TW200932554A - Printhead maintenance facility with interchangeable stations - Google Patents

Abstract

A printhead maintenance facility with a core that mounts in an inkjet printer for movement relative to an inkjet printhead. The core has a plurality of maintenance station mounting sites, each with engagement formations. The core also has a plurality of maintenance structures for operation with the printhead, the plurality of maintenance structures each being mountable to at least one other of the plurality of maintenance station mounting sites.

Description

200932554 - IX. Description of the Invention [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a printer, and more particularly to an inkjet printer. [Prior Art] Applicants have developed a wide range of printers that use a pagewidth printhead instead of a conventional reciprocating printhead design. The page width design increases the print rate, _ because the print head does not have to traverse the page to reciprocate to deposit a list of images. Page width 〇 The print head simply deposits ink on the medium as it moves through the medium at high speed. These printheads have been able to perform full color 1 600 dpi printing at a rate of approximately 60 pages per minute. The high resolution and print rate are primarily due to the self-cooling of the print head. Excess heat does not accumulate in the nozzle because excessive heat is removed from the print head by the ejected ink droplets. This allows the nozzles to be closer together and the nozzle emissivity is limited only by the ink re-injection rate. Self-cooling Q industry relies on low jet energy, which in turn corresponds to small nozzles and low droplet volumes. Another factor that helps low energy injection is the short injection hole length. The nozzle defines a geometry (usually circular or elliptical) and the length of the aperture is the thickness that defines the configuration of the nozzle. Because the ink droplets are ejected through the nozzle, the long nozzle orifice length has a large fluid resistance to the ink droplets. Applicant's printhead design maintains a relatively short (less than 5 microns) nozzle hole length. Small nozzles are prone to blockage, and paper dust or dry ink on the nozzle face (which defines the outer surface of the nozzle hole array) can cause color mixing between adjacent nozzles of different colors. To solve this problem, the print head requires sophisticated maintenance equipment that performs a variety of maintenance operations and printhead recovery techniques. Applicants have developed a maintenance device that moves relative to the printhead during printer operation and performs different maintenance functions. However, the optimum maintenance depends on the nature of the particular printhead used and the ink being sprayed by the nozzle. Furthermore, individual maintenance stations are subject to wear and tearing. Therefore, maintenance stations, like most of the mechanisms using elastomeric materials, become more inefficient over time. - SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a printhead maintenance apparatus for an inkjet print head, the printhead maintenance apparatus comprising: a core construction for mounting in an inkjet printer, The core construction has a plurality of maintenance station mounting locations, each portion having an engagement mechanism relative to the inkjet printhead movement; and a Q plurality of maintenance configurations for working with the printhead, each of the plurality of maintenance constructs It can be installed to at least one of the installation sites of the plurality of maintenance stations. Because the maintenance equipment interchanges the order in which the maintenance stations are presented to the print head, the maintenance system can be made in accordance with the nature of the particular form of print head and the ink used. Furthermore, when the maintenance structure begins to wear or be damaged, a separate maintenance structure can be replaced. In another embodiment, if a particular maintenance construction design is modified or modified, the maintenance construction can replace the replaced design without having to replace the entire maintenance equipment or printer. Similarly, if you change the printhead design, you can redesign the maintenance construct to fit the new printhead, and -6-200932554 selects the order in which each maintenance construct acts on the printhead to optimize printhead maintenance. Chemical. Preferably, the maintenance constructs are selected from the group consisting of: a printing platen; a sputum 35; a squid, a capper; a slinger; and a wiper. In a particularly preferred form, the printhead is a pagewidth printhead having an array nozzle formed in the nozzle face, the nozzle face extending across the print width of the media substrate, and the core being elongate, For mounting in a printer and abutting the print head such that its longitudinal extent is parallel to the length of the array nozzle. Conveniently, the core is mounted in the printer such that the core is rotatable about its longitudinal axis to present each of the maintenance constructs to the printhead. Preferably, the maintenance mounting location is a socket in the core for receiving the maintenance constructs. Optionally, the maintenance mounting locations are provided by a mechanism that is secured to the surface of the core. In some forms, the mechanisms are elongated extension slots for slidably receiving the maintenance constructs. Preferably, each of the plurality of maintenance constructs is mountable to any of the plurality of maintenance station mounting locations. In another preferred form, the core is at least partially formed of a porous polymer capable of absorbing ink by capillary action. In another preferred form, the core has at least one hollow recess for receiving ink. In a particularly preferred form, the core has a discharge port for discharging the absorbed 200932554 ink from the core. In some forms, the at least one hollow recess contains a fibrous material for wicking the ink from the maintenance constructs. In a particular embodiment, the core has a cylindrical tube of porous polymeric material defining a central pocket that is filled with microfiber material. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the cylindrical tube is a compressed polymer particle. Preferably, the compressed polymer particles have a surface treatment such that the porous polymeric material is hydrophilic. Preferably, the maintenance device has more than three maintenance configurations. In yet another preferred form, the maintenance device has four maintenance configurations. [Embodiment] Printer Fluid Engineering System Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the fluid engineering used in the printing engine described in Figures 2A and 2B. As previously mentioned, the print engine has the primary mechanical construction of an inkjet printer. Construct perimeter structures (such as housings, trays, paper trays, ❾, , etc.) to make them suitable for specific columns of printers such as photo printers, network printers, or printers Printing requirements. The applicant discloses a photo printer of the application USSN 11/688863 (our case number RRE 001US), which is an example of an ink jet printer using the fluid engineering system of Fig. 1. The contents of the co-pending application are hereby incorporated by reference. The operation of the system and its individual components are described in detail in USSN 11/872719 (our case number SBF 009US), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Briefly, the printer fluid engineering system has a printhead assembly 2, -8 - 200932554. The ink tank 4 supplies ink to the printhead assembly 2 via an upstream ink line 8. The waste ink is discharged to the waste ink tank 1 via the downstream ink line. For simplicity, only a single ink line is shown. In fact, the print head has multiple ink lines for full color printing. The upstream ink line 8 has a shut-off valve 1 〇 for selectively isolating the print head assembly 2 from the pump 12 and/or the ink tank 4. Pump 1 2 is used to actively dispense or overflow (Π ο 〇 d ) print head assembly 2. The pump 1 2 is also used to establish a negative pressure in the ink tank 4. The negative pressure is maintained by the bubble Q point controller 6 during printing. The print head assembly 2 is a liquid crystal polymer module 20 that supports a series of print head integrated circuits 30: the print head integrated circuits 30 are secured by a viscous die attach film (not shown). . The print head integrated circuit 30 has an array of ink ejecting nozzles for ejecting ink droplets to the media substrate 22 being passed. The nozzle is a microelectromechanical construction that prints at a true 1600 dpi (ie, a nozzle pitch of 1600 npi) or greater resolution. The fabrication and construction of a suitable print head assembly φ circuit 30 is described in detail in US Ser. No. 11/246,687, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The liquid crystal polymer module 20 has a main channel 24 extending between an inlet 36 and an outlet 38. The main channel 24 feeds a series of thin channels 28 extending to the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. The fine channel 28 supplies ink to the printhead integrated circuit 30 via a laser ablation hole in the die attach film. Above the main passage 24 is a series of unfilled air pockets 26. These pockets are designed to confine a bag of air during the