JP7443708B2 - Uneven distribution suppressing device, cleaning device, inkjet image forming device, and rotation control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an uneven distribution suppressing device, a cleaning device, an inkjet image forming device, and a rotation control method.

In recent years, inkjet image forming devices that eject ink from the nozzles of an inkjet head (hereinafter simply referred to as head) have become widely used as devices for recording high-definition images on various recording media such as paper and fabric. are doing.

Furthermore, some inkjet image forming apparatuses are equipped with a cleaning device that performs head cleaning (hereinafter simply referred to as cleaning) in order to remove ink and other foreign substances adhering to the nozzle surface of an inkjet head.

Here, as a cleaning method, a method is known in which a cleaning member (also referred to as a wiping member, wipe material, etc.) such as a cloth or a blade is brought into contact with the nozzle surface. In addition, as a method for cleaning the nozzle surface using a soft wiping member such as cloth, there is a dry method (dry cleaning) in which a dry cleaning member is brought into contact with the nozzle surface, and a wet method (in which a cleaning member moistened with a liquid such as cleaning solution is brought into contact with the nozzle surface). wet cleaning), etc.

Among the above-mentioned wet-type cleaning apparatuses, a configuration is known in which a cleaning liquid is applied to a cleaning member within a housing of an inkjet image forming apparatus. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a device that uses a liquid absorption device to supply liquid to a cleaning cloth.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-245612

However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires a liquid (cleaning liquid) applicator and a tank for storing the cleaning liquid to be provided in the housing, which makes the configuration complicated and does not meet the demands for space saving and cost reduction. There are problems that cannot be addressed.

One way to solve the above-mentioned problems is to coat a long cleaning member such as a cleaning cloth with a cleaning liquid in advance, roll the cleaning member into a roll, and clean the outside of the roll. It is conceivable to pull out the parts one by one and use them. With such a configuration, the above-mentioned coating device, tank, etc. can be omitted, so the configuration can be simplified, and space and cost can be reduced.

However, when the above configuration is adopted, a problem may occur in which cleaning performance (nozzle surface cleaning ability) during wet cleaning is reduced. As a result of the inventors' intensive investigation into the cause of this problem, we found that during wet cleaning, the cleaning liquid contained in the roll body may be unevenly distributed. It was found that this is the main cause of the decline in

In other words, if the cleaning liquid contained in the roll body is unevenly distributed, there will be areas (partially) where the cleaning liquid in the cleaning member pulled out from the roll body will be reduced. It is thought that a problem had occurred in which the ability of the pilot was reduced.

An object of the present invention is to provide an uneven distribution suppressing device, a cleaning device, an inkjet image forming device, and a rotation control method that can suppress performance degradation during wet cleaning while having a simple configuration.

The uneven distribution suppressing device according to the present invention includes:
a holding part that rotatably holds a roll body around which a cleaning member containing a liquid is wound;
a winding unit that winds up the cleaning member sent out from the holding unit;
a control unit that performs control to rotate the roll body around a rotation axis of the holding unit so that uneven distribution of the liquid inside the roll body in the cleaning member is suppressed;
Equipped with
The control unit includes:
Rotating the holding part so that the part of the cleaning member used for cleaning does not contact the roll body,
rotating the winding section so that a portion of the cleaning member that is not used for cleaning does not come into contact with a portion that is used for cleaning;
If all of the cleaning members have not yet been used for cleaning, before cleaning, the cleaning member is controlled to be wound up by the winding unit so that uneven distribution of the liquid is suppressed.

The cleaning device according to the present invention includes:
The above uneven distribution suppressing device,
a winding unit that winds up the cleaning member sent out from the holding unit;
a member to be cleaned that is cleaned by the cleaning member;
a winding drive unit that drives the winding unit when cleaning the member to be cleaned;
Equipped with

The inkjet image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes:
The above cleaning device,
a transport unit that transports the recording medium;
an inkjet head as the member to be cleaned, which discharges ink onto the recording medium being conveyed and is cleaned by the cleaning member;
Equipped with

The rotation control method according to the present invention includes:
A roll body around which a cleaning member containing a liquid is wound is rotatably held by a holding part ,
Winding up the cleaning member fed out from the holding unit with a winding unit;
controlling the cleaning member to rotate the roll body around a rotation axis of the holding part so that uneven distribution of the liquid inside the roll body is suppressed;
During the control,
Rotating the holding part so that the part of the cleaning member used for cleaning does not contact the roll body,
rotating the winding section so that a portion of the cleaning member that is not used for cleaning does not come into contact with a portion that is used for cleaning;
If all of the cleaning members have not yet been used for cleaning, before cleaning, the cleaning member is controlled to be wound up by the winding unit so that uneven distribution of the liquid is suppressed.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress performance deterioration during wet cleaning while maintaining a simple configuration.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an inkjet image forming apparatus in this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the main functional configuration of an inkjet image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a cleaning device according to the present embodiment. It is a figure explaining the problem of the cleaning device in this Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an overview of control before a cleaning operation in the cleaning device according to the present embodiment. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating a modification of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 3. 7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating an example of control before a cleaning operation in the cleaning device shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another modification of the cleaning device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 9A to 9C are diagrams illustrating other configuration examples for suppressing uneven distribution of cleaning liquid in the roll body. It is a figure explaining another example of composition for controlling maldistribution of cleaning liquid in a roll body.

Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an inkjet image forming apparatus 1 in this embodiment. Further, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main functional configuration of the inkjet image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

The inkjet image forming apparatus 1 includes a paper feeding section 10, an image forming section 20, a paper discharging section 30, a control section 40 (see FIG. 2), and the like. The inkjet image forming apparatus 1 transports the recording medium P stored in the paper feed section 10 to the image forming section 20 under the control of the control section 40, forms an image on the recording medium P in the image forming section 20, and prints the image. The recording medium P on which is formed is conveyed (discharged) to the paper discharging section 30. As the recording medium P, in addition to paper such as plain paper or coated paper, various media capable of fixing ink that has landed on the surface, such as cloth or sheet-like resin, can be used.

The paper feed section 10 includes a paper feed tray 11 that stores the recording medium P, and a medium supply section 12 that transports and supplies the recording medium P from the paper feed tray 11 to the image forming section 20.

The paper feed tray 11 is a plate-shaped member on which one or more recording media P can be placed. The paper feed tray 11 is provided to move up and down according to the amount (number of sheets) of the recording medium P placed on the paper feed tray 11, and in the vertical movement direction, the uppermost recording medium P is the medium feeder. It is held at the position where it is transported by the section 12.

The medium supply unit 12 includes a ring-shaped belt whose inner side is supported by two rollers, and rotates the rollers with the recording medium P placed on the belt, thereby transferring the recording medium P to the paper feed tray 11. The images are then transported to the image forming section 20.

