Inkjet recording device

Abstract

To provide an inkjet recording device that can supply cleaning liquid sufficiently and evenly.SOLUTION: An inkjet recording device is provided with: a recording head provided with a nozzle surface on which ink discharge ports of a plurality of nozzles open downward, which is supported movably up and down; a blade 93 that moves in a predetermined moving direction while contacting the nozzle surface so as to wipe out the nozzle surface; and a cleaning liquid supply member 73 that stores cleaning liquid resupplied from a cleaning liquid supply source and supplies the cleaning liquid to a space between a movement starting position of the blade and the nozzle surface. The cleaning liquid supply member has a storage part 111 that stores the resupplied cleaning liquid. The storage part is configured so that a top surface thereof opens, which can supply cleaning liquid sufficiently and evenly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a blade that wipes the nozzle surface of a recording head with a cleaning liquid. [Background technology]

[0002] Inkjet recording devices are equipped with a wiping unit that moves a blade along the nozzle surface of a recording head to wipe the nozzle surface. As the blade moves along the nozzle surface, cleaning liquid is supplied between the nozzle surface and the blade movement start position. The blade moves along the nozzle surface while retaining the supplied cleaning liquid.

[0003] The recording head of the inkjet recording device described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a hollow storage section that stores a cleaning liquid, and a supply port that communicates with the storage section and supplies the cleaning liquid between the movement start position of the blade and the nozzle surface. The cleaning liquid supplied to the storage section from a cleaning liquid supply source through a supply port is held in a state in which it protrudes downward from the supply port. When the blade then moves from the movement start position, the protruding cleaning liquid is wiped off by the blade and held by the blade, and then the nozzle surface is wiped off by the blade with the cleaning liquid, and ink and the like adhering to the nozzle surface are removed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-108711 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, as in Patent Document 1, when the cleaning liquid storage section is hollow and surrounded by a top surface, a bottom surface, and four side surfaces, the supplied cleaning liquid may form a film at the corners between the surfaces. This causes a problem that some supply ports are blocked by the film, making the amount of cleaning liquid supplied uneven in the width direction intersecting with the blade movement direction, or reducing the amount of cleaning liquid supplied to the storage section, making it difficult to obtain a sufficient cleaning effect.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus capable of supplying cleaning liquid sufficiently and uniformly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the inkjet recording device of the present invention comprises a recording head provided with a nozzle surface in which ink ejection ports of a plurality of nozzles open downward and supported so as to be able to be raised and lowered, a blade that wipes the nozzle surface by contacting the nozzle surface and moving in a predetermined movement direction, and a cleaning liquid supplying member that stores cleaning liquid replenished from a cleaning liquid supply source and supplies it between the movement start position of the blade and the nozzle surface, wherein the cleaning liquid supplying member has a storage section in which the replenished cleaning liquid is stored, and the storage section has an open top.

[0008] In the present invention, a raised portion may be formed on the bottom surface of the housing portion at a central portion in a width direction of the blade that intersects with the movement direction.

[0009] In the present invention, the cleaning device may further include a supply port through which cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply source to the storage section, and in the separated position, the top of the raised portion faces the supply port.

[0010] In the present invention, the storage section may be formed with a plurality of supply ports for supplying cleaning liquid between the starting position of the blade movement and the nozzle surface, and one of the plurality of supply ports may be formed at the top of the raised portion.

[0011] In the present invention, the recess may be formed with a plurality of supply ports for supplying cleaning liquid between the start position of the blade movement and the nozzle surface, and one of the plurality of supply ports may be opposed to the refill port at the separated position.

[0012] In the present invention, the bottom surface of the storage section may be inclined downward from the top of the raised portion toward the periphery.

