JP5424822B2 - Inkjet head maintenance device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is provided in a line head type ink jet printer having an ink jet head unit including one or more ink jet heads in which an upper surface of a print medium to be conveyed and an ink ejecting surface are opposed to each other. The present invention relates to an inkjet head maintenance apparatus that performs maintenance.

  In a conventional inkjet printer, a relatively small inkjet head is moved in the width direction of the print medium, and the print medium is moved (conveyed) in the length direction to cover the entire width of the print medium. By providing a serial head type printer capable of printing and an inkjet head unit with a length corresponding to the width of the print medium, the print medium can be moved (conveyed) in the length direction without moving the inkjet head unit. There is a line head type printer capable of printing over the entire width of the print medium. Among these, the line head type printing machine does not need to move the head in the width direction of the print medium, so that the printing speed can be increased as compared with the serial head type printing machine.

  By the way, there is a limit to the width of a print medium that can be handled by a single inkjet head from the viewpoint of manufacturing accuracy and manufacturing cost of the inkjet head. Accordingly, in a line head type printing machine that performs printing on a wide print medium, a configuration in which an inkjet head having an appropriate length is arranged in the width direction of a plurality of print media to form one inkjet head unit, corresponding to the width of the print medium. May be adopted.

  When a plurality of inkjet heads are arranged side by side in the width direction of the print medium to form a single inkjet head unit, the width that can be printed by one inkjet head is shorter than the width of the casing, and therefore the width is arranged in the width direction of the print medium. In order to prevent a discontinuous portion from being generated at the boundary between the heads, the ink jet heads constituting the ink jet head unit are shifted in the transport direction of the print medium, and a part of the casing of the ink jet head is provided as the print medium. In this way, discontinuous portions are prevented from occurring in the printing.

  On the other hand, in color printing, generally, overprinting with inks of four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black is performed. Therefore, when color printing is performed by the above-described line head type printing machine, the inkjet head units that eject inks of different colors that are individually provided are arranged side by side in the transport direction of the print medium. The plurality of ink jet heads and the ink jet head unit are precisely positioned and installed in the printing press.

  By the way, the diameter of the nozzle for ejecting the ink of the ink jet head is very small (several tens of micrometers), and ink ejection failure may occur due to mixing of foreign matter and bubbles. In addition, if ink is not ejected from the nozzles for a long time, the ink solvent in the nozzles evaporates and the viscosity of the ink increases, which may cause ejection failure. For this reason, it is indispensable to maintain the ink jet head at a suitable timing before printing and during printing or after printing as necessary.

  As maintenance of the ink-jet head, ink purging for discharging ink from nozzles for purposes other than printing is performed. By ink purging, foreign matter and bubbles inside the nozzle, which cause ink ejection failure, and thickened ink can be discharged. In addition, after the ink purge is performed, the ink remains on the ink discharge surface (the surface on which the discharge port of the nozzle of the inkjet head is disposed) so that the remaining ink does not cause a new discharge failure. The wiping means, for example, a blade made of an elastic body such as rubber may be moved while being in contact with the ink discharge surface to wipe the ink discharge surface. As a result, the ink remaining on the ink discharge surface is removed, and the ink discharge surface becomes clean. Furthermore, it is preferable that the ink discharge surface is covered with a cap after the printing is completed, so that the ink in the nozzles is prevented from drying before the next printing is performed, and dust or the like does not adhere to the ink discharge surface.

  For example, the following Patent Document 1 is disclosed as a prior art relating to maintenance of the above-described line head printer. This Patent Document 1 discloses a line head type printer having recovery means for recovering the nozzle discharge function.

  The recovery processing device, which is a recovery means described in Patent Document 1, is retracted to the side of the conveyor belt (in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction) during the printing operation, and when executing the recovery processing, the recovery processor is a printer. It is configured to move to a gap formed between the head and the conveyor belt. Note that the gap through which the recovery processing apparatus is fed when executing the recovery processing is formed by moving the printer head upward or by moving the transport belt downward.

  In addition, the printer described in Patent Document 1 is an ink jet head unit (referred to as “head unit” in Patent Document 1 below) that includes a plurality of ink jet heads (referred to as “head block” in Patent Document 1 below). In other words, the recovery device is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of head units constituting the printer head. A plurality of recovery units. Each recovery unit has a flexible cap member that can cover the ink discharge surface of the head unit, and a flexible blade that is installed adjacent to the cap member to wipe the ink discharge surface. Each wiper is equipped. Then, by sliding the recovery processing apparatus main body incorporating the plurality of recovery units in the paper width direction, the recovery processing apparatus main body moves to a gap formed between the upper side of the conveyance belt and the lower side of the printer head. It can be done.

  When the recovery processing device main body moves, the guide pin of the recovery processing device main body moves by moving the cam groove region of the guide groove of the guide plate, so that the wiper contacts the ink discharge surface and moves. Wipe and clean the surface. Furthermore, by moving to the next continuous cam groove region, the cap member reaches a position covering the ink discharge surface.

JP 2002-120386 A

  However, in the printer described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of recovery units corresponding to the head units are each provided with a cap member and a wiper, and the wipers are disposed adjacent to the corresponding caps. . Therefore, the operation of removing ink and dirt adhering to the wiper has been very complicated.

  In addition, since ink is discharged into the cap to eliminate ink discharge failure, it is necessary to clean the inside of multiple caps regularly even if the waste liquid pump discharges the ink accumulated in the cap. The work was also complicated.

  In addition, since ink is ejected into the cap, there is a problem that the space in the cap is large to receive the ink and the cap becomes large.

  Further, in the printer described in Patent Document 1, by moving the recovery processing device main body in the paper width direction, the guide pin of the recovery processing device main body is guided upward by the cam groove, and the cap member moves to the ink ejection surface. It will be a position to cover. That is, in the process in which the cap member starts to come into contact with the ink discharge surface and then rises to a close contact position, the recovery processing apparatus main body is moved in the paper width direction, and the cap member rubs the ink discharge surface and scratches the ink discharge surface. There is a possibility that the position covering the gap may shift.

  Furthermore, in the recovery processing apparatus according to Patent Document 1, a plurality of wipers corresponding to the head unit are driven to an upright position that can be wiped by a wiper retracting mechanism and an inclined position that is retracted from a wipeable position. Therefore, the wiper is attached to the wiper support that is supported by the recovery processing apparatus main body via the support shaft. The wiper support is connected to a drive rod connected to a solenoid iron core. When the iron core is sucked by turning on the solenoid, the wiper support stands upright and the wiper rises to a position where the ink discharge surface can be wiped off. . When the solenoid is turned off, the iron core is released, the driving rod receives the urging force of the urging spring, the wiper support and the wiper are inclined, and the wiper is separated from the ink ejection surface.

