Ink jet printer

Abstract

To provide an ink jet printer that comprises a maintenance unit for preventing a plurality of nozzles that an ink jet head has from getting clogged and that can reduce the cost of the maintenance unit.SOLUTION: A maintenance unit 9 of an ink jet printer comprises a slide member 14 which holds a cap member 13 elevatably, a base member 15 which holds the slide member 14 movably, and a spring member 16 which energizes the slide member 14 relative to the base member 15, and when the slide member 14 arranged at a retraction position moves up while moving to one side in a right-left direction, and also moves to one side in a front-rear direction, the slide member 14 is arranged at a cap position 14B. The spring member 16 energizes the slide member 14 at least to the other side in the right-left direction relative to the base member 15, and also energizes it to the one side or the other side in the front-rear direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet printer including a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles formed in an inkjet head.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an inkjet printer that ejects ink to perform printing on a medium has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1 includes two inkjet heads that eject ink, a carriage on which the two inkjet heads are mounted, and a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in the main scanning direction. Further, this inkjet printer includes a maintenance unit (cleaning device) for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles formed in the inkjet head. The maintenance unit is disposed at the standby position of the carriage.

[0003] The maintenance unit includes two capping mechanisms, a slide frame that holds the two capping mechanisms, and a base frame that holds the slide frame. When the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the main scanning direction is defined as the front-rear direction, the capping mechanism is slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the slide frame. The slide frame is slidable in the main scanning direction with respect to the base frame and is also vertically movable. The capping mechanism includes a cap member that covers the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head, a support plate that floatingly supports the cap member via a compression coil spring, and a cap slide member to which the support plate is fixed. The cap slide member is held by the slide frame so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction.

[0004] In the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1, the capping mechanism is movable between a retracted position and a cap position. A first tension spring that biases the slide frame with respect to the base frame so that the capping mechanism stays in the retracted position is disposed between the base frame and the slide frame. A second tension spring that biases the cap slide member in one direction in the front-rear direction with respect to the slide frame is disposed between the slide frame and the cap slide member. A locking portion where a part of the carriage is locked is fixed to one end side of the slide frame in the main scanning direction. Two contact portions where a part of the carriage contacts are formed on the locking portion. The two contact portions are arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction.

[0005] In the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1, when the inkjet head is discharging ink onto the medium, the capping mechanism is disposed in the retracted position. When the carriage moves to one side in the main scanning direction toward the standby position where the maintenance unit is disposed, the carriage contacts the locking portion. When the carriage further moves to one side in the main scanning direction in a state where the carriage is in contact with the locking portion, the slide frame slides and rises to one side in the main scanning direction with respect to the base frame, and the cap slide member slides to one side in the front-rear direction with respect to the slide frame, so that the capping mechanism moves to the cap position. When the capping mechanism moves to the cap position, the cap member covers the ink ejection surface. At this time, the contact portion formed on the cap member is in contact with the surface on the other side in the front-rear direction of the inkjet head.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The inventor of the present application is developing an inkjet printer having a maintenance unit similar to the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1, and the inkjet printer is of lower cost. In order to reduce the cost of the inkjet printer under development, it is preferable that the maintenance unit is of lower cost.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer including a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles formed in an inkjet head, the inkjet printer being capable of reducing the cost of the maintenance unit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] To solve the above problems, the inkjet printer of the present invention includes an inkjet head that discharges ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head. An ink discharge surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged is formed on the lower surface of the inkjet head. The maintenance unit includes a cap member for covering the ink discharge surface from below, a slide member that holds the cap member so as to be movable up and down, a base member that holds the slide member so as to be movable, and a spring member that biases the slide member with respect to the base member. When the main scanning direction is the left-right direction and the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the left-right direction is the front-rear direction, the slide member is movable with respect to the base member between a cap position where the cap member covers the ink discharge surface and a retracted position where the cap member is separated from the ink discharge surface. When the slide member arranged at the retracted position moves upward while moving to one side in the left-right direction with respect to the base member and moves to one side in the front-rear direction, the slide member is arranged at the cap position, and the spring member biases the slide member with respect to the base member at least to the other side in the left-right direction and to one side or the other side in the front-rear direction.