The image forming section 20 includes a transport drum 21, a delivery unit 22, a medium heating section 23, a head unit 24, a fixing section 26, a delivery section 27, and a cleaning device 250 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), which will be described later. ) and has.

The conveyance drum 21 holds the recording medium P on a cylindrical outer circumferential curved surface (conveyance surface), and rotates around a rotating shaft extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "orthogonal direction"). The recording medium P is conveyed in the conveyance direction along the conveyance surface by rotating around the conveyance surface (see arrow in FIG. 1).

The transport drum 21 includes a claw portion (not shown) and a suction portion (not shown) for holding the recording medium P on its transport surface. The recording medium P is held on the conveyance surface by having its ends pressed by the claws and drawn toward the conveyance surface by the suction section. The transport drum 21 has a transport drum motor (not shown) for rotating the transport drum 21, and rotates by an angle proportional to the amount of rotation of the transport drum motor. Note that the transport drum 21 and the transport drum motor play the role of transporting the recording medium P so as to face the head unit 24 (nozzle surface of the inkjet head), and correspond to the "transport unit" of the present invention.

The delivery unit 22 delivers the recording medium P transported by the medium supply section 12 of the paper feed section 10 to the transport drum 21 . The delivery unit 22 is provided at a position between the medium supply section 12 of the paper supply section 10 and the conveyance drum 21, and picks up one end of the recording medium P conveyed from the medium supply section 12 by holding it with a swing arm section 221. , and delivered to the transport drum 21 via the delivery drum 222.

The medium heating unit 23 is provided between the arrangement position of the delivery drum 222 and the arrangement position of the head unit 24, and is configured to heat the transport drum 21 so that the recording medium P transported by the transport drum 21 has a temperature within a predetermined range. The conveying surface of the recording medium P and the recording medium P are heated. The medium heating unit 23 includes, for example, an infrared heater or the like, and causes the infrared heater to generate heat by supplying power to the infrared heater based on a control signal supplied from the control unit 40 (see FIG. 2).

The head unit 24 injects the recording medium P from nozzle openings provided on the ink ejection surface facing the conveyance surface of the conveyance drum 21 at appropriate timing according to the rotation of the conveyance drum 21 holding the recording medium P. An image is formed (recorded) by ejecting ink. The head unit 24 is arranged such that its ink ejection surface and the transport surface of the transport drum 21 are separated by a predetermined distance.

In the inkjet image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, four head units 24 respectively corresponding to four color inks of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are connected to the recording medium The colors Y, M, C, and K are arranged at predetermined intervals from the upstream side in the conveyance direction.

The fixing section 26 has a light emitting section disposed across the width of the transport drum 21 in the orthogonal direction. The fixing unit 26 irradiates the recording medium P placed on the transport drum 21 with energy rays such as ultraviolet rays from a light emitting unit to impart a predetermined energy to the ink ejected onto the recording medium P. By heating the recording medium P to a predetermined temperature, the ink on the recording medium P is cured and fixed.

The delivery unit 27 includes a belt loop 272 having a ring-shaped belt whose inner side is supported by two rollers, and a cylindrical transfer drum 271 that transfers the recording medium P from the transport drum 21 to the belt loop 272. The delivery unit 27 transports the recording medium P transferred from the transport drum 21 onto the belt loop 272 by the delivery drum 271 and sends it out to the paper discharge unit 30 .

The paper discharge section 30 has a plate-shaped paper discharge tray 31 on which the recording medium P sent out from the image forming section 20 by the delivery section 27 is placed.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, each head unit 24 includes an inkjet head drive section 240 and an inkjet head 241. The inkjet head 241 is provided with a plurality of recording elements each having a pressure chamber for storing ink, a piezoelectric element provided on the wall of the pressure chamber, and a nozzle. In this recording element, when a drive signal that causes the piezoelectric element to perform a deforming operation is input, the pressure chamber is deformed by the deformation of the piezoelectric element, the pressure within the pressure chamber changes, and ink is ejected from a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber.

The inkjet head drive unit 240 supplies a drive signal to the recording element of the inkjet head 241 to deform the piezoelectric element in accordance with image data at an appropriate timing based on the control of the control unit 40, thereby driving the inkjet head 241. The amount of ink corresponding to the pixel value of the image data is ejected from the nozzle. Note that, although a plurality of inkjet heads 241 are actually arranged in the head unit 24, the number and arrangement of the inkjet heads 241 are the same as in the prior art, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The arrangement range of the nozzles included in the inkjet head 241 in the orthogonal direction covers the width in the orthogonal direction of the area on which an image is recorded on the recording medium P conveyed by the conveyance drum 21. The head unit 24 is used with its position fixed relative to the rotation axis of the conveyance drum 21 during image formation. That is, the inkjet image forming apparatus 1 is a single-pass type apparatus.

The head units 24 are each provided so as to be movable individually along the above-mentioned orthogonal directions. Specifically, the head unit 24 is provided so as to be movable between the transport drum 21 and the cleaning device 250 (see FIG. 3), which are provided along the orthogonal direction. Under the control of the control unit 40, the head unit 24 moves to a position facing the conveyance drum 21 during image formation, and moves to a position facing the cleaning device 250 during various types of maintenance.

The control unit 40 includes a CPU 41 (Central Processing Unit), a RAM 42 (Random Access Memory), a ROM 43 (Read Only Memory), and a storage unit 44. In this embodiment, the control unit 40 executes control of a cleaning operation, which will be described later. Furthermore, the control unit 40 controls the operation of rotating the roll body R (see FIG. 3), which will be described later, before the cleaning operation.

The CPU 41 reads various control programs and setting data stored in the ROM 43, stores them in the RAM 42, and executes the programs to perform various calculation processes. Further, the CPU 41 centrally controls the overall operation of the inkjet image forming apparatus 1 .

The RAM 42 provides a working memory space for the CPU 41 and stores temporary data. Note that the RAM 42 may include nonvolatile memory.

The ROM 43 stores various control programs executed by the CPU 41, setting data, and the like. Note that in place of the ROM 43, a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or a flash memory may be used.

The storage unit 44 stores a print job (image recording command) input from the external device 2 via the input/output interface 52 and image data related to the print job. As the storage unit 44, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is used, and a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or the like may also be used in combination.

The conveyance drive section 51 supplies a drive signal to the conveyance drum motor of the conveyance drum 21 based on the control signal supplied from the control section 40, and rotates the conveyance drum 21 at a predetermined speed and timing. Further, the conveyance drive unit 51 supplies a drive signal to a motor for operating the medium supply unit 12, the transfer unit 22, and the delivery unit 27 based on the control signal supplied from the control unit 40, so that the recording medium is supplied to the transport drum 21 and discharged from the transport drum 21.

The input/output interface 52 mediates data transmission and reception between the external device 2 and the control unit 40. The input/output interface 52 is configured of, for example, one of various serial interfaces, various parallel interfaces, or a combination thereof.

