Inkjet recording apparatus and liquid recovery method for inkjet recording apparatus

Abstract

To provide an inkjet recording device which can separately recover several kinds of liquids which should avoid mixing and enables improvement of flexibility of head arrangement.SOLUTION: An inkjet recording device includes: at least one head which discharges a liquid; and a container having a container body including an opening which receives the liquid discharged from the at least one head, and a partition part which partitions the container body into multiple independent areas. The partition part includes: at least one first portion which partitions the container body in a first direction; and at least one second portion which partitions the container body in a second direction intersecting with the first direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus including a head for discharging a liquid.

Background Art

[0002] An inkjet recording apparatus such as an inkjet printer includes a head that discharges a liquid such as ink for image formation or a processing liquid toward a recording medium. Generally, an inkjet recording apparatus includes a maintenance area for performing a predetermined process on the head in addition to a printing area where printing processing is performed. In the maintenance area, processes such as removing clogging of nozzles that discharge a liquid and removing dirt on the nozzle arrangement surface of the head are performed. For this process, a purge operation for discharging a pressurized liquid from the nozzles, a wiping operation for wiping the nozzle arrangement surface with a wiper having a wiping member such as a blade, and the like are performed. A container for collecting the liquid that drops from the head during the purge operation or the wiping operation is provided in the maintenance area.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a container disposed in a maintenance area is partitioned into two recovery chambers by a partition portion that linearly extends in one direction. When liquids dropping from a plurality of heads are mixed with each other, a reaction may occur between the liquids and they may aggregate. Such aggregation prevents the liquid from being discharged from the container. Therefore, in each of the above techniques, in order to prevent liquids that are likely to react from being mixed with each other, a dedicated recovery chamber is secured for each of the plurality of liquids that are likely to react.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The inkjet recording apparatus of the present disclosure includes at least one head that discharges liquid respectively, a container body having an opening for receiving the liquid discharged from the at least one head, and a partition portion that partitions the container body into a plurality of independent regions. The partition portion has at least one first portion that partitions the container body in a first direction and at least one second portion that partitions the container body in a second direction intersecting the first direction.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, as a specific example of an inkjet recording apparatus, an inkjet printer including an ink head that discharges ink for image formation onto a wide and long recording medium is exemplified. The inkjet printer of this embodiment is suitable for digital textile printing that prints images such as characters and patterns on a recording medium made of a fabric such as a woven fabric or a knitted fabric by an inkjet method. Of course, the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present disclosure can also be used for applications such as printing various inkjet images on a recording medium such as a paper sheet or a resin sheet.

[0008] [Overall Configuration of Inkjet Printer] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an inkjet printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1. The inkjet printer 1 is a printer that prints an image on a wide and long workpiece W by an inkjet method, and includes a device frame 10, a workpiece conveyance unit 20 incorporated in the device frame 10, and a carriage 3. In the present embodiment, the left-right direction is the main scanning direction during printing on the workpiece W, and the direction from the rear to the front is the sub-scanning direction and is the conveyance direction F of the workpiece W.

[0009] The device frame 10 forms a framework for mounting various components of the inkjet printer 1. The workpiece conveyance unit 20 is a mechanism that intermittently feeds the workpiece W so that the workpiece W travels in the conveyance direction F from the rear to the front in a printing area where inkjet printing processing is performed. The carriage 3 mounts an ink head 4, a pre-treatment head 5, a post-treatment head 6, and a sub-tank (not shown), and reciprocates in the left-right direction during the inkjet printing process.

[0010] The device frame 10 includes a central frame 111, a right frame 112, and a left frame 113. The central frame 111 forms a framework for mounting various components of the inkjet printer 1 and has a left-right width corresponding to the workpiece conveyance unit 20. The right frame 112 is erected adjacent to the right of the central frame 111, and the left frame 113 is erected adjacent to the left of the central frame 111. The area between the right frame 112 and the left frame 113 is a printing area 12 where printing processing is executed on the workpiece W.

[0011] The right frame 112 forms a maintenance area 13. The maintenance area 13 is an area for retracting the carriage 3 when the printing process is not executed. A maintenance unit 7 is arranged in the maintenance area 13. The maintenance unit 7 is located below the retracted carriage 3. The maintenance unit 7 is a unit for performing a wiping process for wiping the lower surfaces (nozzle array surfaces) of the ink head 4, the pre-processing head 5, and the post-processing head 6, and a purging process for the nozzles. The maintenance unit 7 also functions as a cap for suppressing the drying of the above-mentioned heads 4, 5, and 6 when they are at rest. The left frame 113 forms a turning area 14 of the carriage 3. The turning area 14 is an area where the carriage 3 that has scanned the printing area 12 from right to left in the printing process temporarily enters before performing a reverse scan.

[0012] Above the device frame 10, a carriage guide 15 for causing the carriage 3 to reciprocate in the left-right direction is assembled. The carriage guide 15 is a flat plate-shaped member that is long in the left-right direction and is arranged above the work conveyance unit 20. A timing belt 16 is assembled to the carriage guide 15 so as to be able to rotate in the left-right direction (main scanning direction). The timing belt 16 is an endless belt and is driven to rotate in the left direction or the right direction by a drive source (not shown).

[0013] The carriage guide 15 is equipped with a pair of upper and lower guide rails 17 extending parallel to each other in the left-right direction. The carriage 3 has an engaging portion with respect to the guide rail 17. The carriage 3 is fixed to the timing belt 16. The carriage 3 moves leftward or rightward along the carriage guide 15 while being guided by the guide rail 17 as the timing belt 16 rotates leftward or rightward.

[0014] Referring mainly to FIG. 2, the work conveyance unit 20 includes a delivery roller 21 that feeds out the work W before printing and a take-up roller 22 that winds up the work W after printing. The delivery roller 21 is disposed at the lower rear of the apparatus frame 10 and is the winding shaft of the delivery roll WA which is a winding body of the work W before printing. The take-up roller 22 is disposed at the lower front of the apparatus frame 10 and is the winding shaft of the take-up roll WB which is a winding body of the work W after the printing process. An attachment motor M1 is attached to the take-up roller 22 to rotationally drive the take-up roller 22 about its axis and execute the winding operation of the work W.

[0015] The path between the delivery roller 21 and the take-up roller 22 and passing through the printing area 12 serves as the conveyance path of the work W. In this conveyance path, a first tension roller 23, a work guide 24, a conveyance roller 25, a pinch roller 26, a folding roller 27, and a second tension roller 28 are arranged in order from the upstream side. The first tension roller 23 applies a predetermined tension to the work W on the upstream side of the conveyance roller 25. The work guide 24 changes the conveyance direction of the work W from upward to forward and conveys the work W into the printing area 12.

[0016] The conveyance roller 25 generates a conveyance force for intermittently feeding the work W in the printing area 12. The conveyance roller 25 is rotationally driven about its axis by a second motor M2. The conveyance roller 25 intermittently conveys the work W in the forward direction (conveyance direction F) so that the work W passes through the printing area 12 facing the carriage 3. The pinch roller 26 is arranged to face the conveyance roller 25 from above and forms a conveyance nip portion with the conveyance roller 25. The folding roller 27 changes the conveyance direction of the work W passing through the printing area 12 from forward to downward and guides the work W after the printing process to the take-up roller 22. The second tension roller 28 applies a predetermined tension to the work W on the downstream side of the conveyance roller 25. A platen 29 is disposed below the conveyance path of the work W in the printing area 12.

[0017] The carriage 3 is supported in a cantilevered manner on the guide rail 17 and reciprocates in the main scanning direction (left - right direction) that intersects the conveyance direction F. The carriage 3 includes a carriage frame 30, an ink head 4, a pre - treatment head 5, a post - treatment head 6, and a sub - tank (not shown) mounted on the carriage frame 30. The carriage frame 30 includes a head support frame 31 and a back frame 32. The head support frame 31 is a horizontal plate that holds the above - mentioned heads 4 to 6. The back frame 32 is a vertical plate that extends upward from the rear - end edge of the head support frame 31. A timing belt 16 is fixed to the back frame 32, and the guide rail 17 is engaged therewith.

[0018] [Details of the carriage] Further explanation will be given for the carriage 3. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the carriage 3 shown in FIG. 1, and the maintenance unit 7 is also shown. In FIG. 3, the conveyance direction F (sub - scanning direction) of the workpiece W and the main scanning direction S which is the moving direction of the carriage 3 are shown. In FIG. 3, an example is shown in which a plurality of ink heads 4 that eject ink for image formation, a pre - treatment head 5 and a post - treatment head 6 that eject non - color - developing treatment liquid are mounted on the carriage 3. In the actual carriage 3, a plurality of sub - tanks that supply the ink and the treatment liquid to these heads 4, 5, 6 are also mounted. Note that the number of heads is not limited to the above, and at least one head may be arranged.

[0019] Each of the ink heads 4 includes a number of nozzles that eject ink droplets by a discharge method such as a piezo method using a piezo element, a thermal method using a heating element, etc., and an ink passage that guides ink to the nozzles. As the ink, for example, aqueous pigment ink containing an aqueous solvent, a pigment, and a binder resin can be used. The plurality of ink heads 4 in the present embodiment include first to eighth ink heads 4A to 4H that eject eight different colors of ink respectively.

[0020] The respective color ink heads 4A to 4H are mounted on the head support frame 31 of the carriage 3 so as to be arranged in the main scanning direction S. Each of the color ink heads 4A to 4H has two heads. For example, the first ink head 4A includes an upstream head 4A1 disposed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction F, and a downstream head 4A2 disposed on the downstream side of the upstream head 4A1 and shifted to the left side in the main scanning direction S. The ink heads 4B to 4H of other colors are the same. The upstream heads of these ink heads 4B to 4H are arranged in a line in the main scanning direction S at the same position as the upstream head 4A1 in the conveyance direction F, and the downstream heads are arranged in a line in the main scanning direction S at the same position as the downstream head 4A2 in the conveyance direction F.

[0021] The pretreatment head 5 (processing liquid head) and the post-treatment head 6 (processing liquid head) are arranged at positions different from those of the ink head 4 in the conveyance direction F. The pretreatment head 5 is arranged on the upstream side in the conveyance direction F of the ink head 4. FIG. 3 shows an example in which one pretreatment head 5 is arranged near the left end of the array of the ink heads 4. In contrast, the post-treatment head 6 is arranged on the downstream side in the conveyance direction F of the ink head 4. FIG. 3 shows an example in which two post-treatment heads 6A and 6B are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction S near the right end of the array of the ink heads 4.

