JP5889036B2 - Nozzle surface cleaning device and image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a nozzle surface cleaning device and an image recording device, and more particularly to a nozzle surface wiping device and an image recording device for wiping a nozzle surface by bringing a wiping sheet provided with a cleaning liquid into contact with the nozzle surface.

  Various foreign substances such as ink residues and paper dust adhere to the nozzle surface of an ink jet head used in an image recording apparatus, for example, an ink jet recording apparatus. If foreign matter adheres to the nozzle surface, ink droplets ejected from the nozzles are affected, causing variations in the direction of ink droplet ejection and causing ink droplets to land at predetermined positions on the recording medium. Becomes difficult and causes image quality to deteriorate. Therefore, in the ink jet recording apparatus, it is important to regularly remove foreign matters by a maintenance method such as wiping.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, in a wiping unit that cleans the nozzle surface with a wiping sheet, wet wiping operation for wiping the nozzle surface in a state impregnated with a cleaning liquid and dry wiping for wiping in a dry state are performed. It is described that the operations are executed sequentially.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-22251

  However, in the wiping unit described in Patent Document 1, there is no particular description about means for confirming that the cleaning liquid has been applied to the wiping sheet, and there is also means for confirming that the wiping unit is in a dry state. Not listed. If there is no means for confirming that the cleaning liquid has been applied, and wet wiping is being performed, but no cleaning liquid has been applied due to a problem, the device is substantially in a dry wiping state, and the desired cleaning is performed. Was not able to run. As a result, problems such as non-ejection caused by accumulation of dirt on the nozzle surface, deterioration of ejection direction due to meniscus destruction inside the nozzle, and damage to the liquid repellent film on the nozzle surface may occur.

  In addition, even when there is no means for confirming the dry state, the cleaning liquid remains unwiped, which may cause discharge failure. In addition, as a method of surely performing dry wiping after wet wiping, a sufficient amount of wiping sheets can be fed in an empty manner, but there is a problem that costs are increased because more wiping sheets are used than necessary. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a nozzle surface cleaning device and an image recording apparatus that can wipe the nozzle surface in a state where the cleaning liquid is reliably applied to the wiping sheet. Objective.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a nozzle surface cleaning device for cleaning a nozzle surface of a droplet discharge head, a wiping member running means for running an absorbent wiping member, and a cleaning liquid for applying a cleaning liquid to the wiping member An applying means, a detecting means for detecting a reflection amount of light with respect to the wiping member to which the cleaning liquid is applied, an antireflection member provided at a position facing the detecting means across the wiping member, and a wiping to which the cleaning liquid is applied Pressing means for pressing the member against the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head and wiping with the wiping member, and the detection means is disposed on the upstream side of the pressing means with respect to the traveling direction of the wiping member , and is wiped Provided is a nozzle surface cleaning device provided at at least both ends in a width direction orthogonal to a traveling direction of a member .
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a nozzle surface cleaning device for cleaning a nozzle surface of a droplet discharge head, a wiping member running means for running an absorbent wiping member, and a cleaning liquid for applying a cleaning liquid to the wiping member An applying means, a detecting means for detecting a reflection amount of light with respect to the wiping member to which the cleaning liquid is applied, an antireflection member provided at a position facing the detecting means across the wiping member, and a wiping to which the cleaning liquid is applied Pressing means for pressing the member against the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head and wiping with the wiping member, and the detection means is disposed on the upstream side of the pressing means with respect to the traveling direction of the wiping member, and is wiped Provided is a nozzle surface cleaning device arranged in a plurality in the width direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the member.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect that the cleaning liquid is applied to the wiping member that cleans the nozzle surface because the detection unit that detects the amount of light reflected to the wiping member is provided. In addition, since the anti-reflection member is provided at a position facing the detection means across the wiping member, it is possible to prevent light that has passed through the wiping member from being reflected by the detection means, and erroneous detection of the detection means. Can be prevented.

Further , according to the nozzle surface cleaning device of the present invention , since the detection means is provided at both ends in the width direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the wiping member, or a plurality of the detection means are arranged, it is possible to apply the cleaning liquid to the wiping member. It can be detected more reliably.

  In the nozzle surface cleaning device according to another aspect of the present invention, the antireflection member is preferably a black member.

  According to the nozzle surface cleaning apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, since the antireflection member is a black member, the light that has passed through the wiping member can be absorbed, so that erroneous detection can be prevented. .