[0013] In the present invention, the device may be characterized in that it includes a wipe unit that includes the blade and is movable between a wipe position where the blade contacts the nozzle surface and a separated position away from the nozzle surface, the cleaning liquid supply member is integrally provided with the wipe unit, and when the wipe unit moves to the wipe position, the cleaning liquid supply member moves to a supply position between the movement start position of the blade and the nozzle surface, and when the wipe unit moves to the separated position, the cleaning liquid supply member moves to a supply position where cleaning liquid is replenished from the cleaning liquid supply source to the storage section. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, since the storage section is formed in a concave shape without a top surface, the number of corners formed between the surfaces can be reduced, making it difficult for a film of cleaning liquid to form, thereby reducing the clogging of the supply port by the film and the reduction in the volume of the storage section. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a schematic internal structure of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2A] 1 is a plan view illustrating a head unit and a maintenance device of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2B]1 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a head unit and a maintenance device of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3A] 1 is a side view showing a recording head of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing a print head of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cap unit of the inkjet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a wiping unit and a cleaning liquid supply unit of the inkjet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 4 is a side view showing a carriage and a cleaning liquid supplying member of a wiping unit of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a cleaning liquid supplying member of a wiping unit of an inkjet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8A] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a carriage that has moved to a movement start position in a wiping unit of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8B] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a carriage that has been moved to a movement end position in a wiping unit of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a supply pipe of a cleaning liquid supply section in a wiping unit of an inkjet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a carriage and a cleaning liquid supplying member when cleaning liquid is replenished in the wiping unit of the inkjet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 2 is a block diagram showing a control unit of the inkjet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 12] 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which cleaning liquid is supplied from a supply pipe to a cleaning liquid containing member in an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 13A] 1A and 1B are a plan view and a side view showing a wiping unit that has been moved to a separated position, a cleaning liquid supply unit, and a print head in an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 13B] 1A and 1B are a plan view and a front view showing a wiping unit moved to a wiping position, a cleaning liquid supply unit, and a recording head in an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] First, the overall configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1, Fig. 2A, and Fig. 2B. Fig. 1 is a front view showing the inside of the inkjet recording apparatus 1. Fig. 2A is a plan view showing the head unit 11 and the maintenance unit 13, and Fig. 2B is a side view showing the head unit 11 and the maintenance unit 13. Hereinafter, the front side of the paper in Fig. 1 is the front side (front side) of the inkjet recording apparatus 1. In each figure, U, Lo, L, R, Fr, and Rr respectively indicate top, bottom, left, right, front, and rear.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet recording device 1 is an inkjet type image forming device that forms an image by ejecting ink. The inkjet recording device 1 includes a rectangular parallelepiped main housing 3. A paper feed cassette 5 that stores paper and a paper feed roller 7 that feeds paper from the paper feed cassette 5 are provided at the bottom inside the main housing 3. A transport unit 9 that transports paper is provided above the paper feed cassette 5. Four head units 11M, 11C, 11Bk, and 11Y (collectively referred to as head unit 11) and four maintenance units 13 are provided above the transport unit 9 (see also FIGS. 2A and 2B). A pair of discharge rollers 15 that discharges paper on which an image has been formed, and a discharge tray 17 on which the discharged paper is stacked are provided at the upper left of the main housing 3.

[0019] A transport path 19 is provided inside the main body housing 3, which extends from the paper feed cassette 5 through the transport unit 9 to the discharge roller pair 15. The transport path 19 is provided with a plurality of transport roller pairs 21 for transporting the paper.

[0020] Next, the transport unit 9 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The transport unit 9 includes an endless transport belt 25. The transport belt 25 has a large number of through holes penetrating in the thickness direction. The transport belt 25 is wound around a drive roller 27A and a driven roller 27B that are arranged spaced apart from each other on the left and right. The drive roller 27A is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). The rotation of the drive roller 27A causes the transport belt 25 to run in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1. The transport belt 25 running along the upper track forms a transport path 19 along which the paper is transported in the transport direction from right to left in FIG. 1.

[0021] A conveying plate 29 and a suction device 31 are provided in the hollow portion of the conveying belt 25. The conveying plate 29 has a large number of through holes penetrating in the thickness direction. The conveying plate 29 comes into contact with the inner surface of the conveying belt 25 that runs along the upper track. The suction device 31 is provided below the conveying plate 29 and attracts the paper to the conveying belt 25 by sucking air through the through holes of the conveying belt 25 and the conveying plate 29.

[0022] Next, the head unit 11 will be described. The four head units 11Y, 11Bk, 11C, and 11M correspond to yellow, black, cyan, and magenta inks, respectively, and are arranged above the transport unit 9 at predetermined intervals along the transport direction. The four head units 11Y, 11Bk, 11C, and 11M are connected to ink containers 33Y, 33Bk, 33C, and 33M filled with yellow, black, cyan, and magenta inks, respectively. As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the head unit 11 includes three recording heads 37 and a plate 39 that supports the three recording heads 37.

