JP4952646B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus having a recording head in which ejection openings for ejecting liquid droplets are formed.

  In the recording apparatus, a maintenance unit that performs maintenance of the recording head may be provided. Patent Document 1 describes a recording apparatus having such a maintenance unit. The recording head of Patent Document 1 has a nozzle surface (ejection surface) on which nozzles (ejection ports) for ejecting ink are formed, and the maintenance unit is provided with a blade (wiper) for wiping the nozzle surface. Yes. The maintenance unit wipes the nozzle surface by moving the blade along the nozzle surface while contacting the blade. Thereby, the liquid adhering to the nozzle surface is removed. In Patent Document 1, prior to wiping the nozzle surface with a blade, a wipe roller sucks ink adhering to the nozzle surface.

JP 2004-142450 A

  According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561, the blade scrapes liquid and foreign matter adhering to the nozzle surface of the recording head. In this case, when the blade is separated from the nozzle surface, liquid or the like that has been scraped by the blade may remain on the nozzle surface. If a large amount of liquid remains, it may drop during printing and contaminate the printing paper or contaminate the inside of the apparatus. Further, when the viscosity of the liquid remaining on the nozzle surface increases, there is a possibility that the liquid with increased viscosity may be reattached to the blade.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus in which liquid does not easily remain on the ejection surface of a recording head.

The recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head having an ejection surface on which one or a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting droplets is formed, and a wiper that contacts the ejection surface and wipes the ejection surface. Wiping means for wiping the wiper in a region where the one or more discharge ports are formed on a surface, and then separating the wiper from the discharge surface at a predetermined separation position separated from the discharge port; and a liquid An absorbing member that absorbs the absorbing member, and an absorbing member moving unit that moves the absorbing member relative to the ejection surface, wherein the absorbing member moving unit includes the absorbing member and the one or more ejection ports. at a position between a predetermined separation position begins to abut against the discharge surface, passes Rutotomoni, the predetermined separation position is moved toward the predetermined separation position while in contact with the discharge face So, the wiping means, after the wiper has passed the one or more discharge ports, the wiper moves said wiper to said predetermined separation position as the pressing force is gradually reduced on the ejection surface .

  According to the recording apparatus of the present invention, after the wiper is separated from the discharge surface, the wiper is passed through the position where the wiper is separated while the absorbing member is brought into contact with the discharge surface. Therefore, the liquid remaining at the wiper separation position can be absorbed by the absorbing member and removed. Further, the absorbing member starts to contact between the region where the discharge port is formed and the wiper separation position, and then moves from there to the wiper separation position. Therefore, the absorbing member does not pass through the discharge port, and the discharge port is not contaminated by the passage of the absorbing member.

Further, since the wiper is moved so that the pressing force gradually decreases toward the separation position, the liquid scraped by the wiper is less likely to scatter than in the case where the wiper is suddenly separated from the discharge surface. On the other hand, while it is difficult for the liquid to scatter, the liquid tends to remain at the wiper separation position. For this reason, by applying the present invention in which the absorbing member absorbs the liquid at the separation position of the wiper, the liquid is less likely to scatter when the wiper is separated from the ejection surface, and the liquid remaining at the separation position of the wiper can be removed. . That is, a configuration in which the printing paper and the apparatus are less likely to be contaminated is realized.

  Further, in the present invention, the absorbing member moving means applies the absorbing member to the discharge surface at a position between the position where the wiping means starts to reduce the pressing force and the one or more discharge ports. It is preferable to contact. The liquid tends to remain in the region from the position where the pressing force by the wiper starts to decrease to the wiper separation position. According to said structure, since an absorption member is moved so that this area | region may be straddled, the liquid which remained in this area | region can be absorbed by an absorption member.

  Further, in the present invention, the absorbing member has an approximately cylindrical shape with an axial center along the discharge surface, and is supported rotatably around the axial center. The absorbing member is preferably moved from the position in contact with the discharge surface toward the predetermined separation position while rotating around the axis on the discharge surface. According to this, the absorbing member has a substantially cylindrical shape and moves along the ejection surface while rotating on the ejection surface. Therefore, the absorbing member is less likely to be worn compared to a case where the absorbing member is moved so as to rub against the ejection surface without rotating.

  Further, in the present invention, the length of the outer periphery along the rotation direction of the absorbing member is such that the absorbing member moves from the discharging surface after the absorbing member moving means causes the absorbing member to contact the discharging surface. It is preferable that the absorption member is larger than a distance along which the absorbing member moves along the discharge surface before being separated. According to this, the absorbing member has an outer periphery longer than the distance for moving the absorbing member along the ejection surface. For this reason, when moving the absorbent member along the ejection surface, the absorbent member can be rotated so that the same region on the surface of the absorbent member does not contact the ejection surface more than once. That is, while the discharge surface is cleaned once by the absorbing member, the region contaminated by the liquid does not contact the discharge surface again, and the discharge surface can be kept clean.

