JP7338766B2 - Wiping device and liquid injection device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an inkjet printer.

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet printers are widely known as an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a medium, and that ejects ink (liquid) from nozzles of a liquid ejecting unit onto paper (medium) to perform printing. For example, see Patent Document 1). In such printers, the moisture in the ink inside the nozzles evaporates through the nozzle openings, which increases the viscosity of the ink inside the nozzles, making the nozzles more likely to clog.

Therefore, during printing, the inkjet line head (liquid ejecting unit) is moved to the maintenance position at an appropriate timing, and the ink in the nozzles is ejected into the nozzle cap (dummy) regardless of printing (dummy flushing). jet) to suppress clogging of the nozzles.

JP 2010-82856 A

By the way, in the above-mentioned printer, when flushing is repeated, the ink (waste liquid) ejected into the nozzle cap dries and deposits of components contained in the ink (for example, pigments and synthetic resins) are formed. generated. If the deposit accumulates in the nozzle cap, the inkjet line head contacts the deposit and becomes contaminated when the inkjet line head is moved to the maintenance position.

This problem is not limited to inkjet printers that print by ejecting ink, but is generally common to liquid ejecting apparatuses having nozzles for ejecting liquid.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus capable of suppressing contamination by waste liquid.

Means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described below.
A liquid ejecting apparatus for solving the above-described problems includes a liquid ejecting portion having a nozzle capable of ejecting liquid onto a medium; a wiping portion capable of wiping the liquid ejecting portion; a waste liquid receiving part that receives waste liquid discharged by a maintenance operation for performing maintenance of the liquid ejecting part; and a collecting part that contacts the waste liquid receiving part and collects the waste liquid received by the waste liquid receiving part, The wiping part contacts the collecting part and wipes the waste liquid collected by the collecting part.

According to this configuration, the waste liquid received by the waste liquid receiving section (deposits generated by drying the waste liquid) is collected by the collection section, and the waste liquid collected by the collection section is wiped and collected by the wiping section. Therefore, contamination by waste liquid can be suppressed.

In the above liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the wiping section contacts the recovering section after wiping the liquid ejecting section.
According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the waste liquid collected by the collecting section from adhering to the liquid ejecting section.

In the above liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the waste liquid receiving section is arranged downstream of the wiping section in a wiping direction in which the wiping section wipes the liquid ejecting section.
According to this configuration, when the liquid ejecting portion is wiped by the wiping portion, the liquid tends to scatter toward the downstream side in the wiping direction, so that the scattered liquid can be easily collected by the waste liquid receiving portion.

The liquid ejecting apparatus may include a relative movement mechanism for relatively moving the wiping portion and the waste liquid receiving portion, and the liquid ejecting portion and the recovering portion in a wiping direction in which the wiping portion wipes the liquid ejecting portion. is preferred.

According to this configuration, the wiping portion and the waste liquid receiving portion can be moved relative to each other in the wiping direction by the relative movement mechanism.
Preferably, the liquid ejecting device includes a base holding the wiping part and the waste liquid receiving part, and the relative movement mechanism moves the base with respect to the liquid ejecting part and the collecting part.

According to this configuration, the wiping portion and the waste liquid receiving portion can be moved together with the base portion relative to the liquid ejecting portion and the collecting portion by the relative movement mechanism.
Preferably, the liquid ejecting apparatus includes a carriage that holds the liquid ejecting section and the collecting section, and the relative movement mechanism moves the carriage relative to the wiping section and the waste liquid receiving section.

According to this configuration, the relative movement mechanism can move the liquid ejecting section and the collecting section together with the carriage relative to the wiping section and the waste liquid receiving section.
The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a moving mechanism that moves the liquid ejecting portion in a direction that intersects both a moving direction of the base portion by the relative moving mechanism and a direction in which the liquid ejecting portion ejects the liquid, the moving mechanism to move the liquid ejecting portion to a position where it can face the waste liquid receiving portion and the wiping portion, and in a state in which the liquid ejecting portion and the waste liquid receiving portion face each other, the liquid is supplied from the nozzle to the waste liquid receiving portion. The wiping part is moved relative to the liquid ejecting part by the relative movement mechanism to wipe the liquid ejecting part, and the movement mechanism causes the liquid ejecting part to face the area where the base moves. It is preferable that the wiping unit is retracted from the position and the wiping unit is brought into contact with the collecting unit by the relative movement mechanism.

According to this configuration, before the wiping portion wipes away the waste liquid collected by the collecting portion, the liquid ejecting portion retreats from the position facing the moving region of the base. When the waste liquid scatters, it is possible to prevent the splattered waste liquid from adhering to the liquid ejector.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus described above, it is preferable that the collecting portion is displaceable in a direction in which the liquid ejecting portion ejects the liquid.
According to this configuration, by displacing the recovery section, it is possible to adjust the amount of contact of the recovery section with the waste liquid receiving section and the amount of contact of the recovery section with the wiping section.

1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the arrangement of components of the liquid ejecting apparatus; Bottom view of the head unit. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the head unit; A cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid ejecting portion; The top view of a liquid injection part. (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB' in FIG. 7, (b) is an enlarged view within the right dashed-dotted line frame in (a), and (c) is the left dashed-dotted line frame in (a). Enlarged view. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the maintenance device; 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a fluid ejection device; FIG. The perspective view of an injection unit. FIG. 3 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the usage state of the injection unit. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the liquid ejecting device; FIG. 3 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the usage state of the injection unit. FIG. 3 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the standby state of the injection unit; FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a maintenance device according to a second embodiment; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid ejecting portion; 4 is a perspective view of the maintenance unit; FIG. FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 18; FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of a main portion of FIG. 19; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wiping portion before the cloth sheet is attached to the cloth holder; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wiping portion when the cloth sheet is attached to the cloth holder; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wiping portion when the cloth sheet is attached to the cloth holder; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wiping portion after the cloth sheet is attached to the cloth holder; FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a state when the liquid ejecting portion is moved to the maintenance area; FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a state in which the fluid ejecting portion ejects the fluid to the liquid ejecting portion; FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a state in which the wiping portion wipes the liquid ejecting portion; FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a state in which the wiping portion is in the process of wiping the liquid ejecting portion; FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a state when the wiping portion has finished wiping the liquid ejecting portion; FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a state in which the liquid injection section is retracted from the maintenance area; FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a state in which the wiping section wipes the collecting section; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which part of the fluid ejected from the ejection port to the liquid ejecting portion is blocked by the shielding mechanism. FIG. 4 is a schematic bottom view showing a state in which the wiping member wipes the liquid ejecting portion. FIG. 10 is a schematic side view showing a main part of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to a modification; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a fluid injection nozzle of a modified example;

(First embodiment)
As an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, an inkjet printer that ejects liquid ink to print an image including characters, graphics, and the like will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid ejecting apparatus 7 includes a transport unit 713 that transports a sheet-shaped medium ST supported by a support table 712 in a transport direction Y along the surface of the support table 712, and a medium ST to be transported. a printing unit 720 that ejects ink as an example of a first liquid to print, and a heating unit 717 and a blowing unit 718 that dry the ink that has landed on the medium ST.

The support table 712, the transport section 713, the heat generating section 717, the air blowing section 718, and the printing section 720 are assembled in the printer main body 11a configured by a housing, a frame, and the like. In the printer main body 11a, the support base 712 extends in the width direction of the medium ST (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1).

The transport unit 713 includes a transport roller pair 714a and a transport roller pair 714b that are arranged upstream and downstream of the support table 712 in the transport direction Y and driven by a transport motor 749 (see FIG. 13). Further, the transport unit 713 includes a guide plate 715a and a guide plate 715b that are arranged on the upstream side of the transport roller pair 714a and the downstream side of the transport roller pair 714b in the transport direction Y, respectively, and guide the medium ST while supporting it. there is

Then, the conveying unit 713 conveys the medium ST along the surfaces of the guide plate 715a, the support table 712, and the guide plate 715b by rotating while the conveying roller pair 714a and 714b sandwich the medium ST. In this embodiment, the medium ST is continuously transported by being let out from the roll sheet RS wound around the supply reel 716a. The medium ST, which is fed out from the roll sheet RS and is continuously conveyed, is coated with ink by the printing unit 720 and printed with an image, and then wound into a roll by the take-up reel 716b.

The printing unit 720 is guided by guide shafts 721 and 722 extending along the scanning direction X, which is the width direction of the medium ST perpendicular to the transport direction Y of the medium ST, and is driven by a carriage motor 748 ( 13) is provided with a carriage 723 that can be reciprocated in the scanning direction X by power. In this embodiment, the scanning direction X is a direction that intersects (perpendicularly, as an example) both the transport direction Y and the gravitational direction Z. As shown in FIG.

The carriage 723 has two liquid ejecting units 1 (1A, 1B) that eject ink, a liquid supply path 727 that supplies ink to the liquid ejecting units 1 (1A, 1B), and liquid supply through the liquid supply path 727. A storage section 730 for temporarily storing the collected ink and a channel adapter 728 connected to the storage section 730 are provided. The reservoir 730 is held by a reservoir holder 725 attached to the carriage 723 .

In this embodiment, the direction of ejection of ink droplets (liquid droplets) from the liquid ejection unit 1 is the direction of gravity Z. As shown in FIG. By driving the carriage motor 748 (see FIG. 13), the carriage 723 and the two liquid ejecting units 1 (1A, 1B) intersect (perpendicularly, for example) both the transport direction Y and the gravity direction Z. It is moved in the scanning direction X, which is the direction.

The reservoir 730 includes a differential pressure valve 731 provided in the middle of the liquid supply path 727 for supplying ink to the liquid ejector 1 . The differential pressure valve 731 is opened when the ink pressure on the downstream side becomes a predetermined negative pressure with respect to the atmospheric pressure as the ink is ejected (consumed) from the liquid ejecting sections 1A and 1B located on the downstream side. When the valve is opened, ink is supplied from the reservoir 730 to the liquid ejecting sections 1A and 1B, and the negative pressure on the downstream side is eliminated, the valve is closed. The differential pressure valve 731 does not open even if the pressure of the ink on the downstream side increases, and allows ink to be supplied from the upstream side (the storage section 730 side) to the downstream side (the liquid ejecting section 1 side). functions as a one-way valve (check valve) that suppresses reverse flow of ink from the downstream side to the upstream side.

The liquid ejecting portion 1 is attached to the lower end portion of the carriage 723 so as to face the support base 712 with a predetermined gap in the direction of gravity Z. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the storage section 730 is attached to the upper side of the carriage 723 on the opposite side in the direction of gravity Z from the liquid ejecting section 1 .

The upstream end of a supply tube 727a that forms part of the liquid supply path 727 is the downstream end of a plurality of ink supply tubes 726 that can follow the reciprocating carriage 723 and the part of the carriage 723. is connected via a connecting portion 726a attached to the . In addition, the downstream end of the supply tube 727 a is connected to the channel adapter 728 at a position above the reservoir 730 . Therefore, ink from an ink tank (not shown) containing ink, for example, is supplied to the reservoir 730 via the ink supply tube 726 , the supply tube 727 a and the channel adapter 728 .

In the printing unit 720, while the carriage 723 moves (reciprocates) in the scanning direction X, ink is sprayed onto the medium ST on the support table 712 from the openings of the plurality of nozzles 21 (see FIG. 3) of the liquid ejecting unit 1. Inject. A heat-generating portion 717 for heating and drying the ink that has landed on the medium ST is disposed above the support base 712 in the gravity direction Z with a predetermined distance therebetween in the liquid ejecting device 7 . The printing unit 720 can reciprocate along the scanning direction X between the heating unit 717 and the support base 712 .

The heat-generating part 717 includes a heat-generating member 717a such as an infrared heater and a reflector 717b extending along the scanning direction X, which is the same as the extending direction of the support base 712. In FIG. The ink adhering to the medium ST is heated by heat such as radiated infrared rays (for example, radiant heat). The air blowing unit 718 that dries the ink adhering to the medium ST by blowing air is arranged above the support base 712 with a space that allows the printing unit 720 to reciprocate in the liquid ejecting apparatus 7 .

A heat shielding member 729 that blocks heat transfer from the heat generating portion 717 is provided at a position between the storage portion 730 and the heat generating portion 717 in the carriage 723 . The heat shield member 729 is made of a metal material with good thermal conductivity such as stainless steel or aluminum, and covers at least the upper surface of the reservoir 730 facing the heat generating portion 717 .

In the liquid ejecting device 7, the reservoir 730 is provided at least for each type of ink. Further, the liquid ejecting apparatus 7 of the present embodiment includes a storage section 730 in which colored ink is stored, and is capable of color printing and black-and-white printing. The ink colors of the colored inks are, for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and white. Each colored ink contains a preservative.

For example, when the medium ST is a transparent or translucent film or a dark-colored medium, the white ink is used for base printing (also called solid printing or solid printing) before color printing. be done. Of course, the colored inks used can be arbitrarily selected, and may be, for example, three colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow. In addition to the three colors described above, at least one of light cyan, light magenta, light yellow, orange, green, and gray can be added to the colored ink.

As shown in FIG. 2, the two liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B attached to the lower end of the carriage 723 are arranged apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the scanning direction X and shifted by a predetermined distance in the transport direction Y. ing. A temperature sensor 711 is provided at a position between the two liquid ejecting sections 1A and 1B in the scanning direction X at the lower end of the carriage 723 .

The movement area in which the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B can move in the scanning direction X is the printing area PA in which ink can be landed from the nozzles 21 of the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B when printing on the medium ST, and the moving area in which the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B can move in the scanning direction X. It includes non-printing areas RA and LA, which are areas outside the printing area PA where the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B do not face the medium ST being conveyed. An area corresponding to the printing area PA in the scanning direction X is a heating area HA provided with a heating unit 717 that heats and fixes the ink that has landed on the medium ST.

The maximum width area in the scanning direction X in which the ink droplets ejected from the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B can land on the maximum width medium ST conveyed on the support table 712 is the print area PA. there is That is, the ink droplets ejected from the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B onto the medium ST land within the printing area PA. Note that when the printing unit 720 has a borderless printing function, the printing area PA is slightly wider in the scanning direction X than the range of the conveyed maximum width medium ST.

The non-printing areas RA and LA exist on both sides of the printing area PA in the scanning direction X (on the right and left sides, respectively, in FIG. 2). A fluid ejecting device 775 for performing maintenance of the liquid ejecting section 1 is provided in the non-printing area LA located on the left side of the printing area PA in FIG. On the other hand, a wiper unit 750, a flushing unit 751, and a cap unit 752 are provided in the non-printing area RA located on the right side of the printing area PA in FIG.

The fluid ejecting device 775 , wiper unit 750 , flushing unit 751 and cap unit 752 constitute a maintenance device 710 for performing maintenance on the liquid ejecting section 1 . The position where the cap unit 752 is located in the scanning direction X is the home position HP of the liquid ejecting sections 1A and 1B.

<Regarding the configuration of the head unit>
Next, the configuration of the head unit 2 will be described in detail.
The liquid ejecting section 1 has a plurality of (four in this embodiment) head units 2 provided for each color of ink (for each type of liquid).

As shown in FIG. 3, one head unit 2 has a large number (for example, 180) of openings of nozzles 21 for ejecting ink at a constant nozzle pitch in one direction (the transport direction Y in this embodiment). By arranging them, they form a nozzle row NL.

In this embodiment, one head unit 2 is provided with two nozzle rows NL aligned in the scanning direction X, so that one liquid ejecting unit 1 has two rows of nozzles that are positioned close to each other in the scanning direction. A total of eight nozzle rows NL arranged at regular intervals in X are formed. It should be noted that the two liquid ejecting units 1 have the same nozzle pitch between the nozzles 21 at their ends when the multiple nozzles 21 forming the respective nozzle rows NL are projected in the scanning direction X. They have a positional relationship in the Y direction.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the head unit 2 includes a head body 11 and a plurality of members such as a flow path forming member 40 fixed to one surface (upper surface) of the head body 11 . The head body 11 includes a flow path forming substrate 10, a communication plate 15 provided on one surface (lower surface) of the flow path forming substrate 10, and a surface (lower surface) side of the communication plate 15 opposite to the flow path forming substrate 10. a protection substrate 30 provided on the opposite side (upper side) of the passage forming substrate 10 from the communication plate 15; and a compliance substrate 45 .

The passage forming substrate 10 can be made of metal such as stainless steel or Ni, ceramic materials such as ZrO ₂ or Al ₂ O ₃ , glass ceramic materials, oxides such as MgO or LaAlO _{3 ,} and the like. In this embodiment, the channel forming substrate 10 is made of a silicon single crystal substrate.

