JP6930619B2 - Printing device control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid injection device that heats and dries a medium.

Conventionally, as a liquid injection device of this type, for example, an image forming device described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. This image forming apparatus includes a liquid injection head that forms an image on a medium conveyed along a predetermined transfer path, and a drying portion that is arranged downstream of the liquid injection head in the transfer direction. The liquid injection head is provided with a plurality of nozzles that open on the nozzle forming surface, and ejects a liquid such as ink from these nozzles toward the medium. In addition, the drying unit heats the medium to dry the medium to which the liquid is attached. Then, by forcibly drying the medium to which the liquid has adhered by the drying portion, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of the liquid to various parts such as rollers arranged in the transport path via the medium. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-119283

By the way, in the above-mentioned liquid injection device, various maintenances are carried out in order to suppress a decrease in the injection accuracy of the liquid by the liquid injection head. The maintenance member, which is a member used for such maintenance, may be configured to be movable between a working position near the liquid injection head and a retracted position farther from the liquid injection head. The maintenance member includes a space-forming member such as a cap that forms a closed space in which the nozzle of the liquid injection head opens, an absorption member that absorbs the liquid adhering to the liquid injection head, and the nozzle opens in the liquid injection head. A wiping member that wipes the area can be mentioned.

Further, Patent Document 1 does not disclose or suggest any positional relationship between the arrangement of the dry portion and the retracted position of the maintenance member.
An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid injection device capable of setting a retracted position of a maintenance member to an appropriate position in consideration of the arrangement of a drying portion.

A liquid injection device for achieving the above object is a liquid having a medium support portion that supports a medium conveyed along a transfer path and a nozzle that injects liquid onto the medium supported by the medium support portion. A jet head, a drying portion for drying a medium to which a liquid is attached by heating, and a space forming member for forming a closed space through which the nozzle opens are provided, and the space forming member is used when forming the closed space. It is configured to move between the space forming position where it is arranged and the evacuation position which is farther from the dry portion than the space forming position.

According to the above configuration, by arranging the space forming member different from the medium support portion at the space forming position, it is possible to form a closed space in which the nozzle opens. Then, by keeping the humidity in the closed space high by having the space forming member hold the liquid for moisturizing, it is possible to suppress the evaporation of the liquid in the nozzle and suppress the increase in the viscosity of the liquid in the nozzle. can. In addition, cleaning can be performed to forcefully discharge the liquid into the closed space.

Here, in order to suppress an increase in the viscosity of the liquid in the nozzle, it is desirable to prevent the liquid held by the space forming member from evaporating while the space forming member is in the retracted position. In this respect, in the above configuration, the retracted position of the space forming member is farther from the dry portion than the space forming position. Therefore, while the space forming member is in the retracted position, the space forming member is not easily affected by the heat generated by the drying portion, and the evaporation of the liquid held in the space forming member is suppressed. As a result, when such a space forming member moves to the space forming position to form a closed space, the humidity in the closed space can be increased by the liquid held by the space forming member, and as a result, the liquid in the nozzle is formed. Is less likely to evaporate, and it becomes easier to suppress an increase in the viscosity of the liquid in the nozzle. Therefore, the retracted position of the space forming member, which is an example of the maintenance member, can be set to an appropriate position in consideration of the arrangement of the drying portion.

The liquid injection device for achieving the above object includes a liquid injection head having a nozzle for injecting a liquid onto a medium conveyed along a transfer path, a drying unit for drying the medium to which the liquid is attached by heating, and the like. The absorbing member includes an absorbing member that absorbs the liquid adhering to the liquid injection head, and the absorbing member is separated from the contact position in contact with the liquid injection head and the liquid injection head, and is further than the contact position. It is configured to move to and from a retracted position near the dry portion.

According to the above configuration, when the absorbing member comes into contact with the liquid injection head, the liquid adhering to the liquid injection head can be absorbed by the absorbing member. Then, the absorbing member that has absorbed the liquid from the liquid injection head moves from the contact position to the retracted position.

Here, in order to suppress the decrease in the liquid absorption efficiency of the absorbing member, it is desirable to reduce the liquid content of the absorbing member as much as possible. In this respect, in the above configuration, the retracting position of the absorbing member is set closer to the drying portion than the contacting position. Therefore, when the absorbing member is in the retracted position, the liquid is likely to evaporate from the absorbing member due to the influence of the heat generated by the drying portion. As a result, the liquid content of the absorbing member at the time when the absorbing member moves to the contact position is reduced, and the liquid adhering to the liquid injection head is easily absorbed by the absorbing member. Therefore, the retracted position of the absorbing member, which is an example of the maintenance member, can be set to an appropriate position in consideration of the arrangement of the drying portion.

The liquid injection device for achieving the above object includes a liquid injection head having a nozzle for injecting a liquid onto a medium conveyed along a transfer path, a drying unit for drying the medium to which the liquid is attached by heating, and the like. A member that wipes the area where the nozzle opens in the liquid injection head by moving relative to the liquid injection head, the wiping member includes a wet wiping member, and the wiping member wipes the area. It is configured to move between the wiping position that is arranged at the time of cleaning and the retracting position that is farther from the liquid injection head and the drying portion than the wiping position.

According to the above configuration, by moving the wiping member relative to the liquid injection head, it is possible to wipe the area where the nozzle opens in the liquid injection head. Then, when the wiping of the area is completed, the wiping member moves from the wiping position to the retracted position.

Here, in order to suppress the deterioration of the wiping performance of the region by the wiping member, it is desirable to maintain the wet state of the wiping member. In this respect, in the above configuration, the retracting position of the wiping member is farther from the dry portion than the contact position. Therefore, when the wiping member is in the retracted position, the wiping member is less likely to be affected by the heat generated by the drying portion, and it becomes easy to maintain the wet state of the wiping member. As a result, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the wiping performance of the region due to the wiping member. Therefore, the retracted position of the wiping member, which is an example of the maintenance member, can be set to an appropriate position in consideration of the arrangement of the drying portion.

In the liquid injection device, the medium support portion moves between a support position that is below the liquid injection head and supports the medium to be conveyed and a retracted position that is out of the transfer path. The medium support portion is arranged at the support position so that the liquid ejected from the nozzle adheres to the medium when the medium support portion supports the medium. It is preferable that the drying portion is arranged above the support position, and the retracted position of the space forming member is set below the support position.

According to the above configuration, when the space forming member moves to the space forming position, the medium supporting member moves from the supporting position to the retracting position. Then, when the space forming member moves to the space forming position in this state, a closed space is formed.