According to another aspect, the recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head having an ejection surface on which one or a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting droplets is formed, and wipes the ejection surface in contact with the ejection surface. The wiper wipes the area where the one or more discharge ports are formed on the discharge surface, and then the wiper is separated from the discharge surface at a predetermined separation position separated from the discharge port. Wiping means for separating, absorbing member for absorbing liquid, and absorbing member moving means for moving the absorbing member relative to the ejection surface, wherein the absorbing member moving means comprises the absorbing member Starting to contact the discharge surface at a position between one or a plurality of discharge ports and the predetermined separation position, moving toward the predetermined separation position while contacting the discharge surface; Serial passed through a predetermined distant position, wherein said absorbent member includes a first layer having the ejection surface abutting surface, disposed on the opposite side to the first of said ejection surface in a layer abutting surface and a second layer, said first and second layers are both ing of a material that absorbs liquid. If the absorbing member is moved while being brought into contact with the discharge surface, the surface of the absorbing member may be worn. Therefore, the absorbing member has a two-layer structure including a first layer and a second layer, and the first layer is brought into contact with the ejection surface. Accordingly, when the absorbing member is moved while being brought into contact with the discharge surface, the first layer can protect the second layer from abrasion.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the material forming the second layer has a larger liquid absorption amount per unit volume than the material forming the first layer. According to this, the second layer having a large amount of absorption per unit volume can be protected by the first layer.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable to further provide the removal means which removes the liquid absorbed by the said absorption member. According to this, since the liquid can be removed from the absorbing member, it is possible to avoid the absorbing member excessively contaminated with the liquid from coming into contact with the discharge surface.

  According to the present invention, after the wiper is separated from the discharge surface, the wiper is passed through the position where the absorption member is in contact with the discharge surface. Therefore, the liquid remaining at the wiper separation position can be absorbed by the absorbing member and removed. Further, the absorbing member starts to contact between the region where the discharge port is formed and the wiper separation position, and then moves toward the wiper separation position. Therefore, the absorbing member does not pass through the discharge port, and the discharge port is not contaminated by the passage of the absorbing member.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an overall configuration of an ink jet printer 1 (recording apparatus) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the ink jet printer 1. The ink jet printer 1 according to the present embodiment executes a printing operation for forming an image corresponding to image data received from an external device or the like on the printing paper P. The ink jet printer 1 includes an ink jet head 2 (recording head) that ejects ink, and a paper transport unit 3 that transports the print paper P to the lower side of the ink jet head 2. Then, an image is formed on the printing paper P by ejecting ink from the inkjet head 2 toward the printing paper P conveyed by the paper conveyance unit 3. The inkjet printer 1 also includes a maintenance unit 6 (wiping means) that performs a maintenance operation for performing maintenance processing on the inkjet head 2 and a head lifting / lowering unit 4 that lifts and lowers the inkjet head 2.

  The ink jet printer 1 has a control unit 5. The control unit 5 controls the operation of each unit of the inkjet printer 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the control unit 5. The control unit 5 is constructed from hardware such as a processor circuit and a storage circuit (ROM, RAM, etc.) and software such as program data that causes the hardware to function as each functional unit such as the print control unit 51. The control unit 5 includes a print control unit 51 that controls the printing operation, and a maintenance control unit 52 that controls the maintenance operation of the inkjet head 2. The print control unit 51 controls the head lifting unit 4 to place the inkjet head 2 at a predetermined printing position, and causes the inkjet head 2 and the paper transport unit 3 to perform a printing operation described later. The maintenance control unit 52 causes the maintenance unit 6 and the head lifting / lowering unit 4 to perform a maintenance operation described later.

  Next, each part of the inkjet printer 1 will be described in more detail. First, the paper transport unit 3 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet transport unit 3 includes a nip roller 31, transport rollers 32 and 33, and a transport belt 34. The transport rollers 32 and 33 are installed at positions that are horizontally separated from each other along the sub-scanning direction. The axial directions of the transport rollers 32 and 33 are all along the main scanning direction. In this specification, the sub-scanning direction is the same direction (downward in FIG. 1) as the conveyance direction of the printing paper, and the main scanning direction is a direction perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction and along the horizontal plane. (Left side in FIG. 1).

  The nip roller 31 is supported so as to rotate around a rotation axis along the main scanning direction above the conveying roller 32 (upstream with respect to the sub-scanning direction). The nip roller 31 is biased downward toward the upper surface of the transport belt 34 by a biasing means (not shown). The urging direction is a direction from the rotating shaft of the nip roller 31 toward the rotating shaft of the conveying roller 32.

  The conveyance belt 34 is an endless belt wound around the conveyance rollers 32 and 33. The conveyor belt 34 extends horizontally between the conveyor roller 32 and the conveyor roller 33. The printing paper P is placed on the upper surface of the upper portion of the two portions extending from the conveyance roller 32 to the conveyance roller 33. A weak adhesive silicon resin layer is formed on the surface of the transport belt 34 on which the paper P is placed. As a result, the paper P is easily adhered to the surface.