As shown in FIG. 5, the channel-forming substrate 10 is anisotropically etched from one side, and a plurality of nozzles 21 are arranged side by side from which pressure generating chambers 12 partitioned by a plurality of partition walls eject ink. are arranged side by side along the direction of A plurality of rows (two rows in this embodiment) in which the pressure generating chambers 12 are arranged side by side in the transport direction Y are arranged in the scanning direction X on the flow path forming substrate 10 .

In the flow path forming substrate 10 , the pressure generating chamber 12 has an opening area narrower than that of the pressure generating chamber 12 on one end side of the pressure generating chamber 12 in the conveying direction Y, and a supply for imparting flow path resistance to the ink flowing into the pressure generating chamber 12 . A road or the like may be provided.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , a communication plate 15 and a nozzle plate 20 are stacked in the direction of gravity Z on one surface (lower surface) of the flow path forming substrate 10 . That is, the liquid ejecting portion 1 includes a nozzle formed with a communication plate 15 provided on one surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 and a nozzle 21 provided on the side of the communication plate 15 opposite to the flow path forming substrate 10 . a plate 20;

The communication plate 15 is provided with a nozzle communication passage 16 that communicates the pressure generating chamber 12 and the nozzle 21 . The communication plate 15 has an area larger than that of the flow path forming substrate 10 , and the nozzle plate 20 has an area smaller than that of the flow path forming substrate 10 . By providing the communication plate 15 in this way, the nozzles 21 of the nozzle plate 20 and the pressure generating chambers 12 can be separated from each other. It becomes difficult to thicken. In addition, since the nozzle plate 20 only needs to cover the opening of the nozzle communication passage 16 that communicates the pressure generating chamber 12 and the nozzle 21, the area of the nozzle plate 20 can be made relatively small and the cost can be reduced. can be done.

As shown in FIG. 5, the communication plate 15 is provided with a first manifold portion 17 and a second manifold portion 18 (throttle channel, orifice channel), which constitute a part of a common liquid chamber (manifold) 100. It is The first manifold portion 17 is provided so as to pass through the communication plate 15 in the thickness direction (the direction of gravity Z, which is the stacking direction of the communication plate 15 and the flow path forming substrate 10). The second manifold portion 18 is provided so as to open to the nozzle plate 20 side of the communication plate 15 without penetrating the communication plate 15 in the thickness direction.

Furthermore, the communication plate 15 is provided with a supply communication passage 19 that communicates with one end of the pressure generation chamber 12 in the transport direction Y, independently for each pressure generation chamber 12 . The supply communication passage 19 communicates the second manifold portion 18 and the pressure generating chamber 12 .

As such a communication plate 15, stainless steel, metal such as nickel (Ni), ceramics such as zirconium (Zr), or the like can be used. It should be noted that the communication plate 15 is preferably made of a material having a coefficient of linear expansion similar to that of the flow path forming substrate 10 . That is, when a material having a coefficient of linear expansion significantly different from that of the channel forming substrate 10 is used for the communicating plate 15, the channel forming substrate 10 and the communicating plate 15 are warped by being heated or cooled. In this embodiment, by using the same material as the flow path forming substrate 10, ie, a silicon single crystal substrate, for the communication plate 15, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of thermal warping, thermal cracking, peeling, and the like.

Of the two surfaces of the nozzle plate 20, the surface (lower surface) from which ink droplets are ejected, that is, the surface opposite to the pressure generating chambers 12 is referred to as a liquid ejection surface 20a. It is called aperture.

As the nozzle plate 20, for example, a metal such as stainless steel (SUS), an organic material such as polyimide resin, a silicon single crystal substrate, or the like can be used. By using a silicon single crystal substrate as the nozzle plate 20, the linear expansion coefficients of the nozzle plate 20 and the communication plate 15 are made equal to suppress the occurrence of warpage due to heating and cooling, cracking, peeling, etc. due to heat. can do.

On the other hand, a vibration plate 50 is formed on the side of the passage forming substrate 10 opposite to the communication plate 15 . In this embodiment, as the vibration plate 50, an elastic film 51 made of silicon oxide provided on the side of the flow path forming substrate 10 and an insulator film 52 made of zirconium oxide provided on the elastic film 51 are provided. there is The liquid flow paths such as the pressure generating chambers 12 are formed by anisotropically etching the flow path forming substrate 10 from one side (the side to which the nozzle plate 20 is bonded). The other surface of the liquid channel such as is defined by the elastic membrane 51 .

An actuator (piezoelectric actuator) 130 having a first electrode 60, a piezoelectric layer 70, and a second electrode 80 is provided on the vibration plate 50 of the flow path forming substrate 10, which is the pressure generating means of the present embodiment. there is Here, the actuator 130 refers to a portion including the first electrode 60 , the piezoelectric layer 70 and the second electrode 80 .

Generally, one electrode of the actuator 130 is used as a common electrode, and the other electrode is patterned for each pressure generating chamber 12 . In this embodiment, the first electrode 60 is provided continuously over the plurality of actuators 130 to serve as a common electrode, and the second electrode 80 is provided independently for each actuator 130 to serve as an individual electrode.

Of course, there is no problem even if this is reversed for convenience of the drive circuit and wiring. In the above example, the diaphragm 50 is composed of the elastic film 51 and the insulator film 52, but it is of course not limited to this. For example, either one of the elastic film 51 and the insulator film 52 may be provided as the diaphragm 50 , and the first electrode may be provided without providing the elastic film 51 and the insulator film 52 as the diaphragm 50 . Only 60 may act as a diaphragm. Also, the actuator 130 itself may substantially serve as a diaphragm.

The piezoelectric layer 70 is made of an oxide piezoelectric material having a polarized structure _. A lead-based piezoelectric material or the like can be used.

Further, the second electrode 80, which is an individual electrode of the actuator 130, is pulled out from the vicinity of the end opposite to the supply communication path 19 and extended onto the diaphragm 50. For example, gold ( One ends of lead electrodes 90 made of Au) or the like are connected respectively.

A wiring substrate 121 , which is an example of a flexible wiring substrate, provided with a drive circuit 120 for driving the actuator 130 is connected to the other end of the lead electrode 90 . As the wiring board 121, a flexible sheet-like material such as a COF board can be used.

On one surface of the wiring substrate 121, a second terminal row 123 is formed in which a plurality of second terminals (wiring terminals) 122 are arranged in parallel and electrically connected to first terminals 311 of the head substrate 300, which will be described later. . A plurality of second terminals 122 of this embodiment are arranged in parallel along the scanning direction X to form a second terminal row 123 . Note that the wiring substrate 121 does not have to be provided with the driving circuit 120 .
That is, the wiring board 121 is not limited to a COF board, and may be an FFC, an FPC, or the like.

A protection substrate 30 having approximately the same size as the flow path forming substrate 10 is bonded to the surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 on the side of the actuator 130 . The protective substrate 30 has a holding portion 31 that is a space for protecting the actuator 130 .

The holding portion 31 does not penetrate the protective substrate 30 in the direction of gravity Z, which is the thickness direction, and has a concave shape that opens toward the flow path forming substrate 10 side. In addition, the holding unit 31 is provided independently for each row composed of the actuators 130 arranged side by side in the scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. That is, the holding part 31 is provided so as to accommodate rows of the actuators 130 arranged side by side in the scanning direction X, and two actuators 130 are arranged side by side in the transport direction Y for each row.
Such a holding portion 31 may have a space that does not impede movement of the actuator 130, and the space may or may not be sealed.

The protective substrate 30 has through holes 32 penetrating in the gravitational direction Z, which is the thickness direction. The through-holes 32 are provided between the two holding portions 31 arranged side by side in the transport direction Y along the scanning direction X, which is the direction in which the plurality of actuators 130 are arranged side by side. In other words, the through hole 32 is an opening having a long side in the direction in which the actuators 130 are arranged side by side. The other end of the lead electrode 90 extends so as to be exposed inside the through hole 32 , and the lead electrode 90 and the wiring substrate 121 are electrically connected inside the through hole 32 .

As such a protective substrate 30, it is preferable to use a material having substantially the same coefficient of thermal expansion as the channel forming substrate 10, such as glass or ceramic material. was formed using a silicon single crystal substrate. Also, the method of bonding the flow path forming substrate 10 and the protection substrate 30 is not particularly limited. It is

The head unit 2 having such a configuration includes a flow path forming member 40 that defines, together with the head main body 11 , a common liquid chamber 100 that communicates with the plurality of pressure generating chambers 12 . The flow path forming member 40 has substantially the same shape as the communication plate 15 described above in plan view, and is joined to the protection substrate 30 and also to the communication plate 15 described above. Specifically, the channel forming member 40 has a recess 41 with a depth that accommodates the channel forming substrate 10 and the protective substrate 30 on the protective substrate 30 side.

The concave portion 41 has an opening area larger than the surface of the protective substrate 30 joined to the flow path forming substrate 10 . The opening surface of the recess 41 on the side of the nozzle plate 20 is sealed by the communication plate 15 while the passage forming substrate 10 and the like are accommodated in the recess 41 . As a result, a third manifold portion 42 is defined by the flow path forming member 40 and the head main body 11 in the outer peripheral portion of the flow path forming substrate 10 . The first manifold portion 17 and the second manifold portion 18 provided on the communication plate 15 and the third manifold portion 42 defined by the flow path forming member 40 and the head main body 11 are common to this embodiment. A liquid chamber 100 is configured.

That is, the common liquid chamber 100 has a first manifold portion 17 , a second manifold portion 18 and a third manifold portion 42 . Further, the common liquid chambers 100 of the present embodiment are arranged on both sides of the two rows of pressure generating chambers 12 in the transport direction Y, and two common liquid chambers 100 provided on both sides of the two rows of pressure generating chambers 12 are provided. The liquid chambers 100 are provided independently so as not to communicate with each other within the head unit 2 . That is, one common liquid chamber 100 is provided in communication with each row of the pressure generating chambers 12 (rows arranged in parallel in the scanning direction X) in this embodiment. In other words, a common liquid chamber 100 is provided for each nozzle group. Of course, the two common liquid chambers 100 may communicate with each other.

Thus, the flow path forming member 40 is a member that forms a flow path (common liquid chamber 100 ) of ink supplied to the head main body 11 , and has an inlet 44 that communicates with the common liquid chamber 100 . .
That is, the introduction port 44 is an opening serving as an inlet for introducing ink supplied to the head body 11 into the common liquid chamber 100 .

Further, the flow path forming member 40 is provided with a connection port 43 that communicates with the through hole 32 of the protection substrate 30 and through which the wiring substrate 121 is inserted. The other end of the wiring board 121 extends in the direction in which the through hole 32 and the connection port 43 penetrate, that is, in the direction of gravity Z, which is opposite to the ink droplet ejection direction.

In addition, as a material of such a flow path forming member 40, for example, resin, metal, or the like can be used. Incidentally, by molding a resin material as the flow path forming member 40, mass production can be performed at a low cost.

A compliance substrate 45 is provided on the surface of the communication plate 15 where the first manifold portion 17 and the second manifold portion 18 are opened. The compliance board 45 has substantially the same size as the communication plate 15 described above in a plan view, and is provided with a first exposure opening 45a through which the nozzle plate 20 is exposed. The compliance substrate 45 seals the openings of the first manifold portion 17 and the second manifold portion 18 on the side of the liquid ejection surface 20a while exposing the nozzle plate 20 through the first exposure opening portion 45a. That is, the compliance substrate 45 defines part of the common liquid chamber 100 .

Such a compliance substrate 45 comprises a sealing film 46 and a fixed substrate 47 in this embodiment. The sealing film 46 is made of a flexible film-like thin film (for example, a thin film having a thickness of 20 μm or less formed of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) or the like), and the fixed substrate 47 is made of stainless steel (SUS) or the like. made of a hard material such as metal. A region of the fixed substrate 47 facing the common liquid chamber 100 is an opening 48 that is completely removed in the thickness direction. The compliance portion 49 is a flexible portion sealed with a chisel. In this embodiment, one compliance section 49 is provided corresponding to one common liquid chamber 100 . That is, in this embodiment, since two common liquid chambers 100 are provided, two compliance sections 49 are provided on both sides in the transport direction Y with the nozzle plate 20 interposed therebetween.

In the head unit 2 having such a configuration, when ejecting ink, the ink is taken in through the inlet 44 and the inside of the flow path from the common liquid chamber 100 to the nozzles 21 is filled with ink. After that, according to the signal from the drive circuit 120, by applying a voltage to each actuator 130 corresponding to the pressure generating chamber 12, the actuator 130 and the diaphragm 50 are bent and deformed. As a result, the pressure in the pressure generating chamber 12 is increased and ink droplets are ejected from the predetermined nozzles 21 .

<Regarding the configuration of the liquid ejector>
Next, the liquid ejecting section 1 having the head unit 2 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 6, the liquid ejecting section 1 includes four head units 2, a flow path member 200 including a holder member that holds the head units 2 and supplies ink to the head units 2, and the flow path member 200. It has a head substrate 300 held and a wiring substrate 121 which is an example of a flexible wiring substrate.

Note that FIG. 7 shows a plan view of the liquid ejecting section 1 in which the illustration of the seal member 230 and the upstream channel member 210 is omitted.
As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, the flow path member 200 includes an upstream flow path member 210, a downstream flow path member 220 which is an example of a holder member, an upstream flow path member 210, and a downstream flow path member 220. and a seal member 230 disposed between the passage member 220 .

The upstream channel member 210 has an upstream channel 500 that serves as an ink channel. In this embodiment, the upstream channel member 210 is configured by stacking a first upstream channel member 211, a second upstream channel member 212, and a third upstream channel member 213 in the direction of gravity Z. . A first upstream flow path 501, a second upstream flow path 502, and a third upstream flow path 503 are provided in each of these members, and the upstream flow path 500 is configured by connecting these members.

Note that the upstream channel member 210 is not limited to such an aspect, and may be composed of a single member or two or more members. Also, the stacking direction of the plurality of members constituting the upstream channel member 210 is not particularly limited, and the scanning direction X and the transporting direction Y may be used.

The first upstream channel member 211 has, on the side opposite to the downstream channel member 220, a connecting portion 214 that is connected to liquid holding means such as an ink tank or an ink cartridge that holds ink (liquid). In this embodiment, the connecting portion 214 is assumed to protrude like a needle. The connecting portion 214 may be directly connected to a liquid holding portion such as an ink cartridge, or may be connected to a liquid holding portion such as an ink tank via a supply pipe such as a tube.

A first upstream channel 501 is provided in the first upstream channel member 211 . The first upstream flow path 501 opens at the top surface of the connecting portion 214, and depending on the position of the second upstream flow path 502 described later, the flow path extends in the direction of gravity Z, or in the It is composed of a channel and the like extending in a plane including the scanning direction X and the transporting direction Y. As shown in FIG. A guide wall 215 (see FIG. 6) for positioning the liquid holding portion is provided around the connecting portion 214 of the first upstream channel member 211 .

The second upstream flow channel member 212 has a second upstream flow channel 502 that is fixed to the opposite surface side of the first upstream flow channel member 211 from the connecting portion 214 and communicates with the first upstream flow channel 501 . A first liquid reservoir 502 a having a wider inner diameter than the second upstream flow path 502 is provided downstream of the second upstream flow path 502 (on the side of the third upstream flow path member 213 ).

The third upstream channel member 213 is provided on the opposite side of the second upstream channel member 212 to the first upstream channel member 211 . A third upstream channel 503 is provided in the third upstream channel member 213 . An opening portion of the third upstream channel 503 on the second upstream channel 502 side serves as a second liquid pool portion 503a widened according to the width of the first liquid pool portion 502a.

A filter 216 is provided at the opening of the second liquid pool 503a (between the first liquid pool 502a and the second liquid pool 503a) to remove air bubbles and foreign matter contained in the ink. As a result, the ink supplied from the second upstream channel 502 (first liquid pool 502a) is supplied to the third upstream channel 503 (second liquid pool 503a) via the filter 216 .

As the filter 216, for example, a mesh-like body such as a wire mesh or a resin mesh, a porous body, or a metal plate having fine through holes can be used. Specific examples of the mesh-like body include metal mesh filters, metal fibers, for example, SUS thin wires made into a felt, sintered metal filters obtained by compression sintering, electroforming metal filters, and electron beam processing. A metal filter, a laser beam processed metal filter, or the like can be used.

In particular, it is preferable that the bubble point pressure (the pressure at which the meniscus formed by the filter apertures breaks) does not fluctuate, and a filter with a fine pore diameter is suitable. Moreover, in order to prevent foreign substances in the ink from reaching the nozzle openings, for example, when the nozzle openings are circular, the filtering particle size of the filter is preferably smaller than the diameter of the nozzle openings.