[0023] The recording head 37 will be described with reference to Figs. 3A and 3B. Fig. 3A is a side view of the recording head 37, and Fig. 3B is a bottom view of the recording head 37. The recording head 37 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the width direction (front-rear direction) that intersects with the transport direction. The recording head 37 has a large number of nozzles (not shown) to which ink is supplied, and a piezoelectric element (not shown) provided for each nozzle. The nozzles have ejection openings that open on the bottom surface of the recording head 37. When the piezoelectric element is driven, the ink in the nozzles is ejected downward from the ejection openings. As shown in Fig. 3B, the surface including the area N where the ejection openings are opened is referred to as the nozzle surface N.

[0024] The three recording heads 37 are arranged in a staggered manner along the width direction (front-rear direction) as shown in Fig. 2A. In detail, two recording heads 37 are arranged side by side in the width direction, and one recording head 37 is arranged adjacent to the two recording heads 37 in the transport direction (left-right direction). The recording heads 37 are supported such that their lower ends protrude from the plate 39 as shown in Fig. 3A.

[0025] Each of the four head units 11 is supported by a head unit lifting mechanism 41 (not shown in Figs. 1, 2A, and 2B, see Fig. 11) so as to be movable up and down between a printing position and a retreat position. The printing position is a position where the nozzle surface N of the recording head 37 of the head unit 11 faces the conveyor belt 25 running along the upper track with a predetermined gap (for example, 1 mm) therebetween (see Fig. 1). The retreat position is a position where the nozzle surface N of the recording head 37 of the head unit 11 is spaced above the conveyor belt 25 from the printing position, forming a space above the conveyor unit 9 that can accommodate a cap unit 51 and a wipe unit 53 of the maintenance unit 13, which will be described later. The head unit lifting mechanism 41 is electrically connected to the control unit 201 (see Fig. 11).

[0026] Next, the maintenance units 13 will be described. The four maintenance units 13 have the same structure, and are provided for each of the four head units 11. The maintenance units 13 are disposed adjacent to the corresponding head units 11 in the transport direction. In this example, the maintenance units 13 are disposed downstream (left side) of the corresponding head units 11.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2B, the maintenance unit 13 includes a cap unit 51 that covers the nozzle surfaces N of the three recording heads 37 of the head unit 11, a wiping unit 53 that cleans the nozzle surfaces N of the three recording heads 37 of the head unit 11, and a cleaning liquid supply section 55 that supplies cleaning liquid to the wiping unit 53.

[0028] The cap unit 51, the wipe unit 53, and the cleaning liquid supply unit 55 are supported by a housing 57. The housing 57 has a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the width direction, and the surface facing the corresponding head unit 11 (the right surface) is open.

[0029] First, the cap unit 51 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the cap unit 51. The cap unit 51 includes three caps 61 that cover the nozzle faces N of the three recording heads 37. The three caps 61 are arranged to correspond to the three recording heads 37 of the head unit 11, and are supported by a support plate 63. Each cap 61 includes a recess 61a with an open upper surface, and an outlet (not shown) provided at the bottom of the recess 61a.

[0030] The cap unit 51 can be moved in the transport direction and the opposite direction (left and right) between a standby position (see FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B) and a capping position by a capping unit moving mechanism (not shown). The standby position is a position where the capping unit 51 is accommodated in the lower space of the housing 57. The capping position is a position where the capping unit 51 is accommodated in the space below the head unit 11 that has risen to the retracted position. When the capping unit 51 moves to the capping position and the head unit 11 descends to a predetermined height, the nozzle surfaces N of the three recording heads 37 are covered with the three caps 61. The capping unit 51 can be moved between the capping position and the standby position through a right opening of the housing 57.

[0031] Next, the wiping unit 53 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a perspective view that shows a schematic view of the wiping unit 53 and the cleaning liquid supply section 55. The wiping unit 53 includes three carriages 71, three cleaning liquid supply members 73, and a waste liquid tray 75 on which the three carriages 71 and the three cleaning liquid supply members 73 are supported.

[0032] First, the waste liquid tray 75 will be described. The waste liquid tray 75 is a box-shaped member with an open top, and has dimensions corresponding to the head unit 11. The waste liquid tray 75 is provided with three rails 81 along the width direction (front-rear direction). The three rails 81 are arranged to correspond to the three recording heads 37 of the head unit 11.