  According to the above-described recovery processing apparatus according to the prior art, the wiper can be moved from the wiping position to the separation position with respect to the ink ejection surface by turning on and off the solenoid, and the wiping operation of the ink ejection surface can be freely controlled. it can. However, the wiper support on which the wiper is mounted is supported on the recovery processing apparatus main body via a support shaft, and is connected to a drive rod connected to the iron core of the solenoid. Therefore, the maintenance of the wiper and the wiper support to which the ink is attached is further complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to wipe the ink discharge surface of the inkjet head of a line head type printing machine and to discharge the ink of the inkjet head. An ink-jet head maintenance device having cap means for covering a range (hereinafter referred to as “nozzle range”) in which ink discharge ports on the surface are arranged, and moving means for moving them. Inkjet head wiping means capable of wiping the ink discharge surface of the unit, and a compact cap means that can reliably cover the nozzle range without scratching the ink discharge surface, and the wiping means and the cap means It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet head maintenance device that can be easily cleaned.

  An ink jet head maintenance device according to the present invention is provided in a line head type ink jet printing machine having an ink jet head unit including one or more ink jet heads in which an upper surface of a print medium to be conveyed and an ink discharge surface are opposed to each other. An inkjet head maintenance device for maintaining the ink ejection surface of the head, comprising: wiping means for wiping the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head; and moving means for moving the wiping means, the moving means being wiping means Can be reciprocated between a standby position that does not prevent printing by the inkjet head and a wrapping position where the wiping means passes under the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head unit and turns back, and can be stopped at these two positions. The wiping means is provided with a flexible blade and a blur. The blade is displaced between the wiping position and the non-wiping position by the blade displacement mechanism, and when the blade is in the wiping position, the wiping means moves between the standby position and the return position. When the wiping means stops at the folding position, the blade moves in the ink jet head unit to the folding position when the wiping means stops at the folding position. It is provided so that it may reach the position beyond the downstream end.

  In the ink jet head maintenance apparatus according to the present invention, the wiping means can be attached in a non-restricted state in a predetermined direction and can be easily removed by moving in the non-restricted direction.

  In the ink jet head maintenance apparatus according to the present invention, the ink jet head unit is individually provided for each different ink, and the wiping means is provided individually for each ink jet head unit, and the moving means is the corresponding ink jet head. Each wiping means can be provided so as to reciprocate between the standby position and the return position along the unit.

  Furthermore, in the ink jet head maintenance apparatus according to the present invention, the wiping means provided corresponding to each ink jet head unit can be provided while being associated with one moving means.

  Still further, the ink jet head maintenance apparatus according to the present invention has a cap unit that covers the ink discharge surface of the ink jet head, and the moving unit is a standby position that does not interfere with printing by the ink jet head at the same time as the wiping unit and the cap unit. And the wiping means is provided so as to reciprocate between the wrapping position where the ink discharge surface of the inkjet head is wiped off and turned back, and can be stopped at these two positions. An enclosing member that surrounds the area where the ink ejection port is disposed and contacts the ink ejection surface or a surface adjacent to the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head unit; and the ink ejection surface of the enclosure member or the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head unit A cap composed of a bottom plate that closes the side that contacts the surface adjacent to And a lifting mechanism is activated to stop the enclosure member from coming into contact with or separated from the ink ejection surface or a surface adjacent to the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head unit. Can be provided.

  Furthermore, in the inkjet head maintenance apparatus according to the present invention, the cap included in the cap means can be provided corresponding to each inkjet head.

  Further, in the inkjet head maintenance device according to the present invention, the wiping means, or the wiping means and the cap means are printed when moving between the standby position and the folding position and when stopped at the folding position. It is preferable that guide means for guiding the medium to a predetermined position directly below the ink discharge surface of the inkjet head unit is lowered.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an inkjet head maintenance device that can suitably wipe the ink ejection surface of a selected inkjet head unit and can reliably cover the nozzle range without scratching the ink ejection surface. Is possible. In addition, since the wiping means and the cap means that can exert these functions and effects have a structure that facilitates maintenance such as cleaning, it is possible to provide an apparatus that facilitates maintenance work compared to the prior art. Is possible.

It is the schematic showing the cross section orthogonal to the running direction of the continuous paper of the line head type color (four color printing) printing machine provided with the inkjet head maintenance apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment, and a wiping means and a cap means are The state in the standby position is shown. It is the schematic showing the cross section orthogonal to the running direction of the continuous paper of the line head type color (four color printing) printing machine provided with the inkjet head maintenance apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment, and a wiping means and a cap means are A state in which the vehicle is moving between the standby position and the turn-back position is shown. It is the schematic showing the cross section orthogonal to the running direction of the continuous paper of the line head type color (four color printing) printing machine provided with the inkjet head maintenance apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment, and a wiping means and a cap means are The state in the folding position is shown. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line Y-Y in FIG. 1 and is a view of the ink ejection surfaces of four inkjet head units that eject inks of different colors from the bottom. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the wiping means which is the Z section detail drawing of FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the other Example of the blade displacement mechanism of a wiping means. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AX-AX in FIG. 1. It is the schematic showing the cross section perpendicular | vertical with respect to the running direction of the continuous paper of the line head type inkjet printing machine provided with the maintenance apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment, and has shown the position of the purge receptacle. It is the internal view which looked at the printing machine which has a cap means concerning 2nd embodiment from the direction parallel to the running direction of continuous paper. It is an AY-AY cross-sectional arrow view of FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the nail | claw in 2nd embodiment, an air cylinder, and a flange.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to each claim, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution means of the invention. .

[First embodiment]
1 to 3 show the running direction of a continuous paper W of a line head type color (4-color printing) printing machine 11 (hereinafter referred to as a printing machine 11) equipped with the inkjet head maintenance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 1 and is an inner view showing an outline of the printing machine 11. Further, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY in FIG. 1, and is a view of the ink ejection surfaces F of the four inkjet head units H110 to H140 that eject inks of different colors from the bottom.

  The printing machine 11 includes an inkjet head unit H110 that discharges cyan ink to brackets (not shown) provided on a pair of left and right frames 111 and 112 provided in parallel with the traveling direction of the continuous paper W that is a printing medium. An inkjet head unit H120 that ejects magenta ink, an inkjet head unit H130 that ejects yellow ink, and an inkjet head unit H140 that ejects black ink are attached. A continuous paper W indicated by an arrow K is driven by the four inkjet head units with respect to the continuous paper W guided by guide rollers 201 to 209 from a paper feeding unit (not shown) and an infeed unit that applies tension to the continuous paper W. Overprinting is performed with four color inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black in order from the upstream side. The continuous paper W printed by the printing machine 11 passes through a paper drawing roller (not shown), is cut into a predetermined size by a post-processing device (not shown), and is folded as necessary to become a printed matter.

  The guide rollers 203 to 207 of the printing press 11 serve as guide means for guiding the continuous paper W to a predetermined position directly below the ink ejection surface F of the inkjet head units H110 to H140, and the shaft end portion thereof rotates around the frame T. It is supported freely. The frame T is attached to the rods of four air cylinders V attached to the frames 111 and 112 of the printing press 11 via brackets. By simultaneously extruding or retracting the rods of the four air cylinders V, the frame T can be raised or lowered in the vertical direction.