  The power of a drive motor (not shown) is transmitted to the rotation shaft of the transport roller 32. On the other hand, the transport roller 33 is a driven roller, and its rotation shaft is rotatably supported by a shaft member (not shown). When the transport roller 32 rotates, the transport belt 34 wound around the transport rollers 32 and 33 travels in the direction A in FIG.

  The printing paper P is sent from a paper feed unit (not shown) to the paper transport unit 3. When one end of the fed printing paper P reaches the nip roller 31, the printing paper P is sandwiched between the nip roller 31 and the conveyance belt 34. When the conveyance belt 34 travels, the printing paper P moves in the sub-scanning direction while being sandwiched between the nip roller 31 and the conveyance belt 34. As a result, the printing paper P is placed in close contact with the upper surface of the transport belt 34. When the printing paper P passes through the nip roller 31, it is transported along the sub-scanning direction together with the transport belt 34 while being adhered to the upper surface of the transport belt 34.

  Next, the inkjet head 2 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink jet printer 1 has four ink jet heads 2 installed above the transport belt 34. The inkjet head 2 has a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the main scanning direction in plan view. The four inkjet heads 2 are fixed to the head lifting / lowering unit 4 and are arranged at predetermined intervals along the sub-scanning direction. The inkjet heads 2 are all arranged at the same position in both the vertical direction and the main scanning direction. Below the ink jet head 2, a head body 21 having an ink flow path formed therein is provided. The lower surface (ejection surface) of the head body 21 is horizontal, and an opening (ejection port) of a nozzle that ejects ink is formed. The ink flow path in the head main body 21 communicates with the nozzles. In the present embodiment, a plurality of openings are arranged in a matrix at equal intervals corresponding to the printing resolution in the main scanning direction on the ejection surface.

  The four inkjet heads 2 correspond to four color inks. Each inkjet head 2 is supplied with ink of different colors from an ink tank (not shown). The ink supplied to the inkjet head 2 is distributed to each ink flow path in the head main body 21 and discharged from the corresponding nozzle openings.

  The head lifting / lowering unit 4 that supports the four inkjet heads 2 includes frames 4a and 4b that sandwich the inkjet head 2 from both sides in the main scanning direction. The frames 4a and 4b extend in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. The lower ends of the frames 4 a and 4 b are disposed in the vicinity of the conveyor belt 34.

  The frames 4a and 4b support each inkjet head 2 so that the inkjet head 2 can move along the frames 4a and 4b. A drive mechanism (not shown) is provided in the frame 4a, and this drive mechanism can move the inkjet head 2 in the vertical direction.

  A printing operation (control by the printing control unit 51) for forming an image on the paper P in the inkjet printer 1 is executed as follows. First, the head lifting / lowering unit 4 moves the inkjet head 2 and arranges it at a predetermined printing position. The printing position is a position where the lower surface of the head main body 21 is disposed at a position Z1 (see FIG. 2) slightly above the conveying belt 34. Next, the paper transport unit 3 drives the drive motor to transport the paper P to a position facing the ink jet head 2. Then, in synchronization with the conveyance of the paper P by the paper conveyance unit 3, each inkjet head 2 ejects ink onto the paper P so that a desired image is formed at a desired position on the paper P. The ink ejected from the inkjet head 2 lands on the paper P on the transport belt 34 and forms dots on the paper. As a result, a desired image is formed on the paper P.

  Next, the maintenance unit 6 will be described. The maintenance unit 6 keeps the ink ejection surface 2a opened by the nozzle for ejecting ink by the maintenance operation clean, and restores and maintains the ink ejection characteristics from the opening. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the maintenance unit 6 includes a wiper blade 101 (wiper), an absorption roller 106 (absorption member), and a drive mechanism for driving them. The maintenance unit 6 further includes a blade base 102, a frame 103, two gears 104, two arms 105, two guide frames 108 and 109, and two gears 113.

  Of these, the frame 103 is a flat plate member that extends across the four inkjet heads 2 in the sub-scanning direction, and has protrusions that protrude in the right direction in FIG. 1 at both ends of the sub-scanning direction. Has been. A blade base 102 that supports the wiper blade 101 is slidably supported on the frame 103 at the left end in the main scanning direction, and a gear 104 that supports the absorbing roller 106 is rotated at the right end in the main scanning direction. Supported as possible. Guide frames 108 and 109 are arranged on both sides of the frame 103 in the sub-scanning direction, and the blade base 102 and the frame 103 are sandwiched between these guide frames. The gear 113 is rotatably supported by the guide frames 108 and 109 and is arranged so as to be able to mesh with the gear 104.