  The nozzle surface cleaning device according to another aspect of the present invention preferably includes a dirt detection unit that detects a reflection amount of light with respect to the wiping member after wiping by the pressing unit.

  According to the nozzle surface cleaning apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, since the dirt detection means for detecting the amount of light reflected on the wiping member after wiping is provided, the amount of light reflected on the wiping member after wiping is determined. Since the dirt can be detected, it can be detected whether the dirt can be wiped off by the wiping member.

  In the nozzle surface cleaning apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the wiping member traveling means can be conveyed in the reverse direction.

  According to the nozzle surface cleaning apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the wiping member traveling means can be conveyed in the reverse direction, so that after the wiping member after wiping is conveyed in the reverse direction, after the wiping by the detecting means It is possible to detect dirt on the wiping member. Therefore, the apparatus configuration can be simplified.

  In the nozzle surface cleaning device according to another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the detection unit also serves as a conveyance abnormality detection unit that detects whether the wiping member is passing on the conveyance path.

  According to the nozzle surface cleaning device according to another aspect of the present invention, when the wiping member is removed from the conveyance path and does not pass under the detection unit, the amount of light reflected is reduced, and thus the wiping member is disposed in the conveyance path. It can be used as a conveyance abnormality detection means for detecting whether or not the vehicle is passing above.

  In the nozzle surface cleaning device according to another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the detection means also serves as a conveyance operation failure detection means for detecting whether the wiping member is conveyed without loosening.

  According to the nozzle surface cleaning apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the distance between the wiping member and the detection unit becomes longer due to the looseness of the wiping member in the transported state, and the amount of reflection changes. It can be used as a conveyance operation failure detection means for detecting.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a transport unit that transports a recording medium, a droplet discharge head that discharges droplets onto a recording medium transported by the transport unit, and records an image. An image recording apparatus comprising the nozzle surface cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the nozzle surface is cleaned.

  According to the present invention, since the nozzle surface cleaning device is provided, the discharge stability can be improved. Moreover, since the wiping of the nozzle surface can be reliably performed in a state where the cleaning liquid is applied to the wiping member, it is possible to prevent the nozzle surface from being damaged.

  According to the nozzle surface cleaning device and the image recording apparatus of the present invention, the nozzle surface is wiped after confirming that the cleaning liquid is applied to the wiping member, so that the nozzle surface can be reliably wiped wet. it can. Therefore, since the desired wiping can be performed, the nozzle surface can be reliably cleaned.

It is a front view which shows the structure of the principal part of an inkjet recording device. It is a top view which shows the structure of the principal part of an inkjet recording device. It is a side view which shows the structure of the principal part of an inkjet recording device. It is a plane perspective view of the nozzle surface of the head. It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of a nozzle surface cleaning apparatus. It is a graph of the amount of reflection which measured the wiping web with the optical sensor. It is a top view of a washing | cleaning liquid provision part. It is a schematic diagram which shows the modification of a nozzle surface wiping apparatus.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, an ink jet recording apparatus will be described as an example of an image recording apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this.

<Apparatus configuration of inkjet recording apparatus>
1 to 3 are a front view, a plan view, and a side view showing a configuration of a main part of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet recording apparatus 10 is a single-pass line printer, and mainly includes a sheet conveying mechanism 20 that conveys a sheet (sheet) P that is a recording medium, and a sheet conveying mechanism 20. Maintenance of the head unit 30 that ejects cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) ink droplets toward the transported paper P, and each head mounted on the head unit 30 The maintenance unit 40 for performing the cleaning and the nozzle surface cleaning device 80 for cleaning the nozzle surface of each head mounted on the head unit 30.

  The paper transport mechanism 20 is constituted by a belt transport mechanism, and adsorbs the paper P to the traveling belt 22 and transports the paper P horizontally.

  The head unit 30 mainly includes a head 32C that ejects cyan ink droplets, a head 32M that ejects magenta ink droplets, a head 32Y that ejects yellow ink droplets, and a head 32K that ejects black ink droplets. The head support frame 34 to which the heads 32C, 32M, 32Y, and 32K are attached, and a head support frame moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the head support frame 34 are configured.

  The heads (inkjet heads) 32C, 32M, 32Y, and 32K are constituted by line heads corresponding to the maximum paper width of the paper P to be printed. Since the configurations of the heads 32C, 32M, 32Y, and 32K are the same, in the following, they are described as the heads 32 unless otherwise distinguished.

