Liquid jet device

Abstract

To provide technology for achieving both of wiping performance on a jet surface of a liquid jet device and a long service life of a liquid repellent film by using a cloth wiper having regions with different wiping performance.SOLUTION: A liquid jet device includes: a liquid jet head having a jet surface having a plurality of nozzles for jetting liquid; a cloth wiper for wiping the jet surface by relatively moving in a first direction with respect to the jet surface while being in contact with the jet surface, the cloth wiper including a plurality of warps extending in the first direction and a plurality of wefts extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The cloth wiper has a first region and a second region arranged at a position different from the first region in the second direction. The ratio of the area of the warps exposed to a surface in contact with the jet surface of the second region is larger than the ratio of the area of wefts exposed to a surface in contact with the jet surface of the first region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a liquid ejection device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a liquid ejection device including a wiping unit has been known for removing ink adhering to the ejection surface of a liquid ejection head. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for removing ink on an ejection surface by performing a wiping operation such as wiping the ink adhering to the ejection surface with a cloth wiper.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When wiping the ejection surface using a cloth wiper, the frictional forces applied to the nozzle formation region and the non-nozzle formation region of the ejection surface become equal. Therefore, when the frictional force is increased to improve the wiping performance of the nozzle formation region, there may arise a problem that the liquid repellent film on the ejection surface is easily damaged and the life of the head is likely to be shortened. On the other hand, when wiping so as not to damage the liquid repellent film in the nozzle formation region, the frictional force may be reduced to lower the wiping performance. However, if the frictional force is reduced, there may arise a problem that liquid remains on the ejection surface. These problems are common to liquid ejection devices that eject not only ink but also other liquids other than ink.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] (1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a liquid ejection device is provided. The liquid ejection device includes a liquid ejection head having an ejection surface with a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid, and a cloth wiper that wipes the ejection surface by relatively moving in a first direction with respect to the ejection surface while contacting the ejection surface, the cloth wiper including a plurality of warp threads extending in the first direction and a plurality of weft threads extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The cloth wiper includes a first region and a second region disposed at a different position from the first region in the second direction, and a ratio of an area of the warp threads exposed on a surface of the second region that contacts the ejection surface is larger than a ratio of an area of the warp threads exposed on a surface of the first region that contacts the ejection surface.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 8

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Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] A. First Embodiment: FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a printing apparatus 1 which is an example of a liquid ejection apparatus in the first embodiment. The printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is a serial type large format printer that handles a long medium M which is an example of a medium. In FIG. 1, XYZ axes orthogonal to each other are drawn. In other figures as well, XYZ axes corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are drawn as necessary. The X-axis corresponds to the width direction of the printing apparatus 1, the Y-axis corresponds to the depth direction of the printing apparatus 1, and the Z-axis corresponds to the height direction of the printing apparatus 1. The printing apparatus 1 is installed on a horizontal installation surface defined by the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. Note that the “X-axis direction” means a concept combining the +X direction and the -X direction. Similarly, the “Y-axis direction” means a concept combining the +Y direction and the -Y direction, and the “Z-axis direction” means a concept combining the +Z direction and the -Z direction. Also, in the present disclosure, the X direction may be referred to as the “width direction” or the “scanning direction”, and the Y direction may be referred to as the “sub-scanning direction”.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the printing apparatus 1 in the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, some components such as a heating unit and a container box described later are removed. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 10.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 13 for performing setting operations and input operations is installed at the upper right of the housing 10. Note that the operation panel 13 is electrically connected to a control unit described later. A waste liquid tank 14 as a liquid storage unit for storing ink discarded by a maintenance unit 100 described later is provided at the lower right of the housing 10.

[0011] At the upper center of the housing 10, an opening / closing cover 16 with a confirmation window 15 is installed. The opening / closing cover 16 has a rotation axis (not shown) in the width direction with respect to the housing 10 and is formed to be rotatable. The user can check the printing status inside the printing device 1 through the confirmation window 15. When a problem occurs during the printing operation, etc., the printing operation can be stopped, and the opening / closing cover 16 can be opened for adjustment, etc.

[0012] At the lower part on the +X direction side of the housing 10, a container box 18 for accommodating a cartridge 19 filled with ink, which is an example of a liquid, is installed. A plurality of cartridges 19 are accommodated in the container box 18 corresponding to the types and colors of ink used in the printing device 1. In this embodiment, five cartridges 19 are accommodated in the container box 18.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printing device 1 has a control unit 3, a supply unit 20, a guide unit 30, a winding unit 40, a printing unit 50, a heating unit 60, and a maintenance unit 100. The supply unit 20, the guide unit 30, the winding unit 40, the heating unit 60, and the maintenance unit 100 are fixed to the frame 5. The frame 5 is composed of a base frame 6 extending in the X direction, which is the width direction, and a pair of leg frames 7 formed in the +X direction and the -X direction.

