JPH11334095A - Liquid ejector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To clean a liquid ejecting part appropriately by turning a wiping member impregnated with cleaning liquid and wiping the liquid ejecting part. SOLUTION: A wiping member 303 made of a porous material sucks cleaning liquid 304 when the lower part of a cleaning roller 301 is immersed into the cleaning liquid 304. A part of the cleaning liquid 304 sucked into the wiping member 303 is then squeezed by means of a squeeze roller 309 thus optimizing the quantity of cleaning liquid 304 impregnated into the wiping member 303. Ink ejecting plane of an ink head 53 is wiped by the wiping member 303 impregnated with the optimal quantity of cleaning liquid 304. After wiping off the ink ejecting plane, the wiping member 303 is immersed into cleaning liquid 304 in order to clean off contaminants and to absorb the cleaning liquid 304. It is then squeezed by a specified amount by means of the squeeze roller 309 in order to wipe off the ink ejecting plane again thus cleaning an ink ejecting part appropriately.

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, and more particularly, to a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an ink jet printer.
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid from a liquid ejecting unit and records a trace of ejecting the liquid on a recording medium such as paper, cloth, nonwoven fabric, and plastic film.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in an ink jet printer for fabric, a picture is printed by ejecting ink droplets (liquid) from a liquid ejection portion, that is, a nozzle of a print head, onto a fabric (recording medium) on a platen. . In the case of color printing, the print head has ink heads for each of the four primary colors, for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and expresses various colors and patterns by combining ink dots sprayed from each ink head. ing. The combination of the colors of the ink dots and the pattern formed by them are specified by the drawing data supplied from the control device (computer).

[0003] The density of ink dots constituting a picture is usually several hundreds to several hundreds of dpi. A print head that enables such printing has a very small nozzle diameter and is likely to cause ejection failure due to the adhesion of ink dyes, pigments, dust, or the like. Therefore, the print head is appropriately cleaned.

[0004] As one of the prior art examples of a liquid discharge device provided with a print head cleaning device, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-185 is disclosed.
No. 450 is disclosed. In this device,
A cleaning roller made of a porous material is brought into contact with the print head, and dirt on the nozzle surface is absorbed by utilizing the rolling of the cleaning roller on the nozzle surface as the print head runs.

Further, as another conventional example of a liquid ejecting apparatus provided with a print head cleaning apparatus, see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
There is the one described in Japanese Patent No. 9880. In this apparatus, a cleaning blade made of a porous material is made to contain a cleaning liquid and is brought into contact with the print head, and the front surface of the print head is wiped using the travel of the print head.

[0006]

In the above-mentioned prior art, the print head is brought into contact with a cleaning roller or a cleaning blade whose position is fixed, and the ink ejection surface is cleaned using a suction or wiping action based on the travel of the print head. However, since the running speed of the print head cannot be changed so much even if it is the same as or different from the main scanning speed during printing, the desired cleaning can be performed within the range of the given running speed. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to select the material and shape of the cleaning roller or the cleaning blade or the cleaning liquid.

In particular, in the conventional example described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-185450, since the cleaning roller is rolled on the print head surface, the dirt on the nozzle surface can be removed, but the fixed dirt can be removed. Therefore, the cleaning effect is insufficient, and in the conventional example described in JP-A-6-079880, the mechanism for supplying the cleaning liquid and sucking the dirt becomes complicated, and the cleaning blade always has the same function as the cleaning blade. Since the contact surface is used, a sufficient cleaning effect cannot always be obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to realize a liquid discharging apparatus for appropriately cleaning a liquid discharging section.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid from a liquid ejecting unit to record a trace of ejection of the liquid on a recording medium. A liquid wiping means for wiping the liquid discharge portion on an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical rotating wiping member having liquid impregnation; and a cleaning liquid supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid to the wiping member. It is a discharge device.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the wiping member impregnated with the cleaning liquid is rotated to wipe the liquid discharge portion and clean the liquid discharge portion.

(2) The invention according to claim 2 for solving the problem is characterized in that the wiping member has an outer peripheral surface which is relatively moved with respect to the liquid discharge portion at the time of wiping. It is a liquid discharge device of the statement.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the liquid ejection section is wiped by the relative movement of the outer peripheral surface of the wiping member with respect to the liquid ejection section, and the liquid ejection section is cleaned.