marking of the print head. These air bags give the system some compliance to absorb and damp the high pressure points and hydraulic shock in the ink. The printer is a -9 - 200932554 high speed page wide printer with a large number of nozzles that fire quickly. This printer quickly consumes ink' and abruptly ends the printing job or even the end of a page, meaning that a line of ink moving toward (and past) the print head assembly 2 must stop almost instantaneously. If there is no compliance provided by the air pocket 26, the momentum of the ink will overflow the nozzle of the printhead integrated circuit 30. Furthermore, the subsequent "reflected waves" produce a strong negative pressure sufficient to remove the nozzle. Print Engine Figure 2A shows the print engine 3 using the Print 匣2 type. The print engine 3 is the internal construction of the ink jet printer, so it does not include any outer casing, ink tank, or media feed and collection tray. The user raises or lowers the latch 126 to insert or remove the print head 匣2. The print engine 3 and the contacts on the print head 匣 2 form an electrical connection and are fluidly coupled by the yoke 120, the inlet manifold 48, and the outlet manifold 50, respectively. The media sheet is fed to the print engine by the main drive roller 186 and the discharge feed roller 178. The main drive roller 186 is driven by the main drive pulley and the encoder disc 188. The discharge feed roller 178 is driven by the discharge drive pulley 180. The discharge drive pulley 180 and the main drive pulley 188 are synchronized by the medium feed belt 182. The medium feed motor 190 supplies power to the main drive pulley 188 via the input drive belt 192. The main drive pulley 188 has an encoder disc and the drive pulley sensor 184 reads the encoder disc. Information on the number of revolutions and the speed of the drive shafts 186, 178 is sent to the print engine controller (PEC). A print engine controller (not shown) is mounted to the main printed circuit board (PCB) 194 and is used -10-

❹ 200932554 The main microprocessor for controlling printer operations. Figure 2B shows the print engine 3 after the print head has been removed to reveal the holes 122 in each of the seats 120. Each of the apertures 122 houses one of the nozzles 52 on the inlet manifold and the manifold (see Figure 5). As described above, the ink has any position and configuration, but is simply connected to the hollow insertion opening U4 (see Fig. 8) at the rear of the inlet coupler seat 120. The insertion port 124 at the rear of the outlet coupler is connected to the waste ink outlet of the waste ink tank 18 (see Fig. 1). The reinforcing bearing surface 128 is fixed to the pressed metal body 96 of the printing engine 3. These provide test sites for setting the print heads within the print engine. They are also arranged to provide a positive bearing surface for the compressive load acting on the crucible 2 during installation. When the manifold nozzle (described below) opens the shutoff valve (described below) in the print engine, the fluid coupler 120 pushes against the inlet and outlet manifolds. The pressure of the latch 126 on the cymbal 2 is also opposite to the bearing surface 128. The support surface 128 is disposed such that it is directly opposite the compressive load in 2, which reduces bending and deformation within the crucible. Finally, the assist nozzle is positioned relative to the medium feed path. It also protects weaker internal organs from damage. Print Head 匣 Figure 3 is a perspective view of the complete print head 匣 2. The print head cartridge 2 has a top module 44 and a removable protective cover 42. The top module 44 has a central belly for constructive stiffness and is used to provide a textured gripping surface 58 for entry and removal. During the period of manipulation. Before installing in the printer, the protective cover is exposed to the inner casing of the casing. The bottom protection of the printed head integrated circuit (not shown) and the entire column of joints. . The cover 56 is integrally formed at the bottom and covers the ink inlet and outlet (see Figs. 5 and 5 and 5 2). Figure 4 shows the printhead assembly 2 with the protective cover 42 removed to expose the print head integrated circuit on the bottom surface and the aligned contacts 33 on the side surfaces. Throw the protective cover to recycle the waste or assemble the protective cover to the replaced print head to cover the leakage of residual ink. Figure 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of the printhead assembly 20. The top cover has been removed to reveal the inlet manifold 48 and the outlet manifold 50, and the inlet and outlet panels 46, 47 have been removed to more clearly expose the five inlet nozzles 52 and the five outlet nozzles 54. The inlet and outlet manifolds 48, 50 form a fluid connection between each individual inlet and outlet and the main channel within the liquid crystal polymer (see Figure 24). The main channel extends the length of the liquid crystal polymer and the main channel feeds a series of fine channels on the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module. An array of air pockets 26 are formed above each of the main passages 24. As described above with respect to Figure 1, the shock wave or pressure pulse in the ink is blocked by compressing the air within the air pocket 26. Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the print head assembly without the inlet or outlet manifold or cap module. The primary channel 24 for each ink pigment and its associated air pockets 26 are formed in the channel module 68 and the pocket module 72, respectively. The die attach film 66 adheres to the bottom of the channel module 68. The die attach film 66 mounts the print head integrated circuit 30 to the channel module such that the thin channel on the underside of the channel module 68 passes through the small laser cut-out hole through the film and the printhead integrated circuit 30 Fluid communication. Because of the stiffness and thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid crystal polymer, both the Tong-12-200932554 channel module 68 and the top cymbal module 72 are molded from a liquid crystal polymer, and the thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid crystal polymer The thermal expansion coefficient of the crucible is closely matched. It will be appreciated that the relatively long configuration of, for example, a pagewidth printhead should minimize any difference in thermal expansion between the tantalum substrate of the printhead integrated circuit 30 and its support structure. Printhead Maintenance Dial Referring to Figure 7, a cross-sectional perspective view is shown. This profile is through line 7-7 shown in Figure 2A. The print head cartridge 2 is inserted into the print engine 3 such that its outlet manifold 50 is in fluid communication with the insertion port 124, which guides the waste ink canister into the finished product of the printer (usually located on the base of the print engine) ). The liquid crystal polymer module 20 supports the print head integrated circuit 30 in the immediate vicinity of the medium feed path 22 extending through the print engine. The printhead maintenance carousel 150 and its associated drive mechanism are located on opposite sides of the media feed path 22. The printhead maintenance carousel 150 is used for rotation about the tubular drive shaft 156. The printhead maintenance carousel 150 is also configured to move toward and away from the printhead integrated circuit 30. The various print head maintenance stations on the exterior of the turntable are presented to the print head by raising the turn 150 to the print head integrated circuit 30. The maintenance carousel 150 is rotatably mounted on the lift structure 170 that is mounted to the lift configuration shaft 156 so that it can pivot relative to the rest of the configuration of the print engine 3. The lift configuration 170 includes a pair of lift arms 158 (only one lift arm is shown and the other lift arm is disposed at the opposite end of the lift construction shaft 156). Each lift arm 158 has a cam engaging surface 168, such as a roller or pad of low friction material. The cam (described in more detail below) fixes -13 - 200932554 to the turntable drive shaft 160 for biasing the shaft 160 158 into the turntable lift drive shaft 160 such that the turntable lift motor (described below) can The rotary shaft is oriented toward and away from the print head. The maintenance turntable 150 is rotated about the tubular shaft 166 to lift the drive. The turntable drive shaft 166 engages the turntable for rotation regardless of whether it is retracted from the print head or toward the print head. When the turntable is advanced toward the print head, the wiper scrapes through the medium feed path 22 to wipe the print head integrated body g 150 back from the print head, and the turntable 150 can repeatedly rotate the wiper blade 162. Engagement scraper (doct and cleaning pad 1 52. This is also discussed in detail below. Referring now to Figure 8, section 7-7 shows the maintenance turntable lift drive in a planar view. The turntable lift drive! The cam 172 is pushed downward by the cam engaging crown arm 158. The lifting shaft 160 is lifted by the turntable, and the turntable lifting spur gear 174 is sequentially lifted by the turntable. The worm gear 17 is fixed to the turntable lifting motor by a key. The ascending arm 158 evacuates the lift configuration 