  The two gears 104 are fixed in the vicinity of both end portions of the rotating shaft 104 a extending in the sub-scanning direction, and both ends of the rotating shaft 104 a are supported by the protruding portions of the frame 103. The absorbing roller 106 is rotatably supported by an arm 105 fixed to the rotation shaft 104 a of the gear 104, and can rotate about the rotation shaft 104 a of the gear 104. The two arms 105 are disposed between the two gears 104.

  The wiper blade 101 is fixed to the upper surface of the blade base 102 and extends upward. The wiper blade 101 is a member that contacts the ink ejection surface 2a of the inkjet head 2 and wipes the ink ejection surface 2a. The wiper blade 101 is a flat plate member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and is made of an elastic material such as rubber. The wiper blade 101 extends so as to straddle the four inkjet heads 2 along the sub-scanning direction, and can contact the ink ejection surfaces 2a of the four inkjet heads 2 at the same time.

  The absorbing roller 106 is in contact with the ink ejection surface 2a of the inkjet head 2, and absorbs and removes ink and the like swept by the wiper blade 101. The absorbing roller 106 is a rotating member having a cylindrical general shape made of a material that absorbs ink, and extends so as to straddle the four inkjet heads 2 along the sub-scanning direction. Thereby, the absorption roller 106 can wipe the ink ejection surfaces 2a of the four inkjet heads 2 simultaneously.

  The gear 104 and the absorption roller 106 are arranged such that their axis centers are parallel to each other along the sub-scanning direction. Both are connected by an arm 105. As shown in FIG. 2, the gear 104 is supported by the frame 103 and can rotate in the direction E in the drawing. The absorbing roller 106 is supported by the arm 105 and can rotate in the direction D in the drawing. In the present embodiment, the arm 105 is disposed so as to contact the gear 104.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the absorbing roller 106 with respect to a cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis. As shown in FIG. 4, the absorbing roller 106 has a two-layer structure of a surface layer 106a (first layer) and an inner layer 106b (second layer). An axis 106c is disposed at the center of the inner layer 106b. The surface layer 106a is composed of a cloth-like member, and the inner layer 106b is a layer in which pulp, paper pieces, etc. are filled in the surface layer 106a. The inner layer 106b is configured such that the amount of ink absorbed per unit volume is larger than that of the surface layer 106a, and the entire volume is larger than that of the surface layer 106a. Since the absorbing roller 106 has such a two-layer structure, it is easy to guide ink from the surface layer 106a to the inner layer 106b, and the inner layer 106b can absorb a large amount of ink through the surface layer 106a. Further, the inner layer 106b can be protected by the surface layer 106a. For example, unlike the case where the inner layer 106b is moved while being in direct contact with the ink ejection surface 2a, the inner layer 106b is prevented from being worn.

  In FIG. 2, a suction unit 120 (removal unit) that sucks the ink absorbed by the absorption roller 106 is provided below the absorption roller 106. An opening is formed in the upper surface of the suction unit 120, and external ink and air can be sucked into the suction unit 120 through the opening. The suction unit 120 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction. When the ink is sucked, the absorption unit 120 is moved upward so that the absorption roller 106 is accommodated in a state where the absorption roller 106 is disposed above. Here, the axial center 106c of the absorbing roller 106 is a cylindrical hollow member in which cavities 106d opened at both ends in the axial direction are formed, and a plurality of holes 106e are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the axial center 106c. Has been. The holes 106e communicate with the cavities 106d in the shaft center 106c, respectively, and can suck ink from the inside of the inner layer 106b through the holes 106e. On the other hand, suction ports connected to suction pumps (not shown) are provided on inner walls at both ends of the suction unit 120 in the sub-scanning direction. By moving the suction unit 120 upward, the suction port and the openings at both ends of the cavity 106d on the axial center 106b side are connected, and the ink accumulated in the inner layer 106b is discharged to the outside by the suction pump. become. When the ink suction is completed, the suction unit 120 is returned to the lower position. Thereby, ink can be sucked from the absorption roller 106.

  The guide frames 108 and 109 are flat members extending in the main scanning direction so as to straddle the conveyor belt 34. For ease of viewing the figure, only the guide frame 108 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, guide grooves 108 a and 108 b are formed in the guide frame 108 on the surface facing the guide frame 109. The guide groove 108b is a linear groove and extends substantially along the main scanning direction from one end to the other end of the guide frame. The guide groove 108a is a groove formed above the guide groove 108b and extends in the main scanning direction. The guide groove 108a is disposed in parallel with the guide groove 108b. The guide grooves 108a and 108b are connected to each other at branch portions 108c and 108d shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the branch portions 108c and 108d are disposed outside the region G where the nozzles are formed on the ink ejection surface 2a in the main scanning direction.