Further, in the above configuration, the drying portion is arranged above the support position of the medium support portion, and the retracted position of the space forming member is below the support position of the medium support portion. Therefore, when the medium support portion is in the support position, the medium support portion can block the air heated by the drying portion from flowing toward the space forming member in the retracted position. Therefore, when the space forming member is in the retracted position, evaporation of the liquid held in the space forming member can be suppressed.

In the liquid injection device, it is preferable that the transport path is configured so that the medium passes between the retracted position and the drying portion.
According to the above configuration, when the medium is transported along the transport path, the medium passes between the space forming member at the retracted position and the drying portion. Therefore, the flow of gas can be blocked by the medium transported along the transport path so that the air heated by the drying portion does not flow toward the space forming member at the retracted position. Therefore, when the space forming member is in the retracted position, the effect of suppressing the evaporation of the liquid held in the space forming member can be enhanced.

In the liquid injection device, the drying portion is preferably arranged above the opening of the nozzle.
The air warmed by the heat generated by the dry part easily moves upward. In this respect, in the above configuration, since the nozzle opening is located below the drying portion, it is difficult for the warmed air to enter the nozzle through the opening. Therefore, evaporation of the liquid in the nozzle can be suppressed.

The liquid injection device includes a control unit that controls the drying unit, and the control unit performs heating by the drying unit on condition that the amount of liquid injected from the nozzle to the medium is equal to or greater than a threshold value. It is preferable to do so.

According to the above configuration, when the amount of liquid adhering to the medium is small, it can be determined that the medium does not need to be heated by the drying portion, so that the drying portion does not heat the medium. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the driving frequency of the drying portion, and thus it is possible to suppress an increase in the power consumption of the liquid injection device.

The liquid injection device includes a mounting portion on which a liquid container for accommodating a liquid to be supplied to the liquid injection head is mounted, and the mounting portion includes at least a part of the liquid container mounted on the mounting portion. It is preferable that it is arranged so as to be located directly above the dry portion.

According to the above configuration, the air heated by the drying portion moves upward. Then, the heated air raises the temperature of the liquid in the liquid container mounted on the mounting portion. As the temperature of the liquid rises in this way, the viscosity of the liquid decreases. Therefore, even if the liquid has a high viscosity, the liquid can be stably supplied from the liquid container to the liquid injection head.

The block diagram which shows the outline of the printer which is 1st Embodiment of a liquid injection apparatus. The block diagram which shows the state that the electrostatic carrier part moved to the evacuation position in the printer. Schematic diagram of the same printer when the cap is in the space formation position. The flowchart explaining the processing routine which the control device of the printer executes when driving a drying part. The schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship between the drying part and the mounting part in the printer. The schematic diagram which shows a part of the printer which is 2nd Embodiment of a liquid injection apparatus. Schematic diagram of the same printer when the cap is in the space formation position. Schematic diagram of the same printer when the absorbent member is in the contact position. The schematic diagram when the wiping member is in the wiping position in the printer. FIG. 5 is an operation diagram showing a state in which a wiping member wipes a nozzle forming surface in the printer. FIG. 5 is an action diagram showing a state in which a space forming member moves from a retracted position to a space forming position in a printer which is another embodiment of the liquid injection device.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment in which the liquid injection device is embodied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the housing 12 of the printer 11 which is an example of the liquid injection device, a transport device 29 which transports the paper P which is an example of the medium along the transport path 20 and the paper being transported A printing unit 14 for printing on P is provided. When the direction orthogonal to the paper surface is defined as the width direction of the paper in FIG. 1, the transport path 20 is formed so as to transport the paper P in a direction intersecting the width direction of the paper, preferably in a direction orthogonal to the width direction. There is.

The printing unit 14 includes a line head type printing head 141 capable of simultaneously ejecting ink, which is an example of a liquid, over substantially the entire width direction of the paper. The print head 141 corresponds to an example of a “liquid injection head”. Then, the ink ejected from the print head 141 adheres to the paper P, so that an image is formed on the paper P. The print head 141 provided in the printer 11 of the present embodiment is a head that ejects pigment ink, which is ink containing pigment particles. Of course, the print head may be a head that ejects dye ink.

In the upper part of the housing 12 (upper left in FIG. 1), a mounting portion 60 is provided on which a plurality of liquid storage bodies 61 for storing ink are detachably mounted. Specifically, the mounting portion 60 is arranged above the printing unit 14. Ink is supplied to the print head 141 from the liquid container 61 mounted on the mounting portion 60 through the supply path 62 (see FIG. 5).

The transport device 29 includes a discharge mechanism 25 that discharges the printed paper P to the outside of the housing 12, and a feed mechanism 30 that feeds the pre-printed paper P along the transport path 20.
The discharge mechanism 25 has a plurality of discharge roller pairs 19 arranged along the transport path 20. The paper P conveyed by the discharge mechanism 25 is discharged to the outside of the housing 12 from the medium discharge port 26 formed in the housing 12. That is, the medium discharge port 26 is the downstream end of the transport path 20. Then, the paper P discharged from the medium discharge port 26 is placed on the mounting table 55 in a laminated state as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG.

The feeding mechanism 30 includes a first medium supply section 21, a second medium supply section 22, a third medium supply section 23, and an electrostatic transfer section 50. The electrostatic transfer unit 50 is arranged directly below the printing unit 14 in the drawing. The electrostatic transport unit 50 is provided with a charging belt on which the paper P is electrostatically attracted, and the paper P is transported downstream in the transport direction when the charging belt operates. Then, ink is ejected from the print head 141 onto the paper P. At this point, the electrostatic transfer unit 50 constitutes an example of a “medium support unit” that supports the paper P conveyed along the transfer path 20.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the electrostatic transfer unit 50 is statically moved between two positions, the support position shown in FIG. 1 and the retracted position shown in FIG. An electric transfer moving device 51 is provided. When printing on the paper P, the electrostatic transfer unit 50 is arranged at the support position. On the other hand, when the printing request is not made on the paper P or when maintenance such as cleaning is performed, the electrostatic transfer unit 50 is arranged at a retracted position deviating from the transfer path 20.

A cover 12F that can be opened and closed is provided on one side surface (right side surface in FIG. 1) of the housing 12, and the insertion port 12a is exposed by opening the cover 12F. The first medium supply unit 21 includes a first feeding roller pair 41 that sandwiches the paper P inserted into the housing 12 from the insertion port 12a exposed in this way. Then, the paper P is fed toward the electrostatic transfer unit 50 by the rotation of the two rollers constituting the first feeding roller pair 41.

