JP6379949B2 - Liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device that ejects liquid.

  As a liquid discharge apparatus that discharges liquid from a plurality of discharge ports formed on the discharge surface of a liquid discharge head toward a discharge target, an ink jet printer that discharges ink from an ink jet head and prints on recording paper is known. Yes. In this ink jet printer, foreign matter such as ink adhering to the ejection surface is wiped off with a wiper formed of rubber or the like. For example, in the inkjet printer of Patent Document 1, a slit is formed in a wiper cleaner made of sponge or the like in order to remove ink adhering to the wiper after wiping off ink on the ejection surface, and the wiper is passed through the slit. Yes.

JP 2004-188611 A

  However, since the wiper has flexibility, when the wiper is inserted into the slit of the wiper cleaner, the tip of the wiper is caught by the entrance of the slit and the wiper is bent and deformed, and the wiper cannot be smoothly passed through the slit. There is. As a result, the wiper or the wiper cleaner may be damaged.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus in which a wiper can be easily inserted into a gap of a wiper cleaner.

  A liquid discharge apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a liquid discharge head having a discharge surface on which a plurality of discharge ports for discharging a liquid are formed, and a relative movement in a first direction with respect to the liquid discharge head. A plate-like wiper that has one surface and a second surface and wipes the discharge surface by at least the first surface; a wiper cleaner that cleans liquid adhering to at least the first surface of the wiper; and the wiper And a moving mechanism that relatively moves the wiper cleaner in a first direction and a third direction that intersects a second direction orthogonal to the discharge surface, wherein the wiper cleaner A first contact portion that is made of an absorber that absorbs the first contact portion that contacts the first surface of the wiper; and a second contact that faces the first contact portion and contacts the second surface of the wiper. A gap expanding portion disposed on at least one side of the third direction with respect to the wiper, wherein the wiper is movable relative to the wiper cleaner integrally with the wiper. When the wiper and the wiper cleaner move relative to each other in the third direction, they are inserted into the gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion before the wiper to widen the gap. It is characterized by including a gap expanding portion.

  According to this configuration, the wiper and the wiper cleaner are relatively moved in the third direction, and the gap enlarged portion is inserted into the gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion before the wiper, so that the gap enlarged portion is expanded. A wiper can be inserted into the gap in the closed state. Therefore, the wiper can be prevented from being caught by the wiper cleaner, and the wiper can be smoothly inserted into the gap as compared with the case where the wiper is inserted into the gap that has not spread.

In the liquid ejection device according to a second aspect, in the first aspect, a distance in the first direction between the first contact portion and the second contact portion is equal to or less than a length of the wiper in the first direction. It is characterized by that.
According to this structure, the clearance gap of a wiper cleaner can be expanded rather than the 1st direction length of a wiper by a clearance gap expansion part.

The liquid ejection device according to a third aspect is characterized in that, in the second aspect, the length of the gap expanding portion in the first direction is longer than the length of the wiper in the first direction.
According to this configuration, since the length in the first direction of the two gap enlarged portions is longer than the thickness of the wiper (first direction length), the gap enlarged portion provides a gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion. When passing, the first contact portion is compressed and deformed by the gap expanding portion. Thereby, the liquid that has already been absorbed by the first contact portion can be discharged, and the absorption performance of the first contact portion can be recovered.

In a liquid ejection device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the invention, the gap enlarging portion is disposed to face the end portion of the wiper in the third direction in the third direction. And
According to this configuration, since the gap widening part and the wiper are inserted in the gap of the wiper cleaner side by side in the third direction, the wiper can be inserted into the widest part of the gap of the wiper cleaner, so that the wiper becomes a wiper cleaner. It can prevent more reliably that it is caught.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejection device according to the fourth aspect, further comprising: a wiper holder that holds an end of the wiper opposite to the ejection surface in the second direction, and the wiper contacts the ejection surface. The length of the gap expanding portion in the second direction is shorter than the length of the wiper in the second direction from the end to the tip, and when the wiper contacts the discharge surface, The gap enlarging part is separated from the discharge surface in the second direction.

  According to this configuration, since the gap enlargement portion is separated from the discharge surface in the second direction, the gap enlargement portion may be disposed on the discharge surface of the liquid discharge head or other when the wiper and the liquid discharge head are relatively moved in the first direction. It is possible to prevent the relative movement from being brought into contact with the location. The “length of the wiper in the second direction from the end to the tip” of the present invention is the length of the end of the wiper in the second direction (that is, the length of the portion held by the wiper holder of the wiper). (Length in two directions) is not included.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejection apparatus according to the fourth aspect, further comprising: a wiper holder that holds an end of the wiper opposite to the ejection surface in the second direction, the wiper contacting the ejection surface. The length of the gap enlarging portion in the second direction is equal to or greater than the length of the wiper in the second direction from the end to the tip, and the length of the wiper in the third direction is The discharge surface is longer than the length in the third direction.

  According to this configuration, the vicinity of the tip of the wiper can be more reliably prevented from being caught by the wiper cleaner. In addition, since the length of the wiper in the third direction is longer than the length of the ejection surface in the third direction, the gap enlargement portion becomes the ejection surface of the liquid ejection head when the wiper and the liquid ejection head are relatively moved in the first direction. And contact with other parts can be prevented.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the liquid ejection device according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, the gap enlarged portion has an end opposite to the wiper in the third direction and the wiper in the third direction. The shape is tapered in a direction away from the head.
According to this structure, it is easy to insert the gap enlarged portion into the gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion.