(3) The invention according to claim 3 for solving the problem is the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the speed of the relative movement is 900 mm / s or less.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the relative movement speed is set to 9
Appropriate cleaning is performed by setting the speed to 00 mm / s or less.

(4) According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the wiping member has an outer diameter of 5 to 50 mm and an inner diameter of 1 to 50 mm.
The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the length is 40 mm.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the outer diameter is 5 to 50 m.
By using a wiping member having an inner diameter of 1 to 40 mm, an appropriate liquid impregnation property and wiping property are realized.

(5) The invention according to claim 5 for solving the problem is characterized in that the wiping member is made of a porous material having open cells. A liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of the above.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the wiping member using a porous material having open cells realizes appropriate liquid impregnation and wiping.

(6) The invention according to claim 6 for solving the problem is the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the porous material has an average porosity of 70% or more.

According to the invention of claim 6, the average porosity is 70%.
By using the above porous material, appropriate liquid impregnation and wiping properties are realized.

(7) The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the porous material has an average pore diameter of 400 μm or less. Device.

According to the invention of claim 7, the average pore diameter is 400
Appropriate liquid impregnation and wiping properties are realized by using a porous material of μm or less.

(8) The invention according to claim 8 for solving the problem is characterized in that the wiping means includes an advancing / retreating means for bringing the wiping member into contact with and away from the liquid ejection section. A liquid ejection device according to claim 7.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the wiping member is brought into contact with the liquid ejecting portion at the time of cleaning and is separated at the time of non-cleaning by the retreating means.

(9) According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the cleaning liquid supply means supplies a cleaning liquid having a property similar to that of the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge section. A liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the effect of the cleaning liquid on the liquid discharged from the liquid discharging unit is reduced by using the cleaning liquid having similar properties to the liquid discharged from the liquid discharging unit.

(10) Claim 10 for solving the problem.
The present invention further comprises impregnation amount adjusting means for adjusting the impregnation amount of the cleaning liquid in the wiping member by removing a part of the cleaning liquid impregnated in the wiping member from the wiping member. A liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

In the tenth aspect of the present invention, appropriate cleaning is realized by adjusting the impregnation amount of the cleaning liquid in the wiping member by the impregnation amount adjusting means.

(11) Claim 11 for solving the problem.
11. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the impregnating amount adjusting means partially reduces the outer diameter of the wiping member.

In the eleventh aspect of the present invention, an appropriate amount of the cleaning liquid is squeezed out by partially reducing the outer diameter of the wiping member by the impregnation amount adjusting means.

(12) Claim 12 for solving the problem.
The invention according to claim 11, wherein the impregnation amount adjusting means partially reduces the wiping member by 50% or less of its thickness, 0.5mm or more. is there.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, by appropriately reducing the thickness of the wiping member by 50% or less and 0.5 mm or more by the impregnation amount adjusting means, an appropriate adjustment of the impregnation amount of the cleaning liquid is realized.

(13) Claim 13 for solving the problem
The invention according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the impregnation amount adjusting means includes an advancing / retreating means for bringing the impregnation amount adjusting member into contact with and away from the wiping member.
The liquid ejection device according to any one of the first to third aspects.

According to the thirteenth aspect, the advancing / retreating means
The impregnation amount adjusting member is brought into contact with the wiping member during cleaning, and is separated when not cleaning.

(14) Claim 14 for solving the problem.
11. The invention according to claim 10, wherein the wiping means wipes the liquid discharge portion with the wiping member whose impregnation amount of the cleaning liquid is adjusted by the impregnation amount adjusting means.
A liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 13 to 13.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the liquid discharge section is appropriately cleaned by wiping the liquid discharge section with the wiping member impregnated with the adjusted amount of the cleaning liquid.

(15) Claim 15 for solving the problem
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising a cleaning liquid collecting means for collecting the cleaning liquid.

According to the fifteenth aspect, the excess or used washing liquid is collected by the collecting means.

(16) Claim 16 for solving the problem
The liquid discharge apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the liquid discharge apparatus is used for textile printing.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the textile is printed by the liquid discharge device.

