JP6256238B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus.

  The ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a recording head and a wiper. The recording head has an ink ejection surface. The ink ejection surface includes a first area where a nozzle for ejecting ink to the recording medium opens, a second area adjacent to one end of the first area, and a third area adjacent to the other end of the first area. . The wiper wipes ink adhering to the ink ejection surface by moving from the third region to the second region via the first region (wiping).

JP 2013-49205 A

  In the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, unwiping of ink may occur.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an ink jet recording apparatus that can suppress the occurrence of unwiped ink remaining on a recording head.

  According to the present invention, an ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a wiper, a moving mechanism, a control unit, and a plate-like member. The recording head has an ink ejection surface. The ink ejection surface includes a first region and a second region. In the first region, a nozzle for ejecting ink is opened. The second region is adjacent to one end of the first region. The moving mechanism moves the wiper along the ink discharge surface in a state where the wiper is in contact with the ink discharge surface. The control unit causes the moving mechanism to move the wiper. The plate member is provided in the second region. The first width of the plate-like member along the short direction of the recording head is larger than the second width of the ink ejection surface along the short direction of the recording head.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unwiped ink remaining on the recording head.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the head part of the inkjet recording device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a recording head and a wiper unit of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. (A)-(e) It is a figure which shows the operation | movement (outward path | route) of the wiper of the inkjet recording device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A)-(e) It is a figure which shows the operation | movement (return path) of the wiper of the inkjet recording device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A)-(c) It is a figure which shows the change of the ink shape at the time of wiping of the inkjet recording device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is a side view showing a recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the state which lowered | hung the wiper part of the inkjet recording device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which raised the wiper part of the inkjet recording device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the recording head and plate-shaped member of the inkjet recording device which concern on the modification of embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is not repeated. In the present embodiment, the X axis and the Y axis are parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z axis is parallel to the vertical line.

  With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an ink jet recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 1. The ink jet recording apparatus 1 includes a head unit 3, a control unit 50, a wiper unit 60, a tray 200, a feed roller 201, a first transport unit 205, a second transport unit 212, a discharge roller 216, and a cap unit 290.

  The tray 200 is provided upstream of the first transport unit 205 in the transport direction P of the recording medium T and accommodates the recording medium T. A feeding roller 201 is provided at the downstream end of the tray 200 in the transport direction P. The feeding roller 201 conveys the recording medium T accommodated in the tray 200 to the first conveyance unit 205 one by one. The recording medium T is, for example, paper such as plain paper, copy paper, recycled paper, thin paper, thick paper, or glossy paper, or a sheet made of a synthetic resin such as an OHP (Overhead Projector) sheet.

  The first transport unit 205 includes a first drive roller 206, a first driven roller 207, and a first transport belt 208 that is stretched over the first drive roller 206 and the first driven roller 207. As the first drive roller 206 rotates counterclockwise, the first transport belt 208 rotates, and the recording medium T held on the first transport belt 208 is transported in the transport direction P.

  The head unit 3 is disposed to face the first transport unit 205. The head unit 3 includes a head housing 18 and line heads 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y held by the head housing 18. FIG. 2 shows the head unit 3. The line heads 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y respectively discharge or discharge black ink, cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink. The line heads 10K to 10Y are arranged along the conveyance direction P of the recording medium T. Each of the line heads 10 </ b> K to 10 </ b> Y includes three recording heads 10 arranged in a staggered manner along a direction orthogonal to the transport direction P.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second transport unit 212 is disposed downstream of the first transport unit 205 in the transport direction P. The second transport unit 212 includes a second drive roller 213, a second driven roller 214, and a second transport belt 215 stretched over the second drive roller 213 and the second driven roller 214. By rotating the second drive roller 213 counterclockwise, the second transport belt 215 rotates, and the recording medium T held by the second transport belt 215 is transported in the transport direction P.

  The recording medium T on which an image is recorded by the head unit 3 is sent to the second transport unit 212, and the ink ejected on the surface of the recording medium T is dried while passing through the second transport unit 212. A wiper unit 60 and a cap unit 290 are located below the second transport unit 212.

