JP5875729B1 - Cleaning device, method of using cleaning device, and inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to remove deposits adhering to the nozzle surface of an ink head and to prevent nozzle ejection defects from occurring. A cleaning device is a device that removes deposits attached to a nozzle surface of an ink head. The cleaning device 100 includes a wiper 50 that wipes the nozzle surface 41a at a predetermined first position P1, a cleaning mechanism 60 that applies the cleaning liquid 55 to the wiper 50 at a predetermined second position P2, and a predetermined third position. At the position P3, the removing member 70 that removes a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50 by the cleaning mechanism 60, the wiper 50, the first position P1, the second position P2, and the third position P3. And a drive mechanism 80 to be moved. [Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning device, a method of using the cleaning device, and an ink jet printer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, ink jet printers (hereinafter referred to as ink jet printers) are known. The ink jet printer includes an ink head having a platen on which recording paper is placed and an ink jet nozzle (hereinafter also referred to as a nozzle) that is disposed above the platen and ejects ink toward the recording paper. The nozzles are arranged on the lower surface of the ink head (hereinafter referred to as the nozzle surface). Such nozzle surfaces may have ink or foreign matter attached thereto.

  Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ink jet printer that can remove deposits attached to the nozzle surface. The ink jet printer described in Patent Literature 1 includes a wiper that wipes the nozzle surface and a cleaning liquid tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored. By wiping the nozzle surface with a wiper, deposits adhered to the nozzle surface can be removed. The wiper after wiping the nozzle surface may have adhered matter that has adhered to the nozzle surface. In the ink jet printer described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-228561, the deposits remaining on the wiper can be removed by immersing the wiper with deposits in the cleaning solution in the cleaning solution tank.

JP 2007-203660 A

  However, in the ink jet printer described in Patent Document 1, when the wiper is immersed in the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid is attached to the wiper. Therefore, the wiper may wipe the nozzle surface in a state where the cleaning liquid is attached to the wiper. For this reason, the cleaning liquid attached to the wiper may enter the nozzle disposed on the nozzle surface. As a result, there is a possibility that nozzle ejection failure may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an attachment attached to a nozzle surface in an ink jet printer having an ink head having a nozzle for ejecting ink and a nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed. It is an object to provide a cleaning device, a method of using the cleaning device, and an ink jet printer that can remove the kimono and suppress the occurrence of defective nozzle discharge.

The cleaning device according to the present invention is an ink jet printer including an ink head having a nozzle for ejecting ink onto a recording medium and a nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed, and deposits adhered to the nozzle surface of the ink head. It is a cleaning device to remove. The cleaning device includes a wiper, a cleaning mechanism, a removing member, and a drive mechanism. The wiper wipes the nozzle surface at a predetermined first position. The cleaning mechanism applies a cleaning liquid to the wiper at a predetermined second position. The removing member removes a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid attached to the wiper by the cleaning mechanism at a predetermined third position. The drive mechanism moves the wiper to the first position, the second position, and the third position. The removal member is an absorbent pad.
Another cleaning device according to the present invention is an ink jet printer having an ink head having a nozzle for ejecting ink onto a recording medium and a nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed, and is attached to the nozzle surface of the ink head. A cleaning device for removing deposits, a wiper for wiping the nozzle surface at a predetermined first position, a cleaning mechanism for applying a cleaning liquid to the wiper at a predetermined second position, and a predetermined third In a position, a removing member for removing a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid attached to the wiper by the cleaning mechanism, and the wiper are moved to the first position, the second position, and the third position. And a drive mechanism to be operated. The cleaning mechanism is a cleaning liquid tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored. A filter is disposed on the bottom surface of the cleaning liquid tank. The second position is a position where at least a part of the wiper is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an inkjet printer including an ink head having a nozzle for ejecting ink onto a recording medium and a nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed. A cleaning device that removes adhering deposits, a wiper that wipes the nozzle surface at a predetermined first position, a cleaning mechanism that applies cleaning liquid to the wiper at a predetermined second position, and a predetermined first position 3, a removing member that removes a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid attached to the wiper by the cleaning mechanism, the wiper, the first position, the second position, and the third position. And a control device connected to the drive mechanism. The cleaning mechanism is a cleaning liquid tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored. The second position is a position where at least a part of the wiper is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank. A position above the liquid level of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank is a first cleaning position, and a position below the liquid level of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank is a second cleaning position. The control device controls the drive mechanism so that at least a part of the wiper is reciprocated a predetermined first number of times between the first cleaning position and the second cleaning position.

  According to the cleaning device, the cleaning liquid is applied to the wiper by the cleaning mechanism. In the third position, the wiper to which the cleaning liquid is applied is removed with a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid by the removing member. Therefore, the wiper can wipe the nozzle surface of the ink head in a state where a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid is removed. Accordingly, it is possible to remove the deposits attached to the nozzle surface, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of defective nozzle discharge due to the cleaning liquid entering the nozzle when the nozzle surface is wiped.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while removing the deposit | attachment adhering to the nozzle surface of an ink head, it can provide the cleaning apparatus which can suppress that the discharge defect of a nozzle arises, the usage method of a cleaning apparatus, and an inkjet printer.

1 is a perspective view showing a printer according to an embodiment. 2 is a plan view showing an internal configuration of the printer. FIG. It is a bottom view of the ink head. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where a cap is attached to the ink head. It is a top view of a cleaning device. It is a front view of a cleaning device. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state in which a wiper wipes a nozzle surface in a wiping position. It is a schematic diagram which shows the position of the wiper in a washing | cleaning position. It is a top view of a cleaning liquid tank. It is sectional drawing in the XX cross section of FIG. It is the schematic diagram which showed the connection relation of a washing | cleaning liquid tank, a pump, and a cap. It is the schematic diagram which showed the positional relationship of a wiper and a pad in the removal position. It is a figure which shows a drive mechanism, Comprising: It is a rear view of a cleaning apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state which performs primary stirring. It is a block diagram of a printer.

