JP5638972B2 - Liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus that performs recording by ejecting liquid onto a recording medium, and more particularly to a liquid ejecting apparatus that includes an ejecting unit in which a plurality of liquid ejecting nozzle heads are arranged in a main scanning direction.

2. Related Art Ink jet printers are well known as liquid ejection devices that perform recording by ejecting liquid onto a recording medium.
In general, an inkjet printer used at home is mainly used for a recording medium on which a single ink discharge head or a print head having a number of ink discharge heads corresponding to the number of colors is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction. This is called a shuttle type ink jet printer that performs recording by ejecting ink as necessary while reciprocating in the scanning direction, and does not require a complicated mechanism and is suitable for printing a relatively small number of copies.
On the other hand, although the mechanism is complicated, there are ink jet printers for printing a relatively large number of copies. Since such an ink jet printer performs printing at a high speed, a print head provided with a plurality of ink discharge heads in order to obtain a discharge width substantially the same as the width of the recording medium in the main scanning direction, even if it is a single color, is a secondary print head. This is called a one-pass type ink jet printer that performs recording by ejecting ink as necessary to a recording medium conveyed in the scanning direction.

In such an ink jet printer, ink ejection failure from the ink ejection nozzle may occur due to adhesion of ink mist caused by scattering at the time of ink ejection or adhesion of paper dust generated from printing paper as a recording medium. In order to maintain the print quality, the ink ejection head is appropriately cleaned.
In the case of a shuttle type ink jet printer, when the print head reciprocates for recording, the print head is moved to the standby position of the printer head, and cleaning is performed by the ink discharge head cleaning mechanism provided at the standby position. The cleaning performed here is wiping capable of cleaning at a relatively high speed, and the cleaning mechanism is a wiper mechanism including a wiper blade.

  On the other hand, in a one-pass inkjet printer, wiping for cleaning the ink ejection head is performed. However, in the one-pass inkjet printer, there are limited opportunities to perform wiping in order to eject ink without moving the print head. In a one-pass type ink jet printer, normally, wiping is performed on the ink discharge head before the start of printing, or a maintenance time is set every predetermined time and wiping is performed during that time.

JP2001-18406

  Patent Document 1 includes a wiper carrier that can reciprocate in the main scanning direction of a nozzle head having a large number of inkjet nozzles arranged and arranged in the main scanning direction, and includes a nozzle head positioned at a maintenance position on the lower side. After forcibly ejecting ink, the nozzle head wiper attached to the upper side of the wiper carrier is moved to the tip (lower end) of the nozzle head by changing the position of the nozzle head to the upper nozzle head wiping position and moving the wiper carrier forward. An invention is disclosed in which ink adhering to the nozzle head can be wiped off by contact and relative movement.

However, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the nozzle head returns to the printing position after moving to the upper ink receiving member wiping position after moving to the nozzle head wiping position, There is a problem in that the configuration around the nozzle head is complicated.
For example, when performing a maintenance operation before starting printing by an inkjet printer, the nozzle head that has been waiting in the maintenance position, which is a non-printing position, forcibly ejects ink, and then the upper nozzle head wiping position and the upper ink receiving member wiping Since the nozzle head moves to the position, wipes the nozzle head, and then moves to the printing position, the nozzle head performs a complex operation of moving upward, moving upward, and descending to the bottom. Is not realized, and the structure around the nozzle head is complicated because a plurality of positioning is performed.
Alternatively, when the nozzle head is wiped at the end of printing by the ink jet printer and then waits for the maintenance position, the nozzle head moves upward, moves upward, and descends to perform a complicated operation. Is not realized.

Further, it is desirable that the wiper for wiping the ink discharge nozzle is not damaged by friction as much as possible. For this purpose, a mechanism is required in which the wiper contacts only the smooth ink discharge head and does not contact the components supporting the ink discharge head.
In addition, since the wiper accumulates ink by wiping the ink discharge head, the wiper itself needs to be appropriately cleaned.

SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a liquid ejecting apparatus that realizes an efficient maintenance operation without complicating the configuration of a liquid ejecting unit that ejects ink, which is a liquid.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection device that minimizes damage to the wiper.
Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection device capable of easily cleaning a wiper.