  The control unit 50 lowers the first transport unit 205 when the wiper unit 60 wipes the ink adhering to the ink ejection surfaces of the line heads 10K to 10Y, that is, when wiping is performed. Then, the control unit 50 horizontally moves the wiper unit 60 positioned below the second transport unit 212 to position it at the standby position, that is, below the head unit 3. As a result, the wiper unit 60 is located between the head unit 3 and the first transport unit 205. The wiper unit 60 wipes off ink adhering to the line heads 10K to 10Y and collects the wiped ink.

  When capping the ink ejection surfaces of the line heads 10 </ b> K to 10 </ b> Y, the control unit 50 horizontally moves the cap unit 290 to be positioned below the head unit 3. Further, the control unit 50 moves the cap unit 290 upward. As a result, the cap unit 290 is attached to the ink ejection surfaces of the line heads 10K to 10Y.

  The discharge roller 216 is disposed downstream of the second transport unit 212 in the transport direction P, and discharges the recording medium T on which an image is recorded to the outside of the inkjet recording apparatus 1.

  The recording head 10 and the wiper unit 60 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the recording head 10 and the wiper unit 60. The wiper unit 60 includes the wiper 20 and the moving mechanism 30.

  The recording head 10 has an ink ejection surface 17. The ink ejection surface 17 includes a first area A1, a second area A2, and a third area A3. The second area A2 is adjacent to one end of the first area A1. The third area A3 is adjacent to the other end of the first area A1. A number of nozzles 11 are open in the first region A1. The nozzle 11 ejects ink for forming an image on the recording medium T. The nozzle 11 discharges the ink Nf together with the unnecessary matter in the recording head 10 in the purge process. The ink Nf is stored in a sealed space. Therefore, evaporation of the volatile component contained in the ink Nf is suppressed. Volatile components evaporate when exposed to outside air. As a result, the ink Nf discharged from the nozzle 11 has a lower viscosity than the residual ink that has been in contact with the air.

  The control unit 50 causes the moving mechanism 30 to move the wiper 20. The moving mechanism 30 is controlled by the control unit 50 to move the wiper 20. Specifically, the moving mechanism 30 can raise the wiper 20 in the ascending direction D1, can move the wiper 20 in the wiping direction D3 or the wiping direction D4, and lowers the wiper 20 in the descending direction D2. Can do. In the present embodiment, the ascending direction D1 and the descending direction D2 are along the Z-axis and are orthogonal to the ink ejection surface 17, and the wiping direction D3 and the wiping direction D4 are along the X-axis. Along. The ascending direction D1 and the descending direction D2 may be collectively referred to as the vertical direction.

  The moving mechanism 30 moves the wiper 20 along the ink discharge surface 17 in a state where the wiper 20 is in contact with the ink discharge surface 17. Therefore, the wiper 20 can wipe the ink discharged from the nozzle 11 or the ink Nf discharged from the nozzle 11 and attached to the ink discharge surface 17. In addition, the wiper 20 wipes off unnecessary materials attached to the ink ejection surface 17. The wiper 20 has elasticity and has a flat plate shape. The wiper 20 is made of, for example, synthetic rubber (for example, EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer)) or synthetic resin.

  The ink jet recording apparatus 1 further includes a plate-like member 40 attached to the ink ejection surface 17. The plate-like member 40 has higher hydrophilicity than the second region A2. The plate-like member 40 is a thin plate, for example, and is formed of a metal such as stainless steel having high hydrophilicity or a synthetic resin having high hydrophilicity. Further, for example, the surface roughness of the plate-like member 40 is made rougher than the surface roughness of the second region A2. As a result, the hydrophilicity of the plate-like member 40 is higher than the hydrophilicity of the second region A2.

  The plate-like member 40 includes a parallel part W1 and an inclined part W2. The parallel part W <b> 1 is disposed in the second region A <b> 2 and has a parallel surface 41 parallel to the ink ejection surface 17.

  The inclined portion W2 is disposed outside the parallel portion W1 with respect to the first region A1. The parallel part W1 and the inclined part W2 are adjacent to each other. The inclined portion W2 has an inclined surface 42. The inclined surface 42 is inclined obliquely upward with respect to the ink ejection surface 17.