[0033] The open top surface of the waste liquid tray 75 is opened and closed by a waste liquid tray cover 83. The waste liquid tray cover 83 is supported by the housing 57 so as to be able to rise and fall by a waste liquid tray cover lifting mechanism 85 (not shown in FIG. 5, see FIG. 11). The waste liquid tray cover 83 is raised and lowered by the waste liquid tray cover lifting mechanism 85 to a height that covers the top surface of the waste liquid tray 75 and a height that is spaced above the top surface of the waste liquid tray 75. The waste liquid tray cover lifting mechanism 85 is electrically connected to the control unit 201 (see FIG. 11). The waste liquid tray cover 83 will be described later.

[0034] Next, the carriage 71 and the cleaning liquid supplying member 73 will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 is a side view showing the carriage 71 and the cleaning liquid supplying member 73, and Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the cleaning liquid supplying member 73.

[0035] First, the carriage 71 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The carriage 71 has a moving body 91, a blade 93, and a holder 95 that supports the blade 93 and is supported by the moving body 91.

[0036] The movable body 91 engages with a rail 81 provided on the waste liquid tray 75, and can be moved between the rear end and the front end of the rail 81 by a carriage movement mechanism 97 (not shown in FIG. 6, see FIG. 11). In this example, when cleaning the nozzle surface N of the recording head 37, the movable body 91 moves from the rear end (movement start position) of the rail 81 to the front end (movement end position). The direction from the movement start position to the movement end position (in this example, the direction from back to front) is defined as the movement direction X1 of the movable body 91 (carriage 71). The carriage movement mechanism 97 is electrically connected to the control unit 201 (see FIG. 11).

[0037] The blade 93 is a plate-like member having a width wider than the nozzle surface N, and is made of a flexible resin or the like. The blade 93 is supported at its lower end by a holder 95 in a position inclined toward the upstream side in the moving direction X1 and inclined with respect to a blade width direction X2 (left-right direction) that intersects with the moving direction X1. The lower end of the holder 95 is supported by the moving body 91 on the upstream side of the blade 93 in the moving direction X1 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 99. As a result, the blade 93 can rotate about the rotation shaft 99 together with the holder 95 to the upstream side and downstream side in the moving direction X1. The holder 95 also has a pair of arms 95a extending upward from both sides in the blade width direction X2.

[0038] Next, the cleaning liquid supplying member 73 will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. The cleaning liquid supplying member 73 is provided separately from the carriage 71, and has a cleaning liquid accommodating member 101 and a pair of holders 103 that support the cleaning liquid accommodating member 101 and are supported by the rails 81.

[0039] First, the cleaning liquid containing member 101 will be described. The cleaning liquid containing member 101 is a rectangular plate-like member, and the upper surface is formed flat. As shown in FIG. 6, a recess 101a is formed on the lower surface of the cleaning liquid containing member 101 along the blade width direction X2. The downstream side of the recess 101a in the moving direction X1 is inclined toward the downstream side of the moving direction X1. The cleaning liquid containing member 101 has a tip portion 101b downstream of the recess 101a in the moving direction X1, and a base portion 101c on the upstream side. The tip portion 101b is formed to be thinner than the base portion 101c. The lower surface of the tip portion 101b is formed in a flat shape that is inclined slightly upward toward the downstream side of the moving direction X1.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 7, a storage section 111 for storing a cleaning liquid is formed on the upper surface of the tip portion 101b. In a plan view, the storage section 111 has a rectangular shape that is long in the blade width direction X2 and short in the moving direction X1, and is surrounded by a bottom surface, a pair of short side surfaces facing the blade width direction X2, and a pair of long side surfaces facing the moving direction X1, and is formed in a concave shape with an open top surface. A raised portion 113 is formed in the center of the bottom surface in the blade width direction X2. The raised portion 113 has a flat top portion that is slightly lower than the upper surface of the tip portion 101b, and both side portions that are inclined downward from the top portion toward the bottom surface. In addition, the pair of long side surfaces on both sides of the raised portion 113 are inclined in a valley shape toward the bottom surface.

