Printing nozzle cleaning device and digital printer

Abstract

The printing nozzle cleaning device comprises a cleaning seat, an ultrasonic vibrator and a groove body, the cleaning seat comprises an upper end face, the upper end face is provided with a cleaning groove, the cleaning groove is provided with a water supply piece, the water supply piece is used for supplying water into the cleaning groove, and the ultrasonic vibrator is arranged in the cleaning groove. The ultrasonic vibrator is arranged on the cleaning seat and is used for generating vibration to water in the cleaning tank; the groove body is located on the lower portion of the cleaning base, an opening is formed in the upper portion of the groove body, and the projection of the cleaning base in the vertical direction is located in the opening of the groove body. According to the utility model, ultrasonic separation is adopted, and overflow and injection of washing water are combined, so that nozzle blockage and needle deflection of the spray head can be effectively reduced; the service life of the nozzle is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of digital printing equipment, and more specifically, to a printing nozzle cleaning device, and also to a digital printer with the cleaning device. Background Art

[0002] In digital printers, the print head (also called print head) is one of the most critical and core components. The print head is responsible for accurately and orderly ejecting printing media such as ink or toner onto paper or other printing media to form images or text.

[0003] However, the print head is also a relatively fragile component, and is particularly prone to clogging. Particle impurities in the printing ink and dust impurities in the external environment can easily enter the inkjet holes, causing complete or partial clogging, which will affect the printing effect of the print head and its normal service life.

[0004] In a digital printer, there are usually multiple print heads arranged in a straight line or array. After a period of use, the print heads will become clogged or blocked to a certain extent and need to be cleaned to ensure that they can work properly.

[0005] During the cleaning process, the corresponding print nozzles usually need to be disassembled, and then the nozzles are cleaned and unblocked by ultrasonic cleaning, which also involves subsequent installation and position correction, and the operation is very cumbersome. In some cleaning operations, the ultrasonic cleaning equipment is also manually moved directly to the bottom of the nozzle, and the bottom plate of the nozzle is immersed in the washing water in the washing container, and then the nozzle is cleaned by ultrasonic waves. The actual operation is also very troublesome, and once the nozzle is immersed too deeply in the washing water, it may cause damage to the nozzle.

[0006] Therefore, a new solution needs to be proposed to solve this problem. Utility Model Content

[0007] The purpose of the utility model is to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art and provide a printing nozzle cleaning device, which can realize the cleaning of the nozzle of a digital printer.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical scheme: a printing nozzle cleaning device, including a cleaning seat, an ultrasonic vibrator and a trough body, the cleaning seat including an upper end surface, the upper end surface is provided with a cleaning trough, the cleaning trough is provided with a water supply part, the water supply part is used to supply water into the cleaning trough, the ultrasonic vibrator is arranged on the cleaning seat, and is used to vibrate the water in the cleaning trough; the trough body is located at the lower part of the cleaning seat, the upper part of the trough body is provided with an opening, and the projection of the cleaning seat in the vertical direction is located in the opening of the trough body.

[0009] The utility model is further configured that the cleaning seat is located at the lower part of the printing nozzle, the printing nozzle comprises a downwardly facing nozzle bottom plate, and the nozzle bottom plate is provided with a plurality of inkjet holes; the cleaning tank can be located at the lower part of the nozzle bottom plate.

[0010] The utility model is further configured such that the upper end surface of the cleaning seat is horizontal, and a gap is formed between the upper end surface and the bottom plate of the nozzle; the height of the gap is 1-2 mm.

[0011] The utility model is further configured such that the water supply member is tubular, a plurality of water spray holes are opened on the outer circumference of the water supply member, the water spray holes are used to spray water outward, and the water spray holes are distributed along the length direction of the water supply member.

[0012] The utility model is further configured such that the axis of the water supply component is arranged in a horizontal direction, and the water supply component can be rotated and adjusted along the axis direction.

[0013] The utility model is further configured that a drainage channel is provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank, and the drainage channel is communicated with the cleaning tank and is used for draining water into the tank body.

[0014] The utility model is further configured that the inner bottom of the cleaning tank has a tank bottom surface, and the ultrasonic vibrator is located at the back side of the tank bottom surface.