[0022] The pretreatment head 5 discharges a pretreatment liquid (processing liquid) for performing predetermined pretreatment on the workpiece W. The pretreatment liquid is discharged from the pretreatment head 5 to a position on the workpiece W where ink has not yet been discharged from the ink head 4. The pretreatment liquid is a non-color-developing processing liquid that does not develop color even when it adheres to the workpiece W, and is, for example, a processing liquid that exhibits functions such as enhancing the fixability of ink to the workpiece W and the aggregation property of ink pigments. As such a pretreatment liquid, a processing liquid in which a binder resin is blended in a solvent, or a processing liquid in which a cation resin that is positively charged is blended in a solvent can be used.

[0023] The post-treatment head 6 discharges a post-treatment liquid (treatment liquid) for performing a predetermined post-treatment on the work W to which ink has adhered. The post-treatment liquid is discharged from the post-treatment head 6 to the position of the work W after the ink has been discharged from the ink head 4. The post-treatment liquid is a non-color-developing treatment liquid that does not develop color even when it adheres to the work W, and is a treatment liquid that exhibits a function of enhancing the fixing property and fastness of the ink image printed on the work W by the ink head 4. The fastness means resistance to rubbing and scratching. As such a post-treatment liquid, a silicone-based treatment liquid or the like can be used.

[0024] Here, the non-color-developing treatment liquid refers to a liquid that is not recognized by the human eye as having developed color when printed alone on a recording medium. The color here includes those with a chroma of 0 such as black, white, and gray. The non-color-developing treatment liquid is basically a transparent liquid. For example, when looking at 1 liter of the treatment liquid in a liquid state, it is not completely transparent and may appear slightly white or the like. Such a color is so faint that it cannot be recognized by the human eye as having developed color when printed alone on a recording medium. Depending on the type of treatment liquid, there may be changes such as gloss on the recording medium when printed alone on the recording medium, but such a state is not color development.

[0025] An opening 31H is provided at the location where the head is arranged on the head support frame 31. The ink heads 4A to 4F, the pre-treatment head 5, and the post-treatment head 6 are assembled to the head support frame 31 so as to be fitted into their respective openings 31H. From each opening 31H, the nozzles arranged on the lower end surfaces of the respective heads 4, 5, and 6 are exposed.

[0026] As described above, the inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment is an all-in-one type printer in which three types of heads, an ink head 4, a pre-treatment head 5, and a post-treatment head 6, are mounted on a single carriage 3. According to this printer 1, for example, in the printing step of performing inkjet printing on a fabric in digital resist printing, the step of discharging the pre-treatment liquid and the step of discharging the post-treatment liquid can be integrally executed. Therefore, the simplification of the resist process and the compactification of the resist apparatus can be achieved.

[0027] [Schematic Configuration of Maintenance Unit] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view along the front and rear of the carriage 3 and the maintenance unit 7. The maintenance unit 7 includes a container unit 70, a wiping unit 8, and a cleaning unit 9. The maintenance area 13 (FIG. 1) is an area for performing a process of removing clogging of the nozzles of the heads 4, 5, 6 and removing dirt on the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the heads 4, 5, 6. For this process, a purge operation, a wiping operation, and a cleaning operation are executed in the maintenance area 13.

[0028] The purge operation is an operation of forcibly discharging the pressurized ink, pre-treatment liquid, and post-treatment liquid from the ink head 4, the pre-treatment head 5, and the post-treatment head 6, respectively. The container unit 70 collects the ink, pre-treatment liquid, and post-treatment liquid discharged from the heads 4, 5, 6 during the purge operation. The wiping operation is an operation of wiping the nozzle arrangement surface NA with a wiper provided with a wiping member such as a blade. The wiping unit 8 is a unit that executes the wiping operation. The cleaning operation is an operation of cleaning the wiping unit 8 contaminated by the execution of the wiping operation. The cleaning unit 9 is a unit that executes the cleaning operation. Note that the container unit 70 also collects the cleaning liquid used in the cleaning operation.

[0029] The container unit 70 has a structure for separately collecting the pretreatment liquid, the ink, and the post-treatment liquid. In the present embodiment, as described above, a treatment liquid that enhances the fixability of the ink and the aggregability of the ink pigment is used as the pretreatment liquid. Therefore, when the pretreatment liquid and the ink are mixed, the mixture may aggregate and hinder the recovery into the waste liquid tank. On the other hand, the post-treatment liquid used in the present embodiment does not cause aggregation or the like even when mixed with the ink. This is the reason for the above-described separate recovery in the container unit 70.

[0030] The container unit 70 includes an ink container 71, a pretreatment liquid container 72 (treatment liquid container), and a cleaning liquid tray 73 (cleaning container portion). The ink container 71 is a container that collects the ink and the post-treatment liquid discharged from the ink head 4 and the post-treatment head 6, respectively, in the purge operation. The ink container 71 has a first opening 71H on its upper surface for receiving the ink and the post-treatment liquid. The first opening 71H opens upward at a position that is vertically opposed to at least the nozzle array surface NA of the ink head 4 and the post-treatment head 6. The ink container 71 also collects the ink and the post-treatment liquid wiped from the nozzle array surface NA in the wiping operation.

[0031] The pretreatment liquid container 72 is disposed at a position covering a part above the first opening 71H. The pretreatment liquid container 72 is a container that collects the pretreatment liquid discharged from the pretreatment head 5 in the purge operation. The pretreatment liquid container 72 has a second opening 72H on its upper surface for receiving the pretreatment liquid. The second opening 72H opens upward at a position that is vertically opposed to at least the nozzle array surface NA of the pretreatment head 5. The pretreatment liquid container 72 also collects the pretreatment liquid wiped from the nozzle array surface NA in the wiping operation. The cleaning liquid tray 73 is a container that collects (receives) the cleaning liquid 9A sprayed from the cleaning liquid cleaning unit 9 and passed through each wiper in the cleaning operation.

[0032] The container unit 70 is provided with an overflow passage 741, a processing liquid passage 742, and a relay passage 743 for the flow of the recovered liquid. The overflow passage 741 has a start-end opening at the bottom surface of the ink container 71, and the end side is a passage leading to a waste liquid container (not shown). The processing liquid passage 742 has a start-end opening near the bottom surface of the pretreatment liquid container 72, and the end side is a passage leading to the waste liquid container. The relay passage 743 has a start-end opening at the bottom surface of the cleaning liquid tray 73 and an end opening near the bottom surface of the ink container 71. That is, the cleaning liquid 9A recovered in the cleaning liquid tray 73 is once introduced into the ink container 71 and then recovered into the waste liquid container through the overflow passage 741.

[0033] A cap rubber 75 is attached to the upper surface 70A of the container unit 70. The cap rubber 75 is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the first opening 71H of the ink container 71. The carriage 3 is movable in the vertical direction as indicated by the arrow A1 in the figure. When the carriage 3 is in the standby mode in the maintenance area 13 or when the printer 1 is in the standby state, etc., the carriage 3 is lowered, and the lower surface 311 of the head support frame 31 comes into contact with the cap rubber 75. Thereby, the nozzle arrangement surfaces NA of the heads 4, 5, and 6 are sealed.

[0034] The wiping unit 8 includes a wiper support plate 81 (supporting member), an ink wiper 82, a pretreatment liquid wiper 83 (processing liquid wiper), and a post-treatment liquid wiper 84 supported by the wiper support plate 81. The wiping unit 8 is movable in the front-rear direction as indicated by the arrow A2 in the figure. The wiper support plate 81 is a flat plate-shaped member and moves in the front-rear direction between the carriage 3 and the cleaning unit 9 and the container unit 70. The ink wiper 82 wipes the nozzle arrangement surface NA by moving backward while being in contact with the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the ink head 4. Similarly, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 and the post-treatment liquid wiper 84 wipe the nozzle arrangement surfaces NA of the pretreatment head 5 and the post-treatment head 6, respectively.

[0035] In this embodiment, the heads 4, 5, and 6 each discharge only ink, a pretreatment liquid, and a post-treatment liquid, but one head may include nozzles for discharging ink and nozzles for discharging at least one of the pretreatment liquid and the post-treatment liquid. In that case, at least the nozzles for discharging ink and the nozzles for discharging the pretreatment liquid are separately arranged in different regions and wiped by different wipers. By having the heads 4, 5, and 6 each discharge only ink, a pretreatment liquid, and a post-treatment liquid, the possibility of mixing of the ink with the pretreatment liquid or the post-treatment liquid can be reduced.

[0036] The cleaning unit 9 includes a nozzle holding plate 91 and a plurality of cleaning nozzles 92 (spray portions) held by the nozzle holding plate 91. The nozzle holding plate 91 is formed of a flat plate-like member and is fixedly arranged so as to face the cleaning liquid tray 73 of the container unit 70. The plurality of cleaning nozzles 92 are arranged at positions corresponding to each of the ink wiper 82, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, and the post-treatment liquid wiper 84 mounted on the wiper support plate 81. That is, when the wiping unit 8 moves to a predetermined position directly below the cleaning unit 9, the plurality of cleaning nozzles 92 are each held by the nozzle holding plate 91 at positions facing each of the wipers 82, 83, and 84 from above. The cleaning nozzles 92 radiate (spray) the cleaning liquid 9A in a fan-shaped spray. The cleaning liquid 9A is supplied to the cleaning nozzles 92 via a cleaning liquid hose 93 from a cleaning liquid tank (not shown).

[0037] [Control Configuration] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a part of the control configuration of the printer 1. The printer 1 includes a controller 33 and a carriage drive motor 34, a carriage lift motor 35, a wiper movement motor 36, a cleaning water supply pump 37, and a head drive unit 38 whose operations are controlled by the controller 33.

[0038] The carriage drive motor 34 generates a driving force to move the carriage 3 in the left - right direction within the range of the folding area 14, the printing area 12, and the maintenance area 13 (Figure 1). The carriage drive motor 34 drives a timing belt 16 (Figures 1 - 3). The carriage lifting motor 35 generates a driving force to move the carriage 3 in the up - down direction in the maintenance area 13. The wiper movement motor 36 generates a driving force to move the wiping unit 8 in the front - rear direction. The cleaning water supply pump 37 is connected to the cleaning liquid hose 93 and supplies the cleaning liquid 9A to the cleaning nozzle 92 at a predetermined pressure. The head drive unit 38 executes the ejection operations of ink, pretreatment liquid, and post - treatment liquid from each of the heads 4, 5, and 6.