[0014] The control unit 3 is provided inside the housing 10 and comprehensively controls the operations of each part of the printing device 1. In addition, the control unit 3 exchanges signals with the cartridge 19.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the supply unit 20 is provided at the lower part on the back side of the housing 10. The supply unit 20 includes a pair of holders that sandwich both ends of the core tube. A roll body in which an unused printing medium M is wound around the core tube is held by the holders. One of the holders is provided with a motor (not shown) that supplies a rotational force to the core tube. When the motor is driven and the core tube rotates, the medium M unwound from the roll body is fed to the printing unit 50.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the guide unit 30 includes an upstream guide unit (not shown), a platen 32, and a downstream guide unit 38. The platen 32 is formed in a plate shape that is long in the X direction, which is the scanning direction, and is installed at a position facing the printing unit 50 described later. The platen 32 supports the medium M printed by the printing unit 50 from below and guides the conveyance. Further, a plurality of suction holes 32a are provided in the platen 32. The downstream guide unit 38 guides the medium M printed by the printing unit 50 to a winding unit 40 described later.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the winding unit 40 is provided at the lower part on the +Y direction side with respect to the housing 10. The winding unit 40 includes a pair of holders 41 that sandwich both ends of a core tube 42. A roll body r2 configured by winding the medium M printed by the printing unit 50 described later around the core tube 42 is held by the holder 41. One of the holders 41 is provided with a motor (not shown) that supplies a rotational force to the core tube 42. When the motor is driven and the core tube 42 rotates, the medium M is wound around the core tube 42.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the printing unit 50 is installed above and facing the platen 32. The printing unit 50 includes a liquid ejection head 51 that ejects ink as a liquid toward the medium M sucked on the platen 32, and a carriage 52 that reciprocates in the scanning direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction F of the medium M while supporting the liquid ejection head 51. As described above, the scanning direction is the X direction.

[0019] The liquid ejection head 51 includes a plurality of nozzles that eject the liquid described later. The liquid ejection head 51 ejects ink onto the medium M through the plurality of nozzles. More specifically, the liquid ejection head 51 is configured by arranging a plurality of them in the Y direction, which is the sub-scanning direction. Further, the liquid ejection head 51 is installed side by side in the X direction, which is the scanning direction, for each color.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 52 is installed on the carriage frame 58 and supported by two carriage shafts 59 extending in the X direction, which is the width direction. The carriage 52 further includes a carriage case 54 that is generally box-shaped. Additionally, the carriage 52 holds a circuit case 55 on the upper part of the carriage case 54.

[0021] The circuit case 55 is configured in a box shape, and a plurality of circuit boards such as head drive substrates and head control substrates (not shown) are installed inside. The substrates in the circuit case 55 receive control signals from the control unit 3 shown in FIG. 1 and control the liquid ejection head 51.

[0022] The heating unit 60 shown in FIG. 1 heats the medium M to quickly dry and fix the ink on the medium M, preventing bleeding and blurring. The heating unit 60 heats the medium M on the downstream side in the conveyance direction F from the position where the printing unit 50 shown in FIG. 2 is installed.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the maintenance unit 100 includes a capping unit 70, a flushing receiving unit 75, a wiping unit 80, and a pressurized flushing receiving unit 85. The capping unit 70, the flushing receiving unit 75, the wiping unit 80, and the pressurized flushing receiving unit 85 are each fixed to the base frame 6.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the maintenance unit 100 and the operating range of the carriage 52. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the maintenance unit 100 and the operating range of the carriage 52.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the capping unit 70 is a unit that covers the liquid ejection head 51 with a cap 71 for each color during periods when printing is not performed, to prevent the ink of the liquid ejection head 51 from drying, thickening, or solidifying. The capping unit 70 is located on the +X direction side with respect to the platen 32.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the flushing receiving unit 75 is a unit that receives the ink discharged when the carriage 52 performs a flushing operation. Note that the flushing operation is, for example, an operation in which, immediately before starting printing, the carriage 52 discharges ink toward the medium M to eliminate problems such as nozzle clogging. The flushing receiving unit 75 is located on the -X direction side with respect to the platen 32.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the wiping unit 80 is a unit that removes the ink adhering to the ejection surface when ink is discharged by a wiping operation. Note that the wiping operation is an operation of wiping or rubbing off the ink adhering to the ejection surface. In the present embodiment, the wiping unit 80 is the cloth wiper 81 shown in FIG. 4. The wiping unit 80 is located on the -X direction side with respect to the flushing receiving unit 75.

[0028] The pressurized flushing receiving unit 85 is a unit that receives the ink discharged by performing a pressurized flushing operation. Note that the pressurized flushing operation is an operation in which ink is pressurized and discharged from the liquid ejection head 51 to circulate the ink in the flow path leading to the nozzles and to discharge an appropriate amount of ink at an appropriate concentration. The pressurized flushing operation is performed when the liquid ejection head 51 is initially filled with ink, when a period has elapsed since the previous printing, or in response to a user's instruction or the like. The pressurized flushing receiving unit 85 is located on the -X direction side with respect to the flushing receiving unit 75. Note that the pressurized flushing receiving unit 85 and the wiping unit 80 are arranged side by side in the Y direction.