  When the frame T is raised, the guide rollers 203 to 207 have their peripheral surfaces moved to a predetermined position a (see FIG. 1) in the vicinity of the ink discharge surface F, and are continuous paper guided by the guide rollers 203 to 207. W can be guided to a printing position where printing is performed immediately below the ink ejection surface F. When the frame T is lowered, the guide rollers 203 to 207 are separated from the ink ejection surface F by a position b (FIGS. 2 and 3). (Refer to FIG. 4), a space is formed around the ink discharge surface F, and maintenance of the ink discharge surface F can be performed.

  At least when the wiping means B described later wipes the ink discharge surface F and when the cap means C covers the ink discharge surface F, the guide rollers 203 to 207 are moved to the position b.

  An inkjet head unit that ejects ink of each color of the printing machine 11, for example, an inkjet head unit H <b> 110 that ejects cyan ink, has an inkjet head H <b> 111 to H <b> 114 shorter than the width of the continuous paper W in the width direction of the continuous paper W. It is configured by being mounted side by side on the support plate H010 (see FIG. 5). The support plate H010 is provided with punched holes corresponding to the ink ejection surfaces F of the inkjet heads H111 to H114, and each ink ejection surface F faces the upper surface of the continuous paper W in parallel.

  In order to prevent discontinuity in printing in the width direction of the continuous paper W, the ink ejection surface F shown by shading in FIG. It is necessary to slightly overlap the nozzle range Fh in the width direction of the continuous paper W.

  Therefore, the nozzles as described above are obtained by shifting the inkjet heads H111 and H112, H112 and H113, and H113 and H114 adjacent to each other in the inkjet head unit H110 in the running direction of the continuous paper W by at least the length of the short side of the casing. As long as the necessary overlap is obtained in the width direction of the continuous paper W in the range Fh, the long sides (width direction of the continuous paper W) of the housing are overlapped. In the printing machine 11 of the present embodiment, each of the inkjet heads H111 to H114 of the inkjet head unit H110 is disposed at right angles to the traveling direction (conveying direction) of the continuous paper W, and the continuous paper W travels. H112 is downstream with respect to the inkjet head H111 in the direction, H113 is upstream with respect to the inkjet head H112, H114 is downstream with respect to the inkjet head H113, and four inkjet heads are in the running direction of the continuous paper W. They are staggered alternately.

  Similarly to the inkjet head unit H110, the inkjet head unit H120 that discharges magenta ink is configured by arranging inkjet heads H121 to H124, which are shorter than the width of the continuous paper W, in the width direction of the continuous paper W and attaching them to the support plate H020. The ink discharge surfaces F of the ink jet heads H121 to H124 face the upper surface of the continuous paper W in parallel. Then, by shifting the adjacent inkjet heads H121 and H122, H122 and H123, and H123 and H124 from each other in the running direction of the continuous paper W, the necessary overlap in the width direction of the continuous paper W is obtained. The long sides of the casing (width direction of the continuous paper W) are overlapped. The inkjet head unit H120 is installed next to the inkjet head unit H110 on the downstream side in the running direction of the continuous paper W.

  The inkjet head unit H130 that discharges yellow ink is also configured by arranging inkjet heads H131 to H134, which are shorter than the width of the continuous paper W, in the width direction of the continuous paper W and attaching them to the support plate H030. The ink ejection surfaces F to H134 face the upper surface of the continuous paper W in parallel. Then, by shifting the adjacent inkjet heads H131 and H132, H132 and H133, H133 and H134 to each other in the running direction of the continuous paper W, the necessary overlap of the nozzle range Fh in the width direction of the continuous paper W can be obtained. The long sides of the casing (width direction of the continuous paper W) are overlapped. Further, the inkjet head unit H130 is installed next to the inkjet head unit H120 on the downstream side in the running direction of the continuous paper W.

  The inkjet head unit H140 that ejects black ink is also configured by arranging inkjet heads H141 to H144 that are shorter than the width of the continuous paper W in the width direction of the continuous paper W and attaching them to the support plate H040, and the inkjet head H141. Each of the ink ejection surfaces F to H144 faces the upper surface of the continuous paper W in parallel. Then, by shifting the adjacent inkjet heads H141 and H142, H142 and H143, H143 and H144 to each other in the running direction of the continuous paper W, the necessary overlap of the nozzle range Fh in the width direction of the continuous paper W can be obtained. The long sides of the casing (width direction of the continuous paper W) are overlapped. Further, the inkjet head unit H140 is installed next to the downstream side of the inkjet head unit H130 in the running direction of the continuous paper W.

  The printing machine 11 includes an wiping unit B and a cap unit C1 which are inkjet head maintenance devices, and a moving unit G and an auxiliary frame 113 for moving them to a standby position r (see FIG. 1) and a folding position s (see FIG. 3). Is provided.

  In the present embodiment, the side on which the frame 111 is provided across the travel path of the continuous paper W of the printing machine 11 is the operation side on which the operator operates the printing machine 11 during printing. The auxiliary frame 113 is provided in parallel to the frame 112 on the side opposite to the operation side across the travel path of the continuous paper W, that is, the side where the frame 112 of the printing press 11 is provided. A space is provided between the frame 112 and the auxiliary frame 113 to accommodate substantially the entire wiping means B and cap means C1 arranged as described later.

  The moving unit G integrally moves four wiping units B and one cap unit C1 described later in the direction of the arrow E in the width direction of the continuous paper W in parallel with the ink ejection surface F (see FIG. 2). ), A state where the inkjet head units H110 to H140 can print on the continuous paper W, that is, the standby position r (determined between the frame 112 and the auxiliary frame 113 where the wiping means B and the cap means C1 do not prevent the continuous paper W from traveling). 1) and the wiping means B passes under the ink ejection surface F of the inkjet head units H110 to H140, and the blade B1 is moved in the direction of the arrow D of the inkjet head units H110 to H140. It is possible to stop at two positions of the folding position s (see FIG. 3) beyond the end.

  When the cap unit C1 is stopped at the turn-back position s, the enclosing range of each enclosing member C30 of the cap unit C1 described later corresponds to the corresponding inkjet heads H111 to H114, H121 to H124, and H131 to H134. , H141 to H144 are provided so as to coincide with the nozzle range Fh of the ink ejection surface F.

  The moving means G includes two guide moving means G10, a mounting base G21 and a frame G22.

  The two guide moving means G10 are in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the continuous paper W and parallel to the ink ejection surface F of the inkjet head units H110 to H140, and from the frame 111 to the frame 112 of the printing press 11, and the auxiliary frame. 113 are provided at the same height across the mounting base G21 and the frame G22. Each of the guide moving means G10 has a moving member G100, and the two moving members G100 are connected by attaching the mounting base G21 and the frame G22 across the moving members G100 of the two guide moving means G10. ing.

  The guide moving means G10 determines the driving function for moving the mounting base G21 and the frame G22 to the standby position r and the folding position s, the path of the movement, and the wiping means B provided on the mounting base G21 and the frame G22. And a guide function for supporting the weight of the cap means C1.

  The guide moving means G10 is configured, for example, by combining a rodless air cylinder having a driving function and a linear motion bearing having a guiding function. The combined rodless air cylinder and the moving table of the linear motion bearing correspond to the moving member G100, and the moving member G100 is movable by being driven by air pressure.