  Here, it is only necessary that at least the parallel portion W1 of the plate-like member 40 has higher hydrophilicity than the second region A2. Therefore, for example, the plate-like member 40 is formed of metal or synthetic resin, and the surface roughness of the parallel portion W1 is made larger than the surface roughness of the second region A2, thereby making the hydrophilicity of the parallel portion W1 the second region A2. Higher than hydrophilicity.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the wiper 20 moves in the wiping direction D3 in the outward wiping path, and moves the ink Nf discharged in the first region A1 to the parallel portion W1. The wiper 20 moves in the wiping direction D4 in the wiping return path along with the low viscosity ink Nf adhering to the parallel portion W1. In the wiping return path, since the low-viscosity ink Nf adheres to the parallel portion W1, the expansion of the ink from the second region A2 can be suppressed. In addition, in the return path of wiping, the ink stretched in the outward path of wiping can be effectively wiped off by the low-viscosity ink Nf adhering to the parallel portion W1.

  Ink stretching means that the ink is stretched in the direction opposite to the moving direction from the tip of the moving wiper 20 while being in contact with the ink discharge surface 17. Ink stretching is easy to occur with ink having a high viscosity. Therefore, in this embodiment, the ink stretching is suppressed by attaching the ink Nf having a low viscosity to the parallel portion W1. By suppressing ink stretching, it is possible to suppress the accumulation of dried and thickened ink on the ink ejection surface 17. As a result, it is possible to prevent the recording medium T from being contaminated by the accumulated ink dripping. Further, the nozzle 11 can be prevented from being blocked by the thickened ink. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the ink ejection failure and to suppress the decrease in the flying accuracy of the ink ejected onto the recording medium T. As a result, it is possible to suppress the quality deterioration of the image formed on the recording medium T.

  Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the plate-shaped member 40 has high hydrophilicity. Accordingly, the amount of ink for wiping the ink ejection surface 17 in the wiping return path increases. As a result, the wiper 20 can effectively wipe the ink adhering to the ink ejection surface 17.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, in the wiping return path, the ink Nf moved in the wiping forward path is used. Therefore, no new ink is consumed in the wiping return path. As a result, the cost of purchasing ink can be reduced for the user.

  Next, the operation of the wiper 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 4A to 4E show the operation of the wiper 20 in the wiping forward path. The wiper 20 operates as follows by the moving mechanism 30 that is controlled and driven by the control unit 50.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, the ink Nv is attached to the tip of the wiper 20 before wiping is started. The ink Nv is ink remaining at the tip of the wiper 20 by the previous wiping, and has increased viscosity due to contact with air. The wiper 20 ascends in the ascending direction D1 from the standby position toward the third region A3. Then, the tip of the wiper 20 is pressed against the third region A3, and the wiper 20 stops rising. As a result, the ink Nv adheres to the third area A3.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, since the nozzle 11 discharges the ink Nf, the ink Nf remains in the first area A1. The viscosity of the ink Nf is lower than the viscosity of the ink Nv attached to the tip of the wiper 20. The wiper 20 moves in the wiping direction D3 from the third region A3 toward the parallel portion W1 while keeping the position in the vertical direction constant. As a result, the ink Nf remaining in the first area A1 is wiped off by the wiper 20.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, the wiper 20 moves to the parallel part W1 and stops. As a result, the ink Nf is moved from the first area A1 to the parallel surface 41. Since the parallel surface 41 has high hydrophilicity, the ink Nf is likely to adhere to the parallel surface 41 as compared with the case where the hydrophilicity is low. The ink Nf is fresh and has a low viscosity. The wiper 20 stops at a parallel portion W1 for a predetermined time. As shown in FIG. 4D, the wiper 20 descends in the descending direction D2 after being stopped, and stops at a position directly below the parallel portion W1. As shown in FIG. 4E, the wiper 20 moves in the wiping direction D3 from a position directly below the parallel part W1 and moves to a position directly below the inclined part W2.

