Liquid discharge device

Abstract

To provide a liquid discharge device which can properly adjust pressing force for pressing a wiper against a nozzle surface.SOLUTION: An image recording device 100 includes: a head 38 which discharges ink from nozzles 39 which are open on a nozzle surface 50; a wiper blade 64 which contacts with the nozzle surface 50 and may move forward relative to the head 38; a support part 75 which supports at least the rear surface 65 of the wiper blade 64 and may move relative to the wiper blade 64 in a vertical direction 7; and a controller 130. The controller 130 acquires a time elapsed after the ink is discharged from the nozzles 39 to determine a first support position P1 which is the position of the support part 75 on the basis of the elapsed time, places the support part 75 in the first support position P1, and moves the wiper blade 64 to the front relative to the head 38.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device capable of wiping a nozzle face. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses an inkjet recording device having a nozzle that ejects ink, a nozzle plate having multiple nozzles formed therein, a wiper blade that wipes the surface of the nozzle plate, a support part that adjusts the degree of deformation of the wiper blade by being raised and lowered on the back side of the wiper blade, and a support part height information storage part that stores height information of the support part, which indicates the extent to which the support part is exposed from the holder. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-196504 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the inkjet recording device of Patent Document 1, when the number of user cleaning operations reaches three, the height of the support part increases. This increases the pressing force of the wiper blade against the nozzle plate. However, there is a problem in that time, recording media, and ink are consumed by repeatedly performing the user cleaning operation.

[0005] Furthermore, in an ink jet recording device, if there is a step between the nozzle plate and the frame, the wiper blade may collide with the step, causing the wiper blade to deteriorate or ink to splash from the wiper blade.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharging device that can appropriately adjust the pressing force of a wiper against a nozzle face. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) A liquid ejection device according to the present invention includes a head that ejects liquid from nozzles that open on a nozzle face, a wiper that contacts the nozzle face and is movable in a first direction relative to the head, a support part that supports at least a rear surface of the wiper in the first direction and is movable relative to the wiper in a second direction that intersects the nozzle face, and a controller. The controller obtains an elapsed time since liquid is ejected from the nozzles, determines a first support position that is a position of the support part in the second direction based on the elapsed time, and positions the support part at the determined first support position, and moves the wiper in the first direction relative to the head.

[0008] The controller determines the first support position of the support part based on the elapsed time after the ink is discharged. The first support position of the support part changes the amount of deformation of the wiper when wiping the nozzle face. The amount of deformation of the wiper changes the pressing force of the wiper against the nozzle face.

[0009] (2) The controller may determine the first support position based on the elapsed time being equal to or greater than a threshold value, and may determine the position of the support part in the second direction to a second support position farther from the nozzle face than the first support position based on the elapsed time being less than the threshold value, and may position the support part at the determined first support position or second support position, and move the wiper in the first direction relative to the head.

[0010] (3) The liquid discharging device may further include a platen that is capable of facing the head. The support portion may be moved in the second direction without changing a distance between the head and the platen in the second direction.

[0011] Since the support portion moves while the distance between the platen and the nozzle surface is constant, the pressing force of the wiper is determined only by the position of the support portion.

[0012] (4) The controller may perform a purge to discharge liquid from the nozzle, and after the purge is completed, position the support part at the second support position and move the wiper in the first direction relative to the head.

[0013] The support portion is closer to the nozzle face at the first support position than at the second support position, so the pressing force of the wiper against the nozzle face is greater at the end of printing than at the end of purging.

[0014] (5) A liquid ejection device includes a head that ejects liquid from nozzles that open on a nozzle face, a wiper that contacts the nozzle face and is movable in a first direction relative to the head, a support part that supports at least a rear surface of the wiper in the first direction and is movable relative to the wiper in a second direction that intersects the nozzle face, a storage medium that stores liquid type information about a liquid ejected by the head, and a controller. The controller acquires the liquid type information from the storage medium, determines a third support position that is a position of the support part in the second direction based on the liquid type information, positions the support part at the determined third support position, and moves the wiper in the first direction relative to the head.

[0015] The controller determines the third support position of the support part based on the liquid type information. The third support position of the support part changes the amount of deformation of the wiper when wiping the nozzle face, and the amount of deformation of the wiper changes the pressing force of the wiper against the nozzle face.

[0016] (6) The controller may determine the third support position based on the liquid type information being first information, and determine the position of the support part in the second direction to a fourth support position farther from the nozzle face than the third support position based on the liquid type information being second information different from the first information, and may position the support part at the determined third support position or fourth support position, and move the wiper in the first direction relative to the head.

[0017] (7) The liquid discharging device may further include a platen capable of facing the head, and may move the support portion in the second direction without changing the distance in the second direction between the head and the platen.

[0018] (8) The first information may be information indicating that the liquid is a polymer-containing liquid, and the second information may be information indicating that the liquid is a polymer-free liquid.

[0019] The support portion is closer to the nozzle face at the third support position than at the fourth support position, so the pressing force of the wiper against the nozzle face is greater when the liquid is a polymer-containing liquid than when the liquid is a non-polymer-containing liquid.

[0020] (9) The liquid discharging device may further include a case capable of housing the support portion. The support portion may be housed in the case in the fourth support position.

[0021] When the liquid is a polymer-free liquid, the support remains contained within the case.

[0022] (10) The head may have a first head and a second head, the wiper may be movable in the first direction relative to the first head and the second head, the first head may eject the polymer-containing liquid and the second head may eject the polymer-free liquid, the position of the support part may be positioned at the third support position relative to the first head and the wiper may be moved in the first direction relative to the first head, and the position of the support part may be positioned at the fourth support position relative to the second head and the wiper may be moved in the first direction relative to the second head.

[0023] The polymer-containing liquid can be discharged exclusively from the first head, and the polymer-free liquid can be discharged exclusively from the second head. At this time, the pressing force of the wiper on the first head can be made stronger than that on the second head, so that the solidified ink can be wiped away reliably.

[0024] (11) The polymer-containing liquid may be a latex ink, and the polymer-free liquid may be a pretreatment agent for printing with the latex ink.

[0025] The latex ink and the pretreatment agent can be discharged separately from the first head and the second head.

[0026] (12) A liquid ejection device includes a head which ejects liquid from nozzles which open into a nozzle face, a frame which surrounds the nozzle face, a wiper which abuts against the nozzle face and the frame and is movable in a first direction relative to the head, a support part which supports at least a rear surface of the wiper in the first direction and is movable relative to the wiper in a second direction which intersects the nozzle face, an encoder which outputs a signal which indicates the relative position of the wiper with respect to the head, and a controller. The controller, on the condition that it determines, based on the signal output by the encoder, that the wiper is located in the boundary area between the nozzle face and the frame, positions the support part at a fifth support position and moves the wiper in the first direction relative to the head, and after moving in the first direction, on the condition that it determines, based on the signal output by the encoder, that the wiper is not located in the boundary area, positions the support part at a sixth support position closer to the nozzle face in the second direction than the fifth support position and facing the nozzle face, and moves the wiper in the first direction relative to the head.

[0027] The controller positions the support portion at a fifth support position when the wiper is located in the boundary region, and positions the support portion at a sixth support position when the wiper is further moved in the first direction and is no longer located in the boundary region.

[0028] (13) The imaging device may further include a platen capable of opposing the head, and the support portion may be moved in the second direction without changing the distance between the head and the platen in the second direction.

[0029] (14) The frame may protrude from the nozzle face toward the platen in the second direction.

[0030] When the wiper moves in the first direction, the wiper moves to a frame that is stepped relative to the nozzle face.

[0031] (15) The first speed at which the wiper moves relative to the head may be constant.

[0032] (16) A second speed at which the support portion moves in the second direction may be greater than the first speed.

[0033] (17) The controller may obtain an elapsed time since the liquid was discharged from the nozzle, and determine the third support position based on the liquid type information and the elapsed time.

[0034] The controller determines the position of the support based on the liquid type information and the elapsed time.

[0035] (18) The liquid discharging device may further include a platen that is capable of facing the head. The support portion may be moved in the second direction without changing a distance between the head and the platen in the second direction.

[0036] (19) The controller may perform a purge to drain liquid from the nozzles, and after the purge is completed, position the support part at a fourth support position that is farther from the nozzle face than the third support position, and move the wiper in the first direction relative to the head.

[0037] (20) The liquid ejection device may further include a frame surrounding the nozzle face, the wiper in contact with the nozzle face and the frame, and an encoder outputting a signal indicating a relative position of the wiper with respect to the head. On condition that the controller determines that the wiper is located in a boundary area between the nozzle face and the frame based on the signal output by the encoder, the controller may position the support part at a fourth support position farther from the nozzle face than the third support position and move the wiper in the first direction relative to the head, and after moving in the first direction, on condition that the controller determines that the wiper is not located in the boundary area based on the signal output by the encoder, the controller may position the support part at the third support position and move the wiper in the first direction relative to the head.

[0038] The controller determines the position of the support based on the liquid type information, the elapsed time and the boundary region. Effect of the Invention

[0039] According to the present invention, the pressing force of the wiper against the nozzle surface can be appropriately adjusted. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an image recording device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1, showing a state in which the head 38 is in the recording position, the first support mechanism 51 is in the first position, and the maintenance mechanism 60 is in the standby position. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which upper housing 31 in FIG. 2 is in the open position. [Figure 4] 4 and 6 are block diagrams of the image recording device 100. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the standby position. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the maintenance position. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the wiping position. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the control of the maintenance. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the control of the maintenance mechanism 60 based on the elapsed time. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the support portion 75 is located at the first support position P1 and the second support position P2. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the wiping process. [Figure 12] 12(a) to (g) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the support portion 75 in the wiping process. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the control of the maintenance mechanism 60 when the image recording device 100 according to the first modification records an image with a polymer-containing liquid. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the control of the maintenance mechanism 60 when the image recording apparatus 100 according to the first modification records an image using a polymer-free liquid. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a state in which the support portion 75 is located at the third support position P3 and the fourth support position P4 in the image recording device 100 according to the first modified example. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a flow chart for explaining the control of the maintenance mechanism 60 of the image recording device 100 according to the second modification. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the appearance of an image recording device 100a according to the third modification. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining the control of the maintenance mechanism 60a for wiping the first head 38a and the second head 38b. [Figure 19]FIG. 19 is a flowchart for explaining the control of the maintenance mechanism 60a for wiping the first head 38a and the second head 38b. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the support portion 75a. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Note that this embodiment is merely one embodiment of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiment can be changed without changing the gist of the present invention. In the following description, the direction is expressed as the progress from the starting point of the arrow to the end point, and the direction is expressed as the movement on the line connecting the starting point and the end point of the arrow. In the following description, the up-down direction 7 is defined based on the state in which the image recording device 100 is installed so that it can be used (the state in FIG. 1), the front-rear direction 8 is defined with the side where the discharge port 33 is provided as the near side (front), and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the image recording device 100 is viewed from the near side (front). The front-rear direction 8 is an example of a first direction.

[0042] [External configuration of image recording device 100] 1 (an example of a liquid discharging device) 100 records an image on a sheet S forming a roll body 37 (see FIG. 2) by an inkjet recording method. The image recording device 100 is an example of an inkjet printer.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 1, the image recording device 100 includes a housing 30. The housing 30 includes an upper housing 31 and a lower housing 32. The upper housing 31 and the lower housing 32 are generally rectangular prism-shaped overall, and are large enough to be placed on a table. In other words, the image recording device 100 is suitable for use while being placed on a table. Of course, the image recording device 100 may also be used while being placed on the floor or a rack.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, in the housing 30, an internal space 31A is defined inside the upper housing 31, and an internal space 32A is defined inside the lower housing 32 from the outside.