  The head 32 (32C, 32M, 32Y, 32K) is formed in a rectangular block shape, and a nozzle surface 33 (33C, 33M, 33Y, 33K) is formed on the bottom thereof.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective plan view of the nozzle surface of the head.

  The nozzle surface 33 is formed in a rectangular shape, and a nozzle row is formed along the longitudinal direction thereof. The head 32 of the present embodiment is constituted by a so-called matrix head, and the nozzles N are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. In the matrix head, the substantial interval between the nozzles N projected in the longitudinal direction of the head 32 can be reduced, and the density of the nozzles N can be increased.

  Further, the head 32 of the present embodiment discharges ink droplets from the nozzles N by a so-called piezo method. Each nozzle N communicates with a pressure chamber, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle N by vibrating the wall surface of the pressure chamber with a piezo element. The ink ejection method is not limited to this, and a thermal ejection method may be employed.

  The head support frame 34 includes a head attachment portion (not shown) for attaching each head 32. Each head 32 is detachably attached to the head attachment portion.

  Each head 32 attached to the head support frame 34 is arranged orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper P. Further, the paper P is arranged in a predetermined order at a constant interval along the conveyance direction of the paper P (in this example, the paper P is arranged in the order of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black).

  The head mounting portion is provided on the head support frame 34 so as to be movable up and down, and is moved up and down by a lifting mechanism (not shown). Each head 32 attached to the head attaching portion is raised and lowered vertically with respect to the transport surface of the paper P by this lifting mechanism.

  The head support frame moving mechanism slides the head support frame 34 horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the paper P at a position above the paper transport mechanism 20.

  The head support frame moving mechanism includes, for example, a ceiling frame that is horizontally installed across the paper transport mechanism 20, a guide rail laid on the ceiling frame, a traveling body that slides on the guide rail, and its traveling It is comprised by the drive means (for example, feed screw mechanism etc.) which moves a body along a guide rail. The head support frame 34 is attached to the traveling body and slides horizontally.

  The head support frame 34 is driven by the head support frame moving mechanism, and is provided to be movable between a predetermined “image recording position” and “maintenance position”.

  The head support frame 34 is disposed above the paper transport mechanism 20 when positioned at the image recording position. As a result, printing can be performed on the paper P transported by the paper transport mechanism 20.

  On the other hand, when it is located at the maintenance position, it is arranged at the installation position of the maintenance unit 40.

  The maintenance unit 40 includes a cap 42 (42C, 42M, 42Y, 42K) that covers the nozzle surface 33 of each head 32. When the apparatus is stopped for a long time, the head 32 is moved to the installation position (maintenance position) of the maintenance unit 40 and the nozzle surface 33 is covered with the cap 42. Thereby, non-ejection due to drying is prevented.

  The cap 42 includes a pressurization / suction mechanism (not shown) for pressurizing and sucking the inside of the nozzle, and a cleaning liquid supply mechanism (not shown) for supplying a cleaning liquid into the cap 42. A waste liquid tray 44 is disposed below the cap 42. The cleaning liquid supplied to the cap 42 is discarded in the waste liquid tray 44 and recovered from the waste liquid tray 44 to the waste liquid tank 48 through the waste liquid recovery pipe 46.

  The nozzle surface cleaning device 80 includes a head cleaning liquid application device 81 and a nozzle surface wiping device 83, and is disposed between the paper transport mechanism 20 and the maintenance unit 40. The nozzle surface cleaning device 80 applies the cleaning liquid from the head cleaning liquid application device 81 to the nozzle surface 33 of the head 32 when the head support frame 34 moves from the image recording position to the maintenance position, and the nozzle surface wiping device. In 83, the nozzle surface 33 is cleaned by wiping the nozzle surface 33 of the head 32 with a wiping web (corresponding to a “wiping member”) to which the cleaning liquid is applied.