[0029] In FIG. 4, the range in which the carriage 52 performs printing on the medium M on the platen 32 is shown as a printing area P. The carriage shaft 59 extends to areas deviated from the printing area P in the +X direction and the -X direction, and the carriage 52 is movable outside the printing area P. And in the present embodiment, in the area deviated from the printing area P in the -X direction, a scanning start area E that serves as a starting point of scanning when the carriage 52 performs printing is set. Note that although a roll body (not shown) can use a plurality of media M having different lengths in the width direction, in that case, the medium M is installed with reference to the printing area P on the scanning start area E side as a reference in the width direction. In the present embodiment, the scanning start area E is an area set above the pressure flushing receiving unit 85. A position sensor (not shown) is provided in the scanning start area E, and when the carriage 52 moves and reaches the scanning start area E, the position sensor transmits position information indicating that the carriage 52 is located in the scanning start area E to the control unit 3 shown in FIG. 1.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the wiping unit 80 and the pressure flushing receiving unit 85 are integrally installed on the upper surface of a rail member 90 installed on the upper surface of the base frame 6. The rail member 90 is a member that moves the wiping unit 80 and the pressure flushing receiving unit 85 in the Y direction.

[0031] Here, the printing operation by the carriage 52 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 4. When the printing device 1 performs printing, the carriage 52 moves away from the capping unit 70 located on the +X direction side with respect to the platen 32 and moves to the scanning start area E located on the -X direction side with respect to the platen 32. At this time, the carriage 52 is located above the pressure flushing receiving unit 85.

[0032] Next, the carriage 52 starts to move in the +X direction. When the carriage 52 moves above the flushing receiving unit 75, it moves forward while sequentially discharging ink for each color from the liquid ejection head 51 toward the flushing receiving unit 75. Next, the carriage 52 moves onto the platen 32 and starts the first-pass printing from the liquid ejection head 51 located at the -X direction side end of the printing area P. Then, the carriage 52 performs printing while moving in the +X direction in the printing area P. Note that when the liquid ejection head 51 is located at the +X direction side end of the printing area, the first-pass printing ends. The carriage 52 that has completed the first pass moves directly in the +X direction side and moves onto the capping unit 70 and stops.

[0033] Thereafter, the carriage 52 starts to move in the -X direction and starts the second-pass printing from the liquid ejection head 51 located at the -X direction side end of the printing area P. The carriage 52 that has completed the second-pass printing passes over the platen 32, moves to the scanning start area E, and stops. Next, the carriage 52 starts to move in the +X direction and performs the same flushing operation as in the first-pass printing to perform the third-pass printing. Thereafter, printing is performed by repeating such operations. Note that when all printing is completed, the carriage 52 moves onto the capping unit 70 and is capped by the cap 71.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the wiping unit 80. The wiping unit 80 includes a cloth wiper 81, a housing 82, a feeding roller 83A, a removing roller 83B, a pressing roller 84, and a wiper unit drive mechanism (not shown).

[0035] Inside the housing 82, a material supply roller 83A and a material removal roller 83B are accommodated at a distance in the Y direction. The material supply roller 83A and the material removal roller 83B each have an axis along the X direction. Between the material supply roller 83A and the material removal roller 83B, a cloth wiper 81 for wiping the ink remaining on the ejection surface is applied. The material supply roller 83A feeds out the unused cloth wiper 81 wound in a roll shape. The material removal roller 83B winds up the used cloth wiper 81 fed out from the material supply roller 83A and used for wiping.

[0036] A part of a pressing roller 84 having a rotation axis 84a substantially parallel to the X-axis direction is exposed from the housing 82 above the housing 82. The cloth wiper 81 fed out from the material supply roller 83A is wound around the pressing roller 84 and wound up by the material removal roller 83B after use. Thereby, a new cloth wiper 81 is always exposed in the wiping area W.