[0045] 2 and 3, upper housing 31 is rotatably supported by lower housing 32. Upper housing 31 is rotatable about rotation axis 15 provided at the lower rear end and extending in left-right direction 9 between a closed position shown in Fig. 2 and an open position shown in Fig. 3.

[0046] 1, a slit-shaped discharge opening 33 that is long in the left-right direction 9 is formed on a front surface 32F of the lower housing 32. From the discharge opening 33, a sheet S (see FIG. 2) on which an image has been recorded is discharged.

[0047] An operation panel 44 is provided on the front surface 31F of the upper housing 31. A user inputs to the operation panel 44 to operate the image recording device 100 and to confirm various settings. The operation panel 44 has a display unit 44A. The display unit 44A displays that the tank 34 is to be attached to the attachment case 110.

[0048] [Internal configuration of image recording device 100] As shown in Fig. 2, the holder 35, the tensioner 45, the conveying roller pair 36, the conveying roller pair 40, the head 38, the first support mechanism 51, the support body 46, the second support mechanism 52, the cutter unit 26, the tank 34, and the maintenance mechanism 60 are arranged in the internal spaces 31A and 32A. Although not shown in Fig. 2, the controller 130 (see Fig. 4) is arranged in the internal space 32A. The controller 130 controls the operation of the image recording device 100.

[0049] The internal space 32A is provided with a partition wall 41. The partition wall 41 divides the rear lower part of the internal space 32A to define a sheet accommodating space 32C. The sheet accommodating space 32C is surrounded by the partition wall 41 and the lower housing 32.

[0050] The sheet accommodating space 32C accommodates a roll body 37. The roll body 37 has a core tube and a long sheet S. The sheet S is wound around the core tube in a roll shape in the circumferential direction of the axis of the core tube.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 2, a holder 35 extending along the left-right direction 9 is located in the sheet storage space 32C. When mounted, the holder 35 supports the roll body 37 such that the axis of the core tube of the roll body 37 is aligned with the left-right direction 9 and the roll body 37 is rotatable in the circumferential direction of the axis. The holder 35 rotates by a driving force transmitted from a conveying motor 53 (see Fig. 4). As the holder 35 rotates, the roll body 37 supported by the holder 35 also rotates.

[0052] The sheet storage space 32C opens upward at the rear. A gap 42 is formed between the partition 41 and the rear surface 32B, i.e., above the rear end of the roll body 37. As the conveying roller pairs 36 and 40 rotate, the sheet S is pulled upward from the rear end of the roll body 37 and guided to the tensioner 45 via the gap 42.

[0053] The tensioner 45 is located at the rear of the internal space 32A and above the partition wall 41. The tensioner 45 has an outer peripheral surface 45A facing the outside of the lower housing 32. The upper end of the outer peripheral surface 45A is located at approximately the same vertical position as the nip D of the conveying roller pair 36 in the vertical direction 7.

[0054] The sheet S pulled out from the roll body 37 is hung on and comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 45A. The sheet S curves forward along the outer peripheral surface 45A, extends in the conveying direction 8A, and is guided to the conveying roller pair 36. The conveying direction 8A is forward along the front-rear direction 8.

[0055] The pair of conveying rollers 36 is located in front of the tensioner 45. The pair of conveying rollers 36 includes a conveying roller 36A and a pinch roller 36B. The conveying roller 36A and the pinch roller 36B come into contact with each other at a vertical position substantially the same as the upper end of the outer circumferential surface 45A to form a nip D.

[0056] A conveying roller pair 40 is located in front of the conveying roller pair 36. The conveying roller pair 40 has a conveying roller 40A and a pinch roller 40B. The conveying roller 40A and the pinch roller 40B come into contact with each other at a vertical position roughly coincident with the upper end of the outer circumferential surface 45A to form a nip.

[0057] The conveying rollers 36A, 40A are rotated by a driving force transmitted from a conveying motor 53 (see FIG. 4). The conveying roller pair 36 rotates while nipping the sheet S extending from the tensioner 45 in the conveying direction 8A, thereby sending the sheet in the conveying direction 8A along a conveying surface 43A of a conveying path 43 described later. The conveying roller pair 40 rotates while nipping the sheet S sent out from the conveying roller pair 36, thereby sending the sheet in the conveying direction 8A. In addition, the rotation of the conveying roller pairs 36, 40 pulls the sheet S from the sheet storage space 32C through the gap 42 toward the tensioner 45.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 2, the internal space 32A is formed with a conveying path 43 extending from the upper end of the outer peripheral surface 45A to the discharge port 33. The conveying path 43 extends substantially linearly along the conveying direction 8A, and is a space through which the sheet S can pass. In detail, the conveying path 43 extends in the conveying direction 8A and the left-right direction 9 and extends along a conveying surface 43A that is long in the conveying direction 8A. In FIG. 2, the conveying surface 43A is indicated by a two-dot chain line indicating the conveying path 43. The conveying path 43 is partitioned by a guide member (not shown) positioned apart in the up-down direction 7, the head 38, the conveying belt 101, the support 46, and the like. That is, the head 38, the conveying belt 101, and the support 46 are positioned along the conveying path 43.

[0059] The head 38 is located above the conveying path 43 and downstream of the pair of conveying rollers 36 in the conveying direction 8A. The head 38 has a plurality of nozzles 39 that open in a nozzle surface 50. Ink is discharged downward from the plurality of nozzles 39 toward the sheet S supported by the conveying belt 101 (when ink is discharged from the nozzles 39 by a piezoelectric element (not shown)). In this way, an image is recorded on the sheet S. The configuration of the head 38 will be described later. It is assumed that ink is discharged from the head 38 when the piezoelectric element is driven by the controller 130 to discharge ink droplets from the nozzles 39 as described above, and when ink is discharged from the nozzles 39 by pressure or suction while the cap 62 is in close contact with the nozzle surface 39 during the purging process.

[0060] The first support mechanism 51 is located below the conveying path 43 and downstream of the pair of conveying rollers 36 in the conveying direction 8A. The first support mechanism 51 faces the head 38 below the head 38. The first support mechanism 51 includes a conveying belt 101, a driving roller 102, a driven roller 103, a platen 104, a gear 105, and a gear 106. The conveying belt 101 supports the sheet S that is conveyed by the pair of conveying rollers 36 in the conveying direction 8A and positioned directly below the head 38. The conveying belt 101 conveys the supported sheet S in the conveying direction 8A. The platen 104 is capable of supporting the maintenance mechanism 60.

[0061] The drive roller 102 and the driven roller 103 are rotatably supported by a platen 104. The drive roller 102 and the driven roller 103 are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction 8 (conveyance direction 8A). The conveyor belt 101 is an endless belt. The conveyor belt 101 is stretched around the drive roller 102 and the driven roller 103. The conveyor belt 101 is disposed within the conveying path 43 in the left-right direction 9.

[0062] The driving roller 102 rotates by a driving force provided by a conveying motor 53 (see FIG. 4), and rotates the conveying belt 101. The rotation of the conveying belt 101 causes the driven roller 103 to rotate. The conveying belt 101 has a conveying surface 108. The conveying surface 108 is an upper portion of the outer circumferential surface of the conveying belt 101, and extends along a conveying direction 8A. The conveying surface 108 faces the nozzle 39 of the head 38 across the conveying path 43. The conveying surface 108 applies a conveying force to the sheet S while supporting the sheet S conveyed between the conveying roller pairs 36 and 40 from below. As a result, the conveying belt 101 conveys the sheet S located on the conveying path 43 in the conveying direction 8A along the conveying surface 108.

[0063] The platen 104 includes a shaft 109A. The shaft 109A is rotatably supported by the lower housing 32. The shaft 109A extends in the left-right direction 9 (a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 8A and parallel to the nozzle surface 50 of the ejection module 49). The shaft 109A is provided upstream of the drive roller 102 in the conveying direction 8A. The shaft 109A is located below the pair of conveying rollers 36.

[0064] The shaft 109A rotates by receiving a driving force from a shaft motor 59 (see FIG. 4). The rotation of the shaft 109A causes the platen 104 to rotate about the shaft 109A. A rotation tip 51A of the first support mechanism 51 is located downstream of the shaft 109A in the conveying direction 8A.

[0065] The platen 104 can be changed between a first position (see FIG. 2) parallel to the nozzle surface 50 of the ejection module 49 and a second position (see FIG. 5) in which the platen 104 is tilted from the first position around the axis 109A with the tip 51A of the rotation positioned below the axis 109A.

[0066] 2, when the first support mechanism 51 is in the first position, the conveying surface 108 of the conveying belt 101 extends along the front-rear direction 8. This allows the conveying belt 101 to convey the sheet S located on the conveying path 43 forward to the support 46.

[0067] 5, when the first support mechanism 51 is in the second position, the conveying surface 108 of the conveyor belt 101 extends along an inclined direction 6 that slopes downward as it moves forward. The inclined direction 6 is perpendicular to the left-right direction 9 and intersects with the conveying direction 8A. One side along the inclined direction 6 is referred to as a forward inclined direction 5, and the other side along the inclined direction 6 is referred to as a backward inclined direction 4.

[0068] 2, the gears 105 and 106 are rotatably supported by the platen 104 of the first support mechanism 51. The gear 106 is connected to the first motor 55 (see FIG. 4) directly or via another gear, and receives a driving force from the first motor 55.

[0069] The support 46 is located below the conveying path 43. The support 46 is located downstream of the head 38 and the first support mechanism 51 in the conveying direction 8A. A front portion of the support 46 faces the conveying roller 40A. The support 46 is located upstream of the cutter unit 26 in the conveying direction 8A.

[0070] The support body 46 is supported by the lower housing 32 so as to be rotatable about an axis (not shown) extending in the left-right direction 9. As shown in Fig. 3, when the upper housing 31 is in the open position, the support body 46 is rotatable between a laid-down position shown by a solid line in Fig. 3 and an upright position shown by a dashed line in Fig. 3.

[0071] When the support 46 is in the laid-down position, the pivot tip 46B of the support 46 is located forward of the pivot base end 46A (downstream in the conveying direction 8A). When the support 46 is in the laid-down position, the support 46 constitutes part of the conveying path 43 and can support the sheet S conveyed in the conveying direction 8A by the conveyor belt 101. When the support 46 is in the upright position, the pivot tip 46B of the support 46 is located higher than when the support 46 is in the laid-down position, and the maintenance mechanism 60 can be exposed to the outside. The shaft of the support 46 is provided at the rear end of the support 46 and extends in the left-right direction 9.

[0072] The second support mechanism 52 is capable of supporting the maintenance mechanism 60 in a state aligned with the inclination direction 6. The second support mechanism 52 supports the maintenance mechanism 60 and supports the movement of the maintenance mechanism 60 so as to be slidable. The second support mechanism 52 is disposed in a state extending in the inclination direction 6 as a whole.

[0073] The gears 118, 119, and 120 are rotatably supported by the main body 115 of the second support mechanism 52. The gear 120 meshes with the gears 118 and 119. When the gear 120 rotates, the gears 118 and 119 rotate in the same direction. The gear 120 is connected to the second motor 56 (see FIG. 4) directly or via another gear, and receives driving force from the second motor 56. The gears 118 and 119 can mesh with a rack 154 of the maintenance mechanism 60 located in an opposing position.

[0074] The maintenance mechanism 60 is for performing maintenance on the head 38. The maintenance mechanism 60 is configured to be movable, and is moved to a position directly below the head 38 when maintenance on the head 38 is to be performed.

