TW200932564A - Printhead maintenance facility with balanced lift mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

A printhead maintenance facility for an inkjet printer having a pagewidth printhead and a media path for feeding sheets of media substrate in a media feed direction wherein the pagewidth printhead has a nozzle face defining an elongate array of nozzles extending the printing width of the media substrate. The printhead maintenance facility has a wiper member extending the length of the nozzle array, a chassis for supporting the wiper member and a maintenance drive for moving the wiper member towards, and away from, the nozzle face, the maintenance drive being configured to apply a moving force to the chassis at a first bearing point proximate one end of the wiper member, and configured to apply an equal moving force to the chassis at a second bearing point proximate the other end of the wiper member. The first bearing point and the second bearing point are equidistant from a longitudinal mid-point of the wiper member.

Description

200932564 IX. Description of the Invention [Technical Fields of the Invention] The present invention relates to the field of printers and in particular to pagewidth inkjet printers. [Prior Art] The applicant has developed a wide range of printers, which are used. The page width print head is not a traditional reciprocating print head design. The page width design increases the print rate because the print head does not have to traverse the page to rewind to deposit a column of images. The page width print head simply deposits ink on the medium because it moves at high speed through the medium. These printheads have been able to perform full color 1 600 dpi printing at a rate of approximately 60 pages per minute, which was previously unachievable with conventional inkjet printers. High print speeds require a large ink flow rate. Not only is the flow rate high, it is much more complicated to dispense ink along the entire length of a single wide print head than to feed a relatively small reciprocating print head. In order to extend the life of the printheads, most inkjet printers incorporate certain types of maintenance facilities. Covering the print head when the print head is not in use is one of the simple ways. Cap the print head so that the ink on the nozzle does not dry out. However, this does not remove paper dust or other contaminants that have adhered to the nozzle face. The most effective way is to wipe the nozzle face with a suitable surface to remove the particles. Wiping the nozzle face of the print head is the most effective way to remove ink or other contaminants from the paper 麈 'ink overflow'. However, the page width print head is difficult to wipe -5- 200932564. Although there is a page width printing mechanism with a nozzle face wiper, it is relatively slow and complicated. The current page width printer has a print head Ic spaced apart in the media feed direction. The pair of wipers clean the rows of the print heads 1C which are spaced apart from each other, so that each of the print heads 1C is individually wiped. The reconditioner moves across the media feed direction. This is to avoid color mixing between the nozzles. The nozzle array of each color extends across the print heads 1C in the direction of the feed direction. Wiping the possibility that the nozzle can be contaminated by ink of different colors. However, since the print head 1C is elongated and extends across the wiper, the wiper must be moved the entire length to clean all of the above, and is actuated for each print head 1C. Separate wipes are complex, take up a considerable amount of space and consume a lot of each wipe. Applicants have developed a printhead maintenance facility that can wipe the page wide printhead in the direction of the media feed direction. It will be appreciated that when the printer is parallel to the feed, only a short movement is required. The distance wipes all nozzle wipes to be completed more quickly. In order to avoid the color of the nozzle, the ink can be ejected immediately after being wiped to an ink collection wiping operation is quickly completed, so that any contaminated ink in the nozzle that is emitted before and in the different colors can only diffuse to the nozzle and In the associated nozzle chamber. The meter is wiped with a single elongated wiper member, but it is not possible for a plurality of ones to be used in a single one, the wiping of the different colors across the medium extending the nozzle row to a minimum. Feed the direction of the nozzle. The mechanism of the wiper is time to complete in a plane parallel to the nozzle. When moving in one direction. Therefore, the mix, the equalizer. Because the ink is discharged for a short period of time, the nozzle face of the page width print head -6-200932564 can be ineffective. An inconsistent contact pressure between the wiping surface and the nozzle face leaves a portion of the nozzle face not being wiped. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a printhead maintenance facility for an inkjet printer having a one-page wide printhead and a medium for feeding a media substrate sheet to a medium a media path in the feed direction, the page wide printhead having a nozzle face defining an elongated array of nozzles extending over the print width of the media substrate, the printhead maintenance facility comprising: a wiper member, Extending the length of the nozzle array; a base for supporting the wiper member; and a maintenance driver for moving the wiper member toward and away from the nozzle face, the maintenance driver being constructed to be adjacent to the a first support point at one end of the wiper member applies a moving force to the base and is configured to apply an equal amount of moving force to the base at a second support point adjacent the other end of the wiper member; The first support point and the second support point are equidistant from an intermediate point of the longitudinal direction of the wiper member. Firmly supporting the wiper member with the base and applying a driving force to the base in a symmetrical manner can significantly reduce the inconsistency in contact pressure between the wiper member and the nozzle face. Preferably, the maintenance drive has a first arm that meshes with the first support point and a second arm that engages the second support point. The maintenance drive also has a first cam and a second cam. The first cam with the first 200932564

An arm is engaged and the first cam is engaged with the second arm, the first and second cams being mounted for rotation on a common axis. In a more preferred form, the maintenance drive has a first actuator for rotating the base about an axis extending across the media feed direction. In a particularly preferred form, the maintenance drive has a second actuator for rotating the common shaft. Both the first actuator and the second actuator are electric motors having encoder discs that provide feedback to a print engine controller within the ink jet printer. Preferably, the wiper member has a plurality of elastic blades extending over the width of the dielectric substrate. Preferably, the elastic blades are arranged in parallel rows, each column extending over the width of the media substrate. In a more preferred form, the wipers in a column of the parallel rows are arranged such that they are not aligned with the wiper positioned in an adjacent column of the parallel columns. In a particularly preferred form, the wiper in each parallel row is spaced apart from the adjacent wiper by a gap that allows for independent movement of adjacent wipers. In some embodiments, the maintenance drive is configured to move the wiper member beyond