<Device configuration of nozzle surface cleaning device>
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the nozzle surface cleaning device 80. The nozzle surface cleaning device 80 includes a head cleaning liquid application device 81 and a nozzle surface wiping device 83. The head cleaning liquid application device 81 holds the cleaning liquid for the head cleaning liquid supply nozzles 84C, 84M, 84Y, and 84K that apply the cleaning liquid to the nozzle surfaces 33C, 33M, 33Y, and 33K of the heads 32C, 32M, 32Y, and 32K. It has cleaning liquid holding surfaces 85C, 85M, 85Y, and 85K. The cleaning liquid supply nozzles for heads 84C, 84M, 84Y, and 84K and the cleaning liquid holding surfaces 85C, 85M, 85Y, and 85K are installed in the cleaning liquid application apparatus main body 86 in accordance with the installation interval of the heads. The cleaning liquid supply nozzles 84C, 84M, 84Y, and 84K for the heads and the cleaning liquid holding surfaces 85C, 85M, 85Y, and 85K have the same configuration. Will be explained.

  The cleaning liquid supplied from the head cleaning liquid supply nozzle 84 is held on the cleaning liquid holding surface 85. By moving the head 32 on the cleaning liquid holding surface 85 where the cleaning liquid is held, the cleaning liquid between the cleaning liquid holding surface 85 and the nozzle surface 33 spreads out by using the liquid repellency of the nozzle surface 33, and the nozzle A cleaning liquid can be applied to the surface 33. Further, the excess cleaning liquid that is not applied to the nozzle surface 33 and remains on the remaining cleaning liquid holding surface 85 is recovered by the recovery receiver 87.

  The nozzle surface wiping device 83 includes wiping units 100 </ b> C, 100 </ b> M, 100 </ b> Y, and 100 </ b> K attached to the wiping device main body frame 82, and a wiping device main body lifting mechanism (not shown) that lifts and lowers the wiping device main body frame 82.

  The wiping units 100 </ b> C, 100 </ b> M, 100 </ b> Y, and 100 </ b> K wipe the nozzle surface 33 by bringing the wiping web (112 in FIG. 5) formed in a belt shape into contact with the nozzle surface 33 of the head 32. The wiping units 100 </ b> C, 100 </ b> M, 100 </ b> Y, and 100 </ b> K are provided for each head, and are installed on the wiping device main body frame 82 according to the installation interval of the heads 32. In addition, since the structure of each wiping unit 100C, 100M, 100Y, 100K is the same, the structure is demonstrated as the wiping unit 100 here.

  The wiping unit 100 constituting the nozzle surface wiping device 83 includes a transport unit 110 (corresponding to “wiping member travel means”) that transports the wiping web 112, a cleaning liquid application unit 140 that supplies a cleaning liquid to the wiping web 112, and a head A cleaning liquid supply unit 160 that supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid application device 81 and the nozzle surface wiping device 83;

<Conveyor configuration>
The conveying unit 110 is driven to rotate by a sending-side web core 114 that sends out the wiping web 112 before wiping, and a winding motor (not shown), thereby winding up the wiping web 112 that has been wiped off. 116, a first guide roll 118 that rotates in contact with the wiping web 112 delivered from the delivery-side web core 114 and guides to the cleaning liquid application unit 140, the pressing roll 122 (corresponding to “pressing means”), and the wiping web. A pressing roll 122 for bringing 112 into contact with the nozzle surface 33 of the head 32 at a predetermined pressure, and a second guide roll 120 for guiding the wiped wiping web 112 to the winding-side web core 116. .

  The first guide roll 118 is rotatably supported by a horizontally installed shaft (not shown), and guides the wiping web 112 delivered from the delivery-side web core 114 toward the cleaning liquid application unit 140.

  The pressing roll 122 is installed horizontally with one end of its shaft portion supported rotatably. The pressing roll 122 is composed of a rubber roll corresponding to the width of the wiping web 112, and causes the wiping web 112 to contact the nozzle surface 33 of the head 32 with a predetermined pressure.

  The second guide roll 120 is rotatably supported by a horizontally installed shaft (not shown), and guides the wiping web 112 sent from the pressing roll 122 toward the winding-side web core 116. .

  Note that, as described above, the wiping web 112 is provided in a state of being wound on the delivery-side web core 114 in a roll shape, and therefore mounting (replacement) to the wiping unit 100 is also performed in this state. Specifically, after the delivery-side web core 114 is fitted and attached to the delivery shaft, it is wound around the first guide roll 118, the pressing roll 122, and the second guide roll 120 in this order, and the take-up web core 116 is wound on the take-up shaft. To complete the installation.