According to an eighth aspect of the invention, in the second aspect of the invention, the liquid ejecting apparatus includes the two gap expanding portions disposed on both sides of the wiper in the third direction.
According to this configuration, when the wiper is moved relative to the wiper cleaner in any direction of the third direction, the wiper is inserted after the gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion is widened by the gap widening portion. It is possible to prevent the wiper from being caught by the wiper cleaner.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect, the two gap enlarged portions are configured such that the first contact portion and the second contact are formed before the wiper after the wiper wipes the discharge surface. A first gap enlarged portion disposed so as to be inserted into a gap with the portion, and a second gap enlarged portion disposed on the opposite side of the first gap enlarged portion with respect to the third direction of the wiper, The length of the second gap enlarged portion in the third direction is shorter than the length of the first contact portion in the third direction and the length of the first gap enlarged portion in the third direction. And

  According to this configuration, after the wiper wipes the discharge surface, the first gap enlarged portion inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner before the wiper has a longer length in the third direction than the second gap enlarged portion. Accordingly, the first gap expanding portion can compress and deform the first contact portion in a wider range, and can further recover the absorption performance. Therefore, compared to the case where the lengths of the two gap enlarged portions in the third direction are the same, the length of the two gap enlarged portions after the liquid on the ejection surface is wiped without increasing the total length in the third direction. The cleaning accuracy of the wiper can be improved.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid discharge apparatus having a discharge surface on which a plurality of discharge ports for discharging a liquid are formed, a liquid discharge head that is relatively movable in a first direction with respect to the liquid discharge head, A plate-like wiper that has one surface and a second surface and wipes the discharge surface by at least the first surface; a wiper cleaner that cleans liquid adhering to at least the first surface of the wiper; and the wiper And a moving mechanism that relatively moves the wiper cleaner in a first direction and a third direction that intersects a second direction orthogonal to the discharge surface, wherein the wiper cleaner A first contact portion that is made of an absorbing material that absorbs the first contact portion and contacts the first surface of the wiper; and a second contact portion that faces the first contact portion and contacts the second surface of the wiper. A touch portion, and at least one end in the third direction has higher rigidity than the other portion, and when the wiper and the wiper cleaner move relative to each other in the third direction, The one end portion is inserted into a gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion before the other portion to widen the gap.

  According to this configuration, the wiper and the wiper cleaner are moved relative to each other in the third direction, and the one end on the one side having high rigidity is placed between the first contact portion and the second contact portion before the other portion of the wiper. By inserting in, the said other part can be inserted in the clearance gap of the state expanded by the said one side edge part. Therefore, the other part having low rigidity of the wiper can be prevented from being caught by the wiper cleaner, and the wiper can be smoothly inserted into the gap.

According to an eleventh aspect of the invention, in any one of the second to tenth aspects, the second contact portion is formed of an absorber that absorbs liquid.
According to this configuration, the liquid attached to the second surface as well as the first surface of the wiper can be removed by the wiper cleaner.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, in the eleventh aspect of the invention, the liquid ejection device includes a cleaner holder that fixes both ends of the wiper cleaner in the one direction, and the gap enlarged portion is inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner. Further, the wiper cleaner is deformed so as to bend in the third direction with both end portions in the first direction as fulcrums.

  According to this configuration, when the gap enlargement portion is inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner, the wiper cleaner is deformed so as to bend in the third direction with both end portions in the first direction as fulcrums, so that the gap is easily widened. Therefore, the gap enlarged portion can be smoothly moved within the gap.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the twelfth aspect, the cleaner holder includes a first wall that becomes the wiper side when the wiper wipes the discharge surface, and the first wall and the third wall. A second wall opposite to the direction, wherein the first wall is formed with a first notch that exposes the gap of the wiper cleaner, and the second wall has the gap of the wiper cleaner. A second notch that exposes the first notch is formed, and the length of the second notch in the first direction is shorter than the length of the first notch in the first direction.

  Since the second notch of the second wall is shorter in the first direction than the first notch of the first wall, the second wall has a larger area in contact with the wiper cleaner than the first wall. Therefore, when the wiper moves relative to the wiper cleaner in the direction from the first wall to the second wall and passes through the gap of the wiper cleaner, the wiper cleaner is deformed compared to when the wiper moves in the opposite direction. Therefore, the wiper cleaner can be brought into strong contact with the wiper, and the cleaning accuracy can be improved.

  In the present invention, since the wiper can be inserted into the gap with the gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion of the wiper cleaner widened, the wiper can be prevented from being caught in the gap, and the wiper can be inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner. Can be inserted smoothly.

1 is a schematic plan view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the control system of an inkjet printer. It is the III-III arrow line view of FIG. (A) is the perspective view which looked at the wiper cleaner from the back of FIG. 1, (b) is the perspective view which looked at the wiper cleaner and the wiper from the front of FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of a maintenance unit. It is a figure which shows the process in which a wiper moves from a standby position to a wipe position. It is a figure which shows the process in which a wiper moves from a wipe position to a standby position. It is a figure equivalent to FIG. 3 of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is a figure equivalent to FIG.4 (b) of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is a figure equivalent to FIG.6 (e) of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is a figure equivalent to FIG. 3 of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is a front view of the wiper cleaner of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is a figure equivalent to FIG.6 (c) of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the inkjet printer of a change form. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the inkjet printer of a change form.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment. 1 is defined as front / rear / left / right, and the vertical direction in FIG. 1 is defined as the up / down direction, and is used as appropriate in the following description.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer 1 (liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention) includes a platen 2 on which recording paper P is placed, and a carriage that can reciprocate in a scanning direction (left-right direction) parallel to the platen 2. 3, the inkjet head 4 (the liquid ejection head of the present invention) mounted on the carriage 3, the transport mechanism 5 that transports the recording paper P in the paper feed direction (forward) perpendicular to the scanning direction, and the liquid in the inkjet head 4. A maintenance unit 6 that performs various maintenance operations relating to maintenance / recovery of ejection performance, a control device 7 (see FIG. 2) that controls the entire inkjet printer 1, and the like are provided.

