JP6658609B2 - Recording head recovery system and ink jet recording apparatus provided with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording head recovery system having an ink ejection surface having an ink ejection opening for ejecting ink onto a recording medium such as paper, and an ink jet recording apparatus including the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art As a recording apparatus such as a facsimile, a copying machine, and a printer, an ink jet recording apparatus that forms an image by discharging ink is widely used because it can form a high-definition image.

  In such an ink jet recording apparatus, a minute ink droplet (hereinafter, referred to as a mist) ejected together with an ink droplet for image recording, and a bounce mist generated when the ink droplet adheres to a recording medium are generated by a recording head. And solidifies on the ink ejection surface. When the mist on the ink ejection surface gradually increases and overlaps the ink ejection port, the rectilinearity of ink (flying curve), non-ejection, and the like occur, and the printing performance of the recording head deteriorates.

  Therefore, in order to clean the ink ejection surface of the recording head, a cleaning liquid supply port is provided on a portion of the ink ejection surface outside the ink ejection area where the plurality of ink ejection openings are opened (upstream in the wiping direction of the wiper). An ink jet recording apparatus provided with a plurality of is known. In this ink jet recording apparatus, after supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply port, the wiper is moved along the ink discharge surface from the outside of the cleaning liquid supply port, thereby holding the cleaning liquid with the wiper. Can be wiped. In this way, the recording head recovery process can be performed.

  An ink jet recording apparatus in which a plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports are provided on an ink ejection surface of a recording head is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-163873.

JP 2007-83496 A

  However, in the above-described conventional ink jet recording apparatus, since the wiper passes over the cleaning liquid supply port every time the recording head recovery processing is performed, there is a problem that the edge of the cleaning liquid supply port causes damage to the tip of the wiper. . If the tip of the wiper becomes so scratched that the tip of the wiper is chipped, the wiping performance of the wiper is significantly reduced, and the wiper is left unwiped.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a recording head that can clean an ink ejection surface while suppressing damage to a wiper. An object of the present invention is to provide a recovery system and an ink jet recording apparatus including the same.

  In order to achieve the above object, a recording head recovery system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an ink ejection surface provided with an ink ejection area in which a plurality of ink ejection ports for ejecting ink are opened on a recording medium. A recording head including a wiper for wiping an ink ejection surface in a predetermined direction, and holding and moving the wiper along the ink ejection surface, and extending the ink ejection surface in a head width direction orthogonal to a wiping direction in which the wiper wipes. The apparatus includes a wiper holding member that can rotate around a rotation axis, a rotation mechanism that rotates the wiper holding member around the rotation axis, and a control unit that controls the rotation mechanism. The recording head is disposed upstream of the ink ejection area in the wiping direction, and includes a cleaning liquid supply area in which a plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports for supplying the cleaning liquid are opened. The controller moves the wiper from a position upstream of the cleaning liquid supply area in the wiping direction to a position downstream of the ink discharge area in the wiping direction from a cleaning liquid supply operation for supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply port. By doing so, it is possible to execute a recovery operation of the recording head including a wiping operation of wiping the ink ejection surface with the wiper holding the cleaning liquid. During the wiping operation, the control unit rotates the wiper holding member so that the pressure contact angle of the tip of the wiper with respect to the ink ejection surface becomes small after the wiper passes through the cleaning liquid supply area and before the ink ejection area is reached. Let it.

  According to the recording head recovery system of the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit controls the wiper from a position upstream of the cleaning liquid supply region in the wiping direction to a position downstream of the ink discharge region in the wiping direction. By moving the wiper, it is possible to execute a wiping operation of wiping the ink ejection surface with the wiper holding the cleaning liquid. Thereby, the ink ejection surface can be cleaned.