[0037] A wiper unit drive mechanism (not shown) performs rotational driving of each of the material supply roller 83A and the material removal roller 83B. Further, as shown by the arrow YR in FIG. 4, the wiper unit drive mechanism reciprocates the wiping unit 80 and the pressure flushing receiving unit 85 in the Y direction side via the rail member 90. Thereby, the cloth wiper 81 wipes the ink adhering to the ejection surface while rotating and pressing from below against the ejection surface of the carriage 52 stopped in the scanning start region E.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the liquid ejection head 51. FIG. 7 is a bottom view showing the configuration of the liquid ejection head 51. The head unit 500 shown in FIG. 6 is attached to the lower surface portion of the carriage 52 shown in FIG. 2. The head unit 500 shown in FIG. 6 has a bracket portion 49 for attaching to the carriage 52 and a liquid ejection head 51 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape protruding downward from the bracket portion 49. The liquid ejection head 51 has a flow path forming portion 510 protruding downward from the bracket portion 49 and a head body 515 fixed to the lower side of the flow path forming portion 510. A plurality of rows of nozzle rows 524 are formed on the lower surface of the head body 515. In the present embodiment, the number of nozzle rows 524 is 10 rows. In each nozzle row 524, a plurality of nozzles 528 are arranged along the Y direction. Further, a head cover 526 having a plurality of openings 526a is attached to the lower surface side of the head body 515. The head cover 526 is attached in a state of exposing a nozzle forming region 525 in which each nozzle 528 constituting the nozzle row 524 is formed, as shown in FIG. 7. In the present embodiment, the number of openings 526a of the head cover 526 is five, and two rows of the nozzle rows 524 are exposed for each opening 526a. Note that the head cover 526 can be omitted.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the entire bottom surface of the liquid ejection head 51 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is an ejection surface 529 to be wiped by the cloth wiper 81 shown in FIG. 5. Note that, as shown in FIG. 7, the ejection surface 529 has a nozzle forming region 525 in which a plurality of nozzles 528 are formed and a non-nozzle forming region 530 that does not include the nozzles 528.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 7, the nozzle rows 524 are composed of a large number of nozzles 528 arranged at a constant pitch along the sub-scanning direction Y. Each nozzle row 524 ejects one color of ink corresponding to the ink color of the cartridge 19 shown in FIG. 1. Here, the two nozzle rows 524 forming the same nozzle formation region 525 eject the same color of ink. The two nozzle rows 524 forming the same nozzle formation region 525 eject, for example, black, yellow, magenta, cyan, and white inks. Note that the ink colors are not limited to the above. The two nozzle rows 524 forming the same nozzle formation region 525 may eject inks such as light magenta, light cyan, light yellow, gray, and orange.

[0041] The nozzle formation region 525 shown in FIG. 7 is subjected to a liquid-repellent treatment that makes it easy to repel ink. More specifically, a liquid-repellent film 532 is formed on the surface of the nozzle formation region 525. The ink used in this embodiment is, for example, pigment ink. In pigment ink, a large number of pigment particles are dispersed in the liquid used as the dispersion medium. As cyan, magenta, and yellow pigments, organic pigments with an average particle size of about 100 nm can be adopted. As a black pigment, carbon black with an average particle size of about 120 nm can be adopted. As a white pigment, titanium oxide with an average particle size of about 320 nm can be adopted. Note that in this embodiment, the ink is aqueous ink, and a large number of pigment particles are dispersed in water, which is the dispersion medium. Therefore, the liquid-repellent film 532 has a function of repelling aqueous ink. The liquid-repellent film 532 gradually wears away as wiping against the nozzle formation region 525 is repeated. When the liquid-repellent film 532 wears away more than a certain amount, the liquid-repellent property of the liquid-repellent film 532 decreases. Note that the liquid-repellent film 532 is not limited to the above form. The liquid-repellent film 532 may be a liquid-repellent coating film or a liquid-repellent monomolecular film, and its film thickness and liquid-repellent treatment method can be arbitrarily selected.

[0042] In the above-described liquid repellency degradation state, the contact angle of a liquid such as ink mist with respect to the nozzle formation region 525 becomes small. For this reason, a plurality of ink mists adhering to the nozzle formation region 525 are likely to wet and spread, and grow into an adhering ink which is a relatively large single ink droplet. As a result, the adhering ink may adhere to the periphery of the nozzle 528, partially block the opening of the nozzle 528, or flow into the nozzle 528. When an ink droplet is ejected from the nozzle 528 in this state, the ejected ink droplet contacts the adhering ink, inducing the flight deflection of the ink droplet. The flight deflection of the ink droplet causes the landing position of the ink droplet on the medium M to deviate from the assumed position, leading to a deterioration in the printing image quality. Therefore, it is necessary to suppress as much as possible the wear of the liquid repellent film 532 due to wiping.

[0043] When the ejection surface 529 shown in FIG. 7 is wiped using the cloth wiper 81 shown in FIG. 5, the frictional forces applied to the nozzle formation region 525 and the non-nozzle formation region 530 of the ejection surface 529 become equal. For this reason, when the frictional force is increased to improve the wiping performance of the nozzle formation region 525, there may arise a problem that the liquid repellent film 532 of the ejection surface 529 is easily damaged and the life of the head is likely to be shortened. On the other hand, when wiping so as not to damage the liquid repellent film 532 of the nozzle formation region 525, the frictional force may be decreased to reduce the wiping performance. However, if the frictional force becomes small, there may arise a problem that liquid remains on the ejection surface 529.