  On the upper surface of the platen 2, the recording paper P supplied from a paper feeding mechanism (not shown) is placed. Two guide rails 10 and 11 extending in parallel with the scanning direction (left and right direction) are provided above the platen 2, and the carriage 3 has two guide rails 10 and 11 in a region facing the platen 2. Along the scanning direction in the scanning direction. The two guide rails 10 and 11 extend from the platen 2 to a position (maintenance position) that is separated from the platen 2 to the right along the scanning direction (left-right direction). It is configured to be movable from an area (recording area) facing the paper P to the maintenance position, which is a non-recording area. In addition, an endless belt 14 wound between two pulleys 12 and 13 is connected to the carriage 3. When the endless belt 14 is driven by the carriage drive motor 15, the carriage 3 is connected to the endless belt 14. 14 moves in the scanning direction.

  The inkjet head 4 is attached to the lower portion of the carriage 3, and a plurality of ejection ports 16 are formed on the lower surface (ejection surface 4 a) of the inkjet head 4 parallel to the upper surface of the platen 2. The discharge surface 4a is covered with a water repellent film (not shown). Then, ink is ejected from the plurality of ejection ports 16 of the ejection surface 4 a toward the recording paper P placed on the platen 2. The transport mechanism 5 has two transport rollers 17 and 18 arranged so as to sandwich the platen 2 in the paper feed direction, and the recording paper P placed on the platen 2 is fed by these two transport rollers 17 and 18. Transport in the paper feed direction (forward). The ink jet printer 1 then ejects ink from the ink jet head 4 that reciprocates in the scanning direction (left and right direction) together with the carriage 3 onto the recording paper P placed on the platen 2, and two transport rollers 17. , 18 conveys the recording paper P in the paper feeding direction (forward), thereby printing a desired image, character, or the like on the recording paper P.

  The maintenance unit 6 is disposed at a position corresponding to the maintenance position on the right side in the scanning direction (left-right direction) from the recording area of the inkjet head 4. When the inkjet head 4 moves to the maintenance position together with the carriage 3, the maintenance unit 6 performs a suction purge for discharging and discharging ink from the discharge port 16 in order to remove foreign matters or bubbles mixed in the inkjet head 4, The ink adhering to the surface 4a is wiped off, and the ink ejection performance of the inkjet head 4 is maintained and recovered. The maintenance unit 6 includes a wiper 41, a wiper cleaner 46, a suction cap 31, a suction pump 32, and the like.

  The suction cap 31 is disposed at a position facing the ejection surface 4a of the inkjet head 4 when the inkjet head 4 is in the maintenance position. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the suction cap 31 is driven in the vertical direction by the cap lifting mechanism 33, and the cap lifting mechanism 33 is driven by the cap lifting motor 24 (see FIG. 2). The The suction cap 31 is connected to the suction pump 32. 5A to 5D are cross-sectional views taken along line VV in FIG.

  When the suction cap 31 is driven upward by the cap lifting mechanism 33 when the inkjet head 4 is in the maintenance position, the suction cap 31 comes into close contact with the ejection surface 4 a of the inkjet head 4 and covers the plurality of ejection ports 16. In this state, when the suction pump 32 connected to the suction cap 31 is driven, the pressure in the suction cap 31 decreases, so that the ink in the inkjet head 4 is sucked and discharged from the discharge port 16 into the suction cap 31. (Suction purge).

  The wiper 41 is a flat plate member made of a flexible material such as rubber or synthetic resin. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4B, the wiper 41 is disposed so that its lower end portion 41b (end portion of the present invention) is held by the wiper holder 42 and orthogonal to the scanning direction (left-right direction). ing. The wiper 41 is formed in a rectangular shape, and the tip (upper end) 41a of the wiper 41 extends in the front-rear direction in parallel with the ejection surface 4a.

  The wiper 41 is reciprocally driven linearly by a wiper moving mechanism 43 in a direction parallel to the ejection surface 4a and perpendicular to the scanning direction (hereinafter referred to as a wiper moving direction). The wiper 41 includes a wipe position (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 3) on the movement locus in the scanning direction of the carriage 3, and a standby position in front of the wipe position (indicated by a solid line in FIGS. 1 and 3). Driven between. The wiper moving mechanism 43 includes a rack 44 attached to the wiper holder 42, a pinion 45 that meshes with the rack 44, and a wiper drive motor 25 that rotationally drives the pinion 45. The specific configuration of the wiper moving mechanism 43 may be other than the above.