Further, in the lower part of the housing 12 in FIG. 1, a medium cassette 12c in which the paper P before printing is set in a laminated state is provided. The second medium supply unit 22 is a supply unit for feeding the paper P from the medium cassette 12c. That is, the second medium supply unit 22 is a pickup roller 16a that sends the highest-level paper P in the medium cassette 12c out of the medium cassette 12c, and a separation roller that suppresses the overlapping and transporting of a plurality of sheets P. It includes a pair 16b and a second feed roller pair 42 that sandwiches a sheet of paper P that has passed through the separation roller pair 16b. Then, the paper P is fed toward the electrostatic transfer unit 50 by the rotation of the two rollers constituting the second feeding roller pair 42.

The third medium supply unit 23 guides the paper P on which one side of the sheet surface has been printed to the electrostatic transfer unit 50 again when performing double-sided printing on the paper P to print on both side sheet surfaces. It is a supply unit for. That is, a branch transfer path 24 that branches from the transfer path 20 is formed downstream of the electrostatic transfer section 50 in the paper transfer direction. The third medium supply unit 23 is arranged downstream of the electrostatic transfer unit 50 in the paper transfer direction, and has a branch mechanism 27 that switches the transfer path of the paper P to the transfer path 20 or the branch transfer path 24. A branch transport path roller pair 44, which is arranged in the transport path 24 and is capable of rotating in both forward and reverse directions, is provided.

When double-sided printing is performed, the paper P on which one side of the sheet has been printed is guided from the electrostatic transfer unit 50 to the branch transfer path 24 by the branch mechanism 27. At this time, the paper P is transported downstream in the transport direction by the forward rotation of each roller constituting the branch transport path roller pair 44. Then, when the rear end of the paper P is guided to the branch transfer path 24, each roller constituting the branch transfer path roller pair 44 will rotate in the opposite direction, and the paper P will be conveyed in the opposite direction. .. Then, the paper P is guided to the reversing supply path 31 located above the printing unit 14 in FIG. Then, the paper P is fed along the reversing supply path 31 by the rotation of the plurality of reversing transport roller pairs 45 arranged on the reversing supply path 31. As a result, the paper P joins the transport path 20 upstream of the electrostatic transport unit 50 in the paper transport direction. After that, the paper P is guided to the electrostatic transfer unit 50 again. When the paper P is guided to the electrostatic transfer unit 50 again in this way, the printed sheet surface comes into contact with the electrostatic transfer unit 50, and the unprinted sheet surface faces the print head 141. ..

Further, the printer 11 of the present embodiment is provided with a drying unit 65 that heats and dries the paper P to which the ink ejected from the print head 141 is attached. The drying portion 65 is located downstream of the print head 141 in the paper transport direction (left side in the drawing) and slightly above the branch transport path roller pair 44 arranged in the branch transport path 24. Is located in. The branch transfer path roller pair 44 is arranged above the print head 141. Therefore, it can be said that the drying portion 65 is arranged above the print head 141.

Such a drying portion 65 is configured to send warm air downward. The warm air sent from the drying unit 65 reaches not only the paper P conveyed along the branch transfer path 24 but also the paper P conveyed by the discharge mechanism 25. When the warm air is blown onto the paper P in this way, the paper P is heated and the humidity around the paper P is lowered, so that the ink adhering to the paper P is promoted to evaporate. NS.

When the surface on which the printer 11 is installed is the installation surface 1000, the left-right direction in the drawing, which is the direction in which the print head 141 and the drying portion 65 are aligned, is the "specified direction X" in the direction along the installation surface 1000. Suppose. In this case, a part of the drying portion 65 and a part of the mounting portion 60 overlap in both the specified direction X and the width direction of the paper. That is, at least a part of the liquid container 61 mounted on the mounting portion 60 is located directly above the drying portion 65.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer 11 of the present embodiment is provided with a cap 70, which is an example of a space forming member, and a cap driving device 73 for moving the cap 70. The cap 70 is configured to move between the space forming position shown in FIG. 2 and the retracted position shown in FIG. 1 by driving the cap driving device 73.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cap 70 has a bottomed substantially box shape. Then, when the cap 70 moves to the space forming position, the tip of the box-shaped portion of the cap 70 (that is, the upper end in the drawing) reaches the nozzle forming surface 143, which is a region where the plurality of nozzles 142 open in the print head 141. Contact. Then, when the cap 70 moves to the space forming position and comes into contact with the print head 141 in this way, the cap 70 forms a closed space 72, which is a space facing the opening 142A of each nozzle 142, together with the nozzle forming surface 143. ..

When the closed space 72 is formed, the cap 70 comes into contact with not only the nozzle forming surface 143 but also a fixed frame for holding the plate member constituting the nozzle forming surface 143 or the side surface of the print head 141. You may.

Further, an ink absorbing material 71 that absorbs ink is housed in the cap 70. That is, when the cap 70 moves to the space forming position to form the closed space 72, the humidity in the closed space 72 can be increased to some extent because the ink absorbing material 71 holds the ink. Therefore, the evaporation of the ink in the nozzle 142 of the print head 141 is suppressed, and the increase in the viscosity of the ink in the nozzle 142 is suppressed.

Further, the space forming position of the cap 70 is set above the support position of the electrostatic transfer unit 50, while the retracted position of the cap 70 is set below the support position of the electrostatic transfer unit 50. Has been done. Further, the retracted position of the cap 70 is set on the opposite side of the drying portion 65 with the space forming position in the above-mentioned defined direction X. Then, when printing on the paper P, the paper P transported along the transport path 20 passes between the cap 70 at the retracted position and the drying portion 65.

The cap 70 is also arranged at the space forming position during cleaning in which ink is discharged through the print head 141. Therefore, the cap 70 is connected to a discharge path 75 for discharging the ink discharged from the print head 141 to the waste liquid collection unit 74. In the example shown in FIG. 3, a suction pump 751 is provided in the discharge path 75, and the inside of the closed space 72 becomes a negative pressure by driving the suction pump 751. As a result, the ink is forcibly discharged from the print head 141 into the cap 70.

Next, the control configuration of the printer 11 of the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the printer 11 has a control device 100 which is an example of a control unit, and the control device 100 includes a transfer device 29, a print head 141, and a drying unit 65. It controls the electrostatic transfer moving device 51 and the cap driving device 73. For example, when image data related to an image formed on paper P is input to the control device 100 together with a print request, the control device 100 converts the image data into print data, and the print head is based on the print data. Controls ink ejection from 141.

