JP5494941B2 - Liquid ejector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus represented by a facsimile or a printer.

  Hereinafter, an ink jet printer as an example of the liquid ejecting apparatus will be described as an example. An ink jet printer includes an ink jet recording head that ejects ink as an example of a liquid onto recording paper as an example of an ejected medium, and prevents the ink ejection nozzle of the ink jet recording head from clogging. A cap unit including a cap member that caps (seals) the nozzle surface is provided.

  The cap unit may be provided with a wiping member that wipes off the nozzle surface of the ink jet recording head. The wiping member is made of, for example, a rubber blade, and is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to a region through which the nozzle surface of the ink jet recording head passes.

  The ink jet recording head moves across the position of the wiping member in the advanced state with respect to the passing area of the nozzle surface, so that the nozzle surface is wiped, that is, cleaned, and unnecessary ink and dust attached to the nozzle surface are removed. It is supposed to be.

  By the way, in such a nozzle surface cleaning means, the nozzle surface may not be sufficiently cleaned. For this reason, a nozzle surface cleaning means as shown in Patent Document 1 may be provided. The nozzle surface cleaning means described in Patent Document 1 includes a sheet-like wiping member (cloth) wound in a roll shape, and by moving the wiping member in a state where the wiping member is pressed against the nozzle surface, The nozzle surface is configured to be wiped off.

  More specifically, a pressing member capable of moving forward and backward with respect to the nozzle surface is provided at a position facing the nozzle surface, and when wiping the nozzle surface with the wiping member, wiping between the pressing member and the nozzle surface is performed. The nozzle surface is wiped off by sandwiching the member and moving the wiping member in this state.

JP 2009-12224 A

  By the way, when the cap member caps the nozzle surface of the ink jet recording head, unnecessary ink or dust attached to the nozzle surface may be transferred to the cap member. When such a cap member is again pressed against the nozzle surface, the cleaned nozzle surface is soiled.

  However, if a dedicated means for cleaning the cap member is provided in order to eliminate such a problem, the apparatus will be significantly increased in size and cost.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, the purpose of which is, without significantly increasing the size and cost of the apparatus, the nozzle surface of the inkjet recording head, and a cap member that caps the nozzle surface, Both of them are made cleanable.

In order to achieve the above object, a liquid ejecting apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid onto a medium to be ejected, and a cap member that caps the liquid ejecting head. A cap member that can be switched between a cap state to be capped and a separated state that is separated from the liquid ejecting head by movement of the cap member or by movement of the liquid ejecting head, and both a front surface and a back surface. A cleaning unit provided with a usable sheet-like cleaning material and driving the cleaning material, wherein the cleaning unit advances between the liquid jet head and the cap member; and the liquid jet The retreat position for retreating from between the head and the cap member intersects the transport direction of the ejected medium. The cleaning material is sandwiched between the head surface of the liquid ejecting head and the cap member at the advanced position. .
The first aspect of the present invention, a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid toward the ejection medium, a cap member for capping the liquid jet head, a cap state for capping the liquid jet head, said liquid A cap member that can be switched between a separated state separated from the ejection head by movement of the cap member or by movement of the liquid ejection head, and a sheet-like cleaning material that can use both the front surface and the back surface And the cleaning material can be sandwiched between the head surface of the liquid jet head and the cap member.

  According to this aspect, the sheet-shaped cleaning material that can use both the front surface and the back surface is provided, and the cleaning material can be sandwiched between the head surface of the liquid ejecting head and the cap member. Thus, both the front surface and the back surface of the cleaning material are effectively used to clean the head surface of the liquid jet head and the cap member.

  That is, the two components can be simultaneously cleaned by one cleaning means, and both the nozzle surface of the liquid ejecting head and the cap member that caps the liquid ejecting head are provided without significantly increasing the size and cost of the apparatus. Can be cleaned.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the cleaning material is moved from a position where the cleaning material advances between the liquid jet head and the cap member, and between the liquid jet head and the cap member. The retracting position for retracting is provided to be displaceable.

