JPH07137269A - Liquid discharging device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To maintain a wet state of wiping-off means even when a discharging operation or a wiping operation is not conducted for a long time or when an apparatus body is-paused for a long time by providing surface wiping means for a liquid discharge head, cleaning means for applying cleanser to the means, and dry preventing means of the means. CONSTITUTION:A cleaning solenoid valve and a suction pump driver are coupled to cleaning means 50, cleanser is injected from wiping cleaning means and the cleanser from the means 50 is sucked by a controller. A cleaning member 70 of the wiping means has a porous material having flexibility in a state of a wiping blade. Then, a cleanser supply nozzle 75 supplies cleanser 81 through a cleanser supply tube 76 by switching a solenoid valve 79 in a direction of an arrow B, and supplies down it to the member 70 from a discharge unit 75A of the nozzle to be cleaned. Then, when a print head is left to stand for a long time in the air, ink in the nozzle is evaporated to be thickened, and hence its discharge becomes unstable. Accordingly, the nozzle is shut OFF from the atmosphere during non-printing to be sealed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus using a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid such as ink, and more specifically, a liquid ejecting device for a print medium such as paper, cloth, non-woven fabric and OHP paper. The present invention relates to a printing device that prints. In particular, the present invention provides an invention effective for a printing apparatus that prints continuously for a long time or on a cloth having a print width of 1 m or more. Specific applicable equipment includes office equipment such as printers, copiers and facsimiles, mass production equipment such as textile printing equipment, and equipment that drives an object using discharged liquid.

The term "printing" or "recording" described in the present specification and the accompanying drawings is not limited to the operation of applying ink to a recording medium such as paper, but also a wide range of appropriate liquids to the medium. The term "applying" means, for example, printing including applying a dye or the like to a cloth.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional liquid ejecting apparatus, there is an apparatus which ejects a liquid for recording or a special liquid is ejected and used. In general, since the ejection portion that ejects the liquid is extremely small, a state in which the dye or the content mixed in the liquid is fixed, or a foreign substance is attached may cause ejection failure, The problem that the ejected liquid cannot be used efficiently, for example, recording failure occurs in the recording apparatus. Normally, before these problems occur, the liquid is forcibly discharged by suction, pressurization, etc., which is known as recovery means, or the discharge area with the discharge portion is cleaned or the discharge portion is discharged at appropriate intervals. It is conceivable to discharge gas or liquid to the area.

[0004]

However, the liquid material is ejected to the ejection portion by the above-mentioned recovery means to dissolve and remove the thickened ink and the adhered material in the ejection portion, and the adhered material is removed together with the liquid material. Although flushing is effective, this method also tends to cause the problem that the cleaning liquid is mixed into the discharge nozzles that are in a negative pressure state, the ink density is lowered, and the printing density is lowered.

Further, in the recovery means which does not use the cleaning liquid, the thickened ink adheres to the vicinity of the nozzle of the ejection head, and clogging and non-ejection of the ink are likely to occur.

Further, in the case of forcibly discharging the liquid from the discharge portion by suction, if a discharge head having a large number of discharge nozzles is used, the inner volume of the cap that comes into close contact with the discharge head at the time of suction becomes large and a predetermined negative pressure control can be performed. It will be difficult.

Further, in the method in which the sponge is only brought into contact with the ejection head, when an ejection head having a fine nozzle such as 400 dpi is used, foreign matter may be pushed into the nozzle, resulting in non-ejection.

Further, the mist scattered at the time of ink ejection is accumulated on the head surface to prevent the ejection port, and the head surface is wiped with a blade in order to prevent ejection failure or ejection failure state (called wet ejection failure). Although it is possible to do so, when the industrial operation is continued for a long time, the wiped ink loses its escape area and accumulates and thickens, and it is possible to rub the ejection head with a blade to which such thickened ink adheres. Therefore, non-ejection will be caused. Particularly in the case of a color recording apparatus, mist is collected from four heads, which is a serious problem.

In order to solve these problems, the present applicant has
Japanese Patent Application No. 5-225917 presents a technique in which a blade made of an absorber is used and the wiping condition is appropriately changed. However, in the configuration using the blade disclosed in the same application, long When the time discharge operation or the wiping operation is not performed, or when the main body of the device is stopped for a long time, the wiping means will be completely dried, and the desired wiping effect cannot be achieved, and the head discharging may be rather performed by the wiping operation. It is also possible that it will adversely affect the aspect.