  Fig.5 (a)-FIG.5 (e) show the operation | movement of the wiper 20 in the return path | route of wiping. As shown in FIG. 5A, the ink Nf is attached to the tip of the wiper 20. The wiper 20 rises in the ascending direction D1 from the position directly below the inclined portion W2 toward the inclined portion W2, contacts the inclined surface 42, and stops rising.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the wiper 20 moves in the wiping direction D4 from the inclined portion W2 toward the parallel portion W1 while maintaining the position in the vertical direction constant, and the ink Nf adhered to the parallel surface 41 Wipe off. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the ink Nf adhering to the parallel surface 41 from being dried and thickened and depositing the ink Nf on the parallel surface 41. As a result, contamination of the recording medium T with the accumulated ink can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the wiper 20 continues to move in the wiping direction D4 toward the third region A3 without stopping while maintaining the position in the vertical direction constant. In this case, since the ink Nf attached to the parallel surface 41 is attached to the tip of the wiper 20, the wiper 20 moves with the ink Nf and wipes the first region A1.

  As shown in FIG. 5D, the wiper 20 moves to the end of the third area A3 and wipes the ink Nv remaining in the third area A3. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the dried and thickened ink Nv from being deposited in the third region A3. As a result, contamination of the recording medium T with the accumulated ink can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 5E, the wiper 20 that has reached the end of the third region A3 descends in the descending direction D2. Then, the wiper 20 returns to the standby position and finishes wiping.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, recording is performed while suppressing the stretching of the ink Nf with a simple configuration by providing the plate-like member 40 having high hydrophilicity. Ink adhering to the ink ejection surface 17 of the head 10 can be wiped off.

  That is, the wiper 20 accompanied by the low-viscosity ink Nf moves to the parallel part W1 of the plate-like member 40 in the wiping path (FIGS. 4B and 4C). More ink Nf remains in the parallel portion W1 than when it does not have hydrophilicity. Therefore, in the wiping return path, the wiper 20 can be moved in the wiping direction D4 with a sufficient amount of low-viscosity ink Nf at the tip of the wiper 20 (FIGS. 5B and 5C). .

  As a result, the ink discharge surface 17 can be effectively wiped while suppressing the expansion of the ink Nf from the second region A2. That is, since the viscosity of the ink Nf that moves while adhering to the tip of the wiper 20 on the downstream side in the wiping direction D4 is low, stretching of the ink Nf from the second region A2 can be suppressed. Since stretching of the ink Nf is suppressed, accumulation of the stretched ink on the ink discharge surface 17 is suppressed. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the contamination of the recording medium due to the ink deposited on the ink discharge surface 17 dripping.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 50 causes the moving mechanism 30 to move the wiper 20 so that the wiper 20 stops at the parallel portion W1 from the third region A3 via the first region A1 (FIG. 4 (b) and FIG. 4 (c)). Accordingly, the amount of ink Nf remaining in the parallel portion W1 is further increased. Accordingly, in the wiping return path, the wiper 20 can be moved with a sufficient amount of ink Nf having a low viscosity at the tip of the wiper 20. As a result, the ink discharge surface 17 can be wiped more effectively while further suppressing the expansion of the ink Nf.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the wiper 20 moves with a sufficient amount of low-viscosity ink Nf at the tip of the wiper 20 in the wiping return path. The ink Nv remaining in the three areas A3 can be wiped off effectively (FIGS. 5B and 5C).

  Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the parallel part W1 and the inclination part W2 are adjacent. Accordingly, the wiper 20 can be smoothly moved from the inclined portion W2 to the parallel portion W1 in the wiping return path.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the inclined surface 42 of the inclined portion W2 is inclined obliquely upward. Accordingly, when the wiper 20 moves from the inclined portion W2 to the parallel portion W1, the wiper 20 can enter the parallel portion W1 while gradually curving the tip of the wiper 20 in accordance with the inclination of the inclined surface 42. As a result, damage to the wiper 20 can be suppressed as compared with the case where the tip of the wiper 20 is bent by raising the wiper 20 in the upward direction D1 toward the parallel part W1 and pressing the wiper 20 against the parallel part W1.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 50 moves the wiper 20 to the moving mechanism 30 so that the wiper 20 is discharged from the nozzle 11 and moves the ink Nf remaining in the first region A1 to the parallel portion W1. (FIG. 4B to FIG. 4D). Therefore, the wiper 20 can adhere the low-viscosity ink Nf to the parallel portion W1. As a result, the expansion of the ink Nf in the wiping return path can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 50 causes the moving mechanism 30 to move the wiper 20 so that the wiper 20 moves up or down with respect to the recording head 10 (FIGS. 4A and 4D). ), FIG. 5 (a), and FIG. 5 (e)). Accordingly, the moving mechanism 30 can move the wiper 20 while being in contact with the ink discharge surface 17, or can be moved in the wiping direction D3 or the wiping direction D4 without contacting the wiper 20 with the ink discharge surface 17. .

