Wiping device

Abstract

To provide a wiping device that can prevent splashing of ink from an ink receiving section with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A wiping device includes: a plurality of first wipe blades 80A that wipe ink discharge surfaces of a plurality of ink jet heads; an ink receiving section 46 into which the plurality of first wipe blades 80A are accommodated and which receives ink dropped by wiping of the first wipe blades 80A; a wiper driving section 48 which moves a row in which the plurality of first wipe blades 80A are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the row in the ink receiving section 46; a second wipe blade 90 which is slidably provided on a bottom surface of the ink receiving section 46, the second wipe blade 90 forming a prescribed angle with the rows of the first wipe blades 80A and moving together with the rows of the first wipe blades 80A while maintaining the angle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wiping device that wipes an inkjet head. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, inkjet printing devices have been proposed that print by ejecting ink from an inkjet head onto a print medium made of paper, film, or the like while the print medium is transported.

[0003] Inkjet printing devices can suffer from ink adhesion to the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head, or from the adhesion of dust and other debris generated by the printing paper. If ink adheres to the ink ejection surface or if dust and other debris accumulate, ejection defects such as misalignment of the ink ejection direction from the nozzles or failure to eject ink can occur.

[0004] To reduce such ejection defects, a cleaning operation is known in which ink is forcibly ejected from the nozzles of the inkjet head, a so-called purge, is performed, and then the ink ejection surface is wiped with a wiper. This cleaning operation removes ink adhering to the ink ejection surface as well as dust on the ink ejection surface with a wiper blade.

[0005] The ink and the like removed by the wiper blade is received and stored in an ink receiver provided below the wiper blade. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-101594 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] During the cleaning operation, the ink receiving unit is positioned horizontally below the inkjet head, but after wiping is completed, it moves from below the inkjet head to a retracted position. At this time, the ink receiving unit is stored in a vertical position and turned around to save space as much as possible, and the ink stored in the ink receiving unit flows toward a drain provided in the ink receiving unit and is discharged.

[0008] However, when the ink receiving section is moved from a horizontal position to a vertically raised position in this way, if the movement speed is fast or if the movement is not stopped temporarily, the ink in the ink receiving section will splash around, causing the problem of contamination inside the device.

[0009] If the ink receiving unit's movement speed is slowed or stopped midway, maintenance time will be longer, leading to reduced productivity. Also, if a separate liquid drainage mechanism is provided, the system may become more complicated and larger.

[0010] Although Patent Document 1 describes the provision of a wiper that slides on the bottom surface of the cap of each inkjet head, it does not propose any mechanism for wiping the ink receiving portion.

[0011] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a wiping device that can prevent ink from splashing from an ink receiving portion with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The wiping device of the present invention comprises a plurality of first wiper blades that wipe the ink ejection surfaces of a plurality of inkjet heads, an ink receiving section that houses the plurality of first wiper blades and receives ink that falls due to wiping by the first wiper blades, a wiper drive section that moves a row in which the plurality of first wiper blades are arranged within the ink receiving section in a direction perpendicular to the row, and a second wiper blade that is slidably arranged on the bottom surface of the ink receiving section and moves together with the row of first wiper blades while forming a predetermined angle with the row of first wiper blades and maintaining that angle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the wiping device of the present invention, there are provided a plurality of first wiper blades that wipe the ink ejection surfaces of a plurality of inkjet heads, and a second wiper blade that is slidably arranged on the bottom surface of the ink receiving section, and the second wiper blade forms a predetermined angle with the row of first wiper blades and moves together with the row of first wiper blades while maintaining that angle.This means that the second wiper blade can be moved with a simple configuration that does not require any special power, and this allows the ink that has accumulated on the bottom surface of the ink receiving section to be efficiently collected, thereby preventing ink from splashing from the ink receiving section. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of an inkjet printing apparatus of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view of an example of a head unit; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an example of a wiping unit; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an example of a wiping unit; [Figure 5] 5 is a front view (arrow A direction) of the attachment portion, the first wiper blade, and the second wiper blade shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a second wipe blade; [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a fastener for a second wipe blade. [Figure 8] 8 is a view of the attachment portion, the first wiper blade, and the second wiper blade shown in FIG. 7, viewed from the direction of arrow B. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a control system of the inkjet printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the printing operation of the inkjet printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1; [Figure 11] Schematic diagram showing the conveying unit and the wiping unit in the cleaning position [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a second wiper blade having a bent portion; [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an ink-blocking wall portion provided at the opening of the groove portion of the ink receiving portion; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] An inkjet printing apparatus using an embodiment of the wiping device of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The inkjet printing apparatus of this embodiment is characterized by the configuration of the wiping unit (corresponding to the wiping device of the present invention), but first, the configuration of the inkjet printing apparatus as a whole will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an inkjet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. Note that the up, down, left, and right directions indicated by arrows in FIG. 1 are the up, down, left, and right directions of the inkjet printing apparatus 1. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1 is the front-to-back direction, the direction toward the front of the plane of the plane of the plane is the front, and the direction toward the back of the plane of the plane is the rear.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet printing device 1 of this embodiment includes a side paper feed section 10, an internal paper feed section 20, a printing section 30, a paper discharge section 40, an inversion section 50, an operation panel 60, a control section 70, and a wiping section 80.