(17) Claim 17 for solving the problem
The present invention is a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting liquid from a liquid ejecting section to record a liquid ejection mark on a recording medium, wherein the liquid ejecting section is formed by an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical rotating wiping member having liquid impregnation. A liquid discharging apparatus comprising: a wiping unit for wiping; a cleaning liquid supply unit for supplying a cleaning liquid to the wiping member; and a unit for discharging a liquid from a liquid discharging unit during a wiping operation by the wiping unit. It is.

According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, when the wiping member impregnated with the cleaning liquid is rotated to wipe the liquid discharge portion and clean the liquid discharge portion, the liquid is discharged from the liquid discharge portion.

[0043]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. Further, an example in which the recording medium is a cloth will be described, but the recording medium is not limited to the cloth, but includes a non-woven fabric, paper, a plastic film, and any other medium capable of carrying a discharge trace of a liquid.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show external views of the ink jet printer. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a plan view, and FIG. 3 is a right side view. This device is an example of an embodiment of the liquid ejection device of the present invention. First, the overall configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG.
2 and a head cleaning unit 003. The components described below are incorporated in the frame 001 or the head cleaning unit 003.

The original roll 10 of fabric is loaded in the original roll loading section 20 with the shaft 11 being horizontal. The fabric is an example of the embodiment of the recording medium according to the present invention. A platen roller 30 is provided above the original roll 10 in parallel with the original roll 10. Platen roller 3
0 has a width wider than the width of the original roll 10.

The shaft 31 of the platen roller 30 is supported at both ends by a platen roller support 32. The platen roller support unit 32 is provided with a drive unit (not shown) for rotating the platen roller 30.

The nip roller 40 is in contact with the platen roller 30 from behind. The nip roller 40 nips the cloth between the nip roller 40 and the platen roller 30 to ensure that the cloth is conveyed by the platen roller 30. The axis of the nip roller 40 is rotatably supported. The width of the nip roller 40 is the platen roller 30
Is equal to the width of

A head carriage 50 is provided above the platen roller 30. As will be described later, the head carriage 50 has, for example, a 4 for color printing.
A plurality of ink heads corresponding to the primary colors and their driving circuits are respectively mounted. The ink head is an example of the embodiment of the liquid ejection unit in the present invention. The ink ejection surface (nozzle surface) of the ink head faces the platen roller 30. The print head will be described later.

The plurality of ink heads are each supplied with ink from an ink cartridge 60 through an ink supply system (not shown). Ink is an example of a liquid embodiment in the present invention. The ink cartridge 60 is detachably mounted on the cover 002.

The head carriage 50 is mounted on a rail (not shown), and is driven by a driving unit (not shown) to eject ink onto the cloth on the platen roller 30 while reciprocating (scanning) in parallel with the axis of the platen roller 30. In addition, ink-jet printing (printing) is performed.

The head carriage 50 has a home position in the internal space of the cover 002 on which the ink cartridge 60 is mounted. The head carriage 50 waits there when printing is not performed.

In order to clean the ink head mounted on the head carriage 50, a head cleaning device is provided near the home position of the head carriage 50 as described later. The head cleaning device is provided in the cover 002 or the internal space of the head cleaning unit 003. The head cleaning device will be described later.

For example, FIG.
As shown by the dashed line, the fabric is wrapped around from the back toward the front. A guide 70 is provided in front of and below the platen roller 30.
Is provided so that the fabric discharged to the front side is hung down along this guide.

A control section 80 is provided behind the frame 001. The platen roller 30 is controlled by the control unit 80.
, Scanning of the head carriage 40, ink ejection of the ink head, a head cleaning operation of a head cleaning device described later, and the like. The control unit 80 is configured using, for example, a microprocessor or the like.

Various commands are given to the control unit 80 from the operator through the operation unit 90. The operation unit 90 is provided with appropriate operation keys, a display, and the like (not shown). By the control operation of the control unit 80 based on the operator's command, the inkjet printing and the cleaning of the ink head described later are executed. Under the control of the control unit 80, the head cleaning is performed, for example, following the ejection of the ink from the ink head before the operation of the present apparatus, and is also performed every predetermined time (for example, every 30 minutes) during the operation. It is. Further, it can be performed at any time based on an instruction from the operator.