  Hereinafter, an inkjet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) including a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, members / parts having the same action are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted or simplified as appropriate.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the printer 1. Note that symbols F, Rr, L, and R in the drawings indicate front, rear, left, and right, respectively. However, these are only directions for convenience of explanation, and do not limit the installation mode of the printer 1 at all. Symbol Y indicates the main scanning direction. Reference numeral X indicates a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction Y in plan view. However, the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the form of the printer 1 and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 performs printing on a recording paper 5. The recording paper 5 is a roll-shaped medium, so-called roll paper. Here, the recording paper 5 corresponds to the “recording medium” of the present invention. However, the recording medium of the present invention is not limited to the recording paper 5. For example, the recording medium may be a resin sheet. The recording medium is not limited to a flexible sheet, and may be a medium having a hard material such as a glass substrate.

  The printer 1 includes a main body 10, legs 11, an operation panel 12, and a cover 15. The main body 10 has a casing 10A extending in the main scanning direction Y. The legs 11 support the main body 10. The legs 11 are provided on the lower surface of the main body 10. The operation panel 12 is provided on the right front surface of the main body 10. The operation panel 12 is used by the user for operations related to printing. Although not shown, the operation panel 12 includes a display unit that displays information related to printing such as monochrome printing or color printing, resolution, and ink density, and an input unit that inputs information related to printing. Is provided.

  The cover 15 is provided on the main body 10. Here, the cover 15 is attached to the upper part of the main body 10 so as to be freely opened and closed. A discharge port 13 for discharging the recording paper 5 is formed below the cover 15 and below the main body 10. A guide 14 for guiding the recording paper 5 discharged from the discharge port 13 is provided at a position in front of and below the discharge port 13. The guide 14 extends forward and obliquely downward from the discharge port 13.

  Next, the internal configuration of the printer 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 1 includes a guide rail 20, a platen 25, a head drive mechanism 28, an ink head 40, a cleaning device 100, and a control device 90 (see FIG. 15). The guide rail 20 is disposed below the cover 15. The guide rail 20 extends in the main scanning direction Y.

  The platen 25 supports the recording paper 5 when printing on the recording paper 5. The recording paper 5 is placed on the platen 25. Printing on the recording paper 5 is performed on the platen 25. The platen 25 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The platen 25 is disposed below and in front of the central portion of the guide rail 20. The platen 25 is continuous with the guide 14.

  In this embodiment, a pair of upper and lower rollers 26 that convey the recording paper 5 in the sub-scanning direction X are shown at the left and right ends of the platen 25 (note that only the upper roller 26 is shown in FIG. The rollers 26 are omitted). However, the number and installation positions of the pair of upper and lower rollers 26 are not particularly limited. One of the pair of upper and lower rollers 26 is a driving roller (also referred to as a grid roller) that rotates by itself. The other roller 26 is a pinch roller for sandwiching the recording paper 5 together with the drive roller. The pinch roller is configured to be movable in the vertical direction.

  The head driving mechanism 28 is a mechanism that moves the ink head 40 in the main scanning direction Y. Here, the head drive mechanism 28 includes a pulley 21, a pulley 22, an endless belt 23, a servo motor 24, and a carriage 30. The pulley 21 is provided at the right end portion of the guide rail 20. The pulley 22 is provided at the left end portion of the guide rail 20. The belt 23 is wound around the pulley 21 and the pulley 22. Here, the servo motor 24 is connected to the pulley 21, but may be connected to the pulley 22. When the servo motor 24 drives the pulley 21, the belt 23 travels between the pulley 21 and the pulley 22.

  The carriage 30 is attached to the belt 23. Although not shown, the carriage 30 is engaged with the guide rail 20. The carriage 30 moves in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 20 as the belt 23 travels.

  The ink head 40 ejects ink onto the recording paper 5. The ink head 40 is disposed above the platen 25. The ink head 40 ejects ink downward toward the platen 25. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the ink head 40. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of nozzles 41 are formed on the bottom surface (nozzle surface) 41 a of the ink head 40. The ink head 40 ejects ink downward from the nozzle 41. Here, an ink cartridge 45 is connected to the ink head 40 via a tube 46. The ink cartridge 45 contains ink. The ink in the ink head 40 is supplied from the ink cartridge 45 through the tube 46. A plurality of nozzles 41 eject different colors of ink. Here, the plurality of nozzles 41 are arranged in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. 2, the ink head 40 is slidably engaged with the guide rail 20. In the present embodiment, the ink head 40 is attached to the carriage 30 and slidably engages with the guide rail 20 via the carriage 30. The ink head 40 is moved in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 20 by the head driving mechanism 28.

  Here, the ink head 40 is configured to stand by at a home position HP located on the right end side of the guide rail 20 when printing on the recording paper 5 is not performed or before cleaning is started. Has been. The head drive mechanism 28 is configured to move the ink head 40 to the home position HP. The position of the home position HP is not particularly limited, but is preferably a position excluding the platen 25 in plan view. For example, the home position HP may be located on the left end side of the guide rail 20.

  In the present embodiment, a cap 53 is disposed at the home position HP below the right end portion in the main body 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the ink head 40 is positioned above the cap 53 when waiting at the home position HP. At this time, at least the nozzle 41 is covered with a cap 53 from below. Thereby, drying of the nozzle 41 is suppressed. As will be described later in detail, the cap 53 has a suction function for sucking ink in the ink head 40.

