosity of 8 cp in a 22 ° C. environment has a viscosity exceeding 15 cp at 10 ° C., although there are some differences depending on the formulation. The viscosity becomes about 5 cp at 32 ° C. It was confirmed that when such a high-viscosity ink having low fluidity was sucked into the cap member, the ink remained in the cap and fixed by drying, and the suction performance decreased.

  Thus, when using pigment inks for all colors, particularly pigment inks with high viscosity, the method of dissolving the pigment ink using the dye ink described in Patent Document 1 cannot be used. For this reason, it is impossible to prevent the ink from being dried and fixed in the suction cap.

  In addition, when a moisturizing liquid other than ink is discharged as described in Patent Document 2, the suction cap cannot be cleaned. In addition, in the suction cap configuration that integrally covers all the color nozzles and the moisturizing liquid nozzle for moisturizing the nozzle surface, when the cleaning liquid is sucked from the head, ink is also sucked at the same time, and the inside of the cap cannot be cleaned. .

  The present invention has been made on the basis of the above problems, and by sucking only the cleaning liquid with the suction cap, the suction cap is washed to prevent a reduction in the suction performance of the suction cap, thereby improving the head cleaning performance of the suction cap. It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable image forming apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an ink discharge nozzle for recording by discharging ink containing a colorant onto a recording medium, and a cleaning nozzle through which a cleaning liquid not containing the colorant flows. , seals the ink ejection nozzle and a suction cap for sucking the ink, the suction cap, not the ink discharge nozzle and the counter, and is disposed at a position opposed to the cleaning nozzle, which is supplied from the cleaning nozzle The suction cap is cleaned by sucking a cleaning liquid , and further includes an ink discharge head in which an ink discharge nozzle is formed and a cleaning head in which the cleaning nozzle is formed. The cleaning head is attached to and detached from the ink discharge head. The cleaning operation of the nozzle is performed by integrating the cleaning head and the ink discharge head, and the recording operation is performed in front of the cleaning head. Disconnected from the ink jet head is performed only in the ink jet head.
Here, the suction cap is preferably cleaned by sealing only the cleaning nozzle and sucking the cleaning liquid .

In addition, it is preferable that the washing nozzle can eject the cleaning liquid, may be a suction discharge and suction cap of the cleaning liquid can be simultaneously or sequentially executed. Further, the inner wall of the suction cap is preferably subjected to water repellent treatment in order to prevent ink sticking.

Here, the cleaning liquid desirably has a viscosity equivalent to that of the ink, and may have a composition in which only the colorant is removed from the ink .

  The present invention can also solve the above problems by using the same configuration and means as those described above even in an image forming apparatus having a line head in which nozzles are provided across the width of the recording medium.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the first nozzle for recording by discharging the first liquid droplet containing the colorant to the recording medium and the second liquid droplet without the colorant circulate. 2 and a suction cap that seals the first nozzle and sucks the first droplet, and the suction cap is cleaned by sucking the second droplet with the suction cap. Even when one droplet has high viscosity and high drying and fixing properties, the first droplet solidified and adhered to the suction cap can be washed and removed using the second droplet, so that the suction performance is deteriorated. Can be prevented.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. A first embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view for explaining the overall configuration of the apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining a main part of the apparatus.

  In the image forming apparatus 10, a carriage 103 is slidably held in a main scanning direction by a guide rod 101 and a guide rail 102 that are horizontally mounted on left and right side plates (not shown), and a timing belt 105 is held by a main scanning motor 104. 2 is moved and scanned in the direction indicated by the arrow (main scanning direction) in FIG.

  The carriage 103 is formed with a row of nozzles that eject recording liquids (inks), which are different color materials, for example, yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (Bk) inks. There are four recording heads 107 and a cleaning head 201 for cleaning the suction cap 173 with a cleaning liquid. The nozzle rows of the recording head 107 are arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the nozzle rows is substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the carriage 103 in the carriage 103. Further, the droplet discharge direction of the nozzles of the recording head 107 is directed downward.

  As an inkjet head constituting the recording head 107, a piezoelectric actuator such as a piezoelectric element, a thermal actuator that uses a phase change caused by film boiling of a liquid using an electrothermal transducer such as a heating resistor, and a metal phase change caused by a temperature change. It is possible to use a shape memory alloy actuator to be used, an electrostatic actuator using an electrostatic force, or the like provided as pressure generating means for generating a pressure for discharging a droplet.

  In addition, the carriage 103 is equipped with a sub tank 108 for each color for supplying each color ink to the recording head 107. Ink is supplied to the sub tank 108 from the main tank (ink cartridge) 14 through the ink supply tube 12.

  The image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment integrally includes a sub tank 108 and a recording head 107. However, the recording head 107 and the sub tank 108 may be provided separately. Further, the recording head 107 may be integrated with the ink cartridge 12 without using the sub tank.

  On the other hand, as a paper feeding unit for feeding paper 112 stacked on a paper stacking unit (pressure plate) 111 such as a paper feeding cassette 110, a half-moon roller (separately feeding paper 112 one by one from the paper stacking unit 111) A separation pad 114 made of a material having a large friction coefficient is provided opposite to the sheet feeding roller 113 and the sheet feeding roller 113, and the separation pad 114 is urged toward the sheet feeding roller 113 side.

  As a transport unit for transporting the paper 112 fed from the paper feed unit below the recording head 107, a transport belt 121 for electrostatically attracting and transporting the paper 112, and a paper feed unit A counter roller 122 for transporting the paper 112 fed through the guide 115 while sandwiching it between the transport belt 121 and the paper 112 fed substantially vertically upward is changed by about 90 ° and copied on the transport belt 121. A conveying guide 123 for adjusting the pressure and a tip pressure roller 125 urged toward the conveying belt 121 by a pressing member 124. In addition, a charging roller 126 that is a charging unit for charging the surface of the conveyance belt 121 is provided.

  Here, the conveyance belt 121 is an endless belt, and is stretched between the conveyance roller 127 and the tension roller 128, and the conveyance roller 127 rotates from the sub-scanning motor 131 via the timing belt 132 and the timing roller 133. By doing so, it is configured to circulate in the belt conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) of FIG. A guide member 129 is disposed on the back side of the conveyance belt 121 in correspondence with the image forming area formed by the recording head 107.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a slit disk 134 is attached to the shaft of the transport roller 127, and a sensor 135 for detecting the slit of the slit disk 134 is provided. A first encoder 136 is configured.

  The charging roller 126 is arranged so as to contact the surface layer of the conveyor belt 121 and rotate following the rotation of the conveyor belt 121, and applies 2.5N to both ends of the shaft as a pressing force.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an encoder scale 142 having slits is provided on the rear side of the carriage 103, and an encoder sensor comprising a transmissive photosensor for detecting the slits of the encoder scale 142 on the rear surface side of the carriage 103. The second encoder 144 for detecting the position of the carriage 103 in the main scanning direction (position with respect to the home position) is provided.

  Further, as a paper discharge unit for discharging the paper 112 recorded by the recording head 107, a separation claw 16 for separating the paper 112 from the conveyance belt 121, a paper discharge roller 152 and a paper discharge roller 153, a discharge A paper discharge tray 154 for stocking paper 112 to be printed is provided.

  A double-sided paper feeding unit 161 is detachably attached to the back of the image forming apparatus 10. The double-sided paper feeding unit 161 takes in the paper 112 returned by the reverse rotation of the transport belt 121, reverses it, and feeds it again between the counter roller 122 and the transport belt 121.

  In the image forming apparatus 10 configured as described above, the sheets 112 are separated and fed one by one from the sheet feeding unit, and the sheet 112 fed substantially vertically upward is guided by the guide 115, and includes the conveying belt 121 and the counter roller. The front end is guided by the transport guide 123 and pressed against the transport belt 121 by the front end pressure roller 125, and the transport direction is changed by approximately 90 °.

  At this time, a positive voltage output and a negative output are alternately repeated from the high voltage power source to the charging roller 126 by a control circuit (not shown), that is, an alternating voltage is applied, and a charging voltage pattern in which the conveying belt 121 alternates, In the sub-scanning direction, which is the circumferential direction, plus and minus are alternately charged in a band shape with a predetermined width. When the paper 112 is fed onto the conveyance belt 121 charged alternately with plus and minus, the paper 112 is attracted to the conveyance belt 121 by electrostatic force, and the paper 112 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by the circular movement of the conveyance belt 121. Is done.

  Therefore, by driving the recording head 107 according to the image signal while moving the carriage 103, ink droplets are ejected onto the stopped paper 112 to record one line, and after the paper 112 is conveyed by a predetermined amount, Record the next line. Upon receiving a recording end signal or a signal that the trailing edge of the paper 112 has reached the recording area, the recording operation is finished, and the paper 112 is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 154.