  Further, during the wiping operation, after the wiper passes through the cleaning liquid supply area and before it reaches the ink ejection area, the wiper holding member is configured to reduce the pressure contact angle of the tip of the wiper with respect to the ink ejection surface. Rotate. That is, when the wiper passes through the cleaning liquid supply area, the pressure contact angle of the tip of the wiper with respect to the recording head becomes larger than when the wiper wipes the ink ejection area. Thus, the pressing force of the wiper against the recording head when passing through the cleaning liquid supply area can be suppressed, so that the tip of the wiper can be prevented from being damaged by the edge of the cleaning liquid supply port.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a structure of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view of the first transport unit and the recording unit of the inkjet recording apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 as viewed from above. Diagram of the recording head that constitutes the line head of the recording unit View of the print head viewed from the ink ejection surface side View of the print head area from diagonally below View of the cleaning liquid supply member of the recording head viewed from diagonally below View of the cleaning liquid supply member of the recording head viewed from below View of the recording head area from diagonally above Image of wipe unit viewed from diagonally above Image of wipe unit viewed from diagonally above View of the area around the wiper holding stay and the rotating mechanism as viewed from obliquely above The figure which shows the attachment structure with respect to a wiper holding stay of a wiper. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a wipe unit is arranged below a recording unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a wiper is arranged below a recording head. The figure which shows the state which raised the wiper from the state of FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a state in which the wiper is moved in the direction of arrow A while the wiper is pressed against the cleaning liquid supply member from the state of FIG. Diagram showing a state where a wiper passes through a cleaning liquid supply area FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which a wiper holding stay is rotated by a predetermined angle after the wiper has passed a step; The figure which shows the state which moved the wiper further in the direction of arrow A from the state of FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a state in which the wiper is further moved in the direction of arrow A from the state of FIG. 19, and then the wiper is lowered to be separated from the ink ejection surface.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a paper feed tray 2 for storing paper S (recording medium) is provided on the left side of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The paper feed roller 3 for transporting and feeding the stored paper S one by one from the uppermost paper S one by one to a first transport unit 5 described later, and is pressed against the paper feed roller 3 and is driven to rotate. A driven roller 4 is provided.

  A first transport unit 5 and a recording unit 9 are arranged on the downstream side (right side in FIG. 1) of the paper feed roller 3 and the driven roller 4 with respect to the paper transport direction (the direction of the arrow X). The first transport unit 5 is configured to include a first drive roller 6, a first driven roller 7, a first transport belt 8 stretched over the first drive roller 6 and the first driven roller 7, and has an inkjet structure. The paper S held on the first transport belt 8 is transported in the direction of arrow X by the first drive roller 6 being driven to rotate clockwise by a control signal from the control unit 110 that controls the entire recording apparatus 100. You.

  The recording unit 9 includes a head housing 10 and line heads 11C, 11M, 11Y, and 11K held by the head housing 10. These line heads 11C to 11K are supported at a height such that a predetermined interval (for example, 1 mm) is formed with respect to the transport surface of the first transport belt 8, and as shown in FIG. A plurality (here, three) of recording heads 17a to 17c are arranged in a zigzag pattern along the orthogonal paper width direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an ink ejection area in which a large number of ink ejection ports 18a (see FIG. 2) are arranged on the ink ejection surface F1 of the head section (ink ejection head section) 18 of the recording heads 17a to 17c. R1 is provided. The opening diameter of the ink ejection port 18a is set to, for example, 20 μm. At least the ink ejection surface F1 of the head portion 18 is formed of, for example, SUS (stainless steel). The ink ejection surface F1 has been subjected to a water-repellent treatment by applying a fluorine-based or silicon-based water-repellent agent. Since the recording heads 17a to 17c have the same shape and configuration, FIGS. 3 and 4 show the recording heads 17a to 17c in one diagram.

  The recording heads 17a to 17c constituting the line heads 11C to 11K respectively receive four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) of ink stored in ink tanks (not shown) of the line heads 11C to 11K. Supplied for each color.

  Each of the recording heads 17a to 17c adsorbs and holds the sheet S to be conveyed while being sucked and held on the conveying surface of the first conveying belt 8 in accordance with image data received from an external computer according to a control signal from the control unit 110 (see FIG. 1). The ink is ejected from the ink ejection port 18a toward. As a result, a color image in which four inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are superimposed on the paper S on the first conveyor belt 8 is formed.