[0017] The side paper feed section 10 includes a paper feed tray 11 on which printing paper P is placed, a primary paper feed section 12 that feeds out only the uppermost printing paper P from the paper feed tray 11 and transports it onto a paper feed transport path FR, and a secondary paper feed section 14 that transports the printing paper P transported by the primary paper feed section 12 onto a circulating transport path CR.

[0018] The internal paper feeding unit 20 includes a paper feeding tray 21a on which printing paper P is placed, a primary paper feeding unit 22a that feeds only the topmost printing paper P from the paper feeding tray 21a and transports it onto the paper feeding transport path FR, a paper feeding tray 21b on which printing paper P is placed, a primary paper feeding unit 22b that feeds only the topmost printing paper P from the paper feeding tray 21b and transports it onto the paper feeding transport path FR, a paper feeding tray 21c on which printing paper P is placed, a primary paper feeding unit 22c that feeds only the topmost printing paper P from the paper feeding tray 21c and transports it onto the paper feeding transport path FR, a paper feeding tray 21d on which printing paper P is placed, and a primary paper feeding unit 22d that feeds only the topmost printing paper P from the paper feeding tray 21d and transports it onto the paper feeding transport path FR.

[0019] In this way, the printing paper P is transported to the secondary paper feed section 14 from the side paper feed section 10 or the internal paper feed section 20, and also from the reversing section 50, which will be described later.

[0020] Therefore, just before the secondary paper feed unit 14 in the transport direction, there is a junction where the transport path for print paper P fed from the internal paper feed unit 20 and the transport path for print paper P with one side printed and transported from the reversing unit 50 join together. Based on this junction, the path on the paper feed mechanism side is called the paper feed transport path FR, and the other path is called the circulating transport path CR.

[0021] The printing section 30 includes a head unit 31 provided with a plurality of inkjet heads, and a transport section 32 provided opposite the head unit 31 .

[0022] 2 is a plan view of the head unit 31. As shown in FIG. 2, the head unit 31 includes four line heads 28C, 28K, 28M, and 28Y. Each of the four line heads 28C, 28K, 28M, and 28Y includes six inkjet heads 29 and is arranged in the left-right direction (the transport direction of the print paper P). The four line heads 28C, 28K, 28M, and 28Y each eject ink of a different color. In this embodiment, the line head 28C ejects cyan (C) ink, the line head 28K ejects black (K) ink, the line head 28M ejects magenta (M) ink, and the line head 28Y ejects yellow (Y) ink.

[0023] The printing paper P is conveyed from left to right directly below the head unit 31, and is printed by ink being ejected from the multiple line heads 28C, 28K, 28M, and 28Y.

[0024] The conveying section 32 includes a circular conveying belt 133, intake fans 131 and 132, a driving roller 134 and a driven roller 135 around which the conveying belt 133 is stretched.

[0025] A plurality of suction holes are formed in the conveyor belt 133. In addition, intake fans 131 and 132 are provided at positions facing the rear surface of the conveyor belt 133, which is the conveying path surface for the printing paper P. When these intake fans 131 and 132 rotate, a suction force is generated in the suction holes of the conveyor belt 133.

[0026] The printing paper P fed by the secondary paper feed section 14 is adsorbed onto the conveying belt 133 by the suction action caused by the rotation of the intake fans 131, 132, and is then printed using ink ejected from the head unit 31 while being transported at a predetermined transport speed by the rotation of the drive roller 134.

