JP7323029B2 - LIQUID EJECTING DEVICE, MAINTENANCE METHOD OF LIQUID EJECTING DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus such as a printer and a maintenance method for the liquid ejecting apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art For example, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100001, there is a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a functional liquid, which is an example of a liquid, from a nozzle of a functional liquid ejection head, which is an example of a liquid ejecting section, and draws images on a substrate. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes suction means for sucking the functional liquid from the nozzle while the upper end, which is an example of a lip portion, of a head cap, which is an example of a cap, is in contact with the nozzle surface. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes supply means for supplying cleaning liquid, which is an example of cleaning liquid, into the head cap.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-80209

The supply means and the suction means wash the head cap by filling the interior of the head cap with the cleaning liquid and discharging the cleaning liquid from the head cap. However, when the functional liquid adhered to the upper end of the head cap, it could not be washed.

Such a problem may occur not only in liquid ejecting apparatuses having head caps but also in liquid ejecting apparatuses including caps.

A liquid ejecting apparatus that solves the above problems performs a liquid ejecting portion having a nozzle surface provided with nozzles for ejecting liquid, and a capping that encloses and forms a space where the nozzle opens when the nozzle surface is contacted. a cap, a capping mechanism for moving the cap between a capping position during the capping and a spaced position away from the nozzle surface, a cleaning liquid supply mechanism for supplying a cleaning liquid into the cap, and the a facing portion configured to face the lip portion of the cap that contacts the nozzle surface, the capping mechanism, and the cleaning liquid supply mechanism are controlled so that the lip portion faces the facing portion and the facing portion and a control unit for setting a state in which the cleaning liquid supplied into the cap is in contact with the facing portion while a predetermined gap is provided between the cap and the cap.

A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting apparatus that solves the above problems includes forming a liquid ejecting part having a nozzle surface provided with a nozzle through which liquid is ejected, and a space in which the nozzle opens when the nozzle surface is contacted. a cap that performs capping; a capping mechanism that moves the cap between a capping position during the capping and a spaced position away from the nozzle surface; a cleaning liquid supply mechanism that supplies a cleaning liquid into the cap; A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising: a facing portion configured to face a lip portion of the cap that contacts the nozzle surface during capping, wherein the lip portion faces the facing portion; The cleaning liquid supplied into the cap is brought into contact with the facing portion while a predetermined gap is provided between the cap and the portion.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a liquid ejecting device; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic bottom view of the liquid ejecting section; FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the arrangement of components of the liquid ejecting apparatus; Schematic plan view of a moisturizing device. 4 is a schematic plan view of the maintenance unit; FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 2 and line 6-6 in FIG. Schematic diagram of the suction mechanism positioned at the capping position. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 2 and line 6-6 in FIG. Schematic diagram of the suction mechanism positioned at the maintenance position. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a suction mechanism that supplies cleaning liquid into the suction cap. 4 is a flow chart showing a lip cleaning routine; The schematic diagram of the suction mechanism of the example of a change.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a liquid ejecting apparatus and a maintenance method for the liquid ejecting apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. The liquid ejecting apparatus of the present embodiment is an inkjet printer that prints images such as characters and photographs on a medium such as recording paper by ejecting ink, which is an example of liquid.

As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 includes a housing 12, a support table 13, a transport unit 14, a drying unit 15, a printing unit 16, a first guide shaft 17a, and a second guide shaft 17b. And prepare. The housing 12 accommodates components such as a support base 13, a drying unit 15, a printing unit 16, and the like. The support base 13, the first guide shaft 17a, and the second guide shaft 17b extend in the X-axis direction, which is the width direction of the medium ST.

The liquid ejecting device 11 of this embodiment includes a notification unit 18 configured to display the operating state of the liquid ejecting device 11 . The notification unit 18 notifies the user of the operating state of the liquid ejecting device 11 by displaying the operating state of the liquid ejecting device 11 . The notification unit 18 of this embodiment is attached to the housing 12 . The notification unit 18 may be configured such that the liquid ejecting device 11 can be operated via a screen that displays the operating state. The notification unit 18 includes, for example, a display screen for displaying information and buttons for operation.

The support table 13 supports the medium ST. The transport unit 14 transports the sheet-shaped medium ST from upstream to downstream in the transport direction Y1. The printing unit 16 prints on the medium ST using liquid. The printing unit 16 ejects liquid toward the transported medium ST at a printing position set on the support table 13 . The Y-axis direction coincides with the transport direction Y1 of the medium ST at the printing position. A drying unit 15 facilitates drying of the liquid on the medium ST. The X and Y axes intersect the Z axis. The Z-axis direction in this embodiment is the direction of gravity and the direction of liquid ejection.

The transport unit 14 of the present embodiment has a first transport roller pair 19a, a first guide plate 20a, and a supply reel 21a arranged upstream in the transport direction Y1 from the support table 13. As shown in FIG. The transport unit 14 of this embodiment has a second transport roller pair 19b, a second guide plate 20b, and a take-up reel 21b arranged downstream of the support table 13 in the transport direction Y1. The transport unit 14 has a transport motor 22 that rotates the first transport roller pair 19a and the second transport roller pair 19b.

In the present embodiment, the medium ST is fed from a roll sheet RS wound around the supply reel 21a. When the first transport roller pair 19a and the second transport roller pair 19b rotate with the medium ST sandwiched therebetween, the medium ST is transported along the surfaces of the first guide plate 20a, the support table 13, and the second guide plate 20b. be done. The printed medium ST is taken up by the take-up reel 21b. The medium ST is not limited to the medium ST fed out from the roll sheet RS, and may be a cut sheet-shaped medium ST.

The printing unit 16 of this embodiment has a carriage 23 and a carriage motor 24 . The carriage 23 is supported by the first guide shaft 17a and the second guide shaft 17b. The carriage 23 is driven by the carriage motor 24 to reciprocate above the support base 13 along the first guide shaft 17a and the second guide shaft 17b.

The liquid ejecting device 11 has a plurality of first supply tubes 25 a deformable following the reciprocating carriage 23 , and a connecting portion 26 attached to the carriage 23 . The upstream end of the first supply tube 25 a is connected to the liquid supply source 27 . A downstream end of the first supply tube 25 a is connected to the connecting portion 26 . The liquid supply source 27 may be a tank that can be replenished with liquid, or a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the housing 12 .

The printing unit 16 includes a liquid ejector 30 having a nozzle surface 29 provided with nozzles 28 from which liquid is ejected. The liquid ejector 30 is mounted on the carriage 23 so that the nozzle surface 29 faces the support 13 or the medium ST supported by the support 13 . The printing unit 16 includes, as components held by the carriage 23, a liquid supply path 31, a storage section 32, a storage section holder 33 that holds the storage section 32, and a flow path adapter 34 connected to the storage section 32. and have The liquid ejector 30 is held below the carriage 23 . The storage portion 32 is held on the upper portion of the carriage 23 . The liquid supply path 31 supplies the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source 27 to the liquid ejector 30 .

The storage section 32 temporarily stores the liquid between the liquid supply path 31 and the liquid ejection section 30 . The liquid ejecting device 11 may include a plurality of reservoirs 32 . The reservoir 32 is provided at least for each type of liquid. Types of liquids include inks of different colors, storage liquids that do not contain colorants, and processing liquids that promote the fixation of inks. Color printing is possible when the plurality of storage units 32 store different color inks.

Color ink colors include, for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and white. Color printing may be performed using four colors, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, or using three colors, cyan, magenta, and yellow. Color printing may be performed by adding at least one of light cyan, light magenta, light yellow, orange, green and gray to the three colors of cyan, magenta and yellow. Each ink may contain a preservative.