The external device 2 is, for example, a personal computer, and supplies an image recording command (print job), image data, etc. to the control unit 40 via an input/output interface 52.

Next, a schematic configuration of the cleaning device 250 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The cleaning device 250 is provided adjacent to the conveyance drum 21 in the orthogonal direction, and comes into contact with the nozzle surface 241a of the inkjet head 241 after printing or during maintenance to wipe the nozzle surface 241a and remove ink and dirt adhering to the nozzle surface 241a. Remove other foreign objects.

The cleaning device 250 includes a wiping cloth 281 for wiping the nozzle surface 241a, and a first roller rotatably holding a roll body R around which the wiping cloth 281 is wound, in its casing (see dotted line in FIG. 3). 283. Further, inside the housing of the cleaning device 250, an elastic member 282 that contacts or separates from the nozzle surface 241a via the wiping cloth 281, a second roller 284 that winds up the wiping cloth 281 during the cleaning operation, and these rollers 283, 284 are installed. It is equipped with a driving source such as a motor to rotate it.

As shown in FIG. 2, the driving sources include a motor (winding motor 251 in the figure) for rotating the second roller 284 mainly in the winding direction of the wiping cloth 281, and a first roller 283. A motor (feeding motor 252 in the figure) for rotating the wiping cloth 281 mainly in the feeding direction of the wiping cloth 281 is included. For each of these motors 251 and 252, a pulse motor can be used, for example. Further, a drive source such as a solenoid for moving the elastic member 282 in the vertical direction may be provided. These drive sources operate based on the control (drive signal) of the control unit 40.

Note that, in relation to the present invention, the wiping cloth 281 corresponds to a "cleaning member," the first roller 283 corresponds to a "holding part," and the second roller 284 corresponds to a "winding part." Further, the winding motor 251 corresponds to the "winding drive section" of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the first roller 283 is rotated around the rotation axis 283a (see FIG. 3) along the orthogonal direction by transmitting the driving force of the feed motor 252 under the control of the control unit 40. It rotates counterclockwise inside and plays the role of sending out the wiping cloth 281 of the roll body R to the downstream side. Similarly, the second roller 284 rotates around a rotating shaft 284a (see FIG. 3) along the orthogonal direction by transmitting the driving force of the winding motor 251 under the control of the control unit 40, It plays the role of winding up the wiping cloth 281 sent out from the first roller 283.

In this embodiment, the inner and outer circumferential portions of the wiping cloth 281 are attached to the first roller 283 (holding section) and the second roller 284 (winding section), respectively. In one specific example, the inner peripheral portion of the roll body R is fixed to a roll core (not shown), and the roll core is fitted into and fixed to the first roller 283 (holding part). Thus, it rotates integrally with the first roller 283 (holding section). Further, in one specific example, the tip portion of the wiping cloth 281 on the outer peripheral side of the roll body R is fitted and fixed in a groove (not shown) of the second roller 284 (winding portion).

Note that the attachment structure of the roll body R to the first roller 283 (holding section) is not limited to the above-mentioned one. For example, the end of the wiping cloth 281 on the inner peripheral side of the roll body It may be attached directly to the Similarly, the structure for attaching the distal end side of the wiping cloth 281 to the second roller 284 (winding section) is not limited to the one described above. ) may be provided with a small diameter roll core (not shown) that is fitted into the roll core (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the diameter (roller diameter) of the first roller 283 (holding section) is larger than the roller diameter of the second roller 284 (winding section). As another example, the diameters of these rollers 283 and 284 may be the same, but from the viewpoint of easily eliminating uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid, which will be described later, it is better to configure the diameters of the rollers 283 and 284 to be different from each other.

More specifically, it is desirable that the diameter of the roller on the side that winds up the roll body R (second roller 284 in this example) is different from the diameter of the roll body R (smaller diameter). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, it is desirable that the diameter of the roller (second roller 284) on the side that winds up the roll body R is smaller than the diameter of the roller (first roller 283) that holds the roll body R. . Note that the advantage of configuring the second roller 284 (winding portion) to have a small diameter will be also explained in the operation description of FIG. 9 (FIGS. 9A to 9C), which will be described later.

Further, although not shown, the cleaning device 250 can include a known remaining amount detection section for detecting the remaining amount of the wiping cloth 281 on the roll body R. The remaining amount detecting section includes, for example, an optical sensor consisting of a light emitting section and a light receiving section, detects the diameter of the roll body R held by the first roller 283 with the sensor, and sends a detection signal to the control section 40. Output to.

The wiping cloth 281 is in the form of a long sheet, and its length in the width direction is sized to cover the entire lower surface of the head unit 24 (ie, the nozzle surface 241a of the inkjet head 241). The material of the wiping cloth 281 may be any material as long as it can remove ink and other foreign matter adhering to the nozzle surface 241a of the inkjet head 241 and can contain liquid (cleaning liquid, etc.), such as a nonwoven fabric.

In one specific example of the present embodiment, the roll body R (wiping cloth 281) is impregnated in the cleaning liquid in advance, so that the entire wiping cloth 281 is soaked in the cleaning liquid before use (before being attached to the first roller 283). It is said to be in a wet state.

Further, in this example, prior to the cleaning operation, the roll body R is held by the first roller 283 (holding section), and one end side (tip part) of the wiping cloth 281 pulled out from the outer surface side of the roll body R is It is fixed to a second roller 284 (winding section) via an elastic member 282 (see FIG. 3).

The elastic member 282 faces the lower surface of the head unit 24 via the wiping cloth 281, and the opposing surface is formed in a size that can cover the entire lower surface of the head unit 24 (that is, the nozzle surface 241a of the inkjet head 241). . Further, the elastic member 282 is configured to be movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lower surface of the head unit 24, that is, the nozzle surface 241a. The elastic member 282 may be made of any material, such as sponge or rubber, as long as it does not damage the nozzle or the like even when pressed against the nozzle surface 241a of the inkjet head 241.

By moving the elastic member 282 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the nozzle surface 241a, the wiping cloth 281 is pressed against the nozzle surface 241a with a uniform force in the surface direction, and the wiping cloth 281 is moved against the nozzle surface 241a. 241a.

The operation of each part of the cleaning device 250 during cleaning will be described below.
During cleaning, the inkjet head 241 (member to be cleaned) moves above the elastic member 282 under the control of the control unit 40 . Subsequently, under the control of the control unit 40, the nozzle surface 241a of the inkjet head 241 and the wiping cloth 281 (cleaning member) on the elastic member 282 are moved relative to each other, thereby cleaning the nozzle surface 241a. be exposed.