  In the case of double-sided printing, when recording on the front surface (surface to be printed first) is completed, the recording belt 112 is fed into the double-sided paper feeding unit 161 by rotating the conveyor belt 121 in the reverse direction. The paper 112 is reversed (with the back surface being the printing surface), and is fed again between the counter roller 122 and the conveyor belt 121. The timing is controlled, and the sheet is conveyed onto the conveyor bell 121 as described above. Then, after recording on the back surface, the paper is discharged onto a paper discharge tray 154.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a head cleaning unit 171 for maintaining and managing the nozzle surface is provided at a position deviated from the paper 112 in the scanning direction of the carriage 103. The head cleaning unit 171 is provided with a suction cap 173, a recording head moisturizing cap 172, a cleaning head moisturizing cap 204, and a wiper blade 174.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the carriage 103 of the image forming apparatus 10 as viewed from the ink ejection side. The carriage 103 is attached to the guide rod 101 via a carriage guide 106. The carriage 103 is provided with a recording head 107 that performs recording by discharging ink droplets, and a cleaning head 201 that can flow a cleaning liquid. The recording head 107 is provided with an ink discharge nozzle 211 for discharging ink, and forms an image by discharging ink onto the paper 112. The cleaning head 201 is provided with a cleaning nozzle 202 for flowing a cleaning liquid. Here, the cleaning nozzle 202 only needs to be able to flow a cleaning liquid, and may not be able to discharge liquid like the ink discharge nozzle 211. Therefore, the cleaning nozzle 202 may have a smaller diameter accuracy than the ink discharge nozzle 211, and the nozzle diameter may be larger than the ink discharge nozzle 211.

  FIG. 4 shows an arrangement of the head cleaning unit 171 and the carriage 103 as viewed from the front during the operation of the image forming apparatus 10. The carriage 103 includes a recording head 107, a cleaning head 201, a sub tank 108 for temporarily storing ink to be supplied to the recording head 107, and a cleaning liquid sub tank 203 for temporarily storing cleaning liquid to be supplied to the cleaning head 201. Have On the other hand, the head cleaning unit 171 is provided in an area outside the conveyance area of the paper 112. The head cleaning unit 171 includes a suction cap 173, a suction mechanism 205, a recording head moisture retention cap 172, a cleaning head moisture retention cap 204, a wiper blade 174, and an absorber 206.

  The suction cap 173 sucks ink or cleaning liquid from the ink discharge nozzle 211 and the cleaning nozzle 202. The suction mechanism 205 sucks the liquid existing in the suction cap 173 through the suction path 212. The recording head moisturizing cap 172 prevents nozzle blockage due to drying by moisturizing the nozzle surface of the recording head 107. The cleaning head moisturizing cap 204 keeps the nozzle surface of the cleaning head 201 moisturized, thereby preventing nozzle clogging due to drying. The wiper blade 174 removes liquid remaining on the nozzle surface by wiping the nozzle surfaces of the ink discharge nozzle 211 and the cleaning nozzle 202. The absorber 206 absorbs the liquid wiped by the wiper blade 174.

  Here, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, only one suction cap 173 is provided. However, the recording head moisture retention cap 172 may be provided with a mechanism for suctioning each. Further, when the volatility of the ink and the cleaning liquid is low, the recording head moisturizing cap 172 and the cleaning head moisturizing cap 204 may not be provided.

  FIG. 4A shows the standby state or cleaning state of the image forming apparatus 10. The nozzle surface of each ink ejection nozzle 211 of the recording head 107 is sealed by a suction cap 173 and a recording head moisture retention cap 172 corresponding to each ink ejection nozzle 211. The cleaning nozzle 202 of the cleaning head 201 is sealed with a cleaning head moisturizing cap 204. As a result, drying of the nozzle surfaces of the ink discharge nozzles 211 and the cleaning nozzles 202 is prevented. Further, the suction mechanism 205 is operated with the nozzle surface sealed to make the suction cap 173 have a negative pressure, whereby the ink in the recording head 107a is sucked from the ink discharge nozzle 211 to perform head cleaning.

  Next, by moving the carriage 103 and sucking the recording heads 107b, 107c, and 107d with the suction cap 173, all the recording heads 107a to 107d can be cleaned. At this time, the ink remains in the suction cap 173, and the ink remaining in the suction cap 173 is dried and deposited by opening the suction cap 173 to the atmosphere. This tendency becomes more conspicuous when an ink using a pigment having a high solid content and a high viscosity is used.

  FIG. 4B shows a state when the suction cap 173 of the image forming apparatus 10 is cleaned. By operating the suction mechanism 205 in a state where the cleaning nozzle 202 of the cleaning head 201 is sealed with the suction cap 173, the cleaning liquid flows into the suction cap 173, and the ink remaining in the suction cap 173 is washed and washed. be able to. At the time of this cleaning, the suction cap 173 sucks only the cleaning nozzle 202. When the cleaning nozzle 202 and the ink discharge nozzle 211 are sucked together, the ink and the cleaning liquid flow into the suction cap 173, and the efficiency of cleaning the suction cap 173 is significantly reduced. Therefore, the suction cap 173 can remove ink in the suction cap 173 by sucking only the cleaning nozzle 202.

  In addition, it is desirable to suck the cleaning nozzle 202 after sucking the ink discharge nozzle 211. The suction cap 173 is provided at a position deviated from the conveyance region of the paper 112, and when the carriage 103 is at a position facing the suction cap 173, the cleaning nozzle 202 of the carriage 103 is more than the ink discharge nozzle 211. Is also arranged at a position away from the paper 112. Since the ink remaining in the suction cap 173 is difficult to be dried and solidified and cleaned with the passage of time to be opened to the atmosphere, the ink is quickly sucked by the suction cap 173 after being sucked by the suction cap 173. A large cleaning effect can be obtained by sucking the cleaning liquid.

  Further, by placing the cleaning nozzle 202 away from the ink discharge nozzle 211 with respect to the paper 112 to be recorded at this time, the suction operation of the recording head 107, the cleaning operation of the suction cap 173, and the recording operation are performed in a series. The operation can be performed in the order of, for example, (a) → (b) → (c) in the moving direction of the carriage in FIG. 4 from right to left. Therefore, useless movement of the carriage 103 accompanying cleaning of the suction cap 173 can be reduced, and the productivity of the image forming apparatus 10 can be improved.

  FIG. 4C shows a state when the image forming apparatus 10 records an image on the paper 112. The carriage 103 forms an image on the paper 112 by ejecting ink from the recording head 107 while reciprocating along the guide rod 101.

  5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus 10. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the carriage 103 on which the cleaning head 213 for discharging droplets is mounted as viewed from the ink discharge side. FIG. 6 shows a state when the suction cap 173 in the second embodiment is cleaned.

  The cleaning head 213 mounted on the carriage 103 according to the second embodiment includes a pressure generating unit that generates pressure for discharging droplets. In order to discharge the cleaning liquid, the diameter of the cleaning nozzle 208 of the cleaning head 213 is formed to be approximately the same as the diameter of the ink discharge nozzle 211. The tip of the suction cap 173 is disposed at a position away from the nozzle surface of the cleaning nozzle 208, and suction is performed by discharging the cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle 208 into the suction cap 173 with the suction cap 173 open to the atmosphere. The cap 173 is cleaned.

  By disposing the tip of the suction cap 173 at a position away from the nozzle surface of the cleaning nozzle 208 and releasing the suction cap 173 to the atmosphere, the cleaning liquid is discharged into the suction cap 173, so that the carriage 103 can be used even during cleaning. It becomes possible to move. Therefore, the ink attached to the side surface in the suction cap 173 can be cleaned by moving the carriage and discharging the cleaning liquid. At this time, since the suction cap 173 is open to the atmosphere, the discharged cleaning liquid 207 can be collected, and the suction mechanism 205 can be operated simultaneously with the discharge to suck the cleaning liquid. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid 207 may be stored in the suction cap 173 and the ink may be sufficiently dissolved and then sucked (see FIG. 16).

  At this time, as the cleaning liquid 207, various liquids for dissolving or redispersing the solidified ink can be used, but it is desirable that the liquid has a viscosity substantially equal to that of the ink. As a result, the recording head 107 and the cleaning head 213 can be created with a common design, and the parts cost and development cost can be reduced by sharing the ejection control drive waveform and the like. The viscosity is 2 to 20 mPa · s, preferably 5 to 10 mPa · s. In using the ink and the cleaning liquid in the high viscosity region, the effect of cleaning the suction cap 173 is more remarkably exhibited.

