JP5761495B2 - Cleaning device and liquid ejection device provided with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device and a liquid ejection device including the same.

  An ink jet recording apparatus, which is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, includes an ejecting head (liquid ejecting head) that ejects ink (liquid) such as ultraviolet curable ink, aqueous pigment ink, solvent ink, and sublimation ink, and a medium ( It is equipped with a fixing unit such as an ultraviolet lamp, a heater, and a drying fan that irradiates the ink ejected onto the medium. The ejection head is mounted on a carriage that is scanned in the width direction of the medium, and performs recording by fixing (curing or drying) ink droplets that are ejected from the nozzles of the ejection head while scanning the carriage.

  Inkjet recording devices may cause ejection failures due to clogging of the nozzles when the recording standby state continues for a long time or when it has not been used for a long time, causing the ink in the nozzles to dry or increase in viscosity. is there. For this reason, when the carriage returns to the standby position, the ejection head is covered with a capping member to prevent the ink in the nozzles from drying, and cleaning is performed to suck and remove the ink whose viscosity has increased in the nozzles prior to recording. A device is provided.

  For example, when the carriage passes just above the capping device, the engagement body provided on the carriage comes into contact with the engagement body of the slider, so that the slider rises through the arm and acts as a cap receiving member against the tensile force of the spring. The mounted cap member seals the recording head disposed on the carriage (see Patent Document 1).

  Alternatively, the main drive switching arm is rotatably connected to the rotation shaft of the transmission gear meshing with the main drive motor, and the main drive planetary gear is rotatably supported by the main drive switching arm. When the main drive switching arm is on the upper side, the carriage reciprocates through the rack in which the main drive planetary gear meshes with the pinion. Further, when the main drive switching arm is at the lower side, the main drive planetary gear meshes with the cap gear and is transmitted to the cam rotation gear via the transmission gear, via the support rod that rotates the eccentric cam and contacts the eccentric cam. A cleaning device has also been proposed in which the drive source is shared by moving the cap member up and down (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 3480687 JP 2003-312023 A

As the ejection head mounted on the carriage described above, an ejection head in which a plurality of ejection heads are arranged in a staggered manner in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction may be used in order to increase the print width.
In this case, a configuration assuming a single ejection head cleaning device as in Patent Document 1 cannot be applied as it is. In addition, a capping member that moves up and down by driving a motor as in Patent Document 2 cannot be applied as it is.
This is because there is a case where the cap position slightly changes because the head tilt and the overlap amount are adjusted when the ejection head is assembled or the head is replaced. In this case, if the capping member does not have a function of fine adjustment in accordance with the adjustment of the position of the ejection head, the capping member cannot be covered and covered with the ejection surface of the ejection head.

  In addition, when the drive source is made common as in Patent Document 2, the drive transmission mechanism becomes an overweight, the device becomes large, and it takes time to move the cap up and down after switching the drive. .

  Furthermore, when a contact member (claw) for aligning with the discharge head is provided on the capping member, the carriage may interfere with the discharge head when returning to the standby position.

  The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and even if the mounting positions of a plurality of liquid ejection heads are finely adjusted, the capping operation can be performed reliably and quickly following this, and further moved to the cap position. It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable cleaning device that does not interfere with a liquid discharge head to be used and a liquid discharge device that includes the same and can record a high-quality image.

In order to solve the above problems, a cleaning device according to the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, a capping mechanism is provided that covers a plurality of liquid discharge heads in close contact with the liquid discharge surface of the liquid discharge heads arranged in the scanning direction and collects the liquid sucked from the nozzles of each liquid discharge surface. A cleaning device for a liquid ejection device, wherein the capping mechanism has a plurality of cap members respectively corresponding to the plurality of liquid ejection heads, and the plurality of cap members are retracted from the liquid ejection heads. A capping movement mechanism that moves between cap positions that are in close contact with the liquid ejection head; and a contact portion that is provided on each cap member and is capable of abutting in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the liquid ejection head; , with the respective cap member, the side wall of the contact portion and the spaced position spaced from the side wall of the liquid ejection heads each of the liquid discharge head Anda positioning mechanism for moving between a contact position you contact state, with the movement to the cap position of the liquid ejection head, the retracted the capping moving mechanism, the capping mechanism The cap is moved from a position to the cap position, and the positioning movement mechanism moves the capping mechanism from the separation position to the contact position to perform capping.