  Movable guides 111 and 112 are provided at the branch portions 108c and 108d. The movable guides 111 and 112 are supported by the guide frame 108 so as to be rotatable about shafts 111a and 112a, respectively. The guide frame 108 is provided with a drive mechanism (not shown) that rotates the shafts 111a and 112b. Thereby, the movable guides 111 and 112 can be moved between a position indicated by a solid line and a position indicated by a broken line in FIG. When the movable guides 111 and 112 are at the positions indicated by solid lines in FIG. 2, a straight path along the guide groove 108b is formed at the branch portions 108c and 108d. On the other hand, when the movable guides 111 and 112 are at the position of the broken line in FIG. 2, the middle portion of the guide groove 108b is cut off by the movable guides 111 and 112 at the branch portions 108c and 108d, and the guide groove 108b is moved to the guide groove 108a. A branching path is formed.

  Note that the guide frame 109 not shown in FIG. 2 has the same configuration as the guide frame 108. That is, guide grooves similar to the guide grooves 108a and 108b are also formed in the guide frame 109. The guide groove on the guide frame 109 side is formed to have a shape, size, and arrangement that overlap with the guide grooves 108a and 108b in a front view. The guide frame 109 is also provided with a movable guide similar to the movable guides 111 and 112. This movable guide is also installed so as to have a shape, size, and arrangement that overlap with the movable guides 111 and 112 in a front view.

  On the other hand, guide protrusions 102a, 103a, and 103b are provided on the side surfaces of the blade base 102 and the frame 103 on both sides in the sub-scanning direction, respectively. Among these, the guide projection 103 a is installed near the end of the frame 103 on the opposite side of the blade base 102, and the guide projection 103 b is installed near the center in the sub-scanning direction of the frame 103. The guide protrusions 102a, 103a, and 103b are fitted into the guide groove 108b (108a) of the guide frame 108 and the guide groove of the guide frame 109 in the state of FIG. Thereby, the blade base 102 and the frame 103 are supported by the guide frames 108 and 109 from both sides, and can move along the guide grooves.

  A drive mechanism is provided below the frame 103. This drive mechanism has two transport rollers 61 and 62, two endless transport belts 63 and 64, two fixing members 107, and a drive motor (not shown).

Among these, the two transport rollers 61 and 62 are arranged extending in parallel in the sub-scanning direction with the two frames 4a and 4b sandwiched from the outside in the main scanning direction. The two conveyor belts 63 and 64 are wound around both ends of the two conveyor rollers 61 and 62 with the four inkjet heads 2 sandwiched from the outside in the sub-scanning direction. The two fixing members 107 are fixed to the conveyor belts 63 and 64 side by side in the sub-scanning direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper end of the fixing member 107 is connected to the end of the frame 103 in the sub-scanning direction, and the frame 103 can be reciprocated in the left-right direction in the drawing in accordance with the travel of the conveyor belts 63 and 64. It is said. Note that a drive motor (not shown) has a drive shaft connected to an axis 61 a of the transport roller 61. The two transport rollers 61 and 62 are rotatably supported by a main body frame (not shown) of the inkjet printer 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the transport rollers 61 and 62 are disposed so as to be rotatable in the B direction and the C direction, respectively. The transport rollers 61 and 62 are spaced apart from each other in the main scanning direction, and a drive shaft of a drive motor (not shown) is connected to the shaft center 61 a of the transport roller 61. The conveyance roller 61 is rotated in both directions along the B direction by a drive motor.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor belt 63 is disposed at the end of the conveyor rollers 61 and 62 closer to the guide frame 108, and the conveyor belt 64 is the end of the conveyor rollers 61 and 62 closer to the guide frame 109. It is arranged in the part. Thus, the conveyance belts 63 and 64 are separated from each other in the sub-scanning direction, and the inkjet head 2 can pass in the vertical direction through a space defined by the two conveyance rollers 61 and 62 and the two conveyance belts 63 and 64. It is like that.

  When the drive motor rotates the transport roller 61, the transport belts 63 and 64 travel. As a result, the frame 103 fixed to the conveyor belts 63 and 64 via the fixing member 107 can be reciprocated along the main scanning direction. A gear 113 is provided at the point where the frame 103 has moved leftward from the state of FIG. 2 along the main scanning direction. The gear 113 is rotated in the direction F (clockwise) in FIG. 2 by a drive motor (not shown). When the frame 103 reaches the gear 113, the gear 113 is engaged with the gear 104 supported by the frame 103. When the gear 113 rotates while meshing with the gear 104, the gear 104 rotates counterclockwise, and accordingly, the absorbing roller 106 can be rotated around the rotation axis of the gear 104. That is, the gear 104, the gear 113, and the drive motor that drives the gear 113 constitute a means (absorbing member moving means) that moves the absorbing roller 106 relative to the ink ejection surface 2a. Note that the surfaces of the two gears 113 facing each other (the surface on the ink jet head side) are both located outside the passage region of the ink jet head 2 and do not hinder the vertical movement of the ink jet head 2.