  According to this aspect, the cleaning material can be displaced between an advance position that advances between the liquid ejecting head and the cap member and a retreat position that retracts from between the liquid ejecting head and the cap member. Therefore, when the cap member caps the liquid ejecting head, a good cap state can be obtained without obstructing the cleaning material.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the cleaning material is at least a head surface of the liquid ejecting head in a state of being sandwiched between the liquid ejecting head and the cap member. It is provided so that movement is possible along.

  According to this aspect, the cleaning material can move along the head surface of the liquid ejecting head at least in a state of being sandwiched between the liquid ejecting head and the cap member. A cleaning effect is obtained, and the head surface of the liquid jet head and the cap member can be more reliably cleaned.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the cleaning material is provided in a detachable cleaning cassette.

  According to this aspect, since the cleaning material is provided in the removable cleaning cassette, the cleaning material contaminated by cleaning can be easily replaced.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the cap member is formed around a plurality of liquid ejecting nozzles formed on the head surface of the liquid ejecting head and ejecting liquid. The cleaning material is formed in contact with the head surface, and the cleaning material is pressed toward the head surface by the cap member around the plurality of liquid jet nozzles.

  According to this aspect, since the cleaning material is pressed toward the head surface by the cap member around the plurality of liquid ejecting nozzles, the cleaning material is directly pressed against the liquid ejecting nozzles. This prevents foreign matter and the like from entering the nozzle opening.

1 is a perspective view of an apparatus main body of an ink jet printer according to the present invention. Front view of the cleaning unit (when not in operation). Front view of the cleaning unit (during operation).

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus as an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention, and an apparatus main body (with an outer case removed) of an ink jet printer 1 as an example, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are cleaning units. 28 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a non-operating state, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a working state.

  1 to 3 show an xyz coordinate system, the y direction is the paper transport and discharge direction, the x direction is the direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction (paper width direction), and the z direction is The apparatus height direction (gravity direction) is shown respectively.

  The overall configuration of the ink jet printer 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. The ink jet printer 1 includes a paper feeding device (not shown) at the rear of the device, and is configured to feed recording paper P as an example of an ejected medium one by one from the paper feeding device. .

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 indicates a main frame that constitutes a base body of the apparatus main body of the inkjet printer 1. The main frame 2 is formed of a metal plate material so as to form a substantially U shape in plan view, and each component of the ink jet printer 1 is assembled to the main frame 2. The paper feeding device (not shown) is provided on the back side of the main frame 2.

  A carriage guide shaft 4 is disposed in the main frame 2 so as to be parallel to the paper width direction. The carriage guide shaft 4 allows the carriage 3 to move in the paper width direction (that is, a scanning direction of an ink jet recording head 12 described later). ).

  A carriage drive motor 5 is provided on the back side of the main frame 2 on the home position side (right side in FIG. 1) of the carriage 3. The carriage drive motor 5 is provided with a drive pulley 6, and a driven pulley 7 is provided on the opposite side (left side in FIG. 1) to the home position side of the carriage 3 so as to be freely rotatable, and the drive pulley. An endless belt 8 is wound between 6 and the driven pulley 7.

  The carriage 3 is fixed to a part of the endless belt 8, whereby the carriage 3 is pulled in the paper width direction while being guided by the carriage guide shaft 4 by the rotation of the carriage drive motor 5. Yes.

  An ink jet recording head 12 as a liquid ejecting head is provided at the bottom of the carriage 3. The inkjet recording head 12 includes a plurality of ink discharge nozzles (not shown) on the nozzle surface 12a, and ink as an example of a liquid is discharged toward the recording paper P from the ink discharge nozzles, thereby recording. Recording is performed on the paper P.

  The carriage 3 is detachably provided with an ink cartridge 11 containing a plurality of colors of ink such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, for example, and ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 11 to the inkjet recording head 12. .

  Next, in FIG. 1, the code | symbol 14 and the code | symbol 15 have shown the conveyance drive roller and the conveyance driven roller, respectively. The transport driving roller 14 is rotationally driven by the transport motor 9 provided on the home position side of the carriage 3 in the main frame 2, and the transport driven roller 15 is driven to rotate in contact with the transport driving roller 14.