  As the liquid having the same viscosity as that of the ink, a liquid obtained by removing the colorant from the ink component can be easily produced, and the solvent resistance load on the head constituent member is also preferable because it is equivalent to that of the ink.

  In the discharge operation of the cleaning liquid 207 in FIG. 6, the cleaning liquid 207 may be discharged from the cleaning nozzle 208 with the tip of the suction cap 173 pressed against the nozzle surface of the cleaning nozzle 208 and sealed as shown in FIG. . By sealing with the suction cap 173, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of dirt due to mist or the like accompanying discharge. In this case, in order to suck the cleaning liquid 207 in the suction cap 173, the cleaning liquid 207 in the suction cap 173 may be sucked while discharging the cleaning liquid 207 from the cleaning nozzle 208. Further, after the discharge of the cleaning liquid 207 from the cleaning nozzle 208 is completed, the cleaning liquid 207 in the suction cap 173 may be sucked. Further, when the cleaning liquid 207 in the suction cap 173 is sucked, even if the suction cap 173 is pressed against the nozzle surface of the cleaning nozzle 208 and sucked, the suction cap 173 is sucked away from the cleaning nozzle 208 nozzle surface. May be.

  FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of the image forming apparatus 10. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the carriage 302 as seen from the ink ejection side. As shown in FIG. 8, the cleaning nozzle 208 and the ink discharge nozzle 211 can be formed on the same head to form an integrated head 301. By integrally forming the cleaning nozzle 208 and the ink discharge nozzle 211, the number of parts can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the relative position between the cleaning nozzle 208 and the ink discharge nozzle 211 is also formed with high accuracy and suction. Capping with the cap 173 is facilitated.

  FIG. 9 shows a fourth embodiment of the image forming apparatus 10. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the carriage 103 as seen from the ink ejection side. As shown in FIG. 9A, the cleaning head 213 is provided on a cleaning carriage 303 different from the carriage 103 on which the recording head 107 is formed. The cleaning carriage 303 is attached to the guide rod 101 via the cleaning carriage guide 305, and can move along the guide rod 101. Here, the carriage 103 and the cleaning carriage 303 can be integrated as shown in FIG. 9B by the cleaning carriage guide 305 and the fitting portion 304.

  During the cleaning of the ink discharge nozzle 211 and the cleaning nozzle 208, as shown in FIG. 9B, the carriage 103 and the cleaning carriage 303 are integrated to suck ink from the ink discharge nozzle 211 with the suction cap 173. Then, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning nozzle 208 to the suction cap 173 to clean the suction cap 173. Thereafter, during the recording operation, as shown in FIG. 9A, the carriage 103 and the cleaning carriage 303 are separated, and recording is performed only by the carriage 103 on which the recording head 107 is mounted. As a result, the suction cap 173 can be cleaned by ink suction and a series of operations, whereas during the recording operation, the cleaning carriage 303 is separated to reduce the carriage weight at the time of recording, so that a high-speed, high-quality image can be obtained. Can be formed. Here, the carriage 103 and the cleaning carriage 303 may be coupled by using a magnetic force or the like in addition to mechanical engagement.

  FIG. 10 shows supply paths of ink and cleaning liquid for supplying ink and cleaning liquid to the recording head 107 and the cleaning head 201, respectively. The cleaning liquid cartridge 402 is provided together with the ink cartridge 401 in the cartridge holder 405 in which the ink cartridge 401 is provided. The cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply port 404 provided in the cleaning liquid cartridge 402 to the cleaning head 201 via the cleaning liquid supply tube 407 and the cleaning liquid sub tank 203. Here, the cleaning liquid supply tube 407 is provided separately from the ink supply tube 406 that supplies ink, but the cleaning liquid supply tube 407 and the ink supply tube 406 may be provided integrally.

  By providing the cleaning liquid cartridge 402 separately from the cleaning head 201 in this manner, it is easy to replace the cleaning liquid cartridge 402 even during the recording operation, and a large capacity cleaning liquid can be mounted. Further, since the cleaning liquid can be supplied to the cleaning head 201 during the recording operation, it is possible to prevent the image forming apparatus 10 from being stopped due to the lack of the cleaning liquid.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of the cleaning liquid cartridge 402. The cleaning liquid cartridge 402 includes a cleaning liquid bag 408 filled with the cleaning liquid and a housing 409 for storing the cleaning liquid bag 408. The casing 409 includes a first casing 410, a second casing 411, and a third casing 412, and the side surface of the cleaning liquid bag 408 is protected by the first casing 410 and the second casing 411. A casing portion serving as a protective cover is configured. That is, the casing 409 is divided into a first casing 410 and a second casing 411 that store the cleaning liquid bag 408 on a surface parallel to the cleaning liquid supply direction (cleaning liquid discharge direction).

  The housing 409 of the cleaning liquid cartridge 402 is assembled into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape by combining the divided first housing 410 and second housing 411 and fitting the third housing 412 into the lower part of the front surface thereof. In the assembled state, a recess 413 and a hook 414 are formed on the rear surface side so that a finger or the like can be easily attached to attach or detach the cleaning liquid cartridge 402 to the apparatus main body, and a cleaning liquid supply port to the apparatus main body is formed on the front side. An opening 415 facing 404 is formed. In addition, guide portions 416 and 417 used for loading into the recording apparatus main body, loading into the cleaning liquid filling apparatus, and the like are integrally formed above and below the housing 409.

  Here, FIG. 10 shows an example in which the ink cartridge 401 and the cleaning liquid cartridge 402 are configured separately. However, as shown in FIG. 12, the ink cartridge 401 and the cleaning liquid cartridge 402 are integrally provided as shown in FIG. A body type cartridge 408 may be used. By integrating the ink cartridge 401 and the cleaning liquid cartridge 402, it is possible to replace the ink and the cleaning liquid all at once, so that the load on the user when replacing the cartridge can be reduced.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the ink cartridge 418 and the head 301 may be integrally formed. In the embodiment of FIG. 13, the integrated head 301 in FIG. 8 and the ink / cleaning liquid integrated cartridge 408 shown in FIG. 12 are integrally provided. However, a cleaning cartridge head in which only the cleaning head 201 and the cleaning liquid cartridge 402 are integrally formed may be used. By integrally forming the cartridge and the head, the head 201 or 301 is exchanged in a short period of time simultaneously with the ink exchange, so that the required head life is set in a short period of time as compared to the head stationary head. Can do. Therefore, the cost of the head can be suppressed.

  FIG. 14 shows a flow in the recording operation of the image forming apparatus 10. Upon receiving the recording request (S10), the image forming apparatus 10 removes the suction cap 173 and the moisturizing caps 172 and 204 that cap the nozzle surface from the nozzle surface in order to prevent the nozzle surface of the head from being dried during the non-recording operation. Release and decap (S12). Thereafter, the carriage 103 on which the head is mounted is moved to the recording position (S14), a timer for measuring the opening time of the suction cap is set to 0 (S16), and timer counting and recording are started (S18). .

  In the next step (S22), it is determined whether the timer for the suction cap opening time has reached the preset time limit for ink cleaning in the cap, and if not, the recording is continued (S36). If the time limit is reached, the process proceeds to the next step (S24). The ink washable limit time is the time required for drying the ink in the suction cap that is dried and solidified over time to the limit that can be washed with the cleaning liquid.

  In the next step (S24), it is determined whether or not the image data to be recorded has been recorded. If the image data has not been recorded, the recording is stopped (S38). Next, the carriage 103 is moved to the position of the suction cap 173 (S28), the head is sealed with the suction cap 173, and the inside of the suction cap 173 is cleaned (S30). After the cleaning operation (S30) is completed, the suction cap 173 is decapped from the head (S12), and the carriage 103 is moved again to the recording position (S14). Next, the suction cap opening time timer is set to 0 (S16), and the timer count and recording are started (S18). On the other hand, when the recording of the image data is finished (S24, YES), the recording is finished (S26).

  Next, the carriage 103 is moved to the position of the suction cap 173 (S28), and the inside of the suction cap 173 is cleaned (S30). Next, in order to keep the nozzle surface of the head moist, capping (S32) is performed in which the suction cap 173 and the moisture retaining caps 172 and 204 are pressed against the nozzle surface of the head, and the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 is finished (S34). Here, the opening time of the suction cap 173 is measured, the cleaning head 201 is periodically moved to a position facing the suction cap 173, and the suction cap 173 is cleaned with the cleaning liquid, whereby the suction force of the suction cap 173 is determined. Can be prevented, the reliability of head cleaning can be ensured, and a high-quality image can be formed.

