Ink jet printer

Abstract

To provide an ink jet printer comprising a wiper member for wiping an ink discharge surface of an ink jet head that can suppress ink scattering due to elastic deformation of the wiper member.SOLUTION: In this ink jet printer, a wiper member 15 is rotatable between a contact possible position 15A and a retreat position 15B with a cross direction as a rotation axial direction, and is movable in the cross direction between a wiping possible position 15C and a standby position 15D. In the ink jet printer, a retreat operation, such that the wiper member 15 moves toward the standby position 15D while rotating toward the retreat position 15B before the other side end in a longitudinal direction of an ink discharge surface 3a of an ink jet head 3 moving to one side in the longitudinal direction passes the wiper member 15 that is located at the contact possible position 15A and wipes the ink discharge surface 3a, is started when viewed from the cross direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inkjet printer equipped with a wiper member for contacting and wiping the ink ejection surface of an inkjet head, and also to an inkjet printer equipped with a wiper member for contacting and wiping the ultraviolet irradiated surface of an ultraviolet irradiator for curing ultraviolet-curable ink. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, inkjet printers that eject ink to print on a medium are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1 includes an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, and a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in the main scanning direction. An ink ejection surface (nozzle surface) on which multiple nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head. The inkjet printer also includes a maintenance unit that prevents clogging of the multiple nozzles in the inkjet head.

[0003] In the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1, the maintenance unit includes a wiping mechanism for wiping off ink adhering to the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head. The wiping mechanism includes a wiper member for wiping the ink ejection surface, a wiper holding member to which the wiper member is fixed, and a wiper drive mechanism for moving the wiper holding member in a forward / backward direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the main scanning direction. The wiper member is made of, for example, rubber and is elastic.

[0004] In the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1, when the carriage moves in the main scanning direction with the wiper member positioned at the same position as the inkjet head in the front-to-rear direction, the wiper member comes into contact with the ink ejection surface and wipes off ink adhering to the ink ejection surface. At this time, the upper end of the wiper member that comes into contact with the ink ejection surface is elastically deformed. Furthermore, in this inkjet printer, when the wiper member is not wiping off ink adhering to the ink ejection surface, the wiper member is positioned in a standby position that is offset from the position where the inkjet head is positioned in the front-to-rear direction.

[0005] Further, as a conventional inkjet printer for printing on a medium, there is known an inkjet printer that includes an inkjet head that ejects ultraviolet-curable ink, an ultraviolet irradiator that irradiates the ink ejected from the inkjet head with ultraviolet light to cure the ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head and ultraviolet irradiator are mounted, and a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in the main scanning direction (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 2, the bottom surface of the ultraviolet irradiator serves as an ultraviolet irradiation surface that irradiates ultraviolet light toward the medium. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-45875 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-62788 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 1, the wiper member is made of elastic rubber or the like, and the upper end of the wiper member that comes into contact with the ink ejection surface when wiping off ink from the ink ejection surface is elastically deformed. Therefore, in this inkjet printer, when the wiper member that has been in contact with the ink ejection surface to wipe off ink from the ink ejection surface moves away from the ink ejection surface as the carriage moves in the main scanning direction, there is a risk that the upper end of the wiper member will suddenly elastically deform to return to its original shape. If the upper end of the wiper member suddenly elastically deforms, there is a risk that ink adhering to the wiper member will splash and contaminate the area around the wiping mechanism.

[0008] Therefore, the first object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer that is equipped with a wiper member that comes into contact with the ink ejection surface of an inkjet head to wipe the ink ejection surface, and that is capable of suppressing ink splatter caused by elastic deformation of the wiper member.

[0009] Furthermore, in the inkjet printer described in Patent Document 2, ink ejected from the inkjet head may adhere to the ultraviolet irradiation surface of the ultraviolet irradiator. Ink adhering to the ultraviolet irradiation surface can be wiped off, for example, using the wiping mechanism described in Patent Document 1. When wiping off ink adhering to the ultraviolet irradiation surface using the wiping mechanism described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the upper end of the wiper member, which has been in contact with the ultraviolet irradiation surface and is wiping off the ink from the ultraviolet irradiation surface, may suddenly elastically deform to return to its original shape when it moves away from the ultraviolet irradiation surface as the carriage moves in the main scanning direction, just as when a wiper member in contact with the ink ejection surface wipes off the ink from the ink ejection surface. If the upper end of the wiper member suddenly elastically deforms, ink adhering to the wiper member may scatter and contaminate the area around the wiping mechanism.

