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 101 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 plurality of supply ports 115 formed between the movement starting position of the blade and the nozzle surface and is configured to satisfy a relational expression of a≤b, where a direction crossing a moving direction is defined as a width direction of the blade, a width of the blade is defined as (a) and a width of a region where a plurality of supply ports are formed is defined as (b). This can supply cleaning liquid sufficiently and evenly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

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] When the blade moves while holding cleaning liquid as in Patent Document 1, if there is a shortage of cleaning liquid, the ink will thicken and stick due to insufficient cleaning. Therefore, it is necessary to supply cleaning liquid so that it spreads over the entire nozzle surface.

[0006] Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus capable of sufficiently and uniformly supplying a cleaning liquid.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head provided with a nozzle surface in which ink ejection openings of a plurality of nozzles open downward and is supported so as to be movable up and down, a blade that wipes the nozzle surface by moving in a predetermined moving direction in contact with the nozzle surface, and a cleaning liquid supply member that stores the cleaning liquid replenished from a cleaning liquid supply source and supplies it between the moving start position of the blade and the nozzle surface. The cleaning liquid supply member has a plurality of supply ports provided between the moving start position of the blade and the nozzle surface. When the direction intersecting the moving direction is defined as the width direction of the blade, the width of the blade is a, and the width of the region in which the plurality of supply ports are formed is b, a ≦ b is a characteristic.

[0008] In the present invention, it may be characterized in that the outermost supply ports in the width direction among the plurality of supply ports are arranged on both outer sides of the blade in the width direction.

[0009] In the present invention, when the width of the cleaning liquid supply member is c, it may be characterized in that a ≦ b < c.

[0010] In the present invention, a wiping unit including the blade and movable between a wiping position where the blade contacts the nozzle surface and a separation position separated from the nozzle surface is provided. The cleaning liquid supply member is provided integrally with the wiping unit. When the wiping unit moves to the wiping position, the cleaning liquid supply member moves to a supply position between the moving start position of the blade and the nozzle surface. When the wiping unit moves to the separation position, the cleaning liquid supply member moves to a replenishment position where the cleaning liquid is replenished from the cleaning liquid supply source to the storage unit, which may be a characteristic. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the width of the region where the cleaning liquid supply port is formed is wider than the width of the blade, so that the cleaning liquid can be made to flow around both sides of the blade reliably, and therefore the nozzle surface N can be wiped off more reliably with the cleaning liquid by the blade. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [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. 2 is a perspective 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. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing a blade, a cleaning liquid containing member, and a supply port in the inkjet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9A] 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 9B] 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 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 12A] 1 is a plan 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 12B] 1 is a plan view showing a wiping unit moved to a wiping position, a cleaning liquid supply unit, and a print head in an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] 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.

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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).

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] Next, the carriage 71 and the cleaning liquid supplying member 73 will be described with reference to Figures 6, 7, and 8. Figure 6 is a side view showing the carriage 71 and the cleaning liquid supplying member 73, Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the carriage 71 and the cleaning liquid supplying member 73, and Figure 8 is a view showing the bottom surface of the cleaning liquid containing member 101.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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).

[0034] 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.

[0035] Next, the cleaning liquid supplying member 73 will be described with reference to Figures 6, 7, and 8. 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.

[0036] First, the cleaning liquid storage member 101 will be described. The cleaning liquid storage member 101 is a rectangular plate-shaped member, and its upper surface is formed flat. As shown in FIG. 6, a recess 101a is formed on the lower surface of the cleaning liquid storage member 101 along the blade width direction X2. The side surface of the recess 101a on the downstream side in the moving direction X1 is inclined toward the downstream side in the moving direction X1. The cleaning liquid storage member 101 has a tip portion 101b on the downstream side in the moving direction X1 and a base end portion 101c on the upstream side with respect to the recess 101a. The tip portion 101b is formed to be thinner than the base end portion 101c. Further, the lower surface of the tip portion 101b is formed in a planar shape that is slightly upwardly inclined toward the downstream side in the moving direction X1.

[0037] A hollow portion 111 for storing the cleaning liquid is formed in the tip portion 101b. The hollow portion 111 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the blade width direction X2 and short in the moving direction X1 in a plan view. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a replenishment port 113 penetrates between the top surface of the hollow portion 111 and the upper surface of the tip portion 101b. The replenishment port 113 is disposed at the center in the blade width direction X2.

[0038] Also, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of supply ports 115 penetrate between the bottom surface of the hollow portion 111 and the lower surface of the tip portion 101b in the tip portion 101b. As shown in FIG. 8, the plurality of supply ports 115 are arranged along the blade width direction X2. Here, assuming that the width of the blade 93 is a, the width of the region where the supply ports 115 are formed is b, and the width of the tip portion 101b is c, then a ≤ b < c. That is, the width of the blade 93 is equal to or narrower than the width of the region where the supply ports 115 are formed, and the width of the region where the supply ports 115 are formed is narrower than the width of the tip portion 101b. Also, the width of the blade 93 is wider than the width of the nozzle surface N of the recording head 37.

[0039] Furthermore, the outermost supply ports 115 among the plurality of supply ports 115 are arranged outside both ends of the blade 93. Note that a part of the supply ports 115 may be arranged outside both ends of the blade 93.

[0040] 6 and 7, 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] Next, the movement of the carriage 71 will be described with reference to Figures 9A and 9B. Figure 9A shows the carriage 71 that has moved to the movement start position, and Figure 9B shows the carriage 71 that has moved to the movement end position.

[0043] When the carriage 71 moves to the movement start position (see FIG. 9A), 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. 9A) to the movement end position (see FIG. 9B) 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.