[0027] The print paper P printed by the printing unit 30 is transported on the circulating transport path CR by transport rollers and the like arranged on the circulating transport path CR. A switching mechanism 43 is provided on the circulating transport path CR, which switches between guiding the print paper P transported on the circulating transport path CR to the paper discharge unit 40 or recirculating the print paper P on the circulating transport path CR. Specifically, the switching mechanism 43 switches between the transport path on the paper discharge unit 40 side and the transport path on the reversing unit 50 side.

[0028] The paper discharge unit 40 has a tray-shaped paper discharge table 41 that protrudes from the housing of the inkjet printing device 1, and a pair of paper discharge rollers 42 that discharge print paper P onto the paper discharge table 41. Then, the print paper P that has been guided to the transport path on the paper discharge unit 40 side by the switching mechanism 43 is discharged onto the paper discharge table 41 by the paper discharge rollers 42.

[0029] The reversing section 50 is provided with a reversing table 51 for reversing the printing paper P, and a reversing roller 52 for transporting the printing paper P from the circulating conveying path CR to the reversing table 51 and returning the printing paper P transported to the reversing table 51 onto the circulating conveying path CR.

[0030] The printing paper P guided to the reversing unit 50 by the switching mechanism 43 is transported from the circulating conveying path CR to the reversing table 51 by the reversing rollers 52, and then returned from the reversing table 51 to the circulating conveying path CR, whereby the printing paper P is transported upside down on the circulating conveying path CR. Then, the printing paper P, now upside down, is transported again towards the printing unit 30 by a plurality of rollers, including the transport roller 53, provided on the circulating conveying path CR.

[0031] The wiping unit 80 performs a cleaning operation by wiping the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head 29. The ink ejection surface is the surface on which the ink ejection openings of the many nozzles of the inkjet head 29 are arranged.

[0032] The wiping unit 80 is configured to be movable by a predetermined actuator (not shown) between a retracted position, which is the position of the wiping unit 80 shown in Fig. 1, and a standby position (Fig. 10A) described below. During cleaning operation, the wiping unit 80 is placed at a cleaning position (see Fig. 11) described below.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the wiping section 80 includes an ink receiving section 46, a wiper unit 47, and a wiper driving section 48.

[0034] The ink receiving portion 46 receives ink and the like that has been removed from the inkjet head 29 and dropped during the cleaning operation by the wiper unit 47. The ink receiving portion 46 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.

[0035] A recess 46a for receiving ink is formed in the center of the ink receiving portion 46. In plan view, the recess 46a is formed to be larger than the area where the inkjet heads 29 of the line heads 28C, 28K, 28M, and 28Y are arranged. The upper side of the ink receiving portion 46 is open. A wiper unit 47 is housed in the recess 46a of the ink receiving portion 46.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, a drain portion 46f is formed on the right side surface of the ink receiving portion 46. The drain portion 46f is provided on the side surface of the ink receiving portion 46 that is on the lower side when the ink receiving portion 46 is moved to the retracted position and stands vertically. When the ink receiving portion 46 is moved to the retracted position, ink stored on the bottom surface of the recess 46a of the ink receiving portion 46 flows out into the drain portion 46f and is discharged via a drain hose (not shown) connected to the drain portion 46f. Note that the drain portion 46f is not shown in FIG. 3.

[0037] The wiper unit 47 wipes the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head 29 and also wipes the bottom surface of the recess 46a of the ink receiving section 46. The wiper unit 47 includes an attachment section 49, eight first wiper blades 80A, and a second wiper blade 90.

[0038] The first wiper blade 80A is attached to the attachment portion 49. The attachment portion 49 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Screw holes 49a and 49b are formed in the attachment portion 49. Screw gears 84A and 84B, which will be described later, pass through and are screwed into the screw holes 49a and 49b, respectively. Rotation of the screw gears 84A and 84B causes the attachment portion 49 to move in the front-to-rear direction.

[0039] The first wiper blade 80A is a member that wipes the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head 29. The first wiper blade 80A is made of an elastically deformable material such as rubber and is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate. The lower end of the first wiper blade 80A is fixed to the mounting portion 49. As shown in FIG. 4, the eight first wiper blades 80A are arranged on extensions of each row along the front-to-rear direction of the staggered inkjet head 29 when the wiping portion 80 is placed in the cleaning position.