In order to solve this problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting unit that performs recording by ejecting liquid onto a recording medium, and the liquid ejecting unit includes a plurality of liquid ejecting units. The liquid discharge nozzle is disposed so as to be orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction, and moves between a standby position and a discharge position for discharging liquid onto the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium. A wiping unit that includes a wiping unit that reciprocates between the standby position and the discharge position so as to be orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium and wipes the nozzles of the discharge head; and the plurality of liquid discharge nozzles The covering means for covering the recording medium is disposed perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the discharge position of the discharge head is covered with the cover position for covering the nozzle of the discharge head while the discharge head is in the standby position. A coating unit that moves between a retreat position that retreats while moving to the exit position, and the discharge head performs nozzle wiping by the wiping unit from the standby position that is covered by the coating unit. The liquid is moved to a position where the liquid is discharged and then moved to the discharge position. After the liquid is discharged, the liquid is moved to a position where nozzle wiping is performed by the wiping unit, and then moved to the standby position where coating is performed by the coating unit. The discharge means is characterized in that it can be pulled out from the liquid discharge device by opening a maintenance door provided in the liquid discharge device .

  The invention according to a second aspect is the liquid ejection apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the liquid ejection means has a plurality of liquid ejection nozzle heads so as to be orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. It is characterized by having arranged.

  Furthermore, the invention according to claim 3 is the liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the standby position is located at an upper portion in the movement range of the ejection head, and the ejection position is in the movement range of the ejection head. It is located in the lower part.

  In addition, the invention according to claim 4 is the liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the wiping unit wipes only the liquid ejection nozzle by moving the wiping means up and down. It is a feature.

Further, the invention according to claim 5 is the liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejection means has a wiping unit standby position for waiting the wiping unit, and a maintenance door of the liquid ejection device is provided. By opening , the wiping unit standby position is exposed without pulling out the liquid ejecting means .

In the liquid discharge apparatus according to the first aspect, when the liquid is discharged by the liquid discharge means, the discharge head that has been located at the standby position starts to move to the discharge position. On the way, the liquid discharge nozzle of the discharge head to which the wiping unit has moved is wiped by the wiping means. After wiping, when the movement of the ejection head is resumed, the ejection head is positioned at the ejection position and ejects the liquid.
After the liquid discharge is finished, the discharge head starts to move to the standby position, and the wiping means of the wiping unit wipes the liquid discharge nozzle of the discharge head in the middle, and then the discharge head returns to the standby position.
As described above, the liquid ejection device according to claim 1 performs wiping before ejection when the ejection unit moves from the standby position to the ejection position without performing an unnatural operation, and moves from the ejection position to the standby position. Since wiping after ejection can be realized when moving, an efficient maintenance operation in which the liquid ejection nozzle is always clean can be realized without complicating the configuration of the liquid ejection means.

The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 covers a plurality of liquid discharge nozzles of the discharge head located at the standby position by a covering means arranged orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. Since the coating unit is provided at the retracted position while the ink is moved to the discharge position, the cleanliness of the discharge head before or after wiping can be maintained.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads are arranged so as to be orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction, so that a relatively expensive long line type liquid discharge nozzle head is used. Therefore, the discharge head can be realized at a relatively low cost.

  In the liquid discharge apparatus according to the third aspect, the discharge unit moves from the upper standby position to the lower discharge position, or moves from the lower discharge position to the upper standby position, so that the operation of the discharge unit interferes with the recording medium. There is nothing to do.

  When the wiping unit wipes the liquid discharge nozzle, the wiping means is driven upward only when the wiping unit is in contact with the liquid discharge nozzle. Since the wiper contacts and does not contact the component member that supports the liquid discharge nozzle, the wiping means can be prevented from being damaged as much as possible.

  In the liquid ejection device according to the fifth aspect, the wiping unit standby position provided in the liquid ejection means is exposed by opening the maintenance door, so that the wiping means can be easily cleaned.