As a specific example of the head cleaning operation, after the elastic member 282 moves upward from the state shown in FIG. 3 and presses the wiping cloth 281 against the nozzle surface 241a, the head unit 24 is moved horizontally (for example, in Move back and forth in the left/right direction). Alternatively, as another specific example of the head cleaning operation, after pressing the wiping cloth 281 against the nozzle surface 241a as described above, without moving the head unit 24, the first roller 283 (holding section) and the second roller 284 ( The wiping cloth 281 may be moved to the left in FIG. 3 by rotating the winding section). Through such a head cleaning operation, ink and other foreign matter adhering to the nozzle surface 241a can be wiped and removed by the wiping cloth 281 containing the cleaning liquid.

In the cleaning device 250 of this embodiment, the wiping cloth 281 located above the elastic member 282 wipes the nozzle surface 241a of the inkjet head 241 (for example, a head that discharges Y-color ink). By moving some residual ink, dust, etc. to the wiping cloth 281, the nozzle surface 241a is cleaned.

Subsequently, under the control of the control unit 40, the next inkjet head 241 (for example, a head that discharges M color ink) moves to a position above the elastic member 282, and the take-up motor 251 described above in FIG. 2 is driven. The force causes the second roller 284 to rotate in a direction to wind up the wiping cloth 281 (in this example, counterclockwise in FIG. 3). At this time, in order to adjust the tension of the wiping cloth 281, for example, the control unit 40 changes the voltage supplied to the feed-out motor 252, and adjusts the rotational speed of the first roller 283, that is, the speed at which the wiping cloth 281 is fed out, as appropriate.

As a result of the above operation, a portion of the wiping cloth 281 contaminated with residual ink, dust, etc. moves to the left side in the figure, and a clean portion of the wiping cloth 281 is positioned on the elastic member 282.

Thereafter, a cleaning operation is performed in the same manner as described above, and after the nozzle surfaces 241a of the inkjet heads 241 of all colors are cleaned (wet cleaning), the series of cleaning operations ends.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, by cleaning the nozzle surface 241a by sequentially sending out the roll body R around which the long wiping cloth 281 containing the cleaning liquid is wound, the tank for storing the cleaning liquid as in the conventional case can be cleaned. This eliminates the need for complex structures such as an application roller for applying the cleaning liquid in the tank to the cleaning member. That is, the cleaning device 250 according to the present embodiment can perform wet cleaning of the inkjet head 241 (nozzle surface 241a) with a simple and low-cost configuration, and can also meet the demand for space saving. .

On the other hand, in the cleaning device 250 as described above, the storage state of the roll body R before the cleaning operation, the period from when the roll body R is attached to the first roller 283 until the first cleaning operation, and even the cleaning operation As described above, depending on the downtime period, etc., a problem may occur in which the cleaning performance (cleaning ability of the nozzle surface 241a) decreases due to unevenness of the cleaning liquid or the like.

To explain more specifically, when using the roll body R (wiping cloth 281) containing liquid (cleaning liquid) as described above, as time passes, the cleaning liquid in the roll body R gathers downward due to gravity. (Accumulation) causes the cleaning liquid to become unevenly distributed.

Here, the left side of FIG. 4 shows the state immediately after the roll body R is attached to the first roller 283, and the right side of the figure shows the state where the roll body R is attached to the first roller 283 as time passes. represents each state. Further, in FIG. 4, the distribution state (how it is biased downward) of the cleaning liquid contained in the roll body R is schematically shown by black dots, and the same is true for FIG. 9A, which will be described later.

In this way, when the cleaning liquid is unevenly distributed as shown on the right side of FIG. 4, the upper part of the roll body R has a lower cleaning liquid content than the lower part, so that it is in a so-called dry state. There is a possibility that the performance during cleaning, that is, the ability to clean the nozzle surface 241a may be reduced.

Therefore, in this embodiment, most of the wiping cloth 281 is transferred to the first roller 283 as a holding part that is initially held as the roll body R to displace (rotate) the roll body R at an appropriate timing. ) to prevent or suppress uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid.

In other words, the cleaning device 250 of this embodiment has a function as an uneven distribution suppressing device that prevents or suppresses uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid contained in the wiping cloth 281 that constitutes the roll body R. Hereinafter, the configuration of such an uneven distribution suppressing device will be explained in detail.

In the present embodiment, before the above-described cleaning operation, the control unit 40 performs control to rotate the roll body R (the entire or most part of the wiping cloth 281) so that uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid is suppressed.

In one specific example, the control unit 40 outputs a drive signal to the above-mentioned feed motor 252 (see FIG. 2) a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) before the start of the regular cleaning operation, and The roller 283 (holding section) and thus the roll body R are rotated half a turn counterclockwise and then stopped. Due to this rotational movement, the top and bottom of the roll body R are reversed, so the lower part of the roll body R where a large amount of cleaning liquid has accumulated moves upward, and then the upper cleaning liquid gradually moves downward due to the action of gravity. moving on to Therefore, when the cleaning operation is started later, the cleaning liquid is almost evenly distributed throughout the roll body R (see the left side in FIG. 4), and the uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid contained in the roll body R is eliminated. Significantly corrected (suppressed).

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the predetermined period (5 minutes in the above example) set to eliminate or suppress the uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid described above will be referred to as the "uneven distribution period".

In this embodiment, the specific length of the maldistribution elimination period is not particularly limited, and can be set to any time.

On the other hand, as described above, if the roll body R is rotated half a turn only once at the beginning and then stopped until the cleaning operation starts, if the uneven distribution elimination period is set too short, the cleaning liquid in the roll body R There is a problem in that the cleaning operation is started before the uneven distribution of the particles is sufficiently resolved. On the other hand, if the uneven distribution elimination period is set too long, there is a problem that after the uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid in the roll body R is eliminated, the cleaning liquid becomes unevenly distributed again and the cleaning operation is started.

Therefore, in the case of the above operation mode, the "unbalanced distribution period" depends on the properties of the cleaning liquid contained in the roll body R (viscosity, specific gravity, etc.), the physical properties of the wiping cloth 281 (material, density, It should be set to a period in which the above-mentioned problem (that is, insufficient correction of maldistribution or re- maldistribution) does not occur, taking into consideration the environment (temperature, etc.) as well as the roughness of the cloth, etc.

In addition, when setting the "uneven distribution period" for a long time, the problem of re-uneven distribution can be avoided by devising and setting the mode of operation (rotation) of the first roller 283 and, by extension, the roll body R. , an example of such a setting will be described later.

In addition, from the viewpoint of suppressing uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid, the angle at which the first roller 283 and thus the roll body R are rotated during the above-mentioned uneven distribution period should be greater than 90 degrees, and preferably 180 degrees.

In other words, when the angle at which the first roller 283 (roll body R) is rotated is set to 90 degrees or less, in a case where the cleaning liquid in the roll body R is significantly unevenly distributed (see the right side of FIG. 4), how long is the uneven distribution elimination period? Even if it is made longer, the uneven distribution cannot be sufficiently resolved. On the other hand, in such a case, when the angle at which the first roller 283 (roll body R) is rotated is set to 180 degrees, the effect of eliminating uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid in the roll body R can be maximized.