[0010] Therefore, a second object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printer that is equipped with a wiper member that comes into contact with the ultraviolet irradiated surface of an ultraviolet irradiator for curing ultraviolet-curable ink and wipes the ultraviolet irradiated surface, and that is capable of suppressing ink splatter caused by elastic deformation of the wiper member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the first object, an inkjet printer of the present invention comprises an inkjet head that ejects ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, and a maintenance unit that prevents clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head, wherein an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of nozzles are arranged is formed on the underside of the inkjet head, and the main scanning direction is defined as the left-right direction, the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction is defined as the front-rear direction, and the position in the front-rear direction through which the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head that moves in the left-right direction together with the carriage passes is defined as the head position, the maintenance unit comprises a wiper member that comes into contact with the ink ejection surface to wipe the ink ejection surface, and a wiper drive mechanism that moves the wiper member in the front-rear direction, and The drive mechanism moves the wiper member in the front-to-back direction between a wiping position where the wiper member is positioned at the head position and a standby position where the wiper member is displaced from the head position, and the wiper member is rotatable with the front-to-back direction as the axial direction of rotation between a contact position where the wiper member can contact the ink ejection surface and a retracted position where the wiper member cannot contact the ink ejection surface, and when wiping the ink ejection surface, the wiper member is positioned at both the wiping position and the contact position, and when viewed from the front-to-back direction, the other side end in the left-to-right direction of the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head, which moves to one side in the left-to-right direction together with the carriage, begins a retraction operation in which the wiper member rotates toward the retracted position and moves toward the standby position before passing the wiper member which is positioned at the contact position and wiping the ink ejection surface.

[0012] In the inkjet printer of the present invention, the wiper drive mechanism moves the wiper member in the front-rear direction between the wiping position and the standby position. Also, in the present invention, the wiper member is rotatable about its axis of rotation in the front-rear direction between the contact position and the retracted position. Furthermore, in the present invention, when viewed from the front-rear direction, the wiper member starts a retraction operation in which it moves toward the standby position while rotating toward the retracted position before the other left-right end of the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head, which moves to one side in the left-right direction together with the carriage, passes the wiper member, which is positioned at the contact position and wiping the ink ejection surface.

[0013] Therefore, in this invention, when wiping off ink adhering to the ink ejection surface, the upper end of the wiper member, which has elastically deformed upon contact with the ink ejection surface, can be caused to elastically deform slowly when returning to its original shape. Therefore, in this invention, it is possible to suppress ink splattering caused by the elastic deformation of the wiper member. Furthermore, in this invention, during the retraction operation, the wiper member moves toward the standby position while rotating toward the retracted position. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the movement time of the wiper member when moving from the wiping position to the standby position, compared to, for example, when the wiper member starts moving toward the standby position after rotating to the retracted position.

[0014] In the present invention, if the region of the ink ejection surface where the nozzles are formed is defined as the nozzle formation region, when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, it is preferable that the other left-to-right end of the nozzle formation region of the inkjet head, which moves to one side in the left-to-right direction together with the carriage, starts its retraction operation after passing the wiper member, which is positioned in a contactable position and wiping the ink ejection surface. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent ink adhering to the nozzle formation region from being left unwiped.

[0015] In order to achieve the second object, an inkjet printer of the present invention includes an inkjet head that ejects ultraviolet-curable ink, an ultraviolet irradiator that irradiates ultraviolet light onto the ink ejected from the inkjet head to cure the ink, a carriage on which the inkjet head and the ultraviolet irradiator are mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, and a wiper member that comes into contact with the ultraviolet irradiating surface that is the underside of the ultraviolet irradiator to wipe the ultraviolet irradiated surface, and the inkjet printer further includes a wiper drive mechanism that moves the wiper member in the front-to-back direction, where the main scanning direction is defined as the left-to-right direction, the direction perpendicular to the up-to-down direction and the left-to-right direction is defined as the front-to-back direction, and the position in the front-to-back direction through which the ultraviolet irradiated surface of the ultraviolet irradiator that moves in the left-to-right direction together with the carriage passes is defined as the ultraviolet irradiator position. The wiper member is moved in the front-to-rear direction between a wiping position where the wiper member is positioned at the ultraviolet irradiator position and a standby position where the wiper member is removed from the ultraviolet irradiator position, and the wiper member is rotatable with the front-to-rear direction as the axial direction of rotation between a contact position where the wiper member can contact the ultraviolet irradiated surface and a retracted position where the wiper member cannot contact the ultraviolet irradiated surface, and when wiping the ultraviolet irradiated surface, the wiper member is positioned at both the wiping position and the contact position, and when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, the other left-to-right end of the ultraviolet irradiated surface of the ultraviolet irradiator, which moves to one side in the left-to-right direction together with the carriage, begins a retraction operation in which the wiper member rotates toward the retracted position and moves toward the standby position before passing the wiper member which is positioned at the contact position and wiping the ultraviolet irradiated surface.