[0010]

The present invention takes this as a technical problem, and is a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a predetermined liquid by using the liquid ejecting head, wherein the liquid ejecting head ejects the liquid. A wiping means for wiping the surface; a purifying means for purifying the wiping means by applying a cleaning liquid to the wiping means; and a drying preventing means for preventing the wiping means from drying. Characterize.

Here, the drying prevention means is configured to apply a cleaning liquid to the wiping means by the purifying means after the ejection operation of the liquid ejection head is completed, and / or the ejection of the liquid ejection head. After the operation ends,
The cleaning liquid may be applied to the wiping device by the cleaning device at a predetermined timing.

Alternatively, the drying prevention means may have a means for sealing the wiping means, and further, prior to the liquid discharging operation, whether or not the sealing means is attached to the wiping means. Means for sensing can be provided.

[0013]

According to the present invention, in the liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a predetermined liquid by using the liquid ejecting head, the wiping means for wiping the liquid ejecting surface of the liquid ejecting head and the drying of the wiping means are prevented. Means for maintaining the wet state of the wiping means by applying the cleaning liquid or the like even when the ejection operation or the wiping operation is not performed for a long time or the apparatus main body is stopped for a long time. be able to.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an ink jet printing apparatus as a liquid ejection apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

In the figure, a carriage 1 is equipped with color print heads 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d corresponding to four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black, and a guide shaft 3 allows the carriage 1 to move. Supports guidance. Reference numerals 22a, 22b, 22c and 22d denote ejection surfaces of the print heads.

A part of the belt 4, which is an endless belt, is connected to the carriage 1.
Is a drive motor 5 which is a pulse motor driven by a motor driver 23, and moves the guide shaft 3 on the guide shaft 3 through a belt 4 along a print surface of paper, OHP film, cloth or other print medium (hereinafter referred to as print paper) 6. Driven to move. Further, it is provided with a conveyance roller 7 that conveys the print sheet 6, guide rollers 8A and 8B that guide the print sheet 6, and a print sheet conveyance motor 9.

Further, each print head 2a, 2b, 2
A liquid path 10 for ejecting ink droplets toward the print paper 6 is provided in each of c and 2d, and each of the print heads 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d is provided to the liquid path 10.
Corresponding to the ink tanks 11a, 11b, 11c, 11
Ink is supplied from d through the supply tubes 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d. For the means (not shown) provided in each liquid path 10 for generating energy used for ejecting ink, each head driver 24a,
Flexible cable 13 from 24b, 24c and 24d
Ink ejection signals are selectively supplied via a, 13b, 13c, and 13d.

Further, each print head 2a, 2b, 2
The head heaters 14a, 14b, and
14c, 14d (14b, 14c, 14d are not shown in FIG. 1) and temperature detecting means 15a, 15b, 15
c, 15d (15b, 15c, 15d are not shown in FIG. 1) are provided, and the temperature detecting means 15a, 1
The detection signals from 5b, 15c, and 15d are input to the control circuit 16 having a CPU, and the control circuit 16 sends the head heaters 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d through the driver 17 and the power supply 18 based on this signal. Control heating in.

The capping means 20 is abutted against the ejection opening surface of each print head 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d during non-printing, and when non-printing, the print heads 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are capped. Means 20
Move to the position opposite. At this time, the capping means 20 is driven forward by the cap driver 25 to press the elastic member 44 against the ejection port surface to perform capping.

When the print head is left in the air for a long time, the ink in the nozzle evaporates and the viscosity increases, and the ejection becomes unstable. In order to prevent this, during non-printing, the nozzle part is shut off from the outside air and sealed (capping). Inside the cap portion, there is a liquid absorbing material that is kept wet with ink, and the inside of the cap portion is kept at high humidity to minimize the increase in viscosity of the ink.

Further, when left in the capped state for a long period of time, recovery is performed by pressurizing the ink. That is, when left for a long time, the ink inside the ejection port evaporates and thickens even though capping is performed, although it is slow. In addition, air bubbles may remain inside the discharge port to prevent stable discharge. Therefore, at the start of printing, a pump provided in the ink tank is driven to pressurize the ink, and the thickened ink inside the discharge port and residual bubbles are discharged to the outside of the discharge port. This has an effect of keeping dust and fluff attached to the discharge surface, and even if dust or the like has invaded inside the discharge port, by flushing them to maintain stable discharge.