the printhead in the media feed direction and in a direction opposite the media feed direction. Preferably, the base is a tubular base, and the wiper member is mounted outside the tubular base. In some embodiments, the maintenance facility further includes an ink absorber mounted on the exterior of the tubular base. In a more preferred form, the maintenance facility further includes a capper and a print platen mounted on the exterior of the tubular base. Preferably, the tubular base has a porous material in the central chamber and a bore for establishing fluid communication between the wiper member and the porous material. In the preferred form of the special -8-200932564, the wiper member is a molded elastic member. Preferably, the printhead maintenance facility further includes an absorbent pad that extends over the length of the wiper member such that the maintenance drive moves the wiper member across the absorbent pad after the wiper member wipes the nozzle face . Preferably, the absorbent pad has a cleaning surface that contacts the wiper member, the contact surface being covered by a woven material having a line of less than 2 denier. In a more preferred form, the woven material is a mixture of a polymer and polyamine. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the woven material is microfiber. In some embodiments, the absorbent pad has a foam core. In a more preferred form, the printhead maintenance facility further includes a doctor blade extending across the media feed direction, wherein during use, the maintenance drive moves the wiper member to the nozzle face and then traverses The absorbent pad and the blade then deflect the elastic blade for passage through the blade and when the elastic blade is disengaged from the blade, the elastic blade springs back to its resting shape to throw contaminants Off its surface. [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 peripheral structures (such as housings, paper trays, paper trays, etc.) to make them suitable for printing on printers such as photo printers, network printers, or printers Claim. Applicant revealed in common -9- 200932564

The application in the USSN 1 1 /688863 (our case number RRE 00 1 US) photo printer is an example of an ink jet printer using the fluid engineering system of Figure 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 1W872719 (our case number SBF 009US), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Briefly, the printer fluid engineering system has a printhead assembly 2, and 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 10 for selectively isolating the print head assembly 2 from the pump 12 and/or the ink tank 4. The pump 12 is used to actively dispense or flood the printhead assembly 2. The pump 12 is also used to establish a negative pressure within the ink tank 4. The negative pressure is maintained by the bubble point controller 6 during printing. 〇 Print head assembly 2 is a liquid crystal polymer module 20 that supports a series of

The print head integrated circuit 30; the print head integrated circuit 30 is fixed by a viscous die attach film (not shown). The print head integrated circuit 30 has an array of ink jet nozzles for ejecting ink droplets to the media substrate 22 being passed. The nozzles are microelectromechanical constructions printed at true 1 600 dpi (ie nozzle pitch of 1 600 npi) or greater resolution. The fabrication and construction of a suitable printhead integrated circuit 30 is described in detail in US Ser. No. 1 1/246,687, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The liquid crystal polymer module 20 has a main passage 24 extending between the inlet 36 and the outlet 38 by -10-200932564. The main channel 24 feeds a series of thin channels 28 that extend 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 cut-out 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 high speed page wide printer with a large number of nozzles that emit 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 are electrically connected and fluidly coupled by the socket 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 drive pulley -11 - 200932564. The discharge drive pulley 180 and the main drive pulley 1 88 are synchronized by the medium feed belt 182. The medium feed motor 1 90 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 the primary microprocessor for controlling printer operation. Figure 2B shows the print engine 3 after the print head has been removed to reveal the holes 122 in each of the sockets 120. Each of the apertures 122 houses one of the nozzles 52 on the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold (see Figure 5). As noted above, the ink tank has any position and configuration, but is simply connected to the hollow insertion opening 124 (see Figure 8) at the rear of the socket 120 in the inlet coupler. The insertion port 124 at the rear of the outlet affinity device is connected to the waste ink outlet in the waste ink tank 18 (see Fig. 1). The reinforcing bearing surface 128 is secured to the pressurized metal casing 196 of the printing engine 3. These provide reference points for setting the print head 在 within the print engine. They are also designed 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 of the crucible. The pressure ' of the latch 126 on the 匣 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 the crucible 2, reducing bending and deformation within the crucible. Finally, the helper nozzle is positioned relative to the media feed path. It also protects weak institutions in the -12-200932564 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 web for constructive stiffness and is used to provide a textured gripping surface 58 for manipulation of the weir during insertion and removal. The bottom of the protective cover 42 protects the print head integrated circuit (not shown) and the entire array of contacts prior to installation in the printer. The cover 56 is integrally formed at the bottom and covers the ink inlet and outlet (see Figs. 5 and 5 and 5). 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 print head assembly 2. 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. The shock wave or pressure pulse in the ink is blocked by the air in the compressed air pocket 26 as described above with respect to Figure 1. Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the print head assembly -13- 200932564 without the inlet or outlet manifold or cap module. The main passage 24 for each ink pigment and its associated air pockets 26' are formed in the passage module 68 and the pocket module 7 2, 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 lower side of the channel module 68 passes through the small laser cut-out hole through the film and the print head integrated circuit 3 0 is in fluid communication. Because of the stiffness and thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid crystal polymer, both the through-channel module 68 and the top cover module 72 are molded of a liquid crystal polymer, and the thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid crystal polymer and enthalpy The coefficient of thermal expansion closely matches. It will be appreciated that a relatively long configuration, such as a pagewidth printhead, should minimize any differences in thermal expansion between the tantalum substrate of the printhead integrated circuit 30 and its support configuration. Printhead Maintenance Dial Referring to Figure 7, a cross-sectional perspective view is shown. This profile is through line 7-7 shown by Q of 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 tank 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 3 〇 next to the medium feed path 22 extending through the print engine. The printhead maintenance carousel 15A and its associated drive mechanism are located on opposite sides of the media feed path 22. The mounting printhead maintenance carousel 15 is used to rotate about the tubular drive shaft 156. The printhead maintenance carousel 15 is also configured to move toward and away from the printhead integrated circuit 30. By raising the turn-14-200932564 disk 150 toward the print head integrated circuit 30, various print head maintenance stations on the exterior of the turntable are presented to the print head. 