[0010] In the inkjet printer of the present invention, the maintenance unit includes a slide member that holds the cap member so as to be movable up and down, a base member that holds the slide member so as to be movable, and a spring member that biases the slide member with respect to the base member. Further, in the present invention, when the slide member disposed at the retracted position moves upward while moving to one side in the left-right direction and moves to one side in the front-back direction, the slide member is disposed at the cap position. Furthermore, in the present invention, the spring member biases the slide member with respect to the base member at least to the other side in the left-right direction and biases it to one side or the other side in the front-back direction. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to provide one type of spring member with both the actions of the first tension spring and the second tension spring of the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of parts of the maintenance unit and reduce the cost of the maintenance unit.

[0011] In the present invention, for example, the maintenance unit includes one spring member, and the spring member is a tension coil spring. In this case, since the maintenance unit includes only one spring member, it is possible to further reduce the cost of the maintenance unit. Also, in this case, for example, one end portion in the left-right direction of the tension coil spring is attached to the slide member, the other end portion in the left-right direction of the tension coil spring is attached to the base member, and the tension coil spring is inclined with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the up-down direction and is inclined with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-back direction.

[0012] In the present invention, for example, an inkjet printer includes one inkjet head and one cap member. In this case, since there is one cap member held by the slide member, even when the slide member disposed at the retracted position moves upward while moving to one side in the left-right direction with respect to the base member and also moves to one side in the front-rear direction so that the slide member is disposed at the cap position, by improving the mounting accuracy of the one cap member with respect to the slide member, it becomes possible to improve the relative position accuracy between the cap member and the inkjet head when the slide member is disposed at the cap position. Therefore, even when the slide member disposed at the retracted position moves upward while moving to one side in the left-right direction with respect to the base member and also moves to one side in the front-rear direction so that the slide member is disposed at the cap position, it becomes possible to surely cover the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head with the cap member.

[0013] Also, in order to solve the above problems, the inkjet printer of the present invention includes an inkjet head that discharges ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head. An ink discharge surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged is formed on the lower surface of the inkjet head. The maintenance unit includes a cap member for covering the ink discharge surface from below, a slide member that holds the cap member so as to be movable up and down, a base member that holds the slide member so as to be movable, and a biasing member that biases the slide member with respect to the base member. When the main scanning direction is the left-right direction, the slide member is movable with respect to the base member between a cap position where the cap member covers the ink discharge surface and a retracted position where the cap member is separated from the ink discharge surface. When the slide member arranged at the retracted position moves upward while moving at least to one side in the left-right direction with respect to the base member, the slide member is arranged at the cap position. One contact portion that contacts the carriage moving to one side in the left-right direction is formed on the slide member. The slide member is characterized by moving from the retracted position to the cap position as the carriage moving to one side in the left-right direction moves while contacting the contact portion.

[0014] In the inkjet printer of the present invention, one contact portion that contacts the carriage moving to one side in the left-right direction is formed on the slide member, and two contact portions are not provided on the slide member as in the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the slide member and reduce the cost of the slide member. Accordingly, in the present invention, it is possible to reduce the cost of the maintenance unit.

[0015] In addition, according to the study by the inventor of the present application, for example, when two contact portions arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are formed on the slide member, if the carriage moving to one side in the horizontal direction does not simultaneously contact the two contact portions, twisting may occur between the carriage and the slide member, and there may be a risk that the slide member cannot be smoothly moved to the cap position. On the other hand, in the present invention, since there is only one contact portion formed on the slide member, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of twisting between the carriage and the slide member and smoothly move the slide member to the cap position.

[0016] In the present invention, for example, an inkjet printer includes one inkjet head and one cap member. When the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is defined as the front-rear direction, the slide member disposed at the retracted position moves upward while moving to one side in the horizontal direction with respect to the base member and also moves to one side in the front-rear direction, and then the slide member is disposed at the cap position.