The clogging prevention means 31 receives the ejected ink when the print heads 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d perform the idle ejection (preliminary ejection) operation. The clogging prevention means 31 is provided for the print heads 2a, 2b, 2c, 2
The capping means 2 is provided with a liquid receiving member 32 as a liquid receiving portion that faces the d and absorbs the ink that has been ejected by the idle.
It is arranged between 0 and the print start position. In addition,
As a material for the liquid receiving member 32 and the liquid holding member 45, a sponge-like porous member, a plastic sintered body, or the like is effective.

The blank discharge is to discharge ink without the purpose of printing, and in order to guarantee the temperature of the region where the temperature is lowered by the liquid discharge flow and the gas discharge flow and to eliminate unnecessary substances in the discharge port. To do. In addition to this, a predetermined drive pulse is applied before the start of printing, and ink is ejected from all ejection ports toward the cap portion and the like (aging operation). In addition, capping may be performed to enhance the wet state of the atmosphere around the discharge port.

A cleaning solenoid valve 51 and a suction pump driver 52 are connected to the cleaning means 50, and the control circuit 16 is provided for each of them.
The cleaning liquid is ejected from the wiping cleaning means 53, and the cleaning liquid is sucked from the cleaning means 50 under the control of.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the structure of the liquid ejection head. Two
Is an ejection head, and 22 is its ejection surface. Reference numeral 101B denotes a nozzle portion in which a plurality of liquid flow paths are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, and a discharge energy generating element such as an electrothermal converter is provided. Reference numeral 101C is an ink chamber that supplies ink to each liquid flow path in common, and is connected to an ink tank 110 via supply pipes 103 and 104. A gear pump 105 is provided on one of the supply pipes 104, and the print head 2 is supplied to the supply path and the ejection recovery process such as a process of removing air bubbles and dust mixed in the nozzle portion 101B and the like, a process of removing thickened ink, and the like. Of supplying ink to the other ink supply system by pressure and discharging the ink from the discharge port, or the ink supply pipe 1
A process of circulating ink in the ink chambers 03 and 104 or the ink chamber 101C to refresh the ink (hereinafter, referred to as a pressure circulation process) is performed.

3 and 4 show a configuration example of the cleaning means 50. 3 is an explanatory view of the cleaning means 50 when viewed from the main scanning direction of the head 2, and FIG. 4 is a cleaning member 70.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram when the head 2 and the head 2 are viewed from above. The cleaning member 70, which is the wiping means in this example, has the form of a wiping blade made of a flexible porous body.
As the material of the cleaning member, a polymer porous body can be used, and when the polymer porous body is used, the volume change due to absorption of ink mist is not remarkable like a polymer foam, and It is preferable to use a type in which the volume does not change even when absorbing the, for example, a foamed formal resin type is preferable.

As the ink absorber used here, a heat-sintering type polymer porous material can also be used, and examples thereof include low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, high molecular weight polyethylene, composite polyethylene, polypropylene, Examples thereof include heat-sintered products such as polymethylmethacrylate, polystyrene, acrylonitrile-based copolymers, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, fluororesins, and phenolic resins. It is preferable to use density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, high molecular weight polyethylene, or polypropylene.

Reference numeral 71 is a holder for fixing the cleaning member 70 to the fixing plate 7
Hold it between the two and fix it. 73 is a mounting screw.
The holder 71 is provided with an opening 71B on a surface 71A that comes into contact with the cleaning member 70, and is connected to a suction tube 74 via a conduction path 71C, so that a cleaning liquid or ink impregnated in the cleaning member 70 is sucked by a pump. Is configured to be discharged in the direction of arrow A. The suction means 82 may be a discharging means that connects a porous member or a fibrous member to the cleaning member 70 to form a drainage path and discharges the cleaning liquid from the cleaning member.

After the cleaning liquid is sucked by the cleaning liquid, the amount of the cleaning liquid remaining on the cleaning member 70 is appropriately reduced to recover the absorption capacity of ink and foreign matters, and the ejection surface 22 of the head 2 is recovered.
It has become possible to enhance the cleaning effect of. Further, the front end portion 70A of the cleaning member 70 and the ejection surface 22 of the ejection head 2 are L
Since it overlaps for the length shown by, head 2
At the time of scanning, the ejection surface 22 of the head 2 is wiped by this overlap.