  Hereinafter, the maintenance operation (control by the maintenance control unit 52) executed by the maintenance unit 6 will be described. In the maintenance operation, the inkjet head 2 is arranged so that the ink ejection surface 2a is located at the position Z2 in FIG. The position Z2 is a position where the upper end of the wiper blade 101 is located below the ink discharge surface 2a with a slight gap. Further, as an initial position when performing the maintenance operation, the blade base 102 and the frame 103 are arranged at the right end portion of the guide frame 108 as shown in FIG. At this position, the blade base 102 and the frame 103 are not opposed to the ink jet head 2, and the wiper blade 101 is also separated from the ink ejection surface 2a. Further, the movable guides 111 and 112 are arranged at the positions indicated by broken lines in FIG. Thus, a branch path from the guide groove 108a to the guide groove 108b is formed by the movable guide 111, and a branch path from the guide groove 108b to the guide groove 108a is formed by the movable guide 112, respectively.

  Next, the drive motor is driven, the transport roller 61 rotates counterclockwise, and the two transport belts 63 and 64 travel. As this travels, the blade base 102 and the frame 103 start moving to the left in FIG. 2 and move to the position shown in FIG. At this time, the guide protrusions 102a, 103a, and 103b provided on the side surfaces of the blade base 102 and the frame 103 in the sub-scanning direction first move to the left along the guide grooves 108b of the guide frame 108. At this point, the movable guide 112 is disposed so as to close the guide groove 108b. The other guide projections 102a and 103a provided on the blade base 102 move along the guide groove on the guide frame 109 side. Hereinafter, the guide protrusions 102a, 103a, and 103b on the guide frame 109 side are the same as the movements of the guide protrusions 102a, 103a, and 103b on the guide frame 108 side, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  When the guide protrusion 102a reaches the movable guide 112 (branch portion 108d), it is guided obliquely upward by the upper surface of the movable guide 112. At this time, the guide protrusions 103a and 103b are supported by the guide groove 108b, and the upward displacement of the frame 103 is restricted. As a result, the blade base 102 slides upward with respect to the frame 103. On the other hand, the guide protrusions 103a and 103b further move to the left along the guide groove 108b. When the blade base 102 and the frame 103 reach the position of FIG. 5A, the upper end of the wiper blade 101 comes into contact with the ink ejection surface 2 a of the inkjet head 2.

  Next, the blade base 102 and the frame 103 move further leftward in FIG. At this time, the guide protrusion 102a moves further obliquely upward along the upper surface of the movable guide 112 and reaches the guide groove 108a. As a result, the wiper blade 101 is pressed against the ink ejection surface 2a, and the upper part is curved as shown in FIG. 5B. On the other hand, the guide protrusions 103a and 103b still move along the guide groove 108b. When the guide protrusion 102a passes through the movable guide 112, the movable guide 112 is displaced to the state of FIG. 5B, that is, the state of the solid line in FIG. As a result, a straight path along the guide groove 108 b is formed below the movable guide 112.

  Next, the blade base 102 and the frame 103 move further leftward from the position shown in FIG. 5B to the position shown in FIG. At this time, the guide protrusion 102a moves to the left along the guide groove 108a. On the other hand, the guide protrusions 103a and 103b pass below the movable guide 112 along the guide groove 108b, and further move leftward along the guide groove 108b. During this time, the wiper blade 101 moves to the left while contacting the ink ejection surface 2a. As a result, the ink adhering to the region G in FIG. 2 where the nozzles are formed on the ink ejection surface 2 a is scraped by the wiper blade 101. FIG. 5C shows the ink I that has been scraped.

  Next, the blade base 102 and the frame 103 move further to the left (branch portion 108c) from the position of FIG. At this time, the movable guide 111 is disposed so as to close the guide groove 108 b, and the guide protrusion 102 a is guided obliquely downward by the upper surface of the movable guide 111. As a result, the blade base 102 slides downward with respect to the frame 103. On the other hand, the guide protrusion 103a still moves to the left along the guide groove 108b. The position shown in FIG. 5C is a position where the blade base 102 starts to move downward. Then, when the blade base 102 and the frame 103 pass the position of FIG. 6A, the wiper blade 101 is separated from the ink ejection surface 2a.

  Here, in FIG. 6A, a position X1 indicates a position where the blade base 102 starts to be lowered, and a position X2 indicates a position where the wiper blade 101 is separated from the ink ejection surface 2a (separated position). When the wiper blade 101 passes the position X1, the blade base 102 starts to fall. Accordingly, the curve of the wiper blade 101 becomes loose, and the pressing force exerted on the ink ejection surface 2a by the wiper blade 101 starts to decrease. The pressing force continues to decrease while the wiper blade 101 moves to the position X2.

  That is, while the wiper blade 101 moves from the position X1 to the position X2, the wiper blade 101 gradually moves downward, and the wiper blade 101 is gently deformed. As a result, compared to the case where the wiper blade 101 is suddenly deformed, the scattered ink I is suppressed from being scattered around due to the deformation of the wiper blade 101. On the other hand, the ink I tends to remain on the ink ejection surface 2a.