  The tip 41a of the wiper 41 is located above the discharge surface 4a. As shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, when the wiper 41 is in the wipe position, the inkjet head 4 moves in the scanning direction (specifically, leftward) at the maintenance position, so that the inkjet head The ink adhering to the four ejection surfaces 4a is wiped off by the right surface (first surface of the present invention) 41s1 of the wiper 41. After wiping, the ink mainly adheres to the right surface 41s1 of the wiper 41 and does not adhere much to the left surface 41s2 (second surface of the present invention). The width (length in the front-rear direction) of the wiper 41 is substantially the same as or longer than the length in the front-rear direction of the discharge surface 4a, and the wiper 41 can wipe the entire surface of the discharge surface 4a at one time. Yes.

  The wiper 41 is generally as thin as about 1 mm, for example, and the upper end of the wiper 41 is formed in a tapered shape. As a result, when the wiper 41 comes into contact with the ejection surface 4a, it can be easily curved and the ink on the ejection surface 4a can be wiped off reliably. In addition, when the restoring force to restore the curved state of the wiper 41 is large, the force received from the wiper 41 by the water repellent film covering the discharge surface 4a is also large. However, when the thickness is about 1 mm, the restoring force is relatively small. Therefore, the force that the water repellent film receives from the wiper 41 can be suppressed to prevent the water repellent film from peeling off.

  The wiper holder 42 is attached with two gap enlarged portions 50 and 51 arranged in front and rear of the wiper 41, respectively. The gap enlarging part 50 is disposed so as not to contact the front end of the wiper 41, and the gap enlarging part 51 is disposed so as not to contact the rear end of the wiper 41. The two gap enlarged portions 50 and 51 are made of, for example, synthetic resin and have higher rigidity than the wiper 41. The length of the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 in the scanning direction (left and right direction) is longer than the thickness of the wiper 41. The vertical lengths of the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 are shorter than the length from the wiper holder 42 to the tip 41a of the wiper 41 (the length from the lower end 41b to the tip), and the wiper 41 contacts the discharge surface 4a. When not, the upper ends of the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 are positioned below the tip (upper end) 41 a of the wiper 41. Further, the upper ends of the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 are positioned below the discharge surface 4a, and when the wiper 41 contacts the discharge surface 4a, the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 are separated from the discharge surface 4a in the vertical direction. ing. Therefore, even if the width of the wiper 41 is the same as the length in the front-rear direction of the discharge surface 4a, the gap enlarged portions 50 and 51 do not come into contact with the discharge surface 4a and do not get in the way.

  The wiper cleaner 46 is held by the cleaner holder 47 and is disposed between the standby position and the wipe position of the wiper 41. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the cleaner holder 47 is not shown. The wiper cleaner 46 is made of an absorbent material having elasticity such as sponge, and is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A slit 46a extending in parallel with the wiper moving direction from the lower end to the vicinity of the upper end is formed at a substantially central portion in the left-right direction of the wiper cleaner 46. The slit 46a is formed by cutting the absorber, and the size of the slit 46a is smaller than the thickness of the wiper 41 and is almost zero. The portion on the right side of the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46 corresponds to the first contact portion of the present invention, and the portion on the left side of the slit 46a corresponds to the second contact portion of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the cleaner holder 47 fixes the left end portion 46 b and the right end portion 46 c of the wiper cleaner 46. Specifically, the wiper cleaner 46 is fixed by two fixing rods 48, 48 that pass through circular holes formed in the left and right end portions 46 b, 46 c of the wiper cleaner 46. The structure for fixing the left and right end portions 46b, 46c of the wiper cleaner 46 may be other than the above. The cleaner holder 47 covers a part of each of the front and rear surfaces of the wiper cleaner 46, the left and right surfaces, and the upper surface, and is supported in a cantilever manner by a support member (not shown). The front wall 47a (second wall of the present invention) and the rear wall 47b (first wall of the present invention) of the cleaner holder 47 are formed with slits 46a and notches 47c and 47d that expose the periphery thereof.

  The wiper cleaner 46 is installed at a position where the portion above the wiper holder 42 of the wiper 41 can pass through the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46 while the wiper 41 moves between the standby position and the wipe position. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, when the wiper 41 moves rearward from the standby position toward the wipe position, first, the gap expanding portion 51 behind the wiper 41 (forward in the traveling direction) It is inserted into the slit 46 a before the wiper 41. Since the gap enlarging portion 51 has high rigidity, it can be smoothly inserted into the slit 46a even if it is thicker than the wiper 41. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6C, the wiper 41 is inserted into the slit 46 a that is expanded by the gap expanding portion 51. Therefore, the wiper 41 can be prevented from being caught by the slit 46a, and the wiper 41 can be smoothly inserted into the slit 46a. As shown in FIG. 6D, when the gap expanding portion 50 passes through the slit 46 a, the slit 46 a becomes narrow and the wiper cleaner 46 comes into contact with both surfaces of the wiper 41.

  As shown in FIG. 7A to FIG. 7F, when the wiper 41 moves from the wipe position to the standby position, the gap expanding portion 50 disposed in front of the wiper 41 (also forward in the traveling direction). Thus, the wiper 41 can be smoothly inserted into the slit 46a as in the case of moving in the reverse direction. In this case, the ink attached to the wiper 41 when the ejection surface 4 a is wiped can be removed by the wiper cleaner 46.

  As described above, since ink does not adhere much to the left surface (second surface of the present invention) 41s2 of the wiper 41, the portion that contacts the left surface 41s2 of the wiper cleaner (second contact portion of the present invention) is the wiper 41. There may be little involvement in cleaning. In both cases where the ink adheres to the left surface 41s2, the portion that contacts the left surface 41s2 of the wiper cleaner (second contact portion of the present invention) is the right surface (first surface of the present invention) 41s1 of the wiper 41. And the function of ensuring the contact surface pressure between the wiper cleaner 41 and the wiper cleaner 41.