  By driving the moving member G100 of the two guide moving means G10 simultaneously and in the same direction, the mounting base G21 and the frame G22 are driven together with the moving member G100.

  Four wiping means B are attached to the mounting base G21, and cap means C1 is attached to the frame G22.

  When the wiping means B and the cap means C1 are at the standby position r, the mounting base G21 on which the wiping means B is provided is closer to the ink jet head units H110 to H140, and the frame G22 on which the cap means C1 is provided is an ink jet. It is arrange | positioned with respect to the head units H110-H140 at the side far from the mount G21.

  The wiping means B and the cap means C1 are arranged at an appropriate interval, and when the wiping means B and the cap means C1 are stopped at the folding position s, all the wiping means B are ink jet head units H110 to H140. And the operator's hand can reach from the operation side of the printing press 11.

  Four wiping means B are provided corresponding to the inkjet head units H110 to H140. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the wiping means B which is a detailed view of the Z portion in FIG. Each wiping means B includes a blade displacement mechanism B4 that displaces the blade B1 by angularly displacing the blade B1, the case B3 to which the blade B1 is attached, and the case B3 to which the blade B1 is attached (in this embodiment, the blade B1 is also angularly displaced). It is made up of.

  And the edge which wipes the ink discharge surface F of the braid | blade B1 of each wiping means B is parallel to the ink discharge surface F, and the running direction length L of the continuous paper W of each ink discharge surface F of inkjet head unit H110-H140. It has a length that can be wiped off (see FIG. 5). In this embodiment, the edge for wiping the ink discharge surface F of the blade B1 is parallel to the running direction of the continuous paper W, but is not limited to being parallel to the running direction of the continuous paper W.

  The mounting base G21 to which the wiping means B is attached is provided with a block G31 and a pin G30 for positioning the case B3 of the wiping means B and supporting it so as to be angularly displaceable. Two blocks G31 are provided in parallel to one wiping means B, and are fixed to the mounting base G21 at intervals slightly wider than the length in the running direction of the continuous paper W of the case B3. By disposing the case B3 between the two blocks G31, the blade B1 becomes a predetermined position in the running direction of the continuous paper W with respect to the corresponding inkjet head unit. A pin G30 is attached to the facing surfaces of the two blocks G31 in parallel with the running direction of the continuous paper W so that a foot B31 (to be described later) of the case B3 is fitted.

  The case B3 has a box shape with an open upper surface, is attached to the mounting base G21, receives the action of the blade displacement mechanism B4, and angularly displaces the blade B1 together with the case B3. In the present embodiment, the case B3 also serves as an ink receiver that receives the ink wiped by the blade B1. The case B3 has a foot B31 provided with inverted U-shaped grooves at both ends of the bottom, and the groove of the foot B31 is fitted into the pin G30 provided in the block G31 described above, whereby the axis of the pin G30 Is provided to be angularly displaceable with respect to the center. The foot B31 is positioned so that the axis of the pin G30 is located on the right side in FIG. 6 from directly below the center of gravity of the case B3 including the blade B1, that is, the case B3 is centered on the axis of the pin G30 depending on the weight including the blade B1. In FIG. 6, it is angularly displaced leftward and tilted to a position (hereinafter referred to as a non-wiping position) p that is not a wiping position to be described later. Further, ears B32 are attached to both end faces of the case B3. When the case B3 is in the non-wiping position p, the ears B32 are substantially perpendicular to the rods of two air cylinders B41 of a blade displacement mechanism B4 described later. It is fixed in the direction.

  A bracket B30, which is a plate-like member having a length substantially the same as the length of the blade B1, is fixed inside the case B3. The bracket B30 is attached at a substantially right angle to the bottom surface of the case B3.

  The blade B1 is made of a flexible material, for example, a rubber plate having an appropriate thickness. The blade B1 is attached with a bolt or the like along the lower half of the height direction along the bracket B30. The upper half in the height direction can be bent by its flexibility.

  The blade displacement mechanism B4 is composed of two air cylinders B41 and one plunger B42. In the plunger B42, elasticity in the pushing direction is applied to a rod-shaped piston protruding from the cylinder by a compression spring built in the cylinder.

  The plunger B42 and the air cylinder B41 are arranged so that the cylinders are substantially horizontal and perpendicular to the traveling direction of the continuous paper W. The pushing direction of the rod-shaped piston of the plunger B42 and the rod of the air cylinder B41 The extrusion directions are opposite.

  By retracting the rod of the air cylinder B41, the case B3 is pushed at the side surface B301 by the rod-like piston of the plunger B42, and is angularly displaced around the axis of the pin G30 by the weight including the blade B1. By extruding the rod of the air cylinder B41 and the non-wiping position p (the position where the outer shape is drawn by a solid line in FIG. 6) where the edge B302 or the edge B303 of the side facing the side B301 is in contact with the mounting base G21 The rod pushes back the ear B32 provided on the case B3, the side surface B301 pushes and contracts the rod-like piston of the plunger B42, and the case B3 is angularly displaced around the axis of the pin G30, so that the blade B1 is substantially vertical. Select the wiping position q (the position where the outline is drawn with a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6). Rukoto is possible.

  When the case B3 is in the non-wiping position p when the wiping means B is moved in the horizontal direction by the moving means G and passes under the ink ejection surface F, the blade B1 attached to the bracket B30 is shown by a broken line in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, if the ink discharge surface F is not contacted and is at the wiping position q, the upper edge of the blade B1 contacts the ink discharge surface F as shown by the solid line in FIG. It will be in the state. A one-dot chain line h in FIG. 6 indicates the position of the ink ejection surface F in the height direction.

  In the present embodiment, the wiping means B is moved in a direction perpendicular to the running direction of the continuous paper W by the moving means G, so that the ink discharge surfaces of the inkjet head units H110 to H140 corresponding to the wiping means B respectively. F can be wiped off, but when the inkjet head unit is provided at an angle α with respect to the width direction of the continuous paper W (the direction perpendicular to the running direction of the continuous paper W), the wiping means B May be moved in the direction of the angle α with respect to the width direction of the continuous paper W. That is, the direction in which the wiping means B is moved is not limited as long as the ink discharge surface of the inkjet head unit can be wiped.

  When the case B3 is at the non-wiping position p, the air cylinder B41 is in a position where a slight gap is generated between the retracted rod tip and the ear B32, and the plunger B42 is fully projected. The rod-shaped piston and the side surface B301 of the case B3 facing the piston are adjusted to a position where a slight gap is generated. The case B3 is not connected to the blade angular displacement mechanism B4, and the blade B1, The groove of the foot B31 is fitted into the pin G30 by the weight including the bracket B2 and the like, and the edge B302 or the edge B303 is in contact with the mounting base G21. Therefore, the case B3 to which the blade B1 is attached is in a non-restricted state where there is no restriction in the direction opposite to the direction in which the reverse U-shaped groove of the foot B31 is opened, that is, substantially upward. is there.

  When the rod of the air cylinder B41 is pushed out and the case B3 is at the wiping position q, the rod-like piston of the plunger B42 is compressed by the side surface B301 of the case B3, and the side surface B301 is at the cylinder end of the plunger B42. The position of the wiping position q where the blade B1 is substantially vertical is determined by hitting.