A cleaning liquid supply nozzle 75 is supplied with a cleaning liquid 81 in the direction of arrow B from a tank 80, which is a cleaning liquid supply means, through a cleaning liquid supply tube 76 by opening and closing an electromagnetic valve 79, and is directed downward from a discharge portion 75A of the nozzle. And is supplied to the cleaning member 70 for cleaning.

Reference numeral 77 is a tray, which is arranged below the cleaning member 70. When the cleaning liquid is supplied from the supply nozzle 75, the cleaning liquid that has not been absorbed by the cleaning member 70 and the ink or foreign matter that has adhered to the cleaning member 70 drops together with the cleaning water. . Reference numeral 78 is a discharge tube for discharging the cleaning liquid received in the receiving tray 77 to a discharge portion (not shown) in the direction of arrow C.

Next, the operation of the ink jet printing apparatus will be described below. In FIG. 5, the print start detection sensor 34 and the capping means detection sensor 3
6 is each print head 2a, 2b, 2c, 2
It is detected that d is at a predetermined capping position. The blank discharge position detection sensor 35 is provided in the print heads 2a, 2
The reference position of the idle discharge operation performed while b, 2c, and 2d move in the scanning direction is detected.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of an operation sequence by the apparatus of this embodiment. First, during standby, the ejection surfaces 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d of the print heads 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are capped by the capping means 2.
It is capped by 0. When a print signal is input to the control circuit 16, ink pressure circulation is started (step S1). Next, the head cap is opened (step S2).

The cleaning member 70 is also washed at the same time as the recovery by the ink pressure circulation (step S3). By this cleaning, thickening ink, foreign matter, etc. adhering to the cleaning member 70 are washed away together with the cleaning liquid.

Next, in step S4, the amount of the cleaning liquid remaining on the cleaning member 70 is appropriately reduced by sucking the cleaning liquid, so that the ability to collect ink, foreign matter, etc. is improved, and the cleaning effect of the manufacturing member 70 is improved. Can be increased. Further, by sucking the cleaning liquid, a negative pressure due to a capillary phenomenon is generated inside the porous member that is the cleaning member 70. By making this negative pressure larger than the negative pressure applied to the nozzles of the liquid ejection head, ink is drawn out from the nozzles during cleaning, so that the cleaning liquid is prevented from entering the liquid chamber. Further, since the ink absorbing ability inside the nozzle is also generated, it is possible to obtain the effect that the thickened ink inside the nozzle is removed at the same time.

Next, a drive signal is issued from the motor driver 23, the drive of the drive motor 5 is transmitted to the carriage 1 via the belt 4, the carriage 1 is driven, and the head reciprocates. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, when the carriage 1 passes the cleaning means 50, the cleaning member 70 sequentially wipes the ejection surface 22 to perform cleaning (step S5). In the present embodiment, wiping means wiping and cleaning the cleaning liquid, ink, foreign matter, etc. on the ejection surface.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the cleaning member 70 wipes the discharge port surface, since the cleaning member 70 is flexible, the cleaning member 70 tilts in the same direction as the moving direction D of the carriage 1 and has a weak repulsive force. 70B wipes the ejection surface 22, and cleaning is performed. Therefore, even if there is a step between the holder surface 102 and the ejection surface 22, it does not affect the cleaning effect.

Particularly, since the edge portion 70D of the cleaning member 70 enters into the concave portion of the holder portion, the holder surface 102 and the discharge surface 22 are
It is possible to clean up to the step between and.

From the print start detection position P ₀ detected by the print start detection sensor 34, ink droplets are ejected while traveling in the direction of arrow D, and an image is printed on the print width portion P of the print paper 6 ( Step S
6).

At the same time, the cleaning member is washed (step S7), and then the cleaning liquid is sucked (step S).
8) The cleaning ability of the cleaning member is restored. afterwards,
The carriage 1 is reversed and driven in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 1 to perform the preliminary ejection operation while passing through the preliminary ejection position (step S9). Here, the preliminary discharge is performed on the liquid receiving member 32. The print paper 6 has a print width P.
Is conveyed in the direction of arrow F in FIG.