According to the above configuration, as the liquid ejection head moves to the cap position, the capping moving mechanism moves the capping mechanism from the retracted position to the cap position, and the positioning moving mechanism moves the capping mechanism from the separated position to the contact position. Since the capping is performed by moving the capping member, even if the mounting positions of the plurality of liquid ejection heads are adjusted, the cap member can be brought into close contact with the liquid ejection surface and can be reliably capped.
Further, since the capping movement mechanism and the positioning movement mechanism operate as the liquid ejection head moves to the cap position, no special drive source is required, and a quick capping operation can be performed with a small amount of movement.
Further, since the positioning movement mechanism moves the capping mechanism from a separated position separated from the side wall of each liquid ejection head to a contact position positioned in a biased state on the side wall of each liquid ejection head, the capping mechanism moves to the cap position. There is no possibility of interference with the moving liquid discharge head.

Furthermore, the preferably the said abutment portion capable of contacting the side wall of the liquid ejection heads in the orthogonal direction outer side and the scanning direction in the capping position of the liquid discharge head of the cap member is projected .
According to this, since the cap member is capped at the cap position while the contact portion is in contact with the side wall of the liquid discharge head, the position of the capping mechanism is corrected by the contact portion according to the position of the liquid discharge head. The discharge surface can be reliably capped.

In the present invention, the slide frame that can slide while being locked to a part of the carriage on which the liquid discharge head is mounted slides and moves up and down with respect to the base frame according to the movement of the liquid discharge head to the cap position. It is preferable that the capping mechanism is assembled so as to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the liquid ejection head with respect to the slide frame.
According to this, the slide frame can be slid and raised with respect to the base frame following the movement of the liquid discharge head to the cap position, and the capping mechanism assembled to the slide frame is moved from the retracted position to the cap position. Can be moved. In addition, the capping mechanism is assembled to the slide frame so as to be slidable in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the liquid ejection head, so that the posture of the cap member is finely adjusted according to the adjustment amount of the mounting position of the liquid ejection head A capping operation can be performed.

Further, in the present invention, slit walls are respectively formed on the standing walls that stand on both sides of the base frame in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the liquid discharge head, and projectingly provided on both side walls of the slide frame. It is preferable that the cap member moves between the retracted position and the cap position by sliding the slide frame while the guide pin passes through the slit hole and is engaged with the base frame.

In the present invention, a first urging means for constantly urging the slide frame between the base frame and the slide frame so that the cap member stays at the retracted position, and the capping mechanism include the capping mechanism. A guide wall that is always pressed against one end of a guide shaft that is slidably supported with respect to the slide frame, and the capping mechanism is interposed between the slide frame and the capping mechanism in the scanning direction of the liquid ejection head. And a second urging means that constantly urges toward the abutting position that abuts against the side wall from the outside in the orthogonal direction, and when the cap member is in the retracted position, the guide wall is urged by the second urging force. The guide shaft is pushed back against the urging force of the means, and the capping mechanisms are moved outward in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the liquid discharge head. Preferably guide to move to the separated position away from the wall.
According to this, when the cap member is in the retracted position, the guide wall pushes back the guide shaft against the urging force of the second urging means, and the capping mechanism moves from the side wall to the outside in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the liquid ejection head. Since the guide is moved to the separated position, the liquid ejection head that moves to the cap position does not interfere with the capping mechanism.

Further, in the liquid ejecting apparatus including any one of the cleaning apparatuses described above, the cleaning operation is performed while being covered with the cap member of the capping mechanism while the liquid ejecting head stands by at the standby position.
According to this, since the cleaning operation of the liquid discharge surface by the cleaning device can be performed reliably while the liquid discharge head is waiting at the standby position, a high-quality image can be recorded.