[0015] The utility model is further configured as follows: the cleaning seat includes an upper seat body, a lower seat body and a cover plate, the upper seat body includes a cavity one, the cavity one is open up and down, the lower seat body is fixedly connected to the lower part of the upper seat body, and the cover plate is fixed to the bottom of the cavity one by pressing the lower seat body; the cover plate closes the bottom of the cavity one to form the cleaning tank; the lower seat body is provided with a cavity two, and the cavity two is used to accommodate the ultrasonic vibrator; the bottom of the upper seat body is provided with a drainage groove, and the drainage groove is connected to the bottom of the cleaning tank for draining water in the cleaning tank; the upper seat body corresponds to the outer periphery of the cavity one, and is provided with a through hole one that passes through from top to bottom, and the lower seat body corresponds to the outer periphery of the cavity two, and is provided with a through hole two that passes through from top to bottom, and the through hole one is opposite to the through hole two up and down and is connected to the drainage groove.

[0016] The utility model also provides a digital printer including a printer head and a cleaning device as described above, wherein the printer head includes at least one group of print nozzles, and each print nozzle is arranged along a straight line; the cleaning device is guided by a track slide and can slide along the arrangement direction of the print nozzles.

[0017] The utility model is further configured that the printing nozzles are provided with two groups, and the two groups of printing nozzles are distributed in parallel; the cleaning device is provided with two cleaning slots, which correspond to the two groups of printing nozzles respectively.

[0018] In summary, the utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] The nozzle can be cleaned by using ultrasonic vibration, which can effectively reduce nozzle blockage and needle deflection and extend the service life of the nozzle.

[0020] The print head cleaning device adopts a mobile structure and can pass under each print head in turn, so that one cleaning device can continuously clean multiple print heads. There is a certain gap between the cleaning seat and the print head bottom plate to ensure that the cleaning device can move smoothly without lifting and will not cause position interference with the print heads.

[0021] By adopting the overflow method, the printing washing water can overflow from the cleaning tank. Due to the tension of the water, the liquid level in the cleaning tank will be slightly higher than the upper end surface of the cleaning seat, so that the washing water can infiltrate the bottom plate of the nozzle, thereby achieving the cleaning of the inkjet hole; and, by adopting the water supply part, a jet of water can be generated, forming an upward surging water flow on the surface of the washing liquid, so that the washing water can more fully contact the inkjet hole of the printing nozzle, thereby improving the washing effect.

[0022] There is a drainage channel at the bottom of the cleaning tank, and the water in the cleaning tank can drain naturally. When the cleaning device completes the cleaning of one print head and moves to the next print head, the washing water in the cleaning tank can be discharged from the drainage channel. When each print head is washed, the washing water in the washing tank is re-input by the water supply component to ensure that clean water is used for cleaning each time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a printing nozzle cleaning device in this embodiment;

[0024] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the structure of the cleaning seat and the tank body in this embodiment;

[0025] Figure 3 is an exploded view of this embodiment;

[0026] Figure 4 is a top view of this embodiment;

[0027] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of this embodiment;

[0028] Figure 6 It is an exploded view of the cross-section state of this embodiment;

[0029] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the print head cleaning device and the print head in this embodiment.

[0030] Figure numerals: 1. cleaning seat; 11. cleaning tank; 12. upper end surface; 13. tank bottom; 14. chamfer; 2. tank body; 21. drainage hole; 3. ultrasonic vibrator; 4. upper seat body; 401. cavity one; 402. mounting hole; 403. drainage groove; 404. through hole one; 405. guide groove; 5. lower seat body; 501. cavity two; 502. stepped groove; 503. through hole two; 6. cover plate; 7. water supply part; 71. water spray hole; 8. support block; 9. printer head; 91. print nozzle; 92. nozzle base plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0032] The present embodiment discloses a printing nozzle cleaning device, including a cleaning seat 1, an ultrasonic vibrator 3 and a tank body 2. The cleaning seat 1 includes an upper end surface 12, and a cleaning tank 11 is opened at the upper end surface 12. The cleaning tank 11 is open at the top and closed at the bottom. The cleaning tank 11 can store washing water for washing the printing nozzle 91; the cleaning tank 11 is provided with a water supply part 7, and a water spray hole 71 is opened on the outside of the water supply part 7. An external water pipe is processed and connected to the water supply part 7, so that water can be sprayed outward at the water spray hole 71, and washing water can be supplied to the cleaning tank 11.

[0033] When the ultrasonic vibrator 3 is powered on, it can generate ultrasonic vibrations, which can be transmitted to the washing tank 11, so that the washing water in the washing tank 11 can vibrate. The ultrasonic vibrator 3 is installed on the washing seat 1, and the washing tank 11 has a tank bottom 13. Generally, the ultrasonic vibrator 3 can be installed at the bottom back position of the washing tank 11, and is closely attached to the back of the tank bottom 13, so that the vibration generated by the ultrasonic vibrator 3 can be more efficiently transmitted to the washing tank.