The white ink can be used for base printing before color printing when printing on the medium ST, which is a transparent or translucent film, or on the dark-colored medium ST. Base printing is sometimes called solid printing or solid printing.

The reservoir 32 has a differential pressure valve 35 . The differential pressure valve 35 is a so-called pressure reducing valve. That is, the differential pressure valve 35 opens when the liquid pressure between the differential pressure valve 35 and the liquid injection section 30 drops below a predetermined negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure due to consumption of the liquid in the liquid injection section 30 . At this time, the differential pressure valve 35 allows the liquid to flow from the storage section 32 toward the liquid injection section 30 .

The differential pressure valve 35 closes when the liquid pressure between the differential pressure valve 35 and the liquid ejecting portion 30 returns to the predetermined negative pressure due to the liquid flowing from the storage portion 32 toward the liquid ejecting portion 30 . At this time, the differential pressure valve 35 stops the flow of liquid from the storage section 32 toward the liquid injection section 30 . The differential pressure valve 35 does not open even when the hydraulic pressure between the differential pressure valve 35 and the liquid injection section 30 increases.
Therefore, the differential pressure valve 35 functions as a one-way valve, a so-called check valve, that allows the liquid to flow from the reservoir 32 to the liquid jetting section 30 and suppresses the liquid from flowing from the liquid jetting section 30 to the reservoir 32 . do.

The liquid supply path 31 has a second supply tube 25b whose upstream end is connected to the connection portion 26 . The downstream end of the second supply tube 25b is connected to the channel adapter 34 at a position above the reservoir 32 . The liquid is supplied to the reservoir 32 through the first supply tube 25a, the second supply tube 25b, and the channel adapter 34 in order.

The drying unit 15 of this embodiment has a heating mechanism 36 and a blowing mechanism 37 . The heating mechanism 36 is positioned above the carriage 23 . The liquid ejector 30 ejects liquid onto the medium ST stopped on the support base 13 while the carriage 23 is reciprocating between the heat generating mechanism 36 and the support base 13 .

The heat generating mechanism 36 has a heat generating member 38 and a reflector 39 extending in the X-axis direction. The heating member 38 is, for example, an infrared heater. The heat generating mechanism 36 emits radiant heat, which is heat such as infrared rays, from the heat generating member 38, and heats the medium ST in the area indicated by the dashed-dotted arrow in FIG. The air blowing mechanism 37 blows air to the area heated by the heating mechanism 36 to promote drying of the medium ST.

The carriage 23 may have a heat shield member 40 between the reservoir 32 and the heat generating mechanism 36 to block heat transfer from the heat generating mechanism 36 . The heat shield member 40 is made of a metal material with good thermal conductivity, such as stainless steel or aluminum. The heat shield member 40 preferably covers at least the upper surface of the reservoir 32 .

The liquid ejecting device 11 includes a control section 41 that controls various operations performed by the liquid ejecting device 11 . The control unit 41 is composed of, for example, a processing circuit including a computer and memory, and controls the conveying motor 22 and the carriage motor 24 according to programs stored in the memory.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the liquid ejector 30 includes a main body 43 in which a plurality of nozzles 28 are formed, and a cover 44 that partially covers the main body 43 . The cover 44 is made of metal such as stainless steel. A plurality of through holes 44a are formed in the cover 44 so as to pass through the cover 44 in the Z-axis direction. The cover 44 is fixed to the main body 43 so that the nozzle 28 is exposed from the through hole 44a. The nozzle surface 29 is composed of a main body 43 exposed from the through hole 44 a and a cover 44 .

In the liquid ejecting section 30, a large number of openings of nozzles 28 for ejecting liquid are arranged in one direction at regular intervals to form a nozzle row. In this embodiment, the openings of the nozzles 28 are aligned in the transport direction Y1 and form the first nozzle row L1 to the twelfth nozzle row L12. The nozzles 28 forming one nozzle row eject the same kind of liquid. Of the nozzles 28 forming one nozzle row, the nozzles 28 located upstream in the transport direction Y1 and the nozzles 28 located downstream in the transport direction Y1 are formed with their positions shifted in the X-axis direction.

The first nozzle row L1 to the twelfth nozzle row L12 are arranged close to each other in the X-axis direction by two rows. In this embodiment, two nozzle rows arranged close to each other are referred to as a nozzle group. In the liquid injection section 30, the first nozzle group G1 to the sixth nozzle group G6 are arranged at regular intervals in the X-axis direction.

Specifically, the first nozzle group G1 includes a first nozzle row L1 that ejects magenta ink and a second nozzle row L2 that ejects yellow ink. The second nozzle group G2 includes a third nozzle row L3 that ejects cyan ink and a fourth nozzle row L4 that ejects black ink. The third nozzle group G3 includes a fifth nozzle row L5 that ejects light cyan ink and a sixth nozzle row L6 that ejects light magenta ink. The fourth nozzle group G4 includes a seventh nozzle row L7 and an eighth nozzle row L8 that jet treatment liquid. The fifth nozzle group G5 includes a ninth nozzle row L9 that ejects black ink and a tenth nozzle row L10 that ejects cyan ink. The sixth nozzle group G6 includes an eleventh nozzle row L11 that ejects yellow ink and a twelfth nozzle row L12 that ejects magenta ink.

A plurality of convex portions 30a are formed in the liquid ejecting portion 30 so as to protrude on both sides in the transport direction Y1. As for the plurality of protrusions 30a, two protrusions 30a positioned at the same position in the X-axis direction form a pair. The paired protrusions 30a are provided at the same intervals as the nozzle groups in the X-axis direction.

The liquid ejecting device 11 may include an air conditioning unit 45 held below the carriage 23 .
The air conditioning section 45 may include a facing section 46 that faces the support base 13 or the medium ST supported by the support base 13 . In other words, the facing portion 46 is provided on the carriage 23 that moves with the liquid ejecting portion 30 mounted thereon. The facing portion 46 may be located at the same position in the Z-axis direction as the nozzle surface 29 formed by the cover 44 . If the air regulating section 45 is provided on both sides of the liquid ejecting section 30 in the X-axis direction, the airflow around the liquid ejecting section 30 that reciprocates in the X-axis direction can be easily adjusted. Both ends of the facing portion 46 in the transport direction Y1 are positioned outside the convex portion 30a.

As shown in FIG. 3, the movement area in which the liquid ejecting unit 30 can move in the X-axis direction includes a print area PA in which printing is performed on the medium ST, and a first non-print area LA and a second non-print area outside the print area PA. and a print area RA. The first non-printing area LA and the second non-printing area RA are positioned on both sides of the printing area PA in the X-axis direction. The print area PA is an area where the liquid ejecting section 30 can eject liquid onto the medium ST having the maximum width. When the printing unit 16 has a borderless printing function, the printing area PA is slightly wider in the X-axis direction than the maximum width medium ST. A heating area HA where the heating mechanism 36 heats the medium ST overlaps with the printing area PA.

The liquid ejecting apparatus 11 includes a moisturizing device 48 provided in the first non-printing area LA and a maintenance unit 49 provided in the second non-printing area RA. The maintenance unit 49 has a flushing mechanism 50, a wiping mechanism 51 for wiping the nozzle surface 29, a suction mechanism 52, and a standby mechanism 53 in order from the position closest to the printing area PA. The home position HP of the liquid ejector 30 is located above the standby mechanism 53 . The home position HP is the starting point of movement of the liquid ejector 30 .