  According to the present invention, even if fine adjustment of the mounting positions of a plurality of liquid discharge heads is performed, the capping operation can be performed reliably and quickly following this, and interference with the liquid discharge heads moving to the cap position is achieved. It is possible to provide a highly reliable cleaning device that does not need to be performed and a liquid ejection device that includes the cleaning device and that can record a high-quality image.

1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus. It is an external appearance perspective view of a cleaning device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an ejection head mounted on a carriage. It is a perspective view of the cleaning device with the ejection head capped. It is a disassembled perspective view of a cleaning device. It is the perspective view which shows the top view and spring arrangement | positioning of a cleaning apparatus. It is a back perspective view of a slide frame and cleaning equipment before and after capping. It is explanatory drawing which shows the movement to the cap position of a discharge head, and a cleaning operation. It is a perspective view before and behind capping of a cleaning device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a cleaning device and a liquid ejection device using the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, as an example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink jet recording apparatus will be described with respect to an ink jet recording apparatus cleaning apparatus. Further, the main scanning direction indicates the medium (media) transport direction (X-axis direction), and the sub-scanning direction indicates the direction in which the carriage reciprocates perpendicular to the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction).

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the ink jet recording apparatus. As shown in the figure, the inkjet recording apparatus 1 uses, for example, a large and long roll sheet (polyester sheet or the like) as a medium. A sheet material fed from a feeding roll (not shown) wound around the feeding shaft 2 is conveyed in the main scanning direction via the recording unit 3 and the opposing platen 4 (see FIG. 2), and taken up on the winding shaft 5. As a result, the winding roll 6 is formed. A drying device (heater and drying fan) 7 is provided upstream of the take-up roll 6 in the conveying direction. Further, tension bars 8 and 9 are provided on the downstream side of the feeding roll (not shown) in the conveying direction and the upstream side of the winding roll 6 in the conveying direction, and are formed on the platen 4 facing the recording unit 3. The sheet material is conveyed without slack to the recording position.

  In FIG. 3, the recording unit 3 is mounted on a carriage in which the ejection heads 10 a and 10 b (liquid ejection heads) can reciprocately scan in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the sheet material conveyance direction. In FIG. 2, the carriage is provided so as to reciprocate along a Y-axis guide rail 12 provided along a Y-axis direction support member (Y bar) 11 formed in the longitudinal direction of the recording unit 3. Specifically, the carriage is connected to a part of an endless timing belt that is driven to rotate forward and backward by a drive source (not shown). As shown in FIG. 3, the ejection heads 10a and 10b mounted on the carriage are staggered so that the two ejection heads 10a and 10b overlap each other in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction (arrow direction) of the carriage in order to increase the print width. . The two ejection heads 10a and 10b are provided with solvent inks of various colors such as M (magenta), Y (yellow), C (cyan), and K (black) through an ink tube (not shown) from the ink cartridge 13 shown in FIG. Ink (liquid) such as sublimation ink is supplied, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles in accordance with a recording signal.

  Further, in FIG. 3, the two ejection heads 10a and 10b are assembled so that their positions can be adjusted with respect to the base plate 14 assembled to the carriage. The base plate 14 is provided with a slide plate 15 that can be slid and adjusted in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the carriage. The slide plate 15 is provided with a rotation plate 16a capable of adjusting the tilt of the head with respect to the carriage scanning direction so as to be rotatable about a fulcrum 19a. Similarly to the slide plate 15, the base plate 14 is provided with a rotation plate 16b capable of adjusting the head inclination with respect to the scanning direction of the carriage so as to be rotatable around a fulcrum 19b.

The rotary plates 16a and 16b are urged by plate springs 20a and 20b (not shown) and pressed against the cam surfaces of the eccentric cams 17a and 17b. The eccentric cam 17a is rotatably supported on the slide plate 15, and is rotated by a lever 18a. The eccentric cam 17b is rotatably supported by the base plate 14, and is rotated by a lever 18b.
The slide plate 15 is urged in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the carriage by a coil spring or the like (not shown) and pressed against the cam surface of the eccentric cam 17c. The eccentric cam 17c is rotatably supported by the base plate 14, and is rotated by a lever 18c.