[0017] In this case, since there is only one cap member held by the slide member, even when the slide member disposed at the retracted position moves upward while moving to one side in the horizontal direction with respect to the base member and also moves to one side in the front-rear direction and is thus disposed at the cap position, by improving the mounting accuracy of the one cap member with respect to the slide member, it is possible to improve the relative position accuracy between the cap member and the inkjet head when the slide member is disposed at the cap position. Therefore, even when the slide member disposed at the retracted position moves upward while moving to one side in the horizontal direction with respect to the base member and also moves to one side in the front-rear direction and is thus disposed at the cap position, it is possible to reliably cover the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head with the cap member.

[0018] In the present invention, for example, a second contact portion that can contact the side surface on the other side in the front-rear direction of the inkjet head is formed on the slide member. The contact portion is formed at one end portion of the slide member in the front-rear direction, and the second contact portion is formed at the other end portion of the slide member in the front-rear direction. When the slide member is disposed at the cap position, the second contact portion is in contact with the side surface on the other side in the front-rear direction of the inkjet head. In this case, since the second contact portion is formed on the slide member and the second contact portion is in contact with the side surface on the other side in the front-rear direction of the inkjet head when the slide member is disposed at the cap position, it is possible to improve the relative position accuracy in the front-rear direction between the inkjet head and the cap member when the slide member is disposed at the cap position. Therefore, it becomes possible to reliably cover the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head with the cap member.

Effects of the Invention

[0019] As described above, in the present invention, in an inkjet printer including a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles formed in an inkjet head, it is possible to reduce the cost of the maintenance unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] (Overall Configuration of Inkjet Printer) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the inkjet printer 1 shown in FIG. 1.

[0023] The inkjet printer 1 of this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "printer 1") is an inkjet printer for business use and performs printing on a medium 2 such as paper, fabric, or a resin film. The medium 2 is formed in a long shape (elongated strip shape). The printer 1 includes an inkjet head 3 (hereinafter referred to as "head 3") that discharges ink toward the medium 2, a carriage 4 on which the head 3 is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism 5 that moves the carriage 4 in a main scanning direction (Y direction in FIG. 1, etc.) orthogonal to the vertical direction (Z direction in FIG. 1, etc.), a Y bar 6 that movably holds the carriage 4, a medium conveyance mechanism 7 that conveys the medium 2, and a platen 8 on which the medium 2 is placed.

[0024] The printer 1 of this embodiment includes one head 3, and one head 3 is mounted on the carriage 4. That is, the printer 1 includes only one head 3, and only one head 3 is mounted on the carriage 4. The head 3 discharges ink downward. An ink discharge surface 3a where a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink are arranged is formed on the lower surface of the head 3. A plurality of nozzle rows arranged in the main scanning direction are formed on the ink discharge surface 3a. The nozzle row is composed of a number of nozzles arranged in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the main scanning direction. The head 3 includes a piezoelectric element (piezo element) for discharging ink from the nozzles.

[0025] The carriage drive mechanism 5 includes, for example, two pulleys, a belt that is wound around the two pulleys and partially fixed to the carriage 4, and a motor for rotating the pulley. The medium conveyance mechanism 7 includes a conveyance roller for conveying the medium 2, a roller drive mechanism for driving the conveyance roller, and a plurality of pinch rollers that are biased toward the conveyance roller and sandwich the medium 2 between the conveyance roller. The platen 8 is disposed below the carriage 4. The medium 2 at the time of printing is placed on the platen 8.

[0026] In the following description, the main scanning direction (Y direction) is referred to as the "left - right direction", and the X direction in FIG. 1 and the like, which is orthogonal to the vertical direction and the left - right direction, is referred to as the "front - rear direction". Also, the Y1 - direction side in FIG. 1 and the like, which is one side in the left - right direction, is referred to as the "right" side, the Y2 - direction side in FIG. 1 and the like, which is the opposite side of the right side, is referred to as the "left" side, the X1 - direction side in FIG. 1 and the like, which is one side in the front - rear direction, is referred to as the "front" side, and the X2 - direction side in FIG. 1 and the like, which is the opposite side of the front side, is referred to as the "rear" side.