  The ends of the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 opposite to the wiper 41 are formed in a tapered shape in a direction away from the wiper 41 in the wiper moving direction. Therefore, it is easy to insert the gap enlarged portions 50 and 51 into the slit 46a.

  By inserting the gap enlarged portions 50 and 51 into the slit 46a, the wiper cleaner 46 is compressed and deformed in the left-right direction. As a result, the ink already absorbed by the wiper cleaner 46 can be discharged, and the absorption performance of the wiper cleaner 46 can be recovered.

  The gap enlarging part 50 arranged in front of the wiper 41 is longer in the wiper moving direction (front-rear direction) than the gap enlarging part 51 arranged behind the wiper 41. Therefore, the gap expanding portion 50 can compress and deform the wiper cleaner 46 in a wider range with respect to the wiper moving direction, and can further recover the absorption performance. Therefore, the cleaning accuracy of the wiper 41 when moving from the wipe position to the standby position without increasing the total length of the gap enlargement portions 50 and 51 compared to the case where the lengths of the gap enlargement portions 50 and 51 are the same. Can be improved. The lengths of the gap expanding portion 50 and the gap expanding portion 51 in the wiper moving direction may be the same.

  Since both ends 46b and 46c of the wiper cleaner 46 are fixed by the fixing rods 48 and 48, when the gap enlarged portion (50 or 51) is inserted into the slit 46a, the wiper cleaner 46 has both ends 46b and 46c. Is deformed so as to bend in the traveling direction of the wiper 41 with the fulcrum as a fulcrum. Therefore, for example, compared to the case where the entire upper surface of the wiper cleaner 46 is fixed to the cleaner holder 47, the slit 46a is easy to expand. Therefore, the gap enlarged portion (50 or 51) inserted into the slit 46a before the wiper 41 is provided. It can be smoothly moved in the slit 46a.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6F, when the wiper 41 passes rearward through the slit 46 a, the rear surface of the wiper cleaner 46 is pressed against the rear wall 47 b of the cleaner holder 47 and the rear of the wiper cleaner 46. The deformation to is regulated. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7F, when the wiper 41 passes forward through the slit 46a, the front surface of the wiper cleaner 46 is pressed against the front wall 47a of the cleaner holder 47, and the wiper cleaner The forward deformation of 46 is restricted. The front wall cutout 47c of the cleaner holder 47 is shorter in the scanning direction (left-right direction) than the rear wall cutout 47d. Therefore, the front wall 47 a of the cleaner holder 47 has a larger contact area with the wiper cleaner 46 than the rear wall 47 b of the cleaner holder 47. Therefore, when the wiper 41 moves forward from the wipe position and passes through the slit 46a, the wiper cleaner 46 is less likely to be deformed than when the wiper 41 passes through the slit 46a in the reverse direction, and the wiper cleaner 46 is stronger against the wiper 41. The contact can be made, and the cleaning accuracy can be improved. Further, since the load on the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner 46 is suppressed when the wiper 41 moves from the standby position to the wiping position, the life can be extended.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the ink jet printer 1. 2 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) including various control circuits, and the like. The control device 7 executes various processes such as printing on the recording paper P by the ASIC according to the program stored in the ROM. The control device 7 is based on a print command input from an external device such as a PC, and a carriage motor 15 that drives the inkjet head 4, the carriage 3, and the conveyance rollers 17 and 18 of the conveyance mechanism 5. 23 is controlled to print on the recording paper P. The control device 7 drives the carriage drive motor 15 to control the position of the inkjet head 4 at the time of maintenance (suction purge or ink wiping), and also moves the suction cap 31 up and down, and the suction lift motor 24. The pump 32 and the wiper drive motor 25 that drives the wiper 41 are controlled to perform suction purge and ink wiping.

  A series of operations of the maintenance unit 6 will be specifically described. The control device 7 operates the maintenance unit 6 when it is necessary to perform suction purge of the inkjet head 4 immediately after power-on or when a purge command is input by the user.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, the inkjet head 4 is positioned at a maintenance position facing the suction cap 31. Next, the cap lifting / lowering motor 24 is driven to raise the suction cap 31 from the standby position shown in FIG. 5A, and the suction cap 31 is brought into close contact with the ejection surface 4a of the inkjet head 4 as shown in FIG. Let In this state, the suction pump 32 is driven to reduce the pressure in the suction cap 31. Thereby, foreign matter and bubbles mixed in the inkjet head 4 are sucked and discharged together with ink from the plurality of ejection ports 16 covered with the suction cap 31 (suction purge).

  When the suction purge for a certain time is completed, the suction cap 31 is lowered and returned to the standby position again. At this time, a part of the ink discharged from the discharge port 16 is attached to the discharge surface 4a. Then, the wiper 41 is continuously made to wipe the ink of the discharge surface 4a. First, as shown in FIG. 5C and FIGS. 6A to 6F, the wiper drive motor 25 is driven to move the wiper 41 from the standby position to the wipe position. At this time, the wiper 41 and the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 pass through the slit 46 a of the wiper cleaner 46.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5D, the carriage 3 is moved in a direction approaching the platen 2, the tip of the wiper 41 is brought into contact with the ejection surface 4 a of the inkjet head 4 and adhered to the ejection surface 4 a. The ink is wiped off with the wiper 41. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7F, the wiper 41 is moved from the wipe position to the standby position. At this time, since the wiper 41 and the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 pass through the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46, the ink attached to the wiper 41 when the ejection surface 4a is wiped off is removed by the wiper cleaner 46.