  The recording heads 17a to 17c are provided with a cleaning liquid supply member (cleaning liquid supply head unit) 60 for supplying a cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid supply member 60 is disposed adjacent to the head section 18 on the upstream side (the right side in FIG. 3) of the wipers 35a to 35c described later in the wiping direction. The cleaning liquid supply member 60 has a cleaning liquid supply surface F2 including a cleaning liquid supply region R2 in which a plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports 60a (see FIG. 6) for supplying the cleaning liquid are arranged. The opening diameter of the cleaning liquid supply port 60a is set to be larger than the opening diameter of the ink discharge port 18a, for example, 0.1 mm. The cleaning liquid supply member 60 is formed of a resin.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, an inclined surface 62 is formed in a portion of the cleaning liquid supply member 60 on the upstream side (the right side in FIG. 3) in the wiping direction with respect to the cleaning liquid supply surface F2. A thin plate portion 65 having a thin plate shape is formed on the downstream side (left side in FIG. 3) of the cleaning liquid supply member 60 in the wiping direction. The thin plate portion 65 is located at the end of the ink ejection surface F1 of the head portion 18. It is arranged to overlap below. Thus, a step corresponding to the thickness of the thin plate portion 65 is formed at the boundary between the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 and the ink discharge surface F1. The thin plate portion 65 is formed to have a thickness of, for example, 0.05 mm to 0.1 mm. Therefore, the height position H2 of the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 (see FIG. 17) is lower than the height position H1 of the ink ejection surface F1 (see FIG. 17) by, for example, 0.05 mm to 0.1 mm. In FIG. 5 and FIG. 8, which will be described later, only some of the recording heads 17a to 17c are illustrated for easy understanding.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports 60a are arranged at a predetermined pitch in a head width direction (arrow BB 'direction) orthogonal to the wiping direction (arrow A direction). Although only one row of a plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports 60a arranged along the head width direction is illustrated in the figure, a plurality of rows are provided adjacent to the wiping direction (arrow A direction). It may be.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the downstream end of a supply path 70 formed of a tube through which the cleaning liquid passes is connected to the cleaning liquid supply member 60. The upstream end of the supply path 70 is connected to a cleaning liquid supply mechanism (not shown). The cleaning liquid supply mechanism includes a tank (not shown) for storing the cleaning liquid, and a pump (not shown) for pumping the cleaning liquid from the tank to the supply path 70.

  The supply path 70 is configured by one path at the upstream end, but is repeatedly branched toward the downstream side, and is branched into 12 paths. The twelve paths are connected to the cleaning liquid supply members 60 of the recording heads 17a to 17c, respectively.

  In this ink jet recording apparatus 100, in order to clean the ink ejection surfaces F1 of the recording heads 17a to 17c, at the start of printing after a long term stoppage and between printing operations, the ink ejection of all the recording heads 17a to 17c is performed. The ink is forcibly discharged from the outlet 18a, and the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 from the cleaning liquid supply ports 60a (see FIG. 6) of all the recording heads 17a to 17c in parallel. The ink ejection surface F1 is wiped by 35c to prepare for the next printing operation.

  Returning to FIG. 1, a second transport unit 12 is disposed downstream of the first transport unit 5 in the paper transport direction (right side in FIG. 1). The second transport unit 12 includes a second drive roller 13, a second driven roller 14, and a second transport belt 15 wrapped around the second drive roller 13 and the second driven roller 14. The paper S held on the second transport belt 15 is transported in the direction of arrow X by rotating the second drive roller 13 clockwise.