[0044] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the cloth wiper 81 in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the cloth wiper 81 is a woven fabric. The cloth wiper 81 wipes the ejection surface 529 by relatively moving with respect to the ejection surface 529 while contacting the ejection surface 529 shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 8 shows a first direction D1 and a second direction D2 orthogonal to the first direction. The first direction D1 is the direction YR in which the cloth wiper 81 relatively moves with respect to the printing apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 4, and is the Y-axis direction. The second direction D2 is the X-axis direction. The cloth wiper 81 includes a plurality of warp threads t1 extending in the first direction D1 and a plurality of weft threads t2 extending in the second direction D2.

[0045] The cloth wiper 81 includes a first region R1 and a second region R2 arranged at different positions in a second direction D2 with respect to the first region R1. In the present embodiment, in the cloth wiper 81, the first region R1 and the second region R2 are alternately positioned in the second direction D2. Here, the configurations of the warp threads t1 and the weft threads t2 are different between the first region R1 and the second region R2 so that the wiping performances of the first region R1 and the second region R2 are different. In the present embodiment, the ratio of the area of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the second region R2 is larger than the ratio of the area of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the first region R1. Note that the surface of the cloth wiper 81 is the surface that contacts the injection surface 529 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. When the cloth wiper 81 relatively moves in the Y-axis direction, which is the first direction D1, with respect to the injection surface 529 shown in FIG. 7 to wipe the injection surface 529, a plurality of weft threads t2 continuously contact a specific nozzle 528. On the other hand, with respect to the warp threads t1, only a specific warp thread t1 contacts a specific nozzle. For this reason, as the ratio of the area of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the cloth wiper 81 decreases and the ratio of the area of the weft threads t2 increases, the wiping performance improves, but the liquid-repellent film 532 around the nozzle 528 is likely to wear. On the other hand, as the ratio of the area of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the cloth wiper 81 increases and the ratio of the area of the weft threads t2 decreases, the wiping performance deteriorates, but the liquid-repellent film 532 around the nozzle 528 is less likely to wear. From the above, in the present embodiment, the first region R1 has a feature that its wiping performance is higher than that of the second region R2, but it is likely to damage the liquid-repellent film 532.

[0046] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a fabric in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the cloth wiper 81 is composed of at least two of plain weave H, twill weave A, and satin weave S. The plain weave H is a weave made so that the warp yarn t1 and the weft yarn t2 intersect vertically one by one, as shown in the schematic diagram H1a. The pattern diagram H1b is a diagram simply representing the schematic diagram H1a, and represents the warp yarn t1 by black squares and the weft yarn t2 by white squares. In the first embodiment, since the thickness and material of the warp yarn t1 and the weft yarn t2 are the same, the black and white squares in the pattern diagram H1b are shown as squares. The twill weave A is a weaving structure made using three or more warp yarns t1 and weft yarns t2 each, as shown in the schematic diagram A1a shown in the upper left and the schematic diagram A2a shown in the upper right, and diagonal lines called twill lines emerge. Note that the twill weave A has two forms, twill weave A1 and twill weave A2. More specifically, when the schematic diagram A1a is rotated 90 degrees, the warp yarn t1 becomes the weft yarn t2 in the schematic diagram A2a. Similarly, the weft yarn t2 in the schematic diagram A1a becomes the warp yarn t1 in the schematic diagram A2a by rotating 90 degrees. Therefore, the twill weave A takes two forms, twill weave A1 and twill weave A2, depending on the orientation of arrangement. The pattern diagrams A1b and A2b shown below are diagrams simply representing the schematic diagrams A1a and A2a, and represent the warp yarn t1 by black squares and the weft yarn t2 by white squares as described above. The satin weave S is a weaving structure made using five or more warp yarns t1 and weft yarns t2 each, as shown in the schematic diagram S1a shown in the upper left and the schematic diagram S2a shown in the upper right, and has a lot of yarn floats. The satin weave S takes two forms, satin weave S1 and satin weave S2, in the same way as the above-described twill weave A. Specifically, when the schematic diagram S1a shown in the upper left is rotated 90 degrees, the warp yarn t1 and the weft yarn t2 are interchanged, and the form shown in the schematic diagram S2a is obtained. Note that the pattern diagrams S1b and S2b shown below are diagrams simply representing the schematic diagrams S1a and S2a, and represent the warp yarn t1 by black squares and the weft yarn t2 by white squares as described above. In the following description, when explaining the plain weave H1, twill weaves A1, A2, and satin weaves S1, S2, the pattern diagrams H1b, pattern diagrams A1b, A2b, and pattern diagrams S1b, S2b are used respectively.