  Next, the blade base 102 and the frame 103 move further leftward from the position of FIG. 6A to the position of FIG. 6B. At this time, the guide protrusion 102a moves further obliquely downward along the upper surface of the movable guide 111 from the position of FIG. 6A and reaches the guide groove 108b. On the other hand, the guide protrusions 103a and 103b still move to the left along the guide groove 108b. When the guide protrusion 102a starts to move along the guide groove 108b, the movable guide 111 is displaced upward so as to separate the guide groove 108a. Then, the blade base 102 and the frame 103 move to the left along the guide groove 108b and reach the position of FIG. At this position, the gear 104 meshes with the gear 113.

  When the gear 104 and the gear 113 are engaged with each other, the gear 113 rotates in the direction of the arrow (clockwise) in FIG. As a result, the gear 104 rotates in the opposite direction (counterclockwise) to the gear 113, and the absorbing roller 106 also rotates in the same direction around the gear 104. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the absorbing roller 106 comes into contact with the ink ejection surface 2a. The position where the absorbing roller 106 contacts the ink discharge surface 2a is adjusted to be between the region G where the nozzle is formed on the ink discharge surface 2a and the position X1 where the blade base 102 starts to descend. .

  Then, the gear 113 further rotates in the direction of the arrow from the state of FIG. At this time, the absorbing roller 106 is pressed against the ink ejection surface 2a and deformed. Then, it moves to the left along the ink discharge surface 2a while rotating around the axis in the same direction as the gear 113, and reaches the position of FIG. As shown in FIG. 6C, the reaching position of the absorption roller 106 is adjusted so as to be closer to the end of the ink ejection surface 2a than the position X2. Therefore, the absorption roller 106 moves across the range of the positions X1 to X2. As a result, the ink I remaining in the range of the positions X1 to X2 is absorbed by the absorbing roller 106 and removed.

  Note that the outer peripheral length in the radial direction of the absorbing roller 106 is longer than the distance that the absorbing roller 106 moves along the ink ejection surface 2a from the position of FIG. 6B to the position of FIG. 6C. . That is, when the absorbing roller 106 moves from the position of FIG. 6B to the position of FIG. 6C while rotating around the axis, only a part of the outer periphery of the absorbing roller 106 is the ink ejection surface 2a. In contact with the ink, the ink is absorbed. For this reason, when moving from the position of FIG. 6B to the position of FIG. 6C, the same region on the surface of the absorption roller 106 does not overlap with the ink ejection surface 2a. That is, while the range from the position in FIG. 6B to the position in FIG. 6C is cleaned once by the absorbing roller 106, a region contaminated with ink on the surface of the absorbing roller 106 becomes the ink ejection surface 2a. There is no contact again. Therefore, the ink discharge surface 2a can be reliably cleaned.

  When the maintenance operation is completed, the blade base 102 and the frame 103 return to the positions shown in FIG. At this time, before the blade base 102 and the frame 103 begin to move rightward from the position of FIG. 6C, the movable guide 111 is displaced to the state of FIG. 6C, that is, the solid line state of FIG. To do. As a result, a straight path is formed along the guide groove 108b, and the guide protrusions 102a, 103a, and 103b smoothly move rightward along the guide groove 108b. During this time, the upper end of the wiper blade 101 is separated from the ink ejection surface 2a.

<Modification>
The above is a description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope described in the means for solving the problem. It is possible.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the wiper blade 101 or the absorption roller 106 is moved with respect to the ink discharge surface 2a to wipe the ink discharge surface 2a or to absorb ink from the ink discharge surface 2a. . However, the ink ejection surface 2a may be wiped or ink may be absorbed by moving the inkjet head 2 relative to the wiper blade 101 or the absorption roller 106.

  In the above-described embodiment, the outer circumference of the absorbing roller 106 in the rotation direction is determined based on the distance that the absorbing roller 106 moves along the ink ejection surface 2a from the position in FIG. 6B to the position in FIG. The length is getting longer. However, the outer periphery of the absorbing roller 106 may be longer than the distance from the position X1 to the position X2. As described above, the range of the position X1 to the position X2 on the ink discharge surface 2a is the range in which the ink is most likely to remain. It is because it becomes difficult to be contaminated.

  In the above-described embodiment, the absorbing roller 106 is employed as a member that absorbs ink. However, the absorbing member may not be a roller-like member such as the absorbing roller 106 that can be rotated along the ink discharge surface 2a. For example, a member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape may be provided, and the ink may be absorbed by simply sliding the member along the ink discharge surface 2a. Also in this case, a first layer having a contact surface that contacts the ink discharge surface 2a and a second layer laminated on the surface of the first layer opposite to the contact surface may be provided. preferable. However, it does not have to have such a two-layer structure.