  Next, the cleaning device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. When printing by the printer 1 is performed, ink or a foreign matter may adhere to the nozzle surface 41 a of the ink head 40. Due to this deposit, the recording paper 5 may become dirty during printing, and the print quality may deteriorate. Therefore, the cleaning device 100 removes deposits such as ink adhered to the nozzle surface 41 a of the ink head 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning device 100 is provided inside the printer 1. Here, the cleaning device 100 is provided between the platen 25 and the home position HP. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the cleaning device 100. FIG. 6 is a front view of the cleaning device 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning device 100 includes a wiper 50, a cleaning liquid tank 60, a pad 70, and a drive mechanism 80.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state where the wiper 50 wipes the nozzle surface 41a at the wiping position P1. As shown in FIG. 7, the wiper 50 wipes the nozzle surface 41 a of the ink head 40. When the wiper 50 wipes the nozzle surface 41a, the deposits attached to the nozzle surface 41a are removed. Here, the position P1 at which the wiper 50 wipes the nozzle surface 41a is referred to as “wiping position P1”. The wiping position P1 corresponds to the “predetermined first position” in the present invention. Here, the tip of the wiper 50 contacts the nozzle surface 41a at the wiping position P1. Then, with the tip of the wiper 50 in contact with the nozzle surface 41a, the ink head 40 moves in one direction Y1 from the right to the left in the main scanning direction Y. Removed by 50. The deposit removed from the nozzle surface 41a typically adheres to the wiper 50. The material of the wiper 50 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a flexible material. For example, the wiper 50 is made of rubber.

  The cleaning liquid tank 60 stores the cleaning liquid 55. Here, the “cleaning liquid” is a liquid for cleaning the wiper 50. The type of the cleaning liquid 55 is not particularly limited. As the cleaning liquid 55, for example, water or an organic solvent can be appropriately used.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the position of the wiper 50 at the cleaning position P2. As shown in FIG. 8, the wiper 50 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Here, a portion of the wiper 50 that comes into contact with the nozzle surface 41 a during wiping is at least immersed in the cleaning liquid 55. By immersing the wiper 50 in the cleaning liquid 55, the cleaning liquid 55 is applied to the wiper 50. In the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid tank 60 corresponds to the “cleaning mechanism” of the present invention. Here, the position P2 where the cleaning liquid 55 is applied to the wiper 50 is referred to as “cleaning position P2.” The cleaning position P <b> 2 is a position where at least a part of the wiper 50 (here, a part where the nozzle surface 41 a is wiped) is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60. In the present embodiment, the cleaning position P2 corresponds to the “predetermined second position” of the present invention.

  FIG. 9 is a plan view of the cleaning liquid tank 60. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the shape of the cleaning liquid tank 60 is rectangular. Specifically, the cleaning liquid tank 60 includes a bottom plate 61, a front plate 62, a rear plate 63, a left plate 64, and a right plate 65. As shown in FIG. 10, the bottom plate 61 is disposed so as to be inclined toward the lower left in a front view. The front plate 62, the rear plate 63, the left plate 64, and the right plate 65 extend upward from the bottom plate 61, respectively. The front plate 62 is continuous with the front end of the bottom plate 61. The rear plate 63 is continuous with the rear end of the bottom plate 61. As shown in FIG. 9, the front plate 62 and the rear plate 63 are positioned so as to be parallel to each other. The lower end of the left plate 64 is continuous with the left end of the bottom plate 61. The front end of the left plate 64 is continuous with the left end of the front plate 62, and the rear end of the left plate 64 is continuous with the left end of the rear plate 63. The lower end of the right plate 65 is continuous with the right end of the bottom plate 61. Further, the front end of the right plate 65 is continuous with the right end of the front plate 62, and the rear end of the right plate 65 is continuous with the right end of the rear plate 63. The left plate 64 and the right plate 65 are positioned so as to be parallel to each other.

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid tank 60 is provided with a region where the pad 70 is disposed. Here, the cleaning liquid tank 60 includes a first partition plate 66a and a second partition plate 66b. The first partition plate 66 a and the second partition plate 66 b extend upward from the bottom plate 61. The first partition plate 66 a is disposed so as to be parallel to the left plate 64 and the right plate 65. The second partition plate 66 b is disposed so as to be parallel to the front plate 62 and the rear plate 63. The rear end of the first partition plate 66 a is continuous with the rear plate 63. The front end of the first partition plate 66a is continuous with the left end of the second partition plate 66b. The right end of the second partition plate 66 b is continuous with the right plate 65. Here, the cleaning liquid 55 is stored in a space 68 surrounded by the bottom plate 61, the front plate 62, a part of the rear plate 63, the left plate 64, a part of the right plate 65, the first partition plate 66a and the second partition plate 66b. Has been. The space 68 is an L-shaped space in plan view.

  The cleaning liquid tank 60 employs an overflow type configuration. Here, the cleaning liquid tank 60 includes a partition wall 67. The partition wall 67 divides the space 68 into two spaces. The partition wall 67 extends upward from the bottom plate 61. Here, the front end of the partition wall 67 is continuous with the front plate 62, and the rear end of the partition wall 67 is continuous with the second partition plate 66b. As shown in FIG. 10, the upper end of the partition wall 67 is the upper end of the cleaning liquid tank 60 (ie, the front plate 62, the rear plate 63, the left plate 64, the right plate 65, the first partition plate 66a, and the second partition plate 66b, respectively). Is located below the upper end).