[0047] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a combination of fabrics constituting the cloth wiper 81 in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 shows the types of fabrics constituting the first region R1 and the second region R2 of the cloth wiper 81 shown in FIG. 8. In the present embodiment, the first region R1 and the second region R2 are constituted by different fabrics. In the present embodiment, the fabric is any one of the plain weave H, twill weave A, and satin weave S shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 shows three patterns using the plain weave H and the satin weave S, the plain weave H and the twill weave A, and the satin weave S and the twill weave A for the first region R1 and the second region R2.

[0048] Hereinafter, a pattern using plain weave H and twill weave S will be described as an example for the first region R1 and the second region R2. As shown in FIG. 9, the plain weave H is only one form of the plain weave H1, while the twill weave S has two forms, the twill weaves S1 and S2. Therefore, as the combination pattern p[first region R1, second region R2] of the first region R1 and the second region R2, there are four: p[plain weave H1, twill weave S1], p[plain weave H1, twill weave S2], p[twill weave S1, plain weave H1], and p[twill weave S2, plain weave H1]. Here, in the present embodiment, as described above, the ratio of the area of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the second region R2 is larger than the ratio of the area of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the first region R1. In the pattern diagram shown in FIG. 10, based on the fact that the warp threads t1 are represented by black squares, the ratio of the area of the black squares in the pattern diagram in the second region R2 is larger than the ratio of the area of the black squares in the schematic diagram in the first region R1. Therefore, the combination patterns p[first region R1, second region R2] when using plain weave H and twill weave S are p[twill weave S1, plain weave H1] and p[plain weave H1, twill weave S2]. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 10, the combination patterns p[first region R1, second region R2] when using plain weave H and twill weave A are p[plain weave H1, twill weave A1] and p[twill weave A2, plain weave H1]. Also, the combination patterns p[first region R1, second region R2] when using twill weave S and twill weave A are [twill weave S1, twill weave A1], [twill weave S1, twill weave A2], [twill weave A1, twill weave S1], and [twill weave A2, twill weave S2]. In the present embodiment, as described above, the purpose is to change the wiping performance by using different types of fabrics for the first region R1 and the second region R2. More specifically, by increasing the difference between the ratio of the area of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the first region R1 and the ratio of the area of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the second region R2, the wiping performance in the first region R1 and the second region R2 can be greatly changed. Therefore, FIG. 10 shows p[twill weave S1, twill weave A1] and p[twill weave A2, twill weave S2] in which the ratio of the black squares in the pattern diagram is significantly different between the first region R1 and the second region R2.In addition, in the present embodiment, the ratio of the area of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the second region R2 is preferably, for example, 1.5 times or more, more preferably 2.0 times or more, relative to the ratio of the area of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the first region R1.

[0049] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the first mode M1 during wiping. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the second mode M2 during wiping. In the present embodiment, when the ejection surface 529 is wiped using the cloth wiper 81, the printing apparatus 1 can selectively execute the first mode M1 and the second mode M2 in response to an instruction from the user. As shown in FIG. 11, the first mode M1 is a mode in which the nozzle formation region 525 is wiped in the first region R1 of the cloth wiper 81 and the non-nozzle formation region 530 is wiped in the second region R2. That is, the first mode M1 is a mode in which the nozzle formation region 525 is wiped using the first region R1 having a higher wiping performance compared to the second region R2. The first mode M1 is a mode that prioritizes the wiping performance of the nozzle formation region 525, and is used when focusing on removing dirt near the nozzles, such as after strong cleaning or after cleaning after long-term storage. Note that the nozzle formation region 525 and the non-nozzle formation region 530 are arranged at different positions with respect to the second direction D2.

[0050] The second mode M2 shown in FIG. 12 is a mode in which the nozzle formation region 525 is wiped in the second region R2 and the non-nozzle formation region 530 is wiped in the first region R1. That is, the second mode M2 is a mode in which the nozzle formation region 525 is wiped using the second region R2 having a lower wiping performance compared to the first region R1. The second mode M2 is a mode that prioritizes the durability of the liquid repellent film 532, and is performed after weak cleaning or after regular cleaning. Note that regular cleaning is daily cleaning, and examples thereof include sediment recovery cleaning of white ink and mist removal cleaning performed between printing jobs. According to this configuration, the user can select either the first mode M1 having a high wiping performance or the second mode M2 having a relatively low wiping performance according to the degree of dirt on the ejection surface 529 of the printing apparatus 1, and cause the printing apparatus 1 to execute it.

[0051] In this embodiment, the frequency of execution of the second mode M2 shown in FIG. 12 is higher than the frequency of execution of the first mode M1 shown in FIG. 11. Thereby, when dirt that cannot be wiped off in the second mode M2 adheres to the ejection surface 529, the user can select the first mode M1.

[0052] In the first embodiment described above, the printing apparatus 1 includes a cloth wiper 81 including a first region R1 and a second region R2, and the ratio of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the second region R2 is larger than the ratio of the area of the warp threads t1 exposed on the surface of the first region R1. Thereby, with the cloth wiper 81 having a plurality of regions with different wiping performances, it becomes possible to achieve both the wiping performance on the ejection surface 529 of the printing apparatus 1 and the extension of the service life of the liquid repellent film 532.