  In the present embodiment, the scanning direction (left-right direction) corresponds to the first direction of the present invention, the vertical direction perpendicular to the ejection surface 4a corresponds to the second direction of the present invention, and the wiper moving direction (front-rear direction) Direction) corresponds to the third direction. Further, the gap enlargement portion 50 corresponds to the first gap enlargement portion of the present invention, and the gap enlargement portion 51 corresponds to the second gap enlargement portion of the present invention.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made as long as they are described in the claims. Moreover, the example of a change mentioned later can be implemented in combination as appropriate.

  In the embodiment, the two gap enlarged portions 50 and 51 are arranged so as not to contact the front end and the rear end of the wiper 41, respectively, but one or both of the two gap enlarged portions 50 and 51 are The wiper 41 may be in contact with the end portion in the front-rear direction.

  For example, like the gap expanding portions 150 and 151 shown in FIG. 8, the vertical length of the gap expanding portions 150 and 151 is the length from the wiper holder 42 to the tip 41a of the wiper 41 (from the lower end 41b to the tip 41a). Length) or more. However, in this case, it is necessary to make the width of the wiper 41 longer than the length of the ejection surface 4a in the front-rear direction so that the gap expanding portions 150 and 151 do not contact the inkjet head 4 or the carriage 3. According to this modification, when the wiper 41 is inserted into the slit 46a, the upper end of the wiper 41 can be more reliably prevented from being caught by the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46.

  In the above-described embodiment, the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 are arranged in the wiper moving direction with the portion above the wiper holder 42 of the wiper 41. For example, as shown in FIG. The portion of the wiper 41 held by the wiper holder 42 may be aligned with the wiper moving direction. In this case, it is necessary to make the length of the wiper cleaner 246 in the vertical direction longer than that in the above embodiment so that the gap expanding portions 250 and 251 are aligned with the wiper cleaner 246 in the wiper moving direction. Further, in order to increase the contact area and contact surface pressure between the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner 246, the thickness (scanning direction length) D of the portion of the wiper holder 242 that passes through the slit 246a is the thickness of the gap expanding portions 250 and 251. Is preferably smaller. According to this modified form, when the ejection surface 4a is wiped with the wiper 41, the gap enlarged portions 250 and 251 are not easily obstructed, and the carriage 3 and the inkjet head 4 have a high degree of freedom in shape.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the gap enlarged portion 350 may be tapered such that the end on the wiper 41 side approaches the wiper 41. According to this modification, when the gap expanding portion 350 is inserted into the slit 46a after the wiper 41, the gap expanding portion 350 can be prevented from being caught by the slit 46a.

  In the embodiment, the length of the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 in the scanning direction (left-right direction) is larger than the thickness of the wiper 41, but may be the same as the thickness of the wiper 41.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, instead of providing the gap enlarged portions 50 and 51, the rigidity of at least one end in the width direction of the wiper (441) (both ends 441 a and 441 a in FIG. 11) In FIG. 11, it may be higher than the rigidity of the intermediate portion 441b). A specific method for increasing the rigidity only in part is not particularly limited. For example, the thickness of the end portion 441a is thicker than that of the intermediate portion 441b, only the surface of the end portion 441a is coated, or the end portion 441a and the intermediate portion And molding 441b with different materials (including the case where only the blending ratio is different). According to this modification, the intermediate portion 441b is inserted into the slit expanded by the end portion 441a, so that the intermediate portion 441b can be prevented from being caught by the wiper cleaner 46. The width of the intermediate portion 441b is preferably equal to or longer than the longitudinal length of the ejection surface 4a. In order to suppress the force applied to the discharge surface 4a when the discharge surface 4a is wiped with the wiper 441, it is preferable to form a slit 441c at the boundary between the end portion 441a and the intermediate portion 441b.

  The wiper cleaner 46 of the above embodiment has a horizontal lower surface as a whole. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, at least a portion (546b) directly below the slit 46a of the lower surface of the wiper cleaner 546 has a different height on the left and right. It may be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. Accordingly, the ink absorbed by the wiper cleaner 546 can be collected by moving downward along the inclined surface 246b. In FIG. 12, an ink discharge portion 546c protruding downward from the lowermost end of the inclined surface 546b is formed in the wiper cleaner 546, and ink is discharged from the ink discharge portion 546c.

  In the above-described embodiment, the wiper cleaner 46 is composed only of the absorber. However, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, the wiper cleaner 646 is an ink absorbing portion 649a made of an absorber (the first contact portion of the present invention). For example, the wiper contact portion 649b (second contact portion of the present invention) formed of a synthetic resin or the like and having higher rigidity than the absorbent body may be used. The ink absorbing portion 649a contacts the right surface 41s1 (first surface of the present invention) of the wiper 41, and the wiper contact portion 649b contacts the left surface 41s2 (second surface of the present invention) of the wiper 41. The gap enlarged portions 650 and 651 are formed so as not to protrude from the surface 41 s 2 of the wiper 41 in the thickness direction of the wiper 41. Since the ink mainly adheres to the surface 41s1 and does not adhere much to the surface 41s2, the wiper cleaner 646 can also clean the wiper 41. However, the wiper cleaner 46 of the above embodiment is preferable in order to improve the cleaning quality. The wiper contact portion 649b plays a role of ensuring a contact surface pressure between the surface 41s1 of the wiper 41 and the ink absorbing portion 649a.