  The paper S on which the ink image has been recorded by the recording unit 9 is sent to the second transport unit 12, and the ink discharged to the surface of the paper S while passing through the second transport unit 12 is dried. Further, a wipe unit 19 and a cap unit 90 are arranged below the second transport unit 12. The wipe unit 19 moves below the recording unit 9 when performing the above-described wiping operation by the wipers 35a to 35c, and the ink and the cleaning liquid forcibly discharged from the ink discharge ports 18a of the recording heads 17a to 17c. The cleaning liquid supplied from the supply port 60a is wiped, and the wiped ink and cleaning liquid are collected. Further, the wipe unit 19 is configured to be able to move up and down by a drive mechanism (not shown) including a drive source such as a stepping motor. When the wipe unit 19 moves up and down, the wipers 35a to 35c also move up and down. The cap unit 90 moves horizontally below the recording unit 9 when capping the ink ejection surfaces F1 (see FIG. 3) of the recording heads 17a to 17c, and moves further upward to be mounted on the lower surfaces of the recording heads 17a to 17c. Is done.

  On the downstream side of the second transport unit 12 with respect to the paper transport direction, a discharge roller pair 16 for discharging the paper S on which the image is recorded to the outside of the apparatus main body is provided. Is provided with a discharge tray (not shown) on which sheets S discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body are stacked.

  Next, the detailed structure of the wipe unit 19 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the wipe unit 19 has a substantially rectangular wiper carriage 31 to which a plurality of wipers 35 a to 35 c movable along the ink ejection surface F <b> 1 is attached, and a support that supports the wiper carriage 31. And a frame 40.

  Rail portions 41a and 41b are formed on opposite edges of the upper surface of the support frame 40. Rollers 36 provided at four corners of the wiper carriage 31 contact the rail portions 41a and 41b, so that the wiper carriage 31 The support frame 40 is slidably supported in the direction of arrow AA ′.

  Outside the support frame 40, a wiper carriage moving motor 45 for moving the wiper carriage 31 in the horizontal direction (the direction of the arrow AA ') and rack teeth (not shown) of the wiper carriage moving motor 45 and the wiper carriage 31 are provided. An engaging gear train (not shown) is attached. When the wiper carriage moving motor 45 rotates forward and backward, the gear train rotates forward and backward, and the wiper carriage 31 reciprocates in the horizontal direction (the direction of the arrow AA ').

  The wipers 35a to 35c are for wiping the cleaning liquid supplied to the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 from the cleaning liquid supply ports 60a (see FIG. 6) of the recording heads 17a to 17c and the ink discharged from the ink discharge ports 18a. It is an elastic member (for example, a rubber member made of EPDM). The wipers 35 a to 35 c are pressed against a portion (here, the inclined surface 62) on the upstream side in the wiping direction with respect to the cleaning liquid supply region R <b> 2 (see FIG. 4) of the cleaning liquid supply member 60, and the wiper carriage 31 moves for cleaning. The liquid supply surface F2 and the ink ejection surface F1 are wiped in a predetermined direction (the direction of arrow A).

  The four wipers 35a are arranged at substantially equal intervals, and similarly, the four wipers 35b and the four wipers 35c are also arranged at substantially equal intervals. The wipers 35a and 35c are arranged at positions corresponding to the left and right recording heads 17a and 17c (see FIG. 2) constituting the line heads 11C to 11K, respectively. Further, the wiper 35b is arranged at a position corresponding to the central recording head 17b (see FIG. 2) constituting each of the line heads 11C to 11K, and moves the wiper carriage 31 with respect to the wipers 35a and 35c (arrow AA). (The 'direction') is fixed by being shifted by a predetermined distance in a direction (direction of the arrow B) orthogonal to the 'direction'.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the four wipers 35a are sandwiched between one wiper holding stay (wiper holding member) 32 and four pressing sheet metals 33 extending in the head width direction (arrow BB 'direction). And is fixed to the wiper holding stay 32 using a screw 34. The four wipers 35b and the four wipers 35c are similarly fixed to the wiper holding stay 32.