[0053] B. Second Embodiment: FIG. 13 is a view showing the cloth wiper 81c in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the form of the fabric constituting the cloth wiper 81c is different. More specifically, the thicknesses of the warp yarn t1 and the weft yarn t2 constituting the cloth wiper 81c are different. Regarding other configurations, they are the same as those in the first embodiment. FIG. 13 shows an example in which the first region R1 of the cloth wiper 81c is constituted by the twill weave S1c and the second region R2 is constituted by the plain weave H1c. In the first embodiment, the warp yarn t1 and the weft yarn t2 had the same thickness. In contrast, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the length Lb corresponding to the thickness of the weft yarn t2 is shorter than the length La corresponding to the thickness of the warp yarn t1. That is, the weft yarn t2 is thinner than the warp yarn t1. Here, the length Lb corresponding to the thickness of the weft yarn t2 is, for example, the length in the D1 direction of the weft yarn t2. Note that the length Lb may be the diameter of the weft yarn t2 assuming that the cross section of the weft yarn t2 is circular. In the cloth wiper 81c in which the thickness of the weft yarn t2 is thinner compared to the cloth wiper 81 in the first embodiment, when wiping the injection surface 529 shown in FIG. 7, more weft yarns t2 come into contact with the injection surface 529. For this reason, the wiping performance of the cloth wiper 81c is higher in both the first region R1 and the second region R2 compared to the cloth wiper 81. As described above, by making the thickness of the weft yarn t2 of the cloth wiper 81c thinner than that of the warp yarn t1, the wiping performance can be improved.

[0054] C. Third Embodiment: FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the cloth wiper 81d in the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, similar to the second embodiment, the form of the fabric constituting the cloth wiper 81d is different. More specifically, the weft yarn t2 of the fabric constituting the cloth wiper 81d is different in that it is composed of different thicknesses. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, there are a weft yarn t2 having a length Lc in the first direction D1 and a weft yarn t2 having a length Ld in the first direction D1. The length Lc is shorter than the length Ld. Also, the length Lc is shorter than the length Le of each of the plurality of nozzles 528 in the first direction D1 in FIG. 11. Here, the length Le is the diameter of the nozzle 528. Further, the length Ld is longer than the length Le. In the present embodiment, the diameter of the nozzle 528 is 20 μm. Therefore, the length Lc is shorter than 20 μm, and the length Ld is longer than 20 μm. Note that the ratio of the length Lc to the length Ld may be, for example, Lc:Ld = 1:1.5 or Lc:Ld = 1:2. Note that the ratio of the length Lc to the length Ld is not limited to the above. According to this form, the cloth wiper 81d can include a weft yarn t2 that can enter the nozzle 528 and a weft yarn t2 that cannot enter the nozzle 528. Thereby, it is possible to adjust the wiping performance of the nozzle forming region 525 and the long life of the liquid repellent film 532.

[0055] In the third embodiment, in the first region R1, the ratio of the area of the thin weft yarn t2 having a length Lc is larger than the ratio of the area of the thick weft yarn t2 having a length Ld. On the other hand, in the second region R2, the ratio of the area of the thin weft yarn t2 having a length Lc is the same as the ratio of the area of the thick weft yarn t2 having a length Ld. That is, compared with the case where the length of all the weft yarns t2 is Ld, the wiping performance can be significantly improved in the first region R1, while the wiping performance can be increased relatively gently in the second region R2. As described above, by changing the type of the fabric and the thickness of the weft yarn t2, the wiping performance in the first region R1 and the second region R2 can be adjusted.

[0056] D. Other Embodiments: (D1) In the above-described first embodiment, the cloth wiper 81 included any two of the plain weave H, twill weave A, and satin weave S. In contrast, the cloth wiper 81 may not include any two of the plain weave H, twill weave A, and satin weave S. The cloth wiper 81 may include, for example, other types of fabrics such as twined weave.

[0057] E. Other forms: The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be implemented in various configurations without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described in the summary of the invention can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0058] (1) According to the first form of the present disclosure, a liquid injection device is provided. This liquid injection device includes a liquid injection head having an injection surface with a plurality of nozzles for injecting a liquid, and a cloth wiper that wipes the injection surface by relatively moving in a first direction with respect to the injection surface while contacting the injection surface, the cloth wiper including a plurality of warp threads extending in the first direction and a plurality of weft threads extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The cloth wiper includes a first region and a second region disposed at a different position in the second direction with respect to the first region, and a ratio of an area of the warp threads exposed on a surface of the second region that contacts the injection surface is larger than a ratio of an area of the warp threads exposed on a surface of the first region that contacts the injection surface. According to this form, it is possible to achieve both wiping performance on the injection surface of the liquid injection device and a long service life of the liquid-repellent film by using a cloth wiper having a plurality of regions with different wiping performances.