Further, when printing on the paper P, the larger the amount of ink adhered to the paper P per unit area, the longer it takes for the paper P to dry. Therefore, when the amount of ink adhered per unit area is relatively small, the paper P dries early even if the drying portion 65 does not heat the paper P, so that it can be determined that driving the drying portion 65 is unnecessary. On the other hand, when the amount of ink adhered per unit area is relatively large, the paper P cannot be sufficiently dried unless it is heated by the drying portion 65, so that it can be determined that the drying portion 65 needs to be driven.

Therefore, next, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, a processing routine executed by the control device 100 when controlling the drying unit 65 at the time of printing on the paper P will be described. It should be noted that this processing routine is a routine executed at the start of printing on paper P.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 100 calculates the ink injection amount R per unit area on the paper P based on the printing data, and determines whether or not the injection amount R is equal to or greater than the threshold value RTH. (Step S11). When the injection amount R is less than the threshold value RTH, it can be determined that the amount of ink adhered per unit area on the paper P is small. On the other hand, when the injection amount R is equal to or higher than the threshold value RTH, it can be determined that the amount of ink adhered to the paper P per unit area is large.

Therefore, when the injection amount R is less than the threshold value RTH (step S11: NO), the control device 100 ends the processing routine without driving the drying unit 65 (step S12). On the other hand, when the injection amount R is equal to or higher than the threshold value RTH (step S11: YES), the control device 100 drives the drying unit 65 (step S13) and ends the processing routine. That is, in the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the control device 100 is a drying unit on condition that the injection amount R, which is the amount of ink ejected from each nozzle 142 of the print head 141 to the paper P, is equal to or more than the threshold value RTH. The paper P is heated according to the above.

Next, the operation of the printer 11 of the present embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, printing is performed on the paper P under the condition that the cap 70 is located at the retracted position and the electrostatic carrier 50 is located at the supported position. At this time, when it is determined that the amount of ink adhering to the paper P is large, warm air is sent from the drying unit 65 toward the paper P.

When the paper P is printed in this way, the cap 70 is in a retracted position away from the drying portion 65. An electrostatic transfer unit 50 is arranged between the cap 70 and the drying unit 65 in the vertical direction. Further, when printing the paper P, the paper P passes between the cap 70 in the retracted position and the drying portion 65. Therefore, the flow of gas is blocked by the electrostatic transfer unit 50 and the paper P so that the warm air sent from the drying unit 65 and the air warmed by the same warm air do not flow toward the cap 70 at the evacuation position. Can be done. As a result, the ink held in the ink absorber 71 in the cap 70 is less likely to evaporate.

After that, when printing on the paper P is completed and the electrostatic transfer unit 50 moves to the retracted position, the cap 70 moves to the space forming position, and a closed space 72 in which each nozzle 142 of the print head 141 opens is formed. .. At this time, the ink absorbed by the ink absorber 71 gradually evaporates, so that the humidity in the closed space 72 is kept relatively high, so that the liquid ink in each nozzle 142 of the print head 141 Evaporation of components is suppressed. That is, the increase in the viscosity of the ink in each nozzle 142 is suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the air warmed by the heat generated by the drying portion 65 moves upward. Since the liquid container 61 mounted on the mounting unit 60 is arranged above the drying unit 65, the heat of the warmed air is transferred to the liquid container 61. As a result, the temperature of the ink contained in the liquid container 61 rises.

Here, in the printer 11 that uses ink whose viscosity decreases as the temperature rises, the viscosity of the ink decreases because the ink in the liquid container 61 is warmed by the heat generated by the drying portion 65. As a result, the fluidity of the ink flowing out from the liquid container 61 to the supply path 62 can be improved, and the ink can be efficiently supplied to the print head 141 even in a low temperature environment.

In particular, it is preferable to set the mounting portion 60 so that at least a part of the liquid container 61 containing the ink whose viscosity decreases as the temperature decreases is located directly above the drying portion 65. .. In addition, for a liquid container 61 that stores a liquid containing a sedimenting component, such as pigment ink, if heat is transferred from the bottom to promote convection of the liquid in the liquid container 61, the component contained by stirring. Since the sedimentation of the ink is suppressed, the deterioration of the print quality due to the change in the liquid concentration can be suppressed.

As described above, according to the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the retracted position of the cap 70 is farther from the drying portion 65 than the space forming position. Therefore, when the cap 70 is in the retracted position, the ink adhering to the cap 70 and the ink held by the ink absorber 71 in the cap 70 are less likely to evaporate. Therefore, the retracted position of the cap 70 can be set to an appropriate position in consideration of the arrangement of the drying portion 65.

As a result, when the cap 70 is arranged at the space forming position to form the closed space 72, the humidity in the closed space 72 is unlikely to decrease, so that the viscosity of the ink increases in each nozzle 142 of the print head 141. Can be suppressed.

(2) When the electrostatic carrier 50 is arranged at the support position and the cap 70 is arranged at the retracted position, the electrostatic carrier 50 is below the drying section 65 and above the cap 70. Will be located. Therefore, when the electrostatic transfer unit 50 is arranged at the support position, the electrostatic transfer unit 50 can block the air heated by the drying unit 65 from flowing toward the cap 70 located at the evacuation position. Therefore, in a situation where the cap 70 is located in the retracted position, it is possible to suppress the evaporation of the ink adhering to the cap 70 and the ink held by the ink absorber 71 in the cap 70.

(3) Further, when printing on the paper P, the paper P passes between the cap 70 located at the retracted position and the drying portion 65. Therefore, the air heated by the drying portion 65 can be blocked by the paper P transported along the transport path from flowing toward the cap 70 located at the evacuation position. Therefore, in a situation where the cap 70 is located in the retracted position, it is possible to suppress the evaporation of the ink adhering to the cap 70 and the ink held by the ink absorber 71 in the cap 70.

(4) Further, in the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the nozzle forming surface 143 of the print head 141, that is, the opening 142A of the nozzle 142 is located below the drying portion 65. Therefore, the air warmed by the drying portion 65 does not easily enter the nozzle 142 through the opening 142A. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the viscosity of the ink in the nozzle 142 that opens to the nozzle forming surface 143.

(5) Further, when the amount of ink adhering to the paper P is small, it can be determined that the paper P does not need to be heated by the drying portion 65, so that the drying portion 65 does not heat the paper P. .. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the driving frequency of the drying unit 65, and thus it is possible to suppress an increase in the power consumption of the printer 11. Further, this also makes it possible to reduce the influence of the heat generated by the drying portion 65 on the cap 70.