170 downward 150 from the printhead integrated circuit 30. At this position > 4 revolutions, no maintenance station contacts the print head integrated circuit 30. The wiper blade 162 contacts the doctor blade cleaning pad 152. Turn. The cam of the lift arm is engaged, 160 and the movement is independent of the turntable motor (described below), which can be moved by the sheet 162 through each of the 30 pieces. When the turntable is moved, so that the blade is wiped or the blade 15 4 is shown in the figure, the display shaft 168 of the clear shaft 160 will lift the spur gear 1 7 4 drive the wheel 1 7 6 out of the shaft (the following pull, maintenance turntable 3, Turntable 50 rotation but turntable will take 1 5 4 and absorb 14-200932554 doctor blade scraper 1 5 4 combined with cleaning pad 1 5 2 work to widely wiper 162. Cleaning pad 152 from wiper blade 162 wipes the paper dust and the dried ink. But the tip of the small ink bead and the dirt 1 162 does not touch the surface of the cleaning pad 152. To remove this ink and dust, the blade 154 is mounted inside to wipe the blade 1 62 wipes the print head integrated circuit 3 0 before touching the cleaning pad 1 52, causing the doctor blade 154 to contact the blade 162. When the blade 1 62 contacts the blade 1 54 , the wiper blade 1 62 is slid through. Because the wiper scrapes The sheet 162 is an elastomeric material that, when disengaged from the blade 154, springs back to its stationary straight shape to its resting shape, which will scrape the blade 1 62 from the wiper (particularly projecting dust and other contaminants. Ordinary workers It will be appreciated that the wiper blade 162 152 will also flex and once the wiper blade The 162 detachment will spring back to its still shape. However, the squeegee 1 54 is placed closer to the center shaft 166 of the turntable 150 and is clean away. This configuration causes the wiper blade 162 to bounce back when it passes. In the case of a stationary shape, the dirt is more viscous. 152 Contacting the leading blade causes the blade to be dragged to be improperly j 152, so it is impossible to simply move the cleaning pad 152 to the shaft 166 to scrape the wiper The sheet 162 is more curved. The cleaning wiper wipes the contact surface wipe to form the doctor blade print engine 3 but after it is connected. When the wiper is curved into a curve so that when it quickly bounces back from the tip) when contacting the cleaning pad Also, the mounting pad 1 52 is more curved, and since the cleaning pad has been inspected past the cleaning pad, the cleaning pad 152 is an absorbent foam which is formed to correspond to The circular path of the wiper blade 162 is curved. When the pad 152' is covered with a woven material to provide a plurality of dense gathered contact points when wiping the blade, the pad 152 is more efficiently cleaned. Therefore, the line of the woven material The size should be relative Small, for example less than 2 denier. The working condition of the microfiber material having a wire size of about 1 Danny is particularly good. 0 The cleaning pad 152 extends the length of the wiper blade 162, and the wiper blade 162 also extends the page width. The length of the print head. The page width cleaning pad 152 simultaneously cleans the entire length of the wiper blade, which reduces the time required for each wiping operation. Furthermore, the length of the 'page width cleaning pad inherently provides a large volume of absorbent material 'Used to maintain a relatively large amount of ink. Because of the greater ink absorption capacity, it is less necessary to replace the cleaning pad 152 frequently. Capped on the print head 〇 Figure 9 shows the first stage of the capped print head integrated circuit 30 with the capped maintenance station 198 mounted to the maintenance carousel 150. When the lift cam 172 is pushed down on the lift arm 158, the maintenance turntable 15 is evacuated from the print head integrated circuit 30. The maintenance carousel 150, along with the maintenance encoder disk 204, is rotated until the first carousel rotation sensor 200 and the second carousel rotation sensor 202 determine that the print head capper is facing the print head integrated circuit 3 正面. As shown in Fig. 10, the lift shaft 160 rotates the cam 172 such that the lift arm 158 moves upward to advance the maintenance dial 150 toward the print head integrated circuit 30. The capper maintenance station 198 engages the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20 -16 - 200932554 to seal the nozzles of the printhead integrated circuit 30 in a relatively humid environment. Ordinary workers will understand that this prevents (at least prolongs) the nozzle from being dry and blocked. Removing the cover of the print head Figure 11 shows the print head integrated circuit 30 with the cover removed to prepare for printing. The lift shaft 160 is rotated such that the lift cam 172 pushes the turntable lift arm 158 @ down. The capping maintenance station 198 moves away from the liquid crystal polymer module 20 to expose the print head integrated circuit 30. Wiping the print head Fig. 12 shows the print head integrated circuit 30 being wiped by the wiper blade 162. When the capping station 198 is rotated away from the print head, the wiper blade 1 62 of the wiper member contacts the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. When the turntable 150 continues to rotate, the wiper blade is pulled past the squirt face of the printhead integrated circuit 30 to wipe off any paper dust, dry ink, or other contaminants. The wiper blades 1 62 are formed of an elastomeric material so that they elastically flex and bend as they wipe through the print head integrated circuit. When the tip end of each wiper blade is bent, the side surface of each blade forms a wiping contact with the nozzle face. It will be appreciated that the broad flat side surface of the blade and the nozzle face have a greater contact' and more effectively remove dirt. Wiper Blade Cleaning (Cleaning) Figures 13 and 14 show the wiper blade 162 being cleaned. As shown in Figures 13-17-200932554, after the wiper blade 162 wipes the print head integrated circuit 30, the wiper blade 162 is immediately rotated through the doctor blade 154. The function of the blade 154 is discussed in more detail in the heading "Scraper" above. After the wiper blade 16 2 is pulled through the doctor blade 154, any residual dust and dirt adhering to the blade is removed by the absorbent cleaning pad 152. This step is shown in Figure 14. During this process, the print platen maintenance station 206 prints the φ head bulk circuit 30 in the opposite direction. If desired, the turntable can be lifted by rotating the lift cam 172 so that the nozzle can be launched into the absorbent material 208. Any pigment mixed in the ink nozzle is immediately purified. A hole (not shown) that is drilled into the side of the tubular base 166 provides fluid communication between the absorbent material 208 and the porous material 210 within the central pocket of the turntable shaft 166. The ink absorbed by the material 208 is drawn into the porous material 210 and held by the porous material 210. In order to allow the porous material 210 to drain, the turntable 150 may be provided with a vacuum attachment point (not shown) to drain the waste ink. 〇 Turntable 150 continues to rotate with a clean wiper blade (see figure is) until the print platen 2 0 6 is again positioned opposite the printhead integrated circuit 30. Then, as shown in Fig. 16, the turntable is raised toward the print head integrated circuit 30 to prepare for printing. The media substrate sheet is fed along the medium feed path 2 2 and passed through the print head integrated circuit 30. In the case of full bleed printing to the extreme side of the media sheet, the media substrate can remain away from the platen 206' so that it does not become soiled by excessive ink spray. It can be understood that the absorbent material 208 is disposed in the recessed portion of the printing platen 206, so that any oversprayed ink (usually about 1 mm on both sides of the paper) is protected -18-200932554 Leave the surface accessible to the media substrate. At the end of the printing job or before the printer will enter the standby mode, the turntable 1 50 is withdrawn from the printhead integrated circuit 30 during rotation, so that the printhead capping maintenance station 1 98 is again rendered to print head. As shown in Fig. 17, the lift shaft 160 rotates the lift cam 158 such that the lift cam 158 moves the print head capping maintenance station into sealing engagement with the lower side of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. 〇 Printhead Maintenance Dial Figure 18, 19, 20, and 21 show the isolated maintenance dial. Figure 18 is a perspective view showing the wiper blade 162 and the print platen 206. Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the print head capper 1 98 and the wiper blade 1 62. Figure 20 is an exploded view showing the components of the maintenance carousel. Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view showing the components after complete assembly. The maintenance carousel has four printhead maintenance stations: a print platen 206, a wiper member 162, and a spreader/ink absorber 220. Each maintenance station is mounted to its own external base assembly. The outer base assembly is mounted about the turntable tubular shaft 166 and engages one another to lock onto the shaft. At one end of the tubular shaft 166 is a turntable encoder disk 204 and a turntable spur gear 212 which is driven by a turntable rotary motor (not shown) as described below. The tubular shaft is fixed to or rotates with the spur gear. Each of the printhead maintenance stations rotates with the tubular shaft by virtue of its firm compression and clamping on the outside of the shaft. The wiper blade outer base assembly 2 14 is an aluminum extruded article (or other suitable alloy) that constructs the wiper blade outer base assembly 214 to securely hold the wiper blade 162. Similarly, other external base assemblies are metal extruded articles's softer elastomers and/or absorbent porous materials for securely mounting individual service stations. The outer base assembly for printing platen 2 16 and print head capper 1 9 8 has a series of identical locking ears 2 26 along each longitudinal edge. The wiper member outer base assembly 2 1 4 and the ink collector/ink extractor outer base assembly 218 have complementary latch type slots for receiving the locking ears 226. Each of the bolt slots has an ear access opening 2 28 that abuts the ear lock slot 230. The locking ears 226 are inserted into the ear access holes 228 adjacent the outer base assembly and then longitudinally slid relative to each other to lock them to the base tubular shaft 166. In order to improve the friction and locking engagement between each of the maintenance stations and the base plate shaft 166, each of the printhead maintenance stations is provided with an element having an arcuate shaft engagement surface 234 formed on one side thereof. The ink collector/ink extractor outer base assembly 218 has a relatively large absorbent ink collector/ink extractor member Q 220 that also has an arcuate shaft engaging surface 234 formed on its inner face. Similarly, the common base assembly for the print head capper 1 98 and the common base of each wiper blade 162 have a curved shaft engagement surface 234. The average worker will understand that using an interlocking configuration to clamp the outer base to the inner base minimizes machining and assembly time and maintains small tolerances for precise installation of the maintenance station configuration. In this case, the external base components can be combined into different configurations. Can change the wiper blade outer base assembly 2 1 4 and the ink collector/ink extractor base assembly 2 1 8 position. Similarly, the print head capper 198 and the print platen 206 can be exchanged. In this way, the maintenance stations can be combined in the best way they are installed in a special printer. Injection Molding Polymer Turntable Base Figures 22 through 28 show a printhead maintenance carousel of another embodiment. These figures are schematic sections showing only the portion of the turntable and the print head. It will be appreciated that the maintenance drive system requires a simple and straightforward modification to accommodate the turntable of this embodiment. Q Figure 22 shows a liquid crystal polymer module 20 adjacent to the printhead 1 of the printhead maintenance dial 150, which is presented to the printhead integrated circuit 30 by the print platen 206. For the sake of clarity, Figure 29 shows the platen 206 in isolation. In use, a sheet-like dielectric substrate is fed along the medium feed path 22. Between the nozzle of the print head integration circuit 30 and the medium feed path 22 is a print gap 244. In order to maintain print quality, the gap 244 between the nozzle face of the print head unit circuit and the media surface should be as close as possible to the nominal 値 defined during design. In commercially available printers, this gap is approximately 2 mm. However, because of the advancement of printing technology, some printers have a printing gap of about 1 mm. With the popularity of digital photography, the need for full-page bleeding printing of color images is growing. "Full Version Bleed Print" is the extreme edge printed to the media surface. This often results in some "over-spraying" in which the ejected ink is not sprayed on the edge of the media substrate and deposited on the support printing platen. Then, the ink that has been sprayed across the boundary will stain on the subsequent sheet medium. The configuration shown in Figure 22 handles these two issues. The paper guides 23 8 on the liquid crystal polymer module -21 - 200932554 20 define the printing gap 244 during printing. However, the print platen 206 has a guide surface 246 formed on its rigid plastic base module. The leading surface 246 directs the leading edge of the sheet toward the discharge drive roller or other drive mechanism. Because of the minimal contact between the sheet media and the print platen 206, the likelihood of soiling by the ink that is crossed by the sneeze during full-page bleeding printing is greatly reduced. Further, the paper guiding member 23 8 on the liquid crystal polymer module 20 is disposed in close proximity to the print head integrated circuit 30 to accurately maintain the gap 244 between the U nozzle and the medium surface. Some printers within the applicant's scope use this technique to provide a 0.7 mm print gap 244. However, by making the beads of the capsular material 240 adjacent to the print head integrated circuit 30 flat, the gap can be reduced. Power and data are transferred to the printhead integrated circuit 30 by a flexible printed circuit board 2 4 2 ' mounted to the outside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. The contacts of the flexible printed circuit board 242 are electrically coupled to the contacts of the printhead integrated circuit 30 by a series of lead frames (not shown). To protect the leadframe, the leadframe is encased in an epoxy material called a bladder. Applicants have developed a variety of techniques for flattening the contour of the leadframe and the beaded bladder 240 covering the leadframe. This allows the printing gap 244 to be further reduced. The print platen 206 has a recess or central recess 248 which faces the nozzle of the printhead integrated circuit 30. Any ink that is sprayed across the boundary will be in this area of the platen 06. The depression is formed in this area away from the rest of the platen' to ensure that the media substrate is not soiled by the wet, cross-over ink. The surface of the central pocket 248 is in fluid communication with the absorbent fibrous element 25 0 . The fibrous element 250 and the porous material 254 in the center of the base 236, also -22-200932554, are in fluid communication by a capillary tube 252. The ink that has been sprayed across the boundary is drawn into the fiber member 250 and is drawn into the porous material 254 via the tube 252 by capillary action. Figure 2 3 shows the rotation of the turntable 150, so that the printhead picking station 2 6 2 is presented to the print head integrated circuit 30. Figure 30 shows an isolated printhead station 272 and its construction features. The printhead dispensing station has an elastomeric skirt 256 that surrounds the contact pad 258, which is formed from a porous material. The elastomeric skirt 0 is formed with the contact pad to form a rigid polymer base 260 that is rigidly mounted to the exit profile base 236. When the print head 匣 2 is replaced, it needs to be inked. It is well known that the beating process is wasteful because the ink is usually forced through the nozzle until the entire print head configuration has drained any bubbles. A very large amount of ink has been wasted during the removal of air from the plurality of conduits extending through the printhead. To solve this problem, the maintenance dial 150 is raised so that the contact pads Q 258 cover the nozzles of the printhead integrated circuit 30" When the nozzle array is immersed under pressure, the contact pad 258 is held against the nozzle, greatly reducing the amount of ink that is discharged through the nozzle. The porous material partially blocks the nozzle to limit the flow of ink. However, the air flow from the nozzle is subject to much less restriction, so the entire injection process is not delayed by the flow barrier created by the porous material. The elastomeric skirt 2 5 6 sealingly abuts the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 22 to draw excess ink from the underside of the contact pad 258. The flow holes 264' formed in the rigid polymer susceptor 260 allow the ink absorbed by the pad 258 and any excess ink to flow to the absorbent fibrous element 250 (same as those used for the print press -23-200932554 disk 206). As with the printing platen 206, the ink within the fiber element 250 is drawn into the porous material 254 in the forming base 23 by the capillary 252. By using the print head 塡 station 262, the amount of wasted ink is drastically reduced. If there is no injection station, the amount of ink wasted by each pigment is usually about 2 ml when the page is widened; if there is a station 262, the amount of ink wasted by each pigment is reduced to about 〇·1 ml. The 0 contact pad 258 need not be formed of a porous material, but instead may be formed of the same elastic material as the skirt 256. In this case, the contact pad 258 needs to have a special surface roughness. The surface of the nozzle face of the mating print head integrated circuit 30 should be rough on a 2 to 4 micron scale, but smooth and smooth on a 20 micron scale. This type of surface roughness allows air to escape from between the nozzle face and the contact pad, but only a small amount of ink escapes. Figure 