[0075] The maintenance of the head 38 includes a purging process, a flushing process, a wiping process, and the like. The purging process is a process in which the nozzles 39 are covered with a cap 62 of the maintenance mechanism 60, which will be described later, and then ink is discharged from the nozzles 39 by a pump 73 (when ink is sucked from the nozzles 39). The flushing process is a process in which ink is discharged toward the cap 62. The wiping process is a process in which the nozzle surface 50 of the head 38 is wiped by a wiper blade (an example of a wiper) 64 of the maintenance mechanism 60, which will be described later. The configuration of the maintenance mechanism 60 will be described later.

[0076] The cutter unit 26 is located above the conveying path 43 and downstream in the conveying direction 8A from the pair of conveying rollers 40. The cutter unit 26 includes a cutter 28 mounted on a cutter carriage 27. The sheet S located on the conveying path 43 is cut in the left-right direction 9 by the movement of the cutter 28.

[0077] The mounting case 110 is located near the front and bottom ends of the lower housing 32, and is a box-shaped opening facing forward. The tank 34 is inserted rearward into the mounting case 110. An ink needle 112 extending forward is located on a rearward end surface 111 of the mounting case 110. The front end of the ink needle 112 is open, and the rear end is connected to an ink circuit (not shown). The ink circuit connects the internal space of the ink needle 112 and the head 38 so that ink can flow through them. When the tank 34 is mounted in the mounting case 110, the ink needle 112 is inserted into the outlet of the tank 34. As a result, the ink stored in the tank 34 is supplied to the head 38 through the ink needle 112 and the ink circuit. The configuration of the ink circuit will be described later. A contact 114 is located on the end surface 111. The contacts 114 are electrically connected to an IC board (an example of a storage medium) 79 of the tank 34 when the tank 34 is attached to the mounting case 110. The controller 130 can access a storage area of ​​the IC board 79 through the contacts 114. The IC board 79 stores liquid type information, which is information on the type of ink stored in the tank 34.

[0078] The tank 34 stores ink. The internal space of the tank 34 is a storage chamber that stores the ink. The storage chamber may be one that is connected to the outside atmosphere, or may be a bag-like chamber such as a pouch that can shrink as ink flows out. Ink is supplied to the head 38 from the tank 34 mounted in the mounting case 110 through an ink circuit. An IC board 79 is located on the rear surface of the tank 34.

[0079] The image recording position is a position directly above the platen 104. At the image recording position, the head 38 is spaced apart from the platen 104 in the up-down direction (an example of the second direction) 7. The head 38 faces the platen 104 across the transport path 43. The head 38 is connected to the tank 34 via an ink tube (not shown) so as to be fluidly connected thereto. Ink stored in the tank 34 is supplied to the head 38. At the image recording position, the head 38 is controlled by the controller 130 to eject ink droplets downward from the nozzles 39 toward the sheet S.

[0080] The mounting case 110 is located near the front end and bottom end of the housing 30, and has a box shape that opens toward the front. The tank 34 is inserted rearward into the mounting case 110. An ink needle 112 extending forward is located on a rearward end surface 111 of the mounting case 110. The front end of the ink needle 112 is open, and the rear end is connected to an ink circuit (not shown). The ink circuit connects the internal space of the ink needle 112 and the head 38 so that ink can flow through them. When the tank 34 is mounted in the mounting case 110, the ink needle 112 is inserted into the outlet of the tank 34. As a result, the ink stored in the tank 34 is supplied to the head 38 through the ink needle 112 and the ink circuit. The ink is a polymer-containing liquid such as latex ink, or a polymer-free liquid such as a dye. A contact 114 is located on the end surface 111. The contacts 114 are electrically connected to an IC board 79 of the tank 34 when the tank 34 is attached to the mounting case 110. The controller 130 can access a storage area of ​​the IC board 79 through the contacts 114. The IC board 79 stores information about whether the liquid stored in the tank 34 is a polymer-containing liquid (an example of first information) or a polymer-free liquid (an example of second information), and the information can be read by the controller 130.

[0081] [Head 38] The head 38 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction 9. The head 38 includes a frame 48 and a discharge module 49. In this embodiment, the number of the discharge module 49 is one.

[0082] The discharge module 49 is supported by the frame 48. The lower surface of the discharge module 49 is exposed downward. The discharge module 49 is disposed within the transport path 43 in the left-right direction 9.

[0083] The head 38 has a frame 29 on its lower surface. The frame 29 is located below the front, rear, left and right edges of the nozzle surface 50. The frame 29 is located between the sheet S transported on the platen 104 and the nozzle surface 50 in the up-down direction 7. The frame 29 protrudes downward from the nozzle surface 50 and forms a step with the nozzle surface 50. A rear end E1 of the rear frame 29a located below the rear edge of the head 38 coincides with the rear end of the head 38 when viewed from the up-down direction 7. Moreover, a front end E2 of the front frame 29b located below the front edge of the head 38 coincides with the front end of the head 38.

[0084] The ejection module 49 includes a plurality of nozzles 39. Each nozzle 39 opens in a nozzle surface 50 of the ejection module 49. The nozzle surface 50 is a surface that extends in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9. As described above, ink is ejected downward from the plurality of nozzles 39 toward the sheet S supported by the conveyor belt 101 of the first support mechanism 51, and an image is recorded on the sheet S.

[0085] The head 38 moves to a recording position, a capped position, a wiped position, and an uncapped position along the vertical direction 7. The recording position is a position of the head 38 when an image is recorded on the sheet S supported by the conveyor belt 101. The capped position is a position of the head 38 when the discharge module 49 is covered by the cap 62 of the maintenance mechanism 60. The capped position is a position above the recording position (a position farther from the first support mechanism 51 than the recording position). The wiped position is a position of the head 38 when the wiper blade 64 of the maintenance mechanism 60 wipes the nozzle surface 50 of the discharge module 49. The wiped position is a position above the capped position. The wiped position is fixed in the vertical direction 7 while the nozzle surface 50 is wiped by the wiper blade 64. The uncapped position is a position of the head 38 when the head 38 is completely separated from the maintenance mechanism 60. The uncapped position is a position above the wiped position.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 2, the head 38 is moved by the ball screw 20. The ball screw 20 includes a screw shaft 20A and a nut member 20B. The screw shaft 20A is supported by the lower housing 32 so as to be rotatable about an axis along the vertical direction 7. The screw shaft 20A is rotated by a driving force transmitted from a head motor 54 (see FIG. 4). The nut member 20B moves upward by the forward rotation of the screw shaft 20A, and moves downward by the reverse rotation of the screw shaft 20A. Note that the configuration for moving the head 38 up and down is not limited to a configuration using the ball screw 20, and various known configurations can be adopted.

[0087] [Maintenance Organization 60] As shown in FIG. 2, the maintenance mechanism 60 includes a support base 61, a case 74, a wiper blade 64, a support portion 75, and a cap 62. The support base 61 has a box shape with an open top. The support base 61 is provided with a rack 154. The rack 154 is located on the lower surface of the bottom wall of the support base 61. The rack 154 is located on the lower surface of the bottom wall of the support base 61 across the entire surface in the inclination direction 6. The rack 154 can mesh with the gear 105 of the first support mechanism 51. When the rack 154 and the gear 105 are in mesh with each other, the driving force of the first motor 55 is transmitted to the gear 105 via the gear 106, and the maintenance mechanism 60 slides in the inclination direction 6 along the upper surface of the first support mechanism 51 in the second position. Similarly, the maintenance mechanism 60 slides in the front-rear direction 8 along the upper surface of the first support mechanism 51 in the first position. The rack 154, the gears 105, 106, and the first motor 55 relatively move the head and the support table in the first direction. The first speed V1 when the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from the maintenance position to the wiping position is a constant speed.

[0088] An encoder 82 (see FIG. 4) is disposed on the support base 61. The encoder 82 includes an encoder strip extending along the front-rear direction 8 in the first support mechanism 51, and an optical sensor mounted on the maintenance mechanism 60. The encoder strip has a pattern in which light-transmitting sections that transmit light and light-shielding sections that block light are alternately arranged at equal pitches in the front-rear direction 8. A pulse signal is detected by the optical sensor detecting the light-transmitting sections and the light-shielding sections. The pulse signal is a signal corresponding to the position of the wiper blade 64 in the front-rear direction 8. The pulse signal is output to the controller 130. The controller 130 calculates the position and speed of the wiper blade 64 in the front-rear direction 8 based on the received pulse signal.

[0089] The rack 154 can mesh with the gears 118, 119 of the second support mechanism 52. When the driving force of the first motor 55 is transmitted to the gears 118 and 119 via the gear 120 in a state in which the rack 154 is meshed with at least one of the gears 118 and 119, the maintenance mechanism 60 slides in the inclined direction 6 along the upper surface of the second support mechanism 52.

[0090] As a result, the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at a standby position above the second support mechanism 52 as shown in Fig. 5, a maintenance position above the first support mechanism 51 and directly below the nozzle surface 50 as shown in Fig. 6, and a wiping position which is a front position above the first support mechanism 51 as shown in Fig. 7. The maintenance mechanism 60 can be moved to the wiping position during the wiping process.

[0091] The case 74 is located behind the maintenance mechanism 60 and supports the wiper blade 64 and the support part 75. The case 74 is made of synthetic resin and has a bottomed rectangular cylindrical shape. The case 74 can accommodate the support part 75. The case 74 is located below the head 38 in the vertical direction 7. The case 74 can be moved in the vertical direction 7 by a ball screw mechanism 88 (see FIG. 4). The case 74 can be moved between an upper position (see FIG. 12(a)) where the wiper blade 64 contacts the nozzle surface 50 and a lower position (see FIG. 12(f)) where the wiper blade 64 is separated downward from the nozzle surface 50. The ball screw mechanism 88 is driven to rotate by a driving force transmitted from a vertical drive motor 92 (see FIG. 4). Note that the configuration for moving the case 74 up and down is not limited to the configuration using the ball screw mechanism 88, and various known configurations can be adopted.

[0092] The wiper blade 64 is made of an elastic material such as rubber and has flexibility. The wiper blade 64 is fixed to the case 74. The wiper blade 64 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The wiper blade 64 is located at the front side of the case 74 and extends upward from the case 74 along the up-down direction 7. The wiper blade 64 is longer in the left-right direction 9 than in the front-rear direction 8. The wiper blade 64 is movable in the front-rear direction 8 (an example of a first direction) while in contact with the nozzle surface 50. When the wiper blade 64 wipes the nozzle surface 50, a tip portion of the wiper blade 64 comes into contact with the nozzle surface 50.

[0093] The support portion 75 is made of a resin material or a metal material. The support portion 75 is supported so as to be able to retract from the case 74. The lower end of the support portion 75 is supported by a cam (see FIG. 4) 87, and the position of the support portion 75 is adjusted in the vertical direction by applying a rotational force to the cam 87. The front-facing surface of the support portion 75 abuts against the rear-facing surface of the wiper blade 64, and slides against the rear surface 65 (see FIG. 12(a)) of the wiper blade 64 when moving in the vertical direction 7. When wiping the nozzle surface 50, the rear surface 65 of the wiper blade 64 is supported by the support portion 75, and the tip portion is curved backward. At this time, a pressing force is applied to the nozzle surface 50 by the wiper blade 64. The position of the support portion 75 in the vertical direction 7 can be detected by a position sensor (see FIG. 4) 76. The position sensor 76 has a plurality of protrusions 77 that protrude forward from a main body 78 toward the track of the support portion 75. The multiple protrusions 77 are supported forward by coil springs, and retract rearward when the support portion 75 moves upward and comes into contact with them.