  At both ends in the head width direction of the wiper holding stay 32, a rotation shaft 32a extending in the head width direction is provided. In addition, the wiper holding stay 32 may be fixed to one rotating shaft 32a longer than the wiper holding stay 32. The rotation shaft 32a is supported by a bearing (not shown) of the wiper carriage 31, and the wiper holding stay 32 is rotatable about the rotation shaft 32a. When the wiper carriage 31 moves in the direction of the arrow AA ', the wiper holding stay 32 moves in the direction of the arrow AA' while holding the wipers 35a to 35c.

  A rotating mechanism 37 for rotating the wiper holding stay 32 about the rotating shaft 32a is connected to one of the rotating shafts 32a. The rotation mechanism 37 includes a gear train including an angle adjustment motor 38 including a stepping motor, a gear 39a fixed to the rotation shaft 32a, and a plurality of gears 39b connecting the motor gear 38a and the gear 39a of the angle adjustment motor 38. And is constituted by. When the angle adjusting motor 38 rotates in the forward and reverse directions, the wiper holding stay 32 rotates by a predetermined angle in the forward and reverse directions while holding the wipers 35a to 35c.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, on the upper surface of the support frame 40, a collection tray 44 for collecting the waste ink and the cleaning liquid wiped from the ink ejection surface F1 by the wipers 35a to 35c is arranged. A discharge hole (not shown) is formed substantially at the center of the collection tray 44, and the tray surfaces 44a and 44b on both sides of the discharge hole are inclined downward toward the discharge hole. The waste ink and the cleaning liquid that have been wiped off from the ink ejection surface F1 by the wipers 35a to 35c and have fallen on the tray surfaces 44a and 44b flow toward a discharge hole (not shown). Thereafter, the ink is collected in a collection tank (not shown) through an ink collection path (not shown) connected to the discharge hole.

  Next, a recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c using the wipe unit 19 in the inkjet recording apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described. In the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c described below, the operations of the recording heads 17a to 17c, the wipe unit 19, the rotating mechanism 37, and the like are controlled based on a control signal from the control unit 110 (see FIG. 1). It is performed by doing.

  When performing the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c, first, as shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 110 (see FIG. 1) lowers the first transport unit 5 located below the recording unit 9. Then, the control unit 110 horizontally moves the wipe unit 19 disposed below the second transport unit 12 and places the wipe unit 19 between the recording unit 9 and the first transport unit 5. In this state, the wipers 35a to 35c (see FIG. 14) of the wipe unit 19 are disposed below the ink ejection surface F1 and the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 (see FIG. 14) of the recording heads 17a to 17c.

(Cleaning liquid supply operation)
Prior to the wiping operation (wiping operation described later), the cleaning liquid 23 is supplied to the recording heads 17a to 17c by the control unit 110 (see FIG. 1), as shown in FIG. The supplied cleaning liquid 23 is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply port 60a (see FIG. 6) to the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 by a predetermined amount. In the figure, the cleaning liquid 23 is hatched for easy understanding.

(Ink extrusion operation)
Prior to the wiping operation (wiping operation described later), as shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 110 (see FIG. 1) supplies the ink 22 to the recording heads 17a to 17c. The supplied ink 22 is forcibly extruded (purged) from the ink discharge port 18a. By this purging operation, the thickened ink, foreign matter, and bubbles in the ink discharge port 18a are discharged from the ink discharge port 18a. At this time, the purge ink 22 is pushed out to the ink ejection surface F1 along the shape of the ink ejection region R1 where the ink ejection port 18a exists. In the drawing, the ink (purge ink) 22 is hatched for easy understanding.

(Wiping operation)
As shown in FIG. 15, the control unit 110 moves the wipers 35a to 35c to positions just below the inclined surface 62 of the cleaning liquid supply member 60 of the recording heads 17a to 17c (upstream of the cleaning liquid supply region R2 in the wiping direction (see FIG. 15 (right side) at position P1. At this time, the wipers 35a to 35c are raised so that the upper surfaces of the wipers 35a to 35c are higher than the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 by about 1.5 mm. When the wipers 35a to 35c are raised, the wipers 35a to 35c may or may not be in pressure contact with the inclined surface 62.