1 is a diagram for explaining a liquid discharge recording system 100. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a liquid ejection unit. 3 is a perspective view of a liquid discharge unit 10. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a wiper unit 103. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the movement operation of the liquid discharge unit 101 to the discharge position d1. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a movement operation of the liquid discharge unit 101 to a standby position w1. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the wiper unit 103. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a state in which a maintenance door MD of the liquid ejection apparatus 1 is opened. FIG.

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

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a liquid discharge recording system 100 according to the present invention.
The liquid discharge recording system 100 includes a liquid discharge device 1, a recording medium delivery device 2, and a recording medium winding device 3.

The liquid ejecting apparatus 1 is continuously supplied by ejecting the recording liquid from the liquid ejecting unit 10 to the web-shaped recording medium M fed from the recording medium feeding apparatus 2 and wound up by the recording medium winding apparatus 3. Recording.
For example, ink can be used as the recording liquid. Moreover, you may use functional solutions, such as a resist and protein.

  Here, for the sake of explanation, the liquid discharge unit 10 is illustrated as being exposed, but in reality, the liquid discharge unit 10 is disposed inside the casing of the liquid discharge apparatus 1 in order to ensure the recording quality for the recording medium M. It can be stored in.

The recording medium delivery device 2 stores the recording medium M in a roll shape, and sends out the recording medium M for recording by the liquid ejection device 1.
The recording medium winding device 3 performs winding for storing the recording medium M on which recording has been performed by the liquid ejection device 1 in a roll shape.
The recording medium M is a web-shaped recording medium having a predetermined width. In the liquid discharge recording system 100, paper, soft resin, metal thin film, or the like can be used as the recording medium M.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the liquid ejection unit 10. The liquid discharge unit 10 is held inside the liquid discharge apparatus 1 so as to be arranged in a substantially vertical direction of the recording medium M by a holding mechanism (not shown) in order to discharge a recording liquid to the recording medium M. A liquid discharge unit 101, a capping unit 102, a wiper unit 103, a liquid discharge unit drive unit 104, and a wiper unit drive unit 105 are provided.

In the liquid ejection unit 101, a plurality of liquid ejection nozzle heads 101H are arranged in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium M. The plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H are arranged so that the arrangement length thereof is longer than the orthogonal width of the recording medium M in the conveyance direction, and the discharge nozzles are partially overlapped so as not to cause recording leakage. It is installed.
The liquid discharge unit 101 is supported to be movable with respect to the liquid discharge unit 10 by liquid discharge unit driving units 104 provided at both ends of the liquid discharge unit 10. The liquid discharge unit driving unit 104 causes the liquid discharge unit 101 to move between a standby position w1 above the liquid discharge unit 10 and a discharge position d1 below the liquid discharge unit 10 (details will be described later).

  The capping unit 102 is configured to prevent liquid leakage from each liquid discharge nozzle head 101H or to prevent contamination of each liquid discharge nozzle head 101H while the liquid discharge unit 101 is in the standby position w1. The discharge unit 101 is protected.

Therefore, the capping unit 102 includes a plurality of nozzle caps (not shown) so as to face the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H. When the liquid ejection unit 101 is located at the standby position w1, the capping unit 102 is located at the position shown in FIG. 2, so that each nozzle cap covers each liquid ejection nozzle head 101H.
Each nozzle cap includes an absorbent material (not shown) for receiving dripping from each liquid discharge nozzle head 101H. In addition, each nozzle cap has a suction hole (not shown), and the liquid dripped from each liquid discharge nozzle head 101H by the suction by a suction pump (not shown) and the liquid at the time of clean discharge are passed through the suction hole. It is discharged outside the nozzle cap.

  The capping unit 102 is supported by a capping unit driving unit (not shown in FIG. 2) so as to be movable with respect to the liquid ejection unit 10, and a retraction position (not shown in FIG. The liquid discharge nozzle head 101H of the unit 101 is moved between capping positions covered by the nozzle caps.