  When the rod of the air cylinder B41 is retracted and the case B3 is angularly displaced from the wiping position q and reaches the non-wiping position p, the rod-like piston of the plunger B42 pushes the side surface B301 of the case B3, and the blade B1 and The angular displacement due to the weight of the case B3 is assisted to move toward the non-wiping position p. Therefore, the plunger B42 can be omitted, and in order to determine the position where the case B3 becomes the wiping position q, for example, it is sufficient to provide a stopper such as a bolt.

  FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the blade displacement mechanism of the wiping means. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the blade Bv1 of the wiping means Bv. In this embodiment, the case Bv3 of the wiping means Bv is disposed between the wall surface G211 and the wall surface G212 of the mounting base G21, which is slightly wider than the distance between the side surface Bv301 and the side surface Bv304 of the case Bv3. G is positioned in the moving direction, and the case Bv3 is arranged between the two blocks G31 fixed to the mounting base G21 at a distance slightly wider than the length of the case Bv3 in the running direction of the continuous paper W, whereby the blade Bv1 Is a predetermined position in the running direction of the continuous paper W with respect to the corresponding inkjet head unit. Similarly to the blade B1 of the wiping means B, the blade Bv1 is attached to a bracket Bv30 attached at a substantially right angle to the bottom surface of the case Bv3 by a bolt or the like.

  The lower surface of the case Bv3 is placed on the cam surfaces of the two cams Bv44 of the blade displacement mechanism Bv4 described later.

  The blade displacement mechanism Bv4 is configured by two air cylinders Bv41 and two cams Bv44 provided in the vicinity of both ends of the case Bv3. The cam Bv44 is attached to the surface of the mount G21 facing the block G31 via an axis Bv43 attached in parallel with the running direction of the continuous paper W, and can be angularly displaced about the axis Bv43. The rod of the air cylinder Bv41 is connected to the side surface of the cam Bv44 by a pin Bv45 in a direction perpendicular to the axis Bv43. Therefore, when the rod of the air cylinder Bv41 is pushed out in FIG. 7, the cam Bv44 is angularly displaced in the right direction, and the cam surface pushes the lower surface of the case Bv3 upward together with the blade Bv1. When the rod of the air cylinder Bv41 is retracted, the cam Bv44 is angularly displaced leftward, and the portion of the cam surface that contacts the lower surface of the case Bv3 is lowered, so that the case Bv3 is lowered together with the blade Bv1 by their weight. In this manner, by extending and contracting the rod of the air cylinder Bv41, the blade Bv1 is vertically displaced together with the case Bv3 in the vertical direction, and the wiping position q (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7) and the non-wiping. It is possible to select the position p (the position where the outer shape is drawn with a solid line in FIG. 7). A one-dot chain line h in FIG. 7 indicates the position of the ink ejection surface F in the height direction. Further, the case Bv3 to which the blade Bv1 is attached is in an unregulated state where there is no restriction on the upper side on the mount G21.

  FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line AX-AX in FIG.

  The cap means C1 includes a base plate C11, four bottom plates C20 disposed on the upper surface of the base plate C11, and the same number (16 in the present embodiment) of enclosing members C30 as the number of inkjet heads made of an elastic material, It consists of five air cylinders C41 constituting a cap lifting mechanism for moving the base plate C11 in the vertical direction.

  The air cylinder C41 is provided in such a manner that the rod is oriented vertically, the tip of the rod is fixed to the four corners and the center of the base plate C11, and the cylinder side is fixed to the frame G22 of the moving means G (see FIG. 1). The base plate C11 can be moved vertically up and down by extruding or retracting the rods of the five air cylinders C41 all at once. The base plate C11 is plate-shaped, or may be a frame only if it can hold the bottom plate C20.

  The bottom plate C20 corresponds to each color inkjet head unit H110 to H140, and is determined in advance by fitting the positioning hole C200 provided in the bottom plate C20 to the positioning pin C110 provided on the upper surface of the base plate C11. Placed in position. Further, there is no gap between the bottom plate C20 and the bottom plate C20 with an adhesive or the like at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the bottom plate C20 corresponding to the inkjet heads H111 to H114, H121 to H124, H131 to H134, and H141 to H144. Are attached to form a cap.

  The enclosing member C30 affixed to the bottom plate C20 is formed so as to enclose the nozzle range Fh of the ink ejection surface F of each inkjet head, and is configured, for example, by cutting out a rubber plate having an appropriate thickness. After the cap means C1 is moved to a predetermined position below the ink jet head units H110 to H140 by the moving means G, that is, stopped after being moved to the folding position s, the rods of the five air cylinders C41 are simultaneously extruded to thereby base plate C11. Is moved vertically upward (position indicated by a broken line in FIG. 3), the surrounding member C30 is in close contact with the outside of the nozzle range Fh of the ink ejection surface F of each inkjet head, and is formed by the surrounding member C30 and the bottom plate C20. The nozzle range Fh is blocked from outside air by the cap. The surrounding member C30 is preferably thin if it has a thickness that can be elastically deformed so as to be in close contact with at least the ink ejection surface F.

  When the cap means C1 is at the standby position r, the enclosure member C30 and the bottom plate C20 can be cleaned. Cleaning can also be performed by removing the bottom plate C20 to which the enclosing member C30 is attached from the base plate C11.

  Note that the four bottom plates may be integrated, and the tip of the rod of the air cylinder C41 may be fixed to the four corners and the center of the bottom plate so that the bottom plate also serves as the base plate. In that case, the base plate and the positioning pins can be omitted.

  The wiping means B, the cap means C1, and the moving means G described above are operated as follows, for example.

  In a state where printing is not performed, the guide rollers 203 to 207 of the printing machine 11 are lowered to the arrangement b. If the continuous paper W is passed through the inside of the printing machine 11, the continuous paper W is also placed on the peripheral surfaces of the guide rollers 203 to 207 by its own weight. The nozzle range Fh of the ink ejection surface F of all the inkjet head units H110 to H140 includes the bottom plate C20 of the cap means C1 and the surrounding member C30 in order to prevent the ink in the nozzles from drying and the adhesion of dust and the like. It is covered with a cap (a state in which the cap means C1 is indicated by a broken line in FIG. 3).

  First, when starting printing, the rods of the five air cylinders C41 of the cap means C1 are pulled in, the base plate C1, the bottom plate C20 and the surrounding member C30 disposed on the upper surface thereof are moved downward in the vertical direction, and the surrounding member C30 is moved to the ink. It is made to isolate from the discharge surface F (a state where the cap means C1 is shown by a solid line in FIG. 3).

  The cap means C1 and the wiping means B at the folding position s are moved to the standby position r by moving the moving member G100 of the moving means G in the direction of arrow E in FIG. At that time, the case B3 of the wiping means B is set to the non-wiping position p (the state where the wiping means B is indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2), and the blade B1 is not brought into contact with the ink ejection surface F during movement.