Next, when the image printing continues (when the negative determination is made in step S10) and the 100-line printing is not completed (when the negative determination is made in step S11), the process returns to step S5. , Carriage 1
Reciprocates, and cleaning in reciprocation is performed as shown in FIG. 7 (step S5). At this time, since the wiping surface 70B of the cleaning member is wiped in the forward movement, the once-dirty wiping surface 70C does not wipe the ejection surface 22, so that the cleaning effect is not adversely affected and the cleaning effect is doubled. Has the effect of being enhanced.

On the other hand, when the image printing is completed (when a negative determination is made in step S10) or when the printing for 100 lines is completed (a positive determination is made in step S11), the ejection surface 22 of the head 2 is discharged. Is capped by the capping means 20 and sealed (steps S12 and S13).

Here, when the image printing is completed and the printing operation is not performed as it is, that is, when the ejection operation and the wiping operation are not performed for a long time, or when the apparatus main body is stopped for a long time, the wiping means. May dry up. If such a situation occurs, the cleaning member cleaning operation and the cleaning material suction operation (steps S3 and S4) after the start of the next recording are not effectively performed,
There is a possibility that an operation failure may occur, or a cleaning failure of the head ejection surface due to wiping may occur and the ejection failure may occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the image printing is completed (when a negative determination is made in step S10)
First, the cleaning operation of the cleaning member 70 is not performed (step S20), and the cleaning member 70 is sufficiently moistened to wait for the start of the next printing.

By doing so, even if the printing is restarted after 12 hours in the environment of the temperature of 20 ° C. and the humidity of 55% after the end of the previous printing, the cleaning member is not dried, and it is preferable. I was able to print.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but various modifications such as the following are possible.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing another example of the operation sequence by the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 and 7. This sequence is different from the sequence shown in FIG. 6 in that the cleaning member 70 is cleaned every predetermined time (for example, 12 hours) after printing is completed (step S21,
S22) is added so that the desired effect can be maintained for a long time. If the timing is appropriately determined, step S20 may be omitted in this sequence.

Further, instead of performing the cleaning process of the cleaning member 70 at the end of the printing operation and / or at a predetermined timing after the end of the printing operation as described above, an appropriate means is added to prevent the drying. You can also

FIG. 9 shows an example of the configuration thereof, in which a cap member 91 (hereinafter referred to as a blade cap) which is relatively movable or attachable to a cleaning member 70 in the form of a wiping blade is provided. Then, when starting the printing operation, the head 2 or the like is retracted to a separated position where it does not interfere with the head 2 or the like, or is removed, and at the end of the printing operation, the state shown in FIG. The blade is sealed to prevent the cleaning member from drying.

Further, to this structure, appropriate means can be added in order to prevent a mistake in retracting or removing the blade cap 91 when printing is restarted.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the structure. Where 92
Is a holder that holds the heads 2a to 2d of each color, and 93 is an arm that can engage with the abutting portion 91A of the blade cap 91 and an arm that can shield the optical axis of the photo interrupter 94. The habit of turning the interrupter 94 in the direction of closing the optical axis is added to the holder 92.
The lever is held by a shaft 92A protruding from the shaft.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation sequence when these configurations are used. This sequence differs from the sequence shown in FIG. 6 in step S
20 is omitted, and a step S0 for detecting the presence or absence of removal or separation of the blade cap is added by using a detecting means including a lever 93 and a photo interrupter 94 at the start of printing. That is, if the blade cap 91 is not attached, the optical axis of the photo interrupter is turned on, so that the printing operation is performed under the control of the control circuit 16. On the other hand, if the blade cap 91 is attached, the optical axis of the photo interrupter is turned off. Therefore, the control circuit 16 performs a predetermined error display or the like to display the blade cap 9
The operation for removing or separating 1 is prompted (step SE).

In the procedure shown in FIG. 11, the blade cap 91 may be attached to the cleaning member 70 at the same time as the process of closing the head cap (step S12) at the end of printing, or manually. When attaching, you may make it notify etc.

In each of the above examples, Japanese Patent Application No. 5-2
Of course, as disclosed in No. 25917, the wiping condition by the cleaning member 70 may be appropriately changed.