24 shows the wiping station 266 of the maintenance carousel 150 presented to the print head assembly circuit 30. The wiping station is shown separately in Figure 31. The wiping station 266 Q is also a co-molded construction having a soft elastomer wiping blade 268 supported on a hard plastic base 270. In order to wipe the nozzle face of the print head integrated circuit 30, the turntable base 23 is raised and then rotated, so the wiper blade 268 is wiped over the nozzle face. The turntable base 23 is typically rotated to cause the wiper blade 26 8 to wipe toward the bladder. The contours of the capsular beads can be designed to aid in the application of dust and dirt to the wiper blade 268 as discussed in the Applicant's Common Ref. No. RRE 015 US application (incorporated by reference). On the face. However, if it is proven to be more efficient to wipe in both directions, the maintenance drive (not shown) can be easily constructed to rotate the base 236 in both directions -24-200932554. Similarly, by changing the number of rotations, it is easy to change the number of times of wiping through the print head integrated circuit 30. The program maintains the drive to perform each wipe. The head capper 272 showing the maintenance dial 150 is shown in Fig. 25 to the print head integrated circuit 30. Figure 32 shows the capper independently to more clearly illustrate its construction. The capper 272 has a peripheral seal 274 formed of a soft elastomeric material. The surrounding seal 274 and its hard plastic base 276 are co-molded. When the printer is idle, the printhead capper 272 reduces the rate at which the nozzles are dried. The seal between the perimeter seal 274 and the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20 need not be completely airtight because the capper is being used to draw the printhead with suction. In fact, the hard plastic base 276 should include an air respirator aperture 278 so that the nozzle does not overflow with the suction caused by removing the lid of the printhead. To cover the print head, the base 2 36 is rotated until the print head capper 272 is presented to the print head integrated circuit 30. The base 236 is then raised until the peripheral seal 274 engages the print head 匣2. 〇 Figure 26 shows a wiper blade cleaning pad 152. As described in the first embodiment above, the cleaning pad 152 is mounted within the printer such that as the maintenance dial 150 rotates, the wiper blade 268 moves past the surface of the pad 152. By providing the position of the cleaning pad 152, the base 236 must be retracted from the printhead integrated circuit 30 to allow the wiper blade 268 to contact the cleaning pad and to rotate the base 236 at a relatively high rate for extensive cleaning. The wiper blade 268 is in no damaging contact with the printhead integrated circuit 30. Further, the cleaning pad 152 can be wetted with an intervening agent to more easily remove dirt from the wiper blade surface. -25- 200932554 Figure 27 shows the injection molding base 23 6 independently. The base is symmetrical with respect to two planes extending through the central longitudinal axis 282. This symmetry is important because if the injection-molded base 236 extending along the length of the page-width print head is asymmetrical, there is a tendency to deform and bend as it cools. Because of the symmetrical profile, when the base is cooled, its contraction is also symmetrical. The base 236 has four maintenance station mounting brackets 276 formed on its outer surface, all of which are identical so that they can accommodate any of the various maintenance stations 206, 266, 262, 272. In this way, each maintenance station becomes an interchangeable module and the order in which each maintenance station is presented to the print head can be changed to suit different printers. Furthermore, if the maintenance stations themselves are modified, their standard seating ensures that the maintenance station can easily break into existing production lines with minimal equipment replacement. The maintenance station is fixed in the socket with an adhesive, but other methods (such as ultrasonic point welding or mechanical mutual engagement) are also suitable. Q As shown in Fig. 28, the mold is provided with four sliders 278 and a central core 288. Each slider 278 has a cylindrical configuration 280 to form a conduit that connects the fiber core pad to the porous material 219 within the central pocket. The pull lead for each slider is radially outward from the base 236, while the core 28 8 is longitudinally retracted (it is understood that the core is not a precision cylinder, but a truncated cone to provide Required ventilation). Injection molding of polymer components is well suited for large and low cost production. Furthermore, the symmetrical construction and uniform shrinkage of the base maintains good tolerances' to keep the maintenance station parallel to the printhead integrated circuit. However, other manufacturing techniques are also possible, such as -26-200932554 for shock waves of compressed polymer powder or the like. Furthermore, the addition of a hydrophilic surface treatment can help the ink flow to the capillary 252 and ultimately to the porous material 210 within the base 236. In some printer designs, a base is constructed for attaching a vacuum source to periodically eject ink from the porous material 210. Five maintenance stations. Embodiment 0 FIG. 34 shows an embodiment of a printhead maintenance carousel 150 having Five different maintenance stations: print platen 206, print head wiper 266, print head capper 272, picking station 262, and ink collector 284. The ink collector 284 (shown separately in Figure 33) has a relatively simple construction... the ink collector face 2 84 presents a flat to print head and has holes (not shown) for the fiber elements held in its plastic base 250 is in fluid communication. A five-station maintenance carousel 150 is attached to an ink collector 284 to allow the printer to use the primary ink purge as part of the maintenance system. Figure 22-2. Five-station four-station turntable, using print platen 206 and/or capper 272 to provide a secondary ink purge or "spitting cycle." During the printing operation, a secondary discharge cycle is used after wiping the nozzle face or when inter-page spit is used to keep the nozzle wet. However, if the print head needs to be recovered from removal of the sputum, severe pigment mixing, large size nozzles, etc., a major discharge cycle may be required - because the condition has exceeded the capacity of the platen or capper. The ink collector 284 has a large aperture or series of retaining ribs in its face 286 to retain the fibrous core material 250 within the plastic base. This keeps fiber -27-200932554 component 250 very open to potential ink intensive spraying. One face of the fiber member 250 is pressed against the capillary 252 to increase the flow of the porous material 254 into the central pocket of the base 236. The five-seat base 236 is injection-molded using five sliders that are 72 degrees from each other or six sliders that are 60 degrees from each other. Similarly, a maintenance carousel with more than five stations is also possible. If the nozzle face has a tendency to gather away from the ink, it is still difficult to remove using the wiper alone. In these cases, the printer may require a station (not shown) for ejecting ink solvent or other cleaning fluid onto the nozzle face. However, this can be broken in or attached to the ink collector. Wiper Variations Figures 35 through 46 show a range of different configurations that the wiper can take. Wipe the nozzle of the print head to interview an effective way to remove the paper, spill ink, dry ink, or other contaminants. The average worker will understand that there may be countless different wiper configurations, many of which are not suitable for any particular printer Q. Functional efficiency (ie, cleaning the print head) must weigh production costs, desired operating life, size and weight constraints, and other considerations. Single Contact Blade Figure 35 shows a wiper maintenance station 266 having a single elastomer blade 290 mounted within a rigid plastic base 270 such that the blade extends perpendicular to the media feed direction. A single wiper blade' that extends along the length of the nozzle array is a simple wiping configuration with low production and assembly costs. With this in mind, the -28- 200932554 single wiper wiper is suitable for the bottom of the printer and price range. Higher throughput requires efficient manufacturing techniques and easy assembly of printer components. This must compromise some of the unit's operational life, or the speed and efficiency of the wiper cleaning the printhead. However, the single blade design is compact, and if the blade does not clean the nozzle surface efficiently in one traverse, the maintenance drive can simply repeat the wiping operation until the print head is clean. q Multiple Contact Blades Figures 36, 43 A, 43B, and 46 show a wiper maintenance station 266 having a plurality of parallel blades. In the exaggerated figure 36, two identical parallel blades 292 extend perpendicular to the media feed direction. Two blades 292 are separately mounted to the hard plastic base 270 to operate independently. In Fig. 46, the respective blades are not the same. The first and second blades (294 and 296, respectively) have different widths (or different cross-sectional profiles) and durometers (hardness and