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to execute the purge process in the wiping return path. Therefore, the consumption amount of the ink Nf used for the purge process can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 50 moves the wiper 20 to the moving mechanism 30 so that the wiper 20 moves to the third region A3 via the plate member 40 and the first region A1.

  Next, the recording head 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6A shows the front of the recording head 10. The ink ejection surface 17 of the recording head 10 is rectangular. A plurality of nozzle formation regions 12 are formed in a staggered pattern along the longitudinal direction of the recording head 10 in the first region A1 of the ink ejection surface 17. The longitudinal direction of the recording head 10 is along the X axis. A plurality of nozzles 11 are opened in each of the trapezoidal nozzle formation regions 12.

  FIG. 7 shows a side surface of the recording head 10. The recording head 10 has an inlet 13 and an outlet 15. At the time of image forming processing or purging processing, ink that has flowed into the inlet 13 from a tank (not shown) flows into the recording head 10 and flows out from the outlet 15. The ink that has flowed into the recording head 10 is ejected from the nozzle 11 during the image forming process, or discharged from the nozzle 11 during the purge process. In the present embodiment, the wiper 20 performs wiping using the ink Nf discharged from the nozzle 11 by the purge process and attached to the ink discharge surface 17.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C, the relationship among the plate-like member 40, the ink ejection surface 17, and the wiper 20, and the state of the ink Nf during wiping in the return path will be described. As shown in FIG. 6A, the first width L1 of the plate-like member 40 is larger than the second width L2 of the ink ejection surface 17. The third width L3 of the wiper 20 is larger than the first width L1 of the plate-like member 40. The third width L3 of the wiper 20 may be the same as the first width L1 of the plate-like member 40.

  Here, the first width L1 is the width of the plate-like member 40 along the short direction of the recording head 10, and the second width L2 is the ink ejection surface 17 along the short direction of the recording head 10. The third width L3 is the width of the wiper 20 along the short direction of the recording head 10. The short direction of the recording head 10 is along the Y axis.

  FIGS. 6A to 6C show changes in the ink shape during wiping in the return path. As shown in FIG. 6A, the wiper 20 is in contact with the inclined portion W2. The ink Nf adheres to the parallel part W1. The ink Nf adhering to the parallel portion W1 is the ink Nf discharged from the nozzle 11, and is the ink Nf moved to the parallel portion W1 by the wiper 20 moving in the wiping direction D3. The ink Nf spreads along the short direction of the recording head 10 as it moves to the parallel portion W1, and is larger than the second width L2 of the ink ejection surface 17.

  Further, the ink Nf is not spread uniformly. That is, since both ends of the ink Nf are curved, the width in the short direction of the ink Nf is not uniform along the Y axis. The width of the ink Nf in the short direction is substantially uniform for the portions excluding both ends of the ink Nf. The short direction of the ink Nf is along the X axis. In addition, although not shown, when the ink Nf is viewed from the X-axis direction, both ends of the ink Nf are curved, so that the height of the ink Nf is not uniform along the Y-axis. About the part except the both ends of the ink Nf, the height of the ink Nf is substantially uniform. The height of the ink Nf indicates the height from the parallel portion W1 or the ink ejection surface 17.

  As shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, the control unit 50 moves the wiper 20 from the plate-like member 40 to the third region A3 via the first region A1. The wiper 20 is moved. That is, the wiper 20 moves in the wiping direction D4, and moves the ink Nf from the parallel part W1 to the third area A3 via the first area A1. A portion of the ink Nf that is in contact with the ink discharge surface 17, that is, a portion other than both ends of the ink Nf shown in FIG. 6A adheres to the ink discharge surface 17, and extends along the ink discharge surface 17. Moved. On the other hand, since the first width L1 is larger than the second width L2, a portion of the ink Nf that is not in contact with the ink ejection surface 17, that is, both end portions of the ink Nf shown in FIG.