[0041] 6 and 7, a plurality of (three in this example) supply ports 115 are formed in the storage section 111 at predetermined intervals in the blade width direction X2. The central supply port 115 passes through the raised portion 113 in the vertical direction. The other two supply ports 115 pass through between the bottom surface of the storage section 111 and the lower surface of the tip portion 101b in the vertical direction on both sides of the central supply port 115.

[0042] A rectangular sheet 119 protruding downstream in the moving direction X1 is attached to the lower surface of the tip portion 101b. The sheet 119 extends downstream (forward) in the moving direction X1 along substantially the same plane as the lower surface of the tip portion 101b. The sheet 119 is attached downstream of the supply port 115 in the moving direction X1.

[0043] Next, the pair of holders 103 will be described. Each of the pair of holders 103 is an L-shaped plate-like member when viewed from the side. A support shaft 121 is provided at one end of the holder 103. The support shaft 121 is accommodated in a notch 81a provided in the rail 81, as shown in FIG. 6, upstream of the movement start position of the carriage 71 in the movement direction X1. A base end portion 101c of the cleaning liquid containing member 101 is supported at the other end of the holder 103 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 123.

[0044] Next, the movement of the carriage 71 will be described with reference to Figures 8A and 8B. Figure 8A shows the carriage 71 that has moved to the movement start position, and Figure 8B shows the carriage 71 that has moved to the movement end position.

[0045] When the carriage 71 moves to the movement start position (see FIG. 8A), the tip of the blade 93 is accommodated in the recess 101a of the cleaning liquid containing member 101 (see FIG. 6). The carriage 71 moves from the movement start position (see FIG. 8A) to the movement end position (see FIG. 8B) by the carriage movement mechanism 97 (see FIG. 11). Here, the cleaning liquid supplying member 73 is supported immovably on the rail 81 of the waste liquid tray 75 as described above, so that the cleaning liquid supplying member 73 does not move even if the carriage 71 moves.

[0046] Next, the movement of the wiping unit 53 will be described. The wiping unit 53 (carriage 71, cleaning liquid supply member 73, waste liquid tray 75) can be moved between a standby position (see FIG. 2B) and a wiping position in the transport direction and the opposite direction (left and right direction) by a wiping unit moving mechanism 131 (see FIG. 11). The standby position is a position where the wiping unit 53 is accommodated in the upper space of the housing 57. The wiping position is a position where the wiping unit 53 is accommodated in the space below the head unit 11 that has risen to the retracted position. After the head unit 11 moves to the retracted position, the wiping unit 53 moves to the wiping position, and the head unit 11 descends to a predetermined height, so that the blade 93 can come into contact with the nozzle surface N of the recording head 37. The wiping unit 53 can move between the standby position and the wiping position through the right opening of the housing 57. The wiping unit moving mechanism 131 is electrically connected to the control unit 201 (see FIG. 11).

[0047] Furthermore, by moving the wiping unit 53 between the standby position and the wiping position in this manner, the cleaning liquid supply member 73 included in the wiping unit 53 moves to a supply position where cleaning liquid is replenished from the cleaning liquid supply section 55, and a supply position where the replenished cleaning liquid can be supplied to the nozzle surface N of the recording head 37.

[0048] Next, the cleaning liquid supply unit 55 will be described with reference to Fig. 5, Fig. 9, and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the supply pipe 141, and Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the carriage 71 and the cleaning liquid supply member 73 when cleaning liquid is being supplied.

[0049] The cleaning liquid supply unit 55 is provided in the housing 57 (see FIG. 2B), and supplies cleaning liquid to the three cleaning liquid supply members 73 of the wiping unit 53. As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning liquid supply unit 55 includes three supply pipes 141, a cleaning liquid tank 143, and a pump 145.

[0050] First, the three supply pipes 141 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The supply pipe 141 has a connecting pipe 151 along the horizontal direction and a cylindrical branch pipe 153 that branches downward from the middle of the connecting pipe 151. A nozzle 155 is housed in the hollow part of the branch pipe 153 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. A spherical check valve 157 is housed in the nozzle 155. The check valve 157 is biased toward the bottom surface (upper surface) of the branch pipe 153 by a coil spring 159. An O-ring 161 is disposed on the bottom surface of the branch pipe 153. The check valve 157 is biased by the coil spring 159 and is in close contact with the O-ring 161. As a result, the nozzle 155 is blocked by the check valve 157.