[0039] When executing the purging operation, the controller 33 controls the wiper movement motor 36 to move the wiping unit 8 backward to the retracted position below the cleaning unit 9. Next, the controller 33 controls the head drive unit 38 to eject ink, pretreatment liquid, and post - treatment liquid from each of the heads 4, 5, and 6 at high pressure respectively to clean the nozzles. The ink and post - treatment liquid ejected during the purging operation are collected in the ink container 71, and the pretreatment liquid is collected in the pretreatment liquid container 72.

[0040] When executing the wiping operation, the controller 33 controls the wiper movement motor 36 to move the wiping unit 8 to the most forward wiping start position. Next, the controller 33 controls the carriage lifting motor 35 to lower the nozzle arrangement surfaces NA of each of the heads 4, 5, and 6 to the height position where they contact the wipers 82, 83, 84 of the wiping unit 8. Thereafter, the controller 33 moves the wiping unit 8 backward. The ink and post - treatment liquid wiped from the nozzle arrangement surface NA by the wiping of the ink wiper 82 and the post - treatment liquid wiper 84 are collected in the ink container 71. Also, the pretreatment liquid wiped from the nozzle arrangement surface NA by the wiping of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is collected in the pretreatment liquid container 72.

[0041] When executing the cleaning operation, the controller 33 controls the wiper movement motor 36 to move the wiping unit 8 backward to the retracted position below the cleaning unit 9. Next, the controller 33 controls the cleaning water supply pump 37 to supply the cleaning liquid 9A to the cleaning nozzle 92 through the cleaning liquid hose 93. As a result, the cleaning liquid 9A is sprayed onto each of the wipers 82, 83, and 84 of the wiping unit 8, and foreign matters attached by wiping are removed. The cleaning liquid 9A is collected in the cleaning liquid tray 73.

[0042] [Detailed Structure of Maintenance Unit] Subsequently, one specific embodiment of the above-described maintenance unit 7 will be exemplified, and its detailed structure will be described. FIG. 6 is an overall perspective view of the maintenance unit 7, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the state where the cleaning unit 9 is removed from FIG. 6, FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the state where the wiping unit 8 is further removed from the state of FIG. 7, and FIG. 8B is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the pretreatment liquid container 72 in FIG. 8A. FIGS. 6 and 7 show a standby state waiting for a wiping command or a state in which the cleaning operation is being executed, and a state in which the wiping unit 8 is moved to the most rear end side.

[0043] As described above, the maintenance unit 7 includes a container unit 70, a wiping unit 8, and a cleaning unit 9 (cleaning section). The container unit 70 is mounted on the device frame 10 (FIG. 1) so as to be pullable forward in the maintenance area 13. The wiping unit 8 is assembled to be movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the container unit 70. The cleaning unit 9 is fixedly assembled to the device frame 10.

[0044] [Container Unit] The container unit 70 includes a frame structure 700 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is slightly longer in the front-rear direction, an ink container 71 and a pretreatment liquid container 72 disposed on the front side of the frame structure 700, and a cleaning liquid tray 73 (cleaning unit) disposed on the rear side of the frame structure 700. The frame structure 700 includes a pair of left and right side frames 701 extending in the front-rear direction and a front frame 702 connecting the front ends of these side frames 701.

[0045] A handle 703 for pulling out the container unit 70 forward is attached to the front frame 702. A plurality of waste liquid hoses 704 are drawn out from below the front frame 702. The waste liquid hose 704 connects an overflow passage 741 communicating with the cavity of the ink container 71, a processing liquid passage 742 communicating with the cavity of the pretreatment liquid container 72, and a waste liquid tank (not shown). Sliders 705 are attached to the outer surfaces of the pair of side frames 701. The slider 705 engages with a guide rail (not shown) fixed to the apparatus frame 10, enabling the container unit 70 to be pulled forward from the apparatus frame 10 (housing). At this time, the wiping unit 8, which will be described in detail later, can also be pulled out integrally with the container unit 70. For this reason, the container unit 70 and the wiping unit 8 can be easily cleaned and maintained. In other embodiments, the cleaning unit 9 may also be pulled out integrally. A chain protector 706 for accommodating electric cables and hoses is provided below the frame structure 700. The chain protector 706 deforms according to the pulling out of the container unit 70.

[0046] The ink container 71 is a tray-shaped container having a rectangular first opening 71H that is long in the left-right direction on the upper surface. The ink container 71 includes a rectangular bottom surface 711 that is long in the left-right direction, four tapered surfaces 712 that extend upward from the four edges of the bottom surface 711, and an upper end flange 708 formed at the periphery of the first opening 71H. The ink container 71 is a separate body from the frame structure 700 and is fitted into the frame structure 700. The upper end flange 708 of the ink container 71 is supported by the side frames 701 and the front frame 702. From the bottom surface 711, the start-end opening of the overflow passage 741 protrudes upward by a predetermined length. From near the lower end of the left tapered surface 712, the end-opening of the relay passage 743 protrudes.

[0047] The left-right size of the first opening 71H is substantially equal to the distance between the pair of side frames 701. The front-rear size of the first opening 71H is slightly larger than half of the front-rear width of the container unit 70. On the upper surface of the upper end flange 708, a cap rubber 75 is attached so as to surround the periphery of the first opening 71H. Note that the upper end flange 708 is the portion corresponding to the upper surface 70A shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 4. The head support frame 31 of the carriage 3 has a size larger than the area surrounded by the cap rubber 75. On the other hand, the array area of the heads 4, 5, and 6 held by the head support frame 31 is slightly smaller than the size of the first opening 71H. The cap rubber 75 abuts against the lower surface 311 of the head support frame 31 at the outer periphery of the array area of the heads 4, 5, and 6 and seals the nozzle array surface NA of the heads 4, 5, and 6. Thus, in the present embodiment, the container unit 70 also serves as a head cap capable of capping the ink heads 4, the pre-treatment head 5, and the post-treatment head 6.

[0048] Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the pretreatment liquid container 72 is disposed at a position rearward and to the left of the ink container 71 so as to cover a part of the first opening 71H. The arrangement position of this pretreatment liquid container 72 is the position facing the pretreatment head 5 held by the carriage 3 during wiping. As will be described later, if the pretreatment head 5 is disposed near the center or the right end of the head support frame 31, the pretreatment liquid container 72 is also disposed at a corresponding position. The pretreatment liquid container 72 has a rectangular second opening 72H that is long in the front-rear direction on its upper surface so as to correspond to the shape of the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the pretreatment head 5. In the present embodiment, the second opening 72H is at the same height position as the first opening 71H. In other words, the second opening 72H occupies a part of the region of the original first opening 71H.

[0049] The pretreatment liquid container 72 is formed by a front wall 721, a rear wall 722, a right wall 723, and a left wall 724. Among these walls, the rear wall 722 utilizes a portion near the upper end of the rear tapered surface 712 of the ink container 71, and the left wall 724 utilizes a portion near the upper end of the left tapered surface 712. The front wall 721 is a wall that protrudes to the right from near the upper end of the left tapered surface 712 and near the center in the front-rear direction thereof. The right wall 723 is a wall that connects the right end edges of the front wall 721 and the rear wall 722. The right wall 723 slopes upward to the right at a slight angle from the left tapered surface 712 that slopes downward to the right.

[0050] In other words, regarding the structure of the container unit 70 described above, the container unit 70 has a container body 700H (FIGS. 8A and 8B) having an opening for receiving the liquid discharged from a plurality of heads, and a partition portion that partitions the container body 700H into a plurality of independent regions. In the present embodiment, the front wall 721 and the right wall 723 in FIG. 8B correspond to the partition portion. The partition portion partitions the container body 700H into an ink container 71 and a pretreatment liquid container 72. At this time, the front wall 721 (the first portion) partitions the container body 700H in the front-rear direction, and the right wall 723 (the second portion) is connected to the front wall 721 and partitions the container body 700H in the left-right direction.

[0051] Thus, in this embodiment, since the partition portion partitions the container body 700H of the container unit 70 in two directions, a plurality of types of liquids that need to be separated to avoid mixing can be separately collected, and the degree of freedom in arranging the corresponding heads can be increased. In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, even when the ink head 4, the pretreatment head 5, and the post-treatment head 6 are arranged in a complicated manner, such as in a staggered arrangement, the ink container 71 and the pretreatment liquid container 72 can be respectively arranged below each head corresponding thereto.

[0052] Note that receiving the liquid here means receiving the liquid falling from above. Liquid flows into the ink container 71 from the cleaning liquid tray 73 through the relay passage 743, but this is not included in the above-mentioned receiving. The liquid flowing from the cleaning liquid tray 73 contains a small amount of ink, pretreatment liquid, and post-treatment liquid in addition to the cleaning liquid. However, since the concentration of the pretreatment liquid is low, it will not substantially solidify even if it enters the ink container 71. Note that a partition may be provided in the cleaning liquid tray 73 so that only the liquid not containing the pretreatment liquid flows into the ink container 71.

[0053] Further, in this embodiment, while collecting the pretreatment liquid in the dedicated pretreatment liquid container 72 and collecting the ink and the post-treatment liquid in the ink container 71, mixing of the pretreatment liquid, which easily aggregates when mixed with the ink, with the ink is prevented, and both types of treatment liquids can be easily discharged.

[0054] Also, in this embodiment, the bottom surface of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is arranged above the bottom surface of the ink container 71. That is, the depth of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is shallower than the depth of the ink container 71. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the adhesion of the pretreatment liquid, which has a relatively small discharge amount, to the inner wall of the pretreatment liquid container 72, and it is possible to easily discharge the pretreatment liquid from the pretreatment liquid container 72. Note that the depth of the pretreatment liquid container 72 refers to the depth from the upper end of the partition portion that partitions the pretreatment liquid container 72 and the ink container 71 to the lowest portion of the pretreatment liquid container 72. Also, the depth of the ink container 71 refers to the depth from the upper end of the aforementioned partition portion to the lowest portion of the ink container 71.

[0055] In particular, in the present embodiment, the container body 700H of the container unit 70 has an inclined surface (the tapered surface 712 on the left side in FIG. 8B) that defines the ink container 71 together with the partition portion. And, above the bottom surface 711 of the ink container 71, a part of the inclined surface further defines the pretreatment liquid container 72 (left wall 724), so that the depth of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is set shallower than the depth of the ink container 71. In other words, the pretreatment liquid container 72 is formed using the region from the upper edge of the tapered surface 712 on the left side to the middle of the tapered surface 712. For this reason, by using the above-described inclined surface, the ink container 71 and the pretreatment liquid container 72 can be respectively formed, and the rigidity of the pretreatment liquid container 72 can be increased by attaching the pretreatment liquid container 72 to the ink container 71. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pretreatment liquid container 72 from being deformed under the influence of gravity as compared with the case where all the wall portions defining the pretreatment liquid container 72 are completely independent of the ink container 71.