  In the above-described embodiment, the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 and the wiper 41 move integrally. However, the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 may be movable separately from the wiper 41. For example, the gap expanding portions 50 and 51 are attached to the wiper holder 42 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. When the discharge surface 4a is wiped with the wiper 41, the wiper 41 is inserted into the slit 46a of the wiper cleaner 46. It may be positioned below the time.

  In the embodiment, the standby position of the wiper 41 is in front of the wipe position (paper feeding direction), but may be in the rear of the wipe position.

  In the embodiment, the wiper 41 moves and the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner 46 move relative to each other. For example, as shown in FIGS. 14 (d) to 14 (g) and FIGS. 15 (d) to 15 (g). In addition, the wiper cleaner 46 may move in the front-rear direction, so that the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner 46 may move relative to each other. 14 (a) to 14 (g) and FIGS. 15 (a) to 15 (g) will be described in detail. The wiper 41 can be moved up and down by a lifting mechanism 743 operated by a motor or the like. Can be reciprocated in a direction parallel to the ejection surface 4a and perpendicular to the scanning direction (front-rear direction) by a moving mechanism (not shown) that is operated by a motor or the like (not shown). When the ink on the ejection surface 4a is wiped off, the wiper 41 is first lifted from the position shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 15 (a) to the position shown in FIGS. 14 (b) and 15 (b). Let In this state, as shown in FIGS. 14C and 15C, the ink-jet head 4 is moved in the scanning direction, and the ink adhering to the ejection surface 4a is wiped by the wiper 41. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 14 (d) and 15 (d), the wiper 41 is lowered, and as shown in FIGS. 14 (e) to (g) and FIGS. 15 (e) to (g), The wiper cleaner 46 is reciprocated in the front-rear direction, and the ink attached to the wiper 41 is removed by the wiper cleaner 46.

  In the above embodiment, the wiper 41 passes through the slit 46a when the wiper 41 moves in the front-rear direction with respect to the wiper cleaner 46. For example, as shown in FIG. When the wiper 41 moves relative to the wiper cleaner 46 in either the front-rear direction, the wiper 41 may not pass through the slit 46a. In this case, the gap enlarged portion (gap enlarged portion 50 in FIG. 15 (f)) is arranged only on one side in the width direction of the wiper 41, and the gap enlarged portion is not arranged on the other side in the width direction of the wiper 41.

  In the embodiment, the wiper 41 is arranged so that the width direction thereof is parallel to the ejection surface 4a and perpendicular to the scanning direction, and the wiper moving mechanism 43 drives the wiper 41 in the wiper width direction. The arrangement direction of the wiper 41 and the driving direction of the wiper 41 are not limited to the above. The wiper width direction may be any direction that intersects the direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to the ejection surface 4a and intersects the scanning direction. Further, the movement direction of the wiper 41 by the wiper moving mechanism 43 may not be completely parallel to the wiper width direction as long as the direction is along the wiper 41. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the wiper 41 is extended in the up-down direction, you may incline with respect to the up-down direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner 46 are linearly moved in the width direction of the wiper 41. For example, as shown in FIGS. However, it may be relatively moved in the circumferential direction around the axis C1 in the direction orthogonal to the wiper 41. In this case, the wiper 41 and the wiper cleaner intersect with each other in the direction (vertical direction) perpendicular to the ejection surface 4a and in the direction intersecting with the scanning direction. 16A to 16E, the wiper cleaner 46 is fixed, and the wiper 41 can be rotated by a wiper moving mechanism 843 operated by a motor or the like. However, the wiper 41 is fixed, and the wiper The cleaner 46 may rotate.

  In the above embodiment, the inkjet head 4 is moved to the left and the ejection surface 4a is wiped by the right surface 41s1 of the wiper 41. However, the inkjet head 4 is moved to the right and the ejection surface 4a is moved to the left surface 41s2 of the wiper 41. You may wipe it off with. Alternatively, the inkjet head 4 may be moved back and forth while the wiper 41 is placed at the wiping position, and the ejection surface 4a may be wiped off by the left and right sides 41s1 and 41s2 of the wiper 41.

  In the embodiment, the ejection surface 4a is wiped by the wiper 41 by moving the inkjet head 4 in the scanning direction together with the carriage 3, but the wiper 41 is removed from the inkjet head 4 by an appropriate means such as a motor. You may comprise so that the discharge surface 4a may be wiped by moving.

  Further, the wiping direction of the wiper 41 (moving direction with respect to the ejection surface 4 a) is not limited to the direction away from the platen 2. For example, the wiper 41 may be moved in the direction approaching the platen 2, or the wiper 41 may be moved in the paper feed direction by arranging the wiper 41 in a direction intersecting the paper feed direction.

  The timing of performing ink wiping of the ejection surface 4a by the wiper 41 is not limited to after the suction purge described in the above embodiment. For example, the ink may be wiped after ink is ejected onto the recording paper P and printing is performed.

  In the above-described embodiment and its modifications, the present invention is applied to an ink discharge apparatus of an ink jet printer that discharges ink onto a recording sheet and prints an image or the like. The present invention can also be applied to a liquid ejection device used in various applications. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a liquid ejection device that ejects a conductive liquid onto a substrate to form a conductive pattern on the substrate surface.