(6) Further, the air heated by the drying portion 65 moves upward. Then, the heated air raises the temperature of the ink in the liquid container 61 mounted on the mounting portion 60. As the temperature of the ink rises in this way, the viscosity of the ink decreases. Therefore, even if the ink has a high viscosity, the ink can be stably supplied from the liquid container 61 to the print head 141.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment embodying the liquid injection device will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10. The printer 11 of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that, in addition to the cap 70, an absorbing member and a wiping member are provided as maintenance members. Therefore, in the following description, the parts different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same member configurations as those of the first embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals and duplicate description will be omitted. do.

As shown in FIG. 6, the printer 11 of the present embodiment has an absorbing member 80 that absorbs ink adhering to the nozzle forming surface 143 of the print head 141, and an absorbing member driving device 81 that controls the movement of the absorbing member 80. And have. Further, the printer 11 includes a wiping device 90 that wipes the nozzle forming surface 143, and a wiping drive device 95 that controls the movement of the wiping device 90. The absorbing member 80, the wiping device 90, and the cap 70 are arranged below the paper P supported by the electrostatic transfer unit 50 when printing on the paper P.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the cap 70 is moved from the retracted position to the space forming position, the electrostatic carrier 50 is moved from the support position to the retracted position by driving the electrostatic transfer moving device 51. Moving. In the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the electrostatic transfer unit 50 moves downward from the support position.

When the movement of the electrostatic transfer unit 50 to the retracted position is completed, or just before the movement is completed, the cap driving device 73 starts driving, and the cap 70 moves from the retracted position to the space forming position. Then, the cap 70 moved to the space forming position forms a closed space 72 in which each nozzle 142 of the print head 141 opens. Even in the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the retracted position of the cap 70 is set to a position farther from the drying portion 65 than the space forming position of the cap 70, as in the case of the first embodiment. There is.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the absorbing member 80 can be moved between the contact position shown in FIG. 8 and the retracting position shown in FIG. 6 by driving the absorbing member driving device 81. The absorbing member 80 has a structure capable of absorbing ink. Examples of such an absorbing member 80 include a porous member having a large number of voids. The absorbing member 80 has a contact surface 801 that can come into contact with the nozzle forming surface 143 of the print head 141, and the area of the contact surface 801 is about the same as that of the nozzle forming surface 143.

When the absorbing member 80 moves to the contact position, the contact surface 801 of the absorbing member 80 comes into contact with the nozzle forming surface 143 of the print head 141. More specifically, the absorbing member 80 is pressed against the nozzle forming surface 143. As a result, the ink adhering to the nozzle forming surface 143 is absorbed by the absorbing member 80. Then, when the absorption of ink from the nozzle forming surface 143 by the absorbing member 80 is completed, the absorbing member 80 moves from the contact position to the retracted position by driving the absorbing member driving device 81. As a result, the contact between the absorbing member 80 and the nozzle forming surface 143 is released.

The absorbing member 80 comes into contact with the absorbing member 80 in order to absorb a liquid such as ink, not only on the nozzle forming surface 143 but also on a fixed frame for holding the plate member constituting the nozzle forming surface 143 or on the side surface of the print head 141. It may be.

The retracted position of the absorbing member 80 is set closer to the drying portion 65 than the contact position of the absorbing member 80. More specifically, the retracting position of the absorbing member 80 is set to a position closer to the drying portion 65 than the contact position in the specified direction X, although it is farther from the drying portion 65 in the vertical direction. Has been done. That is, the retracted position of the absorbing member 80 is set below the drying portion 65 in the vertical direction, and the linear distance from the retracting position of the absorbing member 80 to the drying portion 65 is from the contact position of the absorbing member 80 to the drying portion 65. Shorter than the straight line distance of. Therefore, when the absorbing member 80 is in the retracted position, the absorbing member 80 is likely to be heated by the warm air sent from the drying portion 65 or the heat generated by the drying portion 65.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the wiping device 90 is at a position for wiping the nozzle forming surface 143 including the area where the nozzle 142 opens in the print head 141 by driving the wiping drive device 95, and is shown in FIG. It is possible to move between the position shown in 9 and the position shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the wiping device 90 includes a device main body 91, a wiping member 92 that is kept in a wet state, and a pressing member 93 that presses the wiping member 92 against the nozzle forming surface 143 of the print head 141. I have. In this case, the wiping member 92 preferably contains a member capable of absorbing a liquid such as a non-woven fabric or a porous material, and is brought into a wet state by containing the absorbed liquid (impregnated liquid). The liquid (impregnated liquid) contained in the wiping member 92 includes a solvent (water in the case of water-based ink) component of ink (that is, ink ejected from the print head 141) adhering to the nozzle forming surface 143. Contains a component that softens or dissolves the components contained in the solidified ink. Further, the wiping device 90 may have a configuration in which not only the nozzle forming surface 143 but also the area including the fixed frame for holding the plate member forming the nozzle forming surface 143 can be wiped by the wiping member 92.

Further, the pressing member 93 moves in a direction along the nozzle forming surface 143 (for example, in the left-right direction in FIG. 10) when the nozzle forming surface 143 is wiped by the wiping member 92. By moving the pressing member 93 in this way, the wiping member 92 can wipe the entire area of the nozzle forming surface 143. Therefore, the position of the wiping member 92 shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the “wiping position” arranged when wiping the nozzle forming surface 143, and the position of the wiping member 92 shown in FIG. 6 is separated from the nozzle forming surface 143. Corresponds to the "evacuation position".

The retracted position of the wiping member 92 is set to a position farther from the drying portion 65 than the wiping position of the wiping member 92. More specifically, the retracted position of the wiping member 92 is set to a position farther from the drying portion 65 than the wiping position in the specified direction X. That is, the retracted position of the wiping member 92 is on the opposite side of the drying portion 65 sandwiching the print head 141 in the specified direction X.

Next, among the actions of the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the actions related to the absorbing member 80 and the wiping device 90 will be mainly described. Since the action related to the cap 70 is the same as the action of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

When printing on the paper P is performed, the electrostatic transfer unit 50 moves to the support position, while the absorption member 80 moves to the retracted position of the absorption member. The retracting position of the absorbing member is a position directly below the drying portion 65, and is closer to the drying portion 65 than the contact position. Therefore, the absorbing member 80 at the retracted position is heated by the warm air sent from the drying unit 65 and the heat generated by the drying unit 65.