[0056] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the left wall 724 (FIG. 8B) of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is inclined so as to be able to guide the pretreatment liquid received from the pretreatment head 5 in the right direction (a predetermined direction) as it moves downward. Similarly, the right wall 723 is inclined so as to be able to guide the pretreatment liquid received from the pretreatment head 5 in the left direction (a predetermined direction) as it moves downward. The pretreatment liquid guided along the right wall 723 and the left wall 724 is collected at the portion where the two intersect and is discharged from the processing liquid passage 742. Note that the inner surfaces of the right wall 723 and the left wall 724 correspond to the bottom surface of the pretreatment liquid container 72 as viewed in plan view of the pretreatment liquid container 72.

[0057] The cleaning liquid tray 73 is a container with a shallow depth compared to the ink container 71, having a rectangular upper surface opening that is long in the left-right direction. The bottom surface of the cleaning liquid tray 73 includes an inclined surface 731 and a liquid collecting surface 732. The inclined surface 731 is a surface that slopes downward with a gentle gradient from the right end side to the left end side of the cleaning liquid tray 73. The liquid collecting surface 732 is located near the left end of the cleaning liquid tray 73 and is a flat surface that forms the deepest part on the bottom surface. The left end edge of the inclined surface 731 is continuous with the right end edge of the liquid collecting surface 732. The starting end of the relay passage 743 opens into the liquid collecting surface 732.

[0058] <Wiping unit> As shown in FIG. 7, the wiping unit 8 includes a wiper support plate 81, an ink wiper 82, a pretreatment liquid wiper 83 (treatment liquid wiper), a post-treatment liquid wiper 84 (treatment liquid wiper), and a wiper drive unit 85. FIG. 9 is a combined view of a plan view (region A) of the wiper support plate 81 holding the wipers 82, 83, 84 and a plan view showing the arrangement of the ink head 4, the pretreatment head 5, and the post-treatment head 6 mounted on the carriage 3, which is a plan view (region B) showing the correspondence with the wipers 82, 83, 84. The arrangement mode of the heads 4, 5, 6 shown in FIG. 9 (region B) is the same as the mode exemplified in FIG. 3 above.

[0059] The wiper support plate 81 is formed by punching a thin flat plate member and is provided with a plurality of strip-shaped convex plates 811. The plurality of convex plates 811 project in the backward direction, which is the moving direction during wiping. A recess 812 that is recessed forward is formed between adjacent convex plates 811. An ink wiper 82 for wiping the nozzle array surface NA of the ink head 4 is attached to the edge (rear end) of the convex plate 811 and the edge of the recess 812. The ink wiper 82 arranged at the edge of the convex plate 811 is for wiping the upstream heads of the ink heads 4 of various colors, such as the ink wiper 82A1 arranged for the upstream head 4A1 of the first ink head 4A. On the other hand, the ink wiper 82 arranged at the edge of the recess 812 is for wiping the downstream heads of the ink heads 4 of various colors, such as the ink wiper 82A2 arranged for the downstream head 4A2.

[0060] In the wiper support plate 81, the support area that supports the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 for wiping the nozzle array surface NA of the pretreatment head 5 is arranged at a position protruding rearward in the moving direction during wiping, compared to other areas of the wiper support plate 81. Specifically, from the rear end of the convex plate 811 located at the leftmost position, the convex piece 814 extends further rearward. The pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is attached to the edge (rear end) of the convex piece 814. A window portion 815 corresponding to the recess 812 is provided on the front side of the convex piece 814. By arranging the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 to be supported at the position that protrudes most in the moving direction on the wiper support plate 81 in this way, it becomes difficult for the pretreatment liquid wiped by the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 during wiping to adhere to other parts of the wiper support plate 81.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 9 (area B), in this embodiment, in the moving direction during wiping (rearward), the pretreatment head 5 and the downstream head 4A2 of the first ink head 4A are arranged at positions where they entirely overlap each other. That is, the pretreatment head 5 and the downstream head 4A2 are arranged side by side on the upstream side and the downstream side in the conveyance direction F at the same position in the left - right direction of the head support frame 31. With such an arrangement, the path through which the ink wiper 82A2 passes when going from the wiping area to the cleaning unit 9 overlaps with the path wiped by the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. Therefore, the risk that the pretreatment liquid drips onto the ink wiper 82A2 and causes aggregation can be reduced. Although it is desirable that the pretreatment head 5 and the downstream head 4A2 be arranged in a completely overlapping positional relationship in the moving direction during wiping, they may be arranged with a slight deviation in the left - right direction.

[0062] The right end side of the wiper support plate 81 is a support area for supporting a post-treatment liquid wiper 84 that wipes the nozzle array surface NA of the post-treatment head 6. Near the right end of the head support frame 31, two post-treatment heads 6A and 6B are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction. The left post-treatment head 6A is arranged side by side with the upstream head 4G1 of the seventh ink head 4G, and the right post-treatment head 6B is arranged side by side with the upstream head 4H1 of the eighth ink head 4H, on the upstream side and the downstream side of the conveyance direction F, respectively.

[0063] Corresponding to such a head arrangement, the wiper support plate 81 is provided with a pair of holding pieces 816 and a window portion 817 near its right end. The holding piece 816 supports ink wipers 82G1 and 82H1 that wipe the upstream heads 4G1 and 4H1 at its rear end edge. At the edge of the recess 812 adjacent to the left side of each holding piece 816, ink wipers 82G2 and 82H2 that wipe the downstream heads 4G2 and 4H2 are supported. The window portion 817 is an opening arranged in front of the holding piece 816. At the front opening edge of the window portion 817, post-treatment liquid wipers 84 (84A, 84B) that wipe the post-treatment heads 6A and 6B are respectively supported.

[0064] The wiper support plate 81 has a plurality of convex portions 813 arranged corresponding to each of the above-mentioned wipers 82, 83, and 84. The convex portions 813 are respectively continuously provided at the rear end of the convex plate 811, the base end edge of the recess 812, the rear end of the convex piece 814, and the base end edge of the window portion 817. These convex portions 813 are small protrusions protruding in the moving direction during wiping in terms of the shape in top view. The wipers 82, 83, and 84 are respectively arranged on the corresponding convex portions 813. By adopting such an arrangement, it is possible to make it difficult for the ink and treatment liquid adhering to the wipers 82, 83, and 84 to adhere to the wiper support plate 81.

[0065] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the detailed structure of the ink wiper 82. The pretreatment liquid wiper 83 and the post-treatment liquid wiper 84 also have the same structure as the ink wiper 82 shown here. The ink wiper 82 includes a wiper blade 821 (ink blade or treatment liquid blade), a first holder 822, and a second holder 823.

[0066] The wiper blade 821 is a plate material that actually contacts the nozzle array surface NA to perform a wiping operation. The upper end of the wiper blade 821 is at a position protruding upward from the upper surface of the wiper support plate 81. The first holder 822 and the second holder 823 are members that sandwich and hold the wiper blade 821. The first holder 822 is fitted into a recess provided in the convex portion 813 and fixed by screwing, and supports the lower part of the back surface of the wiper blade 821. The second holder 823 is attached to the lower part of the front surface of the wiper blade 821.

[0067] The second holder 823 is provided with a pair of openings 824, and the wiper blade 821 also has through holes at the same positions as the openings 824. On the other hand, the first holder 822 is provided with a pair of claw portions 825. The claw portions 825 are inserted through the through holes and the openings 824, and lock the second holder 823 at the peripheral edge of the openings 824. By this locking force, the wiper blade 821 is sandwiched between the first holder 822 and the second holder 823. The wiper blade 821 is held at a position further protruding from the protruding end surface of the convex portion 813.

[0068] The pre-treatment liquid wiper 83 and the post-treatment liquid wiper 84 may be configured with the same structure, shape, and material as the ink wiper 82 shown in FIG. 10, or they may be different. For example, the shape, material, and support structure of the wiper blade 821 may be different from those of the ink wiper 82 for the pre-treatment liquid wiper 83 and / or the post-treatment liquid wiper 84 according to the properties of the ink and the treatment liquid. As the wiper blade 821, a blade made of a rubber or resin material having a predetermined rigidity is used. For example, assume that the pre-treatment liquid dries faster than the ink and is relatively difficult to wipe. In this case, it is desirable to use a blade with higher rigidity than that of the ink wiper 82 as the wiper blade 821 of the pre-treatment liquid wiper 83, or to increase the protruding height of the wiper blade 821 to enhance the wiping force.

[0069] FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the maintenance unit 7 with a different perspective direction from FIG. 7, and is a diagram for explaining the wiper drive unit 85. FIG. 11B is an enlarged view of the XIB portion surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 11A. The wiper drive unit 85 is a mechanism that moves the wiper support plate 81 holding the wipers 82, 83, and 84 in the front-rear direction. The wiper drive unit 85 includes a servo motor 851, a ball screw 852, and a slider 853. The servo motor 851 is a motor corresponding to the wiper movement motor 36 shown in FIG. 5.

[0070] The servo motor 851 generates a driving force to move the wiper support plate 81. The servo motor 851 is attached to the right end of the rear plate 707 of the container unit 70. The ball screw 852 is driven to rotate forward or backward around the axis by the servo motor 851. The ball screw 852 extends in the front-rear direction along the right side frame 701. A guide bar (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction is attached to the left side frame 701. The slider 853 contains a nut member screwed onto the ball screw 852. When the ball screw 852 rotates forward or backward, the slider 853 moves forward and backward along the ball screw 852.

[0071] The slider 853 is connected to the wiper support plate 81. A connecting plate 818 made of an elongated flat plate member is attached to the upper part of the slider 853. The right end portion 81E of the wiper support plate 81 is placed on this connecting plate 818, and both are fastened with a fixing screw 819. Although not shown, the left end portion of the wiper support plate 81 is also supported by members equivalent to the connecting plate 818 and the slider 853 and is guided along the guide bar.

[0072] The movement range of the wiper support plate 81 is between the front end (wipering area) and the rear end (cleaning area) of the container unit 70. For example, when the servo motor 851 is driven to rotate forward by the controller 33, the slider 853 is sent forward, and the wiper support plate 81 fixed to the slider 853 also moves forward. On the other hand, when the servo motor 851 is driven to rotate reversely, the wiper support plate 81 moves backward.