[0040] When the wiping unit 80 is placed in the cleaning position, the upper end of the first wiper blade 80A is configured to be higher than the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head 29. When the first wiper blade 80A is moved in the front-to-rear direction and comes into contact with the inkjet head 29, it is elastically deformed and its upper end slides (wipes) over the ink ejection surface.

[0041] In addition, a second wipe blade 90 is provided on the underside of the mounting portion 49. In Fig. 3, the second wipe blade 90 is not shown because it is located below the mounting portion 49, but in Fig. 4, it is indicated by a dotted square.

[0042] 4, the second wiper blade 90 is a long wiper blade that is longer in the left-right direction than the first wiper blade 80A. The second wiper blade 90 is a rod-shaped wiper blade formed in the shape of a triangular prism, and is provided so as to be able to slide on the bottom surface of the recess 46a of the ink receiving section 46.

[0043] Fig. 5 is a view of the mounting portion 49, the first wiper blade 80A, and the second wiper blade 90 shown in Fig. 4 as viewed from the front (direction of arrow A). One end 90a of the second wiper blade 90 is connected to the underside of the mounting portion 49 via a rotation shaft 91, while the other end 90b is not directly connected to the mounting portion 49 but is configured to be rotatable around the rotation shaft 91.

[0044] The second wipe blade 90 moves and rotates with a delay following the movement of the mounting portion 49, and its operation will be described in detail later.

[0045] The wiper drive unit 48 moves the wiper unit 47 in the front-rear direction. The wiper drive unit 48 includes a wiper motor 81, a drive belt 82, drive pulleys 83A and 83B, and screw gears 84A and 84B.

[0046] The wiper motor 81 generates a rotational driving force for moving the wiper unit 47. The wiper motor 81 is disposed outside the rear wall of the ink receiving section 46. The wiper motor 81 has an output gear 81a. The output gear 81a transmits the rotational driving force of the wiper motor 81 to a drive belt 82. The output gear 81a is disposed in the center of the drive belt 82.

[0047] The drive belt 82 transmits the rotational drive force transmitted from the wiper motor 81 to the drive pulleys 83A and 83B. The drive belt 82 is stretched over the drive pulley 83A and the drive pulley 83B.

[0048] The drive pulleys 83A and 83B transmit the rotational drive force transmitted from the drive belt 82 to the screw gears 84A and 84B. The drive pulleys 83A and 83B are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction and are disposed at the same height. The drive pulleys 83A and 83B are rotatably supported on the rear wall of the ink receiving section 46.

[0049] The screw gears 84A and 84B move the wiper unit 47 in the front-rear direction by the rotational driving force transmitted from the drive pulleys 83A and 83B. The screw gears 84A and 84B extend over substantially the entire length of the recess 46a in the front-rear direction. The rear ends of the screw gears 84A and 84B are fixed to the drive pulleys 83A and 83B, respectively. The front ends of the screw gears 84A and 84B are rotatably supported on the front wall of the ink receiving portion 46. As a result, the screw gears 84A and 84B rotate together with the drive pulleys 83A and 83B, respectively.

[0050] Next, the operation of the second wiper blade 90 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. As described above, the second wiper blade 90 moves and rotates following the movement of the mounting portion 49 with a delay. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the mounting portion 49 moves from rear to front, the second wiper blade 90 moves behind the mounting portion 49 while rotating about the rotation axis 91 due to friction with the bottom surface of the recess 46a of the ink receiving portion 46. In this way, the second wiper blade 90 moves following the mounting portion 49 with a delay, so that the mounting portion 49 and the second wiper blade 90 move at a predetermined angle.

[0051] Similarly, as shown in Figure 6B, when the mounting portion 49 moves from front to back, the second wipe blade 90 moves later than the mounting portion 49 while rotating around the pivot axis 91 due to friction with the bottom surface of the recess 46a of the ink receiving portion 46.

[0052] Then, the attachment portion 49 and the second wipe blade 90 move from back to front or front to back while maintaining the angle θ shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

[0053] Any configuration may be used to maintain the angle θ. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a string-like fastener 92 may be provided between the end 90b of the second wipe blade 90 opposite the pivot shaft 91 and the end 49c of the mounting portion 49. FIG. 8 is a view of the mounting portion 49, first wiper blade 80A, and second wiper blade 90 shown in FIG. 7 as viewed from the direction of arrow B. As shown in FIG. 8, the end 90b of the second wiper blade 90 and the end 49c of the mounting portion 49 are formed with holes 90c and 49d, respectively, through which the fastener 92 is passed. The fastener 92 is formed in a ring shape and passes through the holes 90c and 49d, and the angle θ between the mounting portion 49 and the second wiper blade 90 is regulated by the length of the fastener 92. Note that the fastener 92 is not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0054] The angle θ formed between the attachment portion 49 and the second wiper blade 90 is preferably between 20° and 45°, inclusive, so that ink that has dropped onto the bottom surface of the recess 46a of the ink receiving portion 46 can be efficiently collected.