The wiper unit 103 wipes each liquid discharge nozzle head 101H of the liquid discharge unit 101 while the liquid discharge unit 101 moves from the standby position w1 to the discharge position d1.
The wiper unit 103 includes a number of wiper blades 103B corresponding to the number of columns of the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H disposed in the liquid discharge unit 101. The wiper blade 103B has a configuration for scraping off the liquid adhering to the nozzle surface of the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H and the dust generated from the recording medium M, and is realized by a material such as rubber or synthetic resin.

The wiper unit 103 is supported by the wiper unit driving unit 105 so as to be movable with respect to the liquid discharge unit 10, and reciprocates between the wiper unit standby position 105w provided in the liquid discharge unit 10 and the wiper unit return position 105r. Moving.
At this time, the wiper blade 103B moves up and down by the vertical mechanism provided in the wiper unit 103, thereby wiping only the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H (details will be described later).

  The liquid discharge unit driving unit 104 is provided at both ends of the liquid discharge unit 10, supports the liquid discharge unit 101, and moves in the liquid discharge unit 10 based on a control signal from a control unit (not shown) of the liquid discharge recording system 100. Drive for moving the liquid discharge unit 101 supported in a possible manner to a predetermined position is performed.

The liquid discharge unit driving unit 104 includes a linear guide, a ball screw, and a stepping motor that drives the ball screw. The liquid discharge unit 101 moves between the standby position w1 and the discharge position d1 along the linear guide provided in the liquid discharge unit 104 by the rotation of the ball screw driven by the stepping motor.
The configuration of the liquid discharge unit driving unit 104 is not limited to the above, and the liquid discharge unit adopts a desired method such as a rack and pinion method, a linear motor method, an air cylinder method, or a cogged belt method. 101 can be moved between the standby position w1 and the discharge position d1.

  The wiper unit driving unit 105 is provided between the standby position w1 above the liquid ejection unit 10 and the lower ejection position d1, particularly in the vicinity of the ejection position d1, and receives a control signal from a control unit (not shown) of the liquid ejection recording system 100. Based on this, the wiper unit 103 movably supported in the liquid discharge unit 10 is reciprocated between the wiper unit standby position 105w and the wiper unit return position 105r.

The wiper unit driving unit 105 is provided to be parallel to the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H of the liquid discharge unit 101, and includes a cogged belt and a stepping motor that drives the cogged belt. The wiper unit 103 reciprocates between the wiper unit standby position 105w and the wiper unit return position 105r by driving a cogged belt driven by a stepping motor included in the wiper unit driving unit 105.
The configuration of the wiper unit driving unit 105 is not limited to the above, and a desired method such as a rack and pinion method, a linear motor method, a ball screw method, or the like is employed to place the wiper unit 103 in the wiper unit standby position 105w. And the wiper unit return position 105r.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the liquid ejection unit 10 shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, for the convenience of explanation, the configuration related to the capping unit 102 is not shown. Furthermore, structural materials that obstruct the explanation of each component are not shown.
As shown in the figure, a liquid discharge unit driving unit 104 is provided at both ends of the liquid discharge unit 10, and the liquid discharge unit 101 is connected to the standby position w1 shown in FIG. 2 and the discharge by a ball screw mechanism driven by a stepping motor. Move between position d1.
Further, as shown in the figure, the wiper unit driving unit 105 is provided in the liquid discharge unit 10 so as to be parallel to the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H of the liquid discharge unit 101, and the wiper unit is driven by a cogged belt driven by a stepping motor. 103 reciprocates between the wiper unit standby position 105w and the wiper unit return position 105r shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 3, a plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H provided in the liquid discharge unit 101 are further illustrated. The liquid discharge nozzle head 101H performs recording by supplying a liquid for recording on the recording medium M from a liquid supply mechanism (not shown) and discharging the liquid based on a predetermined recording signal. The liquid discharge nozzle head 101H can adopt a desired discharge method such as a piezo method or a thermal method. The liquid discharged from the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H can be a desired type of liquid such as ink, resist, or organic functional solution.

  Arrangement of the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H in the liquid discharge unit 101 can be realized with a desired number of columns. In FIG. 3, the number of arrangement rows of the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H is “4”. Note that the number of arrangement rows of the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H is not limited to this.