[0027] In this embodiment, the left-right direction (Y direction) is the width direction of the medium 2. The up-down direction (Z direction) is the thickness direction of the medium 2 during printing when placed on the platen 8, and the front-back direction (X direction) is the conveyance direction of the medium 2 moving on the platen 8 and is also the sub-scanning direction. In this embodiment, the right side (Y1 direction side) is one side of the left-right direction, and the left side (Y2 direction side) is the other side of the left-right direction. Also, the front side (X1 direction side) is one side of the front-back direction, and the rear side (X2 direction side) is the other side of the front-back direction.

[0028] Further, the printer 1 includes a maintenance unit 9 for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the head 3. In the maintenance unit 9, the head 3 is cleaned so that clogging does not occur in the plurality of nozzles of the head 3. For example, in the maintenance unit 9, purging for forcibly sucking the ink in the nozzles of the head 3, flushing for forcibly discharging the ink from the nozzles of the head 3, and wiping for wiping the ink ejection surface 3a with a predetermined wiper member are performed. The maintenance unit 9 is disposed at a position deviated from the printing area where printing is performed on the medium 2 in the left-right direction (main scanning direction). The maintenance unit 9 of this embodiment is disposed at the right end of the printer 1. Hereinafter, the specific configuration of the maintenance unit 9 will be described.

[0029] (Configuration of Maintenance Unit) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the maintenance unit 9 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the maintenance unit 9 shown in FIG. 3, showing the state when the slide member 14 is in the retracted position 14A. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the maintenance unit 9 shown in FIG. 3, showing the state when the slide member 14 is in the cap position 14B. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the E-E cross-section of FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the F-F cross-section of FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the G-G cross-section of FIG. 5.

[0030] The maintenance unit 9 includes a cap member 13 for covering the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3 from below. As described above, since one head 3 is mounted on the carriage 4 of this embodiment, the maintenance unit 9 of this embodiment includes one cap member 13. Further, the maintenance unit 9 includes a slide member 14 that holds the cap member 13 so as to be movable up and down, a base member 15 that holds the slide member 14 so as to be movable, and a spring member 16 as a biasing member that biases the slide member 14 with respect to the base member 15. The maintenance unit 9 of this embodiment includes one spring member 16. Also, the spring member 16 of this embodiment is a tension coil spring. Therefore, in the following description, the spring member 16 is referred to as "tension coil spring 16".

[0031] When viewed from the vertical direction, the outer shape of the ink ejection surface 3a is rectangular. Also, when viewed from the vertical direction, two of the four sides of the rectangular ink ejection surface 3a are parallel to the left-right direction, and the remaining two sides are parallel to the front-back direction. When viewed from the vertical direction, the outer shape of the cap member 13 is rectangular according to the outer shape of the ink ejection surface 3a. Also, when viewed from the vertical direction, two of the four sides of the rectangular cap member 13 are parallel to the left-right direction, and the remaining two sides are parallel to the front-back direction. The cap member 13 includes a rubber cap 17 made of rubber whose outer peripheral end contacts the lower surface of the head 3. One end of a tube is attached to the bottom of the cap member 13. A suction mechanism for performing purging to forcibly suck the ink in the nozzles of the head 3 is connected to the other end side of this tube.

[0032] The slide member 14 is movable relative to the base member 15 between a cap position 14B where the cap member 13 covers the ink ejection surface 3a and a retracted position 14A where the cap member 13 is separated from the ink ejection surface 3a. In this embodiment, when the slide member 14 disposed at the retracted position 14A moves upward while moving at least to the right relative to the base member 15, the slide member 14 is disposed at the cap position 14B. Specifically, when the slide member 14 disposed at the retracted position 14A moves upward while moving to the right and then to the front relative to the base member 15, the slide member 14 is disposed at the cap position 14B. The slide member 14 moves from the retracted position 14A to the cap position 14B as the carriage 4 moves to the right while being in contact with a contact portion 21a (described later) formed on the slide member 14. Further, the slide member 14 moves from the cap position 14B to the retracted position 14A by the biasing force of a tension coil spring 16 or the like.