As the absorbing member 80 is warmed or the humidity around the absorbing member 80 decreases due to the temperature rise, the ink absorbed from the surface of the absorbing member 80 evaporates and the absorbing member 80 dries. Be promoted.

Then, after the electrostatic transfer unit 50 moves from the support position to the retracted position with the end of printing on the paper P, the absorbing member 80 moves to the contact position and comes into contact with the print head 141. At this time, since the surface of the absorbing member 80 is dry, the ink adhering to the nozzle forming surface 143 is quickly absorbed by the absorbing member 80 due to the capillary force of the voids opening on the surface.

Further, when printing is performed on the paper P, the wiping member 92 is arranged at the retracted position of the wiping member and the electrostatic conveying unit 50 is arranged at the supporting position, so that the drying unit 65 sends out. The warm air generated and the heat generated by the drying unit 65 are blocked by the electrostatic transfer unit 50 or the paper P conveyed along the transfer path. Therefore, the wiping member 92 in the retracted position is less likely to be heated. As a result, the evaporation of the impregnating liquid contained in the wiping member 92 is suppressed, so that the wet state of the wiping member 92 can be easily maintained.

Therefore, after the electrostatic transfer unit 50 moves from the support position to the retracted position with the end of printing on the paper P, the wiping member 92 moves to the wiping position to wipe the nozzle forming surface 143. The member 92 can be wiped while wetting the nozzle forming surface 143 with the impregnating liquid contained therein. As a result, the deposits adhering to the nozzle forming surface 143 can be dissolved in the impregnating liquid to efficiently remove the dirt, and damage to the nozzle forming surface 143 due to dragging the deposits in a dry state can be suppressed. can.

As described above, according to the printer 11 of the present embodiment, in addition to the effects similar to the effects (1) to (6) of the first embodiment, the following effects can be further obtained.
(7) In the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the retracting position of the absorbing member 80 is set closer to the drying portion 65 than the contact position. Therefore, when the absorbing member 80 is located at the retracted position, ink is likely to evaporate from the absorbing member 80. As a result, the ink content of the absorbing member 80 at the time when the absorbing member 80 moves to the contact position is reduced, and the ink adhering to the nozzle forming surface 143 is easily absorbed by the absorbing member 80. Therefore, the retracted position of the absorbing member 80 can be set to an appropriate position in consideration of the arrangement of the drying portion 65.

(8) In the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the retracting position of the wiping member 92 is set to a position farther from the drying portion 65 than the wiping position. Therefore, when the wiping member 92 is located at the retracted position, the liquid component held by the wiping member 92 is less likely to evaporate. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in wiping performance when the wiping member 92 wipes the nozzle forming surface 143 of the print head 141. Therefore, the retracted position of the wiping member 92 can be set to an appropriate position in consideration of the arrangement of the drying portion 65.

(9) When the electrostatic transfer unit 50 is arranged at the support position and the wiping member 92 is arranged at the retracted position, the electrostatic transfer unit 50 is located between the drying unit 65 and the wiping member 92 (wiping device 90). Will be located in. Therefore, when the electrostatic transfer unit 50 is arranged at the support position, the electrostatic transfer unit 50 can block the air heated by the drying unit 65 from flowing toward the wiping member 92 located at the evacuation position. can. Therefore, when the wiping member 92 is located at the retracted position, it becomes easy to maintain the wet state of the wiping member 92.

(10) Further, when printing the paper P, the paper P passes between the wiping member 92 located at the retracted position and the drying portion 65. Therefore, the air heated by the drying portion 65 can be blocked by the paper P transported along the transport path from flowing toward the wiping member 92 located at the retracted position. Therefore, when the wiping member 92 is located at the retracted position, it becomes easy to maintain the wet state of the wiping member 92.

Each of the above embodiments may be changed as follows.
-When a liquid containing a sedimenting component such as pigment ink is used as the liquid to be ejected by the print head 141, the contained component may settle and the liquid concentration may change. Therefore, a circulation flow path for circulating ink may be provided in the supply path from the liquid container 61 to the print head 141. The circulation flow path may be provided in the middle of the supply flow path of the print head 141 and the liquid container 61, or may be a return flow path for returning ink to the liquid container 61 from the middle of the supply flow path. It may be a return flow path for returning ink from the print head 141 to the middle of the supply flow path, or it may be a return flow path for returning ink from the print head 141 to the liquid container 61.

In this case, if at least a part of the circulation flow path is arranged directly above the drying portion 65, the temperature of the ink flowing in the circulation flow path can be raised by the heat generated by the drying portion 65. As a result, the fluidity of the ink can be increased and stirring can be promoted by convection, and as a result, an increase in power required for ink circulation can be suppressed.

That is, not only the liquid container 61, but also a part of the ink supply path (including the circulation flow path) from the liquid container 61 to the print head 141, or a sub tank for temporarily storing ink in the middle of the supply path. If the drying portion 65 is arranged at a position where heat is easily transferred (for example, directly above the drying portion 65 or at a position exposed to warm air), improvement in ink fluidity and suppression of sedimentation of contained components can be expected.

In addition, when a filter for removing foreign matter and air bubbles is placed in the middle of the supply path, the portion including the filter is located at a position where the heat of the drying portion 65 is easily transferred (for example, directly above the drying portion 65 or exposed to warm air). When arranged at the position), the viscosity of the ink is lowered by the heat of the drying portion 65, so that the pressure loss when the ink passes through the filter can be reduced and the solidification of the deposits adhering to the filter can be suppressed. Therefore, it is preferable.

If a part of the supply path 62 is located directly above the drying portion 65, the mounting portion 60 may be arranged at a position different from the drying portion 65 in the specified direction X.
-In some printers and the like provided with a line head type print head 141, a liquid container 61 for accommodating ink is provided outside the housing 12. In such a printer, a part of the supply path 62 for supplying ink from the liquid container 61 to the print head 141 may be located in the upper region (that is, directly above) of the drying portion 65. For example, the sub-tank to which the ink is supplied from the liquid container 61 may be arranged at a position above the drying portion 65.

In the second embodiment, the absorbing member 80 may be brought into contact with the nozzle forming surface 143 after the nozzle forming surface 143 is wiped by the wet wiping member 92. According to this configuration, foreign matter or liquid adhering to the nozzle forming surface 143 is scraped to the corner of the nozzle forming surface 143 by wet wiping with the wet wiping member 92, and then the attracted foreign matter or liquid is dried and absorbed. It can be removed by wiping with a member 80.