  Here, the partition wall 67 divides the space 68 in the cleaning liquid tank 60 into two spaces, that is, a cleaning space 68a and a discharge space 68b. The cleaning space 68a is a space in which the cleaning liquid 55 is stored, and is a space in which the wiper 50 is immersed. The discharge space 68b is a space where the overflowed cleaning liquid 55 flows when the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning space 68a overflows. Here, a passage 68 c through which the cleaning liquid 55 passes is provided on the partition wall 67. The cleaning space 68a and the discharge space 68b communicate with each other through the passage 68c. The cleaning liquid 55 is added to the cleaning space 68a at a predetermined timing. When the cleaning liquid 55 overflows from the cleaning space 68a, the overflowing cleaning liquid 55 flows to the discharge space 68b through the passage 68c.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the 1st discharge hole 75 is formed in the site | part which forms the discharge space 68b among the site | parts which comprise the washing | cleaning-liquid tank 60. As shown in FIG. Here, the 1st discharge hole 75 is formed in the lower part (part below the center of an up-down direction) of the site | part surrounding the discharge space 68b among the front plates 62. As shown in FIG. A first discharge tube 76 is connected to the first discharge hole 75. Here, one end of the first discharge tube 76 is inserted into the first discharge hole 75, and the drainage tank 77 is connected to the other end. The cleaning liquid 55 that has flowed into the discharge space 68 b flows from the first discharge hole 75 through the first discharge tube 76 to the discharge tank 77.

  In this embodiment, the 2nd discharge hole 78 is formed in the site | part which forms the cleaning space 68a among the site | parts which comprise the washing | cleaning-liquid tank 60. As shown in FIG. Here, the 2nd discharge hole 78 is formed in the lower part of the site | part surrounding the washing | cleaning space 68a among the front plates 62. FIG. The second discharge holes 78 are smaller than the first discharge holes 75, but may be the same or larger. A second discharge tube 79 is connected to the second discharge hole 78. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a connection relationship among the cleaning liquid tank 60, the pump 71, and the cap 53. Here, one end of the second discharge tube 79 is inserted into the second discharge hole 78, and the other end is connected to the pump 71. The pump 71 is, for example, a trochoid pump. A valve 79 a that opens and closes the second discharge tube 79 is provided in the middle of the second discharge tube 79. Here, when the second discharge tube 79 is opened by the valve 79a, the pump 71 is driven so that the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning space 68a passes through the second discharge tube 79 from the second discharge hole 78. It is discharged outside.

  In the present embodiment, the tube 46 connecting the ink head 40 and the ink cartridge 45 is provided with a valve 47 for operating the tube 46 so as to be freely opened and closed. A suction tube 54 is connected to the cap 53 described above. One end of the suction tube 54 is connected to the cap 53, and the other end is connected to an intermediate portion of the second discharge tube 79. That is, the suction tube 54 is connected to the pump 71 via the first discharge tube 76. When the tube 46 is opened by the valve 47, when the pump 71 is driven, ink is sucked through the suction tube 54 from the nozzle 41 of the ink head 40 covered by the cap 53. In the present embodiment, the discharge of the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60 and the suction of the ink in the ink head 40 can be performed using one pump 71.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning liquid tank 60 is accommodated in a predetermined space of the main body 10 of the printer 1. This predetermined space is, for example, a space located below a rotating shaft 81 described later. Here, a handle 62 a is provided on the front plate 62 of the cleaning liquid tank 60. The user can hold the handle 62a and slide the cleaning liquid tank 60 in the front-rear direction so as to be accommodated in the predetermined space of the main body 10 or taken out from the predetermined space.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a filter 69 is disposed on at least a part of the bottom surface of the cleaning liquid tank 60 (here, the bottom plate 61) surrounding the cleaning space 68a. The filter 69 attaches the deposits removed from the wiper 50 when the wiper 50 is cleaned in the cleaning space 68 a of the cleaning liquid tank 60. Here, the deposit removed in the cleaning liquid tank 60 moves downward and settles in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Then, the deposited deposit is adhered to the filter 69. The material of the filter 69 is not particularly limited. For example, the filter 69 is preferably a porous polyethylene fiber filter.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the pad 70 removes a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50. Here, the “predetermined amount” is not an amount in which the cleaning liquid 55 is completely removed from the wiper 50, but a state in which some cleaning liquid 55 remains in the wiper 50 (for example, the cleaning liquid 55 does not enter the nozzle 41). This is the amount that is left). Here, the pad 70 is provided in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Specifically, the pad 70 is disposed in a space excluding the cleaning space 68a and the discharge space 68b in the cleaning liquid tank 60 in plan view. Here, a base 72 is provided in the space surrounded by the first partition plate 66 a, the second partition plate 66 b, the rear plate 63 and the right plate 65 of the cleaning liquid tank 60, and the pad 70 is disposed on the base 72. Has been. The pad 70 is made of an absorptive material. In the present embodiment, the pad 70 is formed of a polyolefin sheet. The polyolefin sheet has high absorbency and high solvent resistance. Therefore, it can be said that it is useful to use a polyolefin sheet as the pad 70 in which the cleaning liquid 55 is absorbed.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the wiper 50 and the pad 70 at the removal position P3. Here, as shown in FIG. 12, at least a part of the wiper 50 contacts the pad 70. In other words, the wiper 50 is pressed against the pad 70. The wiper 50 is in contact with the upper surface of the pad 70 at an angle. Here, not only the one side surface 50 a of the wiper 50 but also the tip of the wiper 50 contacts the pad 70. As shown in FIG. 7, the one side surface 50a of the wiper 50 is a side surface on the side where the ink head 40 enters the wiping position P1 at the wiping position P1. As shown in FIG. 12, when the wiper 50 is pressed against the pad 70, the cleaning liquid 55 attached to one side surface 50 a and the tip of the wiper 50 is removed. The removed cleaning liquid 55 is absorbed by the pad 70. Here, a position P3 where a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50 by the pad 70 is removed is referred to as a “removal position P3”. The removal position P3 corresponds to the “predetermined third position” of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the pad 70 corresponds to the “removal member” of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the drive mechanism 80 is a mechanism that moves the wiper 50. Here, the position of the tip of the wiper 50 is moved by rotating the wiper 50 by the drive mechanism 80. The drive mechanism 80 is a mechanism that moves the wiper 50 to a wiping position P1 (see FIG. 7), a cleaning position P2 (see FIG. 8), and a removal position P3 (see FIG. 12). FIG. 13 is a view showing the drive mechanism 80 and is a rear view of the cleaning device 100. Here, as shown in FIG. 13, the drive mechanism 80 includes a rotating shaft 81 (see FIG. 5), a driven pulley 82, a drive pulley 83, an endless belt 84, and a drive motor 85. . As shown in FIG. 5, the rotary shaft 81 is provided with a wiper 50 that can be replaced. The rotating shaft 81 extends in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating shaft 81 is provided above the cleaning liquid tank 60 when the cleaning liquid tank 60 is disposed in the main body 10. A driven pulley 82 is provided at the rear end of the rotating shaft 81. As shown in FIG. 13, a drive pulley 83 is rotatably provided with respect to the main body 10 at a position away from the driven pulley 82 by a predetermined distance. An endless belt 84 is wound around the driven pulley 82 and the driving pulley 83. A drive motor 85 is connected to the drive pulley 83. Here, when the drive motor 85 is driven, the drive pulley 83 rotates. As the drive pulley 83 rotates, the belt 84 travels. As the belt 84 travels, the driven pulley 82 rotates. As the driven pulley 82 rotates, the rotating shaft 81 rotates, so that the wiper 50 rotates. As the wiper 50 rotates, the wiper 50 moves to the wiping position P1, the cleaning position P2, and the removal position P3.