[0034] A tank body 2 is disposed at the lower part of the cleaning seat 1, and an opening is disposed at the upper part of the tank body 2, and the outline of the opening of the tank body 2 is larger than the outline of the cleaning seat 1. The projection of the cleaning seat 1 in the vertical direction is located in the opening of the tank body 2, so that the tank body 2 can receive the washing water overflowing from the cleaning tank 11. A drainage hole 21 is provided at the bottom of the tank body 2, and after the tank body 2 receives the overflowing water of the cleaning tank 11, the overflowing water can be discharged from the drainage hole 21.

[0035] The print head 91 includes a print head bottom plate 92, which is arranged downward and has a plurality of inkjet holes, from which water ink is sprayed downward to achieve inkjet printing. After the print head 91 has been used for a period of time, its print head bottom plate 92 is easily contaminated and the inkjet holes are easily clogged, causing the print head 91 to fail to work properly, and the print head 91 needs to be cleaned.

[0036] The cleaning device in this embodiment is located at the lower part of the print head 91 during the cleaning operation. The cleaning seat 1 is located at the lower side of the print head bottom plate 92 of the print head 91, and the upper end surface 12 of the cleaning seat 1 is almost horizontal, and a gap is formed between the upper end surface 12 and the print head bottom plate 92; the height of the gap is about 1-2 mm.

[0037] During the cleaning operation, the cleaning tank 11 is roughly opposite to the lower part of the print nozzle 91, and the water supply part 7 can supply washing water into the cleaning tank 11, and the liquid level of the washing water gradually rises until the washing water overflows from the upper part of the cleaning tank 11. During the overflow of the washing water, due to the tension of the water, the liquid level in the cleaning tank 11 will be slightly higher than the upper end surface 12 of the cleaning seat 1, so that the washing water can contact the nozzle base plate 92 of the print nozzle 91, infiltrate the inkjet hole of the print nozzle 91, and clean the nozzle base plate 92 and the inkjet hole of the print nozzle 91. The ultrasonic vibrator 3 generates ultrasonic vibrations, which drive the washing water to vibrate, and the vibrations can be transmitted to the inkjet hole of the print nozzle 91, so that cleaning can be achieved more efficiently.

[0038] The water supply member 7 is a tubular structure, and a plurality of water spray holes 71 are provided on the outer periphery of the water supply member 7, and each of the water spray holes 71 is distributed along the length direction of the water supply member 7, and the water spray holes 71 can spray water outward. By supplying water to spray water into the cleaning tank 11, the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 11 can be driven to shake, and then the top of the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid can be fluctuated, and an upward water flow is formed on the surface of the cleaning liquid, so that the cleaning water can more fully contact the inkjet hole of the print nozzle 91, and thus the cleaning effect can be improved.

[0039] The axis of the water supply component 7 is arranged horizontally, and the water supply component 7 can be rotated and adjusted along the axis direction. By rotating and adjusting the water supply component 7, the direction of the water spray hole 71 of the water supply component 7 can be adjusted, so that it can be more suitable for cleaning the inkjet hole of the printing nozzle 91.

[0040] Mounting holes 402 are provided on the side walls of the washing tank 11, and the mounting holes 402 on one side are connected. The water supply component 7 extends from the mounting hole 402 on one side into the washing tank, and is inserted into the mounting hole 402 on the other side to achieve the installation of the water supply component 7, and is sealed by a sealing component at the connection between the mounting hole 402 and the water supply component 7. The outer periphery of the water supply component 7 is roughly circular, and the water outlet angle of the water spray hole 71 of the water supply component 7 can be adjusted by rotating. The water spray hole 71 of the water supply component 7 can be adjusted to tilt upward, and can spray directly toward the nozzle base plate 92 of the nozzle, which can form a certain impact, which is conducive to the contact and cleaning of the cleaning water with the nozzle.

[0041] In addition, in order to facilitate the discharge of washing water in the washing tank 11, water accumulation in the washing tank is avoided when not washing. A drainage channel is provided at the bottom of the washing tank 11, and the drainage channel is connected to the washing tank 11, and can drain water into the tank body 2. A control valve can be installed at the drainage channel, so as to facilitate the on-off control of the drainage channel. Alternatively, a normally open structure can be adopted. During washing, the flow rate of washing water supplied by the water supply part 7 to the washing tank is greater than the flow rate discharged by the drainage channel, which can also meet the washing work normally.