When a stainless steel mesh filter is used as the filter 216, the filtering particle size of the filter is adjusted to the nozzle opening (for example, if the nozzle opening is circular, the diameter of the nozzle opening is 20 μm) in order to prevent foreign matter in the ink from reaching the nozzle opening. ) is preferable, and in this case, the bubble point pressure generated by the ink (surface tension 28 mN/m) (the pressure at which the meniscus formed by the filter apertures breaks) is 3 to 5 kPa is. Further, when a twilled weave (filtration particle size: 5 μm) is used, the bubble point pressure (the pressure at which the meniscus formed by the filter apertures breaks) is 0 to 15 kPa.

The third upstream channel 503 is branched into two on the downstream side (opposite side to the second upstream channel) of the second liquid reservoir 503a. A first discharge port 504A and a second discharge port 504B are opened in the surface of the member 213 on the downstream channel member 220 side.
Hereinafter, the first discharge port 504A and the second discharge port 504B will be referred to as the discharge port 504 when not distinguished from each other.

That is, the upstream channel 500 corresponding to one connection portion 214 has a first upstream channel 501, a second upstream channel 502, and a third upstream channel 503, and the upstream channel 500 includes a downstream channel member Two discharge ports 504 (a first discharge port 504A and a second discharge port 504B) are opened on the 220 side. In other words, the two outlets 504 (first outlet 504A and second outlet 504B) are provided in communication with a common flow path.

A third protrusion 217 that protrudes toward the downstream flow path member 220 is provided on the downstream flow path member 220 side of the third upstream flow path member 213 . The third projecting portion 217 is provided for each third upstream flow path 503 , and a discharge port 504 is provided in the distal end surface of the third projecting portion 217 .

The first upstream flow channel member 211, the second upstream flow channel member 212, and the third upstream flow channel member 213 provided with such an upstream flow channel 500 are integrally laminated by, for example, an adhesive, welding, or the like. ing. The first upstream channel member 211, the second upstream channel member 212, and the third upstream channel member 213 can be fixed by screws, clamps, or the like. In order to prevent ink (liquid) from leaking out from the connecting portion up to 503, it is preferable to join with an adhesive, welding, or the like.

In this embodiment, one upstream channel member 210 is provided with four connecting portions 214 , and one upstream channel member 210 is provided with four independent upstream channels 500 . Ink is supplied to each upstream channel 500 corresponding to each of the four head units 2 . One upstream channel 500 branches into two, communicates with a downstream channel 600 to be described later, and is connected to each of the two inlets 44 of the head unit 2 .

In the present embodiment, the upstream channel 500 is exemplified by a configuration in which it branches into two downstream of the filter 216 (downstream channel member 220 side), but is not particularly limited to this, and is downstream of the filter 216. , the upstream channel 500 may be branched into three or more. Also, one upstream channel 500 may not be branched downstream of the filter 216 .

The downstream channel member 220 is an example of a holder member that is joined to the upstream channel member 210 and has a downstream channel 600 communicating with the upstream channel 500 . The downstream flow channel member 220 according to this embodiment includes a first downstream flow channel member 240 that is an example of a first member and a second downstream flow channel member 250 that is an example of a second member.

The downstream channel member 220 has a downstream channel 600 that serves as an ink channel. The downstream channel 600 according to the present embodiment is composed of two types of downstream channel 600A and downstream channel 600B having different shapes.

The first downstream channel member 240 is a member formed in a substantially flat plate shape. The second downstream channel member 250 is provided with a first accommodation portion 251 as a recess on the surface on the side of the upstream channel member 210 and a second accommodation portion 252 as a recess on the surface opposite to the upstream channel member 210 . It is a member.

The first accommodating portion 251 has a size large enough to accommodate the first downstream channel member 240 . Also, the second accommodation portion 252 is large enough to accommodate four head units 2 . The second accommodation portion 252 according to this embodiment can accommodate four head units 2 .

A plurality of first protrusions 241 are formed on the surface of the first downstream channel member 240 on the upstream channel member 210 side. Each first protrusion 241 is provided to face the third protrusion 217 provided with the first discharge port 504A among the third protrusions 217 provided in the upstream flow path member 210 . In this embodiment, four first protrusions 241 are provided.

Further, the first downstream flow path member 240 is provided with a first flow path 601 that penetrates in the direction of gravity Z and opens to the top surface of the first protrusion 241 (the surface facing the upstream flow path member 210). there is The third projecting portion 217 and the first projecting portion 241 are joined via the sealing member 230, and the first outlet 504A and the first flow path 601 are in communication.

A plurality of second through-holes 242 are formed through the first downstream flow path member 240 in the direction of gravity Z. As shown in FIG. Each second through-hole 242 is formed at a position through which a second protrusion 253 formed on the second downstream channel member 250 is inserted. In this embodiment, four second through holes 242 are provided.

Further, the first downstream channel member 240 is formed with a plurality of first insertion holes 243 through which the wiring substrates 121 electrically connected to the head unit 2 are inserted. Specifically, each first insertion hole 243 penetrates in the direction of gravity Z and communicates with the second insertion hole 255 of the second downstream channel member 250 and the third insertion hole 302 of the head substrate 300. formed. In this embodiment, four first insertion holes 243 are provided corresponding to each wiring board 121 provided in four head units 2 . Further, the first downstream channel member 240 is provided with a support portion 245 that protrudes toward the head substrate 300 and has a receiving surface.

A plurality of second protrusions 253 are formed on the bottom surface of the first accommodating portion 251 of the second downstream flow path member 250 . Each of the second protrusions 253 is provided to face the third protrusion 217 provided with the second discharge port 504B among the third protrusions 217 provided on the upstream channel member 210 . In this embodiment, four second protrusions 253 are provided. In the second downstream flow path member 250, a downstream flow path penetrates in the direction of gravity Z and opens to the top surface of the second protrusion 253 and the bottom surface of the second housing portion 252 (the surface facing the head unit 2). 600B is provided. The third projecting portion 217 and the second projecting portion 253 are joined via the sealing member 230, and the second outlet 504B and the downstream flow path 600B are in communication.

A plurality of third flow paths 603 are formed through the second downstream flow path member 250 in the direction of gravity Z. As shown in FIG. Each third channel 603 opens to the bottom surfaces of the first accommodating portion 251 and the second accommodating portion 252 . In this embodiment, four third flow paths 603 are provided.

A plurality of grooves 254 that are continuous with the third flow path 603 are formed in the bottom surface of the first accommodation section 251 of the second downstream flow path member 250 . The groove portion 254 constitutes the second flow path 602 by being sealed by the first downstream flow path member 240 housed in the first housing portion 251 . That is, the second flow path 602 is a flow path defined by the groove portion 254 and the surface of the first downstream flow path member 240 on the second downstream flow path member 250 side. The second flow path 602 corresponds to a flow path provided between the first member and the second member described in the claims.

Further, the second downstream channel member 250 is formed with a plurality of second insertion holes 255 through which the wiring substrates 121 electrically connected to the head unit 2 are inserted. Specifically, each second insertion hole 255 is formed so as to penetrate in the direction of gravity Z and communicate with the first insertion hole 243 of the first downstream channel member 240 and the connection port 43 of the head unit 2 . . In this embodiment, four second insertion holes 255 are provided corresponding to each wiring board 121 provided in the four head units 2 .

600 A of downstream flow paths are formed by connecting the 1st flow path 601, the 2nd flow path 602, and the 3rd flow path 603 which were mentioned above. Here, the second flow path 602 is formed by sealing a groove formed on one surface of the first downstream flow path member 240 with the second downstream flow path member 250 . By joining the first downstream channel member 240 and the second downstream channel member 250 as described above, the second channel 602 can be easily formed in the downstream channel member 220 .

Also, the second channel 602 is an example of a channel extending in the horizontal direction. That the second flow path 602 extends in the horizontal direction means that the extending direction of the second flow path 602 includes a component (vector) in the scanning direction X or the transport direction Y. Since the second flow path 602 extends in the horizontal direction, the height of the liquid ejecting section 1 in the direction of gravity Z can be reduced. If the second flow path 602 is tilted with respect to the horizontal direction, the height of the liquid ejecting section 1 is slightly increased.

Incidentally, the extending direction of the second channel 602 is the direction in which the ink (liquid) in the second channel 602 flows. Therefore, even if the second flow path 602 is provided in the horizontal direction (the direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity Z), it intersects the direction of gravity Z and the horizontal direction (the in-plane directions of the scanning direction X and the transport direction Y). Also includes those provided In this embodiment, the first flow path 601 and the third flow path 603 are provided along the gravity direction Z, and the second flow path 602 is provided along the horizontal direction (conveyance direction Y). Note that the first flow path 601 and the third flow path 603 may be provided in a direction intersecting the direction of gravity Z. FIG.

Of course, the downstream channel 600A is not limited to this, and channels other than the first channel 601, the second channel 602, and the third channel 603 may exist. Further, the downstream flow path 600A may not be composed of the first flow path 601, the second flow path 602 and the third flow path 603, but may be constructed of a single flow path.

The downstream channel 600B is formed as a through-hole penetrating the second downstream channel member 250 in the direction of gravity Z, as described above. Of course, the downstream flow path 600B is not limited to such an aspect, and for example, it may be formed along a direction intersecting the direction of gravity Z, or a plurality of flow paths may be connected like the downstream flow path 600A. It may be configured by

One such downstream channel 600A and one downstream channel 600B are formed for one head unit 2 . That is, the downstream channel member 220 is provided with a total of four pairs of downstream channels 600A and downstream channels 600B.

Of the openings at both ends of the downstream flow path 600A, the opening of the first flow path 601 that communicates with the first discharge port 504A is defined as the first inlet 610, and the opening of the third flow path 603 that opens to the second housing portion 252. is the first outflow port 611 .

Of the openings at both ends of the downstream flow path 600B, the opening of the downstream flow path 600B that communicates with the second discharge port 504B is referred to as a second inlet 620, and the opening of the downstream flow path 600B that opens to the second housing portion 252 is referred to as a second inlet. 2 outflow port 621 . Hereinafter, the downstream flow path 600A and the downstream flow path 600B will be referred to as the downstream flow path 600 when not distinguished from each other.

As shown in FIG. 6, the downstream channel member 220 (holder member) holds the head unit 2 on the lower side. Specifically, a plurality of (four in this embodiment) head units 2 are accommodated in the second accommodation portion 252 of the downstream flow path member 220 .

As shown in FIG. 8, the head unit 2 is provided with two introduction ports 44 each. A first outflow port 611 and a second outflow port 621 of the downstream flow channel 600 (the downstream flow channel 600A and the downstream flow channel 600B) are provided in the downstream flow channel member 220 in alignment with the opening positions of the introduction ports 44. .

Each inlet 44 of the head unit 2 is positioned so as to communicate with the first outlet 611 and the second outlet 621 of the downstream flow path 600 that open at the bottom surface of the second accommodation section 252 .
The head unit 2 is fixed to the second housing portion 252 with an adhesive 227 provided around each inlet 44 . By fixing the head unit 2 to the second housing portion 252 in this manner, the first outlet 611 and the second outlet 621 of the downstream flow path 600 and the inlet 44 are communicated with each other, and the head unit 2 is supplied with ink. supplied.

The head substrate 300 is placed on the upper side of the downstream channel member 220 (holder member).
Specifically, the head substrate 300 is placed on the surface of the downstream channel member 220 on the upstream channel member 210 side. The head substrate 300 is a member to which the wiring substrate 121 is connected and on which electrical components such as circuits and resistors for controlling the ejection operation of the liquid ejecting section 1 are mounted via the wiring substrate 121 .

As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of first terminals (electrode terminals) 311 to which second terminal rows 123 of the wiring substrate 121 are electrically connected are arranged on the surface of the head substrate 300 on the side of the upstream channel member 210 . A first terminal row 310 is formed. A plurality of first terminals 311 of this embodiment are arranged in parallel along the scanning direction X to form a first terminal row 310 . In this embodiment, the first terminal row 310 is an example of a mounting area electrically connected to the wiring board 121 .

Further, the head substrate 300 is formed with a plurality of third insertion holes 302 through which the wiring substrates 121 electrically connected to the head unit 2 are inserted. Specifically, each third insertion hole 302 is formed so as to penetrate in the direction of gravity Z and communicate with the first insertion hole 243 of the first downstream channel member 240 . In this embodiment, four third insertion holes 302 are provided corresponding to each wiring board 121 provided in four head units 2 .

Further, the head substrate 300 is provided with a third through hole 301 penetrating in the direction of gravity Z. As shown in FIG. The third through hole 301 is through which the first protrusion 241 of the first downstream flow path member 240 and the second protrusion 253 of the second downstream flow path member 250 are inserted. In this embodiment, a total of eight third through holes 301 are provided so as to face the first protrusion 241 and the second protrusion 253 .

Note that the shape of the third through hole 301 formed in the head substrate 300 is not limited to the aspect described above. For example, a common through hole through which the first protrusion 241 and the second protrusion 253 are inserted may be used as the insertion hole. That is, the head substrate 300 is formed with insertion holes, cutouts, and the like so as not to interfere with the connection between the downstream channel 600 of the downstream channel member 220 and the upstream channel 500 of the upstream channel member 210 . All you have to do is

As shown in FIG. 8, a seal member 230 is provided between the head substrate 300 and the upstream channel member 210 . As the material of the sealing member 230, a material (elastic material) that is resistant to liquid such as ink used in the liquid ejecting portion 1 and that is elastically deformable (elastic material), such as rubber or elastomer, can be used. can.

The sealing member 230 is a plate-like member having a communicating passage 232 penetrating in the direction of gravity Z and a fourth projecting portion 231 projecting toward the downstream flow path member 220 side. In this embodiment, eight communication paths 232 and eight fourth protrusions 231 are formed corresponding to each of the upstream flow path 500 and the downstream flow path 600 .

An annular first recess 233 into which the third protrusion 217 is inserted is provided on the seal member 230 on the side of the upstream flow path member 210 . The first recess 233 is provided at a position facing the fourth protrusion 231 .

The fourth protrusion 231 protrudes toward the downstream flow path member 220 and is provided at a position facing the first protrusion 241 and the second protrusion 253 of the downstream flow path member 220 . A second recess 234 into which the first protrusion 241 and the second protrusion 253 are inserted is provided on the top surface of the fourth protrusion 231 (the surface facing the downstream channel member 220).

The communication path 232 penetrates the seal member 230 in the direction of gravity Z, and has one end opening to the first recess 233 and the other end opening to the second recess 234 . Between the tip surface of the third protrusion 217 inserted into the first recess 233 and the tip surfaces of the first protrusion 241 and the second protrusion 253 inserted into the second recess 234, the fourth protrusion The portion 231 is held with a predetermined pressure applied in the direction of gravity Z. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the upstream flow path 500 and the downstream flow path 600 communicate with each other in a sealed state through the communication path 232 .

A cover head 400 is attached to the downstream channel member 220 on the side of the second accommodating portion 252 (lower side). The cover head 400 is a member to which the head unit 2 is fixed and which is fixed to the downstream channel member 220 , and is provided with a second exposure opening 401 for exposing the nozzles 21 . In this embodiment, the second exposure opening 401 has a size that exposes the nozzle plate 20 , that is, an opening that is substantially the same as the first exposure opening 45 a of the compliance board 45 .

The cover head 400 is bonded to the side of the compliance substrate 45 opposite to the communication plate 15 and seals the space of the compliance portion 49 on the side opposite to the flow path (common liquid chamber 100). By covering the compliance portion 49 with the cover head 400 in this way, it is possible to suppress breakage of the compliance portion 49 even if the compliance portion 49 comes into contact with the medium ST. In addition, adhesion of ink (liquid) to the compliance portion 49 can be suppressed, and the ink (liquid) adhering to the surface of the cover head 400 can be wiped off with a wiper blade or the like. It is possible to suppress contamination with adhering ink or the like. Although not shown, the space between the cover head 400 and the compliance portion 49 is open to the atmosphere. Of course, the cover head 400 may be provided independently for each head unit 2 .

<Regarding the configuration of the maintenance device>
Next, the configuration of maintenance device 710 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 9, the non-printing area RA includes a wiping area WA provided with a wiper unit 750, a receiving area FA provided with a flushing unit 751, and a maintenance area MA provided with a cap unit 752. . That is, the non-printing area RA includes the wiping area WA, the receiving area FA, and the maintenance area MA. arranged in order.