[0094] The cap 62 is supported by a support base 61. The cap 62 is located in front of the wiper blade 64 with a gap therebetween. The cap 62 has a box shape with an open top. The cap 62 is made of an elastic body such as rubber or silicon. The cap 62 can face the discharge module 49. When the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the maintenance position, the cap 62 abuts against the nozzle surface 50 to seal the internal space 67 of the cap 62. As a result, the cap 62 covers the multiple nozzles 39. A tube (not shown) that discharges waste liquid from the internal space 67 after the purging process and the flushing process is connected to the cap 62. The tube is in communication with the internal space 67, and a pump 73 and a valve 83 are arranged in series on the tube.

[0095] [Controller 130] The controller 130 controls various operations of the image recording device 100. As shown in Fig. 4, the controller 130 includes a CPU 131 and an ASIC 135. The memory 140 includes a ROM 132, a RAM 133, an EEPROM 134, and a timer 136. The CPU 131, the ASIC 135, the ROM 132, the RAM 133, the EEPROM 134, and the timer 136 are connected by an internal bus 137.

[0096] The ROM 132 stores programs for controlling various operations of the CPU 131. The RAM 133 is used as a storage area for temporarily recording data, signals, etc. used when the CPU 131 executes the programs, or as a work area for data processing. The EEPROM 134 stores settings, flags, etc. that should be retained even after the power is turned off. The timer 136 starts timing in response to a command from the CPU 131, and returns the elapsed time to the CPU 131. The timer 136 may be an independent IC, or may be built into the CPU 131.

[0097] The transport motor 53, the head motor 54, the first motor 55, the second motor 56, the suction pump motor 58, the shaft motor 59, the support drive motor 86, and the up-down drive motor 92 are connected to the ASIC 135. A valve 83 is also connected to the ASIC 135. The valve 83 is connected to the ASIC 135 via a drive circuit for driving the valve 83.

[0098] The ASIC 135 generates a drive signal for rotating each motor, and controls each motor based on this drive signal. Each motor rotates forward or backward according to the drive signal from the ASIC 135. The controller 130 controls the drive of the conveying motor 53 to rotate the holder 35, the conveying roller 36A, the conveying roller 40A, and the driving roller 102. The controller 130 controls the drive of the head motor 54 to rotate the screw shaft 20A and move the head 38 along the vertical direction 7. The controller 130 controls the drive of the shaft motor 59 to rotate the first support mechanism 51. The controller 130 controls the drive of the first motor 55 to rotate the gear 106 of the first support mechanism 51. The controller 130 controls the drive of the second motor 56 to rotate the gear 120 of the second support mechanism 52. The controller 130 controls the drive of the support drive motor 86 to rotate the cam 87 that supports the support 75. The second speed V2 when the support 75 moves between the upper position and the lower position is a constant speed. The controller 130 controls the drive of the suction pump motor 58 to drive the pump 73. The controller 130 controls the drive of the valve motor 57 to drive the valve 83 to open and close.

[0099] The ASIC 35 is connected to the operation panel 44, the display unit 44A, the contacts 114, the encoder 82, the valve 83, the position sensor 76, and the piezoelectric element. The operation panel 44 outputs an operation signal to the controller 130 in response to an operation by a user. The operation panel 44 may have, for example, a push button or a touch sensor superimposed on the display. The controller 130 reads out the identification information from the storage area of ​​the IC board 79 of the tank 34 through the contacts 114. The controller 130 causes the display unit 44A to display that the tank 34 is to be attached to the attachment case 110 based on the identification information. The position sensor 76 outputs a signal to the controller 130 in response to the protrusion 77 being retracted backward. The piezoelectric element is operated by being supplied with power by the controller 130 via a drive circuit (not shown). The controller 130 controls the supply of power to the piezoelectric element to selectively eject ink droplets from the multiple nozzles 39.

[0100] Next, the control of the maintenance mechanism 60 performed by the controller 130 during maintenance of the head 38 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. During maintenance, a purging process, a flushing process, and a wiping process are performed.

[0101] Maintenance is started when the user operates the operation panel 44 to start maintenance during or before image recording while the power of the image recording device 100 is on. At this time, the maintenance mechanism 60 is in the standby position (see FIG. 5), the head 38 is in the recording position, the platen 104 is in the first position, and the case 74 is in the lower position.

[0102] First, the controller 130 determines whether or not a maintenance start signal has been received from the operation panel 44 (S10). If the controller 130 has not received a maintenance start signal (S10: No), it continues to make a determination until it receives a maintenance start signal. If the controller 130 determines that a maintenance start signal has been received (S10: Yes), it drives the head motor 54 (S11). When the head motor 54 is driven, the head 38 moves from the recording position to the capped position.

[0103] Next, the controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S12). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the second position. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 (S13). When the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 are driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from above the second support mechanism 52 to above the first support mechanism 51. The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S14). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates clockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the first position. In other words, the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the maintenance position. At this time, the nozzle surface 50 is covered by the cap 62 (see FIG. 6).

[0104] The controller 130 opens the valve 83 (S15). When the valve 83 is opened, the internal space 67 and the pump 73 communicate with each other. In this state, the controller 130 drives the suction pump motor 58 (S16). When the suction pump motor 58 is driven, the pump 73 starts. When the pump 73 starts, ink is sucked from the multiple nozzles 39, and a purging process is performed. At this time, foreign matter is removed from the nozzles 39 together with the ink.

[0105] The controller 130 determines a second support position P2, which is a position of the support part 75 in the vertical direction 7 during the purging process (S17). Specifically, the controller 130 determines the position of the support part 75 in the vertical direction 7 during the purging process from a table stored in the EEPROM 134 or the ROM 132. The controller 130 determines whether the position of the support part 75 in the vertical direction 7 at the time of step S18 is different from the determined second support position P2 based on the output signal of the position sensor 76 (S18). When the controller 130 determines that the current position of the support part 75 is different from the second support position P2 (S18: Yes), it drives the support part drive motor 86 (S19). When the support part drive motor 86 is driven, the cam 87 rotates, and the support part 75 moves to the second support position P2 at a second speed V2. The second speed V2 of the support part 75 is greater than the first speed V1 of the maintenance mechanism 60. After the controller 130 moves the support portion 75 to the second support position P2 in step S19, or when it is determined that the current position of the support portion 75 is the same as the second support position P2 (S18: No), the controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S20). When the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74 moves to the upper position by the ball screw mechanism 88. At this time, the upper end of the wiper blade 64 is positioned above the nozzle surface 50.

[0106] The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S21). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves forward. The maintenance mechanism 60 moves forward to move from the maintenance position to the wiping position (see FIG. 7). When the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from the maintenance position to the wiping position, the position of the wiper blade 64 in the front-rear direction 8 is detected based on a signal from the encoder 82. In addition, the wiper blade 64 abuts against the nozzle surface 50 with the rear surface 65 supported by the support portion 75. The wiper blade 64 is curved backward due to friction with the nozzle surface 50, and wipes the nozzle surface 50. When the forward movement of the maintenance mechanism 60 ends, the controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S22). When the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74 moves to the lower position by the ball screw mechanism 88. At this time, the tip of the wiper blade 64 is located below the nozzle surface 50. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S23). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves backward and is located at the maintenance position.

[0107] The controller 130 drives the piezoelectric element (S24). When the piezoelectric element is driven, a flushing process is performed in which ink is discharged from the nozzle 39 toward the cap 62. A meniscus is formed in the nozzle 39 by performing the flushing process.

[0108] After the flushing process is performed, the controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S25). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 109A and assumes the second position. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 (S26). When the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 are driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from above the first support mechanism 51 to above the second support mechanism 52, and then moves to the standby position. The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S27). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates clockwise about the shaft 109A and assumes the first position. This completes the maintenance.

[0109] Next, the control of the maintenance mechanism 60 performed by the controller 130 based on the time that has elapsed since ink was attached to the nozzle surface 50 and the presence or absence of a step on the nozzle surface 50 will be described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. The timing at which ink is attached to the nozzle surface 50 is when ink is discharged from the nozzles 39. At the start of control, the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the standby position, and the head 38 is located at the recording position. In addition, the platen 104 is in the first position, the case 74 is located at the lower position, and the tank 34 is attached to the mounting case 110.

[0110] First, the controller 130 judges whether or not a signal to turn on the power supply of the image recording device 100 has been received from the operation panel 44 (S100). When the controller 130 has not received a power-on signal (S100: No), the controller 130 continues the judgment until the power-on signal is received. When the controller 130 judges that the power-on signal has been received (S100: Yes), the controller 130 next judges whether or not there is a job to be printed in the image recording device 100 (S101). When the controller 130 judges that there is no job to be printed (S101: No), the controller 130 ends the control of the image recording device 100. When the controller 130 judges that there is a job to be printed (S101: Yes), the controller 130 resets the count of the timer 136 (S102). The controller 130 causes the timer 136 to start counting (S103). The counting starts at the timing when the ink starts to be discharged from the head 38.

[0111] The controller 130 drives the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element (S104). By driving the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element, an image is recorded on the sheet S conveyed while ink is discharged from the nozzles 39. The controller 130 judges whether or not a predetermined time T1 has elapsed since the start of counting (S105). The predetermined time T1 here is a time that is set in advance and stored in the ROM 132 or the EEPROM 134, and is the time from the start of ink discharge to the start of flushing processing. When the controller 130 judges that the predetermined time T1 has not elapsed (S105: No), it judges whether or not the print job has ended (S117). Steps S117 and after will be described later. When the controller 130 judges that the predetermined time T1 has elapsed (S105: Yes), it interrupts the driving of the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element (S106). By interrupting the driving of the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element, image recording is interrupted.

[0112] The controller 130 drives the head motor 54 (S107). When the head motor 54 is driven, the head 38 moves from the recording position to the uncapped position (see the broken line in FIG. 7). The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S108). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 109A and assumes the second position. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 (S109). When the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 are driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from above the second support mechanism 52 to above the first support mechanism 51. The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S110). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates clockwise about the shaft 109A and assumes the first position, and the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the maintenance position. At this time, the cap 62 is separated from the nozzle surface 50 .

[0113] The controller 130 drives the piezoelectric element (S111). When the piezoelectric element is driven, ink is discharged from the nozzle 39 toward the cap 62, and a flushing process is performed. After the flushing process is performed, the controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S112). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the second position. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 (S113). When the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 are driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from above the first support mechanism 51 to above the second support mechanism 52, and then moves to the standby position (see FIG. 5). The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S114). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates clockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the first position.

[0114] The controller 130 drives the head motor 54 (S115). When the head motor 54 is driven, the head 38 moves from the uncapped position to the recording position. The controller 130 drives the transport motor 53 and the piezoelectric element (S116). By driving the transport motor 53 and the piezoelectric element, ink is discharged from the nozzles 39 and image recording on the transported sheet S is resumed. The controller 130 determines whether the print job has ended (S117). When the controller 130 determines that the print job has not ended (S117: No), it again determines whether the predetermined time T1 has elapsed (S105) and repeats the above-mentioned steps.

[0115] When the controller 130 determines that the print job is finished (S117: Yes), it acquires the elapsed time from the start of counting to the end of the print job from the timer 136 (S118). The controller 130 determines whether the acquired elapsed time is equal to or greater than a threshold U1 (S119). The threshold U1 here is a value that is set in advance and stored in the ROM 132 or EEPROM 134. The threshold U1 is set, for example, in consideration of the time from when the ink is exposed to the outside air until it starts curing. When the controller 130 determines that the acquired elapsed time is less than the threshold U1 (S119: No), it determines the second support position P2 of the support part 75 in the vertical direction 7 (S121). The controller 130 determines the position of the support part 75 in the vertical direction 7 when the threshold is less than U1 from a table stored in the EEPROM 134 or ROM 132.