(Others) In the present invention, when the ink jet printing method is adopted, among them, a means for generating heat energy as energy used for ejecting ink is provided, and by the heat energy, An excellent effect is brought about by using a system that causes a change in ink state, that is, a bubble jet system print head and a printing device proposed by Canon Inc. According to this method, the density of the print is increased,
This is because high definition can be achieved.

With regard to its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
It can be applied to any of the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the print information and causing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the print head. This is effective because bubbles can be generated in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal one-to-one as a result. Due to the growth and contraction of the bubbles, the liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be immediately and appropriately grown and contracted, so that liquid (ink) ejection with excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124, which is an invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface, are adopted, more excellent printing can be performed.

In addition to the combination of the ejection port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the straight liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, the print head is constructed in the following manner. The present invention also includes a configuration using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which the heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region. In addition, for multiple electrothermal converters,
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-123670, which discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as the discharge portion of the electrothermal converter, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 59-63, which discloses a structure in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is associated with the discharge portion. The effects of the present invention are effective even with a configuration based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138461. That is, according to the present invention, regardless of the form of the print head, printing can be surely performed efficiently.

In addition, it is needless to say that the print head can be constructed according to the form of the printing apparatus, and in the case of a so-called line printer form, the ejection ports are arranged in a range corresponding to the width of the print medium. It should be one. Further, as the serial type print head as in the above example, the print head fixed to the apparatus main body or mounted on the apparatus main body enables electrical connection with the apparatus main body and supply of ink from the apparatus main body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip type print head or a cartridge type print head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the print head itself is used.

Further, as the constitution of the printing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to add the ejection recovery means of the print head, preliminary auxiliary means and the like because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If you list these specifically,
Capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means for the print head, preheating means for heating using an electrothermal converter or another heating element or a combination thereof, and printing Preliminary ejection means for performing another ejection can be mentioned.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but an ink that solidifies at room temperature or below and that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. Or, in the inkjet method, it is common to control the temperature of the ink itself within the range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range. Sometimes, a liquid ink may be used. In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as the energy of the state change of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or in order to prevent the evaporation of the ink, it is solidified and heated in the standing state. You may use the ink liquefied by. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying heat energy according to the print signal,
The present invention is also applicable to the case of using an ink that has the property of being liquefied only when heat energy is applied, such as one that ejects liquid ink or one that has already started to solidify when it reaches the printing medium. . The ink in such a case is in a state of being held as a liquid or a solid in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260. Alternatively, it may be configured to face the electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, the present invention may be used not only as an image output terminal of an information processing device such as a computer, but also as a copying device in combination with a reader or the like.

Next, when the present invention is used for printing, for a cloth as a print medium used therefor, (1) the ink can be developed to a sufficient density, and (2) the dyeing rate of the ink. Is high, (3) the ink dries quickly on the cloth, (4) the occurrence of irregular ink bleeding on the cloth is small, and (5) the transportability in the apparatus is excellent. Performance is required.
In order to satisfy these required performances, in the present invention, the fabric may be pretreated in advance, if necessary. For example, JP-A-62-53492
The publication discloses a cloth having an ink receiving layer, and the publication of Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 3-46589 proposes a cloth containing a reduction inhibitor and an alkaline substance. Examples of such pretreatment include a treatment in which the cloth is made to contain a substance selected from alkaline substances, water-soluble polymers, synthetic polymers, water-soluble metal salts, urea and thiourea.

Examples of the alkaline substance include alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide,
Examples thereof include amines such as mono-, di- and triethanolamine, and carbonic acid or alkali metal bicarbonate such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. Furthermore, there are organic acid metal salts such as calcium acetate and barium acetate, and ammonia and ammonia compounds. Also, sodium trichloroacetate, which becomes an alkaline substance under steaming and dry heat, can be used. Particularly preferred alkaline substances are sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate used for dyeing reactive dyes.

As the water-soluble polymer, starch substances such as corn and wheat, cellulosic substances such as carboxymethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose, sodium alginate, gum arabic,
Examples include polysaccharides such as locust bean gum, togant gum, guar gum, and tamarind seeds, protein substances such as gelatin and casein, and natural water-soluble polymers such as tannin-based substances and lignin-based substances.

Examples of synthetic polymers include polyvinyl alcohol compounds, polyethylene oxide compounds, acrylic acid water-soluble polymers, maleic anhydride water-soluble polymers, and the like. Among these, polysaccharide polymers and cellulose polymers are preferable.