  FIG. 15 shows a flow in another recording operation of the image forming apparatus 10. As in FIG. 14, after receiving the recording request (S10), after the decap (S12), the movement of the carriage 103 (S14), the timer 0 setting (S16), and the recording is started (S18), this embodiment Then, it is determined whether or not the page is finished (S20). Here, the end of the page means that the recording of the image data for each page has ended, and does not mean the end of the recording of all the image data. If the recording of the image data for each page has not been completed, the recording is continued (S36), and the process proceeds to the next step (S22) only when the recording of the image data for each page is completed. Thus, the cleaning operation (S30) in the suction cap 173 is performed only when the pages are crossed. Productivity is improved by cleaning the inside of the suction cap 173 during a time when recording is not performed, such as when straddling pages, as compared with the case where the carriage 103 is moved to clean the suction cap 173 during recording. Can be made.

  FIG. 16 shows an example of a detailed flow of the in-cap cleaning operation (S30) shown in FIGS. In order to clean the inside of the suction cap 173, the cleaning nozzle 202 or 208 may be sealed with the suction cap 173, and the cleaning liquid may be discharged from the cleaning nozzle 208 to the suction cap 173 and simultaneously supplied into the suction cap 173. The cleaned cleaning liquid may be aspirated. However, it is effective to immerse the inside of the suction cap 173 in the cleaning liquid when the ink is severely dried and it is difficult to dissolve or redisperse the ink with the cleaning liquid. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16, it is preferable that the cleaning liquid in the suction cap 173 is sucked after a predetermined time has elapsed after the cleaning liquid is supplied into the suction cap 173.

  First, upon receiving the in-cap cleaning request (S50), the image forming apparatus 10 sets the count N of the number of repetitions of suction within the cap to 1 (S52), and then sets the cleaning liquid discharge time timer to 0 (S54). The timer count and the discharge of the cleaning liquid from the cleaning head 213 into the cap (S56) are started. The cleaning liquid discharge time timer measures the time from when the cleaning liquid discharge from the cleaning head 213 to the suction cap 173 is started until the cleaning liquid discharge is stopped.

  Next, it is determined whether the time measured by the cleaning liquid discharge time timer has reached a predetermined time (S58). Examples of the predetermined time include a time for filling the suction cap 173 with the cleaning liquid. When the time measured by the cleaning liquid discharge time timer does not reach the predetermined time (S58, NO), the cleaning liquid is continuously discharged into the suction cap 173 (S56). When the time measured by the cleaning liquid discharge time timer reaches the predetermined time (S58, YES), the discharge of the cleaning liquid is stopped (S60), and the cleaning liquid in the suction cap 173 is sucked (S62).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the count N of the number of repetitions of suction within the cap has reached the specified number (S64). If the count N of the number of repetitions of suction within the cap has not reached the designated number (S64, NO), the count of the number of repetitions of suction within the cap is increased by 1 (S68), and the cleaning liquid discharge time timer is set to 0. (S54) Return to the step. On the other hand, if the count N of the number of repetitions of suction within the cap has reached the specified number (S64, YES), the cleaning of the suction cap 173 is terminated (S66).

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid in the suction cap 173 is sucked after a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation of discharging the cleaning liquid from the cleaning head 213 to the suction cap 173 has started. By this operation, the suction cap 173 is filled with the cleaning liquid for a predetermined time. Therefore, the cleaning liquid stored in the suction cap 173 dissolves or redisperses the ink solid content in the suction cap 173, and a greater cleaning effect than in the case of only normal cap suction can be obtained. Here, the number of repetitions of suction within the cap may be set to a sufficient number for cleaning, and may be once if the cleaning property is good. From the viewpoint of productivity, it is desirable that the number of repetitions of suction within the cap is as small as possible.

  17 to 20 show a fifth embodiment of the image forming apparatus 100. FIG. 17 shows an overall configuration of an embodiment using the line head 502 and the electrostatic conveyance belt 121. FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of the line head 502 of the image forming apparatus 100 as viewed from the ink ejection side. 19 and 20 show the positional relationship between the head cleaning unit 505 and the line head 502 as viewed from the direction A in FIG.

  The image forming apparatus 100 includes a plurality of ink discharge nozzles 211 in a row, and includes a line head 502 in which the longitudinal direction of the nozzle row of the ink discharge nozzles 211 is provided along the width direction of the paper 112. The line head 502 includes a total of four rows of ink ejection nozzles 211 and four rows of cleaning nozzles 202 in four colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk). Has been. The line head 502 forms an image on the sheet 211. Further, the line head 502 cleans the line head suction cap 510 described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20 using the cleaning nozzle 202.

  In the image forming apparatus 100, the paper 112 stored in the paper feed cassette 110 is transported in the direction of arrow B by the transport belt 121. When the paper 112 passes through the line head 502, an image is formed on the paper 112 by ejecting ink from the ink ejection nozzle 211. The paper sheet 112 on which the image is formed is transported to the paper discharge tray 154 by the transport belt 121 and stacked.

  Here, the conveyance belt 121 is wound around the conveyance roller 127, and the conveyance belt 121 is charged by the charging roller 130 so that the paper 112 can be reliably conveyed. Since the electric potential is supplied to the charging roller 130 and the conveying belt 121 is charged by the charged charging roller 130, the conveying belt 121 can adsorb and convey the paper 112 by static electricity.

  The line head 502 is provided with a recording line head 503 and a cleaning line head 504 as shown in FIG. The recording line head 503 has a row of ink discharge nozzles 211, and the cleaning line head 504 has a nozzle row of cleaning nozzles 202. The longitudinal direction of the nozzle row of the ink discharge nozzle 211 and the longitudinal direction of the nozzle row of the cleaning nozzle 202 are arranged along a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction (arrow B) of the paper 112. The sheet 112 is conveyed in the direction of arrow B in the figure, and an image is recorded on the sheet by ejecting ink from the ink ejection nozzle 211 provided in the recording line head 503.

  Next, the operation of the head cleaning unit 505 of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. The head cleaning unit 505 is fixed to the apparatus housing 515 by a head cleaning unit moving rod 506a. The head cleaning unit 505 moves in the horizontal direction along the head cleaning unit moving rod 506a. The head cleaning unit 505 includes a suction cap 510, a suction mechanism 507, a recording line head moisture retention cap 509, a cleaning line head moisture retention cap 506b, a line head wiper blade 511, and an absorber 508.

  The line head suction cap 510 sucks ink from the ink discharge nozzles 211 of the recording line head 503 and sucks cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzles 202 of the cleaning line head 504. The suction mechanism 507 sucks ink and cleaning liquid in the line head suction cap 510 through the suction pipe 512. The recording line head moisture retaining cap 509 keeps the nozzle surface of the ink ejection nozzle 211 of the recording line head 503 moist, thereby preventing the ink ejection nozzle 211 from being blocked due to drying. The cleaning line head moisturizing cap 506b prevents the cleaning nozzle 202 from being blocked by drying by moisturizing the nozzle surface of the cleaning nozzle 202 of the cleaning line head 504. The line head wiper blade 511 wipes the nozzle surfaces of the ink discharge nozzle 211 and the cleaning nozzle 202 to remove liquid remaining on the nozzle surface. The absorber 508 absorbs ink and cleaning liquid wiped by the line head wiper blade 511.

  Here, in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, only one line head suction cap 510 is provided. However, the recording line head moisture retention cap 509 may be provided with a function of suction. In addition, when the volatility of the ink and the cleaning liquid is low, the recording line head moisture retaining cap 509 and the cleaning line head moisture retaining cap 506b may not be provided.

  FIG. 19A shows a state of the image forming apparatus 100 during standby and during head cleaning. The line head 502 is lifted upward as shown by an arrow C during standby and head cleaning operations, and a head cleaning unit 505 is inserted between the line head 502 and the conveyor belt 121 to maintain moisture on the nozzle surface and head cleaning. I do.

  Here, the line head moisturizing cap 509 and the line head suction cap 510 seal the nozzle surface of each head to prevent drying of the nozzle surface of each head. In addition, by operating the suction mechanism 507 in a state where the nozzle surface of each head is sealed with the line head moisture retention cap 509 and the line head suction cap 510, the inside of the line head suction cap 510 is set to a negative pressure, whereby the recording line The recording line head 503a is cleaned by sucking ink from the head 503a from the ink discharge nozzle 211.

  The recording line heads 503b, 503c, and 503d are also cleaned by moving the head cleaning unit 505 along the head cleaning unit moving rod 506a. By this cleaning, all the recording line heads 503 can be cleaned. At this time, ink remains in the line head suction cap 510, and the ink remaining in the line head suction cap 510 is dried and deposited by opening the line head suction cap 510 to the atmosphere. This tendency becomes more conspicuous when an ink using a pigment having a high solid content and a high viscosity is used.