viscoelasticity). Each wiper can be optimized to remove a particular type of dirt. However, each of the blades Q is separately mounted in the hard plastic base 270 for independent operation. In contrast, the plurality of wiper elements of Figures 4 3 A and 4 3 B have smaller and shorter wipers 300 that are all mounted with a common elastomeric base 298 that is secured to the hard plastic Base 270. This is a substantially more compliant configuration with a relatively large surface area in each wipe that contacts the nozzle face. However, the thin and soft blade has a larger and more robust blade that wears out at a faster rate. Since a plurality of parallel blades are wiped across the nozzle face, a single traverse of the wiper member collects more dust and dirt. Although the design of multiple blades is less compact than a single blade, each wipe is faster and more efficient. -29- 200932554 Therefore, during the printing work, the print head can be wiped between the pages; and the initial maintenance items performed before the printing work, the single skew blade is completed in a short time. The single wiper wiper maintenance station 270 of the hard plastic base 270 causes the wiper blade 302 to be inclined with respect to the wiping direction. It will be appreciated that the wiping direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the plastic base 270. A single wiper blade is a simple configuration with low production and assembly costs. Furthermore, by mounting the blade to be skewed in the wiping direction, Bay! At any time during the traversing of the J-wiper member, the nozzle face is only in contact with a portion of the blade. Since only one segment contacts the nozzle face, the blade does not wrinkle or curl for inconsistent contact pressure along its entire length. Sufficient contact pressure between the wiper blade and the entire nozzle face must be precisely aligned with the wiper so that it is completely parallel to the nozzle face. This allows for a wide manufacturing tolerance so that a larger amount of low cost production technology can be used. This is a compromise between increasing the distance the wiper member must travel to clean the print head. Increase this distance and therefore the time required for each wipe job. Reducing manufacturing costs is more important than these potential shortcomings. Separate Contact Blade Figure 38 shows a wiper maintenance station 266 having a wiper blade 310 mounted in a hard plastic base 270. Each of the individual blades 306 constitutes a complete blade 3 04 mounted in the hard plastic base 270, and the length of the row 302 is wiped in the wiped area. Therefore, it is necessary and not loose. For -30- 200932554 to move independently of each other. The individual blade segments 306 in each blade 304 are arranged to be out of alignment with respect to the wiping direction. In this manner, the nozzles that are not wiped by the first blade 34 in the gap between the two blade segments 306 are wiped by the blade segments 306 in the second blade 304. It is inefficient to wipe the nozzle face of the page wide print head with a single long wiper. Inconsistent contact pressure between the wiper blade and the nozzle face can cause the blade to bend or curl along certain sections of its length. The contact pressure in these sections may be insufficient or there may be no contact between the wiper and the nozzle face. The wiper blade 'divided into individual blade segments' solves this problem. Each segment can move relative to its adjacent segment so that any inconsistency in contact forces does not cause bending or curling of other segments of the blade. In this way, the contact pressure is maintained on the nozzle face and the nozzle face is clean. Nozzle Face Wiper with Multiple Skew Blades In Figure 39, the wiper maintenance station 266 has a series of individual wipers 308 mounted within the hard plastic base 210 such that the wipers are inclined in the wiping direction. Each of the blades 3 0 is arranged such that the lateral extent (X) of each blade (relative to the wiping direction) and the lateral extent (Y) of its adjacent blade have some overlap (Z). By mounting the wiper blade to be skewed in the wiping direction, the nozzle face is only in contact with a section of the blade at any time during the traversal of the wiper member. Since only one section contacts the nozzle face, the wiper does not wrinkle or curl due to inconsistent contact pressure along its entire length. This ensures sufficient contact pressure between the wiper blade and the entire nozzle face without the need to align the wiper so that it is precisely parallel to the nozzle face. This allows for a wide manufacturing tolerance of -31 - 200932554, so that a larger amount of low cost production technology can be used. A single skewed blade achieves this, but increases the distance that the wiper member must travel to clean the printhead, thus increasing the time required for each wipe. In view of the present invention, a series of adjacent skew blades are used, each of which wipes a corresponding portion of the nozzle array. In some applications, multiple wipers involve higher manufacturing costs than a single wiper, but pocket design and faster work are more important than these potential drawbacks.擦拭 Wiper with Array Pad In Figures 40 and 44, the wiper maintenance station 266 uses the array of contact pads 310, rather than any blade configuration. The individual pads 3 1 2 can be individually mounted into a set of short cylindrical elastomeric materials within the hard plastic base 2 70, or a cylindrical soft fiber brush similar to that commonly used in the cleaning of wafers. As described above, it is inefficient to wipe the nozzle surface of the page wide print head with a single long contact surface. Inconsistent contact pressure between the wiping surface and the nozzle face may result in insufficient or no contact pressure in certain areas. The use of a wiping surface that has been divided into individual contact pads of array 310 allows each pad to move relative to the adjacent pad, so that inconsistent contact forces can change its amount, causing each pad to compress and deform individually. The relative high pressure of a pad does not require the transmission of compressive forces to cause adjacent pads. In this way, uniform contact pressure is maintained on the nozzle face and the nozzle face is more efficiently cleaned. Sinusoidal Scraper In the wiping maintenance station 266 shown in Fig. 41, a single blade 314A-32-200932554 is loaded into the hard plastic base 270 to be scraped to wipe the page width with a single long contact surface. The force between the wiping surface and the nozzle face is insufficient or does not exist in some areas. The reason is that the wiper surface is not completely parallel to the nozzle face relative to the entire stroke length during the wiping operation, and the low 0 is locally cleaned. The problem can be avoided as if the position of the wiper wiper blade is set to be inclined with respect to the face. At any time, only a portion of the wiper is 'small angle between the wiper and the wiping direction. When the blade is inclined at the contact point of the nozzle surface, any problem caused by better dirt contact pressure is caused, and the wiper blade is subjected to a longer stroke for the inaccurate movement of the nozzle face, and is wiped. The length of the stroke of the device is not conducive to the use of a plurality of wipes having a zigzag (z-shape) tilt to the media feed direction and also keeping the wiper member accurate and compact relative to the column. A single piece with a non-linear contact surface follows the sinusoidal path. As mentioned above, the nozzle face of the print head will be inefficient. Consistent contact pressure will cause inaccurate movement of one of the nozzle faces where the contact pressure will change. If in , the area of the contact pressure used to wipe the surface may not be properly explained by the blade, by wiping the wiper direction and the print head nozzle. In this way, the wiper blade in the wiping operation contacts the nozzle face. In addition, the cleaning and efficiency of the wipe are improved, and the object is removed between the wiper and the nozzle face during the movement. This improves the inconsistency but is required in every wiping operation. As noted above, the wiper surface is at a source of insufficient contact pressure. Increased pocket design. Or a sinusoidal wiper blade that wipes the nozzle face with a wiper section. The stroke length of the print head is small enough to be scraped. -33- 200932554 Figure 42 shows a wiper maintenance station 266 having two linear sections at an angle to each other and mounted on the hard plastic base 270 in a skewed direction. As previously mentioned, wiping the nozzle face of a page wide print head with a single long contact surface can result in insufficient or no contact pressure in certain areas. Having the blade angled relative to the wiping direction and the printhead nozzle face means that only a portion of the wiper blade contacts the nozzle face at any time during the wiping operation. This makes the contact pressure more uniform, but in each wiping operation, the wiper blade f) requires a longer stroke. As noted above, inaccurate movement of the wiper surface relative to the nozzle face is a source of insufficient contact pressure. Increasing the length of the wiper stroke only increases the risk of this inaccuracy. By using a