Next, the moisturizing device 48 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the moisturizing device 48 includes a moisturizing cap 55, a moisturizing liquid supply section 56, a connection channel 57, a holder 58, and a moisturizing motor 59 for moving the holder 58 up and down. have. The connection channel 57 connects the moisturizing cap 55 and the moisturizing liquid supply portion 56 . The moisturizing liquid supply unit 56 supplies moisturizing liquid into the moisturizing cap 55 via the connection channel 57 . The holding body 58 holds the moisturizing cap 55 and the moisturizing liquid supply portion 56 .

When the holder 58 is moved up and down by the moisturizing motor 59, the moisturizing cap 55 and the moisturizing liquid supply portion 56 are moved up and down together. As a result, the moisture retaining cap 55 moves between the contact position where it contacts the liquid ejecting portion 30 and the retracted position where it separates from the liquid ejecting portion 30 .

The moisturizing cap 55 moves to the contact position and contacts the liquid ejecting part 30 so as to surround the opening of the nozzle 28 when the liquid ejecting part 30 is stopped in the first non-printing area LA. Such maintenance in which the moisturizing cap 55 surrounds the opening of the nozzle 28 is called moisturizing capping.
Moisturizing capping is a type of capping. Moisturizing capping prevents the nozzles 28 from drying out.

Next, the flushing mechanism 50, wiping mechanism 51, suction mechanism 52, and standby mechanism 53 provided in the maintenance unit 49 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 5, the flushing mechanism 50 includes a liquid receiving portion 61 for receiving the liquid ejected by the liquid ejecting portion 30 for flushing, a lid member 62 for covering the opening of the liquid receiving portion 61, a lid member and a lid motor 63 for moving 62 . Flushing is maintenance in which the liquid ejecting section 30 ejects liquid as waste liquid for the purpose of preventing and eliminating clogging of the nozzle 28 . The flushing mechanism 50 may include multiple liquid receivers 61 and multiple lid members 62 . The liquid ejector 30 may select the liquid receiver 61 depending on the type of liquid. In this embodiment, the liquid receiving portion 61 on the side of the printing area PA receives a plurality of color inks ejected from the liquid ejecting portion 30 as flushing, and the liquid receiving portion 61 on the side of the wiping mechanism 51 serves as flushing from the liquid ejecting portion 30. It receives the jetted treatment liquid. Also, the liquid receiving portion 61 may contain a moisturizing liquid.

The lid member 62 is moved by a lid motor 63 between a closed position covering the opening of the liquid receiving portion 61 and an open position exposing the opening of the liquid receiving portion 61 . When the flushing is not performed, the lid member 62 moves to the closed position, thereby suppressing drying of the contained moisturizing liquid and the received liquid.

The wiping mechanism 51 includes a sheet-like wiping member 65 that wipes the liquid ejecting portion 30, a case 66 that houses the wiping member 65, a pair of rails 67 that extend in the transport direction Y1, and a wiping motor 68 that moves the case 66. and have The case 66 is provided with a power transmission mechanism 69 that transmits the power of the wiping motor 68 . The power transmission mechanism 69 is configured by, for example, a rack and pinion mechanism. The case 66 reciprocates on the rail 67 in the transport direction Y1 by the power of the wiping motor 68 .

The case 66 rotatably supports the feeding shaft 70a, the pressing roller 70b, and the winding shaft 70c. The case 66 has an opening above the pressing roller 70b. The delivery shaft 70 a delivers the wiping member 65 , and the take-up shaft 70 c takes up the used wiping member 65 . The pressing roller 70 b pushes up the wiping member 65 between the delivery shaft 70 a and the winding shaft 70 c to protrude the wiping member 65 from the opening of the case 66 .

The normal rotation of the wiping motor 68 causes the case 66 to move downstream in the transport direction Y1 from the upstream position shown in FIG. 5 to reach the downstream position. After that, the case 66 is moved from the downstream position to the upstream position by the reverse rotation of the wiping motor 68 . The wiping member 65 may wipe the liquid ejector 30 during at least one of the process of moving the case 66 from the upstream position to the downstream position and the process of moving the case 66 from the downstream position to the upstream position. . Wiping is maintenance performed by wiping with the wiping member 65 .

The power transmission mechanism 69 disconnects the wiping motor 68 and the winding shaft 70c when the wiping motor 68 rotates forward, and connects the wiping motor 68 and the winding shaft 70c when the wiping motor 68 rotates in the reverse direction. good too. The take-up shaft 70c may be rotated by the reverse rotation power of the wiping motor 68. As shown in FIG. The winding shaft 70c may wind up the wiping member 65 when the case 66 moves from the downstream position to the upstream position.

The suction mechanism 52 includes a suction cap 72, which is an example of a cap that performs a suction cleaning operation, and a capping mechanism 73 that reciprocates the suction cap 72 in the Z-axis direction.
The suction mechanism 52 includes a cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 that supplies cleaning liquid into the suction cap 72 and a discharge mechanism 75 that discharges the liquid in the suction cap 72 .

When the liquid ejected by the liquid ejecting section 30 is water-based ink, the cleaning liquid may be pure water or water to which additives such as preservatives, surfactants, and moisturizing agents are added. If the liquid ejected by the liquid ejecting section 30 is solvent ink, the cleaning liquid may be solvent.

The suction cap 72 may be configured to surround all the nozzles 28 collectively, may be configured to surround at least one nozzle group, or may be configured to surround some of the nozzles 28 that constitute the nozzle group. good too. The suction mechanism 52 of the present embodiment includes a suction cap 72 corresponding to the nozzle 28 positioned upstream in the transport direction Y1 among the nozzles 28 forming one nozzle group, and a suction cap 72 corresponding to the nozzle 28 positioned downstream in the transport direction Y1. and a corresponding suction cap 72 . The suction mechanism 52 may comprise a trough 76 containing two suction caps 72 . Projections 77 may be provided on both sides of the tub 76 in the transport direction Y1. The protruding portion 77 may be provided with a concave portion 78 whose upper side is open.

The suction cap 72 is located at the capping position CP shown in FIG. The capping mechanism 73 moves the suction cap 72 between a capping position CP during capping and a separated position EP shown in FIG.

The suction cap 72 has a lip portion 79 that contacts the nozzle surface 29 during capping. The lip portion 79 is the upper end of the suction cap 72 with an upper opening and has an annular shape. The liquid repellency of the surface of the lip portion 79 may be higher than the liquid repellency of the surface of the facing portion 46 . That is, the contact angle formed between the surface of the facing portion 46 and the cleaning liquid droplet may be smaller than the contact angle formed between the surface of the lip portion 79 and the cleaning liquid droplet.

The standby mechanism 53 has a standby cap 81 and a standby motor 82 that moves the standby cap 81 . The standby cap 81 is moved between the contact position and the retracted position by power of the standby motor 82 . The contact position is a position where the standby cap 81 contacts the liquid ejector 30 . The retracted position is a position where the standby cap 81 is separated from the liquid ejector 30 .

The standby mechanism 53 of this embodiment has 12 standby caps 81 . One standby cap 81 corresponds to the nozzle 28 located upstream in the transport direction Y1 or the nozzle 28 located downstream in the transport direction Y1 among the nozzles 28 forming one nozzle group. The standby motor 82 collectively moves the plurality of standby caps 81 . When the liquid ejector 30 is stopped at the home position HP, the standby cap 81 moves from the retracted position to the contact position and contacts the nozzle surface 29 . Thereby, the standby cap 81 surrounds the openings of the nozzles 28 constituting the first nozzle group G1 to the sixth nozzle group G6. Such maintenance in which the standby cap 81 surrounds the opening of the nozzle 28 is called standby capping. Wait capping is a type of capping. Standby capping prevents nozzles 28 from drying out.