  From the state of FIG. 15, the control unit 110 horizontally moves the wipers 35a to 35c in the direction of the ink ejection region R1 (the direction of arrow A) along the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 as shown in FIGS. Accordingly, the wipers 35a to 35c wipe the cleaning liquid 23 and then move in the direction of the ink ejection region R1 while holding the cleaning liquid 23. When the wipers 35a to 35c pass through the cleaning liquid supply region R2, the wiper mounting surface 32b of the wiper holding stay 32 on which the wipers 35a to 35c are mounted is inclined upward to the upstream side in the wiping direction (the right side in FIG. 17). It is arranged to be. Specifically, the wiper mounting surface 32b is disposed so as to be inclined in the direction of arrow A 'by α1 (= about 15 °) with respect to the perpendicular to the cleaning liquid supply surface F2, and the wipers 35a to 35c with respect to the cleaning liquid supply surface F2. Has a pressure contact angle β1 of about 60 °.

  Then, when the wipers 35a to 35c further move to the left (in the direction of arrow A) and pass through the step at the boundary between the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 and the ink ejection surface F1, the control unit 110 controls the ink as shown in FIG. The wiper holding stay 32 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 18 by a predetermined angle (approximately 10 degrees or more and 20 degrees or less) so that the pressure contact angle of the tip of the wipers 35a to 35c with respect to the discharge surface F1 is reduced. Specifically, the wiper mounting surface 32b is arranged perpendicular to the cleaning liquid discharge surface F1, and the pressure contact angle β2 of the tip of the wipers 35a to 35c with respect to the cleaning liquid discharge surface F1 is about 45 °. Accordingly, the pressure contact angle β2 of the tip of the wipers 35a to 35c with respect to the ink ejection surface F1 when wiping the ink ejection region R1 is determined by the tip of the wipers 35a to 35c with respect to the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 when passing through the cleaning liquid supply region R2. 10 ° or more and 20 ° or less (here, 15 °). The pressing force of the wipers 35a to 35c against the ink ejection surface F1 is larger than the pressing force of the wipers 35a to 35c against the cleaning liquid supply surface F2.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 19, the wipers 35a to 35c further move the ink ejection surface F1 to the left (in the direction of arrow A) while maintaining the state where the cleaning liquid 23 is held. At this time, the cleaning liquid 23 and the ink (purge ink) 22 dissolve ink droplets (waste ink) adhered to the ink ejection surface F1 and solidified, and are wiped off by the wipers 35a to 35c. Note that the pressure contact angle β2 of the tips of the wipers 35a to 35c with respect to the ink ejection surface F1 when wiping the ink ejection region R1 is about 45 °. Then, the wipers 35a to 35c further move leftward (in the direction of arrow A) and stop moving leftward when they reach a position P2 opposite to the cleaning liquid supply region R2 with respect to the ink discharge region R1. Is done. The cleaning liquid 23 and the waste ink wiped by the wipers 35 a to 35 c are collected in a collection tray 44 provided in the wipe unit 19.

(Separation operation)
After the execution of the wiping operation, as shown in FIG. 20, the control unit 110 lowers the wipers 35a to 35c to separate them from the ink ejection surface F1.

  Lastly, the control unit 110 horizontally moves the wipe unit 19 disposed between the recording unit 9 and the first transport unit 5 and arranges the wipe unit 19 below the second transport unit 12, and moves the first transport unit 5 to a predetermined position. To the position. Thus, the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c ends.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the control unit 110 controls the wipers 35a to 35c from the position P1 on the upstream side in the wiping direction with respect to the cleaning liquid supply region R2 to the position P2 on the downstream side in the wiping direction with respect to the ink discharge region R1. Is moved, the wiping operation of wiping the ink ejection surface F1 can be executed with the cleaning liquid 23 held by the wipers 35a to 35c. Thereby, the ink ejection surface F1 can be cleaned.