Next, the print head and the head cleaning device will be described. FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of a print head and a head cleaning device. As shown in the figure, for example, four ink heads 51 to 54
Are mounted in a line on the head carriage 50 to constitute the print head 500. Ink heads 51 to 54
A driving circuit (not shown) corresponding to
It is installed in.

The arrangement direction of the ink heads 51 to 54 coincides with the scanning direction of the head carriage 50, that is, the horizontal direction in FIG. Four ink heads 51 to 54
Respectively correspond to the four primary colors of ink, for example, cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

Each of the ink heads 51 to 54 has a plurality (for example, 64) of nozzles (not shown). These nozzles are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the head carriage 50 on the nozzle surfaces of the ink heads 51 to 54. The pitch of the arrangement is a pitch that enables a dot resolution of, for example, 360 dpi.

The ink heads 51 to 54 are supplied with ink through pipes (not shown). Although not shown, the print head 500
A damper or a buffer may be provided on the upper part of the head to reduce a change in ink pressure due to the movement of the head carriage 50.

The ink discharge surfaces of the ink heads 51 to 54 are cleaned by a cleaning roller 301. The cleaning roller 301 is an example of an embodiment of the wiping unit in the present invention. Cleaning roller 3
Reference numeral 01 denotes a roller shaft 302 on which a cylindrical wiping member 303 is coaxially mounted. The wiping member 303 is
It is an example of embodiment of the wiping member in this invention. The wiping member 303 has a length that exceeds the length of the ink heads 51 to 54 in the axial direction of the cleaning roller 301. It is preferable that the cleaning roller 301 has a configuration in which at least the wiping member 303 is replaceable, since it is easy to cope with consumption of the wiping member 303.

Further, at the time of the wiping operation by the cleaning roller 301, the ink head 51 is controlled by control means (not shown).
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which ink is ejected from nozzles No. to No. 54. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent printing defects due to the backflow of the cleaning liquid from the ink discharge ports into the ink head (nozzles) and ink discharge defects due to drying of the nozzle portions.

The wiping member 303 is made of a sponge-like flexible porous material. As such a porous material, for example, a porous material having open cells made of a plastic polymer or the like is used. The porous material is
It is preferable that the average porosity is 70% or more, and the average pore diameter measured by a prosimeter is 400 μm or less, from the viewpoint of good cleaning.

Here, the average porosity can be obtained by calculating the sample volume (true volume) from the gas law of the pressure change boil in one of the gas replacement methods, and determining the ratio to the apparent volume of the sample.

Specifically, the true volume was measured with a Micromeritex Acupic 1330, and the average porosity =
It is determined by the formula of {(apparent volume) · (true volume)} / (apparent volume) × 100 (%).

The average pore diameter is several (5 to 10) in descending order of the pores observed in the electron micrograph of the sample.
Can be determined by employing an average value measured by a measure printed on a photograph.

As specific materials, Belleita (trade name, Kanebo Co., Ltd.) and Ruby Cell P-roll (trade name, Toyo Polymer Co., Ltd.) can provide particularly good cleaning effects. In addition, it is suitable as a cleaning member because it does not emit dust such as abrasion powder by itself, that is, does not have self-dust property. The wiping member 303 is provided depending on the size of the ink heads 51 to 54.
It is preferable that the outer diameter is 5 to 50 mm and the inner diameter is 1 to 40 mm in that good cleaning is performed.

The cleaning roller 301 is rotatably supported by support means (not shown), and is driven by a drive unit (not shown) to rotate counterclockwise in the figure. The cleaning roller 301 is positioned in the vertical direction in the figure so that the altitude of the outer periphery exceeds the altitude of the ink ejection surfaces of the ink heads 51 to 54. Thus, the rotation of the cleaning roller 301 can wipe the ink ejection surface of the ink head. In the figure, the cleaning roller 30
Reference numeral 1 denotes a state in which the ink ejection surface of the ink head 53 is wiped. The amount by which the altitude of the outer periphery of the cleaning roller 301 exceeds the altitude of the ink ejection surface of the ink heads 51 to 54 does not exceed 60% or less of the thickness of the wiping member 303, particularly does not exceed half the thickness of the wiping member 303. It is preferable to set appropriately within the range. Further, from the relationship with the amount of biting of the squeezing roller 309, the thickness of the wiping member 303 is preferably 35% to 60%, particularly preferably 40% to 50%.