However, if the roll body R is new and the wiping cloth 281 has not yet been pulled out and the cleaning liquid is unevenly distributed downward as shown on the right side of FIG. 281 is pulled out and fixed to the second roller 284, the roll body R rotates. Due to this rotation, the part where the cleaning liquid is accumulated may not be on the lower side of the roll body R. As a result, it is better to set the angle at which the first roller 283 (roll body R) is rotated to 90 degrees or less. It is also possible.

Hereinafter, specific setting examples (examples) of the uneven distribution elimination period and the rotational operation of the first roller 283 (roll body R) will be exemplified.

(Setting example 1)
This is the same as the setting example described above, and the maldistribution elimination period is set to 5 minutes. Then, 5 minutes before the start of regular cleaning (hereinafter referred to as "regular cleaning") for which the start time or interval period is preset, the first roller 283 (roll body R) is rotated 180 times at a time. The setting is such that the cleaning operation is started after the device is rotated once to turn it upside down and stopped (maintained) in that state for 5 minutes.

(Setting example 2)
The uneven distribution elimination period is set to 2 hours. Then, the setting is such that the operation of rotating the first roller 283 (roll body R) 180 degrees at a time is repeated every 10 minutes starting from 2 hours before the start of the regular cleaning operation. This setting example 2 is based on a case in which the roll body R contains a cleaning liquid having a higher viscosity than that in setting example 1, and the same applies to setting example 3 described later. In addition, the odd-numbered operations rotate the first roller 283 (roll body R) counterclockwise (hereinafter also referred to as "positive direction" or "forward rotation"), and the even-numbered operations rotate the first roller 283 (roll body R) counterclockwise (hereinafter also referred to as "positive direction" or "forward rotation"). The setting is to rotate the body R) in the opposite direction (clockwise).

(Setting example 3)
There is no specific period for eliminating maldistribution (this is a so-called blank setting, and the same applies hereinafter). Then, the first roller 283 (roll body R) is set to repeat the operations of 180 degrees forward rotation and 180 degrees reverse rotation, as in setting example 2, every hour.

Note that the frequency or interval for rotating the first roller 283 (roll body R) (10 minutes in setting example 2, 1 hour in setting example 3) is such that the cleaning liquid in the roll body R is biased (downward movement). It is desirable to set an appropriate value (interval) according to the speed that occurs.

(Setting example 4)
There is no specific period for eliminating uneven distribution. Then, the roll body R is set to always rotate in the forward direction at an angular velocity of 3 degrees per minute (deg). This setting example 4 assumes, for example, a case where the roll body R is new and the wiping cloth 281 has not been pulled out, and the setting example 7 described later is also the same.

(Setting example 5)
There is no specific period for eliminating uneven distribution. The roll body R is always rotated at an angular velocity of 3 degrees per minute (deg), and the rotation direction (forward direction/reverse direction) is switched at the timing when the roll body R rotates 360 degrees. This setting example 5 and the following setting example 6 may be performed either when the roll body R is new as in the setting example 4, or when the wiping cloth 281 is pulled out from the roll body R.

(Setting example 6)
There is no specific period for eliminating uneven distribution. Then, the roll body R is set to be alternately rotated 100 degrees forward and 100 degrees backward every 10 minutes.

(Setting example 7)
There is no specific period for eliminating uneven distribution. Then, the setting is such that the operation of rotating the roll body R in the forward direction by 10 degrees is repeated every 10 minutes.

Thus, the control unit 40 controls the rotational operation (operation mode) of the first roller 283 so that the roll body R is rotated according to any of the settings described above during the period when the cleaning operation is not performed. , eliminating or suppressing uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid in the roll body R.

Note that the above-mentioned setting examples 1 to 7 are merely illustrative, and in addition to these, there is also a non-uniform distribution period during which the uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid in the roll body R is eliminated (suppressed) at the start of cleaning execution, and a first setting example. Various examples of settings for the rotational operation of the roller 283 (roll body R) can be considered.

As can be seen from the above-mentioned setting examples 1 to 7, from the viewpoint of suppressing uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid, the direction in which the first roller 283 (roll body R) is rotated is the forward direction (feeding direction) or the reverse direction (winding direction). direction) (see the double-headed arrow in FIG. 5).

However, as shown in FIG. 5, with the distal end side of the wiping cloth 281 attached to the second roller 284, the first roller 283 is rotated clockwise (that is, in the direction in which the wiping cloth 281 is rewound onto the roll body R). In this case, there are problems such as the wiping cloth 281 coming off from the second roller 284. From the viewpoint of dealing with this problem, the first operation for suppressing uneven distribution is to rotate the first roller 283 in the normal (feeding) direction.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when rotating the first roller 283 in the feeding direction, the control unit 40 controls the second roller 284 to also rotate in the same direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 5). The tension of the wiping cloth 281 is kept constant.

By performing such control, when the first roller 283 is rotated in the feeding direction, the unused portion of the wiping cloth 281 sag upward, comes into contact with the inside of the casing (see the dotted line in FIG. 3), and the wiping cloth Problems such as damage to a part of 281 can be prevented.

Alternatively, as another configuration example, as shown in FIG. 6A, a roller 290 may be additionally arranged between the elastic member 282 and the first roller 283. According to this configuration, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the first roller 283 is rotated in the feeding direction, the unused portion of the wiping cloth 281 is moved downward between the elastic member 282 and the roller 290 as a so-called buffer portion. Since the second roller 284 is loosened, there is no need to rotate the second roller 284.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 (7A to 7C), problems in the cleaning apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 when performing the above-described operation for suppressing uneven distribution after performing the cleaning operation, and The solution will be explained below.

FIG. 7A is a partial schematic diagram showing a state immediately after cleaning of the above-described inkjet head 241 (nozzle surface 241a) is completed. In FIG. 7A, a used portion of the wiping cloth 281 pulled out from the roll body R, that is, an area contaminated with residual ink after wiping the nozzle surface 241a, is indicated by a reference numeral 281d (hereinafter referred to as a "contaminated area"). The boundary between the contaminated area 281d and the unused area is indicated by an arrow E. In addition, in the figure, the length of the wiping cloth 281 pulled out from the roll body R until just before it contacts the second roller 284 (winding part), in other words, the length of the non-overlapping area of the wiping cloth 281 is shown. It is indicated by a dotted arrow L.

First, from the state shown in FIG. 7A, the second roller 284 (winding section) and the first roller 283 (holding section) are controlled by the control section 40 in the feeding direction of the wiping cloth 281 (counterclockwise direction in the figure). ), and the roll body R is rotated 180 degrees.

When performing this operation, the contaminated area 281d on the wiping cloth 281 is wound up by the second roller 284 (winding unit), and as shown in FIG. 7B, the boundary between the contaminated area 281d and the unused area (see arrow E) moves toward the second roller 284 (winding section).