1 Inkjet printer (liquid ejection device)
4 Inkjet head (liquid discharge head)
4a Discharge surface 16 Discharge port 41, 441 Wiper 41a Tip 41b Lower end (end)
41s1 Right side (first side)
41s2 left side (second side)
42, 242 Wiper holder 43, 843 Wiper moving mechanism (moving mechanism)
46, 246, 546, 646 Wiper cleaner 46a, 246a Slit (gap)
47 Cleaner holder 47a Front wall (second wall)
47b Rear wall (first wall)
47c Notch (second notch)
47d Notch (first notch)
48 Fixed rods 50, 51, 150, 151, 250, 251, 350, 650, 651 Gap enlarged portion 441a End portion 441b Intermediate portion (other portion)
649a Ink absorbing portion (first contact portion)
649b Wiper contact part (second contact part)

Claims (13)

A liquid discharge head having a discharge surface formed with a plurality of discharge ports for discharging liquid;
A plate-like wiper that is movable relative to the liquid discharge head in a first direction, has a first surface and a second surface, and wipes the discharge surface by at least the first surface;
A wiper cleaner for cleaning the liquid adhering to at least the first surface of the wiper;
A moving mechanism that relatively moves the wiper and the wiper cleaner in a third direction that intersects the first direction and a second direction that is orthogonal to the discharge surface;
The wiper cleaner
A first contact portion made of an absorber that absorbs a liquid, and in contact with the first surface of the wiper;
A second contact portion disposed opposite to the first contact portion and in contact with the second surface of the wiper,
A gap expanding portion that is movable relative to the wiper cleaner integrally with the wiper, and is disposed on at least one side of the third direction with respect to the wiper, and has higher rigidity than the wiper, When the wiper and the wiper cleaner move relative to each other in the third direction, the wiper and the wiper cleaner include a gap expanding portion that is inserted into the gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion before the wiper to widen the gap. A liquid ejecting apparatus.   2. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a distance in the first direction between the first contact portion and the second contact portion is equal to or less than a length of the wiper in the first direction.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a length of the gap expanding portion in the first direction is longer than a length of the wiper in the first direction.   4. The liquid ejection device according to claim 2, wherein the gap enlarging portion is disposed to face an end portion of the wiper in the third direction in the third direction. A wiper holder for holding an end of the wiper opposite to the discharge surface in the second direction;
When the wiper is not in contact with the discharge surface, the length in the second direction of the gap expanding portion is shorter than the length in the second direction from the end to the tip of the wiper,
5. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the wiper comes into contact with the ejection surface, the gap expanding portion is separated from the ejection surface in the second direction. A wiper holder for holding an end of the wiper opposite to the discharge surface in the second direction;
When the wiper is not in contact with the discharge surface, the length in the second direction of the gap expanding portion is equal to or longer than the length in the second direction from the end to the tip of the wiper,
The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a length of the wiper in the third direction is longer than a length of the ejection surface in the third direction.   The gap expanding portion has a shape in which an end opposite to the wiper with respect to the third direction is tapered in a direction away from the wiper with respect to the third direction. A liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, comprising two gap enlarged portions arranged on both sides of the wiper in the third direction. The two gap enlarged portions are
After the wiper wipes the discharge surface, a first gap enlarged portion disposed so as to be inserted into the gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion before the wiper;
A second gap enlarged portion disposed on the opposite side of the first gap enlarged portion with respect to the third direction of the wiper;
The length of the second gap enlarged portion in the third direction is shorter than the length of the first contact portion in the third direction and the length of the first gap enlarged portion in the third direction. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the liquid ejecting apparatus is a liquid ejecting apparatus. A liquid discharge head having a discharge surface formed with a plurality of discharge ports for discharging liquid;
A plate-like wiper that is movable relative to the liquid discharge head in a first direction, has a first surface and a second surface, and wipes the discharge surface by at least the first surface;
A wiper cleaner for cleaning the liquid adhering to at least the first surface of the wiper;
A moving mechanism that relatively moves the wiper and the wiper cleaner in a third direction that intersects the first direction and a second direction that is orthogonal to the discharge surface;
The wiper cleaner
A first contact portion made of an absorber that absorbs a liquid, and in contact with the first surface of the wiper;
A second contact portion disposed opposite to the first contact portion and in contact with the second surface of the wiper,
In the wiper, at least one end portion in the third direction has higher rigidity than the other portion, and when the wiper and the wiper cleaner move relative to each other in the third direction, the one end portion is A liquid ejection apparatus, wherein the gap is widened by being inserted into a gap between the first contact portion and the second contact portion before the other portion.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second contact portion includes an absorber that absorbs liquid. A cleaner holder for fixing both ends of the wiper cleaner in the one direction;
12. The wiper cleaner is deformed so as to bend in the third direction with both end portions in the first direction as fulcrums when the gap enlarged portion is inserted into the gap of the wiper cleaner. The liquid discharge apparatus according to 1. The cleaner holder has a first wall that becomes the wiper side when the wiper wipes the discharge surface, and a first wall and a second wall opposite to the third direction,
A first notch that exposes the gap of the wiper cleaner is formed in the first wall,
A second notch for exposing the gap of the wiper cleaner is formed in the second wall,
The liquid ejection device according to claim 12, wherein a length of the second notch in the first direction is shorter than a length of the first notch in the first direction.

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