Examples of the water-soluble metal salt include compounds such as halides of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals which form typical ionic crystals and have a pH of 4 to 10. As a typical example of such a compound, for example, in the case of an alkali metal, NaCl, Na ₂ S
O ₄ , KCl, CH ₃ COONa and the like can be mentioned, and as the alkaline earth metal, CaCl ₂ and Mg.
Cl _{2 and the} like can be mentioned. Of these, salts of Na, K and Ca are preferable.

The method of incorporating the above substances and the like into the cloth in the pretreatment is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a dipping method, a pad method, a coating method and a spraying method which are usually performed.

Further, the printing ink applied to the ink-jet printing cloth merely adheres to the cloth when it is applied to the cloth. Therefore, the step of fixing the pigment in the ink such as the dye to the fiber is subsequently performed. Is preferred. Such a fixing step may be a conventionally known method, for example, a steaming method, an HT steaming method, a thermofix method,
When a cloth which has been previously alkali-treated is not used, the alkali pad steam method, the alkali blotch steam method, the alkali shock method, the alkali cold fix method and the like can be mentioned. Further, the fixing step may or may not include a reaction step depending on the dye, and the latter example includes one in which fibers are impregnated and are not physically separated. Any appropriate ink can be used as long as it has a required dye, and the ink is not limited to a dye and may include a pigment.

Further, the unreacted dye and the substance used in the pretreatment can be removed by washing after the above reaction fixing step according to a conventionally known method. In addition, it is preferable to use a conventional fixing treatment together with this cleaning.

The printed matter which has been subjected to the above-mentioned post-processing steps is then cut into a desired size, and the cut pieces are used for obtaining a final processed product such as sewing, bonding and welding. After that, clothes such as dresses, dresses, ties, swimwear, duvet covers, sofa covers, handkerchiefs, curtains, etc. can be obtained. For the method of processing cloth by sewing etc. to make clothes and other daily necessities, please refer to known books such as "Latest Knit Sewing Manual" (published by Senyi Journal) and monthly magazine "Soen" (published by Bunka Publishing Bureau). Many are listed.

The medium for printing may be cloth, wall cloth, threads used for embroidery, wallpaper, paper, OHP film, etc. The cloth may be any material, weave or knit. Includes woven, non-woven and other fabrics.

[0072]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In a liquid ejection device that ejects a predetermined liquid using a liquid ejection head, by providing a wiping means for wiping a liquid ejection surface of the liquid ejection head, and a means for preventing the wiping means from drying, Even when the ejection operation or the wiping operation is not performed for a long time, or even when the apparatus main body is stopped for a long time, the moist state of the wiping means can be maintained, and thus the desired wiping effect can be achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration example of an inkjet printing apparatus as an embodiment of an apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a configuration example of a head and an ink system.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a recovery unit of this example including a wiping unit and a cleaning unit.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a wiping means of the present example.

5 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration near the home position of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a print sequence according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a wiping operation.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a print sequence according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

9 (A) and 9 (B) are explanatory views for explaining the configuration and operation of the drying prevention unit used in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the configuration and operation of the detection means used in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a print sequence according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Liquid ejection head 50 Cleaning means 70 Cleaning member 70B Wiping surface 70C Wiping surface 75 Nozzle 76 Cleaning liquid supply tube 80 Tank 82 Suction means 91 Blade cap 93 Lever 94 Photo sensor

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a predetermined liquid using a liquid ejecting head, comprising: a wiping unit for wiping a surface of the liquid ejecting head on which the liquid is ejected; and a cleaning liquid for the wiping unit. A liquid ejecting apparatus, comprising: a purifying unit that purifies the wiping unit by applying the cleaning unit; and a drying preventing unit that prevents the wiping unit from drying. 2. The drying prevention means causes the cleaning means to apply a cleaning liquid to the wiping means after the discharge operation of the liquid discharge head is completed.
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to. 3. The drying prevention means causes the cleaning means to apply the cleaning liquid to the wiping means at a predetermined timing after the discharge operation of the liquid discharge head is completed. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to. 4. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drying prevention unit has a unit for sealing the wiping unit. 5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means for detecting whether or not the sealing means is attached to the wiping means prior to the liquid ejecting operation. 6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejecting head has an element that generates thermal energy as energy used for ejecting the liquid. .