[0044] 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).

[0045] 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.

[0046] Next, the cleaning liquid supply unit 55 will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 10. Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the carriage 71 and the cleaning liquid supply member 73 when cleaning liquid is being supplied.

[0047] 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.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 5, the three supply pipes 141 are supported by the waste liquid tray cover 83. The three supply pipes 141 are arranged to correspond to the supply ports 113 of the cleaning liquid storage members 101 of the three cleaning liquid supply members 73 of the wiping unit 53 that has moved to the standby position. 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 also rise or lower together with the waste liquid tray cover 83. When the waste liquid tray cover 83 is lowered, the supply pipes 141 move directly above the supply ports 113. At this time, the tips of the supply pipes 141 may be inserted into the supply ports 113.

[0049] 10, a pair of positioning pins 151 are formed on both sides of the supply pipe 141 in the blade width direction X2 on the underside of the waste liquid tray cover 83. Furthermore, a pair of rectangular parallelepiped protrusions 153 spaced apart in the blade width direction X2 are formed on the underside of the waste liquid tray cover 83 upstream of each supply pipe 141 in the movement direction X1.

[0050] 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. A surfactant, a preservative, etc. may also be added as necessary. A pipe 161 is connected to the outlet of the cleaning liquid tank 143. Three supply pipes 141 are connected to the middle of the pipe 161. The cleaning liquid tank 143 is an example of a cleaning liquid supply source in the present invention.

[0051] Next, a description will be given of the pump 145. The pump 145 is provided in the pipe 161, and pumps up the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 143 to the pipe 161.

[0052] 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 161.

[0053] Next, the printing operation and the head cleaning operation of the inkjet recording apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to Figures 12A and 12B. Figures 12A and 12B are a plan view and a front view showing the wiping unit 53, the cleaning liquid supply part 55, and the recording head 37.

[0054] 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. 12A, 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. Furthermore, the pair of protrusions 153 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. Furthermore, the supply pipe 141 supported by the waste liquid tray cover 83 moves directly above the supply port 113 of the cleaning liquid containing member 101. As described above, the tip of the supply pipe 141 may be inserted into the supply port 113.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] First, the control unit 201 controls the head unit lifting mechanism 41 to lift the head unit 11 to the retracted position.

[0059] Thereafter, the control unit 201 controls the pump 145 to pump the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 143 to the pipe 161. The cleaning liquid is sent through the pipe 161 to the three supply pipes 141. The cleaning liquid is then supplied from the three supply pipes 141 through the supply ports 113 of the three cleaning liquid containing members 101 to the hollow portions 111 and stored therein.

[0060] The control unit 201 drives the pump 145 to pump up the cleaning liquid until the cleaning liquid supplied to the hollow portion 111 is maintained in a semi-spherical protruding state from the supply port 115, and then stops driving the pump 145.

[0061] Thereafter, the control unit 201 controls the waste liquid tray cover lifting mechanism 85 to lift the waste liquid tray cover 83.

[0062] 12B, 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 is still protruding 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.

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 8, because width a of blade 93 is narrower than width b of the region in which supply port 115 is formed, the cleaning liquid supplied from supply port 115 flows around to both side surfaces of blade 93. Thus, blade 93 can reliably wipe off the entire nozzle surface N in the blade width direction X2 with the cleaning liquid.

[0066] 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.

[0067] Next, an example of the cleaning operation of the blade 93 will be described. The cleaning operation of the blade 93 is performed in a state where the wipe unit 53 has moved to the standby position, that is, where the cleaning liquid supply member 73 has moved to the supply position. First, the control unit 201 controls the carriage movement mechanism 97 to move the blade 93 below the supply port 115. Thereafter, the control unit 201 controls the pump 145 to pump the cleaning liquid into the pipe 161, and supplies the cleaning liquid through the pipe 161 to the hollow portion 111 via the supply port 113 of the cleaning liquid storage member 101. The cleaning liquid falls from the hollow portion 111 through the supply port 115 onto the blade 93 below. The control unit 201 controls the carriage movement mechanism 97 to move the blade 93 back and forth within a predetermined range. As a result, the blade 93 is cleaned.

[0068] In this case, the cleaning liquid supplied from the supply port 115 also flows around the both side surfaces and the rear surface of the blade 93, so that ink and the like adhering to the both side surfaces and the rear surface of the blade 93 can be reliably washed away.

[0069] As described above, according to the present invention, the width of the area where the cleaning liquid supply port 115 is formed is wider than the width of the blade 93, so that the cleaning liquid can be reliably caused to flow around to both side surfaces of the blade 93. Therefore, the nozzle surface N can be more reliably wiped with the cleaning liquid by the blade 93. Furthermore, both side surfaces of the blade 93 can be washed away with the cleaning liquid when cleaning the blade 93.

[0070] 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.

[0071] 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 161 connected to the supply pipe 141 from bending and causing supply problems. Furthermore, the piping 161 can be routed within a narrow space.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 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]

[0074] 1 Inkjet recording device 37 Recording head 53 Wipe Unit 73 Cleaning liquid supply member 93 Blade 115 Supply 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 plurality of supply ports provided between a movement start position of the blade and the nozzle surface; If the direction intersecting the moving direction is the width direction of the blade, the width of the blade is a, and the width of the area in which the plurality of supply ports are formed is b, then An ink jet recording apparatus, characterized in that a≦b.

2. 2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outermost supply ports in the width direction of the plurality of supply ports are disposed on both outer sides of the blade in the width direction.

3. If the width of the cleaning liquid supplying member is c, 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a≦b<c.

4. 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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