[0051] 5, the three supply pipes 141 are disposed so as to correspond to the storage portions 111 of the three cleaning liquid supply members 73 of the wiping unit 53 that has moved to the standby position, and the branch pipes 153 are supported by the waste liquid tray cover 83. When the waste liquid tray cover 83 is raised or lowered by the waste liquid tray cover raising or lowering mechanism 85 (see FIG. 11), the three supply pipes 141 are also raised or lowered together with the waste liquid tray cover 83. When the waste liquid tray cover 83 is lowered, the nozzles 155 of the three supply pipes 141 move to directly above the storage portions 111.

[0052] 10, a pair of positioning pins 171 are formed on the lower surface of the waste liquid tray cover 83 on both sides of the branch pipe 153 in the blade width direction X2. Furthermore, a pair of rectangular parallelepiped protrusions 173 spaced apart in the blade width direction X2 are formed on the lower surface of the waste liquid tray cover 83 upstream of the branch pipe 153 in the movement direction X1.

[0053] Referring again to FIG. 5, the cleaning liquid tank 143 will be described. The cleaning liquid tank 143 stores cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid is, for example, a liquid containing a solvent and water as main components, excluding coloring materials from ink. Surfactants, preservatives, etc. may also be added as necessary. A pipe 181 is connected to the outlet of the cleaning liquid tank 143. The connecting pipes 151 of the three supply pipes 141 are connected to the middle of the pipe 181. The cleaning liquid tank 143 is an example of a cleaning liquid supply source in the present invention.

[0054] Next, a description will be given of the pump 145. The pump 145 is provided in the pipe 181, and pumps up the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 143 to the pipe 181.

[0055] Next, the control unit 201 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 11. The control unit 201 operates the head unit lifting mechanism 41 to lift and lower the head unit 11 to a plurality of positions including a printing position, a retreating position, and a cleaning position between the printing position and the retreating position. The control unit 201 operates the waste liquid tray cover lifting mechanism 85 to lift and lower the waste liquid tray cover 83 to a separated position and an inserted position. The control unit 201 operates the carriage moving mechanism 97 to move the carriage 71 between a movement start position and a movement end position. The control unit 201 operates the wiping unit moving mechanism 131 to move the wiping unit 53 between the wiping position and the separated position. Furthermore, the control unit 201 operates the pump 145 to start and stop pumping the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 143 to the piping 181.

[0056] Next, the printing operation and head cleaning operation of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to Fig. 12, Fig. 13A, and Fig. 13B. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which cleaning liquid is supplied from the supply pipe 141 to the storage section 111, and Fig. 13A and Fig. 13B are a plan view and a front view showing the wiping unit 53, the cleaning liquid supply section 55, and the recording head 37.

[0057] First, the maintenance unit 13 during the printing operation will be described. During the printing operation, the cap unit 51 and the wiping unit 53 are moved to the standby position. That is, as shown in FIG. 13A, the cleaning liquid supplying member 73 included in the wiping unit 53 is moved to the supply position. In detail, as shown in FIG. 10, the waste liquid tray cover 83 is lowered, and the pair of positioning pins 171 abut against the upper surface of the tip portion 101b of the cleaning liquid containing member 101, so that the cleaning liquid containing member 101 is positioned in a horizontal posture. In addition, the pair of protrusions 173 press down the pair of arms 95a of the holder 95 of the carriage 71. As a result, the holder 95 rotates relative to the moving body 91, and the blade 93 is inclined to the upstream side in the moving direction X1.

[0058] Furthermore, the nozzle 155 of the supply pipe 141 supported by the waste liquid tray cover 83 descends above the storage section 111 of the cleaning liquid storage member 101. In detail, as shown in Fig. 12, the tip of the nozzle 155 faces the top (the central supply port 115) of the raised portion 113 of the storage section 111. In this manner, it becomes possible to supply the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 143 to the cleaning liquid storage member 101.

[0059] When the printing operation is started, paper is fed from the paper feed cassette 5 by the paper feed roller 7. The fed paper is transported by the transport roller pair 21 along the transport path 19 to the transport unit 9. The paper is transported along the upper track of the transport belt 25 of the transport unit 9. At this time, ink is ejected onto the paper from the recording head 37 of the head unit 11 corresponding to the image data, and an image is formed on the paper. The paper is then transported along the transport path 19 by the transport roller pair 21, and discharged to the discharge tray 17 by the discharge roller pair 15.