<Configuration of cleaning liquid application unit>
The cleaning liquid application unit 140 mainly includes a web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142 (corresponding to “wiping member cleaning liquid application unit”). The web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142 has a jet outlet having a width corresponding to the width of the wiping web 112, and jets the cleaning liquid from the jet outlet. The web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142 is installed so as to eject the cleaning liquid downward. When the wiping web 112 passes under the web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142, the wiping web 112 is ejected from the ejection port and is provided with the cleaning liquid. As a result, the cleaning liquid is absorbed into the wiping web 112. In FIG. 5, the web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142 is provided on the upper side of the wiping web 112 and is disposed so as to spray the cleaning liquid downward, but the web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142 is disposed on the wiping web 112. It is also possible to install on the lower side and inject the cleaning liquid upward.

  The cleaning liquid absorbed by the wiping web 112 is checked by an optical sensor (corresponding to “detecting means”) 153 provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the wiping web 112 to determine whether the cleaning liquid is applied to the wiping web 112. By confirming the application state of the cleaning liquid on the wiping web 112, the desired maintenance operation is reliably ensured, and the wiping of the nozzle surface 33 is realized at the minimum necessary cost.

  The optical sensor 153 detects the amount of light reflected from the wiping web 112 to check the application state of the cleaning liquid on the wiping web 112. As the optical sensor 153, a reflective optical sensor is used. Since the reflective optical sensor is more compact than the transmissive optical sensor, the apparatus can be miniaturized. In addition, since the light receiving part of the optical sensor may come into contact with the wiping web, the light receiving part may get wet, so by using a reflective optical sensor, even when the light receiving part gets wet, accurate measurement is possible. Can be done.

  In addition, when the reflective optical sensor 153 is used, there is a possibility that light that has passed through the wiping web 112 is reflected by an object on the back side of the wiping web 112 and returns to the light receiving unit of the optical sensor 153 again. In this case, the difference between the value when the wiping web 112 is wet and the value when the wiping web 112 is dry is small, and erroneous detection may be induced. Therefore, an antireflection member 154 is provided on the opposite side of the wiping web 112 from the optical sensor 153. By providing a black plate-like member as the antireflection member 154, light that has passed through the wiping web 112 is absorbed by the black plate-like member, so that it can be prevented from returning to the optical sensor 153. In addition, by using a mirror as the antireflection member 154 and reflecting the light in a direction different from the light receiving portion of the optical sensor 153, the application of the cleaning liquid to the wiping web 112 can be confirmed with high accuracy. .

  The distance between the wiping web 112 and the antireflection member 154 is not particularly limited, and may be in contact with the wiping web 112 or may be separated from the wiping web 112. In any case, the light transmitted through the wiping web 112 does not reach the optical sensor 153 even if it hits the antireflection member 154, and is not particularly limited. Moreover, the wiping web 112 is made into a two-layer structure, the upper layer is made of an absorbent wiping member, and the lower layer is made of a black member, so that reflection of light that has passed through the wiping member can be prevented. Even if light is applied to the wiping web 112, the light that has passed through the upper wiping member can be absorbed by the lower black member, so that the light that has passed through the wiping member is reflected by the optical sensor 153, causing false detection. Can be prevented.

  The material of the wiping web 112 is preferably a material that makes a difference in light transmission before and after applying the cleaning liquid. In this embodiment, since the application of the cleaning liquid to the wiping web 112 is confirmed based on the reflectance of light, the application of the cleaning liquid is surely confirmed by using a material that easily emits light before and after the application of the cleaning liquid. can do. The wiping web 112 is formed of a sheet made of knitting or weaving using ultra fine fibers such as PET, PE, NY, and is formed in a strip shape having a width corresponding to the width of the nozzle surface 33 of the head 32. Further, the color of the wiping web 112 is preferably white. By making the color of the wiping web 112 white, the reflectance of the wiping web 112 before the cleaning liquid is sprayed can be increased. In addition, since the wet wiping web 112 after the cleaning liquid is sprayed has a high light transmission property (translucency), the reflectance can be greatly reduced, so that the application of the cleaning liquid to the wiping web 112 is confirmed. can do. Moreover, the thickness of the wiping web 112 should just make it a difference in permeability before and behind the washing | cleaning liquid provision, and specifically, it is preferable to set it as 0.1 mm or more and 2 mm or less. As the wiping web 112, for example, a wiping web 112 made of PET, a thickness of 0.27 mm, and a satin weave can be used.