Next, the suction cap 72 is described.
6 and 7 show a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 shown in FIG. 2 and a cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 shown in FIG. A cross-sectional schematic diagram is combined and illustrated. The suction mechanism 52 of this embodiment includes two suction caps 72, but the suction caps 72 have the same configuration. Therefore, in the following description, one suction cap 72 will be described, and description of the other suction cap 72 will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lip portion 79 may be positioned below the upper end 77a of the projecting portion 77 in the Z-axis direction. A communicating portion 85 to which the open channel 84 communicates may be opened in the suction cap 72 . The open channel 84 may be provided for each suction cap 72 , or one open channel 84 may be communicated with a plurality of suction caps 72 . An air release valve 86 is provided in the open flow path 84 . When the air release valve 86 is opened while the suction cap 72 caps the nozzle surface 29 , the inside of the suction cap 72 communicates with the atmosphere outside the suction cap 72 . Therefore, when the atmosphere release valve 86 is opened, the space inside the suction cap 72 is opened to the atmosphere.

The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 includes a supply channel 88 and a supply pump 89 and a supply valve 90 provided in the supply channel 88 . An upstream end of the supply channel 88 is connected to a storage portion 91 that stores the cleaning liquid. A downstream end of the supply channel 88 is connected to the open channel 84 between the suction cap 72 and the atmospheric release valve 86 . The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 supplies the cleaning liquid into the suction cap 72 via the open channel 84 and the communicating portion 85 .

A discharge portion 93 to which the discharge mechanism 75 is connected opens in the suction cap 72 . The discharge mechanism 75 is provided in the first discharge channel 95a that connects the discharge part 93 and the waste liquid tank 94, the second discharge channel 95b that connects the tub 76 and the waste liquid tank 94, and the first discharge channel 95a. and a discharge pump 96 . The first discharge channel 95 a may be provided for each suction cap 72 , or one first discharge channel 95 a may be branched and connected to a plurality of suction caps 72 . The open channel 84, the supply channel 88, the first discharge channel 95a, and the second discharge channel 95b may be configured by tubes, for example. The supply pump 89 and the discharge pump 96 may be tube pumps, for example.

Next, a case of performing suction cleaning of the liquid ejecting section 30 will be described. The control unit 41 suction-cleans the liquid ejecting unit 30 for each nozzle group.
As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 41 drives the carriage motor 24 with the suction cap 72 positioned at the separation position EP, and causes the nozzle group for suction cleaning and the suction cap 72 to face each other. FIG. 6 illustrates a state in which the first nozzle group G1 and the suction cap 72 face each other. The controller 41 drives the capping mechanism 73 to move the suction cap 72 positioned at the separated position EP to the capping position CP.

As shown in FIG. 7 , when the capping mechanism 73 moves the suction cap 72 to the capping position CP, the projection 30 a of the liquid ejector 30 is inserted into the recess 78 of the suction mechanism 52 .
The suction cap 72 is positioned in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by engaging the convex portion 30 a and the concave portion 78 . When the suction cap 72 is positioned at the capping position CP, the lip portion 79 contacts the nozzle surface 29 and the inside of the suction cap 72 is sealed.

The control unit 41 drives the discharge pump 96 with the air release valve 86 and the supply valve 90 closed. When the discharge pump 96 is driven, a negative pressure is generated inside the suction cap 72 and the inside of the liquid injection section 30 is sucked. Due to this suction, the thickened liquid and air bubbles in the liquid ejecting section 30 are discharged from the nozzles 28 constituting the first nozzle group G1. Such maintenance of discharging the liquid from the nozzle 28 by suction is called suction cleaning.

When the suction cleaning ends, the control unit 41 opens the air release valve 86 and discharges the liquid in the suction cap 72 to the waste liquid tank 94 while taking air into the suction cap 72 . Subsequently, the controller 41 drives the capping mechanism 73 to move the suction cap 72 positioned at the capping position CP to the separated position EP.

As shown in FIG. 6 , when the suction cap 72 moves to the separated position EP, the lip portion 79 is separated from the nozzle surface 29 . The convex portion 30 a is in a state of being removed from the concave portion 78 . The controller 41 moves the carriage 23 so that the second nozzle group G2 and the suction cap 72 face each other. The controller 41 again moves the suction cap 72 from the separation position EP to the capping position CP to suction clean the second nozzle group G2.

In this manner, the control unit 41 controls the movement of the suction cap 72 between the capping position CP and the separation position EP, the opening and closing of the atmospheric release valve 86, the driving of the discharge pump 96, and the second non-printing area RA of the liquid ejecting unit 30. 1 to the printing area PA in the X-axis direction to vacuum clean the first nozzle group G1 to the sixth nozzle group G6 one by one.

Next, lip cleaning for cleaning the lip portion 79 by supplying cleaning liquid to the suction cap 72 will be described.
When suction cleaning is performed, liquid may adhere to the lip portion 79 . The lip portion 79 may adhere to mist generated by printing or the like, or foreign matter generated from the medium ST or the like. Foreign matter generated from the medium ST is also called paper dust when the medium ST is paper, and is also called fluff when the medium ST is cloth. If foreign matter adheres to the lip portion 79 or if the liquid or mist adhering to the lip portion 79 thickens or solidifies, there is a risk that the sealing performance within the suction cap 72 in the capped state may deteriorate.

The control unit 41 performs lip cleaning to remove foreign matter adhering to the lip portion 79 .
The control unit 41 may perform lip cleaning, for example, after performing suction cleaning, or may perform lip cleaning when ejection failure of the nozzles 28 is not improved even after performing suction cleaning. The control unit 41 may perform lip cleaning when an object adhering to the lip portion 79 is detected, when the power is turned on, when the power is turned off, or when an instruction to perform lip cleaning is input.

FIG. 8 shows a state in which the facing portion 46 is positioned above the suction mechanism 52 by combining the schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line 8-8 shown in FIG. 2 and the schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 shown in FIG. shown in the figure.
As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 41 drives the carriage motor 24 with the suction cap 72 positioned at the separation position EP, and when the liquid ejecting unit 30 is positioned in the printing area PA, the liquid ejecting unit 30 moves to the first position. 2 The air regulating section 45 and the suction cap 72 on the non-printing area RA side are opposed to each other. The facing portion 46 is configured to face the lip portion 79 . The control unit 41 drives the capping mechanism 73 to move the suction cap 72 positioned at the separated position EP upward toward the capping position CP.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the upper end 77 a of the projecting portion 77 is located above the lip portion 79 and near the facing portion 46 . Therefore, when the suction cap 72 positioned at the separated position EP is brought closer to the facing portion 46 in a state where the facing portion 46 and the suction cap 72 face each other, the protruding portion 77 is pulled out before the lip portion 79 contacts the facing portion 46 . It contacts the facing portion 46 .

The position of the suction cap 72 when the projecting portion 77 contacts the opposing portion 46 is called a maintenance position MP. The maintenance position MP is a position between the capping position CP and the separation position EP. When the suction cap 72 is positioned at the maintenance position MP, the lip portion 79 faces the facing portion 46 with a predetermined gap therebetween. The controller 41 closes the air release valve 86 , opens the supply valve 90 , drives the supply pump 89 , and supplies the cleaning liquid to the suction cap 72 .