[0016] In the inkjet printer of the present invention, the wiper drive mechanism moves the wiper member in the front-to-rear direction between the wiping position and the standby position. Also, in the present invention, the wiper member is rotatable about its axis of rotation in the front-to-rear direction between the contact position and the retracted position. Furthermore, in the present invention, when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, the wiper member starts a retraction operation in which it moves toward the standby position while rotating toward the retracted position before the other left-to-right end of the ultraviolet irradiator's ultraviolet irradiation surface, which moves to one side in the left-to-right direction together with the carriage, passes the wiper member, which is positioned at the contact position and wiping the ultraviolet irradiated surface.

[0017] Therefore, in the present invention, when wiping off ink adhering to the ultraviolet-irradiated surface, the upper end of the wiper member, which has elastically deformed upon contact with the ultraviolet-irradiated surface, can be caused to elastically deform gently when returning to its original shape. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to suppress ink scattering caused by the elastic deformation of the wiper member. Furthermore, in the present invention, during the retraction operation, the wiper member moves toward the standby position while rotating toward the retracted position. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the movement time of the wiper member when moving from the wiping position to the standby position, compared to, for example, when the wiper member starts moving toward the standby position after rotating to the retracted position.

[0018] In the present invention, the maintenance unit includes a wiper holding member that holds a wiper member, a slide member that rotatably holds the wiper holding member, a holding frame that movably holds the slide member, a biasing member that biases the wiper holding member against the slide member to one side in the rotation direction of the wiper holding member relative to the slide member, and a guide portion that comes into contact with the wiper holding member and rotates the wiper holding member against the biasing force of the biasing member to the other side in the rotation direction of the wiper holding member relative to the slide member, and the wiper holding member is rotatable relative to the slide member with the front-rear direction as the rotation axis direction, and the slide member is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the holding frame, and the wiper drive mechanism is The wiper member, which is moved in the forward / backward direction and positioned at the standby position, is positioned at the retracted position, and the biasing member biases the wiper holder member in the direction toward the retracted position. When the wiper member positioned at the standby position moves together with the wiper holder member and the sliding member toward the wiping position, the wiper holder member contacts the guide portion, causing the wiper member to move to the contact position. Alternatively, the biasing member biases the wiper holder member in the direction toward the contact position, and when the wiper member positioned at the wiping position moves together with the wiper holder member and the sliding member toward the standby position, the wiper holder member contacts the guide portion, causing the wiper member to move to the retracted position. This configuration eliminates the need for a drive source for rotating the wiper member about the forward / backward direction as the axis of rotation. This reduces the cost of the maintenance unit.

[0019] In the present invention, it is preferable that the guide portion is formed integrally with the holding frame, which simplifies the structure of the maintenance unit and reduces the cost of the maintenance unit compared to when the guide portion and the holding frame are provided separately.

[0020] In the present invention, the biasing member is preferably a torsion coil spring. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the space required for arranging the biasing member, making it easier to make the maintenance unit smaller.

[0021] In the present invention, for example, the wiper drive mechanism includes a motor, a first lever member having one end fixed to the output shaft of the motor, and a second lever member having one end rotatably connected to the other end of the first lever member, and the other end of the second lever member is rotatably connected to a slide member.

[0022] In the present invention, it is preferable that the maintenance unit includes a liquid absorbing member that rotates together with the wiper member with the front-rear direction as the rotation axis and moves in the front-rear direction together with the wiper member and that is capable of absorbing ink, the wiper member moving from the standby position to the wiping position moves to one side in the front-rear direction, one front-rear end of the liquid absorbing member is located on one side in the front-rear direction of the ink ejection surface when the wiper member is located at the wiping position, and the liquid absorbing member is located at a second contactable position that can contact the ink ejection surface when the wiper member is located at the retracted position. With this configuration, it is possible for the liquid absorbing member to absorb and remove ink from the ink ejection surface that was not wiped off by the wiper member moving from the wiping position to the standby position.