The discharge head 10a is assembled on the rotating plate 16a and is fitted into a through-hole penetrating the rotating plate 16a, the slide plate 15 and the base plate 14, and supported so that the nozzle surface is exposed to the platen 4 side.
The discharge head 10b is assembled on the rotating plate 16b and is fitted into a through-hole penetrating the rotating plate 16a, the slide plate 15 and the base plate 14, and supported so that the nozzle surface is exposed to the platen 4 side. .

  The ejection heads 10a and 10b are adjusted for head tilt and overlap amount when the product is shipped or the head is replaced. Specifically, the rotating plates 16a and 16b are rotated about the fulcrums 19a and 19b by the eccentric cams 17a and 17b that are rotated by rotating the levers 18a and 18b, and the inclination angles with respect to the scanning direction are made uniform. Next, the overlapping amount of the ejection heads 10a and 10b is adjusted by sliding the slide plate 15 in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction by the eccentric cam 17c that rotates by rotating the lever 18c. Thereby, the assembly position of the ejection heads 10a and 10b arranged in a staggered manner can be adjusted with a simple operation.

  In FIG. 2, a cleaning device 21 is provided at a standby position that is one end of the scanning range of the carriage. As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning device 21 closely covers and covers the ink ejection surfaces of the ejection heads 10a and 10b at the standby position, and also collects the ink sucked from the nozzles of the respective ink ejection surfaces. It has.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the cleaning device 21 will be described together with the cleaning operation with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9. In FIG. 4, capping mechanisms 22 and 23 closely cover and cover the ink discharge surfaces of the discharge heads 10a and 10b, and suck and remove ink remaining in the discharge nozzles. In FIG. 4, the carriage is omitted, and only the ejection heads 10a and 10b and the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are shown.

  The capping mechanisms 22 and 23 include cap members 22a and 23a covering the ink discharge surface, support plates 22c and 23c for floatingly supporting the cap members 22a and 23a via coil springs 22b and 23b, and the support plates 22c and 23c. And cap slide members 22d and 23d that are slidably supported in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the carriage. A plurality of ink suction tubes 22e and 23e are connected to the cap members 22a and 23a via tube connectors 22f and 23f. The ink suction tubes 22e and 23e are connected to a suction mechanism (not shown) through coil springs 22b and 23b, support plates 22c and 23c, and center holes of the cap slide members 22d and 23d. The ink sucked through the ink suction tubes 22e and 23e is collected in a waste ink container (not shown).

  On both sides (outside) of the cap members 22a and 23a in the direction orthogonal to the carriage scanning direction, two contact portions 22g and 23g that can contact the outer wall surface of the ejection head at the cap position are projected. The opposing surfaces that cover the ink ejection surfaces of the cap members 22a and 23a are covered with a protective sheet (nonwoven sheet such as felt) having flexibility and moisture absorption to protect the nozzle surface.

  The cap slide members 22d and 23d are inserted into a pair of guide shafts 25 and 26 (one slide shaft is omitted) penetrating the slide frame 24 in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the carriage. Are assembled. The cap slide members 22d and 23d are prevented from coming off by retaining rings 27 and 28 fitted on both sides of the guide shafts 25 and 26, and are assembled together. Further, a locking portion 24a that is locked to a part of the carriage is fixed to one end side in the scanning direction of the slide frame 24 with screws.

The slide frame 24 is supported so as to be slidable and movable up and down with respect to the base frame 29. Slit holes 29b are formed in two portions in the longitudinal direction on the standing walls 29a that stand on both sides of the base frame 29 in the direction orthogonal to the carriage scanning direction.
The guide pins 30 projecting on both side walls of the slide frame 24 pass through the slit holes 29b and slide with the slide frame 24 being engaged with the base frame 29, whereby the capping mechanisms 22, 23 (cap members 22a, 23a). ) Moves between the retracted position and the cap position. The slide hole 29b is formed so as to incline from an obliquely downward position toward an obliquely upward position. When the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are in the retracted position, the guide pin 30 is locked at the obliquely downward position, and the capping is performed. When the mechanisms 22 and 23 are moved to the cap position, the guide pin 30 is moved to an obliquely upper position and locked.