  FIG. 6 is a graph of the amount of reflection measured with a Keyence fiber sensor (the unit of the amount of reflection is unknown). The detection distance between the wiping web and the optical sensor was 10 mm, and the antireflection member 154 was used to place a black plate-like substance at a position facing the optical sensor of the wiping web 112. The wiping web 112 was measured using a wiping web 112 made of PET, a thickness of 0.27 mm, and a satin weave.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the dry region where the cleaning liquid is not applied to the wiping web 112, the reflection amount is as high as 350, but when the cleaning liquid is applied, the numerical value is as low as 180. Thereby, application | coating of the washing | cleaning liquid of the wiping web 112 can be confirmed.

<Configuration of cleaning liquid supply unit>
The cleaning liquid supply unit 160 includes a cleaning liquid tank 161 in which the cleaning liquid is stored, a head cleaning liquid flow path 168 that connects the cleaning liquid tank 161 and the head cleaning liquid application device 81, and a head cleaning liquid flow path 168 from the cleaning liquid tank 161 to the head. The cleaning liquid tank 162 for supplying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid applying apparatus 81 for cleaning, the cleaning liquid tank 161 for connecting the cleaning liquid tank 161 and the web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142, and the cleaning liquid flow path 169 for the web from the cleaning liquid tank 161. And a web cleaning liquid pump 163 that feeds the cleaning liquid to the web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142.

  When supplying the cleaning liquid to the head cleaning liquid application device 81, the cleaning liquid passes through the head cleaning liquid channel 168 by driving the head cleaning liquid pump 162, and the cleaning liquid is supplied to the head cleaning liquid application device 81. To do. When supplying the cleaning liquid to the web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142, the cleaning liquid passes through the web cleaning liquid flow path 169 by driving the web cleaning liquid pump 163, and supplies the cleaning liquid to the web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142. .

  Here, the cleaning liquid tank 161 is provided for each head cleaning liquid supply nozzle 84 and for each wiping unit 100, but one cleaning liquid tank 161 is provided for each head cleaning liquid supply nozzle 84C, 84M, 84Y, 84K, and each. The wiping units 100C, 100M, 100Y, and 100K may be used in common. In this case, the head cleaning liquid supply nozzles 84C, 84M, and 84Y are supplied from one cleaning liquid tank 161 through the head cleaning liquid channels 168C, 168M, 168Y, and 168K, and the web cleaning liquid channels 169C, 169M, 169Y, and 169K. , 84K or web cleaning liquid supply nozzles 142C, 142M, 142Y, 142K, and sprayed from the respective nozzles.

<Operation of nozzle surface cleaning device>
Next, the operation of the nozzle surface cleaning device 80 configured as described above will be described. The nozzle surface cleaning device 80 wipes the nozzle surface 33 by the nozzle surface cleaning device 80 in the process in which the head 32 moves from the image recording device to the maintenance position.

  The head cleaning liquid application device 81 and the nozzle surface wiping device 83 constituting the nozzle surface cleaning device 80 are configured to be movable up and down by an elevating mechanism. The head cleaning liquid application device 81 and the nozzle surface wiping device 83 are located at a predetermined standby position except during cleaning, and are positioned at a predetermined operation position that is a position raised by a predetermined amount from the standby position during cleaning.

  In a state where the head cleaning liquid application device 81 is located at the operating position, the cleaning liquid can be applied to the nozzle surfaces 33 of the heads 32 by the cleaning liquid held on the cleaning liquid holding surface 85. That is, when the head 32 passes through the head cleaning liquid application device 81, the cleaning liquid can be applied to the nozzle surface by touching the cleaning liquid held on the cleaning liquid holding surface 85. Further, in a state where the nozzle surface wiping device 83 is located at the operating position, the nozzle surface 33 can be wiped by the wiping unit 100. That is, when the head 32 passes through each wiping unit 100, the wiping web 112 wound around the pressing roll 122 can be pressed against the nozzle surface 33.

  When the nozzle surface cleaning mode of the head is entered, the head 32 is moved from the image recording position to the maintenance position by a head moving means (not shown). When the head 32 reaches a predetermined position, the wiping web 112 is conveyed by the conveyance unit 110 in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the head 32. That is, the drive of the winding motor is started, whereby the wiping web 112 is unwound from the sending-side web core 114 and travels, and is wound on the winding-side web core 116.

  At this time, the feeding shaft of the feeding-side web core 114 is given friction by a friction mechanism, while the winding shaft of the winding-side web core 116 slips when a certain load is applied by the torque limiter. It is possible to run the vehicle with a certain tension applied thereto.