  Further, during the wiping operation, the control unit 110 presses the tips of the wipers 35a to 35c against the ink ejection surface F1 after the wipers 35a to 35c pass through the cleaning liquid supply region R2 and before reaching the ink ejection region R1. The wiper holding stay 32 is rotated so that the angle becomes smaller. That is, when the wipers 35a to 35c pass through the cleaning liquid supply region R2, the pressure contact angles of the tips of the wipers 35a to 35c with respect to the recording heads 17a to 17c are smaller than when the wipers 35a to 35c wipe the ink ejection region R1. growing. Accordingly, the pressing force of the wipers 35a to 35c against the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 when passing through the cleaning liquid supply region R2 can be suppressed, so that the tips of the wipers 35a to 35c are moved by the edge of the cleaning liquid supply port 60a. Damage can be suppressed.

  Further, as described above, when the opening diameter of the cleaning liquid supply port 60a is larger than the opening diameter of the ink discharge port 18a, the amount of the tip of the wipers 35a to 35c entering the cleaning liquid supply port 60a enters the ink discharge port 18a. The amount is larger than the amount, and the tips of the wipers 35a to 35c are easily damaged. Therefore, it is particularly effective to apply the present invention when the opening diameter of the cleaning liquid supply port 60a is larger than the opening diameter of the ink discharge port 18a.

  Further, as described above, the wiper mounting surface 32b of the wiper holding stay 32 is disposed so as to be inclined upward and upstream in the wiping direction when the wipers 35a to 35c pass through the cleaning liquid supply region R2, When the wipers 35a to 35c pass through the ink ejection region R1, they are arranged perpendicular to the ink ejection surface F1. This makes it possible to easily suppress the pressing force of the wipers 35a to 35c against the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 when passing through the cleaning liquid supply region R2, so that the tips of the wipers 35a to 35c are connected to the edge of the cleaning liquid supply port 60a. Damage by the part can be easily suppressed.

  Further, as described above, when the height position H2 of the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 is lower than the height position H1 of the ink discharge surface F1, the pressing force of the wipers 35a to 35c against the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 is reduced. Is more likely to be greater than the pressing force of the wipers 35a to 35c with respect to, and the tips of the wipers 35a to 35c are easily damaged. When the height position H2 of the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 is lower than the height position H1 of the ink discharge surface F1, a step is formed at the boundary between the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 and the ink discharge surface F1. When 35a-35c passes through a step, the tip of wiper 35a-35c is more easily damaged by the step. Therefore, applying the present invention is particularly effective when the height position H2 of the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 is lower than the height position H1 of the ink ejection surface F1.

  In addition, as described above, the thin plate portion 65 is formed at the downstream side of the cleaning liquid supply member 60 in the wiping direction, and the thin plate portion 65 is located below the end of the ink ejection surface F1. It is arranged to overlap. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the cleaning liquid 23 from entering the gap between the head section 18 and the cleaning liquid supply member 60.

  As described above, the pressure contact angle β1 of the tip of the wipers 35a to 35c with respect to the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 when wiping the cleaning liquid supply region R2 is different from the wiper 35a with respect to the ink discharge surface F1 when wiping the ink discharge region R1. The contact angle is larger than the contact pressure angle β2 at the tip of 35c by 10 ° or more and 20 ° or less. Thus, the pressure of the wipers 35a to 35c against the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 when wiping the cleaning liquid supply region R2 can be made sufficiently small, so that the tips of the wipers 35a to 35c are moved by the edge of the cleaning liquid supply port 60a. Damage can be sufficiently suppressed.