  In FIG. 5, the base frame 29 has guide walls 29c, 29d against which one ends of guide shafts 25, 26 that slidably support the capping mechanisms 22, 23 with respect to the slide frame 24 are pressed. Are fixed by screws. Bending portions 29e and 29f are formed at the opposite ends of the guide walls 29c and 29d in the carriage scanning direction from the standby position. On the base frame 29, a stopper 29g is provided at the moving end position of the slide frame 24.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the slide frame 24 is urged between the base frame 29 and the slide frame 24 so that the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 (cap members 22a and 23a) remain in the retracted position. The first tension springs 31a and 31b (first urging means) are connected.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, second tension springs 32a, 32b, 33a, 33b (second urging means) are connected between the cap slide members 22d, 23d and the slide frame 24, respectively. Has been. For this reason, the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are always moved from the separated positions on the outer side in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the ejection heads 10a and 10b to the contact position that contacts the side wall by the second tension springs 32a, 32b, 33a, and 33b. It is energized. Therefore, the guide shafts 25 and 26 are always pressed against the guide walls 29c and 29d through the cap slide members 22d and 23d (see FIG. 6B).

  When the capping mechanisms 22, 23 (cap members 22a, 23a) are in the retracted position, the bent portions 29e, 29f provided on the guide walls 29c, 29d resist the urging of the second tension springs 32a, 32b, 33a, 33b. Then, the guide shafts 25 and 26 are pushed back toward the outside to guide the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 so that they move to the separated positions away from the side walls in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the ejection heads 10a and 10b.

As described above, the cleaning device 21 causes the cap members 22a and 23a to discharge by sliding the slide plate 24 on which the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are mounted with respect to the base plate 29 as the carriage moves to the standby position. A capping movement mechanism is provided for moving between a retracted position separated from the heads 10a and 10b and a cap position in close contact with the ejection heads 10a and 10b.
Further, a positioning movement for moving the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 between a spaced position separated from the side walls of the ejection heads 10a and 10b and a contact position positioned by being abutted against the side walls of the ejection heads 10a and 10b in a biased state. It has a mechanism.
Therefore, as the ejection heads 10a and 10b move to the cap position, the capping movement mechanism moves the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 from the retracted position to the cap position, and the positioning movement mechanism moves the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 from the separated position. The capping is performed by moving to the contact position.

Next, the cleaning operation will be described with reference to FIGS.
While the carriage is moving, as shown in FIG. 9A, the slide frame 24 is pulled by the first tension springs 31a and 31b on the side opposite to the standby position in the carriage scanning direction with respect to the base frame 29. ing. At this time, the guide pin 30 inserted through the slit 29b of the upright wall 29a is locked to the hole end portion obliquely below. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the slide frame 24 is in the lowered position with respect to the base frame 29, and the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 (cap members 22a and 23a) are in the retracted position.