[0055] The operation panel 60 is configured, for example, as a touch panel, and displays various input screens and the like, and also accepts input operations by the user.

[0056] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment.

[0057] The control unit 70 controls the entire inkjet printing apparatus 1, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), semiconductor memory, a hard disk, etc. The control unit 70 controls the operation of each part of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 by executing a program stored in advance in a storage medium such as the semiconductor memory or the hard disk, and by operating electric circuits.

[0058] Next, the printing operation of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0059] In a standby state before the start of a printing operation, the transport unit 32 and the wiping unit 80 are each disposed at the standby position shown in Fig. 10A. The standby position of the transport unit 32 is below the line heads 28C, 28K, 28M, and 28Y, and is below the printing position, which is the position of the transport unit 32 shown in Fig. 1. The standby position of the wiping unit 80 is a position above the transport unit 32 in the standby position.

[0060] From the state shown in Fig. 10A, first, the control unit 70 moves the wiping unit 80 to the retracted position as shown in Fig. 10B. At this time, the wiping unit 80 moves to a position where the bottom surface of the recess 46a of the ink receiving unit 46 faces substantially vertically as shown in Fig. 10B. As a result, the ink that has fallen to the bottom surface of the recess 46a moves vertically downward along the bottom surface due to its own weight, and flows out and is discharged from the drain hose connected to the drain portion 46f of the ink receiving unit 46.

[0061] 10C, the control unit 70 raises the transport unit 32 and moves it to the printing position, whereby the wiping unit 80 retreats to the retreat position and the transport unit 32 is placed at the printing position.

[0062] After the transport unit 32 is positioned at the printing position, unprinted print paper P is transported from paper feed tray 11 of side paper feed unit 10 or one of the multiple paper feed trays 21a-21d to secondary paper feed unit 14, and then secondary paper feed unit 14 transports print paper P to transport unit 32. Then, while being adsorbed and transported by transport unit 32, print paper P is printed using ink ejected from line heads 28C, 28K, 28M, and 28Y. After printing, print paper P is transported to the circulating transport path CR above the head unit 31. Then, in the case of single-sided printing, print paper P is guided by switching mechanism 43 to the transport path on the paper discharge unit 40 side, and is discharged onto paper discharge tray 41 by paper discharge rollers 42.

[0063] On the other hand, in the case of double-sided printing, the printing paper P is guided toward the reversing unit 50 by the switching mechanism 43. The printing paper P guided to the reversing unit 50 is transported from the circulating conveying path CR to the reversing table 51 by the reversing rollers 52, and then returned from the reversing table 51 to the circulating conveying path CR. Then, the printing paper P, now upside down, is transported again toward the transporting unit 32 by multiple rollers, including the transport roller 53, provided on the circulating conveying path CR.

[0064] The printing paper P has been inverted by the inverting unit 50 so that the unprinted side faces upward. As the printing paper P is transported by the transport unit 32, the unprinted side is printed with ink ejected from the line heads 28C, 28K, 28M, and 28Y. The printing paper P that has been printed on both sides is then transported by the circulating transport path CR to the paper discharge unit 40, where it is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 41.

[0065] When printing of the number of prints set for the print job or the like is completed, the control unit 70 moves the transport unit 32 from the printing position to the standby position, and then moves the wiping unit 80 from the retracted position to the standby position.

[0066] Next, the cleaning operation of the inkjet head 29 in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0067] The cleaning operation of the inkjet head 29 is performed, for example, when the cumulative number of printed sheets since the previous wiping reaches a threshold number, or when the inkjet printing apparatus 1 is started up.

[0068] When performing the cleaning operation, the control unit 70 places the transport unit 32 and the wiping unit 80 in the cleaning position. Specifically, the control unit 70 lowers the transport unit 32 from the printing position to the standby position. Next, the control unit 70 moves the wiping unit 80 from the retracted position to the standby position. Then, the control unit 70 raises the transport unit 32 and moves the transport unit 32 and the wiping unit 80 to the cleaning position shown in FIG. 11.