[0042] In this embodiment, the cleaning seat 1 is mainly composed of three parts, including an upper seat body 4, a lower seat body 5 and a cover plate 6, wherein the upper seat body 4 and the lower seat body 5 are arranged up and down and are fixedly connected to each other. The bottom of the lower seat body 5 is supported by a support block 8, and the support block 8 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lower seat body 5 and the inside of the tank body 2, so that the lower seat body 5 can be supported at a certain height, and a groove for the absorption water to flow is formed at the bottom.

[0043] The upper surface of the upper seat body 4 is the upper end surface 12 of the cleaning seat 1. The upper seat body 4 is provided with a cavity 1 401, which is open from top to bottom. The cover plate 6 is installed at the bottom of the cavity 1 401 and can seal the bottom of the cavity 1 401 to form a cleaning tank 11. The cover plate 6 serves as the tank bottom 13 of the cleaning tank 11. In addition, a chamfer 14 can be formed on the inner circumference of the upper opening of the cavity 1 401, that is, a chamfer 14 is formed on the inner circumference of the upper opening of the cleaning tank 11.

[0044] The lower seat body 5 is fixedly connected to the lower part of the upper seat body 4, and can be connected and fixed by bolts and other connecting parts. The cover plate 6 is pressed and fixed to the bottom of the cavity 1 401 by the lower seat body 5, and the cover plate 6 is clamped between the upper seat body 4 and the lower seat body 5 to achieve fixation. In order to improve the position stability of the cover plate 6, a stepped groove 502 can be opened on the upper part of the lower seat body 5 or the lower part of the upper seat body 4, and the bottom can just be embedded in the stepped groove 502, thereby maintaining the position stability of the cover plate 6.

[0045] The lower base body 5 is provided with a second cavity 501 . The second cavity 501 is located at the lower part of the cover plate 6 . The second cavity 501 can accommodate the ultrasonic vibrator 3 .

[0046] Reference Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, a drainage groove 403 is provided at the bottom of the upper body 4. The drainage groove 403 is located on the lower surface of the upper body 4 and is connected to the inner circumference of the cavity 401 of the upper body 4, so that the drainage groove 403 can be connected to the bottom of the cleaning tank 11. After the cover plate 6 is installed on the upper body 4, the lower part of the drainage groove 403 is covered, and the drainage groove 403 and the cover plate 6 can be enclosed to form a drainage channel, which can discharge the water in the cleaning tank 11 to the tank body 2.

[0047] A through hole 1 404 is provided on the outer periphery of the upper seat body 4 corresponding to the cavity 1 401. A through hole 2 503 is provided on the outer periphery of the lower seat body 5 corresponding to the cavity 2 501. The through hole 1 404 and the through hole 2 503 are opposite to each other up and down, forming a passage that passes through the cleaning seat 1 up and down, and the through hole 1 404 is also connected to the drainage groove 403. In addition, a guide groove 405 is provided on the upper surface of the upper seat body 4, and the two ends of the guide groove 405 are connected to the outer periphery of the upper seat body 4, and the upper end of the through hole 1 404 is connected to the bottom of the guide groove 405. The formation of a connected drainage channel at the cleaning seat 1 is conducive to discharging the washing water in the cleaning groove 11. Through the guiding effect of the guide groove 405, the washing water overflowing to the upper end surface 12 of the cleaning seat 1 can also be guided, so that the washing water can smoothly overflow on the upper end surface 12 of the cleaning seat 1.

[0048] This embodiment also includes a digital printer. Based on the above embodiment, Figure 7 , for detailed explanation.

[0049] In this embodiment, the digital printer includes a printer head 9 and a cleaning device as in the above embodiment. The printer head 9 can adopt a conventional structure in the prior art, and the printer head 9 includes at least one group of print heads 91, and in each group of print heads, each print head 91 is arranged along a straight line. The cleaning device is supported by a track so that it can slide through the track sliding guide. Moreover, the direction of the track is consistent with the straight line direction in which the print heads 91 are arranged, so that the cleaning device can slide along the arrangement direction of the print heads 91 and can pass under each print head 91 in turn.

[0050] When the print nozzle 91 needs to be cleaned, the cleaning device starts working, and the driver drives the entire cleaning device to move along the track. The cleaning device will pass through the lower part of the print nozzle 91 in turn, and perform ultrasonic cleaning on the nozzle base plate 92 and the inkjet hole of the print nozzle 91. It can clean and unclog the inkjet hole, effectively reduce nozzle clogging and needle deflection, and extend the service life of the nozzle.

[0051] By adopting a mobile structure, each nozzle can be cleaned by the same cleaning device, which can be relatively efficient and can also reduce the number of printer components. In addition, since the bottom of the cleaning tank 11 has a drainage channel, when the cleaning device moves to the next printing nozzle 91 after cleaning one printing nozzle 91, the washing water in the cleaning tank 11 can be discharged from the drainage channel. When each nozzle is washed, the water supply part 7 re-supplies washing water into the washing tank to ensure that clean water is used for cleaning each time.