  Simultaneously with the running of the wiping web 112, the cleaning liquid application unit 140 is controlled to wet the wiping web 112 with the cleaning liquid. The web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142 ejects the cleaning liquid sent from the cleaning liquid tank 161 via the web cleaning liquid flow path 169 by the web cleaning liquid pump 163 toward the wiping web 112. When the wiping web 112 passes under the web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142, the sprayed cleaning liquid is applied. As a result, the cleaning liquid is absorbed into the wiping web 112.

  The wiping web 112 to which the cleaning liquid is applied confirms whether or not the cleaning liquid is applied by the optical sensor 153. The wet wiping can be reliably performed by wiping the nozzle surface 33 after confirming the application of the cleaning liquid to the wiping web 112. Therefore, the stain on the nozzle surface can be reliably removed, and ink non-ejection and ejection direction deterioration can be prevented.

  When the head 32 has moved to just before the head cleaning liquid application device 81, the head cleaning liquid pump 162 sends the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 161 to the head cleaning liquid application device 81 via the head cleaning liquid channel 168. . The fed cleaning liquid is discharged from the head cleaning liquid supply nozzle 84 and held on the cleaning liquid holding surface 85. When the nozzle surface 33 of the head passes over the cleaning liquid holding surface 85 in which the cleaning liquid is held, the cleaning liquid layer formed between the nozzle surface 33 and the cleaning liquid holding surface 85 comes into contact with the nozzle surface 33, so that the nozzle surface A cleaning liquid is applied to 33.

  Next, the nozzle surface 33 to which the cleaning liquid is applied is wiped off by the wet wiping web 112 of the nozzle surface wiping device 83. The wiping web 112 is pressed and brought into contact with the nozzle surface 33 on the pressing roll 122 by traveling by driving the winding motor, and the nozzle surface 33 is wiped and cleaned.

  At this time, the wiping web 112 travels in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the nozzle surface 33 and wipes the nozzle surface 33. Thereby, the nozzle surface 33 can be wiped off efficiently. In addition, the nozzle surface 33 can be wiped using the new surface (unused area) of the wiping web 112 at all times.

  The wiping web 112 that has wiped the nozzle surface 33 is wound around the winding-side web core 116. Further, the head 32 is moved to the maintenance position, and the nozzle surface 33 is covered with the cap 42.

<Configuration of optical sensor>
FIG. 7 is a plan view of the cleaning liquid application unit 140. As shown in FIG. 7, the web cleaning liquid supply nozzle 142 has a width corresponding to the width of the wiping web 112. As shown in FIG. 7A, when the width of the wiping web 112 is not wide (for example, about 45 mm), the position where the optical sensor 153 is installed is one point at the center of the wiping web 112, so that wiping is performed. Application of the cleaning liquid to the web 112 can be confirmed.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, when the width of the wiping web 112 is wide, it is preferable to provide a plurality of optical sensors 153 in the width direction. By providing a plurality in the width direction, it is possible to confirm the application of the cleaning liquid over the entire width direction of the wiping web 112. The antireflection member 154 can be provided in each of the optical sensors 153 as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, or the width of the wiping web 112 as shown in FIG. 7C. It can also be one member in the direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, by providing optical sensors 153 at both ends in the width direction of the wiping web 112, the optical sensors 153 can be used as conveyance abnormality detection sensors in the width direction of the wiping web 112. it can. When the wiping web 112 meanders and the wiping web 112 is removed under the optical sensor, the amount of reflection is further reduced, so that it can be confirmed that the wiping web 112 is not under the optical sensor. Therefore, it can be detected as a conveyance abnormality.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG.7 (c), by arrange | positioning the some optical sensor 153 in the width direction, it can also be used as a conveyance operation defect sensor. When the wiping web 112 is slack due to the conveyance failure of the wiping web 112 in the feeding direction, the amount of reflection of the wiping web 112 is reduced at the slack portion, so that it can be detected as a conveyance operation failure.

  FIG. 8 is a modification of the nozzle surface wiping device. The nozzle surface wiping device 283 shown in FIG. 8 is different from the nozzle surface wiping device 83 shown in FIG. 5 in that an optical sensor 253 and an antireflection member 254 are also provided on the downstream side of the pressing roll 122 in the conveying direction of the wiping web 112. Is different. By providing the optical sensor 253 and the antireflection member 254 on the downstream side of the pressing roll 122 in the conveying direction of the wiping web 112, the wiping state by the wiping web 112 can be confirmed. Note that the optical sensor 253 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the wiping web 112 can be the same optical sensor as the optical sensor 253 on the upstream side.