  In the present embodiment, at the cleaning position P2, the drive mechanism 80 is configured to rotate the wiper 50 as follows. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which primary stirring is performed. As shown in FIG. 14, here, the position above the liquid level of the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60 is defined as the first cleaning position P21, which is below the first cleaning position P21, and the cleaning liquid The position in 55 is defined as a second cleaning position P22. At this time, at the cleaning position P2, the drive mechanism 80 is configured to reciprocate the wiper 50 between the first cleaning position P21 and the second cleaning position P22 a predetermined first number of times. That is, the wiper 50 moves so as to pass the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid 55 a plurality of times. Thus, the operation of the wiper 50 that reciprocates between the first cleaning position P21 and the second cleaning position P22 is referred to as “primary stirring”.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, at the cleaning position P2, the drive mechanism 80 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60, and the wiper 50 is moved a predetermined second number of times during a predetermined distance. It is configured to perform a reciprocating operation. That is, the wiper 50 performs a reciprocating operation at a predetermined interval while being placed in the cleaning liquid 55. The operation in which the wiper 50 reciprocates in the cleaning liquid 55 is referred to as “secondary stirring”. In addition, the 1st frequency | count of primary stirring mentioned above and the 2nd frequency | count of secondary stirring may be the same, and may differ.

  The configuration of the cleaning device 100 has been described above. Next, the control device 90 will be described. FIG. 15 is a block diagram of the printer 1. As shown in FIG. 15, the control device 90 includes a microcomputer and is provided inside the main body 10. The control device 90 includes a CPU, a ROM storing a program executed by the CPU, a RAM, and the like. Here, control relating to printing and control relating to cleaning are performed using a program stored in the microcomputer.

  The control device 90 is connected to the servo motor 24 connected to the pulley 21, the ink head 40, the drive motor 85 of the drive mechanism 80 connected to the wiper 50, and the pump 71 connected to the cap 53 and the cleaning liquid tank 60. The servo motor 24, the ink head 40, the drive motor 85, and the pump 71 are controlled.

  The control device 90 controls the rotation of the pulley 21 and the traveling of the belt 23 (see FIG. 2) by controlling the servo motor 24. The control device 90 controls the timing at which the ink head 40 ejects ink. Further, the control device 90 controls the rotation of the drive pulley 83 and the travel of the belt 84 by controlling the drive motor 85. That is, the control device 90 controls the wiper 50 to move to the wiping position P1, the cleaning position P2, and the removal position P3 by controlling the drive motor 85. Further, the control device 90 controls the drive motor 85 of the drive mechanism 80 to perform the control related to the primary stirring and the secondary stirring described above. The control device 90 controls the pump 71 to control the timing for sucking ink in the ink head 40, the timing for discharging the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60, and the like.

  The configuration of the printer 1 including the cleaning device 100 has been described above. Next, a procedure for performing cleaning in the cleaning apparatus 100 will be described. First, the control device 90 controls the head driving mechanism 28 to move the ink head 40 to the home position HP (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 4, the cap 53 is attached to the ink head 40 moved to the home position HP. In the present embodiment, cleaning is started with the cap 53 attached to the ink head 40.

  When the cleaning is started, first, the drive mechanism 80 moves the wiper 50 to the cleaning position P2, as shown in FIG. Thereafter, at the cleaning position P2, the wiper 50 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60 (typically, the cleaning space 68a). As a result, the cleaning liquid 55 is applied to the wiper 50. In the state where the cleaning liquid 55 is attached to the wiper 50, the wiper 50 is rotated clockwise R1 about the rotation shaft 81 in the front view by the driving mechanism 80, thereby being removed from the cleaning position P2 (see FIG. 12). ) As shown in FIG. 13, one side surface 50 a and the tip of the wiper 50 are in contact with the pad 70 at the removal position P <b> 3. At this time, a part of the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the one side surface 50a and the tip is removed. Here, the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the surface 50b opposite to the one side surface 50a remains without being removed.