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C, the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are ejected from the separated positions outside the carriage scanning direction by the second tension springs 32a, 32b, 33a, and 33b. The heads 10a and 10b are always urged toward the abutting position where they abut against the side walls of the heads 10a and 10b. For this reason, the guide shafts 25 and 26 are always abutted against the guide walls 29c and 29d. When the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 (cap members 22a and 23a) are in the retracted position, the guide shafts 25 and 26 are in contact with the bent portions 29e and 29f, and the second tension springs 32a, 32b, 33a, and 33b are energized. Against this, the guide shafts 25 and 26 are pushed back toward the outside, and the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are held at the spaced positions spaced outward in the direction orthogonal to the carriage scanning direction (see FIG. 6B).
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8C, even if the carriage 34 moves to the standby position just above the cleaning device 21, the contact portions 22g and 23g protruding from the cap members 22a and 23a are discharged from the ejection heads 10a and 10b. There will be no interference.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D, when the carriage 34 moves to the standby position directly above the cleaning device 21, the engagement of the carriage 34 protruding in the moving direction front end 34 a and the slide frame 24 is performed. The stop 24a is locked, and the slide frame 24 is also slid in the same direction against the bias of the first tension springs 31a and 31b as the carriage 34 is scanned.
At this time, in the slide frame 24, the guide pin 30 inserted through the slit 29b of the upright wall 29a slides from the obliquely downward hole end to the obliquely upward hole end and is locked. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D, the slide frame 24 is in the raised position with respect to the base frame 29, and the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 (cap members 22a and 23a) are moved to the cap position to cause ink. Adheres closely to the discharge surface.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 7D to 7F, the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are moved from the separated position outside the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the carriage 34 by the second tension springs 32a, 32b, 33a and 33b. It is always urged toward the contact position close to. For this reason, the guide shafts 25 and 26 that are in contact with the bent portions 29e and 29f of the guide walls 29c and 29d are moved along the guide walls 29 and 29d by being detached from the bent portions 29e and 29f by the sliding operation of the slide frame 24. Therefore, the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are lifted from the retracted position to the cap position by the tensile force of the second tension springs 32a, 32b, 33a and 33b, and contact portions 22g and 23g from the spaced positions on both sides of the ejection heads 10a and 10b. Moves to a contact position that contacts the outer wall of the head (see FIGS. 8D and 9B). Thereby, even if the ejection heads 10a and 10b arranged in a staggered manner are adjusted by rotation and sliding, the contact portions 22g and 23g contact from both sides following the head outer wall, so that the posture positions of the cap members 22a and 23a The ink discharge surface can be adhered and covered without shifting (see FIG. 4).

  The capping mechanisms 22 and 23 prepare for the next recording operation by sucking and removing ink remaining in the nozzles by a suction mechanism (not shown) while the cap members 22a and 23a cover the ink discharge surfaces of the discharge heads 10a and 10b.

According to the above configuration, the capping moving mechanism moves the capping mechanisms 22, 23 from the retracted position to the cap position as the ejection heads 10a, 10b move to the cap position, and the positioning moving mechanism moves the capping mechanisms 22, 23. Is moved from the separation position to the contact position to perform capping, so that even if the positions of the plurality of ejection heads 10a and 10b are adjusted, the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are brought into close contact with the ink ejection surface to ensure the position. Can be capped.
Further, since the capping movement mechanism and the positioning movement mechanism operate as the ejection heads 10a and 10b move to the cap position, no special drive source is required, and a compact and quick capping operation can be performed.
Further, the positioning movement mechanism moves the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 from the separated positions separated from the outer walls of the ejection heads 10a and 10b to the abutting position where the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are positioned by being abutted against the outer walls of the ejection heads 10a and 10b. Therefore, the ejection heads 10a and 10b moving to the cap position do not interfere with the capping mechanisms 22 and 23.

  Further, since the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are capped at the cap position while the contact portions 22g and 23g are in contact with the side walls of the ejection heads 10a and 10b, the posture of the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 is determined by the contact portions 22g and 23g. Corrected according to the position adjustment of the ejection heads 10a and 10b, can be reliably capped.

  Further, the slide frame 24 can be lifted with respect to the base frame 29 while following the movement of the ejection heads 10a and 10b to the standby position, and the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 assembled to the slide frame 24 are retracted. It can be moved from the position to the cap position. Further, since the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are assembled to the slide frame 24 so as to be slidable in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the discharge heads 10a and 10b, the cap member is adjusted according to the adjustment of the mounting position of the discharge heads 10a and 10b. The capping operation can be performed while finely adjusting the postures of 22a and 23a.

  Further, when the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 (cap members 22a and 23a) are in the retracted position, the guide walls 29c and 29d resist the urging of the second tension springs 32a, 32b, 33a, and 33b by the bent portions 29e and 29f. Thus, the guide shafts 25 and 26 are pushed back so that the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 are guided so as to move to the separated positions away from the side walls in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the ejection heads 10a and 10b. , 10b does not interfere with the capping mechanisms 22, 23 (contact portions 22g, 23g).

  Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus 1 having the above-described cleaning device 21, the ink discharge surface is covered with the cap members 22a and 23a of the capping mechanisms 22 and 23 while the discharge heads 10a and 10b are waiting at the standby position. Therefore, a high-quality image without nozzle clogging can be recorded.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet recording device 2 Feeding shaft 3 Recording unit 4 Platen 5 Winding shaft 6 Winding roll 7 Drying device 8, 9 Tension bar 10a, 10b Discharge head 11 Y-axis direction support member (Y bar) 12 Y-axis guide rail 13 Ink Cartridge 14 Base plate 15 Slide plate 16a, 16b Rotating plate 17a, 17b, 17c Eccentric cam 18a, 18b, 18c Lever 19a, 19b Support point 20a, 20b (not shown) Leaf spring 21 Cleaning device 22, 23 Capping mechanism 22a, 23a Cap Member 22b, 23b Coil spring 22c, 23c Support plate 22d, 23d Cap slide member 22e, 23e Ink suction tube 22f, 23f Tube connector 22g, 23g Contact portion 24 Slide frame 24a Locking portion 25, 26 Guide shaft 27, 28 Retaining ring 29 Base frame 29a Standing wall 29b Slit hole 29c, 29d Guide wall 29e, 29f Bending portion 29g Stopper 30 Guide pins 31a, 31b 1st tension spring 32a, 32b, 33a, 33b 2nd tension spring 34 Carriage 34a Movement direction front end

Claims (6)

A liquid discharge device provided with a capping mechanism that collects and sucks the liquid sucked from the nozzles of each liquid discharge surface while closely covering and covering the liquid discharge surface of the liquid discharge head arranged in the scanning direction. A cleaning device for the device,
The capping mechanism includes a plurality of cap members respectively corresponding to the plurality of liquid discharge heads, and the plurality of cap members are in close contact with the retraction positions where the cap discharge members are retracted from the liquid discharge heads. A capping movement mechanism for moving between the cap positions;
A contact portion provided on each of the cap members and capable of contacting in a direction orthogonal to a scanning direction of the liquid ejection head;
Wherein each cap member, the abutment positioning moving mechanism for moving between a contact position you contact with energized to the side wall spaced apart position and the liquid ejection heads from the side wall of the liquid ejection heads And comprising
As the liquid discharge head moves to the cap position, the capping movement mechanism moves the capping mechanism from the retracted position to the cap position, and the positioning movement mechanism moves the capping mechanism from the separation position to the contact position. A cleaning device, wherein capping is performed by moving to a contact position. Wherein the orthogonal Direction to the scanning direction of the liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the said abutment portion capable of contacting the side wall of the liquid ejection heads are projected at the capping position of the cap member Cleaning device.   A slide frame that is slidable while being locked to a part of a carriage that mounts the liquid discharge head according to the movement of the liquid discharge head to the cap position is supported so as to be slidable and raised and lowered with respect to the base frame The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the capping mechanism is assembled to the slide frame so as to be slidable in a direction orthogonal to a scanning direction of the liquid ejection head.   Slit holes are formed in the standing walls that stand on both sides of the base frame in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the liquid discharge head, and guide pins that protrude from both side walls of the slide frame are formed in the slit holes. The cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the cap member moves between the retracted position and the cap position by sliding the slide frame while penetrating and engaging with the base frame. Between the base frame and the slide frame, a first urging means that constantly urges the slide frame so that the cap member stays in the retracted position, and the capping mechanism is slidable with respect to the slide frame A guide wall that is constantly pressed against one end of a guide shaft supported by
Between the slide frame and the capping mechanism, a second urging unit that constantly urges the capping mechanism from the outside in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the liquid discharge head toward a contact position that contacts the side wall; With
When the cap member is in the retracted position, the guide wall pushes back the guide shaft against the urging force of the second urging means, and the capping mechanisms are moved outward in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the liquid ejection head. The cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the cleaning device is guided to move to a separation position separated from the side wall.   6. A liquid comprising the cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein a cleaning operation is performed while being covered with a cap member of the capping mechanism while the liquid discharge head is waiting at a standby position. Discharge device.

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