  That is, the ink Nf is shaped so that the width and height in the lateral direction are substantially uniform, and is rectangular in front view. Therefore, the width and height in the short direction of the ink Nf are substantially uniform, that is, by the portion of the ink Nf excluding both ends, that is, the ink Nf in which the ink amount is substantially uniformly distributed, in the second region A2. The exposed area, the first area A1, and the third area A3 are wiped. As a result, the ink adhering to the ink discharge surface 17 can be uniformly wiped off.

  According to the present embodiment, the third width L3 of the wiper 20 is greater than or equal to the first width L1 of the plate-like member 40. Therefore, when the wiper 20 moves the ink Nf from the second area A2 to the parallel portion W1, the ink Nf spreads along the short direction of the recording head 10 and is larger than the second width L2 of the ink ejection surface 17. Become. That is, a substantially uniform portion of the ink Nf excluding both ends of the ink Nf spreads. As a result, the ink discharge surface 17 is included by the wiper 20 and the ink Nf in which the ink amount is substantially uniformly distributed, and the ink discharge surface 17 can be wiped uniformly.

  Next, the wiper unit 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. 8 and 9, the plate-like member 40 is omitted for simplification of the drawings. FIG. 8 shows a state where the wiper unit 60 is lowered. The control unit 50 controls the wiper unit 60. When executing the wiping, the control unit 50 moves the wiper unit 60 so as to face the line heads 10K, 10C, 10M, and 10Y. In FIG. 8, only three wipers 20 corresponding to the three recording heads 10 included in the line head 10K are shown.

  The moving mechanism 30 of the wiper portion 60 includes a carriage 31, a support frame 35 that supports the carriage 31, a roller 36, a gap roller 37, a lifting member 38, and a bottom portion 39.

  Each of the elevating members 38 includes a lift member 38a and a shaft 38b. The controller 50 drives a drive source (for example, a motor) to rotate the shaft 38b of the elevating member 38 arranged upstream in the wiping direction D3 in the clockwise direction, and the elevating member arranged downstream in the wiping direction D3. The shaft 38b of 38 is rotated counterclockwise. Then, the fallen lift member 38 a stands from the bottom 39. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the carriage 31, the roller 36, the gap roller 37, and the wiper 20 rise together with the support frame 35.

  FIG. 9 shows a state where the wiper unit 60 is raised. The gap roller 37 comes into contact with the head housing 18 to keep the position of the wiper 20 in the vertical direction of the wiper 20 raised and pressed against the ink discharge surface 17 constant. The carriage 31 is movably engaged with the support frame 35 via a roller 36. As the carriage 31 moves in the wiping direction D3 or wiping direction D4, the wiper 20 also moves in the wiping direction D3 or wiping direction D4.

  The three wipers 20 for each of the line heads 10C, 10M, and 10Y perform the same operation as the three wipers 20 for the line head 10K by the moving mechanism 30.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof (for example, (1) to (4) shown below). In order to facilitate understanding, the drawings schematically show each component as a main component, and the thickness, length, number, and the like of each component shown in the drawings are different from the actual for convenience of drawing. . Moreover, the shape, dimension, etc. of each component shown by said embodiment are an example, Comprising: It does not specifically limit, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate substantially from the effect of this invention.

  (1) As described with reference to FIG. 3, the plate-like member 40 includes the inclined portion W2, but the inclined portion W2 may not be provided. For example, the following modifications are possible. FIG. 10 shows the recording head 10 and the plate-like member 40 of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention. The plate-like member 40 has higher hydrophilicity than the second region A2, has a flat plate shape, does not have an inclined portion, and is parallel to the ink ejection surface 17. That is, the plate-like member 40 is configured by the parallel part W1. The plate-like member 40 protrudes from the ink discharge surface 17 of the recording head 10, but does not have to protrude.