[0116] When the controller 130 determines that the acquired elapsed time is equal to or greater than the threshold U1 (S119: Yes), it determines a first support position P1 of the support part 75 in the vertical direction 7 (S120). The controller 130 determines the position of the support part 75 in the vertical direction 7 based on the threshold U1 from a table stored in the EEPROM 134 or the ROM 132. As shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), at the first support position P1, the upper end of the support part 75 is located higher than the upper end of the support part 75 at the second support position P2. That is, the first support position P1 is closer to the nozzle surface 50 than the second support position P2, so that the pressing force of the wiper blade 64 against the nozzle surface 50 is greater. The controller 130 determines whether the current position of the support part 75 in the vertical direction 7 is different from the first support position P1 determined in step S120 or different from the second support position P2 determined in step S121 based on the output signal of the position sensor 76 (S122). When the controller 130 determines that the position of the support portion 75 at the time of step S122 is different from the first support position P1 determined in step S120, or different from the second support position P2 determined in step S121 (S122: Yes), the controller 130 drives the support portion drive motor 86 (S123) to move the support portion 75 to the first support position P1 or the second support position P2. After the controller 130 moves the support portion 75 to the first support position P1 or the second support position P2 in step S123, the controller 130 performs a wiping process (S124). When the controller 130 determines that the current position of the support portion 75 is the same as the first support position P1 or the second support position P2 (S122: No), the controller 130 performs a wiping process (S124).

[0117] Next, the wiping process will be described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. In the wiping process, the controller 130 controls the maintenance mechanism 60 in response to the step of the nozzle surface 50. At the start of the wiping process, the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the standby position, and the head 38 is located at the recording position. The platen 104 is in the first position, and the case 74 is located at the lower position. Note that the position sensor 76 is omitted in Figure 12.

[0118] In the wiping process, first, the controller 130 drives the head motor 54 (S200). When the head motor 54 is driven, the head 38 moves from the recording position to the wiped position (see FIG. 7). Next, the controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S201). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the second position (see FIG. 5). The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 (S202). When the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 are driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from above the second support mechanism 52 to above the first support mechanism 51. The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S203). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates clockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the first position, and the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the maintenance position.

[0119] The controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S204). When the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74 moves to the upper position by the ball screw mechanism 88. At this time, the upper end of the wiper blade 64 is positioned above the nozzle surface 50, as shown in FIG.

[0120] The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S205). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves forward. When the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from the maintenance position to the wiping position, the position of the wiper blade 64 in the front-rear direction 8 is detected based on a signal from the encoder 82.

[0121] The controller 130 judges whether the wiper blade 64 is located at the rear end E1 (see FIG. 12) of the rear frame 29a (S206). When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64 is not located at the rear end E1 (S206: No), the controller 130 continues the judgment until the wiper blade 64 is located at the rear end E1. When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64 is located at the rear end E1 (S206: Yes), the controller 130 determines a fifth support position P5, which is a position in the up-down direction 7 of the support portion 75 when wiping the rear frame 29a (S207). The fifth support position P5 is a position that is set in advance and stored in the ROM 132 or the EEPROM 134.

[0122] The controller 130 judges whether or not the current position of the support part 75 in the up-down direction 7 is different from the fifth support position P5 determined in step S207 based on the output signal of the position sensor 76 (S208). When the controller 130 judges that the position of the support part 75 is different from the fifth support position P5 at the time of step S208 (S208: Yes), the controller 130 drives the support part drive motor 86 (S209). When the support part drive motor 86 is driven, the cam 87 rotates and the support part 75 moves to the fifth support position P5. After the controller 130 moves the support part 75 to the fifth support position P5 in step S209, or when the controller 130 judges that the position of the support part 75 is the same as the fifth support position P5 at the time of step S208 (S208: No), the controller 130 judges whether or not the wiper blade 64 is located in the first boundary region R1 based on the output signal of the encoder 82 (S210).

[0123] 12(b), the first boundary region R1 is a region having a predetermined width in the front-rear direction 8, and its center is the boundary in the front-rear direction 8 between the rear frame 29a located behind the head 38 and the nozzle surface 50. An upwardly recessed step is formed from the rear frame 29a to the nozzle surface 50.

[0124] When the controller 130 determines that the wiper blade 64 is not located in the first boundary region R1 in the front-rear direction 8 (S210: No), the controller 130 continues the determination until the wiper blade 64 is located in the first boundary region R1. As shown in FIG. 12(b), when the controller 130 determines that the wiper blade 64 is located in the first boundary region R1 (S210: Yes), the controller 130 determines a sixth support position P6 of the support portion 75 (S211). The sixth support position P6 is a position that is set in advance and stored in the ROM 132 or the EEPROM 134. The controller 130 drives the support portion drive motor 86 (S212). When the support portion drive motor 86 is driven, the cam 87 rotates, and the support portion 75 moves to the sixth support position P6.

[0125] The controller 130 judges whether the wiper blade 64 is not located in the first boundary region R1 in the front-rear direction 8 (S213). When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64 is located in the first boundary region R1 (S213: No), the controller 130 continues the judgment until the wiper blade 64 is not located in the first boundary region R1. When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64 is not located in the first boundary region R1 (S213: Yes), as shown in FIG. 12(c), the controller 130 judges whether the wiper blade 64 is located in the second boundary region R2 based on the output signal of the encoder 82 (S214). As shown in FIG. 12(d), the second boundary region R2 is an area having a predetermined width in the front-rear direction 8, and has a boundary between the front frame 29b located in front of the head 38 and the nozzle surface 50 in the front-rear direction 8 as its center. A step protruding downward is formed from the nozzle surface 50 to the front frame 29b. When the controller 130 determines that the wiper blade 64 is not located in the second boundary region R2 (S214: No), the controller 130 continues to make the determination until the wiper blade 64 is located in the second boundary region R2.

[0126] 12(d), when the controller 130 determines that the wiper blade 64 is located in the second boundary region R2 (S214: Yes), it determines a fifth support position P5 of the support portion 75 (S215). The controller 130 drives the support portion drive motor 86 (S216). When the support portion drive motor 86 is driven, the cam 87 rotates, and the support portion 75 moves to the fifth support position P5.

[0127] The controller 130 judges whether the wiper blade 64 has passed the front end E2 (see FIG. 12) based on the output signal of the encoder 82 (S217). When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64 has not passed the front end E2 (S217: No), the controller 130 continues the judgment until the wiper blade 64 passes the front end E2 (see FIG. 12(e)). When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64 has passed the front end E2 (S217: Yes), as shown in FIG. 12(f), the controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S218). When the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74 is moved to the lower position by the ball screw mechanism 88 as shown by the arrow in FIG. 12(f). At this time, the upper end of the wiper blade 64 is located below the nozzle surface 50. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S218). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves backward as shown in Fig. 12(g). By moving backward, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from the wiping position to the maintenance position, and the wiping process ends.

[0128] [Effects of the embodiment] The controller 130 determines the position of the support portion 75 in the vertical direction 7 to be the first support position P1 based on the fact that the elapsed time since the ink was discharged is equal to or greater than a preset threshold U1. The amount of deformation of the wiper blade 64 when wiping the nozzle surface 50 changes depending on the position of the support portion 75. The amount of deformation of the wiper blade 64 changes the pressing force of the wiper blade 64 against the nozzle surface 50. The ink attached to the nozzle surface 50 solidifies over time. The pressing force of the wiper blade 64 against the nozzle surface 50 can be set in advance to an appropriate pressing force depending on the elapsed time until the ink solidifies, without the need to repeat the process of performing user cleaning. This makes it possible to reduce the time required for image recording and the consumption of the sheet S and ink.

[0129] When the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from the maintenance position to the wiping position, the support portion 75 moves while the distance between the platen 104 and the nozzle surface 50 remains constant, so the pressing force of the wiper blade 64 is determined only by the position of the support portion 75. For this reason, the pressing force of the wiper blade 64 against the nozzle surface 50 can be adjusted with high reproducibility.

[0130] The support portion 75 is closer to the nozzle surface 50 at the first support position P1 than at the second support position P2. Therefore, the pressing force of the wiper blade 64 against the nozzle surface 50 is greater at the end of image recording than at the end of purging. Since ink is more likely to solidify at the end of image recording than at the end of purging, the solidified ink can be wiped away with a stronger pressing force.

[0131] When the wiper blade 64 is located in the first boundary region R1, the controller 130 positions the support portion 75 at the sixth support position P6. When the wiper blade 64 is moved further forward and is no longer located in the first boundary region R1, the controller 130 positions the support portion 75 at the fifth support position P5. That is, the pressing force of the wiper blade 64 is appropriately adjusted with respect to the front frame 29b when the wiper blade 64 approaches the front frame 29b from the nozzle surface 50. Therefore, when the wiper blade 64 moves from the nozzle surface 50 to the front frame 29b, the wiper blade 64 is prevented from abutting against the front frame 29b and being deteriorated. In addition, the wiper blade 64 that has wiped the nozzle surface 50 and absorbed ink is prevented from abutting against the front frame 29b and scattering ink. Furthermore, the same applies to the movement from the fifth support position P5 to the sixth support position P6 when the wiper blade 64 moves from the rear frame 29a to the nozzle surface 50.

[0132] [Variation 1] In the above embodiment, the controller 130 controls the maintenance mechanism 60 based on the time elapsed since the ink was attached to the nozzle surface 50 and the presence or absence of a step on the nozzle surface 50. However, the control of the image recording device 100 by the controller 130 is not limited to these conditions. The control of the maintenance position 60 by the controller 130 may be performed based on the liquid type information. In the first modification, a case where the liquid stored in the tank 34 is latex ink, which is a polymer-containing liquid, or a dye, which is a polymer-free liquid, is described. The image recording device 100 according to the first modification is described using an example where the head 38 does not have a frame 29. In addition, the control of the maintenance mechanism 60 by the controller 130 is described using an example where the time elapsed since the ink was attached to the nozzle surface 50 and the presence or absence of a step on the nozzle surface 50 are not taken into consideration.

[0133] At the start of control, the maintenance mechanism 60 is in the standby position, the head 38 is in the recording position, the platen 104 is in the first position, and the case 74 is in the lower position.

[0134] In controlling the maintenance mechanism 60 based on the liquid type information, first, the controller 130 judges whether or not a signal to power on the image recording device 100 has been received from the operation panel 44 (S300). If the controller 130 has not received a power-on signal (S300: No), it continues making judgments until it receives a power-on signal. If the controller 130 judges that it has received a power-on signal (S300: Yes), it acquires liquid type information from the IC board 79 (S301).

[0135] Next, the controller 130 determines whether the liquid type information is a polymer-containing liquid (S302). When the controller 130 determines that the liquid type information is not a polymer-containing liquid (S302: No), the process will be described later (indicated by A in FIG. 13). When the controller 130 determines that the liquid type information is a polymer-containing liquid such as latex ink (S302: Yes), the controller 130 determines whether there is a job to be printed in the image recording device 100 (S303). When the controller 130 determines that there is no job to be printed (S303: No), the controller 130 ends control of the image recording device 100.

[0136] When the controller 130 determines that there is a job to be printed (S303: Yes), it drives the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element (S304). By driving the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element, an image is recorded on the sheet S that is conveyed while ink is discharged from the nozzles 39. The controller 130 determines whether the print job is completed (S305). When the controller 130 determines that the print job is not completed (S305: No), it continues image recording until the print job is completed. When the controller 130 determines that the print job is completed (S305: Yes), it drives the head motor 54 (S306). When the head motor 54 is driven, the head 38 moves from the recording position to the wiping position (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 7).