  Accordingly, the recording paper P is rotationally driven in a state where the recording paper P is sandwiched between the transport driving roller 14 and the transport driven roller 15, so that the recording paper P is precisely fed to a position facing the ink jet recording head 12. . The transport driving roller 14 is a roller made of a metal shaft that is long in the paper width direction, and the transport driven roller 15 is a resin roller that is arranged in plural along the longitudinal direction of the transport driving roller 14 at appropriate intervals. is there.

  A guide member 16 is provided at a position facing the ink jet recording head 12. A plurality of ribs 16 a extending in the paper transport direction are formed on the surface of the guide member 16 facing the ink jet recording head 12 at appropriate intervals along the paper width direction, and the recording paper P is formed of the plurality of ribs. The distance from the inkjet recording head 12 is defined by 16a.

  A discharge driving roller 18 and a discharge driven roller 19 are provided on the downstream side of a region (recording region) where the ink jet recording head 12 and the guide member 16 face each other. The discharge driving roller 18 is rotationally driven by a conveyance motor 9 provided on the main frame 2, and the discharge driven roller 19 is driven to rotate in contact with the discharge driving roller 18.

  Accordingly, the recording paper P is rotated outside the recording paper P between the discharge driving roller 18 and the discharge driven roller 19, so that the recording paper P is moved to the outside of the inkjet printer 1 (not shown). And discharged. The discharge driving roller 18 is a rubber roller, and the discharge driven roller 19 is a so-called serrated roller having a plurality of teeth on the outer periphery, and a plurality of discharge driven rollers 19 are arranged in pairs in the paper width direction with appropriate intervals.

  Next, a capping unit 22 is provided at the home position side of the carriage 3 in the main frame 2. The capping unit 22 includes a cap member 23 and a wiping member 24. Both the cap member 23 and the wiping member 24 are formed of a material such as rubber that can be elastically deformed and has high ink resistance (not easily deteriorated by contact with ink).

  The cap member 23 elastically contacts the nozzle surface 12a of the ink jet recording head 12 to cap (seal) the ink jet recording head 12 to prevent the nozzle opening from being dried. As a result, the ink sucked from the nozzle openings is received. An ink absorbing material (not shown) is provided inside the cap.

  The cap member 23 is provided in the cap lifting mechanism 26 shown in FIG. 2, and the nozzle surface 12a of the ink jet recording head 12 can be capped (can be elastically contacted with the nozzle surface 12a) by the operation of the cap lifting mechanism 26. The position and the separation position separated from the nozzle surface 12a can be displaced.

  The wiping member 24 is disposed on the recording area side (left side in FIG. 1) with respect to the cap member 23, and can be advanced and retracted with respect to the passage area of the nozzle surface 12 a of the inkjet recording head 12 by the cap lifting mechanism 26. . In this embodiment, the cap elevating mechanism 26 obtains the power of the motor to elevate and lower the cap member 23 and the wiping member 24. The cap elevating mechanism 26 is configured to be engageable with the carriage 3, and when the carriage 3 returns to the home position, the carriage 3 may be configured to be pushed up by 3.

  The wiping member 24 is set such that the protruding amount with respect to the nozzle surface 12 a is larger than that of the cap member 23, so that the ink jet recording head 12 straddles the position of the wiping member 24 in a state where the wiping member 24 is advanced (raised). By moving the nozzle surface 12a, the nozzle surface 12a is wiped by the wiping member 24, and unnecessary ink, dust and the like attached to the nozzle surface 12a are removed.

  Next, the cleaning unit 28 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning unit 28 is provided on the home position side in the movement region of the carriage 3 and further on the end side of the carriage movement region than the capping unit 22. The cleaning unit 28 is provided independently of the capping unit 22 and is movable in the x direction.

  In FIG. 1, the symbol x0 indicates the standby position (the non-operating position) of the cleaning unit 28, and the symbol x1 indicates the operating position (the operating position) of the cleaning unit 28. It is movably provided between the position x0 and the operating position x1. The operating position x1 is also a position where the capping unit 22 is provided.

  The cleaning unit 28 includes a supply reel 31 and a take-up reel 30. The supply reel 31 is wound with a sheet-like cleaning material 29, is provided so as to be freely rotatable in the cleaning unit 28, and feeds the cleaning material 29 by rotating.