Here, if the operation of winding up the wiping cloth 281 by the second roller 284 is continued from the state shown in FIG. 7B, the unused area of the wiping cloth 281 is wound up by the second roller 284 (winding section) and wiped. Cloth 281 is superimposed. However, since the unused area wound around the second roller 284 overlaps (contacts) the contaminated area 281d, residual ink etc. in the contaminated area 281d moves to the unused area, causing may become contaminated and become unusable during subsequent cleaning.

Therefore, when the control unit 40 performs the operation of winding up the wiping cloth 281 with the second roller 284 (winding unit) in the operation for suppressing uneven distribution, the unused area is wound up with the second roller 284 ( Control is performed to stop the second roller 284 at a timing before it comes into contact with the contaminated area 281d. That is, the control unit 40 controls the rotation of the second roller 284 (winding unit) so that the part of the wiping cloth 281 that is not used for cleaning does not come into contact with the contaminated area 281d (the part used for cleaning). I do.

At this time, if the rotation angle of the roll body R has not reached the set value (180 degrees in this example), the control unit 40 performs control to continue the rotation of the first roller 283 (holding unit).

In addition, in order to avoid the above-mentioned problem caused by loosening of the unused area of the wiping cloth 281, the configuration described above with reference to FIG. and Formula 2 may be satisfied (see FIGS. 7A and 7B as appropriate).

M<L...(Formula 1)
M=0.5×maximum length of the outer peripheral surface of the roll body (Formula 2)

However, in Equation 1, L is the length of the non-overlapping region of the wiping cloth 281, in other words, the length of the non-overlapping region of the wiping cloth 281, which has already been pulled out from the roll body R and has reached the second roller 284 (winding section) at the start of the uneven distribution elimination operation. This is the length of the wiping cloth 281 just before it is removed (see FIG. 7A). On the other hand, M is the length of the wiping cloth 281 that moves from the start to the end of the uneven distribution elimination operation (see FIG. 7B).

Moreover, in Formula 2, the "maximum length" means the length of one circumference of the roll body R in an unused state. That is, the roll body R is designed in consideration of the fact that the diameter and the length of the outer circumferential surface become shorter as the usage amount (consumption amount used for cleaning) increases. Note that "0.5" is a coefficient corresponding to the set angle at which the roll body R is rotated, and in this example, it is a value corresponding to 180 degrees, that is, half the length of one circumference (half a circumference).

Next, from the state shown in FIG. 7A, under the control of the control unit 40, the first roller 283 (holding section) and the second roller 284 (winding section) are respectively moved in the unwinding direction of the wiping cloth 281 (clockwise in the figure). ), and the roll body R is rotated 180 degrees (inverted upside down).

When performing this operation, the unused area of the wiping cloth 281 is rewound by the first roller 283 (holding section), and as shown in FIG. 7C, the boundary between the contaminated area 281d and the unused area (see arrow E) is It moves toward the first roller 283 (holding section).

Here, when the operation of rewinding the wiping cloth 281 onto the roll body R by the first roller 283 (holding section) is continued from the state shown in FIG. 7C, the contaminated area 281d of the wiping cloth 281 is (unused area of the wiping cloth 281). At this time, as described above, there is a possibility that the remaining ink or the like in the contaminated area 281d moves to an unused area, and this unused area becomes contaminated and cannot be used during subsequent cleaning.

Therefore, when the control unit 40 performs an operation to rewind the wiping cloth 281 around the first roller 283 (holding unit) in order to eliminate uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid, the control unit 40 performs the first operation at a timing before the contaminated area 281d contacts the roll body R. Control is performed to stop the first roller 283 (holding section). That is, the control unit 40 controls the rotation of the first roller 283 (holding unit) so that the contaminated area 281d of the wiping cloth 281 (the portion of the cleaning member used for cleaning) does not come into contact with the roll body R. .

Note that at this time, that is, in the state shown in FIG. 7C, if the rotation angle of the roll body R has not reached the set value (180 degrees in this example), the control unit 40 performs the operation described in FIG. 7B, that is, the second The roller 284 and the first roller 283 are controlled to rotate counterclockwise. If such an operation (control) is not desired, the arrangement of the rollers 283, 284 and the elastic member 282 may be adjusted so that the above-mentioned equations 1 and 2 are satisfied.

In addition, in FIGS. 3 to 7, it is assumed that the only places where the wiping cloths 281, that is, the unused area and the contaminated area 281d come into contact (overlapping areas) are the second roller 284 (winding part) and the roll body R. Assumed. On the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, it is also possible to provide a structure in which a region where the wiping cloths 281 contact (overlap) each other is provided between the second roller 284 (winding part) and the roll body R. It will be done.

That is, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 8, three rollers 291, 292, 293 are arranged between the elastic member 282 and the roll body R, and the wiping cloth 281 pulled out from the roll body R is and is attached to the second roller 284 (winding section) via the elastic member 282.

According to this configuration example, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper surface of the wiping cloth 281 (the cleaning surface for cleaning the nozzle surface 241a) is located in the region where the rollers 291 and 293 face each other (indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 8). contact each other at the points shown). As a result, the cleaning liquid can be shared or delivered between the contact surfaces.

In this way, when the wiping cloth 281 pulled out from the roll body R is provided with a region where the cleaning surfaces of the wiping cloth 281 are brought into contact with each other on the upstream side of the region where the inkjet head 241 is cleaned, the cleaning liquid is not transferred in the contact region. It is possible to strengthen the suppression of uneven distribution by

On the other hand, in this configuration, when the first roller 283 (holding section) is rotated clockwise from the state shown in FIG. When reaching the area facing the rollers 293, contact with an unused area occurs.

Therefore, when a configuration is provided in which a region where the wiping cloths 281 contact or overlap (hereinafter referred to as "overlapping region") is provided between the second roller 284 (winding section) and the roll body R, the above-mentioned formula 1 It is desirable to define L as follows.

That is, in Equation 1, L is the wiping cloth 281 pulled out from the roll body R at the start of the unbalanced distribution operation, immediately before reaching the second roller 284 (winding section) from the position where it leaves the superimposed area. This is the length to the position (see dotted arrow L shown in FIG. 8).

(Other variations)
Various modifications to the above-described configuration will be described below.

In the embodiment described above, the distal end side of the wiping cloth 281 pulled out from the roll body R fixed to the first roller 283 (holding section) is attached to the second roller 284 (winding section) via the elastic member 282. Assuming the configuration. In addition, in the embodiment described above, assuming a state after cleaning the nozzle surface 241a of the inkjet head 241, the roll body R and the wiping cloth are used to eliminate or suppress uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid L in the wiping cloth 281. The desirable operation of the entire H.281 has been explained.

On the other hand, if the roll body R is new, that is, if the entire wiping cloth 281 is unused, there is no need to consider the restrictions associated with the generation of the contaminated area 281d as described above, so uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid can be prevented. To suppress this, various configurations and operational aspects may be employed, such as those described below.