-The drying portion may have a configuration other than that for sending warm air as long as it can heat the paper P or the gas around it. For example, the drying portion may be configured to include a heating roller. In this case, the paper P can be heated by pressing the heating roller against the paper P.

-As the drying section, a drying section dedicated to paper transported along the branch transfer path 24 and a drying section dedicated to paper transported by the discharge mechanism 25 may be provided separately. In this case, it is preferable to use two types of drying portions properly depending on the transport mode of the paper P printed by the print head 141.

-Regardless of the amount of ink adhered to the unit area of the paper P, the drying portion 65 may be driven when printing on the paper P.
When the distance between the drying portion 65 and the print head 141 in the specified direction X is long to some extent, the drying portion 65 may be arranged so that a part of the drying portion 65 is located below the nozzle forming surface 143. ..

The retracting position of the cap 70 can be set to any position as long as it is farther from the drying portion 65 than the space forming position. For example, the retracted position of the cap 70 may be set so that the paper P does not pass between the retracted position and the drying portion 65.

-It is not necessary to provide the ink absorber 71 in the cap 70. Even in this case, the cap 70 forms a closed space 72 by adhering ink to the inner wall of the cap 70 or collecting ink in a groove formed on the bottom wall and holding the ink. At that time, it becomes possible to suppress the drying of the nozzle 142.

-The space forming member may have a configuration other than the cap 70 as long as it can hold the liquid. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the space forming member 70A may have a plate shape. In this case, the print head 141 may be provided with an annular seal member 145 so as to surround the opening 142A of the nozzle 142. In this configuration, the space forming member 70A moves to the space forming position and comes into contact with the seal member 145 to form a closed space 72 in which each nozzle 142 opens. Also in this configuration, for example, a groove or a recess can be formed on the upper surface of the plate-shaped space forming member 70A, and the liquid can be held in the groove or the recess.

-In each embodiment, cleaning is performed by forcibly discharging ink from the print head 141 by generating a negative pressure in the closed space 72, but the cleaning is not limited to this, and other methods of cleaning are performed. You may do so. For example, a pressure pump may be provided upstream of the nozzle 142, and cleaning may be performed by driving the pressure pump to discharge ink into the closed space 72. Alternatively, when a circulation flow path is provided in the supply path from the liquid container 61 to the print head 141, cleaning for discharging the liquid from the nozzle 142 by the driving force of a pump for circulating the liquid in the circulation flow path is performed. It may be carried out.

-When the ink held in the cap 70 evaporates, the ink can be replenished in the cap 70 by injecting the ink into the cap 70 from the print head 141. Similarly, when the wiping member 92 is dried, ink can be sprayed onto the wiping member 92 to return it to a wet state, but since the wiping member 92 is in sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface 143, the ink solidified by drying can be used. The contained components may damage the nozzle forming surface 143. In that respect, since it is the solvent component of the evaporated ink that is used to moisturize the nozzle 142 by the cap 70, it is possible to moisturize the nozzle 142, although the amount of ink used for printing is reduced. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the retracting position of the wiping member 92 may be set to a position farther from the drying portion 65 than the retracting position of the cap 70.

In the second embodiment, when wiping the nozzle forming surface 143 of the print head 141, the wiping device 90 is moved in the direction along the nozzle forming surface 143 with the wiping member 92 in contact with the nozzle forming surface 143. You may do so. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the pressing member 93 that moves relative to the print head 141 and the wiping member 92. Further, the wiping member 92 in this case may be changed to a sponge capable of absorbing a liquid (impregnated liquid), a roller whose outer peripheral surface is made of a porous material capable of absorbing a liquid (impregnated liquid), or the like. Further, in this case, a storage portion for storing the impregnating liquid may be arranged at the base end portion of the sponge, or the portion in contact with the nozzle forming surface 143 may be changed by rotating the roller. ..

-In the second embodiment, the retracting position of the wiping member 92 may be set to an arbitrary position as long as it is a position farther from the drying portion 65 than the wiping position. For example, the retracting position of the wiping member 92 may be set so that the paper P does not pass between the retracting position and the drying portion 65.

In the second embodiment, the nozzle forming surface 143 is wiped by shifting the contact position of the wiping member 92 on the nozzle forming surface 143 from one side to the other in the specified direction X. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the nozzle forming surface 143 may be wiped by displacing the contact position in the width direction of the paper.

-In the second embodiment, the retracting position of the absorbing member 80 may be set to any position as long as it is closer to the drying portion 65 than the contacting position. For example, the retracted position of the absorbing member 80 may be a position directly above the drying portion 65.

-In the second embodiment, if the absorbing member 80 is provided, the wiping device 90 and the cap 70 may not be provided at least one of them. If the retracting position of the absorbing member is set closer to the drying portion 65 than the contact position of the absorbing member, the retracting position of the wiping member is closer to the drying portion 65 than the wiping position of the wiping member. It may be set. If the retracting position of the absorbing member is set closer to the drying portion 65 than the contact position of the absorbing member, the retracting position of the cap is set closer to the drying portion 65 than the space forming position of the cap. You may.

-In the second embodiment, if the wiping device 90 is provided, the structure may not include at least one of the absorbing member 80 and the cap 70. Further, if the retracting position of the wiping member is set to a position farther from the drying portion 65 than the wiping position of the wiping member, the retracting position of the absorbing member is set from the drying portion 65 rather than the contact position of the absorbing member. It may be set at a distant position. Further, if the retracting position of the wiping member is set to a position farther from the drying portion 65 than the wiping position of the wiping member, the retracting position of the cap is closer to the drying portion 65 than the space forming position of the cap. May be set to.

-In the second embodiment, if the retracting position of the cap is set to a position farther from the drying portion 65 than the space forming position of the cap, the retracting position of the absorbing member is set from the contact position of the absorbing member. May be set at a position away from the drying portion 65. Further, if the retracting position of the cap is set to a position farther from the drying portion 65 than the space forming position of the cap, the retracting position of the wiping member is closer to the drying portion 65 than the wiping position of the wiping member. May be set to.

The medium support portion is not provided with a charging belt as long as it is arranged at a position facing the nozzle forming surface 143 of the print head 141 and can support a medium such as paper P transported along the transport path. It may be a support part of the configuration of.

The printing unit 14 may be a long head extending in the width direction of the paper as a line head type printing head, or may be configured to include a plurality of printing heads. When the printing unit 14 has a plurality of printing heads, a space forming member such as a cap 70 may be provided for each printing head or for each nozzle group that ejects the same liquid in each printing head. good.