  After removing a part of the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50 at the removal position P3, the wiper 50 is removed by rotating counterclockwise R2 about the rotation shaft 81 in the front view by the drive mechanism 80. It moves from position P3 to wiping position P1 (see FIG. 7). As shown in FIG. 7, at the wiping position P1, the wiper 50 is fixed so that the tip is directed upward. After the wiper 50 moves to the wiping position P1, the ink head 40 moves from the home position HP. Here, first, the cap 53 attached to the ink head 40 is removed. Thereafter, the ink head 40 is moved along the main scanning direction Y by the head driving mechanism 28 in one direction Y1 from right to left, that is, toward the cleaning device 100.

  When the ink head 40 reaches the wiping position P1, among the nozzles 41 of the ink head 40, the leftmost nozzle 41 and the portion of the nozzle surface 41a located near the leftmost nozzle 41 are wipers. 50 is wiped. At this time, the deposit attached to the wiped portion of the ink head 40 is removed by the wiper 50. The removed deposits adhere to the wiper 50, for example.

  Thereafter, the wiper 50 is rotated counterclockwise R2 around the rotation shaft 81 in the front view by the drive mechanism 80, thereby moving from the wiping position P1 to the cleaning position P2 (see FIG. 14). After moving to the cleaning position P2, after the above-described primary stirring is performed, secondary stirring is performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, primary agitation is performed at the cleaning position P2 such that the wiper 50 reciprocates between the first cleaning position P21 and the second cleaning position P22. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the wiper 50 is moved to a position where a part of the wiper 50 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Then, the secondary agitation is performed in such a manner that the wiper 50 reciprocates a predetermined interval a predetermined second number of times in the cleaning liquid 55. Deposits adhering to the wiper 50 are removed from the wiper 50 by the primary stirring and the secondary stirring. The removed deposit is precipitated in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Thereafter, the deposit adheres to a filter 69 (see FIG. 10) provided on the bottom plate 61 of the cleaning liquid tank 60.

  Then, after the primary stirring and the secondary stirring are completed, as shown in FIG. 12, the wiper 50 is removed and moved to the position P3, and the cleaning liquid 55 attached to one side surface 50a and the tip of the wiper 50 is removed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, the wiper 50 is moved to the wiping position P <b> 1, and the nozzle 41 located second from the left among the nozzles 41 of the ink head 40 is wiped. The wiping of the nozzle surface 41a is completed by performing wiping on the other nozzles 41 in the above procedure. In addition, after wiping by the wiper 50 is completed in all the nozzles 41, the ink head 40 is moved to the home position HP by the head driving mechanism 28.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid 55 is attached to the wiper 50 by immersing the wiper 50 in the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60. A predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 55 is removed from the wiper 50 attached with the cleaning liquid 55 by the pad 70 at the removal position P3. Therefore, the wiper 50 can wipe the nozzle surface 41a of the ink head 40 with the predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 55 removed. Accordingly, it is possible to remove the deposits attached to the nozzle surface 41a and to prevent the cleaning liquid 55 from entering the nozzle 41 when wiping the nozzle surface 41a. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of ejection failure of the nozzle 41.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the cleaning position P2, which is a position where the cleaning liquid 55 is applied to the wiper 50, is at least a part of the wiper 50 (here, the wiping position) in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. In P1, it is the position where the part in contact with the nozzle surface 41a is immersed. Thus, the wiper 50 can be cleaned by a simple procedure of immersing the wiper 50 in the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a filter 69 is disposed on the bottom surface (here, the bottom plate 61) of the cleaning liquid tank 60. At the cleaning position P2, as shown in FIG. 8, the deposits attached to the wiper 50 are removed by the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60. The removed deposit is precipitated in the cleaning liquid 55 and is deposited on the filter 69. Therefore, the inside of the cleaning liquid tank 60 can be cleaned by a simple method of taking out the filter 69 to which the deposits are attached from the cleaning liquid tank 60.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the ink head 40 moves toward the wiper 50, and when the wiper 50 is located at the wiping position P1, the nozzle surface 41a and the wiper 50 come into contact with each other. As shown in FIG. 12, at the removal position P3, the pad 70 removes a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid 55 attached to one side 50a and the tip of the wiper 50 on the side where the ink head 40 enters. One side surface 50a of the wiper 50 is a portion of the wiper 50 that first contacts the nozzle surface 41a of the ink head 40 during wiping. Therefore, by removing at least the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the one side surface 50a, which is the part of the wiper 50 that first contacts the nozzle surface 41a, the cleaning liquid 55 is less likely to enter the nozzle 41 of the ink head 40 during wiping. it can. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of defective discharge of the nozzle 41.

  The pad 70 is made of an absorbent material. In the present embodiment, the pad 70 is formed of a polyolefin sheet. This makes it easier to remove the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50.