  (2) As described with reference to FIG. 3, the plate-like member 40 has high hydrophilicity, but the following modifications are possible. For example, the parallel portion W1 has higher hydrophilicity than the second region A2, and the inclined portion W2 has higher water repellency than the second region A2. In this case, for example, a highly water-repellent tape (for example, a fluororesin tape) is affixed to the inclined portion W2 of the plate-like member 40 formed from a highly hydrophilic material (for example, metal or synthetic resin). Further, for example, a highly water-repellent tape is applied to the inclined portion W2 of the plate-like member 40, and the surface roughness of the parallel portion W1 is made rougher than the surface roughness of the second region A2.

  The control unit 50 can move the wiper 20 to the moving mechanism 30 so that the wiper 20 moves to the third region A3 via the parallel portion W1 and the first region A1 after contacting the inclined portion W2. . Accordingly, in the wiping return path, the wiper 20 first comes into contact with the inclined portion W2 having high water repellency. As a result, it is possible to suppress the ink Nf from adhering to the wiping start position in the return path. When a large amount of ink remains at the starting position of wiping to dry and thicken, and ink deposition proceeds, the recording medium T may be contaminated. However, in the modified example, since the wiping start position in the return path is the inclined portion W2 having high water repellency, the remaining of the ink Nf is suppressed, and contamination of the recording medium T can be suppressed. Further, by suppressing the ink Nf from remaining at the wiping start position, it is possible to suppress the ink Nf from extending from the wiping start position.

  (3) As described with reference to FIG. 2, the head unit 3 includes the four color line heads 10 </ b> K to 10 </ b> Y, but the head unit 3 may include a single color line head or a plurality of colors other than the four color heads. A color line head may also be included.

  (4) As described with reference to FIG. 2, three recording heads 10 are prepared for one color. However, a single recording head 10 may be prepared for one color. A plurality of recording heads 10 other than three may be prepared.

  The present invention can be used in the field of inkjet recording apparatuses.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet recording device 10 Recording head 11 Nozzle 20 Wiper 30 Moving mechanism 40 Plate member 41 Parallel surface 42 Inclined surface W1 Parallel portion W2 Inclined portion 50 Control part A1 1st area A2 2nd area A3 3rd area Nv Ink Nf Ink L1 1st width L2 2nd width L3 3rd width

Claims (7)

A recording head having an ink ejection surface including a first area where nozzles for ejecting ink are opened and a second area adjacent to one end of the first area;
With wiper,
A movement mechanism for moving the wiper along the ink ejection surface in a state where the wiper is in contact with the ink ejection surface;
A control unit that moves the wiper to the moving mechanism;
A plate-like member provided in the second region,
First width along the widthwise direction of the recording head of the plate member is much larger than the second width along the widthwise direction of the recording head of the ink ejection surface,
The plate-like member is
A parallel portion parallel to the ink ejection surface;
An inclined portion disposed outside the parallel portion with respect to the first region of the recording head and inclined obliquely upward from the ink ejection surface;
Including
The parallel part has higher hydrophilicity than the second region of the recording head,
The inclined portion is an ink jet recording apparatus having a higher water repellency than the second region .
2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a third width of the wiper along the short direction of the recording head is greater than or equal to the first width of the plate-like member.
The plate-like member is parallel to the ink ejection surface, ink-jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2.
The ink ejection surface further includes a third region adjacent to the other end of the first region,
Wherein the control unit, so that the wiper is moved through said first region from said plate-shaped member to said third region, move the wiper to said moving mechanism, any of claims 1 to 3 2. An ink jet recording apparatus according to item 1.
  The ink ejection surface further includes a third region adjacent to the other end of the first region,
  The control unit moves the wiper to the moving mechanism so that the wiper is pressed against the third region,
  The control unit moves the wiper to the moving mechanism so that the wiper stops at the parallel portion from the third region via the first region,
  The said control part moves the said wiper to the said moving mechanism so that it may move to the said 3rd area | region via the said parallel part and the said 1st area | region after the said wiper contacts the said inclination part. The ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
  Before the wiper moves from the third region toward the parallel portion, the nozzle performs a purge process to discharge ink,
6. The nozzle according to claim 5, wherein when the wiper moves to the third region via the parallel portion and the first region after contacting the inclined portion, the nozzle does not perform the purge process. Inkjet recording device.
  The parallel part has a flat plate shape,
  The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion has a flat plate shape.

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