  The take-up reel 30 provided in the cleaning unit 28 is a reel that is rotationally driven by a take-up motor 33, and takes up the cleaning material 29 that is fed from the supply reel 31 by being rotationally driven.

  Here, the sheet-like cleaning material 29 can use both the front surface and the back surface, and for example, cloth or paper can be used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any type may be used as long as it can clean the nozzle surface 12a of the inkjet recording head 12 and the edge of the cap member 23 as will be described later. From the viewpoint of wiping off the ink, it is preferable to use a material having excellent ink absorbability.

  Reference numeral 34 denotes a unit moving motor that constitutes a drive source for moving the cleaning unit 28 between the standby position x0 and the operating position x1, and reference numeral 35 denotes driving of the cap lifting mechanism 35 that moves the cap member 23 up and down. The cap raising / lowering motor which is a source is shown. These motors, that is, the winding motor 33, the unit moving motor 34, and the cap lifting / lowering motor 35 are controlled by a control unit 37 that controls the entire inkjet printer 1.

Next, cleaning of the nozzle surface 12a of the inkjet recording head 12 and the peripheral edge of the cap member 23 with the cleaning material 29 will be described.
The nozzle surface 12a and the cap member 23 are cleaned by the cleaning material 29, for example, before capping the ink jet recording head 12 by the cap member 23, more specifically, after the end of a series of recording jobs, or when the ink jet printer 1 is turned off. Done. Of course, it is possible to carry out at other appropriate timing.

  Normally, the cleaning unit 28 is located at the standby position x0, that is, even when the carriage 3 is at the home position (position where the inkjet recording head 12 and the cap member 23 face each other), the inkjet recording head 12 and the cap member 23 There is no cleaning material 29 between them.

  When cleaning the nozzle surface 12a and the cap member 23 with the cleaning material 29, the control unit 37 controls the unit moving motor 34 to move the cleaning unit 28 from the standby position x0 to the operating position x1. Also, before and after this operation, the carriage 3 is moved to the home position. As a result, the cleaning material 29 is disposed between the inkjet recording head 12 and the cap member 23.

  From this state, the control unit 37 controls the cap lifting motor 35 to raise the cap member 23 as shown in the change from FIG. 2 to FIG. Accordingly, the cleaning material 29 interposed between the inkjet recording head 12 and the cap member 23 is sandwiched between the nozzle surface 12a and the cap member 23.

  Accordingly, unnecessary ink and dust adhered to the nozzle surface 12a are transferred to the cleaning material 29, and the nozzle surface 12a is cleaned. At the same time, the periphery of the cap member 23 (the portion in contact with the nozzle surface 12a) is also cleaned.

  In this state, the control unit 37 drives the winding motor 33. That is, the cleaning material 29 is moved along the head surface 12a with the cleaning material 29 sandwiched between the nozzle surface 12a and the cap member 23. Thereby, the nozzle surface 12a and the cap member 23 are more reliably cleaned.

  As described above, the inkjet printer 1 includes the sheet-like cleaning material 29 that can use both the front surface and the back surface, and the cleaning material between the head surface 12 a of the inkjet recording head 12 and the cap member 23. 29 is configured such that the head surface 12a and the cap member 23 are cleaned by effectively using both the front surface and the back surface of the cleaning material 29. That is, the two components can be simultaneously cleaned by one cleaning means, and both the nozzle surface 12a and the cap member 23 that caps the nozzle surface 12a are cleaned without significantly increasing the size and cost of the apparatus. It becomes possible to do.

  The cleaning material 29 has an advanced position (operating position x1) that advances between the inkjet recording head 12 and the cap member 23, and a retracted position (standby position x0) that retracts from between the inkjet recording head 12 and the cap member 23. ) In a displaceable manner, it is possible to obtain a good cap state without the cleaning material 29 interfering when the cap member 23 caps the inkjet recording head 12.

  Further, since the cleaning material 29 is movable along the head surface 12a at least in a state of being sandwiched between the inkjet recording head 12 and the cap member 23, a more reliable cleaning effect can be obtained, and the head surface 12a and the cap member 23 can be more reliably cleaned. In particular, not only liquid ink but also ink that has been dried and solidified, paper dust and dust adhered together with the ink, etc. are removed only by sandwiching the cleaning material 29 between the inkjet recording head 12 and the cap member 23. Difficult things can be removed.