  In the present embodiment, the drive mechanism 80 is disposed above the cleaning liquid tank 60 as shown in FIG. 6, and is connected to the rotary shaft 81 provided on the wiper 50 and the rotary shaft 81 as shown in FIG. Drive motor 85. The wiping position P1 is located above the rotating shaft 81 as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the wiper 50 is rotated by rotating the rotating shaft 81 by the drive motor 85. Here, with the simple configuration of rotating the wiper 50, the wiper 50 is positioned at a wiping position P1 (see FIG. 7), a cleaning position P2 (see FIG. 8), and a removal position P3 (see FIG. 12). Can move.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the cleaning liquid tank 60 includes a partition wall 67 that divides an internal space 68 into a cleaning space 68 a in which the cleaning liquid 55 is stored and a discharge space 68 b in which the cleaning liquid 55 is discharged. ing. The upper end of the partition wall 67 is located below the upper ends of the front plate 62, the rear plate 63, the left plate 64, and the right plate 65, which are side surfaces of the cleaning liquid tank 60. As shown in FIG. 6, a first discharge hole 75 through which the cleaning liquid 55 is discharged is formed in a portion surrounding the discharge space 68 b in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Here, the 1st discharge hole 75 is formed in the lower part of the site | part surrounding the discharge space 68b among the front plates 62. FIG. As a result, the cleaning liquid 55 can be prevented from accumulating above the upper end of the partition wall 67 in the cleaning space 68 a in the cleaning liquid tank 60. If the cleaning liquid 55 overflows from the cleaning space 68a, the cleaning liquid 55 flows to the discharge space 68b through the passage 68c on the partition wall 67. The cleaning liquid 55 in the discharge space 68b flows from the first discharge hole 75 to the outside.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a second discharge hole 78 through which the cleaning liquid 55 is discharged is formed in a portion of the cleaning liquid tank 60 surrounding the cleaning space 68a. Here, the 2nd discharge hole 78 is formed in the lower part of the site | part surrounding the washing | cleaning space 68a among the front plates 62. FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the cleaning device 100 includes a discharge tube 79 having one end inserted into the second discharge hole 78, and a pump 71 connected to the other end of the discharge tube 79. The pump 71 sucks the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Thus, when the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60 is replaced with a new cleaning liquid 55, the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60 can be preliminarily flowed to the outside from the second discharge hole 78. Therefore, the operation of replacing the cleaning liquid 55 in the cleaning liquid tank 60 with a new cleaning liquid 55 can be easily performed.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the control device 90 causes the drive mechanism 80 to move at least a part of the wiper 50 between the first cleaning position P21 and the second cleaning position P22. Primary stirring is performed for reciprocal movement for the first number of times. Many bubbles are generated on the surface of the cleaning liquid 55 by the primary stirring. Therefore, when the wiper 50 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 due to the bubbles, dust floating on the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid 55 can be made difficult to adhere to the wiper 50. Moreover, as the wiper 50 moves back and forth on the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid 55 as in the case of primary stirring, water splashes rise. Therefore, the wiper 50 can be easily cleaned by the splash of water hitting the wiper 50.

  In the present embodiment, after the primary agitation is performed, the controller 90 causes the driving mechanism 80 to perform a predetermined first distance between a predetermined distance in a state where the wiper is immersed in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. Secondary stirring is performed by reciprocating 2 times. As a result, even if the adhering matter adhering to the wiper 50 cannot be removed by the primary stirring, the adhering matter adhering to the wiper 50 may be removed by the secondary stirring. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deposits from remaining on the wiper 50. As a result of the primary agitation, a larger amount of the ink component adhering to the wiper 50 remains near the surface of the cleaning liquid tank 60 in the cleaning liquid 55 than in the vicinity of the bottom surface of the cleaning liquid tank 60. Therefore, the ink component in the cleaning liquid 55 can be made uniform by performing the secondary stirring after the primary stirring.

<Other embodiments>
Next, another embodiment of a printer provided with a cleaning device according to the present invention will be briefly described. The procedure for cleaning the ink head 40 in the cleaning device 100 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the ink head 40 may be cleaned as follows. Even in other embodiments, as in the above-described embodiment, cleaning is started with the cap 53 attached to the ink head 40 at the home position HP (see FIG. 4). When the cleaning is started, the wiper 50 is positioned at the cleaning position P2, as shown in FIG.

  When cleaning is started, the ink drive 40 moves to the left side of the cleaning device 100 in a front view by the head driving mechanism 28. Thereafter, the drive mechanism 80 moves the wiper 50 from the cleaning position P2 to the wiping position P1, as shown in FIG. The wiper 50 is fixed at the wiping position P1. At this time, the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the wiper 50 is not removed by the pad 70. In a state where the wiper 50 is fixed at the wiping position P1, the head drive mechanism 28 causes the ink head 40 to move from the left side of the cleaning device 100 toward the home position HP. At this time, the nozzle surface 41a of the ink head 40 is wiped by the wiper 50, whereby the deposits on the nozzle surface 41a are removed. After the ink head 40 has moved to the home position HP, the wiper 50 is moved to the cleaning position P2 by the drive mechanism 80 as shown in FIG. 14, and the primary stirring and secondary stirring as described above (see FIG. 8). Is done. Thereafter, the wiper 50 is removed from the cleaning position P2 and moved to the position P3 by the drive mechanism 80 as shown in FIG. Then, at the removal position P3, the cleaning liquid 55 attached to the one side surface 50a and the tip of the wiper 50 is removed by the pad 70. Thereafter, the wiper 50 moves to the wiping position P1, as shown in FIG. The wiper 50 wipes the nozzle surface 41a of the ink head 40 by moving the ink head 40 in one direction Y1 of the main scanning direction Y by the head driving mechanism 28. Even with the procedure as described above, the deposits attached to the nozzle surface 41a of the ink head 40 can be removed.

  In the above embodiment, the cleaning mechanism of the present invention is the cleaning liquid tank 60. The wiper 50 is cleaned by attaching the cleaning liquid 55 to the wiper 50 by immersing the wiper 50 in the cleaning liquid 55 stored in the cleaning liquid tank 60. However, the cleaning mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the cleaning liquid tank 60. For example, the cleaning mechanism of the present invention may be such that the cleaning liquid 55 is sprayed onto the wiper 50 to attach the cleaning liquid 55 to the wiper 50 and clean the wiper 50.