  When the degree of wiping of the wiping web 112 is confirmed by the optical sensor 253, the amount of light reflected from the wiping web 112 that has wiped the nozzle surface 33 by the wiping web 112 in advance is measured. Then, by comparing with the reflection amount of the ink light measured by the optical sensor 253, it is possible to determine whether or not the wiping of the nozzle surface 33 of the head 32 is normally performed.

  Further, when the amount of reflection is measured by an optical sensor using the wiping web 112 after wiping the nozzle surface 33 in this manner and the wiping state is confirmed, as shown in FIG. 7, the wiping web 112 is pressed in the transport direction. The present invention is not limited to providing the optical sensor 253 on the downstream side of the roll 122, and it is possible to cope with the problem by providing a mechanism that can reversely transport the wiping web 112 in the transport unit. In this case, the wiping web 112 after wiping is reversely conveyed to the position of the optical sensor 153 and detected again by the optical sensor 153, so that the dirt on the wiping web 112 can be detected from the amount of reflected light. By providing a mechanism capable of reverse conveyance, the configuration of the detection device can be simplified.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Inkjet recording device, 20 ... Paper conveyance mechanism, 30 ... Head unit, 32 (32C, 32M, 32Y, 32K) ... Head, 33 (33C, 33M, 33Y, 33K) ... Nozzle surface, 40 ... Maintenance unit, 80 ... Nozzle surface cleaning device, 81 ... Head cleaning liquid application device, 83, 283 ... Nozzle surface wiping device, 84 (84C, 84M, 84Y, 84K) ... Head cleaning liquid supply nozzle, 85 (85C, 85M, 85Y, 85K) ... cleaning liquid holding surface, 100 (100C, 100M, 100Y, 100K) ... wiping unit, 110 ... transport section, 112 ... wiping web, 122 ... pressing roll, 140 ... cleaning liquid application section, 142 ... cleaning liquid supply nozzle for web, 153, 253 ... Optical sensor, 154, 254 ... Antireflection member, 160 ... Cleaning liquid supply unit

Claims (8)

In the nozzle surface cleaning device for cleaning the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head,
Wiping member running means for running an absorbent wiping member;
Cleaning liquid application means for applying a cleaning liquid to the wiping member;
Detecting means for detecting a reflection amount of light with respect to the wiping member to which the cleaning liquid is applied;
An antireflection member provided at a position facing the detection means across the wiping member;
A pressing means for pressing and contacting the wiping member to which the cleaning liquid is applied to the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head, and wiping with the wiping member;
With
The said detection means is a nozzle face cleaning apparatus which is arrange | positioned in the upstream of the said press means with respect to the running direction of the said wiping member, and is provided in the at least both ends of the width direction orthogonal to the running direction of the said wiping member . In the nozzle surface cleaning device for cleaning the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head,
Wiping member running means for running an absorbent wiping member;
Cleaning liquid application means for applying a cleaning liquid to the wiping member;
Detecting means for detecting a reflection amount of light with respect to the wiping member to which the cleaning liquid is applied;
An antireflection member provided at a position facing the detection means across the wiping member;
A pressing means for pressing and contacting the wiping member to which the cleaning liquid is applied to the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head, and wiping with the wiping member;
With
The said cleaning means is a nozzle surface cleaning apparatus which is arrange | positioned in the width direction orthogonal to the running direction of the said wiping member, and is arrange | positioned in the upstream of the said pressing means with respect to the running direction of the said wiping member. The reflection preventing member is nozzle surface cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2 which is black member. Nozzle surface cleaning device according to any one of claims 1-3; and a stain detecting means for detecting the amount of reflected light with respect to the wiping member after wiping by the pressing means. The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the wiping member traveling means can be conveyed in a reverse direction. It said sensing means, nozzle surface cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 which also serves as a transport abnormality detection means for the wiping member is detected whether the passing on the conveying path. The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the detection unit also serves as a conveyance operation failure detection unit that detects whether the wiping member is conveyed without being loosened. Conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
A droplet discharge head for recording an image by discharging droplets to the recording medium conveyed by the conveying means;
The nozzle surface cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head is cleaned.
An image recording apparatus comprising:

Images