The cleaning roller 301 is soaked in the cleaning liquid 304 on the side (lower side) opposite to the side contacting the ink head. As the cleaning liquid 304, for example, pure water or the like is used. Although a surfactant or the like may be appropriately added to enhance the cleaning property, it is preferable to use a liquid having similar properties to the ink in the ink heads 51 to 54, and to use a liquid of the same reagent as the ink. It is particularly preferable in that the similarity of the properties of the ink is improved. Here, the liquid having similar properties to the ink refers to a liquid that does not cause aggregation when mixed with the ink and does not significantly change characteristics such as viscosity and surface tension of the ink. As such a liquid, for example, an ink liquid excluding a dye or a pigment is appropriate. It is preferable to add a preservative or the like from the viewpoint of long-term storage of the cleaning solution.

The cleaning liquid 304 is contained in a container 305. The container 305 is an example of an embodiment of the cleaning liquid supply unit in the present invention. The container 305 has a supply port 306
The cleaning liquid is supplied from a cleaning liquid storage unit (not shown) through the port. Outer container 307 outside container 305
Is provided to receive the used cleaning liquid overflowing from the container 305 as the cleaning liquid is supplied, and to discharge the used cleaning liquid to a waste liquid storage unit (not shown) through the discharge port 308. The outer container 307 is an example of an embodiment of the cleaning liquid collecting means in the present invention. Container 305 and outer container 30
Reference numeral 7 is provided on the support plate 312. A support mechanism (not shown) that supports the cleaning roller 301 is also mounted on the support plate 312.

When the lower portion of the cleaning roller 301 is immersed in the cleaning liquid 304, the wiping member 303 made of a porous material absorbs the cleaning liquid 304. Downstream of the rotational movement of the wiping member 303 that has absorbed the cleaning liquid 304, the squeezing roller 309 presses the wiping member 303 in the radial direction. The squeezing roller 309 is an example of an embodiment of the impregnation amount adjusting means or the impregnation amount adjusting member in the present invention. The diameter of the aperture roller 309 is smaller than the diameter of the cleaning roller 301.

The squeezing roller 309 is made of a material harder than the wiping member 303, for example, hard rubber or stainless steel. The aperture roller 309 is rotatably supported at one end of the support arm 310. An intermediate portion of the support arm 310 has a pin 313 provided on the support plate
Are engaged. The other end of the support arm 310 receives an adjusting force from a not-shown throttle adjusting device.
The aperture adjustment device is controlled by the control unit 80.

The adjusting roller causes the squeezing roller 309 to
It is pressed so as to bite into the wiping member 303 in an appropriate amount. This bite amount is 0.5 mm to 6 times the thickness of the wiping member 303.
0% is preferable, and in particular, it is preferable to adjust the thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 50% of the thickness of the wiping member 303 in order to optimize the squeezing amount of the cleaning liquid. Note that a spatula-shaped aperture plate may be used instead of the aperture roller 309. The cleaning roller 301 to the support plate 312 constitute the head cleaning device 300.

A part of the cleaning liquid 304 absorbed by the wiping member 303 is squeezed out by the squeezing action by the pressing of the squeezing roller 309. By such squeezing, the wiping member 3
The cleaning liquid impregnated in the ink head 53 is wiped with the wiping member 303 impregnated with an appropriate amount of the cleaning liquid.

The wiping member 303 wiping the ink discharge surface to remove the dirt removes the dirt by being immersed in the cleaning liquid 304 and absorbs the cleaning liquid. Then, it is squeezed by a predetermined amount by the squeezing roller 309 and the ink ejection surface is wiped again.
By performing the above operations continuously, the ink head 5
Clean the ink ejection surface of No. 3.

Incidentally, by appropriately selecting the material, porosity, pore diameter, etc. of the wiping member 303 and appropriately setting the rotation speed of the cleaning roller 301, the wiping member 303 can be cleaned without the squeezing roller 309. In this case, it is possible to omit the squeezing roller 309.