[0052] For some digital printers, two groups of print heads 91 are installed on the printer head 9, and the two groups of print heads 91 are distributed in parallel. Correspondingly, two cleaning tanks 11 are also provided in the cleaning device, and the positions of the cleaning tanks 11 correspond to the two groups of print heads 91. Two groups of water supply parts 7 and ultrasonic vibrators 3 are also installed in the cleaning device, so that the two groups of print heads 91 can be cleaned at the same time.

[0053] When the print heads 91 of the printer head 9 have three or more groups, a corresponding number of cleaning tanks 11 and other components compatible with the cleaning tanks 11 may be provided in the cleaning device accordingly, so that each group of print heads 91 can be cleaned simultaneously.

[0054] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions under the concept of the present invention belong to the protection scope of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, some improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A printing nozzle cleaning device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a cleaning seat (1), an ultrasonic vibrator (3) and a tank body (2); the cleaning seat (1) comprises an upper end surface (12); the upper end surface (12) is provided with a cleaning tank (11); the cleaning tank (11) is provided with a water supply component (7); the water supply component (7) is used to supply water to the cleaning tank (11); the ultrasonic vibrator (3) is arranged on the cleaning seat (1) and is used to generate vibrations to the water in the cleaning tank (11); the tank body (2) is located at the lower part of the cleaning seat (1); an opening is arranged at the upper part of the tank body (2); and the projection of the cleaning seat (1) in the vertical direction is located in the opening of the tank body (2).

2. A printing head cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning seat (1) is located at the bottom of the printing nozzle (91), and the printing nozzle (91) includes a nozzle bottom plate (92) facing downward, and the nozzle bottom plate (92) is provided with a plurality of inkjet holes; the cleaning tank (11) can be located at the bottom of the nozzle bottom plate (92).

3. A printing head cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper end surface (12) of the cleaning seat (1) is horizontal, and a gap is formed between the upper end surface (12) and the nozzle bottom plate (92); the height of the gap is 1-2 mm.

4. A printing head cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water supply component (7) is tubular, and a plurality of water spray holes (71) are provided on the outer circumference of the water supply component (7). The water spray holes (71) are used to spray water outward, and the water spray holes (71) are distributed along the length direction of the water supply component (7).

5. A printing head cleaning device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The axis of the water supply component (7) is arranged in a horizontal direction, and the water supply component (7) can be rotated and adjusted along the axis direction.

6. A printing head cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A drainage channel is provided at the bottom of the cleaning tank (11), and the drainage channel is in communication with the cleaning tank (11) and is used for draining water into the tank body (2).

7. A printing head cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner bottom of the cleaning tank (11) has a tank bottom surface, and the ultrasonic vibrator (3) is located at the back side of the tank bottom surface.

8. A printing head cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning seat (1) comprises an upper seat body (4), a lower seat body (5) and a cover plate (6); the upper seat body (4) comprises a first cavity (401), the first cavity (401) is open at the top and the bottom, the lower seat body (5) is fixedly connected to the lower part of the upper seat body (4), and the cover plate (6) is fixed to the bottom of the first cavity (401) by the lower seat body (5); the cover plate (6) closes the bottom of the first cavity (401) to form the cleaning tank (11); the lower seat body (5) is provided with a second cavity (501), and the second cavity (501) is used to accommodate the ultrasonic vibrator. The upper seat body (4) is provided with a drainage groove (403) at the bottom thereof, the drainage groove (403) being connected to the bottom of the cleaning tank (11) and being used for draining water in the cleaning tank (11); the upper seat body (4) is provided with a through hole (404) which is connected vertically and corresponds to the outer circumference of the first cavity (401); the lower seat body (5) is provided with a through hole (503) which is connected vertically and corresponds to the outer circumference of the second cavity (501); the through hole (404) is opposite to the through hole (503) vertically and is connected to the drainage groove (403).

9. A digital printer, characterized in that: The invention comprises a printer head (9) and a cleaning device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the printer head (9) comprises at least one group of print heads (91), and each print head (91) is arranged in a straight line; and the cleaning device is guided by a track slide and can slide along the arrangement direction of the print heads (91).

10. A digital printer according to claim 9, characterized in that: The printing heads (91) are provided in two groups, and the two groups of printing heads (91) are distributed in parallel; the cleaning device is provided with two cleaning slots (11), which respectively correspond to the two groups of printing heads (91).

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