  It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description of the embodiments, and includes all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the example in which the cleaning liquid supply member 60 including the cleaning liquid supply region R2 in which the cleaning liquid supply port 60a is opened is provided separately from the head unit 18, but the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. Instead of providing the cleaning liquid supply member 60, a cleaning liquid supply region R2 in which the cleaning liquid supply port 60a opens may be provided in the head unit 18.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the cleaning liquid supply operation is performed before the wiping operation is described. However, if the wipers 35a to 35c do not enter the cleaning liquid supply region R2, the cleaning liquid supply operation is performed simultaneously. You may. Although the example in which the ink pushing operation is executed before the wiping operation is described, the ink pushing operation may be executed at the same time as the wiping operation as long as the wipers 35a to 35c do not enter the ink ejection region R1.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c is performed using the cleaning liquid 23 and the ink (purge ink) 22. However, the recovery operation of the recording heads 17a to 17c is performed using only the cleaning liquid 23. Operation may be performed. That is, the ink pushing operation need not be performed.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example is described in which a step is provided between the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 and the ink ejection surface F1, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 and the ink discharge surface F1 may be formed flush.

17a to 17c Recording head 18 Head unit (ink ejection head unit)
18a Ink ejection port 22 Ink 23 Cleaning liquid 32 Wiper holding stay (Wiper holding member)
32a rotating shaft 32b wiper mounting surface 35a to 35c wiper 37 rotating mechanism 60 cleaning liquid supply member (cleaning liquid supply head)
60a Cleaning liquid supply port 100 Ink jet recording device 110 Control unit F1 Ink ejection surface F2 Cleaning liquid supply surface (surface provided with cleaning liquid supply area)
P1, P2 position H1, H2 height position R1 ink discharge area R2 cleaning liquid supply area S paper (recording medium)
β1, β2 Pressure contact angle

Claims (6)

A recording head including an ink ejection surface provided with an ink ejection area in which a plurality of ink ejection openings for ejecting ink onto a recording medium are provided;
A wiper for wiping the ink ejection surface in a predetermined direction,
A wiper holder that holds the wiper and moves it along the ink ejection surface, and is rotatable around a rotation axis that extends in a head width direction orthogonal to a wiping direction in which the wiper wipes the ink ejection surface. Components,
A rotation mechanism for rotating the wiper holding member about the rotation axis,
A control unit for controlling the rotating mechanism;
With
The recording head is disposed upstream of the ink ejection area in the wiping direction, includes a cleaning liquid supply area in which a plurality of cleaning liquid supply ports for supplying a cleaning liquid are opened, and has an ink ejection surface. A discharge head section, a cleaning liquid supply head section having a cleaning liquid supply surface provided with the cleaning liquid supply area,
The height position of the cleaning liquid supply surface is lower than the height position of the ink ejection surface,
The control unit includes:
A cleaning liquid supply operation for supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply port,
A state in which the wiper holds the cleaning liquid by moving the wiper from a position upstream of the cleaning liquid supply area in the wiping direction to a position downstream of the ink discharge area in the wiping direction. A wiping operation for wiping the ink ejection surface with
It is possible to perform a recovery operation of the recording head including
In the wiping operation, after the wiper passes through the cleaning liquid supply area and before the wiper reaches the ink ejection area, the pressure contact angle of the tip of the wiper with respect to the ink ejection surface is reduced. A recovery system for the recording head, wherein the wiper holding member is rotated.   2. The recording head recovery system according to claim 1, wherein an opening diameter of the cleaning liquid supply port is larger than an opening diameter of the ink discharge port. The wiper holding member has a wiper mounting surface to which the wiper is mounted,
The wiper mounting surface is disposed so as to be inclined upward toward the upstream side in the wiping direction when the wiper passes through the cleaning liquid supply area, and the wiper is attached when the wiper passes through the ink discharge area. The printhead recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the printhead recovery system is arranged perpendicular to an ink ejection surface. It said downstream portion of the wiping direction of the cleaning liquid supply head unit according to claim 1 together with formed of a thin plate, characterized in that it is arranged to overlap the lower end of the ink ejection surface 4. The recording head recovery system according to any one of claims 3 to 3 . The pressure contact angle of the tip of the wiper with respect to the surface provided with the cleaning liquid supply region when passing through the cleaning liquid supply region is the pressure contact angle of the tip of the wiper with respect to the ink discharge surface when wiping the ink discharge region. The recording head recovery system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the angle is larger by 10 to 20 degrees. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising the recording head recovery system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 .

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