In a textile printing apparatus, when the ink is a dispersion type ink, cleaning of the ink ejection surface is particularly effective for maintaining print quality because the pigment easily adheres around the nozzle. It is preferable to relatively move the ink discharge surface and the cleaning roller 301 in order to enhance the cleaning effect. Cleaning roller 3 for that
It is preferable that the rotation speed of 01 is appropriately selected within a range of 1 to 300 rpm according to the diameter. Further, the peripheral speed of the cleaning roller 301 at that time is preferably 800 mm / s or less, and more preferably 5 to 55 mm / s from the viewpoint of appropriate cleaning.

The cleaning of the ink ejection surface is performed by the head carriage 5.
0, or may be performed while moving the head cleaning device 300. As a result, the ink ejection surfaces of the ink heads 51 to 54 are sequentially cleaned. In that case, the relative movement speed between the head carriage 50 and the head cleaning device 300 is 1 to 100.
It is preferable to select an appropriate value in the range of mm / s in order to perform appropriate cleaning.

As described above, the relative moving speed between the ink ejection surface and the cleaning roller 301 is 900 mm / s
The following is preferred. By setting the relative movement speed in this range, it is possible to prevent friction of the ink ejection surface and splashing of the cleaning liquid. In addition, it is preferable that the relative running direction be the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 301 in order to enhance the cleaning effect. The cleaning is performed by the head carriage 50 or the head cleaning device 30.
0 may be performed by intermittently moving relative to each other while stopping at the position where each ink head contacts the cleaning roller 301.

In the head cleaning device 300, a new roller surface constantly carries away dirt on the ink ejection surface as the cleaning roller 301 rotates, so that it is compared with a conventional cleaning blade that always wipes off the same surface of the blade. , Much better dirt wiping ability.

Further, since the ink discharge surface is wiped on the outer peripheral surface which constantly circulates as the cleaning roller 301 rotates, the same total wiping area is required as compared with a conventional cleaning blade which always wipes on the same surface of the blade. There is an advantage that the wear of the wiping member is much less. Therefore, the frequency of replacement of the wiping member 303 due to wear can be significantly reduced.

Further, by selecting the rotation speed of the cleaning roller 301, optimum cleaning conditions can be easily realized. That is, since not only the traveling speed of the head carriage 50 but also the rotation speed of the cleaning roller 301 can be selected, the degree of freedom in adjusting the cleaning conditions is increased, and it is easy to perform optimal cleaning.

Further, by combining the adjustment of the amount of cleaning liquid with the squeezing roller 309, the degree of freedom in adjusting the cleaning conditions can be increased by one more, and the optimum cleaning can be further facilitated. Also, the squeezed cleaning liquid 304
Is returned to the container 305 and reused.
4 also has the advantage of high utilization efficiency.

The support plate 312 has a pair of cams 315 and 316.
The height can be moved up and down. Thus, the head cleaning device 300 moves up and down as a whole. The cams 315 and 316 are an example of an embodiment of the forward / backward means in the present invention. FIG. 4 shows a state where it is lifted up. FIG. 5 shows the state when the cleaning roller 301 is lowered, and the cleaning roller 301 is separated from the ink head. At the time of non-cleaning, it waits in this state. At this time, the pressing of the wiping member 303 by the squeeze roller 309 is released by swinging the support arm 310 using the engagement between the pin 313 and the elongated hole 314 as shown in FIG. It is preferable in that the deformation of 303 is avoided. Support arm 31
The mechanism for swinging 0 is an example of the embodiment of the forward / backward means in the present invention.

The rotation of the cams 315 and 316 uses a common drive source as the drive source of the cleaning roller 301, and drives the cleaning roller 301 in one direction by interposing a clutch mechanism. The cams 315 and 316 may be driven by rotation in the directions of.

Note that the head cleaning device 300
The cleaning roller 301 may be separated from the ink head by moving the cleaning roller 301 out of the traveling path of the head carriage 50 by moving the cleaning roller 301 in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG.