  In the above-described embodiment, the drive mechanism 80 rotates the wiper 50 around the rotation shaft 81, so that the wiper 50 is wiped at the wiping position P1 (see FIG. 7), the cleaning position P2 (see FIG. 8), and the removal position. P3 (see FIG. 12). However, the drive mechanism of the present invention is not limited to the drive mechanism 80 of the above embodiment. For example, the drive mechanism of the present invention is a mechanism that moves the wiper 50 to the wiping position P1, the cleaning position P2, and the removal position P3 by linearly moving the wiper 50 in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. May be.

1 Printer (inkjet printer)
40 Ink head 41 Nozzle 41a Nozzle surface 50 Wiper 55 Cleaning liquid 60 Cleaning liquid tank (cleaning mechanism)
70 Pad (removal member)
80 Drive mechanism 100 Cleaning device P1 Wiping position (first position)
P2 Cleaning position (second position)
P3 removal position (third position)

Claims (14)

In an inkjet printer comprising an ink head having a nozzle for ejecting ink to a recording medium and a nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed, the cleaning device removes deposits adhering to the nozzle surface of the ink head,
A wiper for wiping the nozzle surface at a predetermined first position;
A cleaning mechanism for applying a cleaning liquid to the wiper at a predetermined second position;
A removal member that removes a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid attached to the wiper by the cleaning mechanism at a predetermined third position;
A drive mechanism for moving the wiper to the first position, the second position, and the third position;
Equipped with a,
The cleaning device , wherein the removing member is an absorbent pad . The ink head moves toward the wiper, and when the wiper is positioned at the first position, the nozzle surface of the ink head and the wiper are in contact with each other.
2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein in the third position, the removing member removes the predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid attached to a side surface of the wiper on a side where the ink head enters. 3. The pad is formed by a polyolefin sheet, a cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2. The cleaning mechanism is a cleaning liquid tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored,
Said second position is at least partially immersed position of the wiper in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank, the cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The drive mechanism is
A rotating shaft disposed above the cleaning liquid tank and provided with the wiper;
A motor connected to the rotating shaft;
With
The cleaning apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first position is located above the rotation shaft. The bottom surface of the cleaning solution tank, the filter is disposed, a cleaning device according to claim 4 or 5.   In an inkjet printer comprising an ink head having a nozzle for ejecting ink to a recording medium and a nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed, the cleaning device removes deposits adhering to the nozzle surface of the ink head,
  A wiper for wiping the nozzle surface at a predetermined first position;
  A cleaning mechanism for applying a cleaning liquid to the wiper at a predetermined second position;
  A removal member that removes a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid attached to the wiper by the cleaning mechanism at a predetermined third position;
  A drive mechanism for moving the wiper to the first position, the second position, and the third position;
With
  The cleaning mechanism is a cleaning liquid tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored,
  A filter is disposed on the bottom surface of the cleaning liquid tank,
  The second position is a cleaning device in which at least a part of the wiper is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank. The cleaning liquid tank includes a partition that divides an internal space into a cleaning space in which the cleaning liquid is stored and a discharge space in which the cleaning liquid is discharged,
The upper end of the partition wall is located below the upper end of the side surface of the cleaning liquid tank,
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein a first discharge hole through which the cleaning liquid is discharged is formed in a portion surrounding the discharge space in the cleaning liquid tank. A second discharge hole for discharging the cleaning liquid is formed in a portion surrounding the cleaning space in the cleaning liquid tank,
A discharge tube having one end inserted into the second discharge hole;
A pump connected to the other end of the discharge tube and sucking the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank;
The cleaning apparatus according to claim 8, comprising: A control device connected to the drive mechanism;
A position above the liquid level of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank is a first cleaning position, and a position below the liquid level of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank is a second cleaning position. When
The control device controls the driving mechanism so that at least a part of the wiper is reciprocated a predetermined first number of times between the first cleaning position and the second cleaning position. The cleaning device described in any one of 4 to 9.   In an inkjet printer comprising an ink head having a nozzle for ejecting ink to a recording medium and a nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed, the cleaning device removes deposits adhering to the nozzle surface of the ink head,
  A wiper for wiping the nozzle surface at a predetermined first position;
  A cleaning mechanism for applying a cleaning liquid to the wiper at a predetermined second position;
  A removal member that removes a predetermined amount of the cleaning liquid attached to the wiper by the cleaning mechanism at a predetermined third position;
  A drive mechanism for moving the wiper to the first position, the second position, and the third position;
  A control device connected to the drive mechanism;
With
  The cleaning mechanism is a cleaning liquid tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored,
  The second position is a position where at least a part of the wiper is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank.
  A position above the liquid level of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank is a first cleaning position, and a position below the liquid level of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank is a second cleaning position. When
  The control device controls the drive mechanism so that at least a part of the wiper is reciprocated a predetermined first number of times between the first cleaning position and the second cleaning position. . The control device controls the drive mechanism to reciprocate a predetermined second number of times within a predetermined distance in a state where the wiper is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tank. The cleaning apparatus described in 10 or 11 . A method of using the cleaning device according to claim 12 ,
After the drive mechanism causes at least a part of the wiper to reciprocate between the first cleaning position and the second cleaning position for the predetermined first number of times, the wiper moves into the cleaning liquid tank. A method for using a cleaning device, wherein the cleaning device is reciprocated for a predetermined second number of times within the predetermined distance while being immersed in the stored cleaning liquid. A cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 12 ,
The ink head;
Inkjet printer equipped with.

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