  FIG. 19B shows a state when the line head suction cap 510 of the image forming apparatus 100 is cleaned. By operating the suction mechanism 507 in a state where the cleaning nozzle 202 of the cleaning line head 504 is sealed with the line head suction cap 510, the cleaning liquid flows into the line head suction cap 510 and remains in the line head suction cap 510. The ink can be washed away. Here, at the time of cleaning, the line head suction cap 510 sucks only the cleaning nozzle 202. When the ink discharge nozzle 211 and the cleaning nozzle 202 used for other recording are sucked together, the ink and the cleaning liquid flow into the cap 510 by the suction, and the cleaning efficiency is remarkably lowered. The line head suction cap 510 can remove ink in the suction cap 510 by sucking only the cleaning nozzle 202.

  The cleaning line head 504 may simply distribute the cleaning liquid to the suction cap 510 without discharging the cleaning liquid. In addition, the cleaning line head 504 may be provided with a pressure generating unit that generates a pressure for discharging droplets and may discharge the cleaning liquid. When the cleaning liquid is discharged, the diameter of the cleaning nozzle 202 in FIG. 18 is formed to be approximately the same as the diameter of the ink discharge nozzle 211. In this case, the line head suction cap 510 can be cleaned by discharging the cleaning liquid 207 into the line head suction cap 510 as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. At this time, in order to recover the cleaning liquid 207 discharged to the line head suction cap 510, the cleaning liquid 207 is discharged from the cleaning line head 504 to the line head suction cap 510, and at the same time, the line head suction mechanism 507 is driven to remove the cleaning liquid 207. You may suck. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid 207 may be stored in the line head suction cap 510 for a predetermined time, and the cleaning liquid in the suction cap 510 may be sucked after the ink is sufficiently dissolved in the cleaning liquid.

  FIG. 20C shows a state of the image forming apparatus 100 when the line head suction cap 510 is retracted from the recording area E. FIG. 20D shows the state of the image forming apparatus 100 during the recording operation of the line head suction cap 510. After the cleaning of the line head suction cap 510 is finished, the head cleaning unit 505 is moved and retracted from the position facing the line head 502 to the outside of the recording area E along the head cleaning unit moving rod 506a. This can prevent the head cleaning unit 505 from interfering with the line head 502 during the recording operation. Further, as shown in FIG. 20D, after the head cleaning unit 505 is retracted out of the recording area E, the line head 502 is lowered and the gap with the conveying belt 121 is set appropriately, whereby the paper 112 is formed. Can be recorded.

  As a result, even in the line head suction cap 510 that sucks and discharges a large amount of ink in the head cleaning operation and easily lowers the suction force due to ink drying, the head cleaning quality is improved by maintaining the suction force of the line head suction cap 510. Can be maintained.

  FIG. 21 shows a flow in the recording operation of the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. Upon receiving the recording request (S100), the image forming apparatus 100 uses a line head suction cap 510 that caps the nozzle surface to prevent the nozzle surface from being dried during non-recording operation, and moisturizing caps 506b and 509. The cap is separated from the surface (S102). Thereafter, the head cleaning unit 505 is retracted from the position facing the line head 502 (S104), and then the line head 502 is lowered (S105). Next, the timer for the suction cap opening time is set to 0 (S106), and the timer count and recording on the paper 112 are started (S108).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the recording for each page has been completed (S110). If the recording for each page is not completed (S110, NO), the recording is continued (S126), and only when the recording for each page is completed (S110, YES), the process proceeds to the next step (S112). . Next, it is determined whether or not the timer for the suction cap opening time has reached a preset time for ink cleaning within the suction cap 510 (S112). The ink washable limit time is the time required for drying until the ink in the suction cap 510 that is dried and solidified over time reaches a limit that can be cleaned with the cleaning liquid. If the limit time is not reached (S112, NO), the recording is continued (S126), and if the limit time is reached (S112, YES), the process proceeds to the next step (S114).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the recording of all image data has been completed (S114). If the recording of all the image data has not been completed (S114, NO), the line head 502 is raised (S117), and then the cleaning unit 505 is moved to a position facing the line head 502 (S118), and suction is performed. The inside of the cap 510 is washed (S120). After the cleaning operation, the line head suction cap 510 and the moisturizing caps 506b and 509 are separated from the nozzle surface and decapped (S102).

  After the decap (S102), the head cleaning unit 505 is retracted again from the position facing the line head 502 (S104), the suction cap opening time timer is set to 0 (S106), and timer counting and recording are started. (S108). On the other hand, when the recording of all the image data is finished (S114), the recording is finished (S116), the cleaning unit 505 is moved to a position facing the line head 502 (S118), and the inside of the suction cap 510 is cleaned (S118). S120). Next, in order to keep the nozzle surface of each head moist, a cap is pressed against the nozzle surface for capping (S122), and the operation is terminated (S124).

  The image forming apparatus 100 measures the open time of the line head suction cap 510 to the atmosphere, periodically moves the line head suction cap 510 to a position facing the cleaning line head 504, and cleans the line head suction cap 510 with the cleaning liquid. To do. By cleaning the line head suction cap 510, it is possible to prevent a reduction in the suction force of the line head suction cap 510, to ensure the reliability of head cleaning, and to form a high-quality image. Further, by performing the in-cap cleaning operation (S120) only when the recording spans pages during the recording operation, the inside of the suction cap can be cleaned at a timing when recording is not performed. Therefore, there is no need to stop the recording operation and move the line head 502 and the head cleaning unit 505 for the suction cap cleaning operation during recording. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the banding image generated by performing the cleaning operation during the recording operation and improve the productivity.

  FIG. 22 shows a detailed flow of the in-cap cleaning operation (S120) shown in FIG. In the in-cap cleaning operation (S120), the cleaning liquid 202 may be supplied to the line head suction cap 510 by sealing the cleaning nozzle 202 with the line head suction cap 510, and the line head suction cap 510 may supply the cleaning liquid to the line head suction cap 510. At the same time as the cleaning liquid is discharged to 510, the cleaning liquid supplied from the line head suction cap 510 into the line head suction cap 510 may be sucked. However, when the drying of the ink is intense and it is not easy to dissolve or redisperse the ink with the cleaning liquid, it is effective to immerse the inside of the line head suction cap 510 in the cleaning liquid. Therefore, it is preferable to perform the in-cap cleaning operation (S120) as shown in FIG.

  First, upon receiving the in-cap cleaning request (S150), the image forming apparatus 100 sets a count N of the number of repetitions of in-cap suction to 1 (S152), and sets a cleaning liquid discharge time timer to 0 (S154). The timer for the cleaning liquid discharge time measures the time from the start of discharging the cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle 202 to the line head suction cap 510 until the discharge of the cleaning liquid is stopped. Next, the timer count and the discharge of the cleaning liquid into the suction cap 510 are started (S156). Next, it is determined whether the time measured by the cleaning liquid discharge time timer has reached a predetermined time (S158). As the predetermined time, a time for filling the suction cap 510 with the cleaning liquid is used. When the time measured by the cleaning liquid discharge time timer does not reach the predetermined time (S158, NO), the discharge of the cleaning liquid is continued, and when the time measured by the cleaning liquid discharge time timer reaches the predetermined time (S158, If YES, the discharge of the cleaning liquid is stopped (S160), and the cleaning liquid in the suction cap 510 is sucked (S162).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the number of repetitions of suction within the cap has reached the specified number (S164). If the count of the number of repetitions of suction within the cap has not reached the specified number (S164, NO), the count of the number of repetitions of suction within the cap is increased by 1 (S168), and the discharge time timer is set to 0 (S154). ). On the other hand, when the number of repetitions of suction within the cap has reached the specified number (S164, YES), the cleaning within the cap is terminated (S166).

  In this way, after the predetermined time has elapsed after the line head suction cap 510 is filled with the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid stored in the suction cap 510 dissolves or dissolves the ink solids by sucking the cleaning liquid present in the suction cap 510. Redistribute. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the line head suction cap 510 by sealing the suction nozzle 202 with the line head suction cap 510 and sucked, or the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning nozzle 202 to the line head suction cap 510. At the same time as discharging the liquid, it is possible to obtain a cleaning effect greater than that of the mode in which the cleaning liquid supplied from the line head suction cap 510 into the line head suction cap 510 is sucked. Here, the number of repetitions of suction in the cap may be set to a number sufficient for cleaning the suction cap, and may be once if the cleaning performance is good. From the viewpoint of productivity, the smallest possible number is desirable.