[0023] In the present invention, the inkjet printer preferably includes a liquid-absorbing member that rotates together with the wiper member with the front-rear direction as its axis of rotation and moves in the front-rear direction together with the wiper member and is capable of absorbing ink, wherein the wiper member moves to one side in the front-rear direction when moving from the standby position to the wiping position, one front-rear end of the liquid-absorbing member is located to one side in the front-rear direction of the ultraviolet-irradiated surface when the wiper member is located at the wiping position, and the liquid-absorbing member is located at a second contactable position that can contact the ultraviolet-irradiated surface when the wiper member is located at the retracted position. With this configuration, it is possible for the liquid-absorbing member to absorb and remove ink from the ultraviolet-irradiated surface that was not wiped off by the wiper member when moving from the wiping position to the standby position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] As described above, the present invention makes it possible to suppress ink splatter caused by elastic deformation of a wiper member in an inkjet printer equipped with a wiper member that comes into contact with the ink ejection surface of an inkjet head to wipe the ink ejection surface.Furthermore, the present invention makes it possible to suppress ink splatter caused by elastic deformation of the wiper member in an inkjet printer equipped with a wiper member that comes into contact with the ultraviolet irradiated surface of an ultraviolet irradiator that cures ultraviolet-curable ink to wipe the ultraviolet irradiated surface. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a plan view of the maintenance unit shown in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the wiper member is placed at a standby position and a retracted position. FIG. [Figure 4]2 is a plan view of the maintenance unit shown in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the wiper member is located at a wiping position and a contact position. FIG. [Figure 5] 4 is a side view showing the wiping mechanism as seen from the EE direction in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a side view showing the wiping mechanism from the FF direction in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the wiping mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 8] 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the wiping mechanism shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10(A) is a plan view illustrating the configuration of a liquid-absorbing member according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10(B) is a side view showing the liquid-absorbing member and the like from the GG direction of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0027] (Overall structure of inkjet printer) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the inkjet printer 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0028] The inkjet printer 1 (hereinafter referred to as "printer 1") of this embodiment is a commercial inkjet printer that prints on a medium 2 such as paper, fabric, or resin film. The medium 2 is formed in a long, narrow strip shape. The printer 1 includes an inkjet head 3 (hereinafter referred to as "head 3") that ejects ink toward the medium 2, a carriage 4 on which the head 3 is mounted, a carriage drive mechanism 5 that moves the carriage 4 in a main scanning direction (Y direction in FIG. 1, etc.) that is perpendicular to the up-down direction (vertical direction, Z direction in FIG. 1, etc.), a Y bar 6 that movably holds the carriage 4, a medium transport mechanism 7 that transports the medium 2, and a platen 8 on which the medium 2 is placed.

[0029] In the following description, the main scanning direction (Y direction) is referred to as the "left-right direction," and the X direction in Fig. 1, etc., which is perpendicular to the up-down direction and left-right direction, is referred to as the "front-rear direction." Furthermore, the Y1 direction side in Fig. 1, etc., which is one side of the left-right direction, is referred to as the "right" side, the Y2 direction side in Fig. 1, etc., which is the opposite side of the right side, is referred to as the "left" side, the X1 direction side in Fig. 1, etc., which is one side of the front-rear direction, is referred to as the "front" side, and the X2 direction side in Fig. 1, etc., which is the opposite side of the front, is referred to as the "rear" side.

[0030] In this embodiment, the left-right direction (Y direction) is the width direction of the medium 2. The up-down direction (Z direction) is the thickness direction of the medium 2 placed on the platen 8 during printing, and the front-to-rear direction (X direction) is the transport direction of the medium 2 moving over the platen 8 and is also the sub-scanning direction. In this embodiment, the left side (Y2 direction side) is one side of the left-to-right direction, and the right side (Y1 direction side) is the other side of the left-to-right direction. The front side (X1 direction side) is one side of the front-to-rear direction.