[0033] When viewed from the vertical direction, the outer shape of the slide member 14 is rectangular. When viewed from the vertical direction, two of the four sides of the rectangular slide member 14 are parallel to the left-right direction, and the remaining two sides are parallel to the front-back direction. The slide member 14 includes a first slide member 20 that holds the cap member 13 so as to be movable up and down, and a second slide member 21 to which the first slide member 20 is fixed. The slide member 14 is constituted by, for example, the first slide member 20 and the second slide member 21. The first slide member 20 and the second slide member 21 are formed in a rectangular parallelepiped box shape with an open upper surface. Note that, in FIG. 8, the illustration of the first slide member 20 is omitted.

[0034] When viewed from the up-down direction, the outer shapes of the first slide member 20 and the second slide member 21 are rectangular. When viewed from the up-down direction, two of the four sides of the rectangular first slide member 20 and second slide member 21 are parallel to the left-right direction, and the remaining two sides are parallel to the front-back direction. The cap member 13 is housed in the first slide member 20. Between the cap member 13 and the first slide member 20, a compression coil spring that biases the cap member 13 upward with respect to the first slide member 20 is disposed. The first slide member 20 is housed in the front portion of the second slide member 21. In the rear portion of the second slide member 21, a liquid-absorbing member 22 such as a sponge is housed. Note that in FIGS. 6 to 8, the liquid-absorbing member 22 is not shown.

[0035] A contact portion 20a as a second contact portion that can contact the rear surface of the head 3 is formed on the first slide member 20. The contact portion 20a is formed in a rectangular flat plate shape that rises upward. The contact portion 20a is formed at the rear end portion of the first slide member 20. That is, the contact portion 20a is formed at the rear end portion of the slide member 14. Further, the contact portion 20a is formed at two locations at intervals in the left-right direction. Specifically, the contact portion 20a is formed at two locations at both ends in the left-right direction of the first slide member 20. The contact portion 20a contacts the rear surface of the head 3 when the slide member 14 is disposed at the cap position 14B.

[0036] The second slide member 21 is formed with one contact portion 21a that comes into contact with the carriage 4 moving to the right. That is, only one contact portion 21a is formed on the second slide member 21. The contact portion 21a is formed in a columnar shape that rises upward. The contact portion 21a is formed at the right front end portion of the second slide member 21. That is, the contact portion 21a is formed at the right end portion of the slide member 14 and at the front end portion of the slide member 14. The left side surface of the contact portion 21a is a curved surface with an arc shape when viewed from the vertical direction. A contact surface 4a that comes into contact with the contact portion 21a is formed at the right end portion of the carriage 4 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The contact surface 4a is a plane orthogonal to the left-right direction and faces the right side.

[0037] Further, the second slide member 21 is formed with a spring attachment portion 21b to which one end portion of the tension coil spring 16 is attached, and a guide pin 21c for guiding the slide member 14 between the retracted position 14A and the cap position 14B. The spring attachment portion 21b is formed on the right side surface of the second slide member 21. The guide pin 21c is formed on the front side surface and the rear side surface of the second slide member 21. The guide pin 21c is a columnar pin that protrudes outward in the front-rear direction. The guide pin 21c is formed at two locations, namely, the right end portion and the left end portion of the second slide member 21, on each of the front side surface and the rear side surface of the second slide member 21.

[0038] The base member 15 is fixed to the main body frame of the printer 1. The base member 15 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped box shape with an open top surface. The slide member 14 is housed in the base member 15. The base member 15 is formed with a spring attachment portion 15a (see FIG. 8) to which the other end of the tension coil spring 16 is attached, and a guide groove (cam groove) 15b and a guide portion 15c for guiding the slide member 14 between the retracted position 14A and the cap position 14B. The spring attachment portion 15a is disposed on the bottom surface side of the base member 15. The spring attachment portion 15a is disposed below and in front of the spring attachment portion 21b. Further, the spring attachment portion 15a is disposed on the left side of the spring attachment portion 21b when the slide member 14 is disposed at the retracted position 14A.