  FIG. 23 shows a state when the wiper blade 174 is washed. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning head 213 discharges the cleaning liquid 207 to the wiper blade 174. Accordingly, the wiper blade 174 can be cleaned in the same manner as the suction cap 173. The discharged cleaning liquid 207 is absorbed by the absorbent body 206 provided in the fixed part of the wiper blade 174. Therefore, the absorber 206 prevents the image forming apparatus 100 from being soiled by the cleaning liquid 207.

  Cleaning the wiper blade 174 before the ink attached to the wiper blade 174 is dried and solidified has a large cleaning effect. Therefore, it is preferable to clean the wiper blade 174 immediately after wiping the nozzle surface. When the ink adheres to the wiper blade 174, the cleaning performance for the nozzle surface of the wiper blade 174 is significantly reduced. Therefore, removing the ink adhering to the wiper blade 174 by discharging the cleaning liquid 207 to the wiper blade 174 is extremely effective for maintaining an image with no nozzle missing.

  FIG. 23 shows the cleaning head 213 mounted on the carriage 103, but the cleaning line head 504 shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 can be similarly implemented.

  FIG. 24 is an enlarged view of the suction cap 173 used in the image forming apparatus 10. In order to improve the cleaning performance of the suction cap 173, it is desirable to form the water repellent film 210 on the inner wall surface in order to suppress the adhesion of ink to the inner wall surface of the suction cap 173.

  The water-repellent film may be formed by vapor deposition under vacuum or may be applied after being dissolved in an appropriate solvent. Speaking of the former, for example, after evacuating the inside of the vacuum chamber to a predetermined degree of vacuum with a vacuum pump, the water-repellent material is vaporized at 400 ° C. and introduced into the vacuum chamber to adjust the vacuum atmosphere, The discharge electrode is supplied with electric power to cause RF glow discharge, and the orifice surface of the liquid discharge head is surface-treated in a plasma atmosphere to form the water-repellent film on the orifice surface. Depending on the material and the degree of vacuum in the vacuum chamber, it is possible to form a water-repellent film at a low temperature of about room temperature to about 200 ° C. As for the latter, for example, a water-repellent material can be dissolved in an organic solvent and coated with a jig such as a wire bar or a doctor blade, or can be applied by spin coating with a spin coater or by spraying. It can also be dip coated (dipped) in a container filled with a coating solution.

  As the water repellent material, an organic compound having a fluorine atom, particularly an organic substance having a fluoroalkyl group, an organic silicon compound having a dimethylsiloxane skeleton, and the like can be used.

  As the organic compound having a fluorine atom, fluoroalkylsilane, alkane having a fluoroalkyl group, cambonic acid, alcohol, amine and the like are desirable. Specifically, the fluoroalkylsilane includes heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrodecyltrimethoxysilane, heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrotrichlorosilane; fluoroalkyl As the alkane having a group, octafluorocyclobutane, perfluoromethylcyclohexane, perfluoro-n-hexane, perfluoro-n-heptane, tetradecafluoro-2-methylpentane, perfluorododecane, perfluoroeucosan; carboxylic acid having a fluorooalkyl group Perfluorodecanoic acid, perfluorooctanoic acid; alcohols having a fluoroalkyl group include 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5-heptafluoro-2-pentanol; The emissions, heptadecafluoro over 1,1,2,2-tetrahydro-decyl amine. Examples of organosilicon compounds having a dimethylsiloxane skeleton include α, w-bis (3-aminopropyl) polydimethylsiloxane, α, w-bis (3-glycidoxypropyl) polydimethylsiloxane, α, w-bis (vinyl) poly. Examples thereof include dimethylsiloxane.

  In addition, as another water-repellent material, an organic compound having a silicon atom and an organic compound having an alkylsiloxane group in the h can be used.

Examples of the organic compound having an alkylsiloxane group include alkylsiloxane groups having two or more alkylsiloxane groups and cycloaliphatic epoxy groups in the molecule constituting the alkylsiloxane epoxy resin composition. The polymer compound (A) containing the structural unit represented by general formula (a) and (b) is mentioned.

  The compound having the above structure also functions as a binder when used in combination with other water-repellent compounds. That is, it improves the workability of the ink-repellent composition and improves the workability as a dry coating film that improves the drying property after evaporation of the solvent.

  The film thickness of the water repellent film is preferably 5 μm or less, more preferably 2 μm or less. When the film thickness exceeds 5 μm, drying of the coating film is delayed, productivity may be deteriorated, and mechanical durability may be impaired.

  Here, as the pigment used in the ink used in the present invention, the following pigments are preferably used. Moreover, you may use these pigments in mixture of multiple types.

  Examples of organic pigments include azo, phthalocyanine, anthraquinone, quinacridone, dioxazine, indigo, thioindigo, perylene, isoindolenone, aniline black, azomethine, rhodamine B lake pigment, and carbon black. It is done.

  Examples of inorganic pigments include iron oxide, titanium oxide, calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, aluminum hydroxide, barium yellow, bitumen, cadmium red, chrome yellow, and metal powder.

  The particle diameter of these pigments is preferably 0.01 to 0.30 [mu] m. If the particle diameter is 0.01 [mu] m or less, the light resistance and feathering are deteriorated because the particle diameter approaches that of the dye. On the other hand, if it is 0.30 μm or more, clogging of the discharge port or clogging with a filter in the printer occurs, and the discharge stability cannot be obtained. It is more preferable from a viewpoint of clogging and discharge stability that it is 0.01-0.16 micrometer.

  The carbon black used in the black pigment ink is carbon black produced by the furnace method and the channel method, the primary particle size is 15 to 40 millimicrons, the specific surface area by the BET method is 50 to 300 square meters / g, The DBP oil absorption is preferably 40 to 150 ml / 100 g, the volatile content is 0.5 to 10%, and the pH value is 2 to 9. For example, No. 2300, No. 900, MCF-88, No. 33, No. 40, No. 45, No. 52, MA7, MA8, MA100, No. 2200B (Mitsubishi, Chemical), Raven700, 5750, 5250, 5000, 3500, 1255 (above Colombia), Regal400R, 330R, 660R, MululL, Monarch700, 800, 880, 900, 1000 1100, 1300, Monarch 1400 (above, manufactured by Cabot), Color Black FW1, FW2, FW2V, FW18, FW200, S150, S160, S170, Printex 35, U, V, 140U, 140V, Special Black 6, 5, 4 A, 4 (made by Degussa) or the like can be used, but is not limited thereto.

  Specific examples of color pigments are listed below. Examples of organic pigments include azo, phthalocyanine, anthraquinone, quinacridone, dioxazine, indigo, thioindigo, perylene, isoindolenone, aniline black, azomethine, rhodamine B lake pigment, and carbon black. Examples of inorganic pigments include iron oxide, titanium oxide, calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, aluminum hydroxide, barium yellow, bitumen, cadmium red, chrome yellow, and metal powder.

  Specific examples according to color are as follows. Examples of pigments that can be used for yellow ink include C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 1, 2, 2, 3, 12, 14, 16, 17, 17, 73, 74, 75, 83, 93, 95, 97, 98, 114, 128, 129, 151, 154, etc., but are not limited thereto.

  Examples of pigments that can be used in magenta ink include C.I. I. Pigment Red 5, 7, 12, 48 (Ca), 48 (Mn), 57 (Ca), 57: 1, 112, 123, 168, 184, 202, etc. However, it is not limited to these.

  Examples of pigments that can be used for cyan ink include C.I. I. Pigment Blue 1, 2, 3, 15, 15: 3, 15:34, 16, 22, 22, 60, C.I. Examples thereof include, but are not limited to, Bat Blue 4 and 60.

  In addition, the pigment contained in each ink used in the present invention may be newly produced for the present invention.

  The pigments listed above can be made into an inkjet recording liquid by dispersing them in an aqueous medium using a polymer dispersant or a surfactant. As a dispersant for dispersing such organic pigment powder, a normal water-soluble resin or a water-soluble surfactant can be used.

  Specific examples of water-soluble resins include styrene, styrene derivatives, vinyl naphthalene derivatives, aliphatic alcohol esters of α, β-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids, acrylic acid, acrylic acid derivatives, maleic acid, maleic acid derivatives, itacon. Examples thereof include block copolymers consisting of at least two monomers selected from acids, itaconic acid derivatives, fumaric acid, fumaric acid derivatives, etc., random copolymers, or salts thereof.

  These water-soluble resins are alkali-soluble resins that are soluble in an aqueous solution in which a base is dissolved. Among them, a resin having a weight average molecular weight of 3000 to 20000 is used as a dispersion when used in an inkjet recording liquid. It is particularly preferred because of the advantages that it can be reduced in viscosity and can be easily dispersed.