  FIG. 3 shows that the wiper unit 103 includes four wiper blades 103B. That is, since the number of arrangement rows of the plurality of liquid ejection nozzle heads 101H in the liquid ejection unit 101 is “4”, the number of wiper blades 103B for wiping each row of the plurality of liquid ejection nozzle heads 101H is also “4”. To do.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the wiper unit 103.
As described above, the wiper unit 103 includes the wiper blade 103B for wiping the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H. As the vertical mechanism of the wiper blade 103B, the drive motor 103m and the camshaft 103c driven by the drive motor 103m are provided. It has.
The drive motor 103m is a stepping motor, and is driven based on a control signal from a control unit (not shown) of the liquid discharge recording system 100 to rotate the camshaft 103c and push up the wiper blade 103B. Since the control signal is transmitted when the wiper blade 103B comes to a position where the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H can be wiped off, the wiper blade 103B is pushed up so as to wipe only the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H. The wiper blade 103B pushed up wipes off the liquid adhering to the nozzle surface of the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H and the dust of the recording medium M. After the wiping, the wiper blade 103B descends, and therefore, no wiping is performed except for the nozzle surface of the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the movement operation of the liquid discharge unit 101 to the discharge position d1.
FIG. 5A shows the state of the liquid ejection unit 10 when the liquid ejection recording system 100 is in a standby state. When the liquid ejection recording system 100 is in the standby state, the liquid ejection unit 101 is located at the standby position w1 above the liquid ejection unit 10. Further, the capping unit 102 is positioned at the cap position, thereby covering the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H of the liquid discharge unit 101. The wiper unit 103 is located at the wiper unit standby position 105w.

FIG. 5B shows a state in which the operation of the liquid discharge recording system 100 has started. When the liquid discharge recording system 100 starts operation, a capping unit driving unit (not shown) drives the capping unit 102 based on a predetermined control signal to uncover the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H, and the capping unit 102 is not shown. Move to the retreat position.
Further, based on a predetermined control signal, the liquid discharge unit drive unit 10 4 by driving the liquid discharge unit 101, the liquid discharge unit 101 is moved from the standby position w1 to the discharge position d1.
In FIG. 5 (c), the liquid discharge unit 101 is temporarily moved down based on a predetermined control signal, and the wiper unit 103 driven by the wiper unit driving unit 105 moves forward, so that the liquid discharge unit has been lowered. The plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H 101 are wiped off. The wiper unit 103 moved to the wiper unit return position 105r by the wiping operation is moved back by the wiper unit driving unit 105 and returned to the wiper unit standby position 105w.

  FIG. 5D shows a state in which the liquid ejection recording system 100 has started recording. As a result of further driving by the liquid discharge unit driving unit 104, the liquid discharge unit 101 is lowered to the discharge position d1. The liquid ejection unit 101 located at the ejection position d1 ejects liquid based on a predetermined recording signal and performs recording on the transported recording medium M.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the movement operation of the liquid ejection unit 101 to the standby position w1.

FIG. 6A shows a state in which the operation of the liquid discharge recording system 100 has started. When the liquid ejection recording system 100 finishes recording, the liquid ejection unit driving unit 104 drives the liquid ejection unit 101 based on a predetermined control signal in order to move the liquid ejection unit 101 from the ejection position d1 to the standby position w1. .
In FIG. 6B, the liquid discharge unit 101 that has been lifted by the movement of the liquid discharge unit 101 temporarily based on a predetermined control signal and the wiper unit 103 driven by the wiper unit drive unit 105 moving forward. The plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H 101 are wiped off. The wiper unit 103 moved to the wiper unit return position 105r by the wiping operation is moved back by the wiper unit driving unit 105 and returned to the wiper unit standby position 105w.
After wiping is completed, the liquid ejection unit 101 resumes rising as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6D shows a state in which the operation of the liquid ejection recording system 100 is completed. As a result of the drive by the liquid discharge unit drive unit 104, the liquid discharge unit 101 rises to the standby position w1. The capping unit driving unit (not shown) drives the capping unit 102 based on a predetermined control signal with respect to the liquid discharge unit 101 located at the standby position w1, so that the capping unit 102 moves from the retracted position (not shown) to the cap position. To do. The capping unit 102 located at the cap position covers the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H of the liquid discharge unit 101.