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. A cam (described in detail below) is fixed to the turntable drive shaft 160 for rotation with the shaft 160. The lift arm 158 is biased into engagement with a cam on the turntable lift drive shaft 160 such that the turntable lift motor (described below) can move the turn toward and away from the print head by rotating the shaft 160. The rotation of the maintenance turntable 150 about the tubular shaft 166 is driven independently of the turntable lift. The turntable drive shaft 166 engages the turntable rotary motor (described below) so that it can be rotated regardless of whether it is retracted from the print head or toward the print head. As the turntable is advanced toward the printhead, the wiper blade 162 moves through the media feed path 22 to wipe the printhead integrated circuit 30. When the turntable 150 is withdrawn from the printhead, the turntable 150 is repeatedly rotated such that a wiper blade 162 engages the doctor blade 154 and the cleaning pad 152. This is also discussed in detail below. Referring now to Figure 8, sections 7-7 are shown in plan view to more clearly describe the maintenance dial lift drive. The turntable lift drive shaft 160 is shown rotated such that the lift cam 172 pushes the lift arm 158 downward by the cam engagement surface 168. The lift shaft 160 is driven by a turn-up spur gear 174 which is sequentially driven by the turn-up worm gear 176 -15-200932564. The worm wheel 17 is fixed to the output shaft of the turntable lift motor by a key (described below). As the lift arm 158 pulls the lift structure 170 downward, the maintenance turntable 150 is withdrawn from the print head integrated circuit 30. In this position, when the turntable 50 is rotated, no maintenance station contacts the print head integrated circuit 30. However, the turntable will drive the wiper blade 162 into contact with the doctor blade 154 and the absorbent cleaning pad 152. Doc Doctor blade The blade 1 54 works in conjunction with the cleaning pad 1 52 to extensively clean the wiper blade 162. The cleaning pad 152 wipes the paper dust and the dried ink from the wiping contact surface of the wiper blade 162. However, small ink beads and dirt can form the tip of the blade 162 that does not contact the surface of the cleaning pad 152. In order to remove this ink and dust, the blade 1 54 is mounted in the printing engine 3 to contact the blade 154 after the blade 1 62 wipes the head integrated circuit 30 but before the Q touches the cleaning pad 152. Slice 162. When the wiper blade 162 contacts the blade 154, the wiper blade 162 is flexed into an arc to pass. Because the wiper blade 162 is an elastomeric material, as soon as it is disengaged from the blade 154, it bounces back to its stationary straight shape. Quickly bounces back to its still shape, projecting dust and other contaminants from the wiper blade 162 (especially from the tip). Conventional workers will appreciate that the wiper blade 162 will also flex when it contacts the cleaning pad 152 and will again bounce back to its resting shape once the wiper blade 162 is released from the pad. However, the scraper 1 5 4 is radially mounted -16- 200932564 so that the central shaft 166 of the turntable 150 is relatively close and is farther away from the cleaning pad 152. This configuration makes it more curved when the wiper blade 162 passes, and gives more momentum to the dirt when it bounces back to a stationary shape. Since the cleaning pad 152 contacts the leading blade so that the trailing blade is improperly wiped past the cleaning pad 152, it is not possible to simply move the cleaning pad 152 closer to the carousel shaft 166 to make the wiper blade 162 more curved. The cleaning pad 152 is an absorbent foam which is formed in an arc shape corresponding to the circular path of the wiper blade 162. 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 size of the thread of the woven material should be relatively small, for example less than 2 denier. Microfiber materials with a wire size of about 1 denier work particularly well. The cleaning pad 152 extends the length of the wiper blade 162 and the wiper blade 162 also extends the length of the page width printhead. The page width cleaning pad 152 simultaneously cleans the entire length of the wiper blade, which reduces the time required for each wiping operation. Moreover, the length of the page wide cleaning pad inherently provides a large volume of absorbent material for holding a relatively large amount of ink. Because of the greater ink absorption capacity, it is less necessary to replace the cleaning pad 152 frequently. Capping on the Print Head 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 cams 172 -17- 200932564 are pushed down on the lift arm 158, the maintenance dial 150 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 30. 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 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 Print Head Cover 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 turn arm lift arm 158 downward. The capping maintenance station 1 98 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 printhead, the wiper blade 162 of the wiper member contacts the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. As the turntable 150 continues to rotate, the wiper blade is pulled through the nozzle 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 flexibly flex and bend as they are wiped through the -18-200932564 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 can be understood that the wide flat side surface of the blade has a large contact with the nozzle face, and the dirt is more effectively removed. Wiper Blade Cleaning (Cleaning) Figures 13 and 14 show the wiper blade 162 being cleaned. As shown in FIG. 13, 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 1 62 is pulled past the doctor blade 154, any residual dust and dirt adhering to the blade is removed by the absorbent pad 125. This step is shown in Figure 14. During this process, the print platen maintenance station 206 is just opposite the print head integrated circuit 30. If desired, the turntable can be lifted by rotating the lift cam 172 such 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 1 66 provides fluid communication between the absorbent material 20 8 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. The turntable 150 continues to rotate with a clean wiper blade (see Figure 15) 'until the print platen 206 is again positioned opposite the printhead integrated circuit 30 200932564. Then, as shown in Fig. 16, the turntable faces the print head integrated circuit 30 to prepare for printing. The medium substrate sheet is fed along the medium feed path 22 through the print head integrated circuit 30. In the case of full bleed (to the extreme side of the media sheet), the media substrate can remain away from 206 so that it does not become soiled by excessive ink spray. The absorbing material 208 is understood to be disposed within the recessed portion of the printing platen 206' any oversprayed ink (typically about 1 mm on either side of the paper) _ held away from the surface of the contactable media substrate. At the end of the printing job or when the printer enters the standby mode, the turntable 150 is withdrawn from the printhead integrated circuit 30 during rotation so that the head capping maintenance station 198 is again presented to the print head. As shown in Fig. 17, the lift lever 160 rotates the lift cam 158 such that the lift cam 158 moves the head capping maintenance station into engagement with the lower side of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. Printhead Maintenance Dial Figure 18, 19, 20, and 21 show the isolated maintenance dial. Figure: Shows the wiper blade 1 6 2 and the print platen 2 0 6 perspective. Figure 19 shows a perspective view of the print head capper 198 and the wiper blade 162. @ is an exploded view showing the components of the maintenance carousel. Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view showing the finished component. The maintenance carousel has four printhead maintenance stations: a print platen 206 wiper member 162, and a spreader/ink absorber 220. The maintenance station is mounted to its own external base assembly. The external base assembly is lifted, and the pressure plate is printed side by side, so that it is protected by 'printing', printing seal [8 is the display S 20 full set, rub each installation -20- 200932564 around the turntable tubular shaft 166 And mesh with each other 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 is constructed to securely hold the wiper blade 1 62. Similarly, other external base assemblies are metal extruded articles for securely mounting softer elastomers and/or absorbent porous materials of individual service stations. The outer base assembly for printing platen 2 16 and print head capper 1 98 has a series of identical locking ears 226 along each longitudinal edge. The wiper member outer base assembly 214 and the ink collector/ink extractor outer base assembly 218 have complementary latch-type slots for receiving the locking ears 226. Each of the card slot has an ear access opening 228 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 2 1 8 has a relatively large absorbent ink collector/ink extractor member 220 that also has an arcuate shaft engaging surface 234 formed on its inner face. Similarly, the outer base assembly for the print head capper 1 98 and the common base of each wiper-21 - 200932564 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. Figure 22 shows the liquid crystal polymer module 20 of the print head cartridge 2 adjacent to the printhead maintenance turntable 150, which is presented to the print head 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. -22- 200932564 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. A paper guide 23 8 on the liquid crystal polymer module 20 defines a 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 has been sprayed across the boundary during full-scale 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 nozzle and the medium surface. Some printers within the applicant's scope use this technique to provide a print gap 244 of 毫米. 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 242' mounted to the exterior 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 wrapped in an epoxy material called a bladder. Applicants have developed a variety of techniques for flattening the outline of the leadframe and the beaded -23-200932564 bladder 240 covering the leadframe. This allows the printing gap 244 to be further reduced. The print platen 206 has a recessed or central recess 248 that 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. A recess is formed in this area away from the rest of the platen, ensuring that the media substrate is not soiled by wet, cross-border spray ink. The surface of the central pocket 248 is in fluid communication with the absorbent fibrous element 250. The fibrous element 250 and the porous material 254 in the center of the base 236 are also in fluid communication by the capillary 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. Fig. 2 shows the rotation of the turntable 150, so that the print head scanning station 2 6 2 is presented to the print head integrated circuit 30. Figure 30 shows the isolated printhead station 2 72 and its construction features. The printhead splicing station has an elastomeric skirt 25, which is formed of a porous material around the immersion contact pad 258. The elastomeric skirt is formed with the injection contact pad to form a rigid polymer base 260 that is securely mounted to the exit profile base 236 along with the rigid polymer base 260. When the print head 匣 2 is replaced, it needs to be inked. It is well known that the priming process is wasteful because the ink is usually forced through the nozzle until any bubble has been discharged from the entire print head configuration. A very large amount of ink has been wasted during the removal of air from the plurality of conduits extending through the printhead. To address this problem, the maintenance carousel 150 is raised such that the contact pad 258 covers the nozzles of the printhead integrated circuit 30. When the nozzle array is inflated under pressure, maintaining the contact pad 25 8 against the nozzle 'substantially reduces the amount of ink that is ejected through the -24-200932564 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 256 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 apertures 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 used by the print cylinder 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 236 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 contact pad 25 8 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 is also a co-molded construction having a soft elastomer wiping blade 268 supported on a hard plastic base 2 70. In order to wipe the nozzle face of the -25-200932564 of the print head integrated circuit 30, the turntable base 236 is raised and then rotated, so the wiper blade 268 is wiped over the nozzle face. The turntable base 236 is typically rotated such that the wiper blade 268 is wiped toward the bladder beads. As discussed in the application for the file number RRE0 15 US (incorporated for cross-referencing) in the Applicant's common genus, the contours of the capsular beads can be designed to help the dust and dirt get stuck in the wiper. The face of the piece 268. However, if it is proved that wiping is more efficient in both directions, the maintenance drive (not shown) can be easily constructed to rotate the base 23 in both directions. 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 driver 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 is co-molded with its hard plastic base 276. 