  In the present embodiment, the cap member 23 is formed in contact with the head surface 12a around a plurality of ink discharge nozzles formed on the head surface 12a for discharging ink. That is, the symbol w in FIG. 3 indicates the formation range of the ink discharge nozzle, and the cap member 23 is in contact with the nozzle surface 12a within this range.

  As a result, the cleaning material 29 is pressed toward the head surface 12a by the cap member 23 around the ink discharge nozzle, and the cleaning material 29 is prevented from being directly pressed against the ink discharge nozzle. This prevents foreign matter and the like from entering the nozzle opening.

  The cleaning material 29 described above needs to be attached with a new supply reel 31 when the cleaning material remaining amount of the supply reel 31 becomes zero, and the take-up reel around which the contaminated cleaning material 29 is wound up. 30 also needs to be replaced. Therefore, it is also preferable to provide the supply reel 31 and the take-up reel 30 in a detachable cleaning cassette so that these replacement operations can be easily performed.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment. However, the above-described embodiment is for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. Absent. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes the equivalents thereof.

  In the above embodiment, an ink jet printer has been described as an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and fluid other than ink (liquid and particles of functional material are dispersed). The present invention can also be applied to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or ejects a liquid, a fluid such as a gel, or a solid that can be ejected as a fluid.

  For example, for manufacturing liquid chips and biochips that discharge liquid materials containing dispersed or dissolved materials such as electrode materials and color materials used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, and surface-emitting displays. It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a biological organic material to be used, or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid that is used as a precision pipette and serves as a sample.

  In addition, a transparent resin liquid such as UV curable resin is used to form a liquid ejecting device that discharges lubricating oil pinpoint to precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto a substrate, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as an acid or an alkali to etch the substrate, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a gel, and a solid such as a powder such as toner. It may be a powder discharge type recording apparatus for discharging. The present invention can be applied to any one of these discharge devices.

  In the above embodiment, a so-called serial type ink jet printer that performs recording while the ink jet recording head moves is not limited to this, and the so-called line head type in which the ink jet recording head does not move is described. It can also be applied to other inkjet printers.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer, 2 Main frame, 3 Carriage, 4 Carriage guide shaft, 5 Carriage drive motor, 6 Drive pulley, 7 Driven pulley, 8 Endless belt, 9 Carrying motor, 11 Ink cartridge, 12 Inkjet recording head, 12a Nozzle surface , 14 transport drive roller, 15 transport driven roller, 16 guide member, 16a rib, 18 discharge drive roller, 19 discharge driven roller, 22 capping unit, 23 cap member, 24 wiping member, 26 cap lifting mechanism, 28 cleaning unit, 29 Cleaning material, 30 take-up reel, 31 supply reel, 33 take-up motor, 34 unit moving motor, 35 cap lift motor, 37 control unit, P recording paper

Claims (4)

A liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid onto the ejection target medium;
A cap member that caps the liquid ejecting head, wherein a cap state that caps the liquid ejecting head and a separated state that is separated from the liquid ejecting head are moved by the movement of the cap member or the movement of the liquid ejecting head. A cap member that can be switched by,
A cleaning unit provided with a sheet-like cleaning material that can use both the front surface and the back surface, and driving the cleaning material ,
The cleaning unit includes an advancing position that advances between the liquid ejecting head and the cap member, and a retracted position that retracts from between the liquid ejecting head and the cap member. It is provided so that it can be displaced in the intersecting direction,
The cleaning material is sandwiched between the head surface of the liquid jet head and the cap member at the front position and the back surface at the advanced position .
A liquid ejecting apparatus. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning material is provided so as to be movable along a head surface of the liquid ejecting head at least in a state of being sandwiched between the liquid ejecting head and the cap member. ,
A liquid ejecting apparatus. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cleaning member is provided on the detachable cleaning cassette,
A liquid ejecting apparatus. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cap member is formed in said head face of the liquid ejecting head, the head surface around the plurality of liquid ejection nozzles for ejecting liquid The cleaning material is pressed toward the head surface by the cap member around the plurality of liquid jet nozzles.
A liquid ejecting apparatus.

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