[0069] The cleaning position of the transport unit 32 is above the standby position and below the printing position. The cleaning position of the wiping unit 80 is a position above the transport unit 32 in the cleaning position.

[0070] When the transport unit 32 and the wiping unit 80 are placed in the cleaning position, the control unit 70 executes purging. Specifically, the control unit 70 controls the inkjet head 29 to generate a predetermined purge pressure to expel ink from the nozzles. This forces ink out of the nozzles of the inkjet head 29, causing the ink to adhere to the ink ejection surface.

[0071] Next, the control unit 70 performs wiping. Specifically, the control unit 70 drives the wiper motor 81 to start moving the wiper unit 47 forward. When the wiping unit 80 moves to the cleaning position, the wiper unit 47 is in its initial position behind the rearmost inkjet head 29.

[0072] When the wiper unit 47 moves forward and the first wiper blade 80A comes into contact with the inkjet head 29, the first wiper blade 80A is pressed against the inkjet head 29 and elastically deforms. When the wiper unit 47 moves further forward in this state, the upper end of the first wiper blade 80A wipes the ink ejection surface. As a result, the ink adhering to the ink ejection surface is removed together with any dust or other foreign matter on the ink ejection surface and falls into the recess 46a of the ink receiving unit 46.

[0073] Then, following the forward movement of the wiper unit 47, the second wiper blade 90 moves as described above and wipes the bottom surface of the recess 46a of the ink receiving portion 46. The waste ink wiped by the second wiper blade 90 is collected at the side edge of the ink receiving portion 46 on the drain portion 46f side (right side).

[0074] Then, when the first wiper blade 80A moves forward of the foremost inkjet head 29, the control unit 70 stops the wiper motor 81. As a result, the wiper unit 47 stops.

[0075] When the printing operation is resumed after the cleaning operation described above is completed, the control unit 70 moves the wiping unit 80 to the retracted position and moves the transport unit 32 to the printing position. Specifically, the control unit 70 first lowers the transport unit 32 to move the transport unit 32 and the wiping unit 80 from the cleaning position to the standby position. The control unit 70 also drives the wiper motor 81 to move the wiper unit 47 to the initial position.

[0076] When the wiper unit 47 moves to the initial position, the second wiper blade 90 also moves following the movement of the wiper unit 47 to the initial position, wiping the bottom surface of the recess 46a of the ink receiving section 46. The waste ink wiped by the second wiper blade 90 is collected at the side edge of the ink receiving section 46 on the drain section 46f side (right side).

[0077] Next, the control unit 70 moves the wiping unit 80 from the standby position to the retracted position, causing the ink that has fallen onto the bottom surface of the recess 46a to move vertically downward along the bottom surface due to its own weight, and then flow out and be discharged from the drain hose connected to the drain unit 46f of the ink receiving unit 46.

[0078] Then, the control unit 70 raises the transport unit 32 and moves it from the standby position to the printing position, after which the printing operation is resumed.

[0079] If the printing operation is not to be resumed, after the cleaning operation is completed, the control unit 70 lowers the transport unit 32 and moves the transport unit 32 and the wiping unit 80 from the cleaning position to the standby position. The control unit 70 also drives the wiper motor 81 to move the wiper unit 47 to the initial position. This puts the inkjet printing apparatus 1 into a standby state.

[0080] Furthermore, although the second wipe blade 90 in the above embodiment has a linear shape, this is not limiting, and as shown in Figures 12A and 12B, a bent portion 90d may be provided near the center of the second wipe blade 90 to restrict the distance between the end 90b of the second wipe blade 90 and the attachment portion 49 within a predetermined range. Note that Figure 12A shows the state of the bent portion 90d when the attachment portion 49 moves in the direction of arrow C, and Figure 12B shows the state of the bent portion 90d when the attachment portion 49 moves in the direction of arrow D. Note that even when the second wipe blade 90 has a bent portion 90d, a fastener 92 may be provided at the end 90b of the second wipe blade 90.