[0060] In this way, during printing operation, the head unit 11 is separated from the cleaning liquid supplying member 73. Therefore, problems such as the cleaning liquid accidentally coming into contact with the paper do not occur.

[0061] After the printing operation is completed, the wiping operation is performed at a predetermined timing (the capping operation will not be described). As described above, the wiping unit 53 moves to the standby position, and the cleaning liquid supplying member 73 included in the wiping unit 53 moves to the supply position.

[0062] First, the control unit 201 controls the head unit lifting mechanism 41 to lift the head unit 11 to the retracted position.

[0063] Thereafter, the control unit 201 controls the pump 145 to pump the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 143 to the pipe 181. The cleaning liquid is sent to the three supply pipes 141 through the pipe 181. At this time, when the cleaning liquid reaches the connecting pipe 151, the pressure of the cleaning liquid passing through the connecting pipe 151 is applied to the check valve 157 in the nozzle 155 housed in the branch pipe 153, and the check valve 157 moves away from the O-ring 161 against the biasing force of the coil spring 159. As a result, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the connecting pipe 151 to the nozzle 155 of the branch pipe 153. Then, the cleaning liquid is supplied from the three nozzles 155 to the three storage sections 111 of the cleaning liquid storage members 101 and stored therein. Thus, the nozzle 155 is an example of a supply port through which the cleaning liquid is supplied from a cleaning liquid supply source to the storage section 111 in the present invention.

[0064] 12, the cleaning liquid supplied from nozzle 155 falls onto the top of raised portion 113 of storage portion 111. Then, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 12, a part of the cleaning liquid enters supply port 115 formed at the top. Also, a part of the cleaning liquid flows from the top along both sides and enters supply port 115 formed at the bottom. Since both sides of raised portion 113 are formed in a valley shape, the cleaning liquid that flows down from raised portion 113 to both sides is collected in supply ports 115 on both sides. Control unit 201 drives pump 145 to pump up the cleaning liquid until the supplied cleaning liquid is held in a hemispherical protruding state from supply port 115, and then stops driving pump 145.

[0065] Thereafter, the control unit 201 controls the waste liquid tray cover lifting mechanism 85 to lift the waste liquid tray cover 83.

[0066] 13B, the control unit 201 controls the wiping unit moving mechanism 131 to move the wiping unit 53 (carriage 71, cleaning liquid supplying member 73, waste liquid tray 75) from the standby position to the wiping position. At this time, the cleaning liquid supplying member 73 included in the wiping unit 53 moves to the supply position while the cleaning liquid protrudes in a semi-spherical shape from the supply port 115. The control unit 201 then controls the head unit lifting mechanism 41 to lower the head unit 11 to the cleaning position.

[0067] The head unit 11 descends until the nozzle surface N of the recording head 37 is at the same height as the lower surface of the tip portion 101b of the cleaning liquid containing member 101. Then, the gap between the lower surface of the tip portion 101b of the cleaning liquid containing member 101 and the nozzle surface N of the recording head 37 is blocked by the sheet 119. As a result, the supply port 115 of the cleaning liquid containing member 101 is disposed between the blade 93 and the nozzle surface N.

[0068] After that, the control unit 201 controls the carriage movement mechanism 97 to move the carriage 71 from the movement start position to the movement end position. As a result, the blade 93 passes through the supply port 115 of the cleaning liquid containing member 101, and moves along the sheet 119 to the nozzle surface N while holding the cleaning liquid protruding from the supply port 115. Then, a wiping operation is performed in which the blade 93 moves along the nozzle surface N. By this wiping operation, the ink remaining on the nozzle surface N is wiped off by the blade 93 together with the cleaning liquid. The wiped ink and cleaning liquid fall from the lower end edge and side edges of the blade 93 into the waste liquid tray 75 below.

[0069] Thereafter, the control unit 201 controls the head unit lifting mechanism 41 to lift the head unit 11 to the standby position. Thereafter, the control unit 201 controls the carriage movement mechanism 97 to move the carriage 71 to the movement start position. Thereafter, the control unit 201 controls the wiping unit moving mechanism 131 to move the wiping unit 53 from the wiping position to the standby position. Furthermore, the control unit 201 controls the waste liquid tray cover lifting mechanism 85 to lower the waste liquid tray cover 83.