[0039] The guide groove 15b is formed in the front side surface and the rear side surface of the base member 15. Further, the guide groove 15b is formed at two locations on each of the front side surface and the rear side surface of the base member 15. The guide pin 21c is engaged with the guide groove 15b from the inner side in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the guide groove 15b is composed of a portion parallel to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction, and a portion inclined upward as it goes toward the right side.

[0040] The guide portion 15c is formed in the front side surface of the base member 15. Further, the guide portion 15c is formed in the left end side portion of the base member 15. The guide portion 15c protrudes toward the rear side. The guide portion 15c is formed with an inclined surface 15d that inclines forward as it goes toward the right side. The second slide member 21 contacts the guide portion 15c from the rear side. Further, the front side surface of the second slide member 21 contacts the guide portion 15c with a predetermined contact pressure by the biasing force of the tension coil spring 16.

[0041] The right end of the tension coil spring 16 is attached to the spring attachment portion 21b of the slide member 14. The left end of the tension coil spring 16 is attached to the spring attachment portion 15a of the base member 15. As described above, the spring attachment portion 15a is disposed below and in front of the spring attachment portion 21b, and is disposed to the left of the spring attachment portion 21b when the slide member 14 is disposed at the retracted position 14A. Therefore, the tension coil spring 16 is inclined with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the up-down direction, and is inclined with respect to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-back direction. Further, the tension coil spring 16 biases the slide member 14 to the left, lower side, and front side with respect to the base member 15.

[0042] When the head 3 and the carriage 4 are disposed in the printing area where printing is performed on the medium 2, the slide member 14 is disposed at the retracted position 14A. At this time, the front surface of the contact portion 20a is disposed behind the rear surface of the head 3 (see FIG. 4). In order to perform maintenance on the head 3, when the carriage 4 moves out of the printing area and moves to the right, the contact surface 4a of the carriage 4 contacts the contact portion 21a. Thereafter, when the carriage 4 in a state of contacting the contact portion 21a further moves to the right, the cap member 13 and the slide member 14 move upward and forward while moving to the right with respect to the base member 15. When the slide member 14 reaches the cap position 14B, the carriage 4 stops.

[0043] When the slide member 14 is disposed at the cap position 14B, the contact portion 20a is in contact with the rear surface of the head 3 (see FIG. 5). Further, the upper end of the cap member 13 is in close contact with the lower surface of the head 3, and the cap member 13 covers the ink ejection surface 3a from below. In this state, for example, flushing is performed. Further, when the carriage 4 moves to the left from this state, due to the biasing force of the tension coil spring 16 and the action of the guide groove 15b and the guide portion 15c, the cap member 13 and the slide member 14 move downward and rearward while moving to the left with respect to the base member 15, and the upper end of the cap member 13 separates from the lower surface of the head 3.

[0044] (Main effects of this embodiment) As described above, in this embodiment, the maintenance unit 9 includes a slide member 14 that holds the cap member 13 so as to be movable up and down, a base member 15 that holds the slide member 14 so as to be movable, and a tension coil spring 16 that biases the slide member 14 with respect to the base member 15. Further, in this embodiment, when the slide member 14 disposed at the retracted position 14A moves upward while moving to the right and moves forward, the slide member 14 is disposed at the cap position 14B. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the tension coil spring 16 biases the slide member 14 to the left, downward, and forward with respect to the base member 15.

[0045] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to cause one type of tension coil spring 16 to have the actions of both the first tension spring and the second tension spring described in Patent Document 1 above. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of parts of the maintenance unit 9 and reduce the cost of the maintenance unit 9. In particular, in this embodiment, since the maintenance unit 9 includes only one tension coil spring 16, it is possible to further reduce the cost of the maintenance unit 9.

[0046] In this embodiment, one contact portion 21a with which the carriage 4 moving to the right contacts is formed on the slide member 14, and two contact portions 21a are not formed on the slide member 14 as in the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1 above. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the slide member 14 and reduce the cost of the slide member 14. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the cost of the maintenance unit 9.