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. Figure 26 shows a wiper blade cleaning pad 152 included. As described in the first embodiment above, the cleaning pad 152 is mounted in the printer such that when the maintenance -26-200932564 disk 150 is rotated, the wiper blade 268 moves past the pad by setting the position of the cleaning pad 152. The base 23 circuit 102 is retracted to allow the wiper blade 268 to rotate the chassis 23 6 at a relatively high speed for extensive blade 2 68 without any damage to the printhead integrated circuit 30. The cleaning pad 154 can be wetted with an surfactant to remove dirt from the surface of the blade. Figure 27 shows the injection molding base 236 independently. The two planes extending from the center longitudinal axis 282 are symmetrical. Because, if the base 236 is asymmetrical along the length of the page wide print head, it is deformed when it is cooled and has a symmetrical cross section, so when the base is cooled, it is called. The base 236 has four seats 276 formed on its outer surface, all of which are identical so that they can accommodate any of the 06, 26, 262, 2 72. This becomes an interchangeable module and the maintenance stations can be changed to suit different printers. Furthermore, if modified, its standard bearing ensures that the maintenance station has to enter the existing production line with minimal equipment. The maintenance station is fixed with an adhesive but other methods (such as ultrasonic point welding or mechanical fit. As shown in Figure 28, the mold is provided with four sliders 278 288. Each slider 278 has a columnar configuration 280 1 5 2 surface. The cleaning pad must be touched from the print head, and the wiper is in contact with the cleaning wiper. It is easy to get out of the wiper seat with respect to the symmetry of the injection molding. The maintenance station is installed in various maintenance stations, and the maintenance stations to the print heads can be easily replaced in the sockets, and the central cores form a conduit. -27- 200932564 The conduit connects the fiber core pad to the porous material 219 in the central pocket. The pull lead for each slider is radially outward from the base 236, while the core 288 is longitudinally retracted (it is understood that the core is not a precision cylinder, but a 7E frustoconical 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 maintain the maintenance station extending parallel to the printhead integrated circuit. However, other manufacturing techniques are also possible, such as 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 discharge ink from the porous material 210. Five Maintenance Station Embodiments FIG. 34 shows an embodiment of a printhead maintenance carousel 150 having five Q Different maintenance stations: print platen 2 06, print head wiper 2 6 6 , 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 retention in its plastic base The fiber element 250 is in fluid communication. A five-station maintenance carousel 15 is attached with an ink collector 284 to allow the printer to use the primary ink purge as part of the maintenance system. The four station turntable of Figures 22-25 provides a secondary ink purge or "spitting cycle" using the print platen 206 and/or the capper 272. Printing -28- Ο

200932564 During the work period, after the nozzle face is wiped or when the spit is spit out between the pages, the secondary discharge cycle is used to keep the nozzle of the fruit print head from the removal of the bedding, the serious pigment mixing, the mouth to dry, etc. It may be necessary to have the primary spit out of the ability to exceed the platen or capper. The ink collector 284 has large holes or ribs in its face 286 to hold the fiber core material 250 against the plastic pedestal. The p-element 250 is held very open to the surface of the potential ink-dense 250 against the capillary. 252 to increase the flow of porous material 2 5 4 into the central pocket. The five-seat base 23 6 is injection-molded using six sliders that are 72 degrees to each other at 60 degrees. Similarly, the maintenance dial of the j station is also possible. If the nozzle face has a dry selection, it means that it is still difficult to remove using the wiper alone. A station (not shown) for the ink solvent or other clean flow surface may be required in these idlers. However, this can be incorporated into or attached to the wiper variations. Figures 35 through 46 show a series of 3 wiper print nozzles that the wiper can use to interview paper dust, spill ink, and other contaminants. The average worker will understand the different wiper configurations, most of which are not suitable for use with the handlebar. Functional efficiency (ie cleaning the print head) must be revealed, desired operating life, size and weight constraints, and benefit (inter-page wet. However, such as a large size spray ring - because the - series is maintained.) The fiber element is 丨. The fiber element base 23 6: one slider or the other: there are more than five: the tendency of the ink: when the printer is sprayed to the nozzle to the ink collector. The same structure. Wipe off the ink, or maybe There are countless special scales for production costs. Other considerations are from -29 to 200932564. Single Contact Blade Figure 35 shows a wiper maintenance station 266 with a single elastomer blade 290 mounted in a hard plastic base 270, allowing scraping The sheet extends perpendicular to the media feed direction. A single wiper blade extending along the length of the nozzle array is a simple wipe configuration with low production and assembly costs. In view of this, a single wiper wiper is suitable for the printer and The bottom of the price range. Higher throughput requires efficient manufacturing techniques and easy assembly of the printer components. This must be the life of the unit, or the speed at which the wiper cleans the print head and Efficiency makes some compromises. But the single blade design is pocket-sized, and if the blade does not clean the nozzle surface efficiently in one traverse, the maintenance drive can simply repeat the wipe until the print head is clean. Contact Blade Figures 36, 43A, 43B, and 46 show a wiper maintenance station 266 having a plurality of parallel blades. In Figure 36, two identical parallel blades 292 extend perpendicular to the media feed direction. The sheets 292 are separately mounted to the hard plastic base 270 for independent operation. In Figure 46, the blades are not identical. The first and second blades (294 and 296, respectively) have different widths (or different) Cross-sectional profile) and hardness meter (hardness and viscoelasticity). Each blade can be optimized to remove a particular type of dirt. However, each blade is separately mounted in a hard plastic base 2 70, For operation independently. In contrast, the plurality of wiper elements of Figures 43 A and 43B have smaller and shorter wipers -30-200932564 300, all of which are mounted with a common elastomeric base 298, the elastomer The base 29 8 is fixed to the hard plastic base 2 7 0. This is a generally more compliant configuration that has a relatively large surface area in each wipe that contacts the nozzle face. However, the thinner and softer blade has a faster rate of wear and tear on the stronger and stronger blade. The parallel wiper wipes the nozzle face, so the single crossover of the wiper member will collect more dust and dirt. Although the design of the multiple wiper is less compact than the single wiper, each wipe is faster and more Efficiency. Therefore, during the printing work, the print head can be wiped between pages; and the initial maintenance items performed before the print job are completed in a short time. Single skew blade Figure 37 shows the installation with The wiper maintenance station 270 of the single wiper blade 302 of the hard plastic base 270 causes the wiper blade 302 to be skewed relative 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 wipe configuration with low production and assembly costs. Further, by mounting the blade to be skewed in the wiping direction, the nozzle face is only in contact with one section of the blade at any time during the traverse of the wiper member. Since only one section contacts the nozzle face, the wiper does not become smashed or curled 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 precisely align the wiper so that it is completely parallel to the nozzle face. This allows for loose manufacturing tolerances so that larger quantities of low cost production techniques can be used. This must be done to increase the distance that the wiper member must travel to clean the print head and make some compromises. Increasing this distance and therefore the time required for each wiping operation reduces manufacturing costs more than