[0073] In addition, as the wiper support plate 81 moves as described above, the ink container 71 can receive the ink that drops from the ink head 4 during the wiping of the ink wiper 82 through the first opening 71H. Furthermore, the ink container 71 can also receive the ink that drops from the post-treatment head 6 during the wiping of the post-treatment liquid wiper 84 through the first opening 71H. On the other hand, the pretreatment liquid container 72 can receive the treatment liquid that drops from the pretreatment head 5 during the wiping of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 through the second opening 72H.

[0074] Also, in the present embodiment, as described above, the container unit 70 and the wiping unit 8 can be integrally pulled out from the device frame 10 (housing). At this time, the pulling-out direction of the wiping unit 8 is a direction along the moving direction when each wiper wipes each head. Therefore, when the wiping unit 8 is taken in and out, since the direction of the acceleration applied to the liquid attached to each wiper is along the moving direction of the wiper, it is possible to reduce the liquid attached to each wiper from adhering to the wiper support plate 81.

[0075] <Cleaning Unit> Referring to FIG. 6, the cleaning unit 9 includes a nozzle holding plate 91 and a plurality of cleaning nozzles 92. The nozzle holding plate 91 is a U-shaped frame member including a top plate 911 (top plate portion) and a pair of left and right side plates 912. The top plate 911 is a flat plate having a width slightly larger than the left and right width of the container unit 70. The pair of side plates 912 are flat plates hanging down from the left and right ends of the top plate 911 and facing the left and right side frames 701 respectively.

[0076] The nozzle holding plate 91 is fixed at an appropriate position on the apparatus frame 10 (FIG. 1). In a state where the container unit 70 is loaded at a predetermined position on the apparatus frame 10, the nozzle holding plate 91 has a positional relationship such that it is fitted from above into the rear region of the container unit 70. The portion of the nozzle holding plate 91 covering the container unit 70 becomes a cleaning area for cleaning the ink wiper 82, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, and the post-treatment liquid wiper 84. The top plate 911 faces the cleaning liquid tray 73 of the container unit 70 in the vertical direction with a predetermined gap therebetween. The gap has a vertical width that allows the wiping unit 8 to enter between the top plate 911 and the cleaning liquid tray 73. In this embodiment, since the cleaning liquid tray 73 is pulled out together with the container unit 70 leaving the cleaning unit 9, the cleaning of the cleaning liquid tray 73 is more easily realized.

[0077] The plurality of cleaning nozzles 92 are disposed at appropriate positions on the top plate 911 so as to match the arrangement modes of the wipers 82, 83, 84 on the wiper support plate 81. The plurality of cleaning nozzles 92 include a nozzle 92A for cleaning the ink wiper 82, a nozzle 92B for cleaning the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, and a nozzle 92C for cleaning the post-treatment liquid wiper 84. These nozzles 92A, 92B, 92C discharge the cleaning liquid 9A in a fan-shaped spray form from their respective lower end surfaces (see FIG. 4) to clean the wipers 82, 83, 84.

[0078] [Movement Path During Wiping] Next, the movement path during wiping will be described, including the positional relationship of the wiping unit 8 with respect to the peripheral members. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the initial position of the wiping unit 8 during wiping. During wiping, the wiping unit 8 moves backward from the initial position so as to face the cleaning area where the cleaning unit 9 is arranged. Above the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 and the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is the wiping area where the wiper blades 82, 83, 84 wipe the heads 4, 5, 6.

[0079] To the left adjacent of the maintenance unit 7, there is a printing area 12 (FIG. 1) where the ink head 4 discharges ink to form an image. Therefore, when the carriage 3 pits into the maintenance area 13, it enters from the left side of the maintenance unit 7. As shown in FIG. 9, the pretreatment head 5 is supported by the carriage 3 at the leftmost position side by side with the downstream head 4A2 of the first ink head 4A. Accordingly, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is also arranged at the leftmost position on the wiper support plate 81.

[0080] That is, in the moving direction in which the carriage 3 moves from the printing area 12 to the wiping area, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is arranged closer to the printing area 12 than the other ink wipers 82 except the ink wiper 82A2 for the downstream head 4A2. According to this arrangement, the pretreatment liquid container 72 will naturally be arranged near the left end of the ink container 71. In this case, when pitting in, an arrangement can be realized in which the pretreatment head 5 does not pass through the first opening 71H of the ink container 71. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the pretreatment liquid adhering to the pretreatment head 5 to drip into the ink container 71.

[0081] Note that the above effects are also achieved by the arrangement of the pretreatment liquid container 72. That is, in the present embodiment, in the moving direction in which the carriage 3 provided with the pretreatment head 5 moves from the printing area to the wiping area, the pretreatment liquid container 72 is arranged closer to the printing area than the ink container 71. Therefore, on the premise that the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 wipes the pretreatment head 5 on the pretreatment liquid container 72, it is possible to reduce the situation where the pretreatment head 5 enters to the back of the wiping area and the pretreatment liquid adhering to the pretreatment head 5 adheres to the ink container 71 or the like.

[0082] Further, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is supported by the wiper support plate 81 at the position closest to the cleaning area among the wipers 82, 83, and 84 in the moving direction from the wiping area to the cleaning area. That is, as shown in FIG. 9 (area A), the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is arranged at the edge of the convex piece 814 that protrudes most rearward in the top view on the wiper support plate 81. Therefore, it is possible to introduce the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 into the cleaning area earliest and perform the cleaning process. For example, when the pretreatment liquid has a quick-drying property, if the nozzle 92B (FIG. 6) for cleaning the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is arranged on the foremost side of the nozzle holding plate 91, it is possible to clean the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 immediately.

[0083] Note that the above effects are also achieved by the arrangement of the pretreatment liquid container 72. That is, in the present embodiment, the entire pretreatment liquid container 72 is arranged closer to the cleaning area (cleaning unit 9, cleaning portion) than the entire ink container 71. Therefore, on the premise that the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 wipes the pretreatment head 5 on the pretreatment liquid container 72, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 can be cleaned quickly. Note that the pretreatment liquid container 72 may be arranged so as to protrude toward the cleaning area side more than the ink container 71.

[0084] FIG. 13 is a top view of the maintenance unit 7 showing the movement path MW of the wiping unit 8 during wiping. The position indicated by the dotted line in the figure is the initial position of the wiping unit 8 and the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 during wiping. In FIG. 13, the position of the wiping unit 8 indicated by the solid line is the completion position of wiping, the position where the wipers 82, 83, 84 are cleaned, and the standby position waiting for an execution instruction of the wiping operation.

[0085] In this embodiment, the movement path MW (movement range) of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 during wiping is set at a position avoiding directly above the first opening 71H of the ink container 71. In other words, the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 is arranged at a position avoiding directly below the movement path MW of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. Specifically, the movement range when the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 performs a wiping operation in the wiping area is set directly above the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72. In other words, there is substantially no first opening 71H directly below the area where the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is wiping the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the pretreatment head 5, and most or all of the area is arranged to face the second opening 72H in the vertical direction. Stated in yet another way, the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 is arranged at a position other than the entire movement path MW of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 when viewed from above. With this arrangement, it is possible to reduce the event that the pretreatment liquid wiped by the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 during wiping enters the ink container 71 through the first opening 71H. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of chemical reactions such as ink aggregation.

[0086] When the ink container 71 and the pretreatment liquid container 72 are viewed in the direction along the movement path MW (front-rear direction), it can be said that a part of the first opening 71H (front part of the left end) and the second opening 72H are arranged in series (see FIG. 13). That is, a part of the first opening 71H is on the front side and the second opening 72H is on the rear side. And the direction of the movement path MW, that is, the moving direction of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, is from the front side to the rear side. In other words, the moving direction of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is a direction away from the first opening 71H. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 8B, the rear end edge (rear wall 722) of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is flush with the rear end edge (rear tapered surface 712) of the ink container 71. That is, the first opening 71H does not intervene between the rear end edge of the pretreatment liquid container 72 and the cleaning area in the movement path MW. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the entry of the pretreatment liquid that may scatter when the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 separates from the nozzle arrangement surface NA after finishing the wiping of the pretreatment head 5 into the ink container 71.

[0087] Also, the direction of the movement path MW is the direction in which the cleaning area where the cleaning unit 9 is arranged is located. Such an arrangement also contributes to the countermeasure against the scattering of the pretreatment liquid. That is, when the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 separates from the nozzle arrangement surface NA of the pretreatment head 5, even if the pretreatment liquid attached to the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 scatters, the scattering destination is the cleaning area. In the cleaning area, the scattered pretreatment liquid is diluted with a relatively large amount of cleaning liquid and collected in the cleaning liquid tray 73. Therefore, it is possible to realize an operation in which the droplets of the pretreatment liquid are difficult to enter the ink container 71.

[0088] <Regarding the position avoiding directly above the first opening> Regarding the above-mentioned "position avoiding directly above the first opening 71H", its variations will be explained. FIGS. 14A to 14D are schematic diagrams showing various arrangement examples of the pretreatment liquid container 72 that avoid directly above the first opening 71H of the ink container 71. FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C are schematic cross-sectional views in the left-right direction of the maintenance unit 7, and FIG. 14D is a top view. The "position avoiding directly above" means, in addition to the case where it is in a position outside the upper space of the first opening 71H, a position where another member is interposed between a partial region of the first opening 71H and the pretreatment liquid wiper 83.

[0089] FIG. 14A shows an example in which the movement range of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is set to a position that avoids directly above the first opening 71H by arranging the pretreatment liquid container 72 at a position covering a part of the first opening 71H. The example of FIG. 14A is the same as the example shown in FIG. 8A mentioned above. In this example, while setting the movement range of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 above the first opening 71H, by arranging the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72 below the movement range, the "position avoiding directly above the first opening 71H" is achieved.

[0090] FIG. 14B simply shows an example in which the movement range of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is set to a position outside the upper space of the first opening 71H. In this example, the pretreatment liquid container 72 will naturally be arranged at a position that does not overlap the first opening 71H in the vertical direction. FIG. 14C is an example in which another member is interposed between the first opening 71H and the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. The pretreatment liquid container 72 is arranged adjacent to the ink container 71. On the other hand, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is located above the first opening 71H for wiping the pretreatment head 5 arranged above the first opening 71H. And a guide plate 76 is arranged below the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 in a downwardly inclined manner in the direction towards the second opening 72H. The pretreatment liquid wiped by the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 from the pretreatment head 5 is guided to the second opening 72H through the guide plate 76.

[0091] FIG. 14D shows an example of achieving a position "avoiding directly above the first opening 71H" by devising the shape of the ink container 71. The ink container 71 has a notch 713 at a position corresponding to the lower side of the arrangement area of the pretreatment head 5. Therefore, the movement range of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is outside the first opening 71H. The pretreatment liquid container 72 is disposed in the notch 713.