[0047] Moreover, according to the study of the inventor of the present application, for example, when two contact portions 21a arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction are formed on the slide member 14, if the carriage 4 moving to the right does not contact the two contact portions 21a simultaneously, a twist may occur between the carriage 4 and the slide member 14, and there may be a possibility that the slide member 14 cannot be smoothly moved to the cap position 14B. In particular, in this embodiment, by a single tension coil spring 16, the slide member 14 is biased to the left and lower sides and also to the front side with respect to the base member 15, and the slide member 14 is prone to tilting. Therefore, when two contact portions 21a arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction are formed on the slide member 14, it becomes difficult for the carriage 4 moving to the right to contact the two contact portions 21a simultaneously. However, in this embodiment, since there is only one contact portion 21a formed on the slide member 14, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of twist between the carriage 4 and the slide member 14 and smoothly move the slide member 14 to the cap position 14B.

[0048] In this embodiment, the number of cap members 13 provided in the maintenance unit 9 is one. Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the slide member 14 arranged at the retracted position 14A moves upward while moving to the right with respect to the base member 15 and then moves to the front side to be arranged at the cap position 14B, by improving the mounting accuracy of the single cap member 13 with respect to the slide member 14, it is possible to improve the relative position accuracy between the cap member 14 and the head 3 when the slide member 14 is arranged at the cap position 14B. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reliably cover the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3 with the cap member 13.

[0049] In this embodiment, when the slide member 14 is disposed at the cap position 14B, the contact portion 20a of the slide member 14 is in contact with the rear side surface of the head 3. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to enhance the relative position accuracy between the head 3 and the cap member 14 in the front-rear direction when the slide member 14 is disposed at the cap position 14B. Accordingly, in this embodiment, it is possible to reliably cover the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3 with the cap member 13.

[0050] (Other embodiments) The above-described embodiment is merely an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0051] In the above-described embodiment, the slide member 14 is constituted by two members, i.e., a first slide member 20 and a second slide member 21, which are formed separately, but the slide member 14 may be constituted by a single member. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the tension coil spring 16 may bias the slide member 14 to the left side, the lower side, and the rear side with respect to the base member 15. In this case, instead of the guide portion 15c, a guide portion with which the second slide member 21 comes into contact from the front side is formed on the base member 15.

[0052] In the above-described embodiment, the tension coil spring 16 does not necessarily bias the slide member 14 downward with respect to the base member 15. In this case, the tension coil spring 16 is parallel to the left-right direction when viewed from the front-rear direction. Even in this case, the slide member 14 that moves from the cap position 14B to the retracted position 14A is guided by the guide groove 15b and moves downward.

[0053] In the above-described embodiment, the maintenance unit 9 may include two or more tension coil springs 16. In this case, for example, two tension coil springs 16 that bias the slide member 14 leftward, downward, and forward with respect to the base member 15 are arranged parallel to each other. Also, in this case, the maintenance unit 9 may include two or more tension coil springs 16 having different actions, such as a tension coil spring 16 that biases the slide member 14 leftward and downward with respect to the base member 15 and a tension coil spring 16 that biases the slide member 14 forward with respect to the base member 15. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the maintenance unit 9 may include a spring member other than the tension coil spring 16.

[0054] In the above-described embodiment, the contact portion 21a may be formed at the center of the second slide member 21 in the front-rear direction, or may be formed at the rear-side portion of the second slide member 21. Also, in the above-described embodiment, two or more contact portions 21a may be formed on the slide member 14. For example, two contact portions 21a arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction may be formed on the slide member 14. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 may include a plurality of heads 3. In this case, the maintenance unit 9 includes the same number of first slide members 20 as the number of heads 3. In this case, for example, a plurality of first slide members 20 are fixed to one second slide member 21.

[0055] Also, when the printer 1 includes a plurality of heads 3 and the same number of first slide members 20 as the number of heads 3, the plurality of first slide members 20 may be held by one second slide member 21 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. In this case, the second slide member 21 moves in the left-right direction with respect to the base member 15 but does not move in the front-rear direction. Also, in this case, the maintenance unit 9 includes, for example, a spring member that biases the first slide member 20 forward with respect to the second slide member 21 and a spring member that biases the second slide member 21 leftward and downward with respect to the base member 15.