these potential drawbacks. Separate Contact Blade Figure 38 shows a wiper maintenance station 266 having a wiper blade 304 mounted in the hard plastic base 270. Each individual wiper 306 constitutes a complete wiper blade 304 mounted within the hard plastic base 270 that moves independently of each other. The individual wipers 3 in each of the wipers 3 04 are arranged to be out of alignment with each other with respect to the wiping direction. The nozzle that is located in the gap between the two blade segments 306 in this manner without being wiped by the first blade is wiped by the blade segment 306 in the second blade 304, wiping the page width with a single long blade. The nozzle face of the printhead will have inconsistent contact pressure between the sheet and the nozzle face, causing some sections of the blade to bend or curl. There is no contact between the contact pressure in these sections or between the wiper and the nozzle face. A wiper blade that is divided into segments can solve this problem. Each segment can move adjacent to the segment, so any inconsistency in contact forces will not bend or curl the other segments of the segment. In this way, the contact pressure is on the nozzle face and the nozzle face is clean. Nozzle Face Wiper with Multiple Skew Blades In Figure 39, the wiper maintenance station 26 6 has a series of individual wipers 308 mounted within the mount 270 such that the wipers are swiped. Each of the blades 308 is disposed such that each blade (relative to the wipe. However, the segmented segment, for the segment) is wiped at a rate of 30,000. The length of the blade is less than that of the blade. The lateral extent (χ) of the base oblique to the wiping direction -32- 200932564 has some overlap (Ζ) with the lateral extent (γ) of its adjacent blade. 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 loose manufacturing tolerances so that larger quantities of low cost production techniques 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 this, the present invention uses a series of adjacent skewed blades, each of which wipes a corresponding portion of the array of nozzles. 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. 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 can result in insufficient or no contact pressure in certain areas. Using a wiping surface that has been divided into individual contact pads of array 310, -33-200932564 allows each pad to move relative to the adjacent pad, so that inconsistent contact forces 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 Figure 41, a single wiper blade 314 is mounted into the hard plastic base 270 such that the wiper follows the sinusoidal path. As previously mentioned, wiping the nozzle face of a page wide print head with a single long contact surface would be inefficient. Inconsistent contact pressure between the wiping surface and the nozzle face can result in insufficient or no contact pressure in certain areas. One of the reasons for the change in contact pressure is the inaccurate movement of the wiper surface relative to the nozzle face. If the support structure for the wiping surface is not completely parallel to the nozzle face throughout the length of the wiping operation, the area of low contact pressure may not be properly cleaned. As explained in the explanation of the skewed mounting blade, the above problem can be avoided by setting the position of the wiper blade to be inclined with respect to the feeding wiping direction and the head of the printing head. In this way, only a portion of the wiper blade contacts the nozzle face at any time during the wiping operation. In addition, the small angle between the wiper and the wiping direction improves the cleaning and efficiency of the wipe. When the wiper moves obliquely over the nozzle face, there is more contact between the wiper and the nozzle face for better dirt removal. This improves any problems caused by inconsistent contact pressures, but in each wiping operation, the wiper blade is required to travel a longer stroke. As noted above, inaccurate movement of the wiper surface relative to the nozzle face is a source of insufficient contact pressure. Increase -34- 200932564 The length of the wiper stroke is not conducive to pocket design. Using a wiper blade having a zigzag or sinusoidal shape, the nozzle face is wiped with a plurality of wiper segments that are inclined in the direction of the media feed. This configuration also allows the stroke length of the wiper member relative to the printhead to be small enough to remain accurate and compact. Single Wiper with Non-Linear Contact Surface Figure 42 shows a wiping 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 needs to travel longer. 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 318 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 initial contact with the nozzle face. Points provide extra support. -35- 200932564 Fiber Mat Figure 45 shows a printhead wiper maintenance station 266 having a mounting to a hard plastic base 270. The fiber mat 320 is particularly effective for use. The pad presents a plurality of points in contact with the nozzle face, mechanically engaging the solid dirt, and sucking, for example, ink dirt by capillary action. However, once the fiber mat has cleaned the nozzle face, the fiber mat removes dirt. After many wiping operations, there is a lot of dirt and the nozzle face is no longer effectively cleaned. However, printers with short operating life or fiber mats that allow replacement of the wiper provide the most efficient wiper. Combined Wiper Maintenance Station It will be appreciated that the design of the print head with the above-described wiping construction will be most efficiently cleaned. For example, a single wiper blade, or a series of parallels with fiber mats in between, select a particular wiper assembly wiper maintenance station based on individual advantages and strengths. Printhead Maintenance Facility Drive System Figures 47 through 50 show the media feed drive and drive in more detail. Figure 4 8 shows the printhead maintenance carousel 1 5 0 independently. The maintenance dial 150 is shown with a wiper blade 162 (not shown). The perspective view shown in Fig. 48 shows that the paper row of the fiber mat 320 wipes the surface of the nozzle to obtain the fiber water overflowing flow, and it is difficult to fill the fiber mat from the fiber mat. Series scraper. By means, it can be inferred that the print head maintenance and drive system presentation to the print guides 322 - 36 - 200932564 leads to the discharge drive roller 178. Another main drive roller shaft 186 on the wiper blade 162 extends from the main drive roller pulley 330. The wheel is driven by a main drive roller belt 192 which is fed to the motor 190. The medium feed drive belt 182 synchronizes the rotation of the main drive roller discharge roller 178. The exploded perspective view of Figure 49 shows the individual components in more detail. This perspective map best illustrates the balanced turntable lift mechanism. The turntable shaft 160 extends between two identical turntable lift cams. One end of the lifting shaft 160 is fixed to the turntable lifting spur gear 174. The wheel 174 engages the worm gear 176. The turntable lifting motor 324 drives the worm wheel rotating lift sensor 334 to provide feedback to the printing engine control. The angular displacement of the cam 172 determines the displacement of the turntable from the column. The turntable lift cam 172 contacts the turntable lift arm 158 by a cam engagement roller 168 (it is appreciated that the cam engagement roll can be a low profile surface such as high density polyethylene (HDPE)). Since the 172 is the same and is also mounted to