The wiper unit 750 has a wiping member 750a that wipes the liquid ejecting portion 1. As shown in FIG. The wiping member 750a of this embodiment is movable, and performs a wiping operation with the power of a wiping motor 753. As shown in FIG. The flushing unit 751 has a liquid receiving portion 751a that receives ink droplets ejected by the liquid ejecting portion 1 .

The liquid receiving portion 751a of the present embodiment is composed of a belt, and the belt is moved by the power of the flushing motor 754 at a predetermined time at which the amount of ink smudge due to the flushing of the belt can be considered to have exceeded a specified amount. Note that flushing is an operation of forcibly ejecting (discharging) ink droplets from all the nozzles 21 for the purpose of preventing or eliminating clogging of the nozzles 21, regardless of printing.

The cap unit 752 can come into contact with the liquid ejecting sections 1A and 1B so as to surround the opening of the nozzle 21 when the liquid ejecting sections 1A and 1B are positioned at the home position HP as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. It has two cap portions 752a. The two cap portions 752a are configured to be movable between a contact position where they are in contact with the liquid ejector 1 at the home position HP and a retracted position away from the liquid ejector 1 by the power of the capping motor 755. .

The wiper unit 750 includes a movable housing 759 capable of reciprocating movement on a pair of rails 758 extending along the transport direction Y by power of a wiping motor 753 . A delivery shaft 760 and a winding shaft 761 are rotatably supported in the housing 759 at a predetermined distance in the wiping direction (same as the transport direction Y). Payout shaft 760 supports payout roll 763 formed by unused fabric sheet 762 and take-up shaft 761 supports take-up roll 764 formed by used fabric sheet 762 .

The cloth sheet 762 positioned between the delivery roll 763 and the take-up roll 764 is wrapped around the upper surface of a pressing roller 765 that partially protrudes upward from an opening (not shown) in the center of the upper surface of the housing 759, and is pressed. A semi-cylindrical (convex) wiping member 750 a is formed by the portion wound around the roller 765 . The wiping member 750a is in a state of being biased upward.

The housing 759 is guided by a cassette housing a feed roll 763 and a take-up roll 764, and a rail 758, and is guided by the power of a wiping motor 753 to move in the wiping direction via a power transmission mechanism (for example, a rack and pinion mechanism) (not shown). and a holder that can reciprocate (in the present embodiment, along the transport direction Y). By driving the wiping motor 753 forward and backward, the housing 759 moves between the retracted position shown in FIG. Move one round trip.

At this time, when the forward motion of the housing 759 is completed, the power transmission mechanism switches to a state in which the wiping motor 753 and the winding shaft 761 are connected so that power can be transmitted. A return movement of the housing 759 and a winding movement of the cloth sheet 762 onto the winding roll 764 by a predetermined amount are performed. The two liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B are sequentially moved with respect to the wiping area WA, and the wiping of the two liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B by one reciprocating movement of the housing 759 is performed separately for each one moved to the wiping area WA. done.

The flushing unit 751 includes a drive roller 766 and a driven roller 767 that are parallel to each other and face each other in the transport direction Y, and an endless belt 768 wound between the drive roller 766 and the driven roller 767 . The belt 768 has a width of at least eight nozzle rows NL (2 rows×4 rows) in the scanning direction X, and receives ink ejected from the nozzles 21 of the liquid ejecting portions 1A and 1B. This constitutes the liquid receiving portion 751a. In this case, the outer peripheral surface of the belt 768 serves as a liquid receiving surface 769 that receives ink.

The flushing unit 751 includes a moisturizing liquid supply unit (not shown) below the belt 768 that can supply moisturizing liquid to the liquid receiving surface 769 , and a liquid that wipes off waste ink and the like adhering to the liquid receiving surface 769 in a moist state. A scraper (not shown) is provided, and waste ink received by the liquid receiving surface 769 is removed from the belt 768 by the liquid scraper. Therefore, the revolving movement of the belt 768 updates the receiving range facing the nozzles 21 on the liquid receiving surface 769 .

The cap unit 752 has two cap portions 752a capable of forming a closed space surrounding the liquid ejecting surface 20a (see FIG. 3) in contact with the two liquid ejecting portions 1A and 1B to open the nozzles 21 respectively. . Each cap portion 752 a moves between a contact position where it can come into contact with the liquid ejecting portion 1 and a retracted position away from the liquid ejecting portion 1 by the power of the capping motor 755 .

Each cap portion 752 a includes one suction cap 770 and four moisturizing caps 771 . Each moisturizing cap 771 suppresses the drying of the nozzles 21 by performing capping that forms a closed space surrounding two nozzle rows NL (see FIG. 3) in contact with the liquid ejecting portion 1 .

The suction cap 770 is connected to a suction pump 773 via a tube 772 .
By driving the suction pump 773 in a state where the suction cap 770 is in contact with the liquid ejecting portion 1 to form a closed space, the action of the negative pressure generated inside the suction cap 770 causes the thickened ink to be ejected from the nozzles 21 . So-called suction cleaning is performed in which air bubbles and the like are sucked and discharged together with the ink.

Such suction cleaning is performed for each two nozzle rows NL for the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B. When suction cleaning is performed, ink droplets ejected from the nozzles 21 adhere to the liquid ejecting portion 1. Therefore, after suction cleaning is performed, wiping by the wiping member 750a is performed in order to remove the adhered droplets and the like. preferably.

Also, when the wiping member 750a performs wiping, there is a risk that foreign matter or air bubbles adhering to the liquid ejecting portion 1 will be pushed into the nozzle 21, destroying the meniscus, or causing ejection failure. Therefore, it is preferable to perform flushing after the execution of wiping to discharge the foreign matter mixed in the nozzles 21 and to arrange the ink meniscus in the nozzles 21 .

<Regarding Configuration of Fluid Ejection Device>
Next, the configuration of the fluid ejection device 775 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 10 , the fluid ejecting device 775 is configured to eject at least one of air (gas) and a second liquid (cleaning liquid) to the liquid ejecting portion 1 . By jetting the air and the second liquid together, the fluid jetting device 775 can jet a mixed fluid in which the air and the second liquid are mixed.

The second liquid is preferably the same as the main solvent of the ink used. In the present embodiment, water-based resin ink, in which the solvent of the ink is water, is used, so pure water is used as the second liquid. It is preferred to use the same solvent as Alternatively, a liquid obtained by adding an antiseptic to pure water may be used as the second liquid.

The preservative contained in the second liquid is preferably the same as the preservative contained in the ink. 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-ones (eg, PROXELGXL) and the like. When PROXEL is used as the antiseptic from the viewpoint of resistance to foaming, it is preferable that the content of PROXEL in the second liquid is 0.05% by mass or less.

The fluid ejection device 775 includes an ejection unit 777, and the ejection unit 777 includes a fluid ejection nozzle 778 having an ejection port 778j capable of injecting the mixed fluid. The fluid ejection nozzle 778 is arranged to eject the mixed fluid in the ejection direction F (for example, upward perpendicular to the liquid ejection surface a). The fluid injection nozzles 778 include a liquid injection nozzle 780 that injects the second liquid in the injection direction F, and an annular gas injection nozzle 781 that injects air in the injection direction F and surrounds the liquid injection nozzle 780 . and

That is, the liquid injection nozzle 780 and the gas injection nozzle 781 are both open in the injection direction F. Considering that the ink adheres and solidifies, the aperture diameter of the liquid ejection nozzle 780 is preferably sufficiently larger than the aperture diameter of the nozzle 21 of the liquid ejection section 1, and is preferably 0.4 mm or more, for example. In this embodiment, the opening diameter of the liquid injection nozzle 780 is set to 1.1 mm.

Further, the fluid injection nozzle 778 of this embodiment employs a so-called external mixing type in which the mixing portion KA where the second liquid and air are mixed is positioned outside the fluid injection nozzle 778 . Therefore, the mixing section KA is configured by a predetermined space adjacent to the opening of the liquid injection nozzle 780 and the opening of the gas injection nozzle 781 . A gas supply pipe 783 forming a gas flow path 783 a for supplying air from an air pump 782 is connected to the fluid injection nozzle 778 . The gas flow path 783 a communicates with the gas injection nozzle 781 .

A pressure regulating valve 784 for regulating the pressure of the air supplied from the air pump 782 is provided in the middle of the gas supply pipe 783 . In the fluid ejection device 775 of this embodiment, the pressure of the air supplied from the air pump 782 to the fluid ejection nozzle 778 is set to 200 kPa or higher. An air filter 785 is provided between the pressure regulating valve 784 and the fluid injection nozzle 778 in the gas supply pipe 783 to remove dust and the like from the air supplied to the fluid injection nozzle 778 .

A liquid supply pipe 788 that forms a liquid flow path 788a for supplying the second liquid stored in a storage tank 787 as an example of a liquid storage unit is connected to the fluid injection nozzle 778 . The liquid channel 788a communicates with the liquid injection nozzle 780 . At the upper end of the storage tank 787, an atmosphere release pipe 789 is provided for opening the liquid storage space SK in the storage tank 787 to the atmosphere. there is

Therefore, when the first electromagnetic valve 790 is opened, the liquid containing space SK is in communication with the atmosphere through the atmosphere release pipe 789, and when the first electromagnetic valve 790 is closed, the liquid containing space SK is opened. is in a non-communication state in which it does not communicate with the atmosphere. That is, the first electromagnetic valve 790 is configured to switch the liquid storage space SK between the communicating state and the non-communicating state by opening and closing.

The storage tank 787 is connected via a supply pipe 792 to a cleaning liquid cartridge 791 that stores the second liquid and is detachably attached to the printer main body 11a (see FIG. 1). A liquid supply pump 793 for supplying the second liquid in the cleaning liquid cartridge 791 to the storage tank 787 is provided in the middle of the supply pipe 792 . A second electromagnetic valve 794 for opening and closing the supply pipe 792 is provided at a position between the liquid supply pump 793 and the storage tank 787 in the supply pipe 792 .

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the injection unit 777 includes a bottomed substantially rectangular box-shaped base member 800 , a support member 801 arranged in the base member 800 to support the fluid injection nozzle 778 , the base member 800 and a rectangular tubular case 802 disposed therein to accommodate the fluid injection nozzle 778 and the support member 801 . The fluid injection nozzle 778 is fixed to the support member 801 , and the support member 801 and the case 802 are configured to be individually reciprocable in the transport direction Y within the base member 800 .

As shown in FIG. 11, the ejection unit 777 includes a cleaning motor 803, a transmission mechanism 804 for transmitting the driving force of the cleaning motor 803 to the support member 801, and a side plate 805 erected at the end on the printing area PA side. It has The support member 801 is reciprocated along the transport direction Y together with the fluid ejection nozzle 778 by transmitting the driving force of the cleaning motor 803 via the transmission mechanism 804 . In this case, the case 802 is reciprocated along the transport direction Y together with the support member 801 when pressed from the inside by the support member 801 .

A cover member 806 is attached to the case 802 as an example of a mating member that closes the upper end opening of the case 802 . A rectangular through-hole 807 extending in the conveying direction Y is formed at a position on the upper surface of the cover member 806 that partially overlaps with the moving region of the fluid injection nozzle 778 in the direction of gravity Z. As shown in FIG. A rectangular frame-shaped lip portion 808 surrounding the through hole 807 is provided on the upper surface of the cover member 806 . A guide portion (not shown) that guides the case 802 when the case 802 reciprocates along the transport direction Y is provided on the surface of the side plate 805 on the side of the case 802 .

As shown in FIG. 12, the guide portion (not shown) raises the case 802 at a position corresponding to the liquid ejecting portions 1A and 1B, and the lip portions 808 move the two nozzle rows NL close to each other. The case 802 is guided so as to come into contact with the liquid ejecting portion 1 while being surrounded.

In this embodiment, the distance between the fluid ejection nozzle 778 and the liquid ejection section 1 in the direction of gravity Z is set to about 5 mm, and the medium ST and the liquid ejection surface supported by the support base 712 shown in FIG. It is longer than the distance (approximately 1 mm) from 20a.

<Regarding the electrical configuration of the liquid injection device>
Next, the electrical configuration of the liquid ejecting device 7 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 13, the liquid ejecting device 7 includes a control section 810 that controls the liquid ejecting device 7 in an integrated manner. Control unit 810 is electrically connected to linear encoder 811 . The linear encoder 811 includes a tape-shaped code plate provided on the back side of the carriage 723 shown in FIG. and a sensor that detects light transmitted through.

The control unit 810 receives from the linear encoder 811 a number of pulses proportional to the amount of movement of the printing unit 720 shown in FIG. The position of the printing unit 720 in the scanning direction X is grasped by adding when moving away and subtracting when approaching the home position HP.

A rotary encoder 812 is electrically connected to the controller 810 . The rotary encoder 812 includes a disk-shaped code plate attached to the output shaft of the cleaning motor 803, and a sensor that detects light transmitted through slits of a constant pitch drilled in the code plate.

The control unit 810 inputs a number of pulses proportional to the amount of movement of the support member 801 from the rotary encoder 812, and counts the input number of pulses when the support member 801 moves away from the standby position (the position shown in FIG. 15). The position in the transport direction Y of the support member 801 (fluid ejection nozzle 778) is grasped by adding and subtracting when approaching the standby position.

The control unit 810 is electrically connected to the actuator 130 via a drive circuit 813 and controls driving of the actuator 130 . The control unit 810 grasps the clogging of each nozzle 21 based on the period of residual vibration of the vibration plate 50 due to the driving of the actuator 130 .

The control unit 810 is electrically connected to a cleaning motor 803, a carriage motor 748, a conveying motor 749, a wiping motor 753, a flushing motor 754, and a capping motor 755 via motor drive circuits 814, 815, 816, 817, 818, and 819, respectively. It is connected to the. The controller 810 drives and controls the motors 803, 748, 749, 753, 754, and 755, respectively.

The controller 810 is electrically connected to the suction pump 773, the air pump 782, and the liquid supply pump 793 via pump drive circuits 820, 821, 822, respectively. The controller 810 drives and controls the pumps 773, 782, and 793, respectively. The control unit 810 is electrically connected to the first solenoid valve 790 and the second solenoid valve 794 via valve drive circuits 823 and 824, respectively. Control unit 810 drives and controls electromagnetic valves 790 and 794, respectively.

<Maintenance operation by the maintenance device>
Next, the action of the liquid ejecting device 7 will be described, particularly focusing on the maintenance operation performed on the liquid ejecting section 1 by the maintenance device 710 .

When print data is input to the control unit 810 through an external device or the like, the control unit 810 drives the carriage motor 748 based on the print data, causing the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B to rotate while the printing unit 720 is moving in the scanning direction X. ink droplets are ejected from each nozzle 21 toward the surface of the medium ST. Then, the ejected ink droplets land on the surface of the medium ST, thereby printing an image or the like on the surface of the medium ST.

During printing on the medium ST, in order to prevent thickening of the ink in the nozzles 21 that do not eject ink droplets among all the nozzles 21, at a predetermined time (for example, every predetermined time within the range of 10 to 30 seconds), The printing unit 720 moves to the receiving area FA, and performs flushing in which ink droplets are ejected from all the nozzles 21 and discharged.

Further, when a predetermined suction cleaning condition is satisfied, the control unit 810 controls the carriage motor 748 to move the printing unit 720 to the home position HP to perform suction cleaning. In the suction cleaning, the suction pump 773 is driven to apply a negative pressure to the suction cap 770 in a state where the suction cap 770 is brought into contact with the liquid ejecting portion 1 so as to surround the nozzle row NL to form an enclosed space. , a predetermined amount of ink is sucked from the nozzle 21 to remove thickened ink, air bubbles, and the like.

After the suction cleaning is finished, the control unit 810 moves the printing unit 720 to the wiping area WA and causes the wiping member 750a to wipe the liquid ejecting unit 1, thereby wiping the liquid ejecting unit 1 discharged from the nozzles 21. Droplets and the like adhering to 1 are removed. After the wiping, the control unit 810 moves the printing unit 720 to the receiving area FA and performs flushing toward the liquid receiving unit 751a, thereby adjusting the meniscus in the nozzle 21. FIG.

After that, the control unit 810 detects clogging of each nozzle 21 based on the period of residual vibration of the vibration plate 50 caused by the driving of the actuator 130 . Here, the clogging of each nozzle 21 is detected after the suction cleaning is completed, especially when resin ink containing a synthetic resin that is cured by heating or UV ink that is cured by UV (ultraviolet) irradiation is used. This is because, when used, there may occur nozzles 21 that are not cleared of clogging even after performing suction cleaning.