As shown in FIG. 10, the predetermined gap between the lip portion 79 of the suction cap 72 positioned at the maintenance position MP and the facing portion 46 is equal to the gap between the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 of the suction cap 72 positioned at the separated position EP. less than the interval between The predetermined gap is a gap that allows the cleaning liquid inside the suction cap 72 to come into contact with the nozzle surface 29 when the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 supplies the cleaning liquid inside the suction cap 72 . The predetermined gap is preset based on the size, shape, and wettability of the suction cap 72, the surface tension acting on the cleaning liquid, the amount of cleaning liquid supplied by the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 per unit time, and the like. .

For example, when the suction cap 72 has high liquid repellency or when a cleaning liquid having a high surface tension is used, the cleaning liquid is held so as to rise from the suction cap 72 . On the other hand, when the liquid repellency of the suction cap 72 is low or when a cleaning liquid having a low surface tension is used, the cleaning liquid flows out of the suction cap 72 while the swelling from the suction cap 72 is small. Therefore, when the suction cap 72 has high liquid repellency or when using cleaning liquid with high surface tension, the cleaning liquid contacts the nozzle surface 29 even if the gap between the nozzle surface 29 and the lip portion 79 is increased. If the liquid repellency of the suction cap 72 is low or if a cleaning liquid with low surface tension is used, it is necessary to reduce the gap between the nozzle surface 29 and the lip portion 79 .

In this embodiment, the surfaces of the suction cap 72 and the lip portion 79 are made of elastomer, and water with a low surface tension is supplied as the cleaning liquid by adding a surfactant. In this embodiment, the gap between the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 when the suction cap 72 is positioned at the maintenance position MP is set to 0.85 mm. For example, when supplying water with high surface tension to which no surfactant is added as the cleaning liquid, the gap between the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 may be 1 mm.

Next, a lip cleaning routine executed by the controller 41 when cleaning the lip portion 79 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11 , in step S 101 , the controller 41 drives the supply pump 89 to start supplying the cleaning liquid into the suction cap 72 .

In step S102, the control section 41 drives the carriage motor 24 to move the carriage 23, and causes the facing section 46 to face the suction cap 72 positioned at the separation position EP. That is, the control unit 41 causes the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 to face each other.

In step S103, the controller 41 drives the capping mechanism 73 to move the suction cap 72 positioned at the separation position EP to the maintenance position MP. The control unit 41 moves the suction cap 72 from the separation position EP toward the facing portion 46 so that the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 have a predetermined gap. The control unit 41 brings the cleaning liquid supplied into the suction cap 72 into contact with the opposing portion 46 with a predetermined gap between the lip portion 79 and the opposing portion 46 .

In step S104, the control unit 41 determines whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the supply pump 89 started to be driven. The predetermined time is the time required for filling the suction cap 72 with the cleaning liquid and cleaning the lip portion 79 . Specifically, for example, when the supply pump 89 supplies the cleaning liquid to the suction cap 72 having a capacity of 50 ml at a rate of 10 ml/sec, the predetermined time is longer than 5 seconds. In step S104, if the predetermined time has not elapsed, step S104 becomes NO, and the control unit 41 continues driving the supply pump 89 until the predetermined time has elapsed. In step S104, when the predetermined time has passed, step S104 becomes YES, and the control section 41 shifts the process to step S105.

In step S105, the control unit 41 stops driving the supply pump 89 and ends the supply of the cleaning liquid. In step S<b>106 , the controller 41 drives the discharge pump 96 to discharge the cleaning liquid inside the suction cap 72 .

In step S107, the control unit 41 drives the capping mechanism 73 to move the suction cap 72 positioned at the maintenance position MP to the separation position EP. In step S108, the control section 41 wipes the facing section 46 and terminates the process. That is, the control section 41 drives the carriage motor 24 to position the opposing section 46 on the moving path of the wiping member 65 . The control unit 41 drives the wiping motor 68 to wipe the facing portion 46 .

The operation of this embodiment will be described.
The control unit 41 may start supplying the cleaning liquid into the suction cap 72 before the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 form a predetermined gap. The control unit 41 of this embodiment starts supplying the cleaning liquid into the suction cap 72 before the lip portion 79 faces the facing portion 46 . After the lip portion 79 faces the facing portion 46 , the control portion 41 may start supplying the cleaning liquid until a predetermined gap is formed between the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 . good.

As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 41 drives the carriage motor 24 to cause the lip portion 79 of the suction cap 72 located at the separation position EP to face the facing portion 46, and then drives the capping mechanism 73. The suction cap 72 is moved from the separated position EP toward the facing portion 46 . The control unit 41 maintains a state in which the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 have a predetermined gap. The control unit 41 controls the capping mechanism 73 and the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 to position the suction cap 72 at the maintenance position MP so that the cleaning liquid supplied into the suction cap 72 contacts the facing portion 46 . .

The control unit 41 may supply the cleaning liquid to the extent that the cleaning liquid spreads between the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 and cause the suction cap 72 to hold the cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid cleans the lip portion 79 by dissolving or floating the foreign matter adhering to the lip portion 79 . If the contact angle formed between the surface of the facing portion 46 and the cleaning liquid droplet is smaller than the contact angle formed between the surface of the lip portion 79 and the cleaning liquid droplet, the suction cap 72 contacts the facing portion 46 . The cleaned cleaning liquid tends to wet and spread along the facing portion 46 . Therefore, the lip portion 79 can be easily wetted. After finishing the supply of the cleaning liquid, the control section 41 may hold the cleaning liquid in the suction cap 72 and wait while the lip section 79 is wet.

The controller 41 may supply the cleaning liquid so that it overflows the suction cap 72 . The cleaning liquid overflowing from the suction cap 72 is received in the tub 76 while cleaning the lip portion 79, and is stored in the waste liquid tank 94 via the second discharge channel 95b. The controller 41 may continue to supply the cleaning liquid while cleaning the lip portion 79 .

When the cleaning of the lip portion 79 is completed, the controller 41 may stop driving the supply pump 89 and drive the discharge pump 96 to discharge the cleaning liquid remaining in the suction cap 72 . After the cleaning liquid supplied into the suction cap 72 is in contact with the facing portion 46 and before the wiping mechanism 51 wipes the facing portion 46 , the discharging mechanism 75 removes the cleaning liquid supplied into the suction cap 72 . may be discharged. After discharging the cleaning liquid in the suction cap 72 , the control section 41 may move the carriage 23 and wipe the facing section 46 with the wiping mechanism 51 .

Effects of the present embodiment will be described.
(1) The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 supplies the cleaning liquid into the suction cap 72 in a state in which the lip portion 79 faces the facing portion 46 and a predetermined gap is provided between the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 . do. The cleaning liquid supplied into the suction cap 72 contacts the facing portion 46 . Therefore, the lip portion 79 can be wetted with the cleaning liquid, and the lip portion 79 can be cleaned.

(2) The surface of the facing portion 46 has better wettability than the surface of the lip portion 79 . Therefore, when the cleaning liquid supplied into the suction cap 72 adheres to the surface of the facing portion 46 , the cleaning liquid easily spreads outside the suction cap 72 , making it easy to clean the lip portion 79 .

(3) The facing portion 46 is provided on the carriage 23 on which the liquid ejecting portion 30 is mounted. Therefore, by moving the carriage 23, the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 can be opposed to each other.

(4) The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 starts supplying the cleaning liquid before the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 form a predetermined gap. Therefore, the lip portion 79 can be cleaned more easily than in the case where the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 starts supplying the cleaning liquid after the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 has created a predetermined gap between the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 . can reduce the time required for

(5) After the lip portion 79 faces the facing portion 46 , the suction cap 72 positioned at the separated position EP is moved from the separated position EP toward the facing portion 46 so that the suction cap 72 is positioned between the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 . Leave a specified gap. Therefore, the suction cap 72 positioned at the separation position EP is moved to separate the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 until a predetermined gap is formed between the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 . be able to.