  After the cap unit C1 and the wiping unit B complete the movement to the standby position r, the ink purge is performed by the inkjet head units H110 to H140. At the time of ink purging, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, an appropriate purge receiver M that receives ink discharged by ink purging is positioned at a position v below the ink discharge surface F of the inkjet head units H110 to H140. Receive ink. After the ink purge is completed, the purge receiver M is stored in the storage position u (the position where the ink receiver M is indicated by a broken line in FIG. 9) by an appropriate moving means.

  During or after the ink purge, the rods of the air cylinders B41 of the four wiping means B are pushed out and the four cases B3 are positioned at the wiping position q. Then, the moving member G100 of the moving means G is moved in the direction of the arrow D in FIG. 2, and the wiping means B and the cap means C1 are moved toward the folding position s. During this movement, the blade B1 wipes the ink ejection surface F with its upper edge contacting the ink ejection surface F of each of the inkjet head units H110 to H140, and the vicinity of the upper end being appropriately bent. (The state in which the wiping means B is indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2), most of the ink adhering to the ink ejection surface F by ink purging is accommodated in a case B3 that also serves as an ink receiver. Further, the ink adhering to the ink discharge surface F performs a lubricating action between the blade B1 and the ink discharge surface F, and prevents the blade B1 from sticking to the ink discharge surface F and being scratched.

  After the wiping means B finishes wiping all the ink ejection surfaces F and arrives at the folding position s together with the cap means C1, the rod of the air cylinder B41 of the wiping means B is retracted. Then, the case B3 becomes the inclined position p due to the plunger B42 and its own weight. In this state, the moving member G100 of the moving means G is moved to move the cap means C1 and the wiping means B to the standby position r again. At that time, since the case B3 of the wiping means B is at the inclined position p, the blade B1 to which the ink is attached does not come into contact with the ink discharge surface F during the movement.

  After the wiping means B and the cap means C1 complete the movement to the standby position r, the rods of the four air cylinders V of the printing press 11 are simultaneously extruded, and the guide rollers 203 to 207 supported by the frame T are moved to the position a. To start printing.

  After the printing is completed, the rods of the four air cylinders V of the printing machine 11 are simultaneously drawn, and the guide rollers 203 to 207 supported by the frame T are moved to the position b.

  While the case B3 of the wiping means B is in the non-wiping position p, the moving member G100 of the moving means G is moved to move the wiping means B and the cap means C1 toward the folding position s. At this time, since the case B3 is in the non-wiping position p, the blade B1 does not contact the ink ejection surface F.

  After the wiping means B and the cap means C1 arrive at the turn-back position s and stop, the rods of the five air cylinders C41 of the cap means C1 are pushed out, and the base plate C11, the bottom plate C20 and the enclosure member C30 are moved upward in the vertical direction. The member C30 is pressed against the ink ejection surface F, and the nozzle range Fh is covered with a cap made up of the bottom plate C20 and the enclosing member C30, and is shielded from the outside air.

  Further, when the wiping means B and the cap means C1 are in the folding position s, the wiping means B passes through the lower part of the inkjet head units H110 to H140 and appears on the operation side of the printing press 11. At this position, the operator cleans the ink adhering to the blade B1 of the wiping means B and collects the ink stored in the case B3. Since the case B3 is in the non-wiping position p, the groove of the foot B31 is fitted to the pin G30 by its weight, and the edge B302 or the edge B303 is in contact with the mounting base G21. The rod tip of the air cylinder B41 and the plan Since it is away from the rod-like piston of the jar B42, the pin G30 is removed from the portion where the groove of the foot B31 is opened by lifting the case B3 substantially obliquely upward in the non-regulating direction, and the case B3 is attached to it. Since it can be easily removed from the mounting base G21 integrally with the blade B1, the ink recovery and cleaning operations are extremely easy.

  In the above operation, the cleaning operation of the wiping unit B is performed after the cap unit C1 covers the nozzle range Fh after printing, but is performed immediately after the wiping unit B finishes wiping the ink discharge surface F. Also good. That is, when the wiping means B finishes wiping the ink discharge surface F, and arrives at the turn-back position s together with the cap means C1, the rod of the air cylinder B41 of the wiping means B is retracted, and the case B3 is moved to the plunger B42. Further, the non-wiping position p may be removed from the mounting base G21 integrally with the case B3 and the blade B1 attached thereto depending on the weight of the case B3 and the like.

  On the other hand, only the selected arbitrary inkjet head unit among the four inkjet head units H110 to H140 can be wiped by the wiping means B.

  For example, when ink discharge failure occurs in any one of the four color inkjet head units H110 to H140 during printing, printing is interrupted and ink discharge failure occurs. After the foreign matter causing the discharge failure is discharged from the nozzle by performing the ink purge with the ink jet head unit, only the wiping means B corresponding to the ink jet head unit pushes the rod of the air cylinder B41 to wipe the case B3 It is located at q and moved from the standby position r toward the turn-back position s. During this movement, the upper edge of the blade B1 at the wiping position q comes into contact with the ink ejection surface F of the inkjet head unit that has been subjected to ink purge, and wipes the ink ejection surface F. The wiping means B corresponding to the ink jet head unit that has not been purged with ink is set to the non-wiping position p, so that the blade B1 does not come into contact with the ink ejection surface F of the ink jet head unit. At this time, prior to the ink purge, the guide rollers 203 to 207 are moved to the position b, and the purge receiver M is positioned at the position v below the ink ejection surface F of the inkjet head units H110 to H140. Of course.

  In this wiping operation, the ink discharge surface F of the inkjet head unit that has not been subjected to ink purging may be in a dry state that is not wetted by ink, but since wiping by the blade B1 is not performed, the blade B1 There is no risk that the ink discharge surface F will be stuck and scratched. In other words, in order to prevent the ink jet head unit in which the ejection failure has not occurred from being scratched by wiping with the blade, the ink is purged for the purpose of wetting the ink jet surface of the ink jet head unit with ink. Can eliminate waste.

  When the wiping means Bv is used in place of the wiping means B, the rod of the air cylinder Bv41 is retracted, the case Bv3 is set to the non-wiping position p, and the rod of the air cylinder Bv41 is pushed out to the wiping position q. Further, since the case Bv3 is in a non-restricted state with no restriction on the upper side, the case Bv3 can be detached from the mounting base G21 integrally with the blade Bv1 by being lifted upward when it is at the folding position s.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, another embodiment of the elevating mechanism for the cap means will be described.

  In the second embodiment described below, the air cylinder constituting the lifting mechanism that moves the base plate of the cap means in the vertical direction is not attached to the frame of the moving means, but is attached to the stay that is passed between the frames of the printing press. However, it is different from the cap means C1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the main parts of the wiping means B and the moving means G are not changed, and the same components as those of the cap means C1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is simplified or omitted.

  FIG. 10 is an inner surface view of the printing machine 11 in which the cap unit C2 is replaced with the cap unit C1 as seen from a direction parallel to the running direction of the continuous paper W. FIG. 11 is an AY-AY cross-sectional arrow view of FIG. The guide rollers 203 to 207 are depicted as a position b separated from the ink ejection surface F of the inkjet head.

  The printing machine 11 is provided with three stays J1, J2, and J3 between the frames 111 and 112 in advance.