[0137] The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S307). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the second position. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 (S308). When the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 are driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from above the second support mechanism 52 to above the first support mechanism 51. The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S309). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates clockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the first position, and the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the maintenance position. At this time, the cap 62 is separated from the nozzle surface 50. The controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S310). When the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74 moves to the upper position by the ball screw mechanism 88. At this time, the upper end of the wiper blade 64 is positioned above the nozzle surface 50 .

[0138] The controller 130 determines a third support position P3, which is the position of the support portion 75 in the up-down direction 7 (S311). The third support position P3 is a position that is set in advance and stored in the ROM 132 or the EEPROM 134 based on the liquid type information being latex ink.

[0139] The controller 130 judges whether the position of the support part 75 in the up-down direction 7 at the time of step S312 is different from the third support position P3 based on the output signal of the position sensor 76 (S312). When the controller 130 judges that the position of the support part 75 is different from the third support position P3 at the time of step S312 (S312: Yes), the controller 130 drives the support part drive motor 86 (S313). When the support part drive motor 86 is driven, the cam 87 rotates and the support part 75 moves to the third support position P3 shown in FIG. 15(a). After the controller 130 moves the support part 75 to the third support position P3 in step S313, or when the controller 130 judges that the position of the support part 75 is the same as the third support position P3 at the time of step S312 (S312: No), the controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S314). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves forward.

[0140] The controller 130 judges whether the wiper blade 64 has passed the front end E2 based on the output signal of the encoder 82 (S315). When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64 has not passed the front end E2 (S315: No), the controller 130 continues the judgment until the wiper blade 64 passes the front end E2. When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64 has passed the front end E2 (S315: Yes), the controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S316). When the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74 moves to the lower position by the ball screw mechanism 88. At this time, the upper end of the wiper blade 64 is located below the nozzle surface 50.

[0141] The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S317). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves backward. By moving backward, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from the wiping position to the maintenance position, and ends the wiping process.

[0142] Next, a description will be given of a case where the controller 130 determines in step S302 that the liquid type information is not a polymer-containing liquid (S302: No). First, when the controller 130 determines that the liquid type information is a polymer-containing liquid such as a dye (S302: No), the controller 130 determines whether or not there is a job to be printed in the image recording device 100 (S400). When the controller 130 determines that there is no job to be printed (S400: No), it ends control of the image recording device 100.

[0143] When the controller 130 determines that there is a job to be printed (S400: Yes), it drives the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element (S402). By driving the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element, an image is recorded on the conveyed sheet S while ink is discharged from the nozzles 39. The controller 130 determines whether the print job is completed (S402). When the controller 130 determines that the print job is not completed (S402: No), it continues image recording until the print job is completed. When the controller 130 determines that the print job is completed (S402: Yes), it drives the head motor 54 (S403). When the head motor 54 is driven, the head 38 moves from the recording position to the wiped position.

[0144] The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S404). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the second position. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 (S405). When the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 are driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from above the second support mechanism 52 to above the first support mechanism 51. The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S406). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates clockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the first position, and the maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the maintenance position. The controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S407). When the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74 moves to the upper position by the ball screw mechanism 88.

[0145] The controller 130 determines a fourth support position P4, which is the position of the support part 75 in the up-down direction 7 (S408). The fourth support position P4 is a position that is set in advance and stored in the ROM 132 or the EEPROM 134 based on the liquid type information being dye.

[0146] The controller 130 determines whether the position of the support portion 75 in the up-down direction 7 at the time of step S409 is different from the fourth support position P4 based on the output signal of the position sensor 76 (S409). When the controller 130 determines that the position of the support portion 75 at the time of step S409 is different from the fourth support position P4 (S409: Yes), the controller 130 drives the support portion drive motor 86 (S410). When the support portion drive motor 86 is driven, the cam 87 rotates, and the support portion 75 moves to the fourth support position P4 shown in FIG. 15(b). The fourth support position P4 is located above the third support position P3 as shown in FIGS. 15(a) and (b). After the controller 130 moves the support part 75 to the fourth support position P4 in step S410, or when the controller 130 determines that the position of the support part 75 is the same as the fourth support position P4 at the time of step S409 (S409: No), the controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S411). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves forward.

[0147] The controller 130 determines whether the wiper blade 64 has passed the front end E2 based on the output signal of the encoder 82 (S412). When the controller 130 determines that the wiper blade 64 has not passed the front end E2 (S412: No), the controller 130 continues the determination until the wiper blade 64 passes the front end E2. When the controller 130 determines that the wiper blade 64 has passed the front end E2 (S412: Yes), the controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S413). When the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74 is moved to the lower position by the ball screw mechanism 88.

[0148] The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S414). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves backward. By moving backward, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from the wiping position to the maintenance position, and ends the wiping process.

[0149] [Effects of Modification Example 1] The controller 130 can determine the position of the support portion 75 based on the liquid type information in addition to the elapsed time. Therefore, even if the pressing force of the wiper blade 64 against the nozzle surface 50 is increased because the ink has solidified after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of image recording, the pressing force against the nozzle surface 50 can be set even stronger in response to the tendency of the ink to solidify.

[0150] The controller 130 can determine the pressing force based on the time elapsed since ink discharge, the position of the wiper blade 64 relative to the first boundary region R1 and the second boundary region R2, and also on the liquid type information. The controller 130 can gradually increase the pressing force in response to the time elapsed since the start of the image and the tendency of the ink to solidify, and can adjust the pressing force even if there is a step when wiping. This ensures that ink adhering to the nozzle surface 50 can be wiped off reliably, and can prevent the wiper blade 64 from coming into contact with the front frame 29b when moving from the nozzle surface 50 to the front frame 29b, causing deterioration, or preventing ink from splashing. The same applies when moving from the rear frame 29a to the nozzle surface 50.

[0151] In the first modification, an example has been described in which the head 38 does not have a frame 29, and the time that has passed since the ink was attached to the nozzle surface 50 and the presence or absence of a step on the nozzle surface 50 are not used as control conditions. However, in the image recording device 100 of the first modification, the maintenance mechanism 60 may be controlled based on the time that has passed since the ink was attached to the nozzle surface 50 and the presence or absence of a step on the nozzle surface 50, in addition to the liquid type information, and it goes without saying that the head 38 may have a frame 29.

[0152] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, the case where the support portion 75 is positioned at the second support position P2 after the purging process in the maintenance has been described, but when the purging process is performed after the image recording, a stronger pressing force may be applied to reliably wipe off the attached ink. For example, the support portion 75 may be positioned at the fourth support position P4, which is located above the second support position P2, to wipe the nozzle surface 50. Specifically, the control of the maintenance mechanism 60 by the controller 130 is as follows.

[0153] At the start of control, the maintenance mechanism 60 is in the standby position, the head 38 is in the recording position, the platen 104 is in the first position, and the case 74 is in the lower position. The tank 34 containing latex ink is attached to the mounting case 110.

[0154] First, controller 130 judges whether or not a signal to power on image recording device 100 has been received from operation panel 44 (S500). If controller 130 has not received a power-on signal (S500: No), it continues making judgments until it receives a power-on signal. If controller 130 judges that it has received a power-on signal (S500: Yes), it judges whether or not there is a job to be printed in image recording device 100 (S501). If controller 130 judges that there is no job to be printed (S501: No), it ends control of image recording device 100.

[0155] When the controller 130 determines that there is a job to be printed (S501: Yes), it drives the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element (S502). By driving the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element, an image is recorded on the conveyed sheet S while ink is discharged from the nozzles 39. The controller 130 determines whether or not a purge process start signal has been received from the operation panel 44 (S503). When the controller 130 does not receive a purge process start signal (S503: No), it determines whether or not the print job has ended (S524). When the controller 130 determines that a purge process start signal has been received (S503: Yes), it interrupts the driving of the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element (S504). By interrupting the driving of the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element, image recording is interrupted.

[0156] The controller 130 drives the head motor 54 (S505). When the head motor 54 is driven, the head 38 moves from the recording position to the capped position. The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S506). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the second position. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 (S507). When the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 are driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from above the second support mechanism 52 to above the first support mechanism 51. The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S508). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates clockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the first position. The maintenance mechanism 60 is located at the maintenance position. At this time, the nozzle surface 50 is covered with a cap 62 (see FIG. 6).

[0157] The controller 130 opens the valve 83 (S509). When the valve 83 is opened, the internal space 67 and the pump 73 communicate with each other. In this state, the controller 130 drives the suction pump motor 58 (S510). When the suction pump motor 58 is driven, the pump 73 starts. When the pump 73 starts, ink is sucked from the multiple nozzles 39, and a purging process is performed. At this time, foreign matter is removed from the nozzles 39 together with the ink.

[0158] The controller 130 determines a fourth support position P4, which is a position of the support part 75 in the vertical direction 7 (S511). Specifically, the controller 130 determines the position of the support part 75 in the vertical direction 7 based on the fact that the purge process is being performed during image recording from a table stored in the EEPROM 134 or the ROM 132. The fourth support position P4 is located above the second support position P2. The controller 130 determines whether the position of the support part 75 in the vertical direction 7 at the time of step S512 is different from the fourth support position P4 determined in step S511 based on the output signal of the position sensor 76 (S512). When the controller 130 determines that the position of the support part 75 at the time of step 512 is different from the fourth support position P4 (S512: Yes), it drives the support part drive motor 86 (S513). When the support part drive motor 86 is driven, the cam 87 rotates and the support part 75 moves to the fourth support position P4. After the controller 130 moves the support portion 75 to the fourth support position P4 in step S513, or when it determines that the position of the support portion 75 at the time of step 512 is the same as the fourth support position P4 (S512: No), the controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S514). When the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74 moves to the upper position by the ball screw mechanism 88. At this time, the upper end of the wiper blade 64 is positioned above the nozzle surface 50.

[0159] The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S515). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves forward. By moving forward, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from the maintenance position to the wiping position (see FIG. 7). The controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S516). When the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74 moves to the lower position by the ball screw mechanism 88. At this time, the tip of the wiper blade 64 is positioned below the nozzle surface 50. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S517). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves backward and is positioned at the maintenance position.

[0160] The controller 130 drives the piezoelectric element (S518). When the piezoelectric element is driven, a flushing process is performed in which ink is discharged from the nozzle 39 toward the cap 62. A meniscus is formed in the nozzle 39 by performing the flushing process.

[0161] After the flushing process is performed, the controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S519). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the second position. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 (S520). When the first motor 55 and the second motor 56 are driven, the maintenance mechanism 60 moves from above the first support mechanism 51 to above the second support mechanism 52, and then moves to the standby position. The controller 130 drives the shaft motor 59 (S521). When the shaft motor 59 is driven, the platen 104 rotates clockwise around the shaft 109A and assumes the first position.

[0162] The controller 130 drives the head motor 54 (S522). When the head motor 54 is driven, the head 38 moves from the uncapped position to the recording position. The controller 130 drives the transport motor 53 and the piezoelectric element (S523). By driving the transport motor 53 and the piezoelectric element, ink is discharged from the nozzles 39 and image recording on the transported sheet S is resumed. The controller 130 judges whether or not the print job is completed (S524). When the controller 130 judges that the print job is not completed (S524: No), the controller 130 judges again whether or not a purge process start signal has been received from the operation panel 44 (S503). When the controller 130 judges that the print job is completed (S524: Yes), the controller 130 ends the image recording with the purge process.

[0163] [Variation 3] In the above embodiment, the image recording device 100 has one nozzle surface 50, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The head 38 of the image recording device 100a may have two heads, a first head 38a and a second head 38b. The first head 38a is supplied with liquid from a first tank 34a, and the second head 38b is supplied with liquid from a second tank 34b.