Here, in FIG. 9 (FIGS. 9A to 9C), the distal end side of the wiping cloth 281 pulled out from the roll body R fixed to the first roller 283 (holding section) is transferred to the second roller without using the elastic member 282. This is an example of a configuration in which it is directly attached to 284 (winding section).

In FIG. 9A, the main body side of the wiping cloth 281, that is, the roll body R, is attached to the first roller 283, and the distal end side of the wiping cloth 281 is attached to the second roller 284 (winding part), and time has elapsed. A state in which the cleaning liquid in the body R is unevenly distributed downward is schematically shown.

After that, the control unit 40 continuously rotates the second roller 284 in a counterclockwise direction so that almost all of the wiping cloth 281 is wound up by the second roller 284 (winding unit). At this time, the control unit 40 controls the rotation speed of the first roller 283 (holding unit) so that a relatively large tension is generated in the wound wiping cloth 281 (see double arrow ST in FIG. 9B). ). More specifically, when winding up the wiping cloth 281 (cleaning member) with the second roller 284 (winding unit), the control unit 40 increases the tension of the wiping cloth 281 compared to the cleaning operation described above. The rotational speeds of the second roller 284 (winding section) and the first roller 283 (holding section) are adjusted so as to

By performing such control, almost all of the wiping cloth 281 is tightly wound around the second roller 284 (winding section) (see the six single arrows in FIG. 9B), and the second roller 284 (winding section) is tightly wound. The internal pressure of the newly formed roll body R (R1) is increased, and the contact between the cloths is improved. Therefore, the cleaning liquid can easily move between the overlapped parts of the wiping cloth 281 on the second roller 284 (winding part), and the imbalance (uneven distribution) of the cleaning liquid can be eliminated in the process of forming a new roll body R1. .

Furthermore, in this embodiment, by winding the wiping cloth 281 with the second roller 284 having a diameter different from that of the first roller 283, as shown in FIG. It becomes easier to contact (overlap) the dry area shown by .

That is, in the example shown in FIG. 9C, the tip of the roll body R on the first roller 283 (holding section) (see the black circle in FIG. 9C) is attached to the second roller 284 (winding section), The entire wiping cloth 281 is wound up on a second roller 284 having a small diameter. Through this operation, as shown in FIG. 9C, the wiping cloth 281 on the outer peripheral side of the roll body R on the first roller 283 becomes the inner part of the roll body R1 newly formed by the second roller 284 with a small diameter. Therefore, a sufficient contact (overlapping) area between the wet part (see solid line) and the dry part (see dotted line) can be secured.

Thus, by performing the above-described configuration and operation (rotation control), the new roll body R1 formed on the second roller 284 (winding section) is wound on the first roller 283 (holding section). The imbalance (uneven distribution) of the cleaning liquid in the entire rotated wiping cloth 281 (roll body R) is sufficiently eliminated.

In addition, in the configuration example explained in FIGS. 9A to 9C, since the wiping cloth 281 can be wound up at high speed by the second roller 284 (winding section), the cleaning liquid is It is also possible to eliminate the imbalance (maldistribution) more quickly.

Further, as a modification of the cleaning operation, the nozzle surface 241a may be cleaned while the wiping cloth 281 is being fed in the opposite direction to the above-described feeding direction, as described below.

That is, based on the configuration of the cleaning device 250 shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 40 executes the operations described above in FIGS. 9A to 9C to prevent uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid on the second roller 284 (winding unit). ) is formed to form a new roll body R1 in which the problems are sufficiently eliminated (see FIG. 9B). After that, the control unit 40 cleans the inkjet head 241 (nozzle surface 241a) while sending the wiping cloth 281 in the opposite direction to the normal direction, that is, from the second roller 284 (winding unit) to the first roller 283 (holding unit). control.

In this way, by performing cleaning in a reverse operation to the normal operation, the cleaning can be quickly started using the wiping cloth 281 of the roll body R1 that has been wound in a relatively short time as described above. Therefore, uneven distribution can be suppressed and the overall time of the cleaning operation can be shortened.

In the embodiment described above, a configuration example for correcting or suppressing the uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid in the roll body R held by the first roller 283 (holding section) has been described. As another configuration example, this can be reversed, that is, a new roll body R is attached to the second roller 284, and under the control of the control unit 40, the second roller body The rotational movement of roller 284 may be controlled.

In this case, the control unit 40 controls the first roller 283 to wind up the wiping cloth 281 pulled out from the new roll body R attached to the second roller 284, and then performs the above-mentioned normal operation. It may also be controlled to perform cleaning.

In the embodiment described above, the case where the diameter of the first roller 283 (holding section) is larger than the diameter of the second roller 284 (winding section) has been mainly described. As another example, the diameters of these rollers 283 and 284 may be the same. In this case, the new roll body R1, in which uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid has been eliminated by the operations described above in FIGS. 9A to 9C, etc., is removed from the second roller 284 (winding section) and replaced with the first roller 283 (holding section). normal cleaning operations can be performed.

Note that when the entire wiping cloth 281 is new and the tip side is fixed to the second roller 284, the following problem occurs. That is, if a certain amount of time elapses without the cleaning operation being started immediately for some reason after performing the various operations for suppressing uneven distribution as described above, uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid in the roll body R occurs. The unused wiping cloth 281 that was previously pulled out from the roll body R becomes dry. In this case, since good wet cleaning cannot be performed in such a dry area, there is a problem in that a part of the wiping cloth 281 is essentially unusable and is wasted even though it is unused.

In order to deal with this problem, immediately before the cleaning operation, the control unit 40 stretches the unused wiping cloth 281 pulled out from the roll body R and the wiping cloth 281 constituting the roll body R to a predetermined length (for example, Control is performed such that the second roller 284 (winding section) winds up an amount equal to twice the outer circumference of the roll body R. Through such control, the dry tip side portion of the wiping cloth 281 comes into contact with the portion (or unevenly distributed portion) of the wiping cloth 281 constituting the roll body R that is wet with the cleaning liquid on the second roller 284, and the cleaning liquid is received. passed on. Thereafter, the control section 40 drives the first roller 283 (holding section) in the direction of rewinding the wiping cloth 281 to perform the above-described cleaning operation.

In summary, if all of the wiping cloth 281 has not been used for cleaning yet, the control unit 40 moves the wiping cloth 281 to the second roller before cleaning so that drying of the portion to be wiped off the nozzle surface 241a is suppressed. After winding up the wiping cloth 281 with the winding section 284, the first roller 283 (holding section) controls the wiping cloth 281 to be rewound.

By performing such control, the dry portion (that is, the portion that is essentially unusable) on the tip side of the wiping cloth 281 can be reduced to a minimum.