the turntable lift shaft 160, the displacement of the lift arm 158 is also the same. Figure 47 is a view taken from line 7 of Figure 2A and with the removal of the print head 匣 2 and the print head maintenance carousel 150. A clear view of the turntable lift arm 158 for the turntable lift spur gear 174, its adjacent lift cam 172. Because the midpoints of the lift arms 158 150 are equidistant, the turn drive is fully balanced and symmetrical when the turntable is raised and lowered. This is used to maintain the length direction of the various types of print heads in the print head integrated circuit. On the side, this belt is combined with the medium 186 and especially the lift drive. Orthodontic 176. (The unfinished individual friction material of each cam turntable -7 section of this figure and the corresponding and turntable lifting station flat-37- 200932564 turntable rotary drive best map solution in Figure 50 enlarged partial decomposition perspective The turntable rotary motor 326 is mounted to the side of the turntable lift configuration 170. The stepper motor sensor 328 provides feedback to the print engine controller (PEC) regarding the rate and rotation of the motor 326. The turntable rotary motor 326 drives the idler 332, the idler gear 332 drives a reduction gear (not shown) on the shielding side of the turntable lift configuration 170. The reduction gear engages the turntable spur gear 212 to keyly mount the turntable spur gear 212 to the turntable base for rotation. And the turntable lift is 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 has a wide range of maintenance procedures Alternatively, the motor can be rotated in either of two directions and at a variable rate to rotate the motor 326^ so that the nozzle face can be wiped in either direction, And the wiper blade can be cleaned against the absorbent pad 152 in both directions. This can be particularly useful if paper dust and other contaminants are transmitted to the nozzle face and surface irregularities on the nozzle face. Engagement in the opposite direction often eliminates such mechanical engagement. When the wiper blade 162 is in contact with the nozzle face, the rate of the wiper blade 162 is lowered, and then when the wiper is out of the nozzle face It is also useful to increase the rate. When the wiper blade and the nozzle face are initially in contact, the rate can be slowed down, and then the rate is increased when wiping. Similarly, the wiper blade 162 is moved through the blade 154 at a rate comparable to that of the wiper blade 154. The speed at which the wiper moves past the cleaning pad 152 is faster. The wiper blade 162 can be wiped in both directions and in any direction in any number of revolutions. Again, the order of each maintenance station to the print head is It can be easily programmed in the print engine controller and/or left to the user for discretion. The invention will be described by way of example only. The average worker can easily recognize Many variations and modifications of the spirit and scope of the invention are described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0009] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 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 installed, To expose the inlet and outlet ink couplers; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the complete print head cartridge of the present invention; Figure 4 shows the print head cartridge of Figure 3 with the protective cover removed; Figure 5 is the print head of Figure 3. A partially exploded perspective view of the printhead assembly of the cartridge; 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 taken from line 7-7 of Figure 2A. Print engine cross-sectional perspective view; Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the print engine taken from line 7-7 of Figure 2A. The display Tpc maintenance dial pulls the wiper blade through the scraper; Figure 9 shows the maintenance dial pulling the wiper scraper Cutaway view of the sheet after passing through the absorbent pad; -39- 200932564 Is a cross-sectional view showing the lift maintenance dial so that the capper maintenance station covers the print head; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the cover lowering the maintenance dial to remove the print head, and FIG. 12 shows the wiper wiper print A cross-sectional view of the nozzle face of the head; Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the maintenance dial turned back to its starting position shown in Figure 8, wherein the wiper blade has been pulled through the blade to bounce off the dirt in the tip region; Is a cross-sectional view showing that the wiper blade has been pulled through the absorbent cleaning pad; Figure 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 is a view showing the lift maintenance dial 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 Figure 20 is an exploded perspective view of the isolated maintenance dial; Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view through the intermediate point of the length of the turntable; Figure 22 is a second embodiment of the present invention; dimension Schematic cross-sectional view of the care carousel, the maintenance carousel presents the printing platen to the print head; -40- 200932564 Figure 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment, and the print head injection station engages the print head; Is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment, and the wiper blade engages the print head; FIG. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment, and the ink collector is presented to the print head; A schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment, and when the wiper blade is cleaned on the absorbent pad, the printing platen is presented to the print head; and Figure 27 is an injection molding used in the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment. Figure 28 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the injection molding die removed from the new portion of the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment; Figure 29 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing plate maintenance station in isolation; Figure 30 is an isolated display Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the wiper blade maintenance station in isolation; Figure 32 is a cross-sectional view showing the print head of the printhead in isolation; Figure 3 is a view showing the suction in isolation Ink station Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance dial of the third embodiment; 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 wipe of the third embodiment Figure 38 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the fourth embodiment; Figure 39 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the fifth embodiment; -41 - 200932564 Figure 40 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the sixth embodiment; 4 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the eighth embodiment; FIGS. 43A and 43B are schematic views of the wiper member of the ninth embodiment; and 44 is the wiper member of the tenth embodiment Figure 45 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the eleventh embodiment; Figure 46 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the twelfth embodiment; Figure 47 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the print engine, and there is no print for the maintenance turntable _48 is a perspective view showing the independent drive assembly used by the print engine; Fig. 49 is an exploded perspective view of the independent drive assembly shown in Fig. 48; and Fig. 5 is the decomposition shown in Fig. 49 An enlarged view of the left end of the view. [&Required Symbol Description] ^ 2 : Print head assembly (printing head) 3 : Print engine 4 : Ink tank 6 : Regulator 8 : Upstream ink line 10 : Close valve 12 : Chest 1 6 : Downstream ink line 18: Waste ink tank-42- 200932564 20: Liquid crystal polymer module 22: Media substrate (medium feed path 24: main channel 26: pocket 28: fine channel 3 0: print head integrated circuit 3 3 : Contact