  Stay J1 is upstream of the running direction of continuous paper W of inkjet head unit H110, stay J2 is between inkjet head unit H120 and inkjet head unit H130, and stay J3 is running of continuous paper W of inkjet head unit H140. They are arranged on the downstream side in the direction.

  The five air cylinders C42 constituting the cap raising / lowering mechanism are arranged so that the rods are oriented vertically, two at the stay J1, one at J2, two at J3, and at positions corresponding to claws C60 described later. The cylinder side is fixed to the lower surface of J1 to J3. A flange C50 having an appropriate diameter is attached to the tip of each rod projecting downward from the air cylinder C42, and the rods of five air cylinders C42 are extruded to lower the flange C50 (FIGS. 10 and 10). When the cap means C2 moves from the standby position r toward the turn-back position s in the state (shown by a solid line in FIG. 11), the five claws C60 provided on the base plate C12 are positioned on the upper surface of the flange C50.

  FIG. 12 shows the relationship between the claw 60, the air cylinder C42 and the flange C50. An arrow D indicates the direction of movement from the standby position r to the return position s. The stay is not shown.

  The claws C60 are attached to the four corners and the center of the upper surface of the base plate C12. Each claw C60 is a plate material having a width substantially the same as the diameter of the flange C50, and has a U-shaped groove that is open on the turn-back position s side in the moving direction by the moving means G, and the groove is closed. By bending the side and attaching to the base plate C12, the U-shaped groove has a gap into which the flange C50 enters between the upper surface of the base plate C12.

  In order to cover the nozzle range Fh of the inkjet head units H110 to H140 with the cap means, the wiping means B and the cap means C2 are moved from the standby position r to the folding position s with the rods of the five air cylinders C42 pushed out ( Direction indicated by arrow D).

  Then, the rod of the air cylinder C42 enters the U-shaped groove of each claw C60, and the flange C50 is positioned below the plate member having the U-shaped groove of the claw C60. When the rods of the five air cylinders C42 are retracted after the wiping means B and the cap means C2 are positioned at the turn-back position s, the flange C50 is raised to the position indicated by the broken line in FIGS. The base plate C12 moves upward in the vertical direction so that the surrounding member C30 comes into contact with the ink discharge surface F, and the nozzle range Fh is covered by the cap formed of the bottom plate C20 and the surrounding member C30.

  Of the claws C60 attached to the four corners of the base plate C12, the U-shaped groove portion of the claw C60 on the leading side and the U-shaped groove portion of the claw C60 on the following side in the direction indicated by the arrow D The height from the upper surface of the base plate C12 is provided with a difference. That is, the leading side is low, the trailing side is high, and the position of the flange C50 of the air cylinder C42 is low for the leading side claw C60, and the leading side for the trailing claw C60 is high. (See FIG. 11), when moving from the standby position r to the return position s (direction indicated by the arrow D), the leading claw C60 does not conflict with the flange C50 of the air cylinder C42 corresponding to the trailing claw C60. It is like that.

  In order to remove the cap cover from the nozzle range Fh, the rods of the five air cylinders C42 are pushed out. Then, the base plate C12 on which the bottom plate C20 and the enclosing member C30 are placed descends with the claw C60 placed on the flange C50 by its own weight, and is placed on the frame G22 of the guide moving means G. When the rod of the air cylinder C42 is completely pushed out, a gap is formed between the upper surface of the flange C50 and the lower surface of the claw C60. Therefore, the wiping means B and the cap means C2 are moved from the folding position s to the standby position r. With this movement, the rod of the air cylinder C42 comes out from the open side of the U-shaped groove of the claw C60.

  The frame G22 of the moving means G is provided with positioning pins (not shown) that are longer than the amount by which the base plate C12 moves vertically upward by the lifting mechanism, and positioning holes (not shown) provided in the base plate C12. ), The base plate C12 does not deviate from the folding position s even if the base plate C12 moves up and down in the vertical direction.

  In the second embodiment, the five air cylinders C42 for moving the base plate C12, the bottom plate C20, and the enclosure member C30 of the cap means C2 in the vertical direction are arranged in the frame of the moving means G that moves between the folding position s and the standby position r. Since it is not attached to G22 and is attached to stays J1, J2, J3 provided in the printing press 11, the five air cylinders C42 do not move, and the air pipes connected to the five air cylinders C42 can be fixedly installed.

[Third embodiment]
Further, as a third embodiment of the elevating mechanism of the cap means, among the five air cylinders constituting the elevating mechanism, four air cylinders are arranged in a direction in which the rod is vertical as in the embodiment shown in FIG. The rod tips are fixed to the four corners of the base plate, and the cylinder sides of the four air cylinders are fixed to the frame of the moving means. The remaining one air cylinder is provided so as to correspond to the claw attached to the center of the base plate in the second embodiment described above. In other words, one stay is provided between the two frames of the printing press in the middle of the four inkjet head units, and one cylinder is arranged on the cylinder lower surface at a substantially central lower surface of the stay with the rod in a vertical direction. A flange is attached to the tip of the rod protruding downward from the air cylinder, and one claw provided in the center of the base plate is inserted on the flange upper surface of the extruded rod of the air cylinder. So that As shown in FIG. 12, the relationship between the claw and the flange is the same as that of the second embodiment described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  In the third embodiment, only one stay is added to the printing press, and an air cylinder for raising and lowering the center part of the base plate is not provided in the frame of the moving means. There is no need to provide a member for attachment, and the frame can be light and simplified.

  Heretofore, various embodiments that can be taken by the inkjet head maintenance apparatus according to the present invention have been described. According to the inkjet head maintenance apparatus according to the present invention described above, the following effects can be obtained.

  In other words, the side where the wiping means and the cap means are retracted is the side opposite to the side where the operator operates the printing press across the continuous paper travel path so as not to disturb the operability during printing. However, the blade of the wiping means that has wiped the ink discharge surface after the ink purge by the moving means is easy to reach the operator's hand after passing through the ink discharge surface of the inkjet head unit. Therefore, in order to perform maintenance of the wiping means, the operator bypasses the paper feeding section that supplies continuous paper or the post-processing section that processes printed paper, and moves to the standby position of the wiping means. There is no need to go, and it is possible to clean the blade with ink and the case that receives the wiped ink and replace the blade on the operation side of the printing press, so the work is extremely easy.

  Further, since the blade of the wiping means and the case to which the blade is attached are in a non-restricted state that is placed on the moving means only by their weight when in the non-wiping position, the case of the wiping means can be easily removed from the guide moving means. The case of the wiping means that has appeared on the operation side of the printing press can be removed from the moving means together with the blade, and maintenance can be performed at an arbitrary place, so that the work is easy to perform.