The clogging referred to here means not only a state in which the ink in the nozzle 21 is solidified and clogged, but also a state in which the ink is solidified so as to form a film on the meniscus of the nozzle 21, or the ink in the nozzle 21 or the pressure generating chamber 12 is clogged. , and a state in which ink cannot be normally ejected (ejected) from the nozzle 21 due to thickening of the ink in the nozzle communication passage 16 .

If clogging of all the nozzles 21 is not detected and the print job is waiting, the control unit 810 moves the printing unit 720 to the printing area PA to print on the medium ST. On the other hand, when clogged nozzles 21 are detected among all the nozzles 21, the control unit 810 moves the printing unit 720 to the non-printing area LA on the side opposite to the home position HP side in the scanning direction X. Nozzle cleaning for removing the clogging of the nozzle 21 is performed by cleaning the inside of the clogged nozzle 21 with the fluid injection device 775 .

When the fluid ejecting device 775 performs nozzle cleaning, the clogged nozzle 21 and the fluid ejecting nozzle 778 are aligned so that they face each other in the direction of gravity Z. FIG. In this case, the positioning of the clogged nozzles 21 and the fluid ejection nozzles 778 in the scanning direction X (the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the nozzle row NL extends) is performed by moving the printing unit 720. 21 and the fluid ejection nozzle 778 are aligned in the transport direction Y (the direction in which the nozzle row NL extends) by moving the fluid ejection nozzle 778 .

Specifically, when the clogged nozzle 21 is located in the liquid ejecting portion 1A, the lip portion 808 is clogged after the printing portion 720 is aligned in the scanning direction X as shown in FIG. The case 802 is moved via the support member 801 so as to surround the nozzle row NL including the nozzles 21 and come into contact with the liquid ejection surface 20a. Subsequently, the fluid ejecting nozzle 778 is moved via the supporting member 801 so that the liquid ejecting nozzle 780 of the fluid ejecting nozzle 778 faces the clogged nozzle 21, and the position of the fluid ejecting nozzle 778 in the conveying direction Y is adjusted.

At this time, in a normal state before the mixed fluid is injected from the fluid injection nozzle 778, the first electromagnetic valve 790 is opened to bring the liquid containing space SK into communication with the atmosphere, and the second electromagnetic valve 794 is closed. It is in a closed state.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 10, the height H of the gas-liquid interface KK of the second liquid in the liquid channel 788a is -100 to - It is preferably set to be 1000 mm. In this embodiment, the height H of the tip of the fluid injection nozzle 778 is set to be -150 mm.

10 and 12, when the air pump 782 is driven to supply air to the fluid injection nozzle 778, the air is injected from the gas injection nozzle 781. FIG. The second liquid in the liquid flow path 788a is sucked up by the negative pressure generated by this air jetting and jetted from the liquid jetting nozzle 780 . As a result, the air and the second liquid are mixed in the mixing portion KA to generate a mixed fluid, and this mixed fluid is jetted onto a part of the liquid jetting surface 20a including the clogged nozzle 21 .

The mixed fluid contains droplets smaller than the opening of the nozzle 21 (for example, when the nozzle has a circular opening and the shape of the droplet is spherical, the diameter of the droplet is 20 μm or less, which is smaller than the diameter of the nozzle opening). A large number of the second liquid (droplets of the second liquid having a small diameter are referred to as small droplets) are included, and the ejection speed of the mixed fluid from the fluid ejection nozzle 778 at this time is set to 40 m/s or more. ing. The kinetic energy of the small droplets is a motion capable of destroying the film-like ink solidified at the gas-liquid interface to the extent that the energy transmitted to the gas-liquid interface in the nozzle 21 by the ink ejection operation or flushing operation during printing cannot destroy it. It is preferably equal to or higher than the energy.

That is, the product of the mass of the small droplet of the second liquid ejected from the ejection port 778j toward the nozzle 21 by the fluid ejecting device 775 and the square of the flying speed of the small droplet at the opening position of the nozzle 21 is the nozzle It is set to be larger than the product of the mass of the ink droplet ejected from the opening 21 and the square of the flying speed of the ink droplet.

In addition, when the fluid ejecting device 775 ejects the mixed fluid containing the small droplets to the clogged nozzle 21 (the opening area where this nozzle 21 opens), the ink in the pressure generation chamber 12 communicating with the clogged nozzle 21 is It is preferable that the pressure generation chamber 12 is pressurized by vibration of the vibration plate 50 driven by the actuator 130 corresponding to the pressure generation chamber 12 . Then, when the mixed fluid is injected from the fluid injection nozzle 778 to the clogged nozzle 21 , droplet-like second liquid smaller than the opening of the nozzle 21 in the mixed fluid enters the nozzle 21 through the opening of the nozzle 21 . and collide with the clogged part.

That is, droplets of the second liquid smaller than the opening of the nozzle 21 collide with the solidified ink inside the nozzle 21 . The hardened ink is destroyed by the impact of the second liquid on the hardened ink, and the clogging of the nozzles 21 is eliminated. At this time, the ink in the pressure generating chamber 12 communicating with the clogged nozzle 21 is pressurized. It is restrained from entering deep inside the injection section 1A.

When stopping the injection of the mixed fluid from the fluid injection nozzle 778, first, by closing the first solenoid valve 790 while the mixed fluid is being injected from the fluid injection nozzle 778, the liquid storage space is closed. SK is switched from a communicating state in which it communicates with the atmosphere to a non-communicating state in which it does not communicate with the atmosphere. Then, the liquid containing space SK becomes negative pressure, and the second liquid jetted from the liquid jetting nozzle 780 is drawn into the liquid flow path 788a by the action of this negative pressure.

As a result, the gas-liquid interface KK (water head surface of the storage tank 787) of the second liquid in the liquid channel 788a is positioned below the mixing section KA (on the storage tank 787 side). When the air pump 782 is stopped, air is no longer injected from the gas injection nozzle 781 . In this case, the air pump 782 is stopped in a state where the gas-liquid interface KK of the second liquid in the liquid channel 788a is located below the mixing part KA, so that the second liquid in the liquid channel 788a flows into the mixing part. Entry into the gas injection nozzle 781 beyond KA is suppressed.

Furthermore, in this case, even after the supply of air from the air pump 782 to the gas injection nozzle 781 via the liquid flow path 788a is stopped, the closed state of the first electromagnetic valve 790 is maintained, and the liquid storage space SK is in a non-communication state. is maintained. Unnecessary second liquid after cleaning the nozzles 21 and unnecessary ink washed away from the nozzles 21 flow down from the case 802 into the base member 800 and are discharged through a waste liquid port (not shown) of the base member 800. is collected in a waste liquid tank (not shown).

Further, when the clogged nozzles 21 are also present in the liquid ejecting portion 1B, as shown in FIG. The case 802 is moved via the support member 801 so as to surround the nozzle row NL including the nozzles 21 and come into contact with the liquid ejection surface 20a. Then, similarly to the case of the liquid injection section 1A, the mixed fluid is injected into the clogged nozzle 21 of the liquid injection section 1B with the first electromagnetic valve 790 opened to clear the clogging of the nozzle 21. do.

The injection of the mixed fluid from the fluid injection nozzle 778 to the liquid injection sections 1A and 1B including the clogged nozzle 21 may be performed multiple times at time intervals. In this case, the time interval may or may not be constant. In this way, even if the mixed fluid jetted to the liquid jetting portions 1A and 1B turns into bubbles and blocks the opening of the nozzle 21, the foam that blocks the opening of the nozzle 21 while the jetting of the mixed fluid is stopped is prevented. The mixed fluid in the form returns to the form of droplets. For this reason, the mixed fluid that has been ejected to the liquid ejecting sections 1A and 1B first and has become foamy and blocked the opening of the nozzle 21 causes droplets in the mixed fluid that is ejected later to the liquid ejecting sections 1A and 1B. It is possible to prevent the entry into the nozzle 21 from being blocked. Such bubbling can be suppressed by using pure water containing no antiseptic as the second liquid.

Then, as shown in FIG. 15, after the cleaning of the clogged nozzles 21 of the liquid ejecting portions 1A and 1B by the fluid ejecting device 775 is completed, the support member 21 is rotated while the mixed fluid is being ejected from the fluid ejecting nozzles 778. As shown in FIG. 801 is moved to the standby position so that the fluid injection nozzle 778 faces a position on the upper wall of the cover member 806 that does not correspond to the through hole 807 . At this time, a slight gap is formed between the fluid injection nozzle 778 and the upper wall of the cover member 806 .

Then, the air injected from the annular gas injection nozzle 781 surrounding the liquid injection nozzle 780 collides with the upper wall of the cover member 806 and flows along the upper wall, thereby being injected from the annular gas injection nozzle 781. The pressure inside the air, ie, above the liquid injection nozzle 780, increases. The increased pressure on the upper side of the liquid injection nozzle 780 presses the second liquid in the liquid flow path 788a downward (toward the storage tank 787). That is, the gas-liquid interface KK of the second liquid in the liquid channel 788a is pushed down far below the mixing portion KA.

When the air pump 782 is stopped in this state, air is no longer injected from the gas injection nozzle 781 . In this case, the air pump 782 is stopped in a state where the gas-liquid interface KK of the second liquid in the liquid channel 788a is located below the mixing part KA, so that the second liquid in the liquid channel 788a flows into the mixing part. Entry into the gas injection nozzle 781 beyond KA is suppressed.

After that, the printing unit 720 is moved to the home position HP side, and suction cleaning and flushing are performed to discharge ink from the openings of the nozzles 21 of the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B. Residual second liquid, air bubbles, etc. are removed. At this time, the suction cleaning and flushing can be performed with a low level of discharge (consumption) of ink. This is because the jetting of the mixed fluid to the clogged nozzle 21 was performed in a state in which the ink in the pressure generating chamber 12 communicating with the clogged nozzle 21 was pressurized as described above. This is because the intrusion (backflow) into the interior of the liquid ejecting portions 1A and 1B via the generation chamber 12 is suppressed.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the liquid ejecting device will be described with reference to the drawings.
In this second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the wiper unit 750 and flushing unit 751 in the maintenance device 710 of the first embodiment are changed to a maintenance unit 830. As shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment have the same configuration as in the first embodiment, so the description thereof will be omitted, and the description will focus on the points different from the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 17, the liquid ejecting section 1 (1A, 1B) includes four head units 2 each having a liquid ejecting surface 20a through which the nozzles 21 open, and the liquid ejecting surface 20a serving as the lower surface of the four head units 2. and a cover head 400 for collectively covering. The cover head 400 is provided with four second exposure openings 401 through which the nozzles 21 of the four head units 2 are exposed.

The area inside the second exposure opening 401 on the lower surface of the head unit 2 is an opening area KR where the nozzles 21 are opened, and the area of the liquid ejecting part 1 that does not include the opening area KR is a non-opening area HKR. That is, in the present embodiment, the area not covered by the cover head 400 on the lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 is the open area KR, and the lower surface of the cover head 400 is the non-open area HKR. The liquid repellency of the opening region KR is set to be higher than that of the non-opening region HKR.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 18, the maintenance unit 830 is arranged in the maintenance area SA in the non-printing area RA, and supported by a base portion 831 extending in the transport direction Y and reciprocally movable in the transport direction Y by the base portion 831. and a base 832 . Further, the maintenance unit 830 includes a wiping portion 833 , a fluid ejecting portion 834 , a waste liquid receiving portion 835 and a collecting portion 836 . The wiping portion 833 , the fluid ejecting portion 834 and the waste liquid receiving portion 835 are provided on the base portion 832 , and the collecting portion 836 is arranged above the base portion 832 .

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the wiping portion 833 can wipe the liquid ejecting portion 1 positioned in the servicing area SA by moving the base portion 832 in the wiping direction (which is the same as the transport direction Y in this embodiment). It is detachably attached to the base 832 from the upstream side in the transport direction Y. As shown in FIG.

Further, the wiping portion 833 includes a long belt-like cloth sheet 837 wound in a roll shape, and a cloth holder 838 to which the cloth sheet 837 is detachably attached. The cloth sheet 837 has absorbency to absorb liquids and the like. The cloth sheet 837 has a base end connected to a delivery shaft 839 extending in the scanning direction X and a leading end connected to a winding shaft 840 extending in the scanning direction X. Most of the cloth sheet 837 is wound around the delivery shaft 839 in a new state. ing. That is, the delivery shaft 839 supports the unused rolled cloth sheet 837 and the take-up shaft 840 supports the used rolled cloth sheet 837 .

The cloth holder 838 has a winding portion 841 around which the cloth sheet 837 is wound in the center portion in the transport direction Y, and the winding portion 841 has a substantially fan shape when viewed in the scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. Feeding bearings 842 that rotatably support both ends of the feeding shaft 839 are provided in pairs in the scanning direction X on the upstream side in the conveying direction Y of the winding portion 841 . Winding bearings 843 for rotatably supporting both end portions of the winding shaft 840 are provided so as to form a pair in the scanning direction X on the downstream side of the.

A pressure roller 844 made of, for example, rubber, extending in the scanning direction X is provided in the central portion of the winding portion 841 in the transport direction Y. As shown in FIG. The pressing roller 844 is arranged at the highest position in the winding portion 841 . A cloth sheet 837 positioned between the delivery shaft 839 and the take-up shaft 840 is wrapped around the upper surface of the pressing roller 844, and the portion of the cloth sheet 837 that is wrapped around the pressing roller 844 forms a semicylindrical shape (convex shape). wiping member 845 is formed. The wiping member 845 is in a state of being urged upward via the pressing roller 844 by an urging member (not shown).

The two liquid ejecting portions 1A and 1B are sequentially moved with respect to the servicing area SA, and the two liquid ejecting portions 1A and 1B are moved by the wiping member 845 along with the movement of the base 832 in the wiping direction (same as the transport direction Y). The wiping of 1B is performed individually for each side moved to the servicing area SA.

The waste liquid receiver 835 is detachably attached to the base 832 , and includes a rectangular frame-shaped frame 846 , a rectangular plate-shaped liquid absorbent 847 accommodated in the frame 846 , and the liquid absorbent 847 . A rectangular plate-shaped net body 848 is arranged on the liquid absorbent material 847 to hold it down. The frame 846 is made of, for example, synthetic resin, the liquid absorbent material 847 is made of, for example, nonwoven fabric, and the mesh 848 is made of, for example, stainless steel.

The waste liquid receiving portion 835 is arranged downstream of the wiping portion 833 in the wiping direction (same as the transport direction Y in this embodiment) when the wiping portion 833 wipes the liquid ejecting portion 1 . Then, the waste liquid receiving portion 835 is discharged from the opening of each nozzle 21 (see FIG. 17) by a flushing operation (maintenance operation) for flushing (maintenance) of the liquid ejecting portion 1 at a position facing the liquid ejecting portion 1. Receiving waste ink (waste liquid).

Below the waste liquid receiving portion 835 in the base portion 832, a receiving recess 849 is formed to receive the waste ink flowing down from the waste liquid receiving portion 835. As shown in FIG. A waste liquid pipe 850 is connected to the bottom of the receiving recess 849 , and waste ink that has flowed down to the receiving recess 849 is collected via the waste liquid pipe 850 into a waste liquid recovery container (not shown).

Fluid ejection portion 834 is disposed between wiping portion 833 and receiving recess 849 in base portion 832 . The fluid ejection portion 834 forms an ejection port 851 capable of injecting the fluid containing the second liquid to the liquid ejection portion 1 and a path 852 for the fluid ejected from the ejection port 851 while covering the ejection port 851 from above. and a path forming plate 853 made of stainless steel, for example.

The injection port 851 of this embodiment is configured by a fan-shaped nozzle that injects the second liquid so as to spread in a fan shape. A supply pipe (not shown) for supplying fluid containing the second liquid is connected to the injection port 851 , and an injection pump (not shown) for injecting the fluid from the injection port 851 is provided in the supply pipe. ing. This injection pump (not shown) is driven and controlled by a control unit 810 (see FIG. 13).

The path 852 extends obliquely upward toward the wiping portion 833 , and the tip of the path 852 is formed as an ejection opening 854 through which the fluid is ejected from the inside of the path 852 to the outside of the path 852 . Ejection opening 854 is located between wiping portion 833 and waste liquid receiving portion 835 in base 832 . Part of the ejection opening 854 is shielded by a comb-like shielding mechanism 855 formed on the path forming plate 853 .

The shielding mechanism 855 includes a plurality of thin shielding plates 856 that are evenly spaced in the scanning direction X over the ejection opening 854 and extend along the transporting direction Y. As shown in FIG. A plurality of shielding plates 856 head toward the opening area KR (see FIG. 17) when ejecting the fluid from the ejection port 851 to the liquid ejecting portion 1 moved to the service area SA through the path 852 and the ejection opening 854. It is arranged so as to block the fluid.

The collection unit 836 is composed of, for example, a rectangular plate-shaped rubber blade or the like, and is fixed to the printer main body 11a (see FIG. 1). The recovery unit 836 contacts the waste liquid receiving unit 835 to scrape off and recover the waste ink received by the waste liquid receiving unit 835 and its deposits. That is, the recovery unit 836 scrapes off the waste ink adhering to the mesh body 848 of the waste liquid receiving unit 835 and its deposits by moving the waste liquid receiving unit 835 along with the movement of the base 832 in the transport direction Y, thereby removing the waste ink. It slides over body 848 .

As shown in FIG. 20, the base portion 831 is provided with a relative movement mechanism 857 that reciprocates the base portion 832 in the transport direction Y. As shown in FIG. The relative movement mechanism 857 includes a pair of pulleys (not shown) rotatably provided at both ends of the inner surface of the base portion 831 in the conveying direction Y, and an endless timing belt 858 wound around the pair of pulleys. , a moving motor 859, and a reduction gear group 860 for transmitting the rotational driving force of the moving motor 859 to a pair of pulleys. The movement motor 859 is driven and controlled by the control section 810 (see FIG. 13).

A part of the timing belt 858 is connected to the base portion 832 , and the base portion 832 is reciprocated in the transport direction Y by driving the movement motor 859 to move the timing belt 858 . In this case, since the base portion 832 holds the wiping portion 833 and the waste liquid receiving portion 835, the relative movement mechanism 857 moves the base portion 832 to the liquid ejecting portion 1 and the recovery portion while the liquid ejecting portion 1 is moved to the servicing area SA. By moving with respect to 836 , it is possible to move the wiping part 833 and the waste liquid receiving part 835 with respect to the liquid ejecting part 1 and the collecting part 836 .

That is, the relative movement mechanism 857 moves the base portion 832 in the transport direction Y, which is the moving direction thereof, so that the wiping portion 833 and the waste liquid receiving portion 835 , the liquid ejecting portion 1 and the recovery portion 836 are moved to the wiping portion 833 . The liquid ejecting portion 1 is relatively moved in the wiping direction (same as the transport direction Y).

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 24 , on one side of the cloth holder 838 of the wiping portion 833 in the scanning direction X, there is a winding shaft 840 provided at one end of the cloth sheet 837 mounted on the cloth holder 838 . Two first transmission gears 862 meshing with the take-up gear 861 and two second transmission gears 864 meshing with a pressing gear 863 provided at one end of the pressing roller 844 are provided. The base 832 has a transmission gear group 865 that meshes with the first transmission gear 862 and the second transmission gear 864 when the wiping part 833 is attached to the base 832, and a winding motor 866 that rotationally drives the transmission gear group 865. A winding drive mechanism 867 is provided. The winding motor 866 is driven and controlled by the control section 810 (see FIG. 13).

When the winding motor 866 of the winding drive mechanism 867 is driven, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the first transmission gear 862 and the second transmission gear 864 via the transmission gear group 865, respectively. Then, since the first transmission gear 862 and the second transmission gear 864 are rotated, the winding gear 861 and the pressing gear 863 are rotated. As a result, the winding shaft 840 and the pressing roller 844 are synchronously rotated along the direction in which the cloth sheet 837 is wound, and the cloth sheet 837 is wound by the winding shaft 840 . At this time, sliding between the pressing roller 844 and the cloth sheet 837 is suppressed, so wear of the pressing roller 844 is suppressed.

Next, a method for mounting the cloth sheet 837 on the cloth holder 838 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 21, when the cloth sheet 837 is attached to the cloth holder 838, first, the feeding shaft 839 is inserted into the center hole 868 of the unused rolled cloth sheet 837, and the feeding shaft 839 is fed out a little. A take-up shaft 840 is attached to the leading edge of the cloth sheet 837 . Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 22 , when both ends of the delivery shaft 839 are supported by a pair of delivery bearings 842 , an unused rolled cloth sheet 837 is set at one end side inside the cloth holder 838 .

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 23, the cloth sheet 837 is delivered from the delivery shaft 839, and the delivered cloth sheet 837 is wound around the entire winding portion 841 including the upper surface of the pressing roller 844 from above. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 24, both ends of the take-up shaft 840 are attached to a pair of take-up bearings 843 located on the opposite side of the cloth holder 838 to the side on which the unused roll-shaped cloth sheet 837 is set. be supported by This completes the work of attaching the cloth sheet 837 to the cloth holder 838 . In order to remove the cloth sheet 837 from the cloth holder 838 to which the cloth sheet 837 is attached, the procedure for attaching the cloth sheet 837 to the cloth holder 838 described above may be reversed.

Next, a maintenance operation for performing maintenance on the liquid ejecting section 1 in the liquid ejecting device 7 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 25, when performing maintenance on the liquid ejecting portion 1, first, the base portion 832 is held at the waiting position (the position shown in FIG. 25), and the carriage motor 748 constituting the moving mechanism is driven. The carriage 723 is moved to move the liquid ejector 1 to the servicing area SA. That is, the liquid ejecting portion 1 is moved to a position where it can face the waste liquid receiving portion 835 and the wiping portion 833 . Then, in a state where the liquid ejecting portion 1 and the waste liquid receiving portion 835 face each other, ink is ejected (discharged) as waste ink HI (waste liquid) from the nozzle 21 of the liquid ejecting portion 1 to the waste liquid receiving portion 835 regardless of printing. , the meniscus in the nozzle 21 is trimmed.

When this flushing is performed, a part of the received waste ink HI accumulates on the mesh 848 of the waste liquid receiving portion 835 . When the waste ink HI accumulated on the net body 848 dries, it thickens or solidifies into sediment and remains on the net body 848 . Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 26, when the relative movement mechanism 857 moves the base portion 832 in the transport direction Y, the waste ink HI on the net body 848 is scraped off by the collecting portion 836 to start being collected. At this time, the fluid RT is jetted obliquely from the fluid jetting portion 834 toward the upstream end portion of the lower surface of the liquid jetting portion 1 in the transport direction Y, and the fluid jetting to the liquid jetting portion 1 is started.

In this case, the fluid ejector 834 ejects the fluid RT obliquely upward toward the side opposite to the transport direction Y, which is the moving direction of the base 832 . Further, although the fluid RT in this embodiment is composed only of the second liquid, the fluid RT may be composed of a mixed fluid in which the second liquid and a gas such as air are mixed. It should be noted that the fluid RT that has been ejected and dropped by the liquid ejecting portion 1 flows into the path 852 from the ejection opening 854 and then passes through the receiving recess 849 and the waste ink HI together with the waste ink HI through the waste liquid pipe 850 to a waste liquid collection container (illustrated). ) and collected.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 27, when the base portion 832 is moved in the transport direction Y by the relative movement mechanism 857, the waste ink HI on the net body 848 is further scraped off by the collecting portion 836 and collected. At this time, as the base portion 832 moves in the transport direction Y, the position of the fluid RT ejected onto the lower surface of the liquid ejector 1 also moves in the transport direction Y. FIG. Further, at this time, the wiping member 845 comes into contact with the upstream end portion of the lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 in the transport direction Y, and the wiping operation of the wiping portion 833 against the lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 is started.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 28, when the base portion 832 is moved in the transport direction Y by the relative movement mechanism 857, the waste ink HI on the net body 848 is scraped off by the collecting portion 836 and collected. Therefore, deposits of waste ink HI on the mesh 848 are prevented from coming into contact with the liquid ejecting portion 1 . Also, the waste ink HI collected by the collecting unit 836 adheres to the collecting unit 836 . At this time, as the base portion 832 moves in the transport direction Y, the position of the fluid RT jetted onto the bottom surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 moves to the end of the bottom surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 on the downstream side in the transport direction Y, Fluid ejection to the entire lower surface of the liquid ejection portion 1 is completed. That is, ejection of the fluid RT from the fluid ejection portion 834 is stopped.

Further, at this time, the wiping member 845 in contact with the lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 slides on the lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 in the transport direction Y due to the movement of the wiping portion 833 with respect to the liquid ejecting portion 1 accompanying the movement of the base portion 832 . to wipe the bottom surface. That is, as the maintenance operation of the liquid ejecting unit 1 , the wiping member 845 wipes the lower surface of the liquid ejecting unit 1 after the fluid is ejected onto the lower surface of the liquid ejecting unit 1 .

Here, ejection of the fluid RT by the fluid ejection portion 834 onto the lower surface of the liquid ejection portion 1 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 32 , the fluid RT is jetted from the jetting port 851 toward the lower surface of the liquid jetting section 1 while spreading in the scanning direction X in a fan shape. At this time, the fluid RT directed toward the opening region KR of the liquid ejecting portion 1 is blocked by the shielding plates 856 of the blocking mechanism 855, while the fluid RT jetted from the injection port 851 is directed toward the non-opening region HKR.

That is, the fluid ejecting portion 834 performs fluid ejection of actively ejecting the fluid RT to the non-opening region HKR as a maintenance operation for performing maintenance of the liquid ejecting portion 1 . In this case, the fluid RT that collides with the non-opening region HKR scatters and partly hits the opening region KR. is suppressed from entering the nozzle 21 and destroying the meniscus.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 29 , when the relative movement mechanism 857 moves the base 832 in the transport direction Y, the wiping member 845 in contact with the lower surface of the liquid ejector 1 passes over the liquid ejector 1 . As a result, the wiping of the entire lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 by the wiping member 845 is completed, and the maintenance of the liquid ejecting portion 1 is completed.

Here, the wiping of the lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 by the wiping member 845 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 33, the lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 is moved along the transport direction Y by the wiping member 845 to positions P1, P2, P3, and P3 after the fluid is ejected as the maintenance operation as described above. Dispelled by moving in sequence to the P4 position. Therefore, the lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 is wiped by the wiping member 845 while being wet with the fluid RT (second liquid).

When wiping the lower surface of the liquid ejecting section 1, the wiping member 845 first contacts the lower surface of the liquid ejecting section 1 at the P2 position. That is, the wiping member 845 first contacts the upstream end in the transport direction Y, which is the non-opening region HKR on the lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1 . In other words, the wiping member 845 first wipes the non-opening region HKR and wipes the opening region KR after absorbing the fluid RT (second liquid) attached to the non-opening region HKR. Therefore, since the wiping member 845 wipes the opening region KR, which is the portion to be wiped, in a wet (wet) state with the fluid RT (second liquid), the wiping member 845 wipes the opening region KR. Damage caused to the opening region KR by 845 is reduced.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 30, the carriage 723 is moved by driving the carriage motor 748 that constitutes the moving mechanism, and the liquid ejecting portion 1 faces the servicing area SA (see FIG. 16) in which the base 832 moves. move away from the position where

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 31, when the base portion 832 is moved in the transport direction Y by the relative movement mechanism 857, the wiping member 845 of the wiping portion 833 and the portion of the cloth sheet 837 on the downstream side in the transport direction Y of the wiping member 845 ( used portion) passes through the collection portion 836 while contacting the collection portion 836 .

At this time, the pressing roller 844 is temporarily pushed down through the cloth sheet 837 against the urging force of the urging member (not shown) by the collection section 836, and after passing the collection section 836, the urging member (not shown) returns to its original position from the position where it was pushed down by the biasing force of (not shown). Then, the waste ink HI adhered to and collected by the collecting portion 836 is wiped off by the cloth sheet 837 , and the waste ink HI is removed from the collecting portion 836 . Therefore, the wiping unit 833 wipes the waste ink HI collected by the collecting unit 836 after wiping the lower surface of the liquid ejecting unit 1 .

Subsequently, the winding shaft 840 is rotated to wind the cloth sheet 837 by a predetermined amount (for example, 10 mm), thereby winding the used wiping member 845 which is the portion of the cloth sheet 837 wound around the pressing roller 844 . The wiping member 845 is constructed of an unused cloth sheet 837 by moving it toward the shaft 840 . After that, the relative movement mechanism 857 moves the base portion 832 in the direction opposite to the transport direction Y to return the base portion 832 to the standby position (the position shown in FIG. 25).

According to the said 2nd Embodiment, the following effects can be acquired.
(1) In the liquid ejecting device 7, as a maintenance operation for performing maintenance of the liquid ejecting portion 1, the fluid ejecting portion 834 ejects the fluid RT to the non-opening region HKR. Therefore, since the fluid is not jetted to the opening area KR where the nozzle 21 opens, maintenance of the liquid jetting section 1 can be performed by fluid jetting without breaking the meniscus in the nozzle 21 .

(2) In the liquid ejecting apparatus 7 , as a maintenance operation, the fluid ejecting portion 834 ejects the fluid to the liquid ejecting portion 1 , and then the wiping member 845 wipes the liquid ejecting portion 1 . Therefore, the wiping member 845 can perform wiping while the fluid RT (second liquid) is adhered to the area including the nozzle 21 of the liquid ejecting section 1 by the fluid ejection. In addition, the wiping ability (wiping effect) of the wiping member 845 can be enhanced.

(3) In the liquid ejecting device 7, the wiping member 845 has absorbency. Therefore, after the fluid is ejected to the liquid ejecting portion 1, the wiping member 845 suitably absorbs and removes various liquids such as ink and the second liquid adhering to the area including the nozzles 21 of the liquid ejecting portion 1. be able to.

(4) In the liquid ejecting device 7 , as a maintenance operation, after the fluid ejecting portion 834 ejects the fluid to the liquid ejecting portion 1 , the wiping member 845 first wipes the non-opening region HKR in the liquid ejecting portion 1 . Therefore, the wiping member 845 wipes the non-opening region HKR and wipes the opening region KR in a wet state with the fluid RT (second liquid). The wiping ability (wiping effect) of the wiping member 845 can be enhanced.

(5) The liquid ejecting device 7 includes the shielding mechanism 855 that shields the fluid RT heading toward the opening region KR when the fluid ejecting portion 834 ejects the fluid to the liquid ejecting portion 1 . Therefore, when the fluid ejecting portion 834 ejects the fluid to the non-opening region HKR, the shielding mechanism 855 can prevent the fluid RT from being applied to the opening region KR.

(6) In the liquid ejecting device 7, the liquid repellency of the opening region KR in the liquid ejecting portion 1 is higher than the liquid repellency of the non-opening region HKR. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the fluid RT (second liquid) adhering to the non-opening region HKR from reaching the nozzles 21 in the opening region KR.

(7) In the liquid ejecting device 7, the wiping portion 833 contacts the recovery portion 836 to wipe out the waste ink HI recovered by the recovery portion 836 . Therefore, the waste ink HI received by the waste liquid receiving unit 835 (deposits generated by drying the waste ink HI) is recovered by the recovering unit 836, and the waste ink HI recovered by the recovering unit 836 is removed by the wiping unit 833. It can be wiped off and recovered. Therefore, the waste ink HI recovered by the recovery unit 836 can be prevented from coming into contact with other members (the support table 712, the medium ST, etc.), and contamination by the waste ink HI can be suppressed.

(8) In the liquid ejecting device 7 , the wiping portion 833 wipes the recovery portion 836 after wiping the liquid ejecting portion 1 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the waste ink HI collected by the collecting unit 836 from adhering to the liquid ejecting unit 1 .

(9) The waste liquid receiving portion 835 in the liquid ejecting device 7 is arranged downstream of the wiping portion 833 in the wiping direction (the same as the transport direction Y) when the wiping portion 833 wipes the liquid ejecting portion 1. . Therefore, when the liquid ejecting portion 1 is wiped by the wiping portion 833, the ink tends to scatter toward the downstream side in the wiping direction. In addition, it is convenient when the wiping portion 833 wipes the liquid ejecting portion 1 after the liquid ejecting portion 1 flushes the waste liquid receiving portion 835 .

(10) The liquid ejecting device 7 has a relative movement mechanism that relatively moves the wiping portion 833 and the waste liquid receiving portion 835 with the liquid ejecting portion 1 and the recovering portion 836 in the wiping direction in which the wiping portion 833 wipes the liquid ejecting portion 1. Equipped with 857. Therefore, the relative movement mechanism 857 can relatively move the wiping portion 833 and the waste liquid receiving portion 835 and the liquid ejecting portion 1 and the collecting portion 836 in the wiping direction.

(11) The liquid ejecting device 7 includes a base portion 832 that holds the wiping portion 833 and the waste liquid receiving portion 835 , and the relative movement mechanism 857 moves the base portion 832 with respect to the liquid ejecting portion 1 and the recovery portion 836 . Therefore, the relative movement mechanism 857 can move the wiping portion 833 and the waste liquid receiving portion 835 together with the base portion 832 with respect to the liquid ejecting portion 1 and the collecting portion 836 .

(12) The liquid ejecting device 7 moves the wiping portion 833 with respect to the liquid ejecting portion 1 by the relative movement mechanism 857 to wipe the liquid ejecting portion 1, and drives the carriage motor 748 to move the liquid ejecting portion 1 together with the carriage 723. It is retracted from the position facing the servicing area SA, and the relative movement mechanism 857 brings the wiping part 833 into contact with the collecting part 836 to wipe the collecting part 836 . For this reason, before the wiping unit 833 wipes the waste ink HI collected by the collecting unit 836, the liquid ejecting unit 1 retreats from the position facing the service area SA, so the collecting unit 836 is wiped by the wiping unit 833. In the event that the waste ink HI scatters, it is possible to prevent the liquid ejecting section 1 from becoming dirty due to the scattering of the waste ink HI adhering to the liquid ejecting section 1 .

(Change example)
Note that each of the above embodiments may be modified as follows. Moreover, each of the above-described embodiments and each of the modifications described below can be used in arbitrary combinations.

・As shown in FIG. 34, the recovery unit 836 is attached to the carriage 723 via an arm 869 so that the carriage 723 holds the liquid ejecting unit 1 and the recovery unit 836, and the orientation of the maintenance unit 830 is changed by 90°. Alternatively, the base portion 831 may be arranged so as to extend in the scanning direction X. FIG. When performing maintenance on the liquid ejecting section 1 , the carriage motor 748 is driven to move the carriage 723 along the scanning direction X with respect to the wiping section 833 and the waste liquid receiving section 835 . In this case, the carriage motor 748 constitutes the relative movement mechanism. In this way, the carriage motor 748 is driven to move the liquid ejecting portion 1 and the recovery portion 836 together with the carriage 723 with respect to the wiping portion 833 and the waste liquid receiving portion 835 . When the carriage 723 is moved for maintenance of the liquid ejecting section 1, the base portion 832 may be moved in the direction opposite to the carriage 723 in the scanning direction X.

- The recovery unit 836 may be configured to be displaceable along the gravitational direction Z, which is the direction in which the liquid ejecting unit 1 ejects ink (first liquid). In this way, by displacing the collecting portion 836, the amount of contact of the collecting portion 836 with the waste liquid receiving portion 835 and the amount of contact of the collecting portion 836 with the wiping portion 833 can be adjusted.

The shielding mechanism 855 is movable between a position that blocks ejection of the fluid RT toward the opening region KR of the liquid ejection portion 1 and a position that blocks ejection of the fluid RT toward the non-opening region HKR of the liquid ejection portion 1. may be configured. Also, the shielding mechanism 855 may be configured to be movable to a position that permits ejection of the fluid RT toward the opening region KR and the non-opening region HKR of the liquid ejection portion 1 . It should be noted that when the liquid ejecting portion 1 moves, the above-described position change of the shielding mechanism 855 may be performed by moving the liquid ejecting portion 1 .

The size of the interval between the shielding plates 856 of the shielding mechanism 855 (the size of the shielding plates 856) is changed according to the type of ink of the nozzle row NL provided in the opening region KR of the corresponding liquid ejecting section 1. can be In this way, the adhesion amount of the fluid RT (second liquid) in the opening region KR can be adjusted according to the degree of solidification of the ink.

When the liquid ejecting portion 1 moves in the scanning direction X, the shielding mechanism 855 is configured by a plate member having a slit-shaped opening at only one location, for example, and by moving the liquid ejecting portion 1, the corresponding liquid ejecting portion The fluid RT may be jetted in a state in which one non-opening region HKR is aligned with the opening of the plate member.

- The shielding mechanism 855 may be configured to be displaceable so that the distance to the liquid ejector 1 can be changed. In this way, by changing the distance between the shielding mechanism 855 and the liquid ejecting portion 1, the range of shielding the fluid RT ejected from the ejection port 851 can be changed.

The fluid ejecting portion 834 may change the angle θ of the ejection direction of the fluid RT with respect to the opening region KR (lower surface of the liquid ejecting portion 1) within the range of 0°<θ<90°.
- The liquid repellency of the opening region KR and the liquid repellency of the non-opening region HKR in the liquid ejecting portion 1 may be substantially the same.

・In consideration of the replaceability of the cloth sheet 837, the maintenance unit 830 may be arranged in the order of the wiping portion 833, the fluid ejecting portion 834, and the waste liquid receiving portion 835 from the access side, which is the front side of the printer main body 11a. .

- The recovery unit 836 may be fixed to the base portion 831 of the maintenance unit 830 via, for example, a gate-shaped mounting member.
- The liquid ejecting device 7 may be provided with an elevating mechanism for elevating the collecting section 836 along the direction of gravity Z. FIG. In this case, the height of the collecting portion 836 when wiped by the wiping portion 833 is preferably higher than the height when scraping off the waste ink HI on the mesh 848 of the waste liquid receiving portion 835 .

- The maintenance unit 830 may be provided with an elevating mechanism for elevating the waste liquid receiving section 835 along the direction of gravity Z. FIG. In this case, it is preferable that the height of the waste liquid receiving portion 835 when the waste ink HI on the net body 848 is scraped off by the collecting portion 836 is higher than the height when receiving the flushing ink.

The cloth sheet 837 in the wiping portion 833 is arranged between the wiping operation of the collecting portion 836 and the liquid ejecting portion 1 so that the position for wiping the collecting portion 836 and the position for wiping the liquid ejecting portion 1 are different. Alternatively, the operation of winding the cloth sheet 837 by a predetermined amount may be performed by the winding shaft 840 . In this case, when wiping the collecting portion 836 with the cloth sheet 837, the position where the liquid ejecting portion 1 was previously wiped may be maintained.

- The liquid repellency of the opening region KR in the liquid ejecting portion 1 may be set to be lower than the liquid repellency of the non-opening region HKR.
- The shielding mechanism 855 may be omitted. In this case, the injection port 851 is preferably configured by an injection nozzle capable of injecting the fluid RT aiming at the non-opening region HKR of the liquid injection portion 1 .

In the liquid ejecting device 7 , the wiping member 845 does not always need to wipe the non-opening region HKR of the liquid ejecting portion 1 first after the fluid ejecting portion 834 ejects the fluid to the liquid ejecting portion 1 .

- The wiping member 845 of the wiping part 833 does not necessarily have to have absorbency. For example, the wiping portion 833 (wiping member 845) may be composed of a rubber blade or the like.
In the liquid ejecting device 7 , the wiping member 845 does not necessarily wipe the liquid ejecting portion 1 after the fluid ejecting portion 834 ejects the fluid to the liquid ejecting portion 1 .

When the wiping unit 833 wipes the collecting unit 836, the liquid ejecting device 7 does not necessarily have to retract the liquid ejecting unit 1 from the position facing the service area SA.
The waste liquid receiving portion 835 in the liquid ejecting device 7 does not necessarily need to be arranged downstream of the wiping portion 833 in the wiping direction (the same as the transport direction Y) when the wiping portion 833 wipes the liquid ejecting portion 1. .

- In the liquid ejecting device 7 , the wiping part 833 does not necessarily need to wipe the collecting part 836 after wiping the liquid ejecting part 1 .
- As shown in FIG. 35, instead of the external mixing type fluid injection nozzle 778, the second liquid supplied from the liquid channel 788a and the air supplied from the gas channel 783a are mixed to generate a mixed fluid. A so-called internal mixing type fluid injection nozzle 778B having a mixing portion KA inside may be used. In this case, the mixed fluid generated in the mixing section KA is jetted from a jet port 778j provided at the tip (upper end) of the fluid jet nozzle 778B.

The second liquid is ejected to the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B including the nozzle 21 before the mixed fluid is ejected from the fluid ejecting nozzle 778 to the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B including the nozzle 21. good too. In this case, the liquid supply pump 793 may be used for ejecting the second liquid from the liquid ejection nozzle 780 , but a pump for ejecting the second liquid from the liquid ejection nozzle 780 may be separately provided in the middle of the liquid supply pipe 788 . It is preferable to provide In this manner, the second liquid is first ejected to the liquid ejecting portions 1A and 1B including the nozzle 21, and then the mixed fluid is ejected by mixing air into the second liquid. , jetting of only air to the liquid jetting portions 1A and 1B including the nozzles 21 can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the air injected into the liquid ejecting sections 1A and 1B including the nozzle 21 from entering the inside of the liquid ejecting sections 1A and 1B through the opening of the nozzle 21. FIG. Further, in this case, even when stopping the injection of the mixed fluid to the liquid injection units 1A and 1B including the nozzle 21, by stopping the injection of the air first and then stopping the injection of the second liquid, It is possible to prevent only air from being jetted to the liquid jetting portions 1A and 1B including the nozzles 21 .

A pressure pump is provided to supply the ink in the ink tank (not shown) to the reservoir 730, and the clogged nozzle 21 during ejection of the mixed fluid from the fluid ejection nozzle 778 to the clogged nozzle 21 The pressurization of the ink in the communicating pressure generation chamber 12 may be performed by the above-described pressurization pump while the differential pressure valve 731 is open.

- Before the mixed fluid is ejected from the fluid ejecting nozzle 778 to the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B including the nozzles 21, the second liquid is ejected to the areas of the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B that do not include the nozzles 21. You may do so. Further, before the mixed fluid is jetted from the fluid jetting nozzle 778 to the liquid jetting sections 1A and 1B including the nozzle 21, the second liquid is jetted at a position where the fluid jetting nozzle 778 does not face the liquid jetting sections 1A and 1B. You may make it Even in this way, it is possible to prevent only the air from being jetted to the liquid jetting portions 1A and 1B including the nozzles 21 .

- The second liquid, which is the second liquid, may be composed of only pure water (pure water containing no antiseptic). In this way, when the second liquid mixes with the ink inside the nozzles 21, it is possible to prevent the second liquid from adversely affecting the ink.

When ejecting the mixed fluid to the clogged nozzles 21, the actuators 130 corresponding to the clogged nozzles 21 may be driven in the same manner as during ink ejection or flushing during printing. Even in this way, it is possible to prevent the mixed fluid from entering the clogged nozzle 21 .

・When ejecting the mixed fluid to the clogged nozzles 21, the actuators 130 corresponding to the nozzles 21 other than the clogged nozzles 21 are driven to correspond to the nozzles 21 other than the clogged nozzles 21. You may make it pressurize the pressure generation chamber 12 which carries out, respectively. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the mixed fluid from entering the nozzles 21 other than the clogged nozzles 21 .

- The fluid ejection device 775 may be arranged in the non-printing area RA.
A wiper for wiping the liquid ejecting surfaces 20a of the liquid ejecting portions 1A and 1B may be separately provided between the fluid ejecting device 775 and the printing area PA in the non-printing area LA. In this manner, after the fluid ejection device 775 ejects the mixed fluid to the liquid ejecting units 1A and 1B, the mixed fluid (second liquid ) can be wiped off with the wiper. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the mixed fluid (second liquid) adhering to the liquid ejection surface 20a from dripping while the printing unit 720 is moving in the printing area PA.

- Instead of the air pump 782, you may use the air compressor of facilities, such as a factory. In this case, a three-way solenoid valve capable of opening the gas flow path 783a to the atmosphere is provided at a position between the pressure regulating valve 784 and the air filter 785 in the gas supply pipe 783, so that the gas can flow when the fluid injection device 775 is not in use. The path 783a may be open to the atmosphere.

If the control unit 810 detects a nozzle 21 whose clogging remains unresolved even after suction cleaning is performed a predetermined number of times based on the clogging detection history, the nozzle 21 whose clogging remains unresolved is temporarily not used. Alternatively, so-called complementary printing, in which ink is ejected from other normal nozzles 21 and printed, may be performed. In this case, the fluid ejecting device 775 may be used to clean the nozzles 21 that remain clogged even after the suction cleaning is performed a predetermined number of times after complementary printing to clear the clogging.

・Nozzle rows NL (nozzles 21) that eject inks of colors (types) that are used very infrequently do not perform normal maintenance (suction cleaning, flushing, wiping, etc.), and are used when the time comes to use them. Fluid injection device 775 may be used to wash to eliminate clogging. In this way, the amount of ink of a color (kind) that is used very infrequently for suction cleaning and flushing is reduced, so that the ink can be saved.

- It is not necessary to pressurize the pressure generating chamber 12 communicating with the clogged nozzle 21 while the mixed fluid is being ejected from the fluid ejection nozzle 778 to the clogged nozzle 21 .
The product of the mass of the droplet of the second liquid smaller than the opening of the nozzle 21 and the square of the flying speed of the droplet at the opening position of the nozzle 21 is not necessarily the mass of the ink droplet ejected from the opening of the nozzle 21. and the square of the flight velocity of the ink droplet.

- The liquid ejected by the liquid ejecting unit is not limited to ink, and may be, for example, a liquid material in which functional material particles are dispersed or mixed in liquid. For example, recording is performed by ejecting a liquid material containing dispersed or dissolved materials such as electrode materials and coloring materials (pixel materials) used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, and surface emitting displays. may be configured.

- The medium ST is not limited to paper, and may be a plastic film, a thin plate, or the like, or may be a fabric used in a textile printing apparatus.
Next, the ink (coloring ink) as the first liquid will be described in detail below.

The ink used in the liquid ejecting device 7 contains a resin in composition and does not substantially contain glycerin, which has a boiling point of 290° C. under 1 atmosphere. If the ink substantially contains glycerin, the drying property of the ink is greatly reduced. As a result, on various media, particularly on non-ink-absorbing or low-ink-absorbing media, not only unevenness in density of images is conspicuous, but also ink fixability cannot be obtained. Furthermore, it is preferable that the ink does not substantially contain alkylpolyols (excluding the glycerin described above) having a boiling point of 280° C. or higher under 1 atmosphere.

Here, "substantially free" in the present specification means that the content is not contained in an amount exceeding the meaning of adding sufficiently. Quantitatively speaking, glycerin is preferably not contained in an amount of 1.0% by mass or more, more preferably 0.5% by mass or more, relative to the total mass of the ink (100% by mass). It is more preferable not to contain 0.1% by mass or more, even more preferably not to contain 0.05% by mass or more, and particularly preferably not to contain 0.01% by mass or more. Most preferably, it does not contain 0.001% by mass or more of glycerin.

Next, additives (components) that are contained or can be contained in the ink will be described.
[1. color material]
The ink may contain a coloring material. The colorant is selected from pigments and dyes.

[1-1. pigment]
By using a pigment as the colorant, the lightfastness of the ink can be improved. Both inorganic pigments and organic pigments can be used. Examples of inorganic pigments include, but are not limited to, carbon black, iron oxide, titanium oxide, and silica oxide.

Examples of organic pigments include, but are not limited to, quinacridone-based pigments, quinacridonequinone-based pigments, dioxazine-based pigments, phthalocyanine-based pigments, anthrapyrimidine-based pigments, anthanthrone-based pigments, indanthrone-based pigments, flavanthrone-based pigments, perylene-based pigments, diketopyrrolopyrrole-based pigments, perinone-based pigments, quinophthalone-based pigments, anthraquinone-based pigments, thioindigo-based pigments, benzimidazolone-based pigments, isoindolinone-based pigments, azomethine-based pigments, and azo-based pigments. . Specific examples of organic pigments include the following.

Pigments used in cyan ink include C.I. I. Pigment Blue 1, 2, 3, 15, 15:1, 15:2, 15:3, 15:4, 15:6, 15:34, 16, 18, 22, 60, 65, 66, C.I. I. Vat Blue 4,60 can be mentioned. Among them, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15:3 and 15:4 are preferred.

Pigments used in magenta ink include C.I. I. Pigment Red 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 30, 31, 32, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 48(Ca), 48(Mn), 57(Ca), 57:1, 88, 112, 114, 122, 123, 144, 146, 149, 150, 166, 168 , 170, 171, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 184, 185, 187, 202, 209, 219, 224, 245, 254, 264, C.I. I. Pigment Violet 19, 23, 32, 33, 36, 38, 43, 50. Among them, C.I. I. Pigment Red 122, C.I. I. Pigment Red 202, and C.I. I. One or more selected from the group consisting of Pigment Violet 19 is preferred.

Pigments used in yellow ink include C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 24, 34, 35, 37, 53, 55, 65, 73, 74, 75, 81, 83, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 108, 109, 110, 113, 114, 117, 120, 124, 128, 129, 133, 138, 139, 147, 151, 153, 154, 155, 167, 172, 180, 185, 213. Among them, C.I. I. One or more selected from the group consisting of Pigment Yellow 74, 155 and 213 is preferred.

Conventionally known pigments can be used for inks of colors other than the above, such as green ink and orange ink.
The average particle diameter of the pigment is preferably 250 nm or less because it is possible to suppress clogging in the nozzle 21 and further improve the ejection stability. In addition, the average particle diameter in this specification is based on volume. As a measuring method, for example, it can be measured by a particle size distribution measuring apparatus based on the principle of laser diffraction scattering. Examples of the particle size distribution analyzer include a particle size distribution meter (for example, Microtrac UPA manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.) using the dynamic light scattering method as a measurement principle.

[1-2. dye]
A dye can be used as the coloring material. As dyes, acid dyes, direct dyes, reactive dyes, and basic dyes can be used without any particular limitation. The content of the coloring material is preferably 0.4 to 12% by mass, more preferably 2% by mass or more and 5% by mass or less with respect to the total mass (100% by mass) of the ink.

[2. resin]
The ink contains resin. When the ink contains a resin, a resin film is formed on the medium, and as a result, the ink is sufficiently fixed on the medium, and the effect of mainly improving the abrasion resistance of the image is exhibited. For this reason, the resin emulsion is preferably a thermoplastic resin. The heat distortion temperature of the resin is preferably 40° C. or higher, more preferably 60° C. or higher, because the nozzles 21 are less likely to be clogged and the medium can have abrasion resistance. more preferred.

Here, the "heat distortion temperature" in this specification is a temperature value represented by the glass transition temperature (Tg) or the minimum film forming temperature (MFT). In other words, "the heat distortion temperature is 40°C or higher" means that either Tg or MFT should be 40°C or higher. Since the MFT is easier to grasp the superiority or inferiority of the redispersibility of the resin than the Tg, the heat distortion temperature is preferably a temperature value represented by the MFT. If the ink is excellent in redispersibility of the resin, the ink does not adhere and the nozzles 21 are less likely to be clogged.

Specific examples of the thermoplastic resin include, but are not limited to, poly(meth)acrylic acid esters or copolymers thereof, polyacrylonitrile or copolymers thereof, polycyanoacrylates, polyacrylamides, and poly(meth)acrylic acid. (Meth) acrylic polymers, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, polyisobutylene, and polystyrene, and copolymers thereof, and polyolefin polymers such as petroleum resins, coumarone-indene resins, and terpene resins, polyvinyl acetate or copolymers thereof, vinyl acetate or vinyl alcohol polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetal, and polyvinyl ether, polyvinyl chloride or copolymers thereof, polyvinylidene chloride, fluororesins, and halogen-containing fluororubbers Nitrogen-containing vinyl polymers such as polyvinylcarbazole, polyvinylpyrrolidone or its copolymer, polyvinylpyridine and polyvinylimidazole, diene-based polymers such as polybutadiene or its copolymer, polychloroprene, and polyisoprene (butyl rubber) Polymers and other ring-opening polymerization type resins, condensation polymerization type resins, and natural polymer resins are included.

The resin content is preferably 1 to 30% by mass, more preferably 1 to 5% by mass, relative to the total mass (100% by mass) of the ink. When the content is within the above range, the glossiness and abrasion resistance of the formed topcoat image can be further improved. Examples of resins that may be contained in the ink include resin dispersants, resin emulsions, waxes, and the like.

[2-1. resin emulsion]
The ink may contain a resin emulsion. When the medium is heated, the resin emulsion preferably forms a resin film together with the wax (emulsion), thereby sufficiently fixing the ink on the medium and improving the abrasion resistance of the image. Due to the above effects, when a medium is printed with an ink containing a resin emulsion, the ink has excellent abrasion resistance especially on a non-ink-absorbing or low-ink-absorbing medium.

Also, the resin emulsion that functions as a binder is contained in the ink in an emulsion state. By incorporating a resin that functions as a binder into the ink in an emulsion state, it is possible to easily adjust the viscosity of the ink within an appropriate range in the inkjet recording method, and to increase the storage stability and ejection stability of the ink.

Examples of resin emulsions include, but are not limited to, (meth)acrylic acid, (meth)acrylic acid ester, acrylonitrile, cyanoacrylate, acrylamide, olefin, styrene, vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, vinyl alcohol, vinyl ether, vinylpyrrolidone. , vinylpyridine, vinylcarbazole, vinylimidazole, and vinylidene chloride homopolymers or copolymers, fluororesins, and natural resins. Among them, methacrylic resins and styrene-methacrylic acid copolymer system resins are preferable, acrylic resins and styrene-acrylic acid copolymer system resins are more preferable, and styrene-acrylic acid copolymer system resins are preferable. Even more preferable. The above copolymer may be in any form of a random copolymer, a block copolymer, an alternating copolymer, and a graft copolymer.

The average particle size of the resin emulsion is preferably in the range of 5 nm to 400 nm, more preferably in the range of 20 nm to 300 nm, in order to further improve the storage stability and ejection stability of the ink. Among the resins, the content of the resin emulsion is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 7% by mass with respect to the total mass of the ink (100% by mass). When the content is within the above range, the solid content concentration can be lowered, so that the ejection stability can be further improved.

[2-2. wax]
The ink may contain wax. By including the wax in the ink, the fixability of the ink on non-ink-absorbing and low-ink-absorbing media is improved. Emulsion type waxes are more preferred. Examples of the wax include, but are not limited to, polyethylene wax, paraffin wax, and polyolefin wax. Among them, polyethylene wax, which will be described later, is preferable. As used herein, the term "wax" mainly means solid wax particles dispersed in water using a surfactant, which will be described later.

By including the polyethylene wax in the ink, it is possible to improve the abrasion resistance of the ink. The average particle size of the polyethylene wax is preferably in the range of 5 nm to 400 nm, more preferably 50 nm to 200 nm, in order to further improve the storage stability and ejection stability of the ink.

The content of the polyethylene wax (in terms of solid content) is, independently of each other, preferably in the range of 0.1 to 3% by mass, preferably 0.3 to 3%, relative to the total mass of the ink (100% by mass). It is more preferably in the range of % by mass, more preferably in the range of 0.3 to 1.5% by mass. When the content is within the above range, the ink can be well solidified and fixed even on non-ink-absorbing or low-ink-absorbing media, and the storage stability and ejection stability of the ink are further improved. can be

[3. Surfactant]
The ink may contain a surfactant. Examples of surfactants include, but are not limited to, nonionic surfactants. A nonionic surfactant has the effect of spreading the ink uniformly on the medium. Therefore, when printing is performed using an ink containing a nonionic surfactant, a high-definition image with almost no bleeding can be obtained. Examples of such nonionic surfactants include, but are not limited to, silicon-based, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether-based, polyoxypropylene alkyl ether-based, polycyclic phenyl ether-based, sorbitan derivatives, and fluorine-based surfactants. Active agents may be mentioned, and among them, silicone-based surfactants are preferred.

The content of the surfactant is 0.1% by mass or more and 3% by mass or less with respect to the total mass of the ink (100% by mass), in order to further improve the storage stability and ejection stability of the ink. A range is preferred.

[4. Organic solvent]
The ink may contain a known volatile water-soluble organic solvent. However, as described above, the ink does not substantially contain glycerin (having a boiling point of 290°C under 1 atmosphere), which is a type of organic solvent, and alkyl polyols having a boiling point of 280°C or higher under 1 atmosphere. (except glycerin described above) is preferably substantially free.

[5. Aprotic polar solvent]
The ink may contain an aprotic polar solvent. By including the aprotic polar solvent in the ink, the above-described resin particles contained in the ink are dissolved, so clogging of the nozzles 21 can be effectively suppressed during printing. Further, since it has a property of dissolving a medium such as vinyl chloride, the adhesion of the image is improved.

The aprotic polar solvent is not particularly limited, but one or more selected from pyrrolidones, lactones, sulfoxides, imidazolidinones, sulfolanes, urea derivatives, dialkylamides, cyclic ethers, and amide ethers. is preferably included. Representative examples of pyrrolidones include 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone, and representative examples of lactones include γ-butyrolactone, γ-valerolactone, and ε-caprolactone. and representative examples of sulfoxides are dimethyl sulfoxide and tetramethylene sulfoxide.

Representative examples of imidazolidinones include 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, representative examples of sulfolanes include sulfolane and dimethylsulfolane, and representative examples of urea derivatives include dimethylurea, There is 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea. Representative examples of dialkylamides include dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide, and representative examples of cyclic ethers include 1,4-dioxane and tetrahydrofuran.

Among them, pyrrolidones, lactones, sulfoxides, and amide ethers are particularly preferred, and 2-pyrrolidone is most preferred, from the viewpoint of the effects described above. The content of the aprotic polar solvent is preferably in the range of 3 to 30% by mass, more preferably in the range of 8 to 20% by mass, relative to the total mass of the ink (100% by mass). preferable.

[6. Other ingredients]
In addition to the above components, the ink may further contain antifungal agents, antirust agents, chelating agents, and the like.

Next, the components of the surfactant mixed with the second liquid will be described.
Surfactants include cationic surfactants such as alkylamine salts and quaternary ammonium salts; anionic surfactants such as dialkylsulfosuccinates, alkylnaphthalenesulfonates, and fatty acid salts; alkyldimethylamine oxides. , Alkylcarboxybetaine and other amphoteric surfactants; Polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene alkylallyl ethers, acetylene glycols, and nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene/polyoxypropylene block copolymers etc. can be used, and among these, anionic surfactants or nonionic surfactants are particularly preferred.

The content of the surfactant is preferably 0.1-5.0% by mass with respect to the total mass of the second liquid. Furthermore, the content of the surfactant is preferably 0.5 to 1.5% by mass with respect to the total mass of the second liquid from the viewpoint of foaming property and defoaming property after foaming. In addition, only 1 type may be sufficient as surfactant and 2 or more types may be sufficient as it. Further, the surfactant contained in the second liquid is preferably the same as the surfactant contained in the ink (first liquid). is a nonionic surfactant, the nonionic surfactant is not limited to, for example, silicon, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxypropylene alkyl ether, polycyclic phenyl ether, sorbitan derivatives , and fluorine-based surfactants, of which silicon-based surfactants are preferred.

In particular, the foam height immediately after foaming and 5 minutes after foaming using the Ross-Miles method is in the above range (the foam height immediately after foaming is 50 mm or more, and the foam height after 5 minutes is 5 mm or less). As a surfactant, an adduct in which ethylene oxide (EO) is added to acetylene diol with an addition mole number of 4 to 30 is used, and the content of the adduct is 0 with respect to the total weight of the washing liquid. .1 to 3.0% by weight. Furthermore, the foam height immediately after foaming and 5 minutes after foaming using the Ross-Miles method is within the preferable range (the foam height immediately after foaming is 100 mm or more, and the foam height 5 minutes after foaming is 5 mm or less). In order to achieve the above, an adduct in which ethylene oxide (EO) is added to acetylene diol with an addition mole number of 10 to 20 is used, and the content of the adduct is 0.5 to 1 with respect to the total weight of the washing liquid. 0.5% by weight is preferred. However, if the content of the ethylene oxide adduct of acetylenediol is too large, the critical micelle concentration may be reached, resulting in an emulsion.

Surfactants have the function of facilitating wetting and spreading of water-based ink on a recording medium. Surfactants that can be used in the present invention are not particularly limited, and anionic surfactants such as dialkylsulfosuccinates, alkylnaphthalenesulfonates, and fatty acid salts; polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene alkyl allyls nonionic surfactants such as ethers, acetylene glycols, and polyoxyethylene/polyoxypropylene block copolymers; cationic surfactants such as alkylamine salts and quaternary ammonium salts; silicone surfactants; A fluorine-based surfactant or the like can be used.

The surfactant has the effect of finely dividing and dispersing the aggregates due to the surfactant effect between the cleaning liquid (second liquid) and the aggregates. In addition, since it has the function of lowering the surface tension of the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid can easily enter between the aggregate and the liquid ejection surface 20a, which has the effect of facilitating the separation of the aggregate from the liquid ejection surface 20a.

Any surfactant can be suitably used as long as it is a compound having a hydrophilic portion and a hydrophobic portion in the same molecule. As specific examples, those represented by the following formulas (I) to (IV) are preferable.
That is, a polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ether surfactant of formula (I) below, an acetylene glycol surfactant of formula (II), a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether surfactant of formula (III) below, and a surfactant of formula (IV) ) polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene alkyl ether surfactants.

（Ｒは分岐していても良い炭素数６～１４の炭化水素鎖、ｋ：５～２０）

(R is an optionally branched hydrocarbon chain having 6 to 14 carbon atoms, k: 5 to 20)

（ｍ、ｎ≦２０，０＜ｍ＋ｎ≦４０）

(m, n≤20, 0<m+n≤40)

（Ｒは分岐してもよい炭素数６～１４の炭化水素鎖、ｎは５～２０）

(R is a hydrocarbon chain having 6 to 14 carbon atoms which may be branched, n is 5 to 20)

（Ｒは炭素数６～１４の炭化水素鎖、ｍ、ｎは２０以下の数）
前記式（Ｉ）～（IV）の化合物以外では、例えばジエチレングリコールモノフェニルエーテル、エチレングリコールモノフェニルエーテル、エチレングリコールモノアリルエーテル、ジエチレングリコールモノフェニルエーテル、ジエチレングリコールモノブチルエーテル、プロピレングリコールモノブチルエーテル、テトラエチレングリコールクロロフェニルエーテル等の多価アルコールのアルキル及びアリールエーテル類、ポリオキシエチレンポリオキシプロピレンブロック共重合体等のノニオン系界面活性剤、フッ素系界面活性剤、エタノール、２－プロパノール等の低級アルコール類を用いることができるが、特にジエチレングリコールモノブチルエーテルが好ましい。

(R is a hydrocarbon chain with 6 to 14 carbon atoms, m and n are numbers of 20 or less)
Other than the compounds of formulas (I) to (IV), for example, diethylene glycol monophenyl ether, ethylene glycol monophenyl ether, ethylene glycol monoallyl ether, diethylene glycol monophenyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, propylene glycol monobutyl ether, tetraethylene glycol chlorophenyl Alkyl and aryl ethers of polyhydric alcohols such as ethers, nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene block copolymers, fluorine surfactants, lower alcohols such as ethanol and 2-propanol diethylene glycol monobutyl ether is particularly preferred.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A, 1B... Liquid ejecting part 2... Head unit 400... Cover head 401... Second exposure opening 7... Liquid ejecting device 21... Nozzle 723... Carriage 748... Carriage constituting a moving mechanism Motor 830 Maintenance unit 831 Base part 832 Base part 833 Wiping part 834 Fluid ejection part 835 Waste liquid receiving part 836 Recovery part 837 Cloth sheet 838 Cloth holder 844 Pressing roller 845 Wiping member 851 Injection port 855 Shielding mechanism 856 Shielding plate 857 Relative movement mechanism HI Waste ink (waste liquid) HKR Non-opening area KR Opening area P1- P4 .

Claims (6)

A wiping device detachably attached to a liquid ejecting device that ejects liquid onto a medium,
a sheet-shaped member having an absorptivity that absorbs the liquid;
a delivery shaft that supports the sheet-like member;
a winding shaft for winding the sheet-shaped member;
Pressing the sheet-shaped member to bring the contact surface of the sheet-shaped member into contact with the object to be wiped
Department and
a holder that supports the feeding shaft, the pressing portion, and the winding shaft;
The holder has a delivery bearing for detachably supporting the delivery shaft,
The feed bearing portion is
A set port for setting the delivery shaft to the delivery bearing is provided in the axial direction of the delivery bearing.
having a direction intersecting with
When viewed from the axial direction, the outer shape of the roll-shaped sheet-like member can be seen from the set opening.
A wiping device characterized by supporting the delivery shaft in an exposed state. The set port is opened upward when the liquid ejecting device is attached to the liquid ejecting device.
The wiping device according to claim 1, characterized by: arranged between the delivery shaft and the pressing portion in the moving direction of the sheet-shaped member,
a first guide member that guides the sheet-like member toward the pressing portion;
is disposed between the pressing portion and the winding shaft in the moving direction, and presses the sheet-like member;
a second guide member that guides toward the winding shaft;
the holder supports the first guide member and the second guide member;
The first guide member and the second guide member in a state of being attached to the liquid ejecting apparatus
2. The sheet-shaped member wound between covers a portion immediately above the winding shaft.
Or a wiping device according to claim 2. The winding shaft winds up the sheet member with the contact surface inside.
A wiping device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The delivery shaft supports the roll-shaped sheet member with the contact surface inside.
A wiping device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. a liquid ejecting part capable of ejecting liquid onto a medium;
a wiping device according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
A liquid ejecting device comprising:

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