36: inlet 3 8 : outlet 42 : protective cover 44 : top module (top cover ) 46 : inlet shroud 47 : outlet shroud 4 8 : inlet manifold 50 : outlet manifold 52 : inlet nozzle 54 : outlet nozzle 56 : cover 58 : clamping surface 66 : die attach film 68 '·channel module 72 : pocket module 120 : socket (fluid coupler) 122 : hole -43 200932564 124 : insertion port 126 : latch 1 2 8 : Reinforced bearing surface 1 50 : Print head maintenance turntable 152 : Cleaning pad 154 : Scraper 156 : Tubular drive shaft (lifting structure shaft)

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) lifting structure 172: (turntable) lifting cam 174: turntable lifting spur gear 176: turntable lifting worm wheel 178: discharge feed roller (drive shaft) 180: discharge drive pulley 182: medium feed belt 184 : Drive pulley sensor 186 : Main drive roller (shaft) 188: Encoder disc (main drive pulley) 190 : Media feed motor 192 : Input drive belt -44- 200932564 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 (rotary encoder disc) 206 :Printing platen maintenance station

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 extractor external base assembly 2 1 9 : Porous material 220: Absorbed Ink Collector/Ink Absorber Member 226: Locking Ear 22 8 : Hole 23 0 : Ear Locking Groove 236 : Base 236 : Injection Molding Base (Carousel Base) 23 8 : Paper Guide 240 : Capsule ( Material) 242: Flexible printed circuit board 244: printing gap 246: guiding surface -45- 200932564 248: central recess 250: (absorbent) fiber element 252: capillary 254: porous material 25 6 : elastomer skirt 2 5 8 : Injecting contact pad 260 : Base 262 : Print head 塡 station 264 : Flow hole 266 : Wiping station (wiper maintenance station) 268 : (elastomer) wiper blade 270 : Hard plastic base 272 : Print head capper 274: Surrounding seal 276: Hard plastic base (maintenance station mounting bracket) 278: Air respirator hole (slider) 28 0 : Columnar structure 2 8 2 : Center longitudinal axis 284: Set Ink 286: face 2 8 8 : central core 290 : blade 292 : blade 294 : first blade - 46 - 200932564 296 : second blade 2 9 8: Elastomer base 300: blade 3 0 2 : blade 3 〇 4 : segmented blade 3 0 6 : blade section 3 0 8 : blade 310 : contact pad 312 : pad 3 1 4 : Single blade 3 1 8 : blade 320 : fiber pad 322 324 326 328 330 332 334 crepe paper discharge guide turntable lift motor turntable rotary motor stepper motor sensor main drive roller pulley idler turntable lift rotation sensing -47

Claims (1)

200932564 X. Patent Application Scope 1. A printhead maintenance facility for an inkjet printer having a one-page wide printhead and a medium for feeding a media substrate sheet to a media feed a media path in the direction, the page wide printhead having a nozzle face defining an elongated array of nozzles extending over the print width of the media substrate, the printhead maintenance facility comprising: a wiper member Extending over the length of the array of nozzles; a base for supporting the wiper member; and a maintenance drive 'for moving the wiper member toward and away from the nozzle face'. The maintenance drive is constructed to be adjacent to the wipe a first support point at one end of the member applies a moving force to the base and is configured to apply an equal amount of moving force to the base at a second support point adjacent the other end of the wiper member; wherein The first support point and the second support point are equidistant from the intermediate point of the longitudinal direction of the wiper member. 2. The printhead maintenance facility of claim 1, wherein the maintenance drive has a first arm that engages the first support point and a second arm that engages the second support point, The maintenance drive also has a first cam and a second cam 'the first cam is engaged with the first arm and the second cam is engaged with the second arm'. The first and second cams are mounted to be common Rotate on the shaft. 3. The print head maintenance facility of claim 2, wherein the maintenance drive has a first actuator for rotating the base about an axis extending across the media feed direction. - 48- 200932564 4. The print head maintenance facility of claim 3, wherein the maintenance drive has a second actuator for rotating the common shaft such that the first actuator and the second actuator are Operate independently. 5. The print head maintenance facility of claim 4, wherein the first actuator and the second actuator are both electric motors having encoder discs that provide feedback To a print engine controller in the inkjet printer. 6. The print head maintenance facility of claim 1, wherein the wiper member has a plurality of elastic blades extending over the width of the media substrate. 7. The printhead maintenance facility of claim 6, wherein the elastic blades are arranged in parallel rows, each column extending over the width of the media substrate. 8. The printhead maintenance facility of claim 7, wherein the wipers in one of the parallel rows are arranged such that they are not aligned with the wiper positioned in an adjacent column of the parallel rows. . 9. The printhead maintenance facility of claim 8 wherein the wiper in each of the parallel rows is spaced from the adjacent wiper by a gap which permits independent movement of adjacent wipers. 10. The print head maintenance facility of claim 3, wherein the maintenance drive is configured to move the wiper member over the column in the media feed direction and in a direction opposite the media feed direction Print head 11 • A print head maintenance facility as claimed in claim 1 wherein -49-200932564 the base is a tubular base on which the wiper member is mounted. 1 2 The print head maintenance facility of claim 1 further comprising an ink absorber, a capper and a print platen mounted on the exterior of the tubular base. 1 3 . The printhead maintenance facility of claim 12, wherein the tubular base has a porous material in the central cavity and a hole for establishing fluid communication between the wiper member and the porous material. 14. The print head maintenance facility of claim 1, wherein the wiper member is a molded elastic member. 15. The printhead maintenance facility of claim 1, further comprising an absorbent pad extending over the length of the wiper member such that the maintenance drive wipes the wiper member after the wiper face is wiped The member moves across the absorbent pad. 1 . The printhead maintenance facility of claim 1, wherein the absorbent pad has a cleaning surface that contacts the wiper member, the contact surface being covered by a woven material having less than 2 Denier's stock. 1 7 • The print head maintenance facility of claim 16 of the patent application wherein the woven material is a mixture of polyester and polyamide. 18. The printing head maintenance facility of claim 17, wherein the woven material is microfiber. 19. The printhead maintenance facility of claim 1 of the patent scope further comprising a scraper extending across the media feed direction wherein the -50-200932564 During use, the dimension 5 drive moves the wiper member to the nozzle and then traverses the absorbent pad and then passes the doctor blade to deflect the elastic blade to pass the blade and when the elastic blade is When the scraper is disengaged, the elastic blade will spring back to its still shape to throw contaminants away from its surface.