  In the above-described embodiment, the wiper blade 101 is separated from the ink ejection surface 2a at the position X2 until the wiper blade 101 reaches the edge of the ink ejection surface 2a. However, the wiper blade 101 may move to the edge of the ink discharge surface 2a and be separated from the ink discharge surface 2a there. Even in such a case, the ink is easily caught on the edge of the ink discharge surface 2a and tends to remain. Further, if the wiper blade 101 is gradually separated from the ink discharge surface 2a so that the ink does not splash at the edge, the ink is more likely to remain. For this reason, the significance of applying the present invention is great.

  In the above-described embodiment, the absorbing roller 106 is moved along the ink ejection surface 2 a by rotating the gear 104. However, the absorbing roller 106 may be moved along the ink ejection surface 2a by moving horizontally. For example, the gear 113 is connected to a ratchet mechanism that rotates in an idle state when a predetermined load is applied, and is attacked to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction F in FIG. 2 (counterclockwise) The threshold value of the load causing the idling state may be set corresponding to a predetermined pressing force applied to the ink ejection surface 2a by the absorbing roller 106. In this case, even if the gear 113 is rotated while the gear 113 and the gear 104 are engaged, the gear 104 does not rotate, but the gear 104 can be moved horizontally along the rotation direction of the gear 113. At this time, the absorbing roller 106 moves toward the end of the ink ejection surface 2a while rotating while being pressed against the ink ejection surface 2a. Here, the blade base 102 and the frame 103 further move to the left along the guide groove 108b by the moving distance of the absorbing roller 106.

1 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the ink jet printer of FIG. 1. It is a block diagram of the control part which controls each part of an inkjet printer. It is sectional drawing regarding the cross section perpendicular | vertical to a rotating shaft of the absorption roller shown by FIG. 1, FIG. It is a front view around an inkjet head and a maintenance unit, and is a diagram for explaining a series of steps of a maintenance operation. FIG. 6 is a front view of the vicinity of the inkjet head and the maintenance unit, and is a diagram for explaining a series of steps from FIG. 5 onward.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Inkjet head 2a Ink discharge surface 6 Maintenance unit 101 Wiper blade 106 Absorption roller 120 Suction unit

Claims (7)

A recording head having an ejection surface on which one or more ejection ports for ejecting droplets are formed;
The wiper has a wiper that contacts the discharge surface and wipes the discharge surface. The wiper wipes a region where the one or more discharge ports are formed on the discharge surface, and is then separated from the discharge port. Wiping means for separating the wiper from the discharge surface at a predetermined separation position;
An absorbent member for absorbing liquid;
An absorbing member moving means for moving the absorbing member relative to the ejection surface;
The absorbing member moving means is
The absorbing member starts to contact the discharge surface at a position between the one or more discharge ports and the predetermined separation position, and moves toward the predetermined separation position while contacting the discharge surface. is allowed Rutotomoni passes a predetermined separation position,
The wiping means moves the wiper to the predetermined separation position so that a pressing force exerted on the discharge surface by the wiper gradually decreases after the wiper passes through the one or more discharge ports. A recording apparatus. The absorbing member moving means causes the absorbing member to abut on the discharge surface at a position between the position where the wiping means starts to decrease the pressing force and the one or more discharge ports. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 . A recording head having an ejection surface on which one or more ejection ports for ejecting droplets are formed;
The wiper has a wiper that contacts the discharge surface and wipes the discharge surface. The wiper wipes a region where the one or more discharge ports are formed on the discharge surface, and is then separated from the discharge port. Wiping means for separating the wiper from the discharge surface at a predetermined separation position;
An absorbent member for absorbing liquid;
An absorbing member moving means for moving the absorbing member relative to the ejection surface;
The absorbing member moving means is
The absorbing member starts to contact the discharge surface at a position between the one or more discharge ports and the predetermined separation position, and moves toward the predetermined separation position while contacting the discharge surface. And passing through the predetermined separation position,
The absorbing member includes a first layer having a surface that comes into contact with the ejection surface, and a second layer disposed on the opposite side of the surface in contact with the ejection surface in the first layer. And
It said first and second layers are both you and characterized in that it consists of a material that absorbs liquid record device. The recording apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the material forming the second layer has a larger amount of liquid absorption per unit volume than the material forming the first layer. The absorbing member has a cylindrical approximate shape with an axial center along the discharge surface, and is supported rotatably around the axial center.
The absorbing member moving means is
It said absorbing member, while rotating on the discharge surface around the axis, either from contact with positions on the discharge face of the claims 1-4, characterized in that moving towards the predetermined separation position The recording apparatus according to claim 1. The length of the outer periphery along the rotation direction of the absorbing member is such that the absorbing member moving means makes the absorption after the absorbing member abuts the discharging surface until the absorbing member is separated from the discharging surface. The recording apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the member is larger than a distance that the member moves along the ejection surface. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by further comprising a removal means for removing the absorbed into the absorbent member liquid.

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