  The simultaneous use of the polymer dispersant and the self-dispersing pigment is a preferable combination because an appropriate dot diameter can be obtained. The reason is not clear, but it is thought as follows. By containing the polymer dispersant, the penetration into the recording paper is suppressed. On the other hand, since the aggregation of the self-dispersing pigment is suppressed by containing the polymer dispersant, the self-dispersing pigment can smoothly spread in the lateral direction. Therefore, it is considered that the dots spread widely and thinly and ideal dots can be formed.

  Moreover, the following are mentioned as a specific example of the water-soluble surfactant which can be used as a dispersing agent. For example, anionic surfactants include higher fatty acid salts, alkyl sulfates, alkyl ether sulfates, alkyl ester sulfates, alkyl aryl ether sulfates, alkyl sulfonates, sulfosuccinates, alkyl allyls and alkyl naphthalene sulfonic acids. Examples thereof include salts, alkyl phosphates, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether phosphate esters, and alkyl allyl ether phosphates. Examples of the cationic surfactant include alkylamine salts, dialkylamine salts, tetraalkylammonium salts, benzalkonium salts, alkylpyridinium salts, imidazolinium salts, and the like.

  Furthermore, examples of the amphoteric surfactant include dimethylalkyl lauryl betaine, alkyl glycine, alkyl di (aminoethyl) glycine, imidazolinium betaine and the like. Nonionic surfactants include polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkyl allyl ether, polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene glycol, glycerin ester, sorbitan ester, sucrose ester, glycerin ester polyoxyethylene ether, sorbitan Examples thereof include polyoxyethylene ethers of esters, polyoxyethylene ethers of sorbitol esters, fatty acid alkanolamides, polyoxyethylene fatty acid amides, amine oxides, and polyoxyethylene alkylamines.

  Further, the pigment can be provided with dispersibility by coating with a resin having a hydrophilic group and encapsulating the pigment.

  As a method for coating a water-insoluble pigment with an organic polymer and microencapsulating, all conventionally known methods can be used. Conventionally known methods include chemical production methods, physical production methods, physicochemical methods, mechanical production methods, and the like. Specifically, interfacial polymerization method, in-situ polymerization method, submerged cured coating method, coacervation (phase separation) method, submerged drying method, melt dispersion cooling method, air suspension coating method, spray drying method , Acid precipitation method, phase inversion emulsification method and the like.

  The interfacial polymerization method is a method in which two types of monomers or two types of reactants are separately dissolved in a dispersed phase and a continuous phase, and both substances are reacted at the interface between the two to form a wall film. The in-situ polymerization method is a method in which a liquid or gas monomer and catalyst, or two reactive substances are supplied from either one of the continuous phase core particles to cause a reaction to form a wall film. The in-liquid cured coating method is a method of forming a wall film by insolubilizing droplets of a polymer solution containing core material particles in a liquid with a curing agent or the like.

  The coacervation (phase separation) method is a method in which a polymer dispersion in which core material particles are dispersed is separated into a coacervate (concentrated phase) and a dilute phase having a high polymer concentration to form a wall film. . In the liquid drying method, a liquid in which a core material is dispersed in a wall membrane material solution is prepared, and the dispersion is put into a liquid in which the continuous phase of this dispersion liquid is not miscible to form a composite emulsion to dissolve the wall membrane material. In this method, the wall film is formed by gradually removing the medium.

  The melt dispersion cooling method uses a wall film material that melts into a liquid state when heated and solidifies at room temperature. This material is heated and liquefied, and the core material particles are dispersed in it and cooled to fine particles. This is a method of forming a wall film. The suspension-in-air coating method is a method of forming a wall membrane by suspending powder core material particles in the air with a fluidized bed and suspending them in an air stream while spraying and mixing the coating solution of the wall membrane material. It is.

  The spray drying method is a method in which an encapsulated stock solution is sprayed and brought into contact with hot air to evaporate and dry volatile components to form a wall film. The acid precipitation method means that at least a part of the anionic group of the organic polymer compound containing an anionic group is neutralized with a basic compound to give water solubility and kneading in an aqueous medium together with a coloring material. After that, neutralization or acidification with an acidic compound is performed, and organic compounds are precipitated and fixed to a coloring material, and then neutralized and dispersed. The phase inversion emulsification method refers to a mixture containing an anionic organic polymer having dispersibility in water and a coloring material as an organic solvent phase, and water is added to the organic solvent phase or This is a method of charging the organic solvent phase.

  Examples of organic polymers (resins) used as the material constituting the microcapsule wall membrane material include polyamide, polyurethane, polyester, polyurea, epoxy resin, polycarbonate, urea resin, melamine resin, phenol resin, and polysaccharide. , Gelatin, gum arabic, dextran, casein, protein, natural rubber, carboxypolymethylene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, cellulose, ethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, nitrocellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, acetic acid Cellulose, polyethylene, polystyrene, (meth) acrylic acid polymer or copolymer, (meth) acrylic acid ester polymer or copolymer, (meth) acrylic acid (Meth) acrylic acid ester copolymer, styrene- (meth) acrylic acid copolymer, styrene-maleic acid copolymer, sodium alginate, fatty acid, paraffin, beeswax, water wax, hardened beef tallow, carnauba wax, albumin, etc. .

  Among these, organic polymers having an anionic group such as a carboxylic acid group or a sulfonic acid group can be used. Nonionic organic polymers include, for example, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol monomethacrylate, polypropylene glycol monomethacrylate, methoxypolyethylene glycol monomethacrylate or their (co) polymers, and 2-oxazoline cationic ring-opening polymers. Is mentioned. In particular, a complete saponified product of polyvinyl alcohol is particularly preferable because it has low water solubility and is easily dissolved in hot water but difficult to dissolve in cold water.

  Further, the amount of the organic polymer constituting the wall membrane material of the microcapsule is 1% by weight or more and 20% by weight or less based on the water-insoluble colorant such as an organic pigment or carbon black. By setting the amount of the organic polymer within the above range, the content of the organic polymer in the capsule is relatively low so that the pigment develops due to the organic polymer covering the pigment surface. Can be suppressed. If the amount of the organic polymer is less than 1% by weight, it is difficult to exert the effect of encapsulation. Conversely, if the amount exceeds 20% by weight, the color developability of the pigment is significantly reduced. In consideration of other characteristics, the amount of the organic polymer is preferably in the range of 5 to 10% by weight based on the water-insoluble colorant.

  That is, since a part of the color material is exposed without being substantially covered, it is possible to suppress a decrease in color developability, and conversely, a part of the color material is not substantially exposed without being exposed. Since it is coated, it is possible to simultaneously exhibit the effect that the pigment is coated. The number average molecular weight of the organic polymers is preferably 2000 or more from the viewpoint of capsule production. Here, “substantially exposed” means not the partial exposure associated with defects such as pinholes and cracks, but a state where it is intentionally exposed.

  Furthermore, if an organic pigment or self-dispersing carbon black, which is a self-dispersing pigment, is used as a colorant, the dispersibility of the pigment is improved even if the content of the organic polymer in the capsule is relatively low. In addition, since sufficient storage stability of the ink can be secured, it is more preferable for the present invention.

  It is preferable to select an organic polymer suitable for the microencapsulation method. For example, in the case of interfacial polymerization, polyester, polyamide, polyurethane, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, epoxy resin and the like are suitable. In the case of using the in-situ polymerization method, a polymer or copolymer of (meth) acrylic acid ester, (meth) acrylic acid- (meth) acrylic acid ester copolymer, styrene- (meth) acrylic acid copolymer, Polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyamide and the like are suitable. In the case of the liquid curing method, sodium alginate, polyvinyl alcohol, gelatin, albumin, epoxy resin and the like are suitable. In the case of the coacervation method, gelatin, celluloses, casein and the like are suitable. In addition, in order to obtain a fine and uniform microencapsulated pigment, it is possible to use all conventionally known encapsulation methods other than those described above.

  When the phase inversion method or the acid precipitation method is selected as the microencapsulation method, anionic organic polymers are used as the organic polymers constituting the wall membrane material of the microcapsules. The phase inversion method is a composite or composite of an anionic organic polymer having self-dispersibility or solubility in water and a colorant such as a self-dispersion organic pigment or self-dispersion carbon black, or a self-dispersion method. A mixture of a colorant such as a dispersible organic pigment or self-dispersing carbon black, a curing agent, and an anionic organic polymer is used as an organic solvent phase, and water is added to the organic solvent phase, or the organic solvent is submerged in water. In this method, a solvent phase is introduced and microencapsulation is performed while self-dispersion (phase inversion emulsification) is performed. In the above phase inversion method, there is no problem even if the organic solvent phase is mixed with a recording liquid vehicle or additives. In particular, it is more preferable to mix a liquid medium of a recording liquid because a dispersion liquid for recording liquid can be directly produced.