[0081] In addition, in the ink receiving portion 46 of the above embodiment, grooves 46b may be formed at one end or both ends in the movement direction of the first wiper blade 80A. Figures 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example in which grooves 46b are formed at the end of the ink receiving portion 46 on the initial position side of the wiper unit 47.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 13A, as the wiper unit 47 moves in the direction of the arrow, the second wiper blade 90 collects waste ink that has fallen onto the bottom surface of the recess 46a of the ink receiving portion 46. Then, as shown in FIG. 13B, the waste ink collected by the second wiper blade 90 falls into the groove 46b. An ink-blocking wall 46d is erected at the opening 46c of the groove 46b. As shown in FIG. 13B, the attachment portion 49, which has moved to the initial position, comes into contact with the ink-blocking wall 46d, so that the second wiper blade 90, the attachment portion 49, and the ink-blocking wall 46d form a lid for the groove 46b.

[0083] According to the inkjet printing device 1 of the above embodiment, a first wiper blade 80A and a second wiper blade 90 are provided, and the second wiper blade 90 forms a predetermined angle with the row of first wiper blades 80A and moves while maintaining that angle.Therefore, the second wiper blade 90 can be moved with a simple configuration without any special power, and thereby ink accumulated on the bottom surface of the ink receiving section 46 can be efficiently collected, thereby preventing ink from splashing from the ink receiving section 46.

[0084] Furthermore, when the ink receiving section 46 moves to the retracted position, there is no need to slow down the moving speed or stop it temporarily, so downtime due to cleaning operations can be reduced, and productivity can be improved.

[0085] Furthermore, in the wiping section 80 of the above embodiment, one end of the second wipe blade 90 is fixed so as to be rotatable, so that the second wipe blade 90 can be inclined with respect to the row of first wipe blades 80A (mounting section 49) using a simple configuration, and ink on the bottom surface of the ink receiving section 46 can be efficiently collected.

[0086] Furthermore, in the wiping section 80 of the above embodiment, the second wipe blade 90 is positioned closer to the bottom surface of the ink receiving section 46 than the multiple first wipe blades 80A relative to the mounting section 49, so that the second wipe blade can be configured to slide along the bottom surface of the ink receiving section 46 with a simple configuration.

[0087] Furthermore, in the wiping section 80 of the above embodiment, the second wiper blade 90 rotates at one end of the mounting section 49 and moves in accordance with the movement of the mounting section 49, so that ink that has been wiped by the first wiper blade 80A and fallen into the ink receiving section 46 can be collected more efficiently.

[0088] In addition, in the wiping portion 80 of the above embodiment, a string-like fastener 92 is provided between the other end of the second wipe blade 90 and the other end of the mounting portion 49, and a predetermined angle is regulated by the length of the fastener 92, so that the angle between the mounting portion 49 and the second wipe blade 90 can be controlled with a simple configuration.

[0089] Furthermore, in the wiping section 80 of the above embodiment, if a bending portion 90d is provided on the second wiper blade 90 and the distance between the row of first wiper blades 80A (mounting portion 49) and the end of the second wiper blade 90 is restricted to within a predetermined range, the distance between the mounting portion 49 and the end of the second wiper blade 90 can be controlled with a simple configuration, thereby enabling ink to be collected efficiently.

[0090] In the wiping section 80 of the above embodiment, if a groove section 46b is formed at one end or both ends of the ink receiving section 46 in the movement direction of the first wipe blade 80A to collect ink that has fallen into the ink receiving section 46, the ink collected by the second wipe blade 90 can be more efficiently guided to the drain section 46f.

[0091] Furthermore, if an ink-shielding wall portion 46d that forms the lid portion of the groove portion 46b together with the mounting portion 49 is provided at the opening of the groove portion 46b, it is possible to reliably prevent ink from splashing inside the groove portion 46b.

[0092] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the components can be modified and embodied in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, all of the components shown in the embodiments can be appropriately combined. Naturally, various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the invention.

[0093] The following additional notes are further disclosed regarding the inkjet printing device of the present invention.

[0094] (Appendix 1) The wiping device of the present invention comprises a plurality of first wiper blades that wipe the ink ejection surfaces of a plurality of inkjet heads, an ink receiving section that houses the plurality of first wiper blades and receives ink that falls due to wiping by the first wiper blades, a wiper drive section that moves a row in which the plurality of first wiper blades are arranged within the ink receiving section in a direction perpendicular to the row, and a second wiper blade that is slidably arranged on the bottom surface of the ink receiving section and moves together with the row of first wiper blades while forming a predetermined angle with the row of first wiper blades and maintaining that angle.