In this way, the liquid discharge unit 101 moves from the upper standby position w1 of the liquid discharge unit 10 to the lower discharge position d1 as the operation of the liquid discharge recording system 100 starts, and the operation of the liquid discharge recording system 100 ends. Accordingly, when moving from the lower discharge position d1 of the liquid discharge section 10 to the upper standby position w1, the wiper unit 103 wipes the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H at the time of lowering and rising.
At this time, the wiping by the wiper unit 103 is performed during the movement of the liquid discharge unit 101 from the standby position w1 to the discharge position d1 and the movement from the discharge position d1 to the standby position w1. Since the liquid discharge unit 101 does not move unnaturally, the configuration of the liquid discharge unit 10 is not complicated. In addition, since the wiper unit 103 is surely wiped before and after the liquid discharge unit 101 is discharged, an efficient maintenance operation in which the discharge nozzles of the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H are always clean is realized. Can do.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the wiping operation of the wiper unit 103.
For the sake of explanation, the wiping operation of the wiper unit 103 when the number of arrangement rows of the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H is “1” is illustrated.

FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a state in which the wiper unit 103 starts wiping the liquid discharge unit 101 that has been lowered from the standby position w1 or raised from the discharge position d1. When the liquid discharge unit 101 is positioned above the wiper unit 103 that is moved by the wiper unit driving unit 105, the drive of the liquid discharge unit 101 is temporarily stopped based on a predetermined control signal, and the wiper unit standby position 105w is reached. The wiper unit 103 that has been positioned starts operating.

As shown in the drawing, the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101 </ b> H are disposed so as to slightly protrude from the liquid discharge unit 101. This is for positioning each liquid discharge nozzle head 101H in the liquid discharge unit 101 and for avoiding scattering at the time of liquid discharge with respect to the recording medium M as much as possible.
Since the liquid discharge unit 101 has such a structure, when the wiper blade 103B wipes the bottom surface of the liquid discharge unit 101, the life of the wiper blade 103B is significantly reduced due to friction caused by the structural material of the liquid discharge unit 101. To do.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the wiper unit 103 moves in the arrangement direction of each liquid discharge nozzle head 101H in the liquid discharge unit 101 and is positioned below the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H, predetermined control is performed. In response to the signal, the drive motor 103m rotates the camshaft 103c to push up the wiper blade 103B. The wiper blade 103B pushed up wipes one liquid discharge nozzle head 101H with the movement of the wiper unit 103.

  When the wiper unit 103 continues to move, as shown in FIG. 7 (c), the rotation of the camshaft 103c by the drive motor 103m is completed, and the wiper blade 103B that has been pushed down descends, so that the wiper blade 103B becomes liquid. The bottom surface wiping of the discharge unit 101 can be prevented.

When the wiper unit 103 is positioned in the lower portion of the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H again by moving in the arrangement direction of each liquid discharge nozzle head 101H in the liquid discharge unit 101, as shown in FIG. The liquid ejection nozzle head 101H is wiped up by being pushed up.
Thereafter, the wiper unit 103 continues to move until all the liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H are wiped, and the operations shown in FIGS. 7B to 7D are repeated.

As described above, when the wiper unit 103 moves in the main scanning direction, the wiper blade 103B is driven upward only when it contacts the liquid discharge nozzle head 101H, so that it contacts the member that supports each liquid discharge nozzle head 101H. Therefore, damage to the wiper blade 103B can be suppressed as much as possible.
In the description of FIG. 7, the liquid discharge unit 101 is wiped by the forward movement of the wiper unit 103, but the liquid discharge nozzle head 101 </ b> H may be wiped when the wiper unit 103 moves backward. good.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for illustrating a state in which the maintenance door MD included in the liquid ejection apparatus 1 is opened. The liquid ejection device 1 includes a maintenance door MD for maintaining the interior equipment. By pulling out the liquid ejection unit 10 from the liquid ejection device 1 with the maintenance door MD opened, the liquid ejection unit 10 Maintenance can be performed.