(6) The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 starts supplying the cleaning liquid before the lip portion 79 faces the facing portion 46 . Therefore, the time required to clean the lip portion 79 can be shortened compared to the case where the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 starts supplying the cleaning liquid after the lip portion 79 faces the facing portion 46, for example.

(7) The wiping mechanism 51 that wipes the nozzle surface 29 wipes the facing portion 46 . Therefore, the number of members can be reduced compared to the case where the mechanism for wiping the nozzle surface 29 and the mechanism for wiping the facing portion 46 are provided separately.

(8) If the suction cap 72 moves while containing the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid may scatter and contaminate the inside of the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 . In this respect, the discharge mechanism 75 discharges the cleaning liquid supplied inside the suction cap 72 . Therefore, the possibility that the inside of the liquid ejecting device 11 is contaminated can be reduced.

(9) For example, when the cleaning liquid supplied to the suction cap 72 overflows from the suction cap 72 without contacting the facing portion 46, the cleaning liquid overflows from the portion where the surface tension is unbalanced, and the lip Section 79 can only be partially cleaned. In this respect, when the cleaning liquid supplied to the suction cap 72 is brought into contact with the opposing portion 46 , the cleaning liquid spreads in the gap between the lip portion 79 and the opposing portion 46 and can clean the entire lip portion 79 .

(10) If the carriage 23 moves while the cleaning liquid adheres to the facing portion 46 , the cleaning liquid adhering to the facing portion 46 may scatter or drip and contaminate the inside of the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 . In this regard, the wiping mechanism 51 wipes the facing portion 46 to wipe off the cleaning liquid adhering to the facing portion 46 . Therefore, the possibility that the inside of the liquid ejecting device 11 is contaminated can be reduced.

This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. This embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.
- When the liquid ejecting unit 30 is positioned in the printing area PA, the lip cleaning may be performed using the air conditioning unit 45 located on the first non-printing area LA side of the liquid ejecting unit 30 as the facing unit 46 . For example, when the liquid ejecting portion 30 is positioned at the home position HP, the air conditioning portion 45 facing the suction cap 72 may be used as the facing portion 46, and the lip cleaning may be performed with the standby cap 81 in the standby capping state.

When the liquid ejecting unit 30 is positioned in the printing area PA, the air conditioning unit 45 located on the first non-printing area LA side and the air conditioning unit 45 located on the second non-printing area RA side of the liquid ejecting unit 30 are used as the facing portions 46 for the lip. Cleaning may be performed. For example, the air regulating portion 45 to be used as the facing portion 46 may be selected according to the direction of movement of the liquid ejecting portion 30 in the X-axis direction.

- As shown in FIG. 12 , the air regulating portion 45 may include a positioning portion 98 projecting downward from the facing portion 46 . The suction mechanism 52 may position the suction cap 72 at the maintenance position MP when the bucket 76 moving together with the suction cap 72 contacts the positioning portion 98 .

- The positioning portion 98 may engage with the concave portion 78 of the tub 76 in the same manner as the convex portion 30a of the liquid ejecting portion 30 to position the suction cap 72 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The air conditioning section 45 may separately include a positioning section 98 that contacts the tub 76 and a positioning section 98 that engages with the recess 78 .

The controller 41 may control the capping mechanism 73 to position the suction cap 72 at the maintenance position MP.
- The suction cap 72 and the tub 76 may be integrally formed.

- The protrusion 77 may be provided on the suction cap 72 . The capping mechanism 73 may move the suction cap 72 and not the tub 76 .
- The through hole 44a may be larger than the suction cap 72 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The suction cap 72 may cap the lip portion 79 in contact with the main body 43 . The nozzle surface 29 may be a portion of the main body 43 exposed from the through hole 44a. The liquid ejector 30 may be configured without the cover 44 . The facing portion 46 may be the surface of the cover 44 .

- The supply channel 88 may be connected to the first discharge channel 95a. The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 may supply the cleaning liquid into the suction cap 72 via the first discharge channel 95 a and the discharge portion 93 . In this case, the discharge portion 93 functions as a communication portion.

- The discharge mechanism 75 may be configured without the discharge pump 96 . The discharge mechanism 75 may include a valve in the first discharge flow path 95 a so that the cleaning liquid in the suction cap 72 may flow to the waste liquid tank 94 located below the suction cap 72 by opening and closing the valve.

The suction cap 72 may retain the cleaning liquid after the cleaning liquid supplied into the suction cap 72 is brought into contact with the facing portion 46 . The discharge mechanism 75 may discharge the cleaning liquid when or after the wiping mechanism 51 wipes the facing portion 46 . The discharge mechanism 75 may discharge the cleaning liquid before performing the suction cleaning or when performing the suction cleaning.

- The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 may supply the cleaning liquid to the standby cap 81, which is an example of a cap. The moisturizing liquid supply unit 56 may use moisturizing liquid as a cleaning liquid to clean the lip portion of the moisturizing cap 55, which is an example of a cap. The moisture retention cap 55 and standby cap 81 may not be provided with the discharge mechanism 75 . The moisturizing cap 55 and the standby cap 81 may cap the liquid ejector 30 while holding the supplied cleaning liquid.

- The liquid ejecting device 11 may include a plurality of wiping mechanisms 51 . The liquid ejecting device 11 may include a wiping mechanism 51 for the liquid ejecting portion 30 and a wiping mechanism 51 for the facing portion 46 . The wiping mechanism 51 is not limited to wiping with the wiping member 65 capable of absorbing the liquid or the cleaning liquid, but may be, for example, an elastically deformable wiper to wipe the liquid or the cleaning liquid.

The control unit 41 may cause the wiping mechanism 51 to wipe the facing portion 46 while the facing portion 46 is positioned at a position facing the lip portion 79 . By moving the carriage 23 after wiping off the cleaning liquid adhering to the facing portion 46 , scattering and dripping of the cleaning liquid can be suppressed, and the risk of the inside of the liquid ejecting device 11 being contaminated can be reduced.

- The facing portion 46 may be provided separately from the carriage 23 . The facing portion 46 may be fixed at a position capable of facing the lip portion 79 . For example, the facing portion 46 may be arranged at a position shifted in the Y-axis direction with respect to the suction cap 72 . The capping mechanism 73 may move the suction cap 72 in the Y-axis direction so that the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 face each other. The facing portion 46 may be movably provided on a member different from the carriage 23 .

- The liquid ejecting device 11 may be configured without the air conditioning unit 45 . The facing portion 46 may be the lower surface of the carriage 23 .
The control unit 41 moves the suction cap 72 positioned at the separation position EP to a position where a predetermined gap is provided between the lip portion 79 and the opposing portion 46 when the lip portion 79 faces the opposing portion 46 . After moving in the Z-axis direction to , the liquid ejecting portion 30 may be moved in the X-axis direction so that the facing portion 46 faces the lip portion 79 .

The control section 41 may start supplying the cleaning liquid into the suction cap 72 after the lip section 79 and the facing section 46 are separated by a predetermined gap.
- The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 may supply the cleaning liquid into the suction cap 72 from above the suction cap 72 . For example, cleaning liquid may be supplied to suction cap 72 from nozzle 28 . The cleaning liquid may be supplied to the suction cap 72 from a supply port formed in the air conditioning section 45 .

- The liquid ejecting unit 30 may be a so-called line head capable of printing on the medium ST in the X-axis direction. The liquid ejecting apparatus 11 may be configured without the carriage 23 . The liquid ejector 30 does not have to move in the X-axis direction.