[0092] In other words, in these examples, it can be said that the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 is set at a position avoiding directly below the entire movement path of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. In any case, it is possible to reduce the entry of the pretreatment liquid into the ink container 71 as the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 moves. Note that the "position avoiding directly below" means not only the case where the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 is outside the lower space of the movement path of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, but also includes a position obliquely downward or a position where another member is interposed between a partial area of the first opening 71H and the pretreatment liquid wiper 83.

[0093] <Relationship between the movement range and the second opening> Next, an explanation will be added regarding the positional relationship between the movement range of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 and the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72. FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 15C are schematic diagrams for explaining the movement range during the wiping operation of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. FIG. 15A shows the actual wiping range d1 where the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 substantially performs a wiping operation. The actual wiping range d1 corresponds to the width of the nozzle array portion 51 where a large number of nozzles for discharging the pretreatment liquid are arranged in the pretreatment head 5. That is, d1 is the length from the upstream end (front end) to the downstream end (rear end) of the nozzle array portion 51 in the moving direction of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. The nozzle array portion 51 is the portion where the pretreatment liquid actually adheres. Therefore, the interval during which the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 (wiper blade 821) substantially performs the work of wiping the pretreatment liquid is the interval during which it moves within this actual wiping range d1. When wiping is performed, the wiped pretreatment liquid drips from the wiper blade 821 through the second holder 823 (see FIG. 10). The dripped pretreatment liquid is received by the pretreatment liquid container 72.

[0094] In FIG. 15A, an example is shown in which a pretreatment liquid container 72 having a second opening 72H with a front-rear width covering the actual wiping range d1 and the thickness of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 before and after it is disposed below the pretreatment head 5. If the second opening 72H is disposed within such a range, at least the region where the pretreatment liquid is most likely to drip can be covered, so that the possibility of the pretreatment liquid mixing into the ink container 71 can be significantly reduced. Instead of the example in FIG. 15A, the second opening 72H having a size the same as or slightly larger than the actual wiping range d1 may be used.

[0095] FIG. 15B shows a container area range d2 from the start position of actual wiping until the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 exits the wiping area. The start position of actual wiping is the upstream end of the nozzle array portion 51, the same as in FIG. 15A. Since the wiping area is the area covered by the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 in the present embodiment, the position where the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 exits the wiping area is the rear edge of the first opening 71H. In FIG. 15B, an example is shown in which a pretreatment liquid container 72A having a second opening 72H covering such a container area range d2 is disposed below the pretreatment head 5. If the second opening 72H is disposed corresponding to the container area range d2, the pretreatment liquid dripping from the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 after the completion of actual wiping and before heading to the cleaning area can be collected by the pretreatment liquid container 72A.

[0096] FIG. 15C shows the entire range d3 of a predetermined movement path MW (FIG. 13) along which the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 moves when performing wiping. The rear end of the movement path MW is the standby position and the operation completion position of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. The front end of the movement path MW is the position where the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 moves forward most in a series of wiping operations. That is, during the wiping operation, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 advances from the rear end to the front end of the movement path MW, and after the carriage 3 descends and the nozzle arrangement surface NA is set to a predetermined wiping height, it moves back from the front end to the rear end of the movement path MW. Here, an example is shown where the front end of the movement path MW is in front of the pretreatment head 5, but the front end of the movement path MW may be between the front edge of the pretreatment head 5 and the upstream end of the nozzle arrangement portion 51.

[0097] FIG. 15C shows an example in which a pretreatment liquid container 72B having a second opening 72H covering the entire range d3 is disposed below the pretreatment head 5. In this case, the entire movement path MW will be set at a position avoiding directly above the first opening 71H. By disposing the second opening 72H corresponding to such a range d3, the pretreatment liquid can be more reliably recovered in the pretreatment liquid container 72B. The pretreatment liquid container 72B is provided with a partition plate 725 at the boundary position between the wiping area and the cleaning area. The rear part of the pretreatment liquid container 72B will enter the cleaning area. By providing the partition plate 725, the pretreatment liquid recovered in the wiping area can be isolated and recovered by an independent path.

[0098] <Removing Part of Ink Wiper> Among the plurality of ink wipers 82 provided in the wiping unit 8, the ink wiper 82A2 (FIG. 9) arranged for the downstream head 4A2 located on the leftmost side passes over the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72 when the wiping unit 8 moves toward the cleaning area. During this passage, the ink adhering to the ink wiper 82A2 may drip into the pretreatment liquid container 72 and cause aggregation or the like. Examples of dealing with this problem are shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B.

[0099] FIG. 16A is a schematic side view showing the periphery of the ink wiper 82A2. The wiper blade 821 of the ink wiper 82A2 is supported by the convex portion 813 of the wiper support plate 81 while being held by the first holder 822 and the second holder 823. When the ink wiper 82A2 wipes the downstream head 4A2 of the first ink head 4A, wiped ink or the like may remain as an attachment T without completely falling from the lower end of the ink wiper 82A2. In order to reduce this attachment T in front of the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72, it is desirable to arrange a sponge 77 (removing portion).

[0100] FIG. 16B is a perspective view of a main part of the container unit 70 showing the arrangement of the sponge 77 shown in FIG. 16A. In the present embodiment, in the moving direction of the ink wiper 82A2 to the cleaning area, the second opening 72H is arranged downstream of the first opening 71H. The sponge 77 is at a height position in contact with the lower end surface of the ink wiper 82A2 and is arranged upstream of the second opening 72H. Near the upper end of the left tapered surface 712 of the ink container 71 and upstream of the second opening 72H, a support plate 78 projects. The lower end of the sponge 77 is fixed to the upper surface of the support plate 78. The attachment T containing ink is removed by the sponge 77 before the ink wiper 82A2 reaches the second opening 72H. Therefore, the mixing of ink into the pretreatment liquid container 72 can be suppressed.

[0101] [Regarding the inclined arrangement of the wiper] Subsequently, preferred arrangement examples of the ink wiper 82 and the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 are shown. FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the inclined arrangement of the ink wiper 82 and the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. As shown in FIG. 10, the ink wiper 82 includes a wiper blade 821A (ink blade) extending in a direction (left - right direction) intersecting the moving direction (front - rear direction) during wiping. Similarly, the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 also has a wiper blade 821B (treatment liquid blade) extending in the left - right direction.

[0102] The wiper blade 821A of the ink wiper 82 is inclined such that its left end side protrudes more than its right end side in the moving direction during wiping of the ink wiper 82. Pay attention to the ink wiper 82A1 that wipes the upstream head 4A1 of the first ink head 4A located immediately to the right of the pretreatment head 5. As also shown in FIG. 18C, the wiper blade 821A of the ink wiper 82A1 is inclined such that the left end 82L (first end) on the side where the pretreatment liquid container 72 is present protrudes more than the right end 82R (second end) on the opposite side in the moving direction. The post-treatment liquid wipers 84A and 84B that wipe the post-treatment heads 6A and 6B are also inclined such that their left ends protrude more than their right ends in the moving direction.

[0103] On the other hand, the wiper blade 821B of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is inclined such that its right end side protrudes more than its left end side in the moving direction of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. Referring also to FIG. 18B, the wiper blade 821B of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 is inclined such that the right end 83R (third end) on the side where the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 is present immediately to the right protrudes more than the left end 83L (fourth end) on the opposite side in the moving direction.

[0104] FIG. 18A is a diagram showing the wiping state of the head 40 by the non-inclined wiper blade 8210. Liquid L adheres to the head 40. The wiper blade 8210 is arranged to extend in a direction orthogonal to the wiping direction. When wiping is performed with such a wiper blade 8210, the liquid L wiped from the head 40 drips from the left and right of the head 40 as shown by the arrows in the figure. For example, when the wiper blade 8210 is applied to the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, there is a risk that the pretreatment liquid dripping from the right side of the pretreatment head 5 will mix into the ink container 71. Also, when the wiper blade 8210 is applied to the upstream head 4A1 of the first ink head 4A, there is a risk that the ink dripping from the left side of the upstream head 4A1 will mix into the pretreatment liquid container 72.

[0105] FIG. 18B is a diagram showing the wiping state of the pretreatment head 5 by the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 having a wiper blade 821B with an inclination. The wiper blade 821B has an inclination such that the right end portion 83R protrudes in the wiping direction. For this reason, the pretreatment liquid L1 wiped by the wiper blade 821B from the pretreatment head 5 drips exclusively from the left side of the pretreatment head 5. Therefore, the possibility that the pretreatment liquid L1 drips onto the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 adjacent to the right side of the second opening 72H of the pretreatment liquid container 72 can be reduced.

[0106] FIG. 18C is a diagram showing the wiping state of the ink head 4 (upstream head 4A1) by the ink wiper 82 having a wiper blade 821A with an inclination. The wiper blade 821A has an inclination such that the left end portion 82L protrudes in the wiping direction. For this reason, the ink L2 wiped by the wiper blade 821A from the upstream head 4A1 drips exclusively from the right side of the upstream head 4A1. Therefore, the possibility that the ink L2 drips onto the second opening 72H during wiping can be reduced.

[0107] According to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 17, 18B, and 18C, it is possible to control the dripping destinations of the pretreatment liquid L1 and the ink L2 wiped by wiping by the inclined arrangement of the wiper blades 821A and 821B. Therefore, the possibility that the pretreatment liquid L1 and the ink L2 are mixed in the ink container 71 or the pretreatment liquid container 72 can be reduced. In addition, when the mixing of the pretreatment liquid L1 and the ink L2 can be suppressed by the inclined arrangement of the wiper blades 821A and 821B, part or all of the movement range during the wiping of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 may be set directly above the first opening 71H.

[0108] FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a container unit 70M (container) according to a first modified embodiment of the present disclosure. In this modified embodiment, members having functions common to the previous embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 18. The same applies to other modified embodiments described later.

[0109] The container unit 70M has a container main body 700H, a plurality of side frames 701, and a partition portion 760. Similar to the previous embodiment, above the container unit 70M, an ink head 4 for discharging ink (liquid), a pretreatment head 5 for discharging a pretreatment liquid (liquid), and a post-treatment head 6 for discharging a post-treatment liquid (liquid) are supported by a carriage 3.

[0110] The container main body 700H has a rectangular shape in plan view and is provided with an opening on its upper surface portion for receiving the liquid discharged from the plurality of heads described above. The partition portion 760 divides the container main body 700H into a plurality of independent regions.