wiping surface having an angular or curved shape, the wiper section inclined in the direction of the medium feed is wiped over most of the nozzle face while reducing the stroke length of the wiper member relative to the printhead. A general worker will appreciate that the contact blade can have a shallow V or U shape. Furthermore, if the leading edge of the blade 3 18 is the intersection of two straight segments (or curved segments of a U-shaped blade), the Applicant has found that the blade has less wear because of the nozzle face The initial point of contact provides additional support. Fiber Mat Figure 45 shows a printhead wiper maintenance station 266 having a fiber mat 320 mounted to a hard plastic base 270. The fiber mat 3 2 0 is particularly effective for wiping the nozzle face. The pad presents a plurality of points in contact with the nozzle face such that the fibers mechanically engage the solid soil and absorb fluid contaminants such as ink overflow by capillary action. However, once the fiber mat has cleaned the nozzle face, it is difficult to remove dirt from the -34-200932554 fiber mat. After many wiping operations, the fiber mat is filled with a lot of dirt' and the nozzle face is no longer effectively cleaned. However, in the case of a printer with a short working life or a printer that allows the replacement of the wiper, the fiber mat provides the most efficient wiper. Combined wiper maintenance station It will be appreciated that by having a combination of the above-described wiping configurations, some of the column print head designs are most efficiently cleaned. For example, a single blade combines a series of skewed blades or a series of parallel blades with fiber mats therebetween. The combined wiper maintenance station can be derived by selecting a particular wiper structure based on individual strengths and strengths. Printhead Maintenance Facility Drive System Figure 4 7 to 50 show the media feed drive and printhead maintenance drive in more detail. Figure 4 8 shows the printhead maintenance carousel 1 50 and the 〇 drive system independently. The maintenance dial 150 is shown as being presented by a wiper blade 162 to a print head (not shown). The perspective view shown in Fig. 48 reveals that the paper discharge guide 322 is guided to the discharge driving roller 178. On the other side of the wiper blade 162, the main drive roller shaft 186 is shown extending from the main drive roller pulley 330. This pulley is driven by a main drive roller belt 192 which engages the medium feed motor 190. The medium feed drive belt 182 synchronizes the rotation of the main drive roller 186 and the discharge roller 178. The exploded perspective view of Figure 49 shows the individual components in more detail. In particular, this perspective map best illustrates the balanced turntable lift mechanism. Turntable Lift Drive -35- 200932554 The drive shaft 160 extends between two identical turntable lift cams. One end of the turntable lift shaft 160 is fixed to the turntable lift spur gear 1 by a key. The spur gear 174 engages the worm gear 176 and the turntable lift motor 324 drives the worm gear 176. The turntable lift rotary sensor 3 3 4 provides feedback to a print engine controller (not shown) which can determine the position of the turntable from the print head by the angular displacement of the cam 1 72. The turntable lift cam 172 contacts the individual Q turntable lift arms 158 by camming rollers 168 (it is understood that the cam engaging rolls can be surfaces of low friction materials such as high density polyethylene (HDPE)). Since the cams 172 are identical and are also mounted to the turntable lift shaft 160, the displacement of the turntable lift arms 158 is also the same. Figure 47 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Figure 2A with the print head 匣 2 and the print head maintenance carousel 1 50 removed. This figure provides a clear view of the turntable spur gear 174, its adjacent lift cam 172, and the corresponding turntable lift arm 158. Because each lift arm 158 is equidistant from the midpoint of the turntable 150, the turntable lift 〇 drive is fully balanced and symmetrical when the turntable is raised and lowered. This is used to maintain the longitudinal direction of the various print head maintenance stations parallel to the print head integrated circuit. The best map solution for the rotary drive of the turntable is shown in the enlarged partial decomposition view of Fig. 50. A turntable rotary motor 3 26 is mounted to the side of the turntable lift configuration 170. Stepper motor sensor 328 provides feedback to the print engine controller (PEC) regarding the rate and rotation of motor 326. The turntable rotary motor 326 drives the idler gear 3 3 2, and the idler gear 3 32 drives a reduction gear (not shown) on the cover side of the turntable lift configuration 170. The reduction gear engages the turntable spur gear 212 to mount the turntable spur gear 212 to the turntable base for rotation. -36- 200932554 Because the turntable rotation and turntable lift are controlled by separate independent drives' and each drive is powered by a stepper motor that provides feedback on the motor speed and rotation to the print engine controller, so the printer The machine has a wide range of maintenance procedures to choose from. The turntable motor 326 can be driven in either of two directions and at a variable rate so that the nozzle face can be wiped in either direction, and the wiper blade can be placed against the absorbent pad 152 in both directions. Being cleaned. This can be particularly useful if paper dust and other contaminants pass to the nozzle face and mechanically engage the surface irregularities on the nozzle face. Wiping in the opposite direction often removes such mechanical engagement. It is also useful to reduce the rate of the wiper blade 162 when the wiper blade 162 is in contact with the nozzle face and then increase the rate of the wiper blade as it exits the nozzle face. When the wiper blade and the nozzle face are initially in contact, it does slow down the rate and then increases the rate when wiping. Similarly, the rate at which the wiper blade 1 62 moves through the wiper force 1 54 can be faster than the rate at which the wiper blade moves past the cleaning pad 152. The wiper blade 1 62 can be wiped in both directions and in any of the directions in any number of revolutions. Furthermore, the order in which the maintenance stations are presented to the print head can be easily programmed into the print engine controller and/or left to the user for discretion. The invention is described herein by way of example only. The average worker can easily recognize many changes and modifications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the broad invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a printer fluid engineering system. Figure 2A is a perspective view of the print head cartridge of the present invention mounted on the printer of the printer; Figure 2B shows the print engine without the print head cartridge to expose the inlet and outlet ink couplers; 3 is a perspective view of the complete print head of the present invention; FIG. 4 shows the print head of FIG. 3 with the protective cover removed; FIG. 5 is a partial exploded view of the print head assembly of the print head of FIG. Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the printhead assembly without the inlet or outlet of the tube or cap module; Figure 7 is a perspective view of the print engine taken from line 7-7 of Figure 2A; 8 is a cross-sectional view of the printing engine taken from line 7-7 of Fig. 2A 'showing the maintenance dial pulling the wiper blade through the scraper; Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the maintenance dial pulling the wiper blade over the absorbent pad Figure 10 is a view showing the lift maintenance dial to cover the capper maintenance station with the 歹IJ print head Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the lowering of the maintenance dial to remove the cover of the print head @音1·1, and Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the nozzle M of the wiper wiping head; Figure 13 is a view showing the maintenance dial turned back Its starting position shown in Figure 8 is -38-200932554 cross-sectional view 'where the wiper blade has been pulled through the blade to bounce off the dirt in the tip area; Figure 14 shows the wiper blade has been pulled through the absorption Sectional view of the cleaning pad; ® 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotation of the maintenance dial to present the print head capper to the print head; Figure 16 shows the lift maintenance dial to present the print platen to the print head Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the manner in which the lifter is rotated to seal the printhead integrated circuit; Figure 18 is a perspective view of the isolated maintenance turntable; Figure 19 is another perspective view of the isolated maintenance turntable Figure 20 is an exploded perspective view of the isolated maintenance carousel; Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view through the intermediate point of the length of the carousel; Figure 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment, the maintenance carousel is Figure 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance turntable of the second embodiment, and the print head dispensing station engages the print head; Figure 24 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance turntable of the second embodiment' and The wiper blade engages the print head; Fig. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance turntable of the second embodiment 'and the ink collector is presented to the print head; Fig. 26 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance turntable of the second embodiment' and when - 39- 200932554 When the wiper blade is cleaned on the absorbent pad, the print platen is presented to the print head; Figure 27 is a cross-sectional view of the injection molded core used in the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment; A schematic cross-sectional view of the new portion of the maintenance turntable of the second embodiment is removed from the injection molding die; FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view showing the print plate maintenance station in isolation; FIG. 30 is an isolated display of the print head capper maintenance station Figure 31 is a cross-sectional view showing the wiper blade maintenance station in isolation; Figure 32 is a cross-sectional view showing the print head station in isolation; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the ink suction station in isolation; Three embodiment maintenance turntable Figure 35 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the first embodiment; Figure 36 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the second embodiment; Figure 37 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the third embodiment; Figure 38 is a wipe of the fourth embodiment Figure 39 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the fifth embodiment; Figure 40 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the sixth embodiment; Figure 41 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the seventh embodiment; Figure 43A and 43B are schematic views of a wiper member of a ninth embodiment; Figure 44 is a schematic view of a wiper member of a tenth embodiment; and Figure 45 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the eleventh embodiment; Figure 46 is a schematic view of a wiper member of a twelfth embodiment; -40- 200932554 Figure 47 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the print engine, and no print is provided for the maintenance turntable; Figure 48 is a stand-alone drive for the print engine Figure 49 is an exploded perspective view of the independent drive assembly of Figure 48; and Figure 50 is an enlarged plan view of the left end of the exploded perspective view of Figure 49. © [Main component symbol description] 2 : Print head assembly (print head 匣) 3 : Print engine 4 : Ink tank 6 : Regulator 8 : Upstream ink line 1 〇 : Close valve 12 : Pump 〇 1 6 : Downstream ink line 18: Waste ink tank 20: Liquid crystal polymer module 22: Media substrate (medium feed path) 24: Main channel 26: Pocket 28: Thin channel 3: Print head integrated circuit 33: Point-41 - 200932554 36: Inlet 3 8: Outlet 42: Protective cover 44: Top module (top cover) 46: Entrance coaming 47: Outlet coaming plate 4 8: Inlet manifold Q 5 0: Outlet manifold 52: Inlet nozzle 54: outlet nozzle 56: cover 58: clamping surface 66: die attach film 68: channel module 72: pocket module Q 120: socket (fluid coupler) 122: 孑L 124: embedded Port 126: Latch 1 2 8 : Reinforcement bearing surface 150: Print head maintenance turntable 152: Cleaning pad 1 5 4 : Scraper 156: Tubular drive shaft (lifting structure shaft) -42- 200932554 158: (cam) Lift arm 160: turntable drive shaft (lifting shaft) 162: wiper blade 166: turntable drive shaft (central shaft; tubular base) 168: cam engagement surface Roller 170: (turntable) lift structure 172: (turntable) lift cam @ 174: turntable lift spur gear 176: turntable lift worm gear 178: discharge feed roller (drive shaft) 180: discharge drive pulley 182: Media feed belt 184: Drive pulley sensor 186: Main drive light (shaft) 188: Encoder disc (main drive pulley) Q 190: Medium feed motor 192: Input drive belt 194: Main printed circuit board 196: Pressurized metal housing 1 98 : Print head capper (capped maintenance station) 200 : First turntable rotation sensor 202 : Second turntable rotation sensor 2 04 : Maintenance encoder disc (turntable encoder disc) 206 : Printing platen maintenance station -43- 200932554 208 : Absorbent material 2 1 0 : Porous material 212 : Turntable spur gear 2 1 4 : Wiper blade external base assembly 2 1 8 : Collector / ink absorption External base assembly 2 1 9 : porous material 220 : absorbent ink collector / ink absorber member 0 226 : locking ear 228 : hole 230 : ear lock groove 23 6 : base 236 : injection molding base (turntable base 23 8 : paper guide 240 : bladder (material) 242 : flexible printed circuit board Q 244 : column Printing gap 246: guiding surface 248: central pocket 250: (absorbent) fiber element 252: capillary 2 5 4 : porous material 25 6 : elastomeric skirt 2 5 8 : 接触 contact pad 260 : pedestal - 44 - 200932554 2 62 : Print head 塡 station 2 64 : Flow hole 266 : Wiping station (wiper maintenance station) 268 : (elastomer) wiper blade 270 : Hard plastic base 272 : Print head capper 2 74 : Surrounding seal 0 2 76 : Hard plastic base (maintenance station mounting bracket) 278 : Air breathing apparatus hole (slider) 2 8 0 : Columnar structure 2 8 2 : Center longitudinal axis 284 : Ink collector 286 : face 2 8 8 : central core 290 : blade ❹ 292 : blade 294 : first blade 296 : second blade 298 : elastomer base 300 : blade 302 : blade 3 04 : segmented Blade 3 06 : Blade section 3 0 8 : Blade -45- 200932554 310 : Contact pad 3 1 2 : Pad 3 1 4 : Single blade 3 1 8 : Blade 320 : Fiber pad 322 : Paper discharge guide 324: Turntable Lifting Motor 326: Turntable Rotating Motor 3 28: Stepping Motor Sensor 330: Main Drive Roller 3 3 2: Idler 3 3 4 : Turntable Lifting Rotating Sensor

-46-

Claims (1)

200932554 X. Patent application scope 1 - Print head maintenance equipment for inkjet print heads, the print head. The head maintenance equipment comprises: a core for mounting in an inkjet printer, in relation to The ink jet print head movement 'the core portion has a plurality of maintenance station mounting portions, each portion has an engagement mechanism; and a plurality of maintenance structures for working with the print head, each of the plurality of maintenance structures being mountable to the At least one of the plurality of maintenance station installation locations. 2. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to the scope of the invention, wherein the maintenance structure is selected from the group consisting of: printing pressure plate; 隹 SB · fruit ink, plus Cover; injector; and wiper. 3. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 1, wherein the print head is a page width print head having an array nozzle formed in a nozzle face, the nozzle The face extends over the print width of the media substrate, and the core is of an elongate configuration for mounting in the printer and adjacent to the print head such that its longitudinal extent is parallel to the longitudinal extent of the array nozzle 〇4 The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 3, wherein the core is mounted in the printer so that the core can rotate about its longitudinal axis to Each of the maintenance constructs is presented to the -47-200932554 printhead. 5. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 4, wherein the maintenance mounting portions are surface mounts in the core for accommodating the maintenance structures . 6. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 4, wherein the maintenance mounting portion is provided by a mechanism fixed to a surface of the core. 7. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 6, wherein the mechanisms are elongated extension grooves for slidably receiving the maintenance structures. 8. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of maintenance structures is mountable to any one of the plurality of maintenance station installation locations. 9. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 4, wherein the core is at least partially formed of a porous polymer capable of absorbing ink by capillary action. 10. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 9, wherein the core has at least one hollow recess for accommodating ink. A printing head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 10, wherein the core has a discharge port for discharging the absorbed ink to the core. 12. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 10, wherein the at least one hollow recess contains a fibrous material, and -48-200932554 is used for wicking ink from the maintenance structure. . 1 3 . The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 12, wherein the core has a cylindrical tube of a porous polymer material, the cylindrical tube defining a central recess, The central pocket is filled with a microfiber material. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head as described in claim 13 wherein the cylindrical tube is a compressed polymer particle. Φ 1 5 . The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head according to claim 14 , wherein the compressed polymer particles have a surface treatment such that the porous polymer material is hydrophilic of. 16. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head as described in claim 1 wherein the maintenance apparatus has more than three maintenance configurations. 17. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet print head as described in claim 1 wherein the maintenance apparatus has four maintenance configurations. ❿ -49-