- The facing portion 46 and the lip portion 79 may be made of the same material. That is, the contact angle formed between the surface of the facing portion 46 and the droplet of the cleaning liquid may be the same as the contact angle formed between the surface of the lip portion 79 and the droplet of the cleaning liquid. The contact angle formed between the surface of the facing portion 46 and the droplet of the cleaning liquid may be larger than the contact angle formed between the surface of the lip portion 79 and the droplet of the cleaning liquid.

- The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 may supply the cleaning liquid to the suction cap 72 in order to clean at least one of the open channel 84, the suction cap 72, and the first discharge channel 95a. The discharge mechanism 75 may discharge the cleaning liquid in the suction cap 72 through the first discharge channel 95a in order to clean the first discharge channel 95a. In this case, the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 may supply the cleaning liquid into the suction cap 72 while the gap between the lip portion 79 and the facing portion 46 is larger than a predetermined gap. The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 74 and the discharge mechanism 75 may supply and discharge the cleaning liquid so that the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid in the suction cap 72 is positioned below the lip portion 79 .

- The liquid ejecting device 11 may be a liquid ejecting device that ejects or ejects a liquid other than ink. The state of the liquid ejected in the form of minute droplets from the liquid ejecting apparatus includes granular, tear-like, and thread-like trailing liquids. The liquid referred to here may be any material as long as it can be ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, the liquid may be in a state when the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a high or low viscosity liquid, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals, It is intended to include fluids such as metal melts. The term "liquid" includes not only a liquid as one state of a substance, but also a solution, dispersion, or mixture of particles of a functional material made of a solid substance such as a pigment or metal particles dissolved in a solvent.
Typical examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiments.
Here, the ink includes general water-based inks, oil-based inks, gel inks, hot-melt inks, and various other liquid compositions. Specific examples of the liquid ejecting apparatus include, for example, liquid crystal displays, electroluminescence displays, surface emitting displays, and liquids containing dispersed or dissolved materials such as electrode materials and coloring materials used in the manufacture of color filters. I have a device. The liquid injection device may be a device that injects a bioorganic substance used for biochip production, a device that is used as a precision pipette and injects a liquid that serves as a sample, a printing device, a microdispenser, or the like. A liquid injection device is a device that injects lubricating oil with pinpoint precision to precision machines such as watches and cameras, and a transparent resin such as an ultraviolet curable resin for forming micro hemispherical lenses and optical lenses used in optical communication devices, etc. It may be a device that jets a liquid onto a substrate. The liquid injection device may be a device that injects an etchant such as acid or alkali to etch a substrate or the like.

The technical ideas and effects obtained from the above-described embodiments and modifications will be described below.
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting portion having a nozzle surface provided with a nozzle for ejecting liquid, a cap that surrounds and forms a space in which the nozzle opens when the nozzle surface is contacted, and the cap. between a capping position during capping and a spaced position apart from the nozzle surface; a cleaning liquid supply mechanism for supplying cleaning liquid into the cap; and a cleaning liquid supply mechanism that contacts the nozzle surface during capping. A facing portion configured to face the lip portion of the cap, the capping mechanism, and the cleaning liquid supply mechanism are controlled so that the lip portion faces the facing portion and has a predetermined space between the facing portion and the facing portion. and a controller for setting a state in which the cleaning liquid supplied into the cap is in contact with the facing portion with a gap between the cap and the cap.

According to this configuration, the cleaning liquid supply mechanism supplies the cleaning liquid into the cap in a state in which the lip portion faces the facing portion and a predetermined gap is provided between the lip portion and the facing portion.
The cleaning liquid supplied into the cap contacts the facing portion. Therefore, the lip portion can be wetted with the cleaning liquid, and the lip portion can be cleaned.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, a contact angle formed between the surface of the facing portion and the droplet of the cleaning liquid may be smaller than a contact angle formed between the surface of the lip portion and the droplet of the cleaning liquid.

According to this configuration, the surface of the facing portion has better wettability than the surface of the lip portion. Therefore, when the cleaning liquid supplied into the cap adheres to the surface of the facing portion, the cleaning liquid easily spreads to the outside of the cap, making it easy to clean the lip portion.

The liquid ejecting apparatus may include a carriage on which the liquid ejecting portion is mounted, and the facing portion may be provided on the carriage.
According to this configuration, the facing portion is provided on the carriage on which the liquid ejecting portion is mounted. Therefore, the lip portion and the facing portion can be opposed to each other by moving the carriage.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, the cleaning liquid supply mechanism may supply the cleaning liquid into the cap via a communicating portion that opens into the cap.
This configuration can be suitably employed as a cleaning liquid supply mechanism.

A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting apparatus comprises: a liquid ejecting unit having a nozzle surface provided with a nozzle for ejecting liquid; and a cap that surrounds and forms a space where the nozzle opens when the nozzle surface is contacted. a capping mechanism for moving the cap between a capping position during the capping and a spaced position apart from the nozzle surface; a cleaning liquid supply mechanism for supplying a cleaning liquid into the cap; and a nozzle surface during the capping. and a facing portion configured to face the lip portion of the cap that contacts with the lip portion, wherein the lip portion faces the facing portion and is between the facing portion and the lip portion. The cleaning liquid supplied into the cap is brought into contact with the facing portion with a predetermined gap left. According to this method, the same effects as those of the liquid ejecting apparatus can be obtained.

In the maintenance method of the liquid ejecting apparatus, the supply of the cleaning liquid into the cap may be started before the lip portion and the facing portion are provided with the predetermined gap.

According to this method, the cleaning liquid supply mechanism starts supplying the cleaning liquid before the lip portion and the facing portion have a predetermined gap. Therefore, compared to the case where the cleaning liquid supply mechanism starts supplying the cleaning liquid after a predetermined gap is formed between the lip section and the facing section, for example, it takes longer to clean the lip section. can be shortened.

A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting apparatus includes, after opposing the lip portion of the cap positioned at the separated position and the facing portion, moving the cap from the separated position toward the facing portion to remove the lip portion. may be in a state in which the predetermined gap is provided between the and the facing portion.

According to this method, the cap positioned at the separated position is moved from the separated position toward the opposing portion after the lip portion faces the opposing portion to create a predetermined gap between the lip portion and the opposing portion. state. Therefore, the cap positioned at the separated position can be moved to separate the lip portion and the opposing portion until a predetermined gap is formed between the lip portion and the opposing portion.

In the maintenance method for the liquid ejecting apparatus, supply of the cleaning liquid into the cap may be started before the lip portion faces the facing portion.
According to this configuration, the cleaning liquid supply mechanism starts supplying the cleaning liquid before the lip portion faces the facing portion. Therefore, the time required to clean the lip portion can be shortened, for example, compared to the case where the cleaning liquid supply mechanism starts supplying the cleaning liquid after the lip portion faces the opposing portion.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus maintenance method, the liquid ejecting apparatus further includes a carriage on which the liquid ejecting portion is mounted and moved, and a wiping mechanism that wipes the nozzle surface, and the lip portion faces the facing portion. and the cleaning liquid supplied into the cap is brought into contact with the facing portion while leaving the predetermined gap between the wiping cap and the facing portion. A mechanism may wipe the facing portion.

According to this method, the wiping mechanism that wipes the nozzle surface wipes the opposing portion. Therefore, the number of members can be reduced compared to the case where the mechanism for wiping the nozzle surface and the mechanism for wiping the facing portion are provided separately.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus maintenance method, the liquid ejecting apparatus further includes a discharge mechanism for discharging the liquid in the cap, and after the cleaning liquid supplied into the cap is brought into contact with the facing portion. The discharging mechanism may discharge the cleaning liquid supplied into the cap before the wiping mechanism wipes the facing portion.