  On the other hand, in the acid precipitation method, a part or all of the anionic group of the anionic group-containing organic polymer is neutralized with a basic compound, and a colorant such as a self-dispersing organic pigment or self-dispersing carbon black, A water-containing cake obtained by a production method comprising a step of kneading in an aqueous medium and a step of neutralizing and acidifying an acidic compound to precipitate an anionic group-containing organic polymer and fixing it to a pigment, This is a method of microencapsulation by neutralizing a part or all of an anionic group using a compound. By doing in this way, the aqueous dispersion containing the anionic microencapsulated pigment which is fine and contains many pigments can be manufactured.

  Examples of the solvent used for microencapsulation as described above include alkyl alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, propanol and butanol; aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzol, toluol and xylol; methyl acetate Esters such as ethyl acetate and butyl acetate; Chlorinated hydrocarbons such as chloroform and ethylene dichloride; Ketones such as acetone and methyl isobutyl ketone; Ethers such as tetrahydrofuran and dioxane; Cellosolves such as methyl cellosolve and butyl cellosolve Etc. The microcapsules prepared by the above method are once separated from these solvents by centrifugation or filtration, and then stirred and redispersed with water and the necessary solvent, and used for the intended present invention. A recording liquid that can be used is obtained. The average particle diameter of the encapsulated pigment obtained by the above method is preferably 50 nm to 180 nm.

  By coating the resin in this way, the pigment adheres firmly to the printed material, whereby the scratching property of the printed material can be improved.

  In all the embodiments shown here, the case where ink is used as a recording droplet is described. The cleaning liquid can be widely used as long as it does not contain a colorant. Further, various recording media can be used for the paper 112, and the paper 112 is not limited to paper.

  The image forming apparatuses 10 and 100 according to the present invention can also be applied to a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying apparatus, and an image forming apparatus that combines these functions. Further, the present invention can also be applied to a droplet discharge head or a droplet discharge device that discharges a liquid other than ink, such as a DNA sample, a resist, or a pattern material.

1 is a side explanatory view of the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the carriage according to the first embodiment viewed from the ink ejection side. FIG. 3 is a carriage layout diagram when the first embodiment is viewed from the front. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a carriage according to a second embodiment viewed from an ink ejection side. It is a schematic diagram of the suction cap cleaning of the second embodiment. It is another schematic diagram of the suction cap cleaning of the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a carriage according to a third embodiment viewed from the ink ejection side. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a carriage according to a fourth embodiment viewed from the ink ejection side. It is a supply path schematic diagram of ink and cleaning liquid in the present invention. It is a detailed explanatory view of a cleaning liquid cartridge in the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an ink and cleaning liquid integrated cartridge according to the present invention. It is a schematic diagram of a head integrated cartridge in the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a recording operation of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is another recording operation flowchart of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the in-cap cleaning operation of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. It is a whole block diagram of 5th Embodiment of the image forming apparatus of this invention. It is the enlarged view which looked at the line head of 5th Embodiment from the ink discharge side. FIG. 10 is a head cleaning unit layout diagram when the fifth embodiment is viewed from the side. FIG. 10 is a head cleaning unit layout diagram when the fifth embodiment is viewed from the side. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a recording operation of an image forming apparatus according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the in-cap cleaning operation according to the fifth embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the wiper blade cleaning in the present invention. It is an enlarged view of the suction cap in the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101: Guide rod 102: Guide rail 103: Carriage 104: Main scanning motor 105: Timing belt 106: Carriage guide 107: Recording head 108: Sub tank 110: Paper feed cassette 111: Paper stacking part (pressure plate) 112: Paper 113: Half moon Roller (paper feed roller)
114: Separation pad 115: Guide 121: Conveying belt 122: Counter roller 123: Conveying guide 124: Pressing member 125: Tip pressure roller 126: Charging roller 127: Conveying roller 128: Tension roller 129: Guide member 131: Sub scanning motor 132: Timing belt 133: Timing roller 134: Slit disk 135: Sensor 136: First encoder 142: Encoder scale 143: Encoder sensor 144: Second encoder 152: Paper discharge roller 153: Paper discharge roller 154: Paper discharge tray 161 : Double-sided paper feeding unit 171: Head cleaning unit 172: Recording head moisture retention cap 173: Suction cap 174: Wiper blade 201: Cleaning head 202: Cleaning nozzle 203: Cleaning liquid sub Numeral 204: Cleaning head moisturizing cap 205: Suction mechanism 206: Absorber 207: Cleaning liquid 208: Cleaning nozzle 209: Absorbed ink 210: Water repellent film 211: Ink ejection nozzle 212: Suction pipe 213: Cleaning head 301 : Integrated head 302: Integrated head mounting carriage 303: Cleaning carriage 304: Carriage rod guide fitting part 305: Cleaning carriage rod guide 401: Ink cartridge 402: Cleaning liquid cartridge 403: Ink supply port 404: Cleaning liquid supply port 405: Cartridge holder 406: Ink supply tube 407: Cleaning liquid supply tube 408: Cleaning liquid bag 409: Case 410: First case 411: Second case 412: Third case 413: Recess 414: Hook 415: Opening 4 6: Guide portion 417: Guide portion 418: Ink cleaning liquid integrated cartridge 419: Head integrated cartridge 502: Line head 503: Recording line head 504: Cleaning line head 505: Head cleaning unit 506a: Head cleaning unit moving rod 506b: Cleaning line Head moisture retention cap 507: Line head suction mechanism 508: Absorber 509: Recording line head moisture retention cap 510: Line head suction cap 511: Line head wiper blade 512: Suction pipe

Claims (17)

An ink discharge nozzle that records ink by discharging ink containing a colorant onto a recording medium, a cleaning nozzle through which a cleaning liquid that does not contain a colorant flows, and a suction cap that sucks ink by sealing the ink discharge nozzle Prepared,
The suction cap, the ink discharge nozzle and does not face and is disposed at a position opposed to the cleaning nozzle, washed of the suction cap by sucking the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning nozzle,
An ink discharge head in which the ink discharge nozzle is formed; and a cleaning head in which the cleaning nozzle is formed;
The cleaning head is detachably attached to the ink discharge head, the nozzle cleaning operation is performed by integrating the cleaning head and the ink discharge head, and the recording operation is performed by using the cleaning head as the ink discharge head. An image forming apparatus , wherein the image forming apparatus is separated from the ink discharge head and is performed only by the ink discharge head . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction cap cleans the suction cap by sealing only the cleaning nozzle and sucking the cleaning liquid . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning nozzle discharges a cleaning liquid. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the cleaning nozzle discharges a cleaning liquid into the suction cap. Disposing the tip of the suction cap at a position away from the nozzle surface of the cleaning nozzle and discharging the cleaning liquid from the cleaning nozzle into the suction cap with the suction cap open to the atmosphere, The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the cleaning liquid in the suction cap is sucked. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the cleaning liquid in the suction cap is sucked after the cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning nozzle into the suction cap. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein during the recording operation, the cleaning nozzle is moved to a position facing the suction cap to discharge the cleaning liquid. 8. The image formation according to claim 7 , wherein the image data can be recorded over a plurality of pages of the recording medium, and the cleaning liquid is discharged from the cleaning nozzle without performing a recording operation when the pages are crossed. apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a wiper that wipes the ink discharge nozzle, wherein the cleaning nozzle discharges a cleaning liquid to the wiper. The ink ejection nozzle and the cleaning nozzle are provided, and further includes a carriage that reciprocates in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the recording medium is conveyed, and the suction cap is provided at a position outside the recording medium conveyance area. The cleaning nozzle on the carriage is disposed at a position farther from the recording medium than the ink discharge nozzle at a position where at least a part of the carriage faces the suction cap. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the suction cap sucks the cleaning nozzle row after sucking the ink discharge nozzle. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a cleaning liquid cartridge that supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning nozzle. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising an ink cartridge that supplies ink to the ink discharge nozzle, wherein the cleaning liquid cartridge is integrated with the ink cartridge. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ink contains a pigment. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the viscosity of the cleaning liquid is substantially the same as the viscosity of the ink. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein a component of the cleaning liquid is substantially the same as a component that does not include the colorant among the components of the ink.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner wall surface of the suction cap has a water repellent film.

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