[0111] Specifically, in this modified embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the partition portion 760 divides the container main body 700H into two front and rear regions. An ink container 71 (ink container portion) is formed on the front side of the partition portion 760, and a pretreatment liquid container 72 (treatment liquid container portion) is formed on the rear side of the partition portion 760. The ink container 71 is provided with a first opening 71H for receiving the ink discharged from the ink head 4, and the pretreatment liquid container 72 is provided with a second opening 72H for receiving the pretreatment liquid (the other treatment liquid) discharged from the pretreatment head 5. Also, similar to the previous embodiment, the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 also receives the post-treatment liquid (one treatment liquid) discharged from the post-treatment head 6. The overflow passage 741 and the relay passage 743 described above are opened in the ink container 71, and a treatment liquid passage 742 (discharge port) and a relay passage 743 (cleaning liquid supply portion) are opened in the pretreatment liquid container 72. As a result, the cleaning liquid that has passed through the wiper flows into the ink container 71 and the pretreatment liquid container 72 from the cleaning liquid tray 73 (cleaning portion) (FIG. 8A), and the ink, post-treatment liquid, or pretreatment liquid mixed with the cleaning liquid is discharged respectively. Therefore, the cleaning liquid can be effectively utilized, and the ink, pretreatment liquid, and post-treatment liquid can be efficiently discharged by utilizing the fluidity of the cleaning liquid.

[0112] The partition portion 760 has a plurality of horizontal plates 761 and a plurality of horizontal plates 762 (the first part), and a plurality of vertical plates 763 (the second part) connected to these horizontal plates. Each horizontal plate 761 and each horizontal plate 762 partition the container body 700H in the front-rear direction (the first direction). On the other hand, each vertical plate 763 partitions the container body 700H in the left-right direction (the second direction intersecting the first direction). In this modified embodiment, the directions in which the horizontal plates 761, the horizontal plates 762, and the vertical plates 763 partition are horizontal directions. Also, as in the modified embodiments described later, the horizontal plates and the vertical plates may be arranged one by one.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 19, the partition portion 760 does not linearly partition the container body 700H but partitions it two-dimensionally. More specifically, at the periphery of the partition portion 760, the rear end portion of the ink container 71 and the front end portion of the pretreatment liquid container 72 are arranged in a staggered pattern, respectively. For this reason, corresponding to the ink container 71 side of the staggered space portion, the upstream side heads 4A1 to 4H1 of the ink head 4 in FIG. 9 (region B) are arranged above it, and corresponding to the pretreatment liquid container 72 side, the pretreatment head 5 can be arranged above it, so that the degree of freedom in arranging the ink head 4 and the pretreatment head 5 can be increased as shown in FIG. 9 (region B). In the example of FIG. 19, it is also possible to move the position of the pretreatment head 5 in FIG. 9 (region B) to the right between adjacent heads of the upstream side heads 4A1 to 4H1. Also, a plurality of pretreatment heads 5 can be arranged at these positions, respectively.

[0114] Thus, also in this modified embodiment, since the partition portion 760 partitions the container body 700H of the container unit 70 along two directions, a plurality of types of liquids that need to be separated to avoid mixing can be separately recovered, and the degree of freedom in arranging the corresponding heads can be further increased. The number of the horizontal plates 761, the horizontal plates 762, and the vertical plates 763 in FIG. 19 may be appropriately set according to the arrangement and number of the heads as illustrated in FIG. 9 (region B). The same applies to the modified embodiments described later.

[0115] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a container unit 70N (container) according to a second modified embodiment of the present disclosure. In this modified embodiment, it is different from the previous first modified embodiment in that the container unit 70N further has a partition portion 770. The partition portion 770 has the same structure as the partition portion 760, and partitions the front side portion of the container body 700H from the pretreatment liquid container 72 (pretreatment container portion) into an ink container 71 (ink container portion) and a post-treatment container 79 (post-treatment container portion). The post-treatment container 79 includes a second opening 79H for receiving the post-treatment liquid discharged from the post-treatment head 6. Further, in addition to the above-described relay passage 743, a processing liquid passage 744 is formed in the post-treatment container 79. The processing liquid passage 744 is an opening through which the post-treatment liquid mixed with the cleaning liquid is discharged.

[0116] That is, in this modified embodiment, the partition portions 760 and 770 partition the container body 700H of the container unit 70N so as to form a pretreatment liquid container 72 that receives the pretreatment liquid discharged from the pretreatment head 5 and a post-treatment container 79 that is independently arranged with respect to the pretreatment liquid container 72 and receives the post-treatment liquid discharged from the post-treatment head 6.

[0117] Specifically, similar to the partition portion 760, the partition portion 770 has a plurality of horizontal plates 771 and a plurality of horizontal plates 772 (first part), and a plurality of vertical plates 773 (second part) connected to these horizontal plates. The partition portion 770 does not partition the container body 700H linearly, but partitions it two-dimensionally. More specifically, around the partition portion 770, the rear end portion of the ink container 71 and the front end portion of the post-treatment container 79 are arranged in a staggered pattern. For this reason, corresponding to the ink container 71 side of the staggered space portion, the downstream heads 4A2 to 4H2 of the ink head 4 in FIG. 9 (region B) are arranged above it, and corresponding to the post-treatment container 79 side, the post-treatment head 6 is arranged above it, making it possible to increase the degree of freedom in arranging the pre-treatment head 5, the ink head 4, and the post-treatment head 6 as shown in FIG. 9 (region B). In the example of FIG. 20, it is also possible to move the position of the post-treatment head 6 in FIG. 9 (region B) between adjacent heads of the downstream heads 4A2 to 4H2. Also, one or a plurality of post-treatment heads 6 can be arranged at these positions.

[0118] Also, in this modified embodiment as well, each ink wiper 82 moves along a predetermined movement path when performing wiping of the ink head 4, but the second opening 79H of the post-treatment container 79 is located at a position avoiding directly below the entire movement path of the ink wiper 82, specifically, arranged in front of the movement path. Therefore, with such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the entry of ink into the post-treatment container 79 when the ink wiper 82 moves. Therefore, it is useful when the ink and the post-treatment liquid are likely to react.

[0119] FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a container unit 70P (container) according to a third modified embodiment of the present disclosure. In this modified embodiment, a pretreatment liquid container 72 is formed at a right rear corner of the container body 700H, and an ink container 71 is formed in other portions. Ink and a post-treatment liquid are collected in the ink container 71. The ink container 71 and the pretreatment liquid container 72 are partitioned by a partition portion 760, and the partition portion 760 has a plurality of horizontal plates 761, one horizontal plate 762 (any first portion), and one vertical plate 764 (second portion) connected to one of the horizontal plates 761. In this modified embodiment, as an example, two pretreatment heads 5 can be arranged above the concave portions on both the left and right sides of the horizontal plate 762.

[0120] FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a container unit 70Q (container) according to a fourth modified embodiment of the present disclosure. In this modified embodiment, a post-treatment container 79 is formed at a left front corner of the container body 700H, and an ink container 71 is formed in other portions. In this modified embodiment, the first opening 71H of the ink container 71 receives ink and a pretreatment liquid (one treatment liquid), and the second opening 79H of the post-treatment container 79 receives only the post-treatment liquid (the other treatment liquid). The ink container 71 and the post-treatment container 79 are partitioned by a partition portion 770, and the partition portion 770 has one horizontal plate 771 (first portion) and one vertical plate 773 (second portion) connected thereto. In this modified embodiment, one post-treatment head 6 can be arranged above the post-treatment container 79.

[0121] Note that, assuming that the post-treatment container 79 is formed at the right front corner of the container body 700H instead of the post-treatment container 79 shown in FIG. 22. In this case, as an example, only the post-treatment head 6B in FIG. 9 (region B) is arranged as the post-treatment head 6 on the carriage 3. Each ink wiper 82 moves along a predetermined movement path when performing wiping of the ink head 4, and the second opening 79H of the post-treatment container 79 is arranged at a position avoiding directly below the entire movement path of the ink wiper 82. Therefore, even in such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the ink from entering the post-treatment container 79 when the ink wiper 82 moves.

[0122] FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a container unit 70R (container) according to a fifth modified embodiment of the present disclosure. In this modified embodiment, the pretreatment liquid container 72 in the previous embodiment shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B corresponds to a mode in which it has moved to the right side. In this case, it is possible to move the position of the pretreatment head 5 in FIG. 9 (region B) between adjacent heads of the upstream heads 4A1 to 4H1.

[0123] Also, in this modified embodiment, the front wall 721 (first part) partitions the container unit 70R in the front-rear direction, and the right wall 723 and the left wall 724 (second part) partition the container unit 70R in the left-right direction, respectively. A treatment liquid passage 742 is opened at the bottom of the pretreatment liquid container 72, and the pretreatment liquid discharged through the treatment liquid passage 742 is guided by a relay pipe 74P to the tapered surface 712 on the rear side of the container unit 70R. Thereafter, the discharged pretreatment liquid merges into a waste liquid hose 704 (FIG. 8A).

[0124] FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a container unit 70S (container) according to a sixth modified embodiment of the present disclosure. In this modified embodiment, it is mainly different from the above-described fifth modified embodiment in that the bottom surface of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is inclined. That is, the bottom surface of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is inclined downward and rearward, and a treatment liquid passage 742 (discharge hole) for discharging the pretreatment liquid from the pretreatment liquid container 72 is opened at the intersection line between the bottom surface and the rear tapered surface 712. According to such a configuration, the recovered pretreatment liquid can be smoothly guided to the treatment liquid passage 742 by the inclination of the bottom, so that the recoverability of the pretreatment liquid and the aggregation in the pretreatment liquid container 72 can be suppressed.

[0125] Also, in this modified embodiment, the processing liquid passage 742 is disposed in the downstream side portion (downstream end) in the moving direction when the pretreatment liquid wiper 83 wipes the pretreatment head 5 in the pretreatment liquid container 72. According to such a configuration, it is possible to dispose the processing liquid passage 742 near the location where the pretreatment liquid drips from the pretreatment liquid wiper 83, narrow the range where the pretreatment liquid adheres inside the pretreatment liquid container 72, and reduce the sticking of the pretreatment liquid in the pretreatment liquid container 72.

[0126] Also, in this modified embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24, the bottom surface of the pretreatment liquid container 72 has a portion that becomes deeper toward the downstream in the moving direction of the pretreatment liquid wiper 83. Therefore, the recovered pretreatment liquid can be more easily discharged.

[0127] In addition, in FIG. 24, the cap rubber 75 may be attached not only to the outer peripheral edge of the ink container 71 but also to the outer peripheral edge of the pretreatment liquid container 72. In this case, the container unit 70 also serves as a head cap capable of capping the ink head 4 and the post-treatment head 6 and the pretreatment head 5 independently (individually). Therefore, even when the volatile components of the pretreatment liquid may be mixed with the ink and agglomerate, such agglomeration can be reduced. Note that only the pretreatment head 5 may be independently capped as described above, or the post-treatment head 6 may be further independently capped.