Further, when the printing unit 14 has a configuration having a plurality of printing heads, the absorbing member 80 may have a configuration having a large contact surface 801 capable of contacting the nozzle forming surfaces of all the printing heads. Further, the absorbing member 80 may be provided for each print head or for each nozzle group that injects the same liquid in each print head.

Further, when the printing unit 14 has a configuration having a plurality of printing heads, the wiping device 90 may be configured to include a large wiping member capable of wiping the nozzle-forming surfaces of all the print heads. Further, when a plurality of print heads or nozzle groups for ejecting the same liquid are lined up in a direction intersecting the wiping direction in which the wiping member wipes the nozzle forming surface, wiping is performed for each print head or nozzle group lined up in the intersecting direction. The device 90 may be provided.

The printer 11 may be embodied as a device that injects ink onto a medium other than the paper P, such as a plastic film.
-A liquid injection device is a liquid injection device that injects or ejects liquids other than ink (including liquids in which particles of functional materials are dispersed or mixed in liquids, and fluids such as gels). It may be. For example, a liquid injection device injects a liquid material containing materials such as electrode materials and coloring materials (pixel materials) used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, surface emitting displays, etc. in the form of dispersion or dissolution. It may be a device that does. Further, the liquid injection device may be a device for injecting a bioorganic substance used for producing a biochip, or a device for injecting a liquid as a sample used as a precision pipette. Further, the liquid injection device is a device that injects lubricating oil pinpointly into a precision machine such as a watch or a camera, a microhemispherical lens (optical lens) used for an optical communication element, or the like, and is used for forming an ultraviolet curable resin or the like. It may be a device that injects a transparent resin liquid onto a substrate. Further, the liquid injection device may be a device that injects an etching solution such as an acid or an alkali in order to etch a substrate or the like, or a device that injects a fluid such as a gel (for example, a physical gel).

11 ... Printer which is an example of a liquid injection device, 12 ... Housing, 14 ... Printing unit, 141 ... Printing head which is an example of a liquid injection head, 142 ... Nozzle, 142A ... Opening, 143 ... Nozzle forming surface, 145 ... Seal Members, 20 ... transport path, 21 ... first medium supply section, 22 ... second medium supply section, 23 ... third medium supply section, 24 ... branch transfer path, 25 ... discharge mechanism, 26 ... medium discharge port , 27 ... Branching mechanism, 29 ... Transfer device, 30 ... Feeding mechanism, 31 ... Inverted supply path, 50 ... Electrostatic transfer unit which is an example of a medium support unit, 51 ... Electrostatic transfer moving device, 55 ... Mounting stand, 60 ... Mounting part, 61 ... Liquid container, 62 ... Supply path, 65 ... Drying part, 70 ... Cap which is an example of space forming member, 70A ... Space forming member, 71 ... Ink absorber, 72 ... Closed space, 73 ... Cap drive device, 74 ... Waste liquid recovery unit, 75 ... Discharge path, 751 ... Suction pump, 80 ... Absorbent member, 801 ... Contact surface, 81 ... Absorbent member drive device, 90 ... Wiping device, 91 ... Device body, 92 ... Wiping member, 93 ... pressing member, 95 ... wiping drive device, 100 ... control device, 1000 ... installation surface.

Claims (8)

A medium support portion capable of supporting a medium conveyed along a transfer path, a liquid injection head that injects liquid from a nozzle onto the medium supported by the medium support portion to perform printing, and the nozzle. The space forming portion capable of forming an open closed space and the printed medium are inverted.
A method of controlling a printing apparatus including a possible reversal path.
By moving in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, the space forming portion can move between the space forming position forming the closed space and the first retracting position below the space forming position.
When the position where the printed medium is heated is defined as the heating position, the vertical distance between the heating position and the first retracted position is between the heating position and the space forming position. Is set larger than the vertical distance of
When the reversal path is partially provided so as to pass vertically above the liquid injection head.
In both cases, the part is provided at a position higher than the heating position.
The liquid injection head is arranged in a part of the transport path and a region surrounded by the reverse path.
It is placed and
The heating position is horizontal from a part of the transport path constituting the region and the inversion path.
Set in a directional position,
The liquid injection head performs the printing on the medium before being heated at the heating position.
When performing the printing, the space forming portion is moved from the space forming position to the first retracting position .
When printing is performed on both sides of the medium, the medium on which the printing is performed on the first surface is inverted.
A method for controlling a printing apparatus, which comprises performing the printing on a second surface different from the first surface after inverting with a path. A medium support portion capable of supporting a medium conveyed along a transport path and a medium support portion that supports the medium.
A liquid injection head that injects liquid from a nozzle onto the medium to print, and the above.
A control method for a printing apparatus including a space forming portion capable of forming a closed space in which a nozzle opens , and an inversion path capable of reversing the printed medium.
The space forming portion forms the closed space by moving in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.
It is movable between the space forming position formed and the first retracting position below the space forming position.
the law of nature,
When the position where the printed medium is heated is defined as the heating position, it is the same as the heating position.
The distance in the vertical direction between the first retracted position is the heating position and the space forming position.
It is set larger than the vertical distance between
The inversion path is provided so that a part of the reversal path passes vertically above the liquid injection head, and a part of the reversal path is provided at a position higher than the heating position.
The liquid injection head is arranged in a part of the transport path and a region surrounded by the reverse path.
It is placed and
The heating position is horizontal from a part of the transport path constituting the region and the inversion path.
Set in a directional position,
When performing the printing, the space forming portion is moved from the space forming position to the first retracting position.
To move
A method of controlling a printing device, characterized in that. When forming the closed space, the second retracting portion is a position where the medium support portion is lower than the first retracting position and is vertically overlapped with the space forming portion at the space forming position. The method for controlling a printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the printing apparatus is arranged at a position. The printing apparatus further includes a wiping portion capable of wiping the nozzle forming surface on which the nozzle is formed.
Wherein when printing, the printing of claim 3, wherein placing the wiping portion to the third retreat position which is the space forming portion and overlap the vertical position in said first retracted position How to control the device. The control method for a printing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein when forming the closed space, the medium support portion is arranged at the second retracted position, which is a position lower than the third retracted position. .. Of claims 1 to 5 , the medium support portion is arranged so that the medium is supported at a medium support position lower than the heating position when performing the printing. The method for controlling a printing apparatus according to any one of the following items. The medium support portion has a belt that is wound around a plurality of rollers and driven to rotate.
The method for controlling a printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the printing is performed on the medium conveyed by the belt. The method for controlling a printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the medium support portion and the space forming portion are moved by individual moving devices.

Images