[0056] In the above-described form, the medium 2 does not have to be formed in a long shape. In this case, the printer 1 includes, for example, a table on which the medium 2 is placed and a table feed mechanism that moves the table in the front-rear direction. Further, the inkjet printer to which the present invention is applied may be a 3D printer.

Explanation of Signs

[0057] 1 Printer (Inkjet Printer) 3 Head (Inkjet Head) 3a Ink ejection surface 4 Carriage 5 Carriage drive mechanism 9 Maintenance unit 13 Cap member 14 Slide member 14A Retracted position 14B Cap position 15 Base member 16 Tension coil spring (Spring member, Biasing member) 20a Contact portion (Second contact portion) 21a Contact portion X Front-rear direction X1 One side in the front-rear direction X2 The other side in the front-rear direction Y Main scanning direction, Left-right direction Y1 One side in the left-right direction Y2 The other side in the left-right direction Z Up-down direction

Claims

1. An inkjet head that discharges ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head, An ink discharge surface on which a plurality of the nozzles are arranged is formed on the lower surface of the inkjet head, The maintenance unit includes a cap member for covering the ink discharge surface from below, a slide member that holds the cap member so as to be movable up and down, a base member that holds the slide member so as to be movable, and a spring member that biases the slide member with respect to the base member, When the main scanning direction is the left - right direction and the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the left - right direction is the front - back direction, The slide member is movable with respect to the base member between a cap position where the cap member covers the ink discharge surface and a retracted position where the cap member is separated from the ink discharge surface, When the slide member disposed at the retracted position moves upward while moving to one side in the left - right direction with respect to the base member and moves to one side in the front - back direction, the slide member is disposed at the cap position, The spring member biases the slide member with respect to the base member at least to the other side in the left - right direction and biases it to one side or the other side in the front - back direction. An inkjet printer characterized by this.

2. The maintenance unit includes one of the spring members, The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the spring member is a tension coil spring.

3. One end portion of the tension coil spring in the left - right direction is attached to the slide member, The other end portion of the tension coil spring in the left - right direction is attached to the base member, The inkjet printer according to claim 2, wherein the tension coil spring is inclined with respect to the left - right direction when viewed from the vertical direction and is inclined with respect to the left - right direction when viewed from the front - back direction.

4. The inkjet printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by including one of the inkjet heads and one of the cap members.

5. An inkjet head that discharges ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and a maintenance unit for preventing clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head. On the lower surface of the inkjet head, an ink discharge surface on which a plurality of the nozzles are arranged is formed. The maintenance unit includes a cap member for covering the ink discharge surface from below, a slide member that holds the cap member so as to be movable up and down, a base member that holds the slide member so as to be movable, and a biasing member that biases the slide member with respect to the base member. When the main scanning direction is the left-right direction, The slide member is movable with respect to the base member between a cap position where the cap member covers the ink discharge surface and a retracted position where the cap member is separated from the ink discharge surface. When the slide member arranged at the retracted position moves upward while moving at least in one side in the left-right direction with respect to the base member, the slide member is arranged at the cap position. One contact portion that contacts the carriage moving in one side in the left-right direction is formed on the slide member. The inkjet printer is characterized in that the slide member moves from the retracted position to the cap position as the carriage moving in one side in the left-right direction moves while in contact with the contact portion.

6. Comprising one inkjet head and one cap member, When the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and the left-right direction is the front-rear direction, The inkjet printer according to claim 5, characterized in that when the slide member arranged at the retracted position moves upward while moving in one side in the left-right direction and also moves in one side in the front-rear direction with respect to the base member, the slide member is arranged at the cap position.

7. A second contact portion that can contact the side surface on the other side in the front-rear direction of the inkjet head is formed on the slide member. The contact portion is formed at one end in the front-rear direction of the slide member. The second contact portion is formed at the other end in the front-rear direction of the slide member. The inkjet printer according to claim 6, characterized in that when the slide member is disposed at the cap position, the second contact portion is in contact with the side surface on the other side in the front-rear direction of the inkjet head.

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