The wiping member 30 of the cleaning roller 301
As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the supply of the cleaning liquid 304 to the wiping member 303 is provided from the inside to the wiping member 303 through the flow path 332.
4 may be supplied. Or, for example, FIG.
As shown in (1), the cleaning liquid 304 may be temporarily absorbed by the absorber 333 and transferred to the wiping member 303. Alternatively, for example, as shown in FIG.
The cleaning liquid 304 may be supplied from 4 to the wiping member 303. These are all preferable in that a cleaning liquid container for immersing the wiping member 303 is not required.

The used cleaning liquid may be discharged through a discharge port 308 'provided at the deepest position of the container 305 as shown in FIG. 9, for example. this is,
This is preferable in that the used cleaning liquid 304 is discharged together with the soil deposited on the bottom of the container 305. In addition, discharge is performed by the valve 33.
8 by opening it in a timely manner.

Further, the cleaning roller 301
During cleaning of the ink ejection surfaces of the ink heads 51 to 54, the cleaning liquid impregnated in the wiping member 303 of the cleaning roller 301 is increased by increasing the pressure in the ink head (nozzle). ) Can be prevented from backflowing, and further, decap can be prevented. In particular, during the contact between the ink ejection unit and the cleaning roller 301,
It is preferable to increase the pressure in the ink head (nozzle).

For this purpose, for example, the ink is ejected from the ink ejection section by the cleaning roller 301 while the ink ejection surfaces of the ink heads 51 to 54 are being cleaned, particularly during the contact between the ink ejection surface and the cleaning roller 301. The ink head may be controlled by the control unit 80 as described above.

The cleaning liquid squeezed out of the wiping member 303 by the squeezing roller 309 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
You may make it absorb in the absorber 335. Absorber 3
35 is made of, for example, a porous material. Alternatively, an absorbent made of a superabsorbent polymer may be used. These are preferable in that they dispose of the cleaning liquid 304 without fluidity.

The driving force for rotating the cleaning roller 301 may be performed by using the traveling of the head carriage 50 as shown in FIG. 11, for example. That is, as shown in the drawing, a gear 322 is coaxially provided on a roller shaft 302 of the cleaning roller 301, and the gear 3
A rack 501 that engages with the nozzle 22 may be provided on the head carriage 50, the cleaning roller 301 may be rotated as the head carriage 50 travels, and the wiping member 303 may wipe the ink ejection surface. This is preferable in that the number of parts can be reduced by sharing a motor or the like as a driving source. Note that another gear is interposed between the rack 501 and the gear 322 to increase the amount of rotation of the cleaning roller 301 per moving amount of the head carriage 50,
Alternatively, it is preferable that the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 301 is opposed to the traveling direction of the head carriage 50 in order to enhance the wiping performance of the wiping member 303.

[0092]

As described in detail above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the wiping member impregnated with the cleaning liquid is rotated to wipe the liquid discharge portion and clean the liquid discharge portion. It is possible to realize a liquid ejection device that appropriately cleans the ejection unit.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the liquid ejecting section can be properly cleaned by wiping the liquid ejecting section by the relative movement of the outer peripheral surface of the wiping member with respect to the liquid ejecting section.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, appropriate cleaning can be performed by setting the relative movement speed to 900 mm / s or less.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the outer diameter is 5 to 5 mm.
By using a wiping member having a diameter of 0 mm and an inner diameter of 1 to 40 mm, appropriate liquid impregnating properties and wiping properties can be realized.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the wiping member using a porous material having open cells can realize appropriate liquid impregnation and wiping.

According to the invention of claim 6, by using a porous material having an average porosity of 70% or more, appropriate liquid impregnation and wiping properties can be realized.

Further, in the invention of claim 7, by using a porous material having an average pore diameter of 400 μm or less, it is possible to realize appropriate liquid impregnating property and wiping property.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the wiping member can be brought into contact with the liquid ejection portion during cleaning and separated when not cleaning by the reciprocating means.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the effect of the cleaning liquid on the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge unit can be reduced by using the cleaning liquid having similar properties to the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge unit.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, appropriate cleaning is realized by adjusting the impregnation amount of the cleaning liquid in the wiping member by the impregnation amount adjusting means.