If the cap moves while containing the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid may scatter and contaminate the inside of the liquid ejecting apparatus. In this regard, according to this method, the discharge mechanism discharges the cleaning liquid supplied into the cap. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the inside of the liquid ejecting apparatus is contaminated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Liquid injection apparatus, 12... Housing, 13... Support stand, 14... Transport unit, 15... Drying unit, 16... Printing unit, 17a... First guide shaft, 17b... Second guide shaft, 18... Reporting unit, 19a... First transport roller pair, 19b... Second transport roller pair, 20a... First guide plate, 20b... Second guide plate, 21a... Supply reel, 21b... Winding reel, 22... Transport motor, 23... Carriage, 24 Carriage motor 25a First supply tube 25b Second supply tube 26 Connection part 27 Liquid supply source 28 Nozzle 29 Nozzle surface 30 Liquid injection part 30a Convex part 31 Liquid supply path 32 Reservoir 33 Reservoir holder 34 Flow path adapter 35 Differential pressure valve 36 Heat generating mechanism 37 Blower mechanism 38 Heat generating member 39 Reflector 40 Heat shielding member 41 Control section 43 Main body 44 Cover 44a Through hole 45 Air regulating section 46 Opposing section 48 Moisturizing device 49 Maintenance unit 50 Flushing mechanism 51 Wiping mechanism 52 Suction mechanism 53 Standby mechanism 55 Moisturizing cap 56 Moisturizing liquid supply unit 57 Connection channel 58 Holder 59 Moisturizing motor 61 Liquid receiving unit 62 Lid member 63 Lid motor 65 Wiping member 66 Case 67 Rail 68 Wiping motor 69 Power transmission mechanism 70a Delivery shaft 70b Press roller 70c Winding shaft 72... Suction cap which is an example of a cap, 73... Capping mechanism, 74... Cleaning liquid supply mechanism, 75... Ejection mechanism, 76... Tub, 77... Protruding part, 77a... Upper end, 78... Recessed part, 79... Lip part, 81 Stand-by cap 82 Stand-by motor 84 Release channel 85 Communicating portion 86 Atmosphere release valve 88 Supply channel 89 Supply pump 90 Supply valve 91 Accommodating portion 93 Discharge part 94 Waste liquid tank 95a First discharge channel 95b Second discharge channel 96 Discharge pump 98 Positioning part G1 to G6 First nozzle group to sixth nozzle group, L1 to L12: 1st to 12th nozzle rows, HA: heating area, PA: printing area, LA: first non-printing area, RA: second non-printing area, CP: capping position, EP: separation position, HP: Home position, MP...maintenance position, RS...roll sheet, ST...medium, Y1...conveying direction.

Claims (12)

a liquid ejecting part having a nozzle surface provided with nozzles for ejecting liquid;
a cap that has a lip portion and performs capping that surrounds and forms a space in which the nozzle opens when in contact with the nozzle surface;
a waste liquid tank containing cleaning liquid;
a first channel connected to the cap and the waste liquid tank;
a tub for containing the cleaning liquid overflowing from the cap;
a second flow path connected to the tub and the waste liquid tank;
a control unit;
The cleaning liquid can be supplied into the cap through the first flow path and discharged from the cap through the first flow path, and the cleaning liquid can be discharged from the cap through the second flow path . the cleaning liquid can be discharged to the waste liquid tank,
The controller controls the cleaning liquid supplied into the cap to contact the nozzle surface in a state in which the lip portion faces the nozzle surface with a predetermined gap between the lip portion and the nozzle surface. to control the state,
A liquid injection device characterized by: The control unit performs control to discharge the cleaning liquid in the cap through the first flow path.
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: A discharge pump provided in the first flow path,
The control unit controls to drive the discharge pump to discharge the cleaning liquid in the cap to the waste liquid tank.
3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that: The control unit performs control to discharge the cleaning liquid in the cap after performing control to end the supply of the cleaning liquid.
4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The control unit determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed after starting the supply of the cleaning liquid, and performs control to continue supplying the cleaning liquid until the predetermined time has elapsed.
5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: A capping mechanism for moving the cap,
the control unit controls the capping mechanism to move the cap toward the nozzle surface so that the predetermined gap is provided between the lip portion and the nozzle surface;
6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The predetermined gap is set to a size that allows surface tension to act on the cleaning liquid.
7. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: the cap is a first cap,
a second cap that is different from the first cap and that performs capping to surround and form a space in which the nozzle opens when it contacts the nozzle surface;
The first flow path is provided in each of the first cap and the second cap,
8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: the cap is a first cap,
a second cap that is different from the first cap and that performs capping to surround and form a space in which the nozzle opens when it contacts the nozzle surface;
The first flow path is branched and connected to the first cap and the second cap,
8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: a liquid ejecting part having a nozzle surface provided with nozzles for ejecting liquid;
a cap that has a lip portion and performs capping that surrounds and forms a space in which the nozzle opens when in contact with the nozzle surface;
a waste liquid tank containing cleaning liquid;
a first channel connected to the cap and the waste liquid tank;
a tub for containing the cleaning liquid overflowing from the cap;
a second flow path connected to the tub and the waste liquid tank;
capable of supplying the cleaning liquid into the cap via the first flow path and discharging the cleaning liquid from the cap via the first flow path, and connecting the second flow path to A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting device capable of discharging the cleaning liquid to the waste liquid tank through
supplying the cleaning liquid into the cap through the first channel;
Lip cleaning in which the lip portion faces the nozzle surface with a predetermined gap therebetween, and the cleaning liquid supplied into the cap is in contact with the nozzle surface. and run
discharging the cleaning liquid contained in the tub through the second flow path;
A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising: a liquid ejecting part having a nozzle surface provided with nozzles for ejecting liquid;
a cap that has a lip portion and performs capping that surrounds and forms a space in which the nozzle opens when in contact with the nozzle surface;
a waste liquid tank containing cleaning liquid;
a first channel connected to the cap and the waste liquid tank;
a tub for containing the cleaning liquid overflowing from the cap;
a second flow path connected to the tub and the waste liquid tank;
A maintenance method for a liquid injection device comprising:
supplying the cleaning liquid into the cap through the first channel;
Lip cleaning in which the lip portion faces the nozzle surface with a predetermined gap between the nozzle surface and the cleaning liquid supplied into the cap is in contact with the nozzle surface. and run
discharging the cleaning liquid contained in the tub through the second flow path;
The lip cleaning is performed when a deposit adhering to the lip portion is detected,
A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting apparatus, characterized by: a liquid ejecting part having a nozzle surface provided with nozzles for ejecting liquid;
a cap that has a lip portion and performs capping that surrounds and forms a space in which the nozzle opens when in contact with the nozzle surface;
a waste liquid tank containing cleaning liquid;
a first channel connected to the cap and the waste liquid tank;
a tub for containing the cleaning liquid overflowing from the cap;
a second flow path connected to the tub and the waste liquid tank;
A maintenance method for a liquid injection device comprising:
supplying the cleaning liquid into the cap through the first channel;
Lip cleaning in which the lip portion faces the nozzle surface with a predetermined gap between the nozzle surface and the cleaning liquid supplied into the cap is in contact with the nozzle surface. and run
discharging the cleaning liquid contained in the tub through the second flow path;
The lip cleaning is performed when an instruction to perform the lip cleaning is input to a notification unit provided in the liquid ejecting device.
A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting apparatus, characterized by: