JP7413459B2 - Cleaning equipment and inkjet recording equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning device for a print head in an inkjet recording device, and particularly to a cleaning device suitable for preventing cleaning liquid from flowing out from the print head.
do.

There is Patent Document 1 as a technique related to cleaning an inkjet recording apparatus. In Patent Document 1, cleaning liquid is ejected from a cleaning nozzle inside the head toward a nozzle discharge port, cleaning is performed by suctioning the cleaning liquid from a suction path, and a drying process is performed to eliminate the cause of nozzle clogging. This is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-136934

In the method of Patent Document 1, when the cleaning liquid is ejected from the cleaning nozzle toward the nozzle discharge port, it is not possible to suck all the cleaning liquid from the suction path, and there is a possibility that the cleaning liquid flows out of the head.

Inkjet recording devices are often used in production lines for food, drinking water, medicine, cosmetics, etc. where hygiene management is important. Therefore, it is required that the cleaning liquid and ink do not leak into the inside of the inkjet recording apparatus, surrounding equipment, the floor, etc.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device that can prevent cleaning liquid from flowing out.

A preferred example of the present invention is a head cleaning device for cleaning a print head of an inkjet recording device, comprising:
The inkjet recording device includes:
a main body having an ink container connected to the print head and containing ink for printing on a printing object; and a solvent container connected to the print head and containing a solvent for diluting the ink;
a nozzle connected to the ink container and from which ink supplied under pressure is ejected; a charging electrode that charges ink particles used for printing; a deflection electrode that deflects the ink particles charged by the charging electrode; and printing. and a gutter for collecting ink particles that are not used in the printing process.
The head cleaning device includes:
a head mounting section to which the print head is mounted;
a container containing a solvent;
a pump for supplying the solvent in the container to the head mounting part,
The head cleaning device sprays the solvent inside the head mounting section to clean the print head while the print head is mounted on the head mounting section.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid from flowing out.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a print head cleaning device in Example 1. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the inkjet recording device in use. 1 is a perspective view showing the operating principle of an inkjet recording device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a path configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning device and an internal attachment in Example 2. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of a stand to which a print head is fixed in Example 3; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a path configuration of a cleaning device for a print head. FIG. 3 is another diagram illustrating a path configuration of a cleaning device for a print head. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for using a cleaning device for a print head. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a path configuration of a cleaning device for a print head in Example 5. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a cleaning device attached to the outside of an inkjet recording device. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the cleaning device installed inside the inkjet recording device. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus of Example 5. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of a cleaning device for a print head according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a cleaning device for a print head according to a sixth embodiment.

Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Exterior configuration of inkjet recording device>
FIG. 3 shows an external perspective view of an inkjet recording apparatus 400 according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 3, 401 is the main body of the inkjet recording apparatus, 402 is a print head, 403 is an operation display section, and 404 is a conduit. The inkjet recording apparatus 400 includes an operation display section 403 in an inkjet recording apparatus body 401 and a print head 402 on the outside, and the inkjet recording apparatus body 401 and the print head 402 are connected by a conduit 404.

<Usage form of inkjet recording device>
Next, the usage state of the inkjet recording apparatus will be explained using FIG. 4.
In FIG. 4, 401 is an inkjet recording apparatus main body, 402 is a print head, 40
4 is a conduit; 13 is a printing object on which numbers and letters are printed; 15 is a belt conveyor that conveys the printing object 13; 16 is a rotary encoder that measures the conveyance distance of the belt conveyor 15; 17 is a A print sensor 18 is a stand 1 that fixes the print head in an arbitrary posture.
9 is a fixing jig for fixing the print head to the stand 18.

The inkjet recording device 400 is installed, for example, on a production line in a factory where foods, beverages, etc. are produced.The inkjet recording device main body 401 is installed at a position where a user can operate it, and the print head 402 is attached to a belt conveyor 15. It is installed at a position where it can be close to the printing target 13 being fed on the production line. At this time, a fixing jig 19 may be attached to the print head 402 and fixed to the stand 18. On the production line such as the belt conveyor 15, there is an encoder 16 that outputs a signal according to the feeding speed to the inkjet recording device 400, and an encoder 16 that detects the printing target 13 in order to print the same width regardless of the feeding speed. A print sensor 17 is installed which outputs a signal instructing the inkjet recording apparatus 400 to print.

Each of them is connected to a control section (not shown) in the inkjet recording apparatus main body 401. In response to signals from the encoder 16 and print sensor 17, the control unit controls the amount and timing of charging to the ink column 7B ejected from the nozzle 8, as shown in FIG. The ink particles 7C, which are charged and deflected while passing near the head 402, are attached to the printing object 13 to perform printing.

<Device operating principle>
Next, the operating principle of the inkjet recording apparatus will be explained using FIG. 5.
In FIG. 5, 20 is a main ink container, 7A is ink, 24 is a pump (for supply) that pressurizes and sends out ink, 9 is an electrostrictive element that vibrates at a predetermined frequency when voltage is applied, and 8
7B is a nozzle that discharges ink, and 7B is an ink column. 10 is a charging electrode that charges ink particles, and 7C is an ink particle. 11 is a ground deflection electrode, 12 is a positive deflection electrode, 13 is a printing object to be printed, and 14 is a gutter for collecting ink particles that are not printed.

The ink 7A in the main ink container 20 is sucked and pressurized by the pump (for supply) 24, and is discharged from the nozzle 8 as an ink column 7B. The nozzle 8 is equipped with an electrostrictive element 9,
Vibration is applied to the ink at a predetermined frequency to turn the ink column 7B ejected from the nozzle 8 into particles. The number of ink particles 7C thus generated is determined by the frequency of the excitation voltage applied to the electrostrictive element 9, and is equal to the frequency. The ink particles 7C can be charged by applying a voltage corresponding to the print information using the charging electrode 10.

The ink particles 7C charged by the charging electrode 10 fly in the electric field between the ground deflection electrode 11 and the positive deflection electrode 12. A deflection electric field is formed between the positive deflection electrode 12 to which a high voltage of 1 to 7 kV is applied and the ground deflection electrode 11 installed, and the charged ink particles 7C exert a force proportional to the amount of charge. The bullet is deflected by the bullet, flies toward the object 13 to be printed, and lands.

At this time, the landing position of the ink particles 7C in the deflection direction changes depending on the amount of charge, and the production line moves the printing target 13 in a direction perpendicular to the deflection direction, so that the ink particles 7C also change in the direction perpendicular to the deflection direction. It becomes possible to make the particles land, and characters are formed and printed by the plurality of landed ink particles 7D. The ink particles 7C not used for printing fly linearly between the positive deflection electrodes 12, are captured by the gutter 14, and are then sucked by the pump (for recovery) 25 and recovered into the main ink container 20.

Next, the path configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus will be described using FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the overall path configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 400.

First, the ink supply path of the inkjet recording apparatus 400 of this embodiment will be explained.
The inkjet recording apparatus main body 401 includes a main ink container 2 that holds circulating ink 7A.
The main ink container 20 is equipped with a liquid level sensor that detects whether the liquid in the main ink container 20 has reached a reference liquid level that is an appropriate amount to be retained inside. 46 are provided.

The main ink container 20 is connected to a viscosity measuring device 43 via a path 201 in order to determine the viscosity of the ink 7A within the main ink container 20. The viscosity measuring device 43 is connected via a path 202 to a solenoid valve (for supply) 34 that opens and closes the path, and the solenoid valve (for supply) 34 is connected to a solenoid valve (for supply) that sucks and pumps the ink 7A through the path 203. It is connected to the pump (for supply) 24 used. The pump (for supply) 24 is connected via a path 204 to a filter (for supply) 28 that removes foreign matter mixed in the ink 7A.

The filter (for supply) 28 is connected to a pressure reducing valve 33 that adjusts the pressure of the ink 7A pumped from the pump (for supply) 24 via the path 205 to an appropriate pressure for printing. A pressure gauge 31 is provided to measure the pressure of the ink 7A supplied to the nozzle via 206. Pressure gauge 31 connects to print head 40 via path 207 within conduit 404.
It is connected to a switching valve 42 provided in 2.

The switching valve 42 is connected via a path 208 to a nozzle 8 having an ejection port that ejects the ink 7A. The switching valve 42 is an electromagnetic valve, and controls whether or not to eject ink from the nozzle 8. A gutter 14 is disposed in the straight direction of the nozzle 8 discharge port to catch ink particles 7C that are not used for printing and therefore fly straight without being charged or deflected.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, the ink recovery path will be explained. The gutter 14 is connected via a path 212 passing through the conduit 404 to a filter (for collection) 30 disposed inside the inkjet recording apparatus main body 401 for removing foreign matter mixed in ink.
The solenoid valve (for recovery) 30 is connected via a path 213 to a solenoid valve (for recovery) 35 that opens and closes the path.

A solenoid valve (for collection) 35 collects ink particles 7 captured by the gutter 14 via a path 214.
It is connected to a pump (for recovery) 25 that sucks C. Pump (for collection) 25 is route 2
15 and a path 216 to the main ink container 20 . In addition, the main ink container 2
0 is connected to an exhaust path 217, and the exhaust path 217 is configured to communicate with the outside of the inkjet recording apparatus main body 401.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, the ink replenishment path will be explained. The inkjet recording apparatus main body 401 is equipped with an auxiliary ink container 22 that holds replenishment ink, and the auxiliary ink container 22 is connected via a path 221 to a solenoid valve 36 that opens and closes the path. The solenoid valve 36 is connected to the merging path 22 connected to the ink supply path 203 via the path 222.
Connected to 3.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, the ink circulation path will be explained. In addition to the ink supply path 208, the nozzle 8 provided in the print head 402 is connected to an electromagnetic valve provided in the inkjet recording apparatus main body 401 via a path 225 passing through the conduit 404 to open and close the flow path. It is connected to 37. The solenoid valve 37 is connected via a path 226 to a pump (for circulation) 26 that sucks ink from the nozzle 8 . The pump (for circulation) 26 is connected via a path 227 to a confluence path 228 that is connected to the ink recovery path 215.

Next, referring to FIG. 6, the ink pressure release path connected to the ink supply path 207 will be described. A branch path 235 connected to the ink supply path 207 is connected to a pressure relief path 236. The pressure relief path 236 is connected to a solenoid valve 39 that opens and closes the flow path, and the solenoid valve 39 is connected via a path 237 to a confluence path 238 that is connected to the ink recovery path 214 .

Next, the solvent replenishment path of the inkjet recording apparatus 400 shown in FIG. 6 will be explained. The inkjet recording apparatus main body 401 is equipped with a solvent container 21 that holds a solvent for replenishing the solvent. )27. The pump (for solvent) 27 is connected to a solenoid valve (for solvent) 38 through a path 232 to open and close the flow path, and the solenoid valve (for solvent) 38 is connected to the main ink through a path 233. It is connected to the container 20.

Furthermore, the air path of the inkjet recording apparatus 400 in FIG. 6 will be explained. The inkjet recording apparatus main body 401 is provided with a path 234 for exhausting dry air from inside the print head 402. The path 234 may be provided with an air pump 73 to supply air. Alternatively, air may be supplied by connecting to an air compressor installed outside.

<Cross-sectional configuration of cleaning device>
FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a print head cleaning device 500 according to a first embodiment.
In FIG. 1, 1 is the cleaning device main body, 2 is an internal attachment, 3 is a seal part (for mounting jig), 4 is a mounting jig, 5 is a seal part (for internal attachment), 402A is
Print head base.

The cleaning device 500 is an inkjet recording device main body 401 that supplies ink to the print head.
Refers to a cleaning device body 1 with an internal attachment 2 attached to the inside of a cleaning device main body 1 which is disposed outside of the cleaning device and is provided with a seal portion (for attachment jig) 3. The print head base 402A is the print head 4
02, including the nozzle 8, charging electrode 10, ground deflection electrode 11, and positive deflection electrode 12.
is fixed.

<How to use the cleaning device>
Next, the usage state of the cleaning device 500 will be explained using FIGS. 1 and 2.
In FIG. 1, 1A is a supply port (main body), 1B is a collection port (main body), 2A is a supply port (internal attachment), and 2B is a collection port (internal attachment). Note that the cleaning liquid 6 described below is composed of the same components as the solvent in the inkjet recording apparatus 400, and is expressed as having the same meaning as the solvent in the inkjet recording apparatus.

The cleaning device 500 supplies the cleaning liquid 6 from the supply port (main body) 1A to the supply port (internal attachment).
It can be supplied to the inside of the cleaning device through 2A. Further, the cleaning device 500 has a removable internal attachment 2 attached thereto, which has a shape that allows the cleaning liquid 6 inside the cleaning device to flow out from the recovery port (internal attachment) 2B through the recovery port (main body) 1B. . The internal attachment 2 is formed between the cleaning device 500 and the print head 402, and has a shape that matches the shape of the print head 402 so that the volume of the space for holding the cleaning liquid 6 is reduced when cleaning the inside of the print head. doing.

The cleaning device 500 into which the print head 300 equipped with the installation jig is inserted has a seal portion (
The mounting jig) 3 and the mounting jig 4 are in close contact with each other, and the collection port (internal attachment) 2B,
The cleaning liquid 6 is prevented from flowing out from any other than the recovery port (main body) 1B, and the atmosphere inside the cleaning device is prevented from mixing with outside air.

When the cleaning liquid 6 is supplied to the supply port (main body) 1A, the cleaning liquid 6 is supplied to the inside of the cleaning device 500 via the supply port (internal attachment) 2A. Or inkjet recording device 4
00 is supplied from inside the print head 402 to inside the cleaning device 500.

At this time, the cleaning liquid 6 comes into contact with the nozzle 8, the charged electrode 10, the ground deflection electrode 11, the positive deflection electrode 12, and the print head base 402A, which are mainly contaminated by ink jetting, so that the above-mentioned parts can be cleaned. After cleaning, the cleaning liquid 6 described above is sucked from the gutter 14 and collected into the inkjet recording apparatus main body 401. Alternatively, the above-mentioned cleaning liquid 6 flows out from the recovery port (internal attachment) 2B through the recovery port (main body) 1B to the outside of the cleaning device.

<Effects of Example 1>
As described above, according to this embodiment, by inserting the print head 300 equipped with the mounting jig 4 into the cleaning device 500 and cleaning the print head 402 with the cleaning liquid 6 inside,
The cause of nozzle clogging can be removed.

Further, since the seal portion (for the mounting jig) 3 and the mounting jig 4 are in close contact with each other, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid 6 from flowing out from the print head to the vicinity of the inkjet recording apparatus. Furthermore, the volume of the space formed between the cleaning device 500 and the print head 402 by the internal attachment 2 and which holds the cleaning liquid 6 during cleaning is reduced, so that the consumption amount of the cleaning liquid 6 when cleaning the print head can be minimized. . Furthermore, since the attachment jig 4 can be attached to print heads 402 of different sizes and shapes, there is no need for a dedicated inkjet recording apparatus 400 to obtain this effect.

Example 2 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the description of parts common to the above-mentioned embodiments will be omitted, and mainly the parts different from the above-mentioned embodiments will be explained. In FIG. 7(b), 102 is a modification of the internal attachment 2 shown in FIG. 7(a), and 412 is a modification of the print head 402. 301 shows a print head 412 with a different size and/or shape to which the mounting jig 4 is attached. 501 is a cleaning device main body 1 to which an internal attachment 102 is attached. Here, "and/or" means
This indicates that either the size or the shape may be different, or both may be different.

FIG. 7(a) is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning device 500. 7(b), the print head 402 in FIG. 7(a) is replaced with a print head 412 having a different size and/or shape, and the print head 402 in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning device 501 in which the internal attachment 2 in FIG. 7(c) is a sectional view of the internal attachment 2, and FIG. 7(d) is a sectional view of the internal attachment 102.

The size and shape of the print head 402 may vary depending on the type of inkjet recording apparatus 400. When a print head 402 having a different size and/or shape is inserted into the cleaning device 500, the cleaning device 500 is configured such that an internal attachment 2 that matches the size and/or shape of the inserted print head is attached to the cleaning device main body 1. It is desirable to have one.

For example, in the print head 412, the distance from the ground deflection electrode 11 and the positive deflection electrode 12 to the gutter 14 is longer, and the nozzle 8 and charging electrode 10 are located at a higher position than in the print head 402. At this time, the position of the supply port (internal attachment) 102A is set in the shape of the print head 412 so that the cleaning liquid 6 can be brought into contact with the nozzle 8, charging electrode 10, ground deflection electrode 11, and positive deflection electrode 12 in FIG. 7(b). It has a shape that fits.

In addition, the bottom surface portion 102C of the internal attachment 102 in FIG. It has a shape that fits the shape. In addition, even if the internal attachment 2 changes in size and/or shape, the supply port (internal attachment) 2
The shape is such that A can be connected to the supply port (main body) 1A of the cleaning device main body 1, and the collection port (internal attachment) 2B and the collection port (main body) 1B of the cleaning device main body 1 can be connected.

For example, in FIG. 7(b), the supply port (main body) 1A and the supply port (internal attachment) 1
02A is connected, and the collection port 102B (internal attachment) and the collection port (main body) 1B are connected. At this time, the cleaning device main body 1 has a sealing part (for internal attachment) 5 so that the supply port (internal attachment) 2A can be connected to the supply port (main body) 1A at any position.
It may be attached.

<Effects of Example 2>
According to this embodiment, by replacing the internal attachments 2 and 102 with the cleaning device main body 1 according to the shape of the print head, the volume between the cleaning device 500 and the print heads 402 and 412 can be adjusted, and the consumption amount of the cleaning liquid 6 can be reduced. It can be suppressed.

Example 3 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the description of parts common to the above-mentioned embodiments will be omitted, and mainly the parts different from the above-mentioned embodiments will be explained. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the mounting jig 4 shown in FIG. 1 is used as the fixing jig 19 in FIG. 4.

When fixing the print head 402 to the stand 18, it is necessary to attach the fixing jig 19 to the print head 402. At this time, if the mounting jig 4 has a shape that allows it to come into close contact with the seal part (for mounting jig) 3 of the cleaning device as described above and to fix it to the stand 18, the mounting jig 4 fixes the print head 402 to the stand 18. It can function as a jig.

Example 4 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the description of parts common to the above-mentioned embodiments will be omitted, and mainly the parts different from the above-mentioned embodiments will be explained. 9 and 10 are route diagrams when the above-described cleaning device 500 is employed.

First, the cleaning liquid supply path of the cleaning device 500 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 9 will be described. The cleaning device 500 can be connected via a supply path 62 to a main cleaning liquid container 51 that holds the circulating cleaning liquid 6 . The supply route 62 includes a solenoid valve (for supply) 55 and a pump (for supply) 53 that open and close the route.
may be provided.

Next, the cleaning liquid recovery route will be explained. The cleaning device 500 includes the main cleaning liquid container 5 described above.
1 through the collection route 61. The recovery path 61 may be provided with a pump (for recovery) 52 . Next, the exhaust route will be explained. The cleaning device 500 can be connected to the exhaust path 63,
It can communicate with the outside air of the main body and external exhaust means. The above-described exhaust path 63 may be provided with a solenoid valve (for exhaust) 56 that opens and closes the path. Further, the main cleaning liquid container 51 can be connected to the exhaust path 64 and can communicate with the outside air of the container and an external exhaust means.

Furthermore, the route diagram in FIG. 10 will be explained. The auxiliary supply path 65 in FIG.
The supply path 62 can be connected to the auxiliary cleaning liquid container 54 that holds the cleaning liquid 6 that is not supplied to the cleaning device 500, and the cleaning liquid 6 described above can be supplied to the cleaning device 500. The auxiliary supply path 65 may be provided with a solenoid valve (for auxiliary supply) 57 that opens and closes the path.

The flowchart in FIG. 11 shows the procedure for using the cleaning device when the routes shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are adopted. In FIG. 11, first, in step S81, in order to prevent ink from being ejected from the nozzles 8 provided in the inkjet recording apparatus 400, the flow of ink in the path is stopped by operating the pump and electromagnetic valve having the path configuration shown in FIG. It is a process.

Next, in step S82, the print head 402 is inserted into the cleaning device 500. Then, in the cleaning step S83, the cleaning liquid 6 held in the main cleaning liquid container 51 or the auxiliary cleaning liquid container 54 is supplied into the cleaning device 500 via the above-mentioned cleaning liquid supply path 62 and auxiliary supply path 65, and the cleaning liquid 6 is Cleaning is performed.

At this time, if the routes shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are adopted, the cleaning step S83 is performed by moving the pump (for supply) 53 and opening the solenoid valve (for supply) 55 and the solenoid valve (for auxiliary supply) 57. Good too. Alternatively, in the cleaning step S83, the solvent in the inkjet recording device 400 may be supplied from the inside of the print head 402 to the inside of the cleaning device 500, and the print head 402 may be cleaned.

Further, in the recovery step S84, the cleaning liquid 6 held in the cleaning device 500 is recovered into the main cleaning liquid container 51 via the recovery path 61 described above, and recovery of the cleaning liquid is executed. At this time, if the routes shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are adopted, the recovery step S84 may be performed by moving the pump (for recovery) 52. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid 6 held in the cleaning device 500 in the collection step S84 may be sucked from the gutter 14 and collected into the inkjet recording device 400. Further, the recovery step S84 may be repeated alternately with the above-mentioned cleaning step S83, or may be performed simultaneously.

The drying process in step S85 is performed to dry the print head 402 that was not completely removed in the recovery process S84.
In this step, the cleaning liquid 6 remaining in the cleaning apparatus 500 and the cleaning liquid 6 inside the cleaning apparatus 500 are dried by operating the pump (for recovery) 52 and sucking the atmosphere inside the cleaning apparatus 500.

At this time, since the inside of the cleaning device 500 is sealed as described above, the inside of the cleaning device 500 becomes negative pressure by opening the electromagnetic valve (for exhaust) 56 installed in the exhaust path 63 or by using the check valve in the cleaning device 500. avoid becoming Alternatively, the drying process may be performed by supplying dry air from a path 234 provided inside the print head 402 in FIG.

Furthermore, if the inkjet recording apparatus 400 is equipped with a function to detect dirt on parts included in the print head 402, the above-mentioned detection function can be controlled in the cleaning step S83 and in the collection step S84.
, may be incorporated into the operation control of the drying step S85. For example, as a dirt detection function,
There is a structure and control for detecting leakage from the charging electrode 10, the ground deflection electrode 11, and the positive deflection electrode 12. Furthermore, there is an optical sensor that detects foreign matter attached to parts within the head and its control. Ink particles 7C carrying a slight charge are applied to the ground deflection electrode 11 and the positive deflection electrode 12.
There is a sensor that detects a minute voltage and its control so that it can be detected that the water is not being collected in the gutter 14 due to clogging of the nozzle 8 or adhesion of dirt rather than deflection due to this.

<Effects of Example 4>
According to this embodiment, once the cleaning device 500 is used as shown in the route diagrams of FIGS. 9 and 10,
The cleaning liquid 6 used for cleaning the print head 402 can be circulated and used repeatedly.
Therefore, the amount of cleaning liquid 6 consumed can be reduced.

Example 5 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that descriptions of parts common to the above-mentioned embodiments will be omitted, and mainly parts that are different from the above-mentioned embodiments will be explained.

The route diagram in FIG. 12 shows the circulation route of the main body in FIG. 6 described above and the route configuration 50 of the cleaning device described above.
can be connected by a supply route 239 and a recovery route 240.
If the route diagram of FIG. 12 is adopted, the solvent held in the solvent container 21 is used as the cleaning liquid 6 in the cleaning step 83 of FIG. Print head cleaning is performed. At this time, the cleaning step 83 may be performed by moving the pump (for supply) 53 and opening the solenoid valve (for auxiliary supply) 57.

Furthermore, since the main cleaning liquid container 51 in FIG. 9 is connected to the main ink container 20 via the recovery path 240, the cleaning liquid 6 held in the main cleaning liquid container 51 can be supplied to the main ink container 20. .

At this time, the cleaning liquid 6 held in the main cleaning liquid container 51 may be supplied to the main ink container 20 by operating the pump (for recovery) 71 and opening the solenoid valve (for recovery) 72. Alternatively, the recovery path 240 may be connected to a path within the inkjet recording device 400, and the above-mentioned cleaning liquid 6 may be supplied to the main ink container 20 using a pump and a solenoid valve provided in the inkjet recording device 400.

Further, FIG. 15 shows a configuration in which the cleaning device 500 is built into an inkjet recording device, that is,
12 shows an inkjet recording device 450 that includes a holder having the structure of the cleaning device 500 and includes means for cleaning the print head in the procedure shown in FIG. 11.

<Effects of Example 5>
According to this embodiment, the concentration of the ink 7A held in the main ink container 20 can be adjusted using the cleaning liquid 6 held in the main cleaning liquid container 51. Conventionally, the solvent container 21
The solvent held in the ink 7A was used to adjust the concentration of the ink 7A, but by adopting this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the consumption of the above-mentioned solvent due to concentration adjustment.

Example 6 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the description of parts common to the above-mentioned embodiments will be omitted, and mainly the parts different from the above-mentioned embodiments will be explained.

FIG. 16 shows a cleaning container 5 with a recovery valve 59 attached near the recovery port of the cleaning device 500 described above.
11 usage examples are shown below. The recovery valve 59 is a valve that can open and close the recovery port (main body) 1B. When discharging the cleaning liquid 6 inside the cleaning container 511 from the collection port (main body) 1B, the external collection container 6
The outlet 66A and the recovery port (main body) 1B are arranged so as to communicate with each other. At this time, the external collection container 6
A sealing jig 67 may be provided between the cleaning liquid 6 and the recovery port (main body) 1B to prevent the cleaning liquid 6 from flowing out to the surrounding area. When the recovery valve 59 is opened, the cleaning liquid 6 flows out from the recovery port (main body) 1B by free fall and is recovered into the external recovery container 66.

FIG. 17(a) shows a cleaning container 5 in which a collection container 151 is attached to the cleaning container 511 described above.
12 is shown. Moreover, FIG. 17(b) shows a cross-sectional view of the cleaning container 512. The cleaning container 512 has a structure in which the cleaning container 511 and the collection container 151 are attached so that the collection port (main body) 1B and the collection port (container) 151A of the collection container 151 communicate with each other.

When the cleaning liquid 6 inside the cleaning container 511 is collected, the collection valve 59 is opened, and the cleaning liquid 6 freely falls from the collection port (main body) 1B, passes through the collection port (container) 151A, and is collected into the collection container 151.

<Effects of Example 6>
As described above, according to this embodiment, by installing the recovery valve 59 near the recovery port of the cleaning device 500, the recovery port can be opened and closed, and the cleaning liquid is stored in the cleaning container 511.
The print head 402 can now be immersed in the cleaning liquid 6 and cleaned.

Further, the cleaning liquid 6 after cleaning the print head 402 can be collected in the external collection container 6 without requiring external power.
6 or can be collected in the collection container 151. Further, since the cleaning container 511, the external collection container 66, and the collection container 151 have a sealing property, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid 6 from flowing around the apparatus when the cleaning liquid 6 is collected.

Furthermore, the cleaning container 512 to which the collection container 151 is attached can be removably attached to the outside of the inkjet recording apparatus 400 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 14, it can be removably attached inside the inkjet recording apparatus 400.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications. for example,
The above-mentioned embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

1...Cleaning device main body, 2...Internal attachment, 1A...Supply port (main body), 1B...Recovery port (main body), 2A...Supply port (internal attachment), 2B...Recovery port (internal attachment), 1
8...Stand, 19...Fixing jig, 300...Print head with mounting jig attached, 400...Inkjet recording device, 401...Inkjet recording device main body, 402...Print head

Claims (5)

A head cleaning device for cleaning a print head of an inkjet recording device, the head cleaning device comprising:
The inkjet recording device includes:
a main body having an ink container connected to the print head and containing ink for printing on a printing object; and a solvent container connected to the print head and containing a solvent for diluting the ink;
a nozzle connected to the ink container and from which ink supplied under pressure is ejected; a charging electrode that charges ink particles used for printing; a deflection electrode that deflects the ink particles charged by the charging electrode; and printing. and a gutter for collecting ink particles that are not used in the printing process.
The head cleaning device includes:
a head mounting section to which the print head is mounted;
a container containing a solvent;
a pump for supplying the solvent in the container to the head mounting section;
Equipped with
A head cleaning device that sprays the solvent inside the head mounting section to clean the print head while the print head is mounted on the head mounting section. A head cleaning device for cleaning a print head of an inkjet recording device, the head cleaning device comprising:
The inkjet recording device includes:
a main body having an ink container connected to the print head and containing ink for printing on a printing object; and a solvent container connected to the print head and containing a solvent for diluting the ink;
a nozzle connected to the ink container and from which ink supplied under pressure is ejected; a charging electrode that charges ink particles used for printing; a deflection electrode that deflects the ink particles charged by the charging electrode; and printing. and a gutter for collecting ink particles that are not used in the printing process.
The head cleaning device has a head mounting section on which the print head is mounted,
A head cleaning device that cleans the print head by supplying a solvent from the solvent container of the inkjet recording device into the print head while the print head is attached to the head mounting portion. The head cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2,
A head cleaning device configured to be attached with a recovery container for recovering the solvent after the cleaning. The head cleaning device according to claim 1,
A head cleaning device having a nozzle inside the head mounting section, and configured to inject the solvent from the nozzle toward the print head mounted on the head mounting section. The head cleaning device according to claim 1 ,
A head cleaning device characterized in that a function for spraying air onto the print head is provided inside the head mounting section.

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