In the eleventh aspect of the present invention, an appropriate amount of the cleaning liquid can be squeezed out by partially reducing the outer diameter of the wiping member by the impregnation amount adjusting means.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, by appropriately reducing the thickness of the wiping member by 50% or less and 0.5 mm or more by the impregnation amount adjusting means, an appropriate adjustment of the impregnation amount of the cleaning liquid is realized. be able to.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the impregnating amount adjusting member can be brought into contact with the wiping member at the time of cleaning and can be separated at the time of non-cleaning by the reciprocating means.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the liquid discharge section can be properly cleaned by wiping the liquid discharge section with the wiping member impregnated with the adjusted amount of the cleaning liquid.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the excess or used washing liquid can be collected by the collecting means.

Further, according to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a liquid discharging apparatus for printing a fabric.

According to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent a printing failure due to the backflow of the cleaning liquid from the ink ejection port into the ink head (nozzle) and an ink ejection failure due to drying of the nozzle portion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an example of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a head cleaning device in an apparatus according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a head cleaning device in an apparatus according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a cleaning liquid supply mechanism in an apparatus according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a cleaning liquid supply mechanism in an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a cleaning liquid supply mechanism in an apparatus according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a cleaning liquid collecting mechanism in the apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a cleaning liquid collecting mechanism in the apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a cleaning roller driving mechanism in the apparatus according to an example of the embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

 001 Frame 002 Cover 003 Head cleaning unit 10 Main winding roll 20 Main winding roll loading unit 30 Platen roller 32 Platen roller support unit 40 Nip roller 50 Head carriage 60 Ink cartridge 70 Guide 80 Control unit 90 Operation unit 301 Cleaning roller 302 Roller shaft 303 Wiping Member 304 Cleaning liquid 305 Container 309 Squeeze roller 312 Support plate 315, 316 Cam

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid from a liquid ejecting section to record an ejection mark of the liquid on a recording medium, wherein the liquid ejecting apparatus is configured to eject the liquid on an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical rotating wiping member having liquid impregnation. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: wiping means for wiping a portion; and cleaning liquid supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid to the wiping member. 2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping member has an outer peripheral surface relatively moved with respect to the liquid ejecting section when wiping. 3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the speed of the relative movement is 900 mm / s or less. 4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping member has an outer diameter of 5 to 50 mm and an inner diameter of 1 to 40 mm. 5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping member is formed using a porous material having open cells. 6. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the porous material has an average porosity of 70% or more. 7. The porous material has an average pore diameter of 400 μm.
The liquid ejection device according to claim 5, wherein m is equal to or less than m. 8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping unit includes an advancing / retreating unit that brings the wiping member into contact with and away from the liquid ejecting unit. . 9. The cleaning liquid supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply unit supplies a cleaning liquid having a property similar to that of the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge unit. Liquid ejection device. 10. An impregnation amount adjusting means for adjusting an impregnation amount of the cleaning liquid in the wiping member by removing a part of the cleaning liquid impregnated in the wiping member from the wiping member. Claims 1 to 9
The liquid discharge device according to any one of the above. 11. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said impregnation amount adjusting means partially reduces an outer diameter of said wiping member. 12. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the impregnating amount adjusting means partially reduces the wiping member by 50% or less of its thickness and 0.5 mm or more. . 13. The liquid according to claim 10, wherein the impregnation amount adjusting means includes an advancing / retreating means for bringing the impregnation amount adjusting member into contact with and away from the wiping member. Discharge device. 14. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the wiping unit wipes the liquid discharge unit with the wiping member whose impregnation amount of the cleaning liquid is adjusted by the impregnation amount adjustment unit. 13. The liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of the thirteenth aspect. 15. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning liquid collecting means for collecting the cleaning liquid.
5. The liquid discharging apparatus according to any one of 4. 16. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid discharging apparatus is used for textile printing. 17. A liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid from a liquid ejecting section to record an ejection mark of the liquid on a recording medium, wherein the liquid is ejected on an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical rotating wiping member having liquid impregnation. A liquid comprising: a wiping unit for wiping a unit; a cleaning liquid supply unit for supplying a cleaning liquid to the wiping member; and a unit for discharging a liquid from a liquid discharge unit during a wiping operation by the wiping unit. Discharge device.