[0164] As shown in FIG. 13, the head 38 has a first head 38a and a second head 38b. The first head 38a and the second head 38b are positioned side by side in the front-rear direction 8. The first head 38a has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The first head 38a has a lower surface, which is a first nozzle surface 50a and which extends in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 and on which a plurality of first nozzles 39a are formed. The dimension of the first nozzle surface 50a in the left-right direction 9 is approximately the same as the area on the sheet S on which an image is recorded. The first nozzle surface 50a has a plurality of first nozzles 39a arranged at intervals along the left-right direction 9. The first nozzle surface 50a and the second nozzle surface 50b face the platen 104 at the image recording position.

[0165] The second head 38b is located in front of the first head 38a. The second head 38b has a lower surface, which is a second nozzle surface 50b and on which a plurality of second nozzles 39b are formed and which extends in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9. The second nozzle surface 50b is at the same height as the first nozzle surface 50a. The other configurations of the second head 38b are similar to those of the first head 38a, and therefore detailed explanations will be omitted. The second head 38b moves together with the first head 38a as the head 38 is driven in the up-down direction 7 by the head motor 54.

[0166] A first mounting case 110a and a second mounting case (110b) are located in the front and below of the housing 30. A first tank 34a is detachably attached to the first mounting case 110a. The first tank 34a is connectable to the first head 38a by an ink tube. A first contact 114a is located on the end surface 111a of the first mounting case 110a.

[0167] When the first tank 34a is mounted in the first mounting case 110a, the first contact 114a is electrically connected to the first IC board 79a of the first tank 34a. The controller 130 can detect that the first IC board 79a is connected to the first contact 114a. The first tank 34a stores latex ink.

[0168] The second tank 34b is detachably attached to the second mounting case 110b, similar to the first mounting case 110a and the first tank 34a. The second tank 34b is connectable to the second head 38b via an ink tube. A second contact (114b) is located on the end surface of the second mounting case.

[0169] When the second tank 34b is attached to the second attachment case 110b, the second contact 114b is electrically connected to the second IC board 79b of the second tank 34b. The controller 130 can detect that the second IC board 79b is connected to the second contact. A pretreatment agent is stored in the second tank 34b. The pretreatment agent is applied to the sheet S in advance to facilitate fixing of the latex ink to the sheet S.

[0170] When the maintenance mechanism 60a is in the maintenance position, a first cap 62a and a second cap 62b are located below the first head 38a and the second head 38b, respectively. When the first cap 62a is in the maintenance position, it is in close contact with the first nozzle surface 50a of the first head 38a, which is in the capped position. Similarly, the second cap 62b is in close contact with the second nozzle surface 50b of the second head 38b, which is in the capped position. The first cap 62a and the second cap 62b are arranged side by side and spaced apart in the front-rear direction 8.

[0171] The maintenance mechanism 60a has a wiper blade 64a, a case 74a, and a support portion 75a. When the wiper blade 64a wipes the first nozzle face 50a and the second nozzle face 50b, the tip portion of the wiper blade 64a abuts against the first nozzle face 50a and the second nozzle face 50b.

[0172] The control of the image recording device 100 performed by the controller 130 based on the type of liquid discharged from the first head 38a and the second head 38b will be described below with reference to Figures 18, 19, and 20. At the start of control, the maintenance mechanism 60a is in the standby position, and the head 38 is in the recording position. The platen 104 is in the first position, and the case 74a is in the lower position.

[0173] First, the control of the image recording device 100a regarding the attachment and detachment of the first tank 34a and the second tank 34b will be described with reference to Fig. 17 and Fig. 18. The controller 130 judges whether or not a signal to turn on the power of the image recording device 100 is received from the operation panel 44 (S600). When the controller 130 does not receive a power-on signal (S600: No), the controller 130 continues the judgment until the power-on signal is received. When the controller 130 judges that the power-on signal is received (S600: Yes), the controller 130 judges whether or not a signal indicating that the first tank 34a has been attached is received from the first contact 114a (S601). When the controller 130 does not receive a signal from the first contact 114a (S601: No), the controller 130 continues the judgment until the signal from the first contact 114a is received. When the controller 130 determines that it has received a signal from the first contact 114a (S601: Yes), it acquires information on the type of liquid in the first tank 34a from the first IC board 79a (S602).

[0174] The controller 130 determines whether the liquid type information of the first tank 34a is a polymer-containing liquid (an example of first information) (S603). The liquid in the first tank 34a here is latex ink, which is a polymer-containing liquid. When the controller 130 determines that the liquid type information of the first tank 34a is not a polymer-containing liquid (S603: No), it causes the display unit 44A to display a first error (S604).

[0175] The controller 130 judges whether the first IC board 79a and the first contact 114a are electrically connected (S605). When the controller 130 judges that the first tank 34a is still attached to the first attachment case 110a and that the first IC board 79a and the first contact 114a are electrically connected (S605: No), the controller 130 keeps the display of the first error displayed (S604). When the controller 130 judges that the first tank 34a has been removed from the first attachment case 110a and that the first IC board 79a and the first contact 114a are not electrically connected (S605: Yes), the controller 130 makes the display of the first error non-displayed (S606) and judges again whether the signal indicating that the first tank 34a has been attached to the first attachment case 110a has been received from the first contact 114a (S601). In step S603, when the controller 130 determines that the liquid type information of the first tank 34a is a polymer-containing liquid (S603: Yes), it determines whether or not a signal indicating that the second tank 34b has been attached has been received from the second contact 114b (S607). When the liquid filled in the first tank 34a is latex ink, the latex ink can be discharged from the first nozzles 39a of the first head 38a.

[0176] When the controller 130 does not receive a signal from the second contact 114b (S607: No), the controller 130 continues making a determination until a signal is received from the second contact 114b. When the controller 130 determines that a signal has been received from the second contact 114b (S607: Yes), the controller 130 acquires liquid type information of the second tank 34b from the second IC board 79b (S608).

[0177] The controller 130 determines whether the liquid type information of the second tank 34b is a polymer-free liquid (an example of second information) (S609). The liquid in the second tank 34b here is a pre-treatment agent, which is a polymer-free liquid. When the controller 130 determines that the liquid type information of the second tank 34b is not a polymer-free liquid (S609: No), it causes the display unit 44A to display a second error (S610).

[0178] The controller 130 judges whether the second IC board 79b and the second contact 114b are electrically connected (S611). When the controller 130 judges that the second tank 34b is still attached to the second attachment case 110b and that the second IC board 79b and the second contact 114b are electrically connected (S611: No), the controller 130 keeps the display of the second error displayed. When the controller 130 judges that the second tank 34b has been removed from the second attachment case 110b and that the second IC board 79b and the second contact 114b are not electrically connected (S611: Yes), the controller 130 makes the display of the second error non-displayed (S612) and judges again whether the controller 130 has received a signal from the second contact 114b indicating that the second tank 34b has been attached to the second attachment case 110b (S607).

[0179] When the controller 130 determines that the liquid type information of the second tank 34b is a polymer-free liquid (S609: Yes), it starts wiping the first head 38a and the second head 38b as shown in Fig. 19. When the liquid filled in the second tank 34b is a pre-treatment agent, the pre-treatment agent can be discharged from the second nozzle 39b of the second head 38b.

[0180] Next, the control of the maintenance mechanism 60 by the controller 130 when the maintenance mechanism 60a wipes the first head 38a that discharges latex ink and the second head 38b that discharges pre-treatment agent will be described with reference to Figures 19 and 20. Note that the position sensor 76 is omitted in Figure 20.

[0181] First, the controller 130 determines whether or not there is a job to be printed in the image recording device 100a (S700). When the controller 130 determines that there is no job to be printed (S700: No), it ends control of wiping the first head 38a and the second head 38b by the maintenance mechanism 60a. When the controller 130 determines that there is a job to be printed (S700: Yes), it drives the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element (S701). By driving the conveying motor 53 and the piezoelectric element, ink is discharged from the first nozzle 39a and the second nozzle 39b, and an image is recorded on the conveyed sheet S.

[0182] The controller 130 determines whether the print job is completed (S702). When the controller 130 determines that the print job is not completed (S702: No), it continues to make a determination until the print job is completed. When the controller 130 determines that the print job is completed (S702: Yes), it drives the head motor 54 (S703). When the head motor 54 is driven, the first head 38a and the second head 38b move from the recording position to the wiping position.

[0183] The controller 130 determines a fourth support position P7 of the support portion 75a in the up-down direction 7 (S704). The fourth support position P7 is the height of the support portion 75a when wiping the second nozzle surface 50b. The fourth support position P7 is preset and stored in the ROM 132 or the EEPROM 134, and is determined based on the fact that the discharged liquid is a pre-treatment agent. As shown in FIG. 20(a), the fourth support position P7 in this modification 3 is a position where the support portion 75a is accommodated in the case 74a, and is a position where the upper end of the support portion 75a coincides with the upper end of the case 74a in the up-down direction 7. The controller 130 drives the support portion drive motor 86 (S705). When the support portion drive motor 86 is driven, the cam 87 rotates, and the support portion 75a is moved to the fourth support position P7 as shown in FIG. 20(a).

[0184] The controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S706). As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 20(a), when the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74a moves to the upper position by the ball screw mechanism 88. At this time, the upper end of the wiper blade 64a is positioned above the second nozzle surface 50b. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S707). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60a moves forward, as shown in FIG. 20(b). When the maintenance mechanism 60a moves forward, the position of the wiper blade 64a in the front-rear direction 8 is detected based on a signal from the encoder 82.

[0185] The controller 130 judges whether the wiper blade 64a has passed the front end E3 of the second head 38b based on the output signal of the encoder 82 (S708). Here, the front end E3 is the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 20(b). When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64a has not passed the front end E3 (S708: No), the controller 130 continues the judgment until the wiper blade 64a passes the front end E3. When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64a has passed the front end E3 (S708: Yes), as shown in FIG. 20(c), the controller 130 determines a third support position P8 in the up-down direction 7 of the support part 75a (S709). The third support position P8 is preset and stored in the ROM 132 or the EEPROM 134, and is determined based on the fact that the liquid to be discharged is latex ink. The controller 130 drives the support part drive motor 86 (S710). When the support portion drive motor 86 is driven, the cam 87 rotates, and the support portion 75a is moved to the third support position P8 as indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 20(c).

[0186] The controller 130 judges whether the wiper blade 64a has passed the front end E4 of the first head 38a based on the output signal of the encoder 82 (S711). Here, the front end E4 is the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 20(d). When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64a has passed the front end E4 (S711: No), the controller 130 continues the judgment until the wiper blade 64a has passed the front end E4. When the controller 130 judges that the wiper blade 64a has passed the front end E4 (S711: Yes), as shown in FIG. 20(d), the controller 130 drives the vertical drive motor 92 (S712). When the vertical drive motor 92 is driven, the case 74a moves to the lower position by the ball screw mechanism 88, as shown in FIG. 20(e). At this time, the upper end of the wiper blade 64a is positioned lower than the first nozzle surface 50a. The controller 130 drives the first motor 55 (S713). When the first motor 55 is driven, the maintenance mechanism 60a moves backward as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 20(e), and the control ends.

[0187] [Effects of modified examples] The controller 130 determines the third support position P8 of the support portion 75a by determining that the liquid type information of the first head 38a is latex ink. The movement of the support portion 75a from the fourth support position P7 to the third support position P8 changes the deformation amount of the wiper blade 64a when wiping from the first nozzle face 50a to the second nozzle face 50b, and the pressing force against the first nozzle face 50a changes depending on the deformation amount of the wiper blade 64a. Ink that adheres to the first nozzle face 50a is likely to solidify. The pressing force of the wiper blade 64a against the first nozzle face 50a can be set in advance to an appropriate pressing force according to the type of ink, without repeating the process of performing user cleaning. This makes it possible to reduce the time required for image recording and the consumption of the sheet S and ink.