Further, as shown in the drawing, the wiper unit standby position 105w of the wiper unit 103 is exposed without pulling out the liquid discharge unit 10 with the maintenance door MD opened. It is possible to easily replace the wiper blade 103B.
<Modification>

In the above description, the recording medium M in the liquid ejection recording system 100 has been described as a web-shaped recording medium. However, the recording medium M that is the target of liquid ejection recording by the liquid ejection apparatus 1 is a single wafer. It may be a recording medium.
In the above description, the wiper unit 103 is described as including the wiper blade 103B. However, the wiper unit 103 may include a cleaning roller instead of the wiper blade 103B. Even in the case of the cleaning roller, only the respective liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H can be wiped off similarly by rotating the cam shaft 103c and pushing up the cleaning roller by the drive motor 103m.

Further, in the description so far, the description has been made such that the standby position w1 of the liquid discharge unit 101 is the upper part of the liquid discharge unit 10 and the discharge position d1 is the lower part of the liquid discharge unit 10, but the liquid discharge unit The standby position w1 of 101 is at the lower part of the liquid ejection unit 10, the ejection position d1 is at the upper part of the liquid ejection unit 10, and the wiper unit 103 wipes the liquid ejection unit 101 while the liquid ejection unit 10 is rising. You may make it perform.
Even in this case, the liquid ejection unit 101 does not move up and down unnaturally only for wiping, so the configuration of the liquid ejection unit 10 is not complicated. In addition, since the wiper unit 103 is surely wiped before and after the discharge of the liquid discharge unit 101, an efficient maintenance operation in which the discharge nozzle surfaces of the plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads 101H are always clean is realized. be able to.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid discharge apparatus 2 Recording medium delivery apparatus 3 Recording medium winding apparatus 10 Liquid discharge part 100 Liquid discharge recording system 101 Liquid discharge unit 101H Liquid discharge nozzle head 103 Wiper unit 103B Wiper blade 103c Cam shaft 103m Drive motor 104 Liquid discharge unit drive Part 105 Wiper unit driving part 105w Waiting position of wiper unit 103 105r Return position of wiper unit 103
w1 Standby position of the liquid discharge unit 101
d1 Discharge position of the liquid discharge unit 101
M Recording medium

Claims (5)

A liquid ejection apparatus including a liquid ejection unit that performs recording by ejecting liquid onto a recording medium,
The liquid ejecting means;
A plurality of liquid discharge nozzles are arranged so as to be orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the discharge moves between a standby position and a discharge position for discharging liquid onto the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium. Head,
A wiping unit that includes a wiping unit that reciprocates between the standby position and the ejection position so as to be orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium and that wipes the nozzles of the ejection head;
Covering means for covering the plurality of liquid discharge nozzles is disposed perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and the cover position for covering the nozzles of the discharge head while the discharge head is in the standby position; A coating unit that moves between a retreat position that retreats while the discharge head moves to a discharge position;
With
The ejection head moves from the standby position covered by the coating unit to a position where nozzle wiping by the wiping unit is performed and then moves to the ejection position, and nozzle wiping by the wiping unit is performed after liquid ejection. Moved to the standby position and then moved to the standby position, and the coating by the coating unit is performed,
The liquid ejection means can be pulled out from the liquid ejection device by opening a maintenance door provided in the liquid ejection device;
Liquid discharge apparatus characterized by. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1,
A plurality of liquid discharge nozzle heads are disposed so that the discharge head of the liquid discharge means is orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium;
A liquid ejection apparatus characterized by the above. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1,
The standby position is located in the upper part of the movement range of the ejection head, and the ejection position is located in the lower part of the movement range of the ejection head;
A liquid ejection apparatus characterized by the above. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1,
The wiping unit wipes only the liquid discharge nozzle by moving the wiping means up and down;
A liquid ejection apparatus characterized by the above. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1,
The liquid discharge means has a wiping unit standby position for waiting the wiping unit;
By opening the maintenance door of the liquid ejection device, without drawing the liquid discharge means, said wiping unit waiting position is exposed,
A liquid ejection apparatus characterized by the above.

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