In the above configuration example, a motor (feeding motor 252) separate from the take-up motor 251 that rotates the second roller 284 is used as a drive source (drive unit) that transmits driving force to the first roller 283 (holding unit). used. As another configuration example, the above-described winding motor 251 may be used in combination as a drive source for the first roller 283 (holding section). In this case, a known switching mechanism (not shown) for switching the transmission destination of the driving force of the winding motor 251 between the first roller 283 and the second roller 284 is provided, and under the control of the control unit 40, the winding motor The transmission destination of the driving force of 251 is switched.

In any of the above configurations, the roll body R can be displaced in any rotation direction and rotation angle around the rotation axis based on the driving force of the drive unit (motor). It is possible to prevent or suppress uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid inside the container.

In the embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the component parts of the cleaning device 250 are provided with a function as the "uneven distribution suppressing device" of the present invention. As an additional or alternative configuration example, an empty space in the housing of the cleaning device 250 (for example, a space between the first roller 283 and the second roller 284) is provided with a space dedicated to rotating the spare roll body R. An uneven distribution suppressing device may be provided.

That is, since the cleaning device 250 of the present embodiment can be realized in a space-saving manner as described above, there may be room to provide a dedicated uneven distribution suppressing device using the surplus space. In this case, it is conceivable to provide a configuration equivalent to the configuration described in FIG. 9 (FIGS. 9A to 9C) in the above surplus space.

Alternatively, the dedicated uneven distribution suppressing device described above may be provided in an empty space outside the housing of the cleaning device 250, or may be configured as an independent device separate from the inkjet image forming apparatus 1.

In the embodiment described above, an example was explained in which the inkjet head 241 (nozzle surface 241a) is cleaned as the cleaning target (member to be cleaned), but the cleaning target (member to be cleaned) is not limited to this, for example, the transport drum 21 Various members that require cleaning may be targeted.

Further, when a dedicated uneven distribution suppressing device is provided, the operation for displacing the roll body R may be various operations different from the operation during cleaning described above, as shown in FIG. 10, for example.

That is, in the embodiment described above, the roll body R is rotated around the rotation axis of the first roller 283 (holding section), and is additionally wound up by the second roller 284 (winding section). As another configuration example, as shown in FIG. 10, without pulling out the wiping cloth 281 from the roll body R, the roll body R is displaced in the direction intersecting the rotation axis of the holding part (in the illustrated example, the wiping cloth 281 is displaced halfway around the horizontal axis H). It may also be configured to rotate. As a specific example of such a configuration, for example, the roll body R may be housed in a casing (not shown) and rotated together with the casing. In the case of such a configuration, a drive source other than the above-mentioned delivery motor 252 or the like may be provided, and this drive source (ie, a motor for rotating the casing, etc.) may be controlled by the control unit 40.

Furthermore, in order to eliminate or suppress the uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid in the roll body R, it is possible to additionally apply various operations that can contribute to eliminating the uneven distribution of the cleaning liquid, such as an operation that applies vibration to the roll body R. can.

The configurations described above can be combined as appropriate.

In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments and examples are merely examples of implementation of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as limited by these. It is. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its gist or main features.

1 Inkjet image forming apparatus 10 Paper feeding section 12 Medium supply section 20 Image forming section 21 Conveyance drum (conveyance section)
23 Medium heating section 24 Head unit 26 Fixing section 27 Delivery section 30 Paper discharge section 40 Control section 51 Conveyance drive section 241 Inkjet head 241a Nozzle surface 250 Cleaning device 251 Winding motor (winding drive section)
252 Feeding motor 281 Wiping cloth (cleaning member)
281d Contaminated area 282 Elastic member 283 First roller (holding part)
283a Rotating shaft 284 Second roller (winding section)
284a Rotating shaft 290-293 Roller P Recording medium R, R1 Roll body

Claims (11)

a holding part that rotatably holds a roll body around which a cleaning member containing a liquid is wound;
a winding unit that winds up the cleaning member sent out from the holding unit;
a control unit that performs control to rotate the roll body around a rotation axis of the holding unit so that uneven distribution of the liquid inside the roll body in the cleaning member is suppressed;
Equipped with
The control unit includes:
Rotating the holding part so that the part of the cleaning member used for cleaning does not contact the roll body,
rotating the winding section so that a portion of the cleaning member that is not used for cleaning does not come into contact with a portion that is used for cleaning;
If all of the cleaning members have not yet been used for cleaning, before cleaning, the cleaning member is controlled to be wound up by the winding unit so that uneven distribution of the liquid is suppressed.
Uneven distribution suppression device. The control unit rotates the roll body during a period when the cleaning member is not performing a cleaning operation of wiping the member to be cleaned.
The uneven distribution suppressing device according to claim 1. The control unit rotates the roll body at an angle greater than 90 degrees.
The uneven distribution suppressing device according to claim 1 . The control unit controls cleaning the member to be cleaned while sending the cleaning member from the winding unit to the holding unit after the cleaning member is wound up by the winding unit.
The uneven distribution suppressing device according to claim 1 . If all of the cleaning members have not yet been used for cleaning, the control unit is configured to wind the cleaning member with the winding unit before cleaning so that drying of a portion of the cleaning member to be wiped is suppressed. After removing the cleaning member, control is performed to rewind the cleaning member with the holding section.
The uneven distribution suppressing device according to claim 4 . The holding section and the winding section each include a roller to which the cleaning member is attached,
a roller diameter of the holding section and a roller diameter of the winding section are different;
The uneven distribution suppressing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . The control unit controls to increase the tension of the cleaning member when the cleaning member is wound up by the winding unit, compared to when cleaning by the cleaning member.
The uneven distribution suppressing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . The control unit rotates the roll body in a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis of the holding unit.
The uneven distribution suppressing device according to claim 1 or 2. The uneven distribution suppressing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
a winding unit that winds up the cleaning member sent out from the holding unit;
a member to be cleaned that is cleaned by the cleaning member;
a winding drive unit that drives the winding unit when cleaning the member to be cleaned;
A cleaning device comprising: A cleaning device according to claim 9 ;
a transport unit that transports the recording medium;
an inkjet head as the member to be cleaned, which discharges ink onto the recording medium being conveyed and is cleaned by the cleaning member;
An inkjet image forming apparatus. A roll body around which a cleaning member containing a liquid is wound is rotatably held by a holding part ,
Winding up the cleaning member fed out from the holding unit with a winding unit;
controlling the cleaning member to rotate the roll body around a rotation axis of the holding part so that uneven distribution of the liquid inside the roll body is suppressed;
During the control,
Rotating the holding part so that the part of the cleaning member used for cleaning does not contact the roll body,
rotating the winding section so that a portion of the cleaning member that is not used for cleaning does not come into contact with a portion that is used for cleaning;
If all of the cleaning members have not yet been used for cleaning, before cleaning, the cleaning member is controlled to be wound up by the winding unit so as to suppress uneven distribution of the liquid.
Rotation control method.

Images