[0059] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the ejection surface includes a nozzle formation region where the plurality of nozzles are formed and a non-nozzle formation region that does not include the nozzles. The nozzle formation region and the non-nozzle formation region are arranged at different positions with respect to the second direction. A first mode of wiping the nozzle formation region in the first region and wiping the non-nozzle formation region in the second region, and a second mode of wiping the nozzle formation region in the second region and wiping the non-nozzle formation region in the first region may be executable. According to this embodiment, depending on the degree of dirt on the ejection surface of the liquid ejection device, either the first mode with high wiping performance or the second mode with relatively low wiping performance can be selected.

[0060] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the frequency of execution of the second mode may be higher than the frequency of execution of the first mode. According to this embodiment, when wiping the ink on the ejection surface of the liquid ejection device, the frequency of executing the second mode with relatively low wiping performance can be increased compared to the first mode with high wiping performance.

[0061] (4) In the above-described embodiment, each of the plurality of warp threads may be thicker than each of the plurality of weft threads. According to this embodiment, by making the weft threads of the cloth wiper thinner than the warp threads, the wiping performance on the ejection surface of the liquid ejection device can be improved.

[0062] (5) In the above-described embodiment, the plurality of weft threads may be composed of different thicknesses. According to this embodiment, by configuring the cloth wiper with weft threads of different thicknesses, the wiping performance and the long life of the liquid repellent film on the ejection surface of the liquid ejection device can be adjusted.

[0063] (6) In the above-described embodiment, each of the plurality of weft threads may include a weft thread whose length in the first direction is longer than the diameter of each of the plurality of nozzles and a weft thread whose length in the first direction is shorter than the diameter. According to this form, the cloth wiper can include weft threads that can enter the nozzle holes and weft threads that cannot enter the nozzle holes.

[0064] The present disclosure can be realized in various forms, and in addition to the above forms, it can be realized in forms such as a method for manufacturing a cartridge.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0065] 1... Liquid injection device, 3... Control unit, 5... Frame, 6... Base frame, 7... Leg frame, 10... Housing, 13... Operation panel, 14... Waste liquid tank, 15... Confirmation window, 16... Opening / closing cover, 18... Container box, 19... Cartridge, 20... Supply unit, 30... Guide part, 32... Platen, 32a... Suction hole, 38... Downstream guide part, 40... Take-up part, 41... Holder, 42... Core tube, 49... Bracket part, 50... Printing part, 51... Liquid injection head, 52... Carriage, 54... Carriage case, 55... Circuit case, 58... Carriage frame, 59... Carriage shaft, 60... Heating part, 70... Capping unit, 71... Cap, 75... Flushing receiving unit, 80... Wiping unit, 81, 81c, 81d... Cloth wiper, 82... Housing, 83A... Feeding roller, 83B... Scraping roller, 84... Pressing roller, 84a... Rotating shaft, 85... Unit, 90... Rail member, 100... Maintenance unit, 500... Head unit, 510... Flow path forming part, 515... Head body, 524... Nozzle row, 525... Nozzle forming region, 526... Head cover, 526a... Opening, 528... Nozzle, 529... Injection surface, 530... Non-nozzle forming region, 532... Liquid repellent film, A... Twill weave, H... Plain weave, S... Damask weave, D1... First direction, D2... Second direction, t1... Warp thread, t2... Weft thread

Claims

1. A liquid ejection device, comprising: a liquid ejection head having an ejection surface with a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid; a cloth wiper that wipes the ejection surface by relatively moving in a first direction with respect to the ejection surface while being in contact with the ejection surface, the cloth wiper including a plurality of warp threads extending in the first direction and a plurality of weft threads extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; the cloth wiper includes a first region and a second region disposed at a different position in the second direction with respect to the first region; a ratio of an area of the warp threads exposed on a surface of the second region in contact with the ejection surface is larger than a ratio of an area of the warp threads exposed on a surface of the first region in contact with the ejection surface; a liquid ejection device.

2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the ejection surface includes a nozzle formation region in which the plurality of nozzles are formed and a non-nozzle formation region that does not include the nozzles, the nozzle formation region and the non-nozzle formation region are disposed at different positions with respect to the second direction, and the liquid ejection device is capable of executing a first mode of wiping the nozzle formation region in the first region and wiping the non-nozzle formation region in the second region, and a second mode of wiping the nozzle formation region in the second region and wiping the non-nozzle formation region in the first region.

3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 2, wherein a frequency at which the second mode is executed is higher than a frequency at which the first mode is executed.

4. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of warp threads is thicker than each of the plurality of weft threads.

5. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of weft threads are composed of different thicknesses.

6. The liquid ejection device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of weft threads include weft threads having a length in the first direction longer than a diameter of each of the plurality of nozzles and weft threads having a length in the first direction shorter than the diameter.

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