[0070] As described above, according to the present invention, the storage section 111 of the cleaning liquid storage member 101 is formed in a concave shape without a top surface, so that the number of corners formed between the surfaces of the storage section 111 can be reduced. As described above, the cleaning liquid is likely to form a film at the corners. Therefore, by reducing the number of corners, the cleaning liquid is less likely to form a film, and the supply port 115 is less likely to be blocked by the film, and the volume of the storage section 111 is less likely to be reduced. Therefore, the cleaning liquid supplied to the storage section 111 can be evenly supplied from the multiple supply ports 115.

[0071] In particular, the cleaning liquid falls onto the raised portion 113 of the storage portion 111, and the fallen cleaning liquid flows from the top of the raised portion 113 along the side portion to the bottom surface. Therefore, the cleaning liquid reliably flows into the supply ports 115 arranged on both sides in the blade width direction X2. In addition, since the supply ports 115 are also formed in the raised portion 113, the cleaning liquid can be supplied evenly in the blade width direction X2.

[0072] Furthermore, the wiping unit 53 includes a carriage 71 and a cleaning liquid supplying member 73, and is moved to a separated position during printing. In other words, since the head unit 11 is separated from the cleaning liquid supplying member 73 during printing, even if the paper is accidentally curved upward during printing, cleaning liquid will not adhere to the paper or the paper will not come into contact with the mechanism that supplies cleaning liquid. This makes it possible to prevent contamination of the paper by cleaning liquid and damage to the mechanism that supplies cleaning liquid by the paper.

[0073] Furthermore, the supply pipe 141 of the cleaning liquid supply unit 55 that supplies cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid containing member 101 only moves vertically together with the waste liquid tray cover 83, and does not move horizontally. In this manner, the movement distance of the supply pipe 141 is relatively short, which prevents the piping 181 connected to the supply pipe 141 from bending and causing supply problems. Furthermore, the piping 181 can be routed within a narrow space.

[0074] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which four head units 11 are provided for each ink color, and a maintenance unit 13 is provided for each head unit 11. However, the four head units 11 may be integrally provided, and the maintenance unit 13 may be configured such that four cap units 51 and four wipe units 53 are integrally provided. Furthermore, a cleaning liquid supplying member 73 may be provided in the recording head 37.

[0075] Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art may modify the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1 Inkjet recording device 37 Recording head 53 Wipe Unit 73 Cleaning liquid supply member 93 Blade 111 Storage unit 113 Excitement 115 Supply port 155 Nozzle (refill port)

Claims

1. a recording head provided with a nozzle surface in which ink ejection ports of a plurality of nozzles are open downward and supported so as to be movable up and down; a blade that wipes the nozzle surface by contacting the nozzle surface and moving in a predetermined direction; a cleaning liquid supplying member that stores cleaning liquid supplied from a cleaning liquid supply source and supplies the cleaning liquid between the movement start position of the blade and the nozzle surface, The cleaning liquid supply member includes: a storage section for storing the supplied cleaning liquid; The inkjet recording apparatus is characterized in that the container has an open top.

2. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a raised portion is formed on the bottom surface of the housing portion at a central portion in a width direction of the blade that intersects with the movement direction.

3. a supply port through which the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply source to the storage section, 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in the separated position, the top of the raised portion faces the supply port.

4. a plurality of supply ports are formed in the container for supplying cleaning liquid between a movement start position of the blade and the nozzle surface; 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein one of the plurality of supply ports is formed at the top of the raised portion.

5. a plurality of supply ports are formed in the recess for supplying a cleaning liquid between a movement start position of the blade and the nozzle surface; 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein one of the plurality of supply ports faces the replenishing port at the separated position.

6. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the bottom surface of the container portion is inclined downward from the top of the raised portion toward the periphery.

7. a wipe unit including the blade and movable between a wipe position where the blade contacts the nozzle surface and a separate position where the blade is separated from the nozzle surface; the cleaning liquid supplying member is provided integrally with the wipe unit, When the wiping unit moves to the wiping position, the cleaning liquid supplying member moves to a supplying position between a movement start position of the blade and the nozzle surface, 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the wiping unit moves to the separated position, the cleaning liquid supplying member moves to a supply position where the cleaning liquid is replenished from the cleaning liquid supply source to the container.

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