[0095] (Appendix 2) In the wiping device described in Supplementary Note 1, one end of the second wiper blade can be rotatably fixed.

[0096] (Appendix 3) The wiping device described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2 includes an attachment portion on which a plurality of first wipe blades and a second wipe blade are provided, and the second wipe blade can be positioned closer to the bottom surface of the ink receiving portion than the plurality of first wipe blades.

[0097] (Appendix 4) In the wiping device described in Appendix 3, one end of the second wiper blade is rotatably connected to one end of the mounting portion, and the second wiper blade can rotate at one end of the mounting portion and move in accordance with the movement of the mounting portion.

[0098] (Appendix 5) In the wiping device described in Appendix 4, a string-like fastener is provided between the other end of the second wipe blade and the other end of the mounting portion, and the predetermined angle can be regulated by the length of the fastener.

[0099] (Appendix 6) In the wiping device described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, the second wiper blade may have a bent portion, and by bending at the bent portion, the distance between the row of first wiper blades and the end of the second wiper blade can be regulated within a predetermined range.

[0100] (Appendix 7) In the wiping device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 6, a groove portion can be formed at one end or both ends of the ink receiving portion in the direction of movement of the first wiper blade, in order to collect ink that has fallen into the ink receiving portion.

[0101] (Appendix 8) In the wiping device described in Appendix 3, a groove portion for collecting ink that falls into the ink receiving portion can be formed at one end or both ends of the ink receiving portion in the movement direction of the first wiper blade, and an ink-shielding wall portion can be provided at the opening of the groove portion, which, together with the mounting portion, forms a lid portion for the groove portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1. Inkjet printing device 10 Side paper feed section 11 Paper feed stand 12 Primary paper feed section 14 Secondary paper feed section 20 Internal paper feed section 21a~21d Paper feed stand 22a~22d Primary paper feed section 28C, 28K, 28M, 28Y Line Head 29 Inkjet head 30 Printing Department 31 Head Unit 32 Conveyor 40 Paper output section 41 Paper receiving tray 42 Paper ejection roller 43 Mechanism 46 Ink receiver 46a Recess 46b Groove 46c opening 46d Ink shielding wall 46f Drain section 47 Wiper unit 48 Wiper drive unit 49 Mounting part 49a, 49b screw holes 49c end 49d hole 50 Reversal section 51 Inversion Table 52 Reversing roller 53 Conveyor roller 60 Operation Panel 70 Control Unit 80 Wiping section 80 First Wipe Blade 80A First Wipe Blade 81 Wiper motor 81a Output gear 82 Drive belt 83A, 83B drive pulley 84A, 84B screw gear 90 Second Wipe Blade 90a end 90b end 90c hole 90d bend 91 Rotating shaft 92 Fasteners 131,132 Intake fan 133 Conveyor Belt 134 Drive roller 135 driven roller CR Circulation Path FR paper feed path P Print paper

Claims

1. a plurality of first wiper blades for wiping ink ejection surfaces of the plurality of inkjet heads; an ink receiving section that houses the plurality of first wiper blades and receives ink that falls due to wiping by the first wiper blades; a wiper driving unit that moves a row in which the plurality of first wiper blades are arranged in the ink receiving unit in a direction perpendicular to the row; A wiping device comprising a second wiper blade slidably mounted on the bottom surface of the ink receiving portion, the second wiper blade forming a predetermined angle with the row of first wiper blades and moving together with the row of first wiper blades while maintaining the angle.

2. 2. The wiping device according to claim 1, wherein one end of the second wiper blade is rotatably fixed.

3. a mounting portion on which the plurality of first wiper blades and the second wiper blade are provided; The wiping device according to claim 1 , wherein the second wiper blade is disposed closer to the bottom surface of the ink receiving portion than the plurality of first wiper blades.

4. One end of the second wiper blade is pivotally connected to one end of the mounting portion, 4. The wiping device according to claim 3, wherein the second wiper blade rotates at one end of the mounting portion and moves in accordance with the movement of the mounting portion.

5. 5. The wiping device according to claim 4, wherein a string-like fastener is provided between the other end of the second wipe blade and the other end of the mounting portion, and the predetermined angle is regulated by the length of the fastener.

6. the second wiper blade has a bent portion; 2. The wiping device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the row of first wiper blades and the end of the second wiper blade is restricted to within a predetermined range by bending at the bending portion.

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