[0188] Since the polymer-containing liquid is easily solidified, it adheres firmly to the first nozzle face 50a, but the support portion 75a can be adjusted so that the third support position P8 with respect to the first nozzle face 50a is closer than the fourth support position P7 with respect to the second nozzle face 50b. Therefore, the pressing force of the wiper blade 64a is greater when the ink is a polymer-containing liquid than when the ink is a non-polymer-containing liquid. Therefore, the wiper blade 64a can reliably wipe off the solidified ink. Specifically, the polymer-containing liquid does not have redispersibility properties and remains stuck to the first nozzle face 50a. However, the pressing force of the wiper blade 64 is adjusted to be strong, so that the wiper blade 64 scrapes off the solidified ink while in close contact with the first nozzle face 50a without going over the solidified ink during wiping.

[0189] During wiping by the second head 38b, which discharges a polymer-free liquid, the support portion 75a is housed within the case 74a.

[0190] The polymer-containing liquid can be discharged exclusively from the first head 38a, and the polymer-free liquid can be discharged exclusively from the second head 38b. Therefore, by adjusting the position of the support portion 75a so that the pressing force against the wiper blade 64a is stronger on the first head 38a than on the second head 38b, the ink solidified on the first nozzle surface 50a can be wiped away reliably. Also, the polymer-containing liquid and the polymer-free liquid can be prevented from mixing in the first nozzle 39a and the second nozzle 39b.

[0191] Since the latex ink can be discharged from the first head 38a and the pretreatment agent can be discharged from the second head 38b, the latex ink can be applied to the sheet S after the pretreatment agent has been applied, and the latex ink can be fixed to the sheet S.

[0192] [Other variations] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the case 74 is driven in the up-down direction 7 by the ball screw mechanism 88, the support portion 75 is separately driven in the up-down direction 7 by the cam 87, and the maintenance mechanism 60 is further driven in the front-rear direction 8 by the gear 106. However, the case 74, the support portion 75, and the maintenance mechanism 60 may be driven by a single mechanism. In this case, the position of the support portion 75 may be adjusted depending on the type of ink used in the image recording device 100 to which it is attached.

[0193] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the wiper blade 64 is fixed to the case 74, and the support portion 75 is supported so as to be movable in the up-down direction 7 relative to the case 74, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The wiper blade 64 may be supported so as to be movable in the up-down direction 7 relative to the case 74. Furthermore, the support portion 75 may be fixed to the case 74, in which case the wiper blade 64 may move relative to the support portion 75 in the up-down direction 7.

[0194] In the wiping process in the above embodiment, the case where wiping is performed with the head 38 positioned at the wiped position and the case 74 positioned at the upper position has been described as an example, but this is not the only possible configuration. The position of the case 74 with respect to the nozzle surface 50 may be adjusted only by moving the case 74 up and down, without moving the head 38 in the up and down direction 7.

[0195] In the above embodiment, the lower end of support portion 75 is supported by cam 87, and a rotational force is applied to cam 87 to adjust the position of support portion 75 in vertical direction 7. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The position of support portion 75 may be adjusted in vertical direction 7 by a ball screw or a solenoid valve.

[0196] In the above embodiment, the support portion 75 is described as being rectangular parallelepiped shaped, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The support portion 75 may be trapezoid shaped, for example. The support portion 75 may also be shaped such that a rod-like member extending in the left-right direction 9 is supported on the case 74 from below. In other words, the support portion 75 may be movable in the up-down direction 7 and may support the wiper blade 64 that curves while wiping the nozzle surface 50 at its upper end portion.

[0197] In the above embodiment, when the maintenance mechanism 60 moves forward to wipe the nozzle surface 50, the movement is constant at the first speed V1. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The maintenance mechanism 60 may move while changing the speed when moving from the maintenance position to the wiping position. The maintenance mechanism 60 may also stop while the position of the support portion 75 in the up-down direction 7 moves. Furthermore, the second speed V2 of the support portion 75 is not limited to a constant speed.

[0198] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the frame 29 located on the underside of the head 38 protrudes downward from the nozzle surface 50 and forms a step with the nozzle surface 50, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The edge of the head 38 may be shaped to be recessed upward, and the frame 29 may be located above the nozzle surface 50. In this case, the frame 29 may be flush with the nozzle surface 50 in the up-down direction 7.

[0199] In the above embodiment, a case has been described as an example in which the head 38 does not move at the wiped position while the nozzle surface 50 is being wiped by the wiper blade 64, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The head 38 may move in the vertical direction 7 while being wiped by the wiper blade 64, and the pressing force of the wiper blade 64 may be adjusted.

[0200] In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which latex ink is used as the polymer-containing liquid and a dye is used as the polymer-free liquid. In addition, in Modification 1, a case has been described in which a pretreatment agent is used as the polymer-free liquid. However, it goes without saying that liquids other than these may be used as the polymer-containing liquid and the polymer-free liquid.

[0201] In the above-mentioned modified example 3, the fourth support position P7 is a position where the support portion 75a is housed in the case 74a, and the upper end of the support portion 75a is a position that coincides with the upper end of the case 74a in the vertical direction 7. However, the fourth support position P7 may be a position where the upper end of the support portion 75a is located above the upper end of the case 74a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0202] 29... Frame 38 Head 38a···First head 38b...Second head 39 Nozzle 50 Nozzle surface 64···Wiper blade (wiper) 65...rear 74,74a···Case 75,75a...Support part 79...IC board (storage medium) 82 Encoder 100, 100a···Image recording device (liquid discharge device) 104···Platen 130...Controller

Claims

1. a head that ejects liquid from nozzles that open on a nozzle surface; a wiper that is in contact with the nozzle face and is movable in a first direction relative to the head; a support portion that supports at least a rear surface of the wiper in the first direction and is movable relative to the wiper in a second direction that intersects with the nozzle surface; A liquid ejection device comprising: The above controller is Obtaining the elapsed time since the liquid was discharged from the nozzle; determining a first support position, which is a position of the support part in the second direction, based on the elapsed time; The liquid ejection device is configured to position the support portion at the determined first support position and move the wiper in the first direction relative to the head.

2. The above controller is determining the first support position based on the elapsed time being equal to or greater than a threshold; determining a position of the support portion in the second direction to be a second support position that is farther from the nozzle face than the first support position based on the elapsed time being less than a threshold value; 2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is positioned at the determined first support position or the determined second support position, and the wiper is moved in the first direction relative to the head.

3. The printer further includes a platen that can face the head, 3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is moved in the second direction without changing the distance between the head and the platen in the second direction.

4. The above controller is Executing a purge to drain liquid from the nozzle; 3. The liquid discharging device according to claim 2, wherein after the purging is completed, the support portion is positioned at the second support position, and the wiper is moved in the first direction relative to the head.

5. a head that ejects liquid from nozzles that open on a nozzle surface; a wiper that is in contact with the nozzle face and is movable in a first direction relative to the head; a support portion that supports at least a rear surface of the wiper in the first direction and is movable relative to the wiper in a second direction that intersects with the nozzle surface; a storage medium for storing liquid type information relating to the liquid discharged by the head; A liquid ejection device comprising: The above controller is acquiring the liquid type information from the storage medium; determining a third support position, which is a position of the support part in the second direction, based on the liquid type information; The liquid discharging device is configured to position the support part at the determined third support position and move the wiper in the first direction relative to the head.

6. The above controller is determining the third support position based on the liquid type information being the first information; based on the liquid type information being second information different from the first information, a position of the support part in the second direction is determined to be a fourth support position that is farther from the nozzle face than the third support position; 6. The liquid ejection device according to claim 5, wherein the support portion is positioned at the determined third support position or the determined fourth support position, and the wiper is moved in the first direction relative to the head.

7. The printer further includes a platen that can face the head, 7. The liquid ejection device according to claim 5, wherein the support portion is moved in the second direction without changing the distance between the head and the platen in the second direction.

8. the first information is information indicating that the liquid is a polymer-containing liquid, 7. The liquid discharging device according to claim 6, wherein the second information is information indicating that the liquid is a polymer-free liquid.

9. The device further includes a case capable of housing the support portion, The liquid discharging device according to claim 8 , wherein the support portion is housed in the case in the fourth support position.

10. The head includes a first head and a second head, the wiper is movable in the first direction relative to the first head and the second head; The first head ejects the polymer-containing liquid, The second head ejects the polymer-free liquid; a position of the support portion is set at the third support position with respect to the first head, and the wiper is moved in the first direction relative to the first head; 9. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the support portion is positioned at the fourth support position with respect to the second head, and the wiper is moved in the first direction relative to the second head.

11. the polymer-containing liquid is a latex ink; The fluid ejection apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the non-polymer-containing liquid is a pretreatment agent for printing with the latex ink.

12. a head that ejects liquid from nozzles that open on a nozzle surface; a frame surrounding the nozzle surface; a wiper that is in contact with the nozzle surface and the frame and is movable in a first direction relative to the head; a support portion that supports at least a rear surface of the wiper in the first direction and is movable relative to the wiper in a second direction that intersects with the nozzle surface; an encoder for outputting a signal indicative of the relative position of the wiper with respect to the head; A liquid ejection device comprising: The above controller is on the condition that it is determined based on the signal output by the encoder that the wiper is located in a boundary area between the nozzle face and the frame, the support portion is positioned at a fifth support position, and the wiper is moved in the first direction relative to the head; A liquid ejection device which, after moving in the first direction, determines that the wiper is not located in the boundary area based on the signal output by the encoder, positions the support portion at a sixth support position that is closer to the nozzle face in the second direction than the fifth support position and faces the nozzle face, and moves the wiper in the first direction relative to the head.

13. The printer further includes a platen that can face the head, The liquid ejection device according to claim 12 , wherein the support portion is moved in the second direction without changing the distance between the head and the platen in the second direction.

14. The liquid ejection device according to claim 13 , wherein the frame protrudes from the nozzle face towards the platen in the second direction.

15. 14. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the first speed at which the wiper moves relative to the head is constant.

16. The liquid ejection device according to claim 15, wherein a second speed at which the support moves in the second direction is greater than the first speed.

17. The above controller is Obtaining the elapsed time since the liquid was discharged from the nozzle; The liquid ejection device according to claim 5 , wherein the third support position is determined based on the liquid type information and the elapsed time.

18. The printer further includes a platen that can face the head, The liquid ejection device according to claim 17, wherein the support portion is moved in the second direction without changing a distance between the head and the platen in the second direction.

19. The above controller is Executing a purge to drain liquid from the nozzle; 19. The liquid ejection device according to claim 18, wherein after the purging is completed, the position of the support portion is positioned at a fourth support position that is farther from the nozzle face than the third support position, and the wiper is moved in the first direction relative to the head.

20. a frame surrounding the nozzle surface; the wiper contacting the nozzle surface and the frame; an encoder for outputting a signal indicative of a relative position of the wiper with respect to the head, The above controller is on the condition that it is determined based on the signal output by the encoder that the wiper is located in a boundary region between the nozzle face and the frame, the support portion is positioned at a fourth support position that is farther from the nozzle face than the third support position, and the wiper is moved in the first direction relative to the head; 18. The liquid ejection device of claim 17, wherein, after moving in the first direction, if it is determined based on the signal output by the encoder that the wiper is not located in the boundary area, the support portion is positioned at the third support position and the wiper is moved in the first direction relative to the head.

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