[0128] In addition, in the above-described fifth and sixth modified embodiments, similar to the pretreatment liquid container 72 shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, in a plan view, the pretreatment liquid container 72 is arranged so as to overlap the ink container 71. Further, a part of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is formed by utilizing the wall surface (tapered surface 712), which is one surface of the container units 70R and 70S. As a result, in a plan view, one side of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is shared with each of the container units 70R and 70S, and the other three sides are arranged so as to float in the air. Therefore, while arranging the pretreatment liquid container 72 above the ink container 71, the rigidity of the pretreatment liquid container 72 can be increased as compared with the case where the wall surface of the pretreatment liquid container 72 is completely independent of the ink container 71, and deformation of the pretreatment liquid container 72 due to the influence of gravity can be prevented.

[0129] Also, the partition structure of the container units 70 to 70S described in each of the above embodiments is not limited to a container that collects the liquid (ink, treatment liquid) that drips during wiping. As an example, the container units 70 to 70S may be flushing containers capable of receiving the ink and treatment liquid discharged during flushing from the ink head 4 and the treatment liquid heads (pretreatment head 5, post-treatment head 6). Also in this case, the degree of freedom in arranging each head can be increased, and mixing of the ink and the treatment liquid during flushing can be reduced. In the case of a flushing container, the container body may be partitioned by a partition portion that extends linearly in one direction. The one direction may be the moving direction of the carriage 3 or a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the carriage 3.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0130] 1 Inkjet printer 10 Apparatus frame (housing) 12 Printing area 13 Maintenance area 14 Folding area 20 Work conveyance unit 3 Carriage 30 Carriage frame 31 Head support frame 32 Back frame 33 Controller 4 Ink head 4A First ink head 4A1 Upstream head 4A2 Downstream head 5 Pretreatment head (treatment liquid head) 6 Post-treatment head (treatment liquid head) 7 Maintenance unit 70, 70M, 70N, 70P, 70Q, 70R, 70S Container unit (container) 700 Frame structure 700H Container body 71 Ink container (ink container part) 71H First opening 711 Bottom surface 712 Tapered surface (inclined surface) 72 Pretreatment liquid container (pretreatment container part) 72H, 79H Second opening 721 Front wall 722 Rear wall 723 Right wall 724 Left wall 73 Cleaning liquid tray (cleaning part, cleaning container part) 741 Overflow passage (discharge port) 742, 744 Treatment liquid passage (discharge hole) 743 Relay passage (cleaning liquid supply part) 74P Relay pipe 75 Cap rubber 760 Partition part 761, 762, 771, 772 Horizontal plate (first part) 763, 764, 773 Vertical plate (second part) 77 Sponge (removing part) 79 Post-treatment container (post-treatment container part) 8 Wiping unit 81 Wiper support plate 82 Ink wiper 83 Pretreatment liquid wiper 84 Post-treatment liquid wiper 85 Wiper drive part 9 Cleaning Unit (Cleaning Section) 91 Nozzle Holder Plate 911 Top Plate (Top Plate Section) 912 Side Plate 92 Cleaning Nozzle 93 Cleaning Liquid Hose F Conveying Direction S Main Scanning Direction W Workpiece (Recording Medium)

Claims

1. At least one head that ejects a liquid; a container positioned below the at least one head, the container having a container body with an opening for receiving liquid ejected from the at least one head and a partition portion for dividing the container body into a plurality of independent regions; Equipped with The at least one head a first head having a nozzle for ejecting a first liquid; a second head having a nozzle for ejecting a second liquid; and the partition section is arranged to separate the container body into a first container section having a first opening for receiving the first liquid ejected from the nozzles of the first head and a second container section having a second opening for receiving the second liquid ejected from the nozzles of the second head, an inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the vertical distance between the nozzles of the second head and the bottom of the second container portion is smaller than the vertical distance between the nozzles of the first head and the bottom of the first container portion;

2. An inkjet recording device according to claim 1, The partition portion is At least one first portion that partitions the container body in a first direction; at least one second portion that partitions the container body in a second direction that intersects with the first direction; An inkjet recording apparatus comprising:

3. 3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, The inkjet recording device, wherein the at least one first portion includes a plurality of first portions.

4. 4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the at least one second portion includes a plurality of second portions.

5. 5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 2, The at least one head an ink head serving as the first head for ejecting ink as the first liquid; a treatment liquid head serving as the second head for ejecting the treatment liquid serving as the second liquid; and an inkjet recording device, wherein the partition section is arranged to separate the container body into an ink container section which is the first container section having a first opening for receiving the ink ejected from the ink head, and a treatment liquid container section which is the second container section having a second opening for receiving the treatment liquid ejected from the treatment liquid head.

6. 6. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, The processing liquid head includes: a pretreatment head that discharges a pretreatment liquid; a post-processing head that ejects a post-processing liquid; and the partition section partitions the container body so that the first opening of the ink container section receives one of the pre-treatment liquid ejected from the pre-treatment head and the post-treatment liquid ejected from the post-treatment head, and the ink ejected from the ink head, and the second opening of the treatment liquid container section receives the other of the pre-treatment liquid ejected from the pre-treatment head and the post-treatment liquid ejected from the post-treatment head.

7. 6. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, The processing liquid head includes: a pretreatment head that discharges a pretreatment liquid; a post-processing head that ejects a post-processing liquid; and the partition section divides the container body so that the processing liquid container section includes a pre-processing container section that receives the pre-processing liquid ejected from the pre-processing head, and a post-processing container section that is arranged independently of the pre-processing container section and receives the post-processing liquid ejected from the post-processing head.

8. 8. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, An inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the depth of the treatment liquid container section is shallower than the depth of the ink container section.

9. 9. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 8, the container body has an inclined surface that defines the ink container section together with the partition section, an inkjet recording device, wherein a portion of the inclined surface further defines the treatment liquid container portion above the bottom of the ink container portion, so that the depth of the treatment liquid container portion is shallower than the depth of the ink container portion;

10. 10. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, In the inkjet recording apparatus, the treatment liquid container portion has a bottom surface that is inclined so that the treatment liquid received from the treatment liquid head can be guided in a predetermined direction as it flows downward.

11. 11. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, An inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the bottom surface of the treatment liquid container is located higher than the bottom surface of the ink container.

12. 12. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, a wiping unit having an ink wiper that wipes the ink head and a treatment liquid wiper that wipes the treatment liquid head, the ink container portion is capable of receiving, through the first opening, ink that drops from the ink head during the wiping operation of the ink wiper; The inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the treatment liquid container section is capable of receiving, from the second opening, the treatment liquid that drops from the treatment liquid head during the wiping by the treatment liquid wiper.

13. 13. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, the treatment liquid wiper moves along a predetermined movement path when performing the wiping; an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the first opening of the ink container portion is disposed at a position that avoids being directly below the entire movement path;

14. 13. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, the ink wiper moves along a predetermined movement path when performing the wiping; an inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the second opening of the treatment liquid container portion is disposed at a position that avoids being directly below the entire movement path;

15. 15. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, a printing area for forming an image by ejecting ink from the ink head; an inkjet recording apparatus, wherein in a movement direction in which the head moves from the printing area to the area where wiping is performed, the treatment liquid container unit is disposed at a position closer to the printing area than the ink container unit;

16. 16. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, the treatment liquid container has a discharge hole for discharging the treatment liquid from the treatment liquid container, In an inkjet recording apparatus, the discharge hole is disposed in a downstream portion of the treatment liquid container portion in a direction in which the treatment liquid wiper moves when wiping the treatment liquid head.

17. 17. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, In an inkjet recording apparatus, a bottom of the treatment liquid container unit has a portion that deepens downstream in a movement direction when the treatment liquid wiper wipes the treatment liquid head.

18. 18. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, Further comprising a housing, The inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the container and the wiping unit can be pulled out integrally from the housing.

19. 19. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, a cleaning unit capable of cleaning the ink wiper and the treatment liquid wiper, The inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the treatment liquid container section is disposed closer to the cleaning section than the ink container section.

20. 20. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, a cleaning unit capable of cleaning the ink wiper and the processing liquid wiper; a removal unit that reduces ink adhering to the ink wiper or its support member; Further provided with the second opening is disposed downstream of the first opening in a movement direction of the ink wiper toward the cleaning unit, The inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the removal unit is disposed upstream of the second opening.

21. 21. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 19, Further comprising a housing, The container, the wiping unit, and the cleaning section are integrally removable from the housing.

22. 22. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 21, The cleaning unit includes: an ejection unit that ejects a cleaning liquid onto the ink wiper and the processing liquid wiper; a cleaning container portion that receives the cleaning liquid that has passed through the ink wiper and the processing liquid wiper; and The container, the wiping unit, and the cleaning container section are capable of being pulled out integrally from the housing.

23. 23. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, The housing and a wiping unit having a wiper for wiping the head and capable of being drawn out from the housing; Further provided with In the inkjet recording apparatus, the direction in which the wiping unit is pulled out is a direction along a moving direction of the wiper when wiping the head.

24. 24. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, a wiper for wiping the head; a cleaning unit capable of spraying a cleaning liquid to clean the wiper; a cleaning liquid supply unit that supplies the cleaning liquid that has passed through the wiper to the container body; an outlet for discharging the liquid and the cleaning liquid mixed in the container body; The inkjet recording apparatus further comprises:

25. 23. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, In the inkjet recording apparatus, the container also serves as a head cap that can individually cap the ink head and the treatment liquid head.

26. 23. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, In the inkjet recording apparatus, the container is a flushing container capable of receiving the ink and treatment liquid ejected from the ink head and the treatment liquid head during flushing.

27. ​​A container body for receiving the first liquid and the second liquid ejected from a first head having a nozzle for ejecting a first liquid and a second head having a nozzle for ejecting a second liquid is disposed below the first head and the second head; Partitioning the container body into independent regions: a first container portion having a first opening; and a second container portion having a second opening. setting a distance in the vertical direction between the nozzle of the second head and a bottom of the second container portion to be smaller than a distance in the vertical direction between the nozzle of the first head and a bottom of the first container portion; recovering the first liquid and the second liquid by receiving the first liquid ejected from the nozzles of the first head through the first opening into the first container portion, and receiving the second liquid ejected from the nozzles of the second head through the second opening into the second container portion; A liquid recovery method for an inkjet recording apparatus, comprising:

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