  Further, the wiping means for wiping the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head is provided for each inkjet head unit that ejects ink of different colors, and the blade of each wiping means is individually displaced by the blade displacement mechanism, so that the blade A wiping position where the ink ejection surface can be wiped by contacting the ink ejection surface and a non-wiping position where the blade does not contact the ink ejection surface can be selected. Accordingly, only the wiping means corresponding to the ink jet head unit that needs to be wiped after ink purging is selectively placed in the wiping position, corresponding to an ink ejection surface that may be in a dry state without ink purging. The wiping means can prevent the blade from coming into contact with the ink ejection surface. As a result, there is no possibility that the blade sticks to the ink ejection surface in a dry state that is not wetted by the ink and scratches the ink ejection surface. In other words, it is not necessary to perform ink purging only on the inkjet head unit that has caused the ejection failure, and it is not necessary to cause other inkjet head units to perform ink purging for lubricating the blade and the ink ejection surface. Can be reduced.

  Furthermore, since the cap means only needs to block the nozzle range of the ink discharge surface from the outside air, it is possible to minimize the space formed by the ink discharge surface and the cap inner surface when the nozzle surface is covered, The cap means can be reduced in size (thinned). In addition, since the space formed by the ink ejection surface and the cap inner surface is narrow, even if the ink solvent in the nozzle evaporates, the space is saturated with a small amount, and the evaporation of the ink solvent in the nozzle can be reduced. it can. Further, when cleaning the cap, since the bottom of the cap is shallow, cleaning is easy.

  Furthermore, the cap means is moved up and down in the vertical direction by the elevating mechanism in a state where it is stopped in the moving direction by the moving means at a predetermined folding position, so that the cap does not rub the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head, Moreover, the nozzle range can be reliably covered with the cap without the position of the cap deviating from the nozzle range of the inkjet head.

  When the wiping means and the cap means are moved between the standby position and the folding position, and when the wiping means and the cap means are stopped at the folding position, the continuous paper is guided to a predetermined position immediately below the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head unit. Since the guide roller is moved downward, a space for the wiping means and the cap means to perform maintenance under the ink discharge surface of the ink jet head unit can be obtained without moving the ink jet head unit. That is, since the inkjet heads that are precisely positioned are not moved, there is no possibility of their positions being shifted.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in said each embodiment. Various modifications or improvements can be added to the above embodiments.

  For example, in any embodiment of the cap means, the number of air cylinders is not limited to five, and can be appropriately increased or decreased according to the size of the cap means.

  Further, the actuator constituting the lifting mechanism is not limited to the air cylinder as long as it can be lifted and lowered in a substantially vertical direction.

  The ink jet head maintenance apparatus according to the present invention described above includes the wiping means, the cap means, and the moving means. If not, it may be composed of wiping means and moving means.

  It is apparent from the description of the scope of claims that embodiments with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  11 Line head type ink jet printing machine, 111, 112 printing machine frame, 113 auxiliary frame, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209 guide roller, T frame, V air cylinder, B, Bv wiping Means, B1, Bv1 blade, B3, Bv3 case, B30, Bv30 bracket, B31 foot, B32 ear, B301, Bv301, Bv304 case side, B302, B303 case edge, B4, Bv4 blade angular displacement mechanism, B41, Bv41 Air cylinder, B42 plunger, Bv43 shaft, Bv44 cam, C1, C2 cap means, C11, C12 base plate, C110 positioning pin, C20 bottom plate, C200 positioning hole, C30 enclosure member, C41, C 2 Air cylinder (elevating mechanism), C50 flange, C60 claw, G moving means, G10 guide moving means, G100 moving member, G21 mounting base, G22 frame, G30 pin, G31 block, H110 (for cyan) inkjet head unit, H120 (For magenta) inkjet head unit, H130 (for yellow) inkjet head unit, H140 (for black) inkjet head unit, H010, H020, H030, H040 support plate, H111, H112, H113, H114 (for cyan) inkjet head, H121, H122, H123, H124 (for magenta) inkjet head, H131, H132, H133, H134 (for yellow) inkjet head, H 141, H142, H143, H144 (for black) inkjet head, J1, J2, J3 stay, F ink ejection surface, Fh nozzle range, M purge receiver, W continuous paper, a guide roller position capable of printing on continuous paper , B Guide roller position, p wiping position, q tilt position, r standby position, s return position, u storage position, v purge receiving position, D standby position, D return position from ink jet head ink discharge surface maintenance An arrow indicating the moving direction, an arrow indicating the direction of moving from the folding position to the standby position, and an arrow indicating the running direction of the continuous paper.

Claims (6)

Provided in a line head type ink jet printing machine having an ink jet head unit having one or more ink jet heads in which the upper surface of the transported print medium and the ink ejection surface are opposed to each other, and performs maintenance of the ink ejection surface of the ink jet head. An inkjet head maintenance device,
Wiping means for wiping the ink discharge surface of the inkjet head;
Moving means for moving the wiping means;
Have
The moving means causes the wiping means to reciprocate between a standby position that does not interfere with printing by the ink jet head, and a return position where the wiping means passes under the ink ejection surface of the ink jet head unit and turns back. Provided to be able to stop at one position,
The wiping means has a flexible blade and a blade displacement mechanism,
The blade is displaced by the blade displacement mechanism between the wiping position and the other position,
When the blade is in the wiping position, when the wiping means moves between the standby position and the return position, the blade is provided so as to come into contact with the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head and wipe it,
When the wiping means stops at the folding position, the blade is provided to reach a position beyond the end on the downstream side in the movement direction to the folding position of the wiping means in the inkjet head unit ,
The wiping means is an ink jet head maintenance device in which the blade is attached in a non-restricted state in a predetermined direction and can be easily removed by moving in the non-restricted direction . In the inkjet head maintenance device according to claim 1 ,
Inkjet head units are individually provided for different inks, and wiping means are individually provided for each inkjet head unit,
An ink-jet head maintenance apparatus, wherein the moving means is provided so as to reciprocate each wiping means between a standby position and a turn-back position along a corresponding ink-jet head unit. The inkjet head maintenance device according to claim 2 ,
An ink-jet head maintenance apparatus, wherein wiping means provided corresponding to each ink-jet head unit is provided in association with one moving means. In the inkjet head maintenance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
Capping means for covering the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head;
The moving means reciprocates between the wiping means and the cap means at the same time between a standby position that does not interfere with printing by the inkjet head, and a return position where the wiping means wipes off the ink discharge surface of the inkjet head and returns. And provided to be able to stop at these two positions,
The cap means surrounds the area where the ink discharge port of the ink discharge surface is disposed and contacts the ink discharge surface or a surface adjacent to the ink discharge surface of the inkjet head unit, and the ink discharge surface of the enclosure member Or a cap composed of a bottom plate that closes the side contacting the surface adjacent to the ink ejection surface of the ink jet head unit and the opposite side, and an elevating mechanism, and the elevating mechanism operates when stopped at the folded position. An ink jet head maintenance device, wherein the enclosure member is provided so as to be brought into contact with or separated from an ink discharge surface or a surface adjacent to the ink discharge surface of the ink jet head unit. In the inkjet head maintenance apparatus according to claim 4 ,
An ink-jet head maintenance device, wherein the cap means has a cap corresponding to each ink-jet head. In the inkjet head maintenance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
When the wiping means, or the wiping means and the cap means move between the standby position and the folding position, and when the wiping means is stopped at the folding position, the print medium is set to a predetermined position immediately below the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head unit. An ink jet head maintenance apparatus, characterized in that guide means for guiding to the position is lowered.

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