[0031] The printer 1 of this embodiment has one head 3, and one head 3 is mounted on a carriage 4. The head 3 ejects ink downward. An ink ejection surface 3a is formed on the underside of the head 3, where multiple nozzles that eject ink are arranged. Multiple nozzle rows are formed on the ink ejection surface 3a, arranged in the left-right direction (main scanning direction). The nozzle row is made up of a large number of nozzles arranged in the front-rear direction. When viewed from the top-bottom direction, the ink ejection surface 3a has a rectangular outer shape. Furthermore, when viewed from the top-bottom direction, two of the four sides of the rectangular ink ejection surface 3a are parallel to the left-right direction, and the remaining two sides are parallel to the front-rear direction. The head 3 has piezoelectric elements (piezo elements) that eject ink from the nozzles.

[0032] The carriage drive mechanism 5 includes, for example, two pulleys, a belt that is stretched over the two pulleys and has a portion fixed to the carriage 4, and a motor that rotates the pulleys. The medium transport mechanism 7 includes a transport roller for transporting the medium 2, a roller drive mechanism that drives the transport roller, and multiple pinch rollers that are urged toward the transport roller and pinch the medium 2 between them. The platen 8 is located below the carriage 4. The medium 2 is placed on the platen 8 during printing.

[0033] The head 3 in this embodiment ejects ultraviolet-curable ink (UV ink). The printer 1 is equipped with an ultraviolet irradiator 13 that irradiates the ink ejected from the head 3 with ultraviolet light to cure the ink. The ultraviolet irradiator 13 is mounted on the carriage 4. The ultraviolet irradiators 13 are arranged, for example, on both left and right sides of the head 3. The ultraviolet irradiators 13 emit ultraviolet light downward. The lower surface of the ultraviolet irradiator 13 serves as an ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a that irradiates ultraviolet light toward the medium 2. The ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a is arranged at the same position as the ink ejection surface 3a in the front-to-back direction. When viewed from the top-to-bottom direction, the ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a has a rectangular outer shape. Furthermore, when viewed from the top-to-bottom direction, two of the four sides of the rectangular ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a are parallel to the left-to-right direction, and the remaining two sides are parallel to the front-to-back direction.

[0034] The printer 1 also includes a maintenance unit 9 for preventing clogging of the multiple nozzles of the head 3. The maintenance unit 9 cleans the head 3 to prevent clogging of the multiple nozzles of the head 3. For example, the maintenance unit 9 performs purging, which forcibly sucks ink out of the nozzles of the head 3, flushing, which forcibly ejects ink from the nozzles of the head 3, and wiping, which wipes the ink ejection surface 3a with a wiper member 15 (described later). The maintenance unit 9 is located in a position outside the printing area in the left-right direction (main scanning direction) where printing on the medium 2 is performed. The maintenance unit 9 in this embodiment is located at the right end of the printer 1.

[0035] The maintenance unit 9 includes a capping mechanism 10 that covers the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3 and sucks ink from the nozzles, and a wiping mechanism 11 that wipes off ink adhering to the ink ejection surface 3a (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The capping mechanism 10 and wiping mechanism 11 are located below the head 3. The capping mechanism 10 is located immediately to the right of the wiping mechanism 11. The capping mechanism 10 includes a cap member that covers the ink ejection surface 3a from below. The specific configuration of the wiping mechanism 11 will be described below.

[0036] (Wiping mechanism configuration) FIG. 3 is a plan view of the maintenance unit 9 shown in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the wiper member 15 is positioned at the standby position 15D and the retracted position 15B. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the maintenance unit 9 shown in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the wiper member 15 is positioned at the wiping position 15C and the contact position 15A. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the wiping mechanism 11 from the EE direction in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the wiping mechanism 11 from the FF direction in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the wiping mechanism 11 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the operation of the wiping mechanism 11 shown in FIG. 3.

[0037] The wiping mechanism 11 includes a wiper member 15 that comes into contact with the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3 and wipes off (wipes away) ink adhering to the ink ejection surface 3a, a wiper holding member 16 that holds the wiper member 15, a slide member 17 that rotatably holds the wiper holding member 16, and a holding frame 18 that movably holds the slide member 17. The holding frame 18 is fixed to the main body frame of the printer 1. The slide member 17 is movable in the front-to-rear direction relative to the holding frame 18. The wiper holding member 16 is rotatable relative to the slide member 17, with the front-to-rear direction being the axis of rotation.

[0038] The wiper member 15 is fixed to the wiper holding member 16. That is, the wiper member 15 is rotatable around the front-rear direction as the axial direction of the rotation, and when the wiper holding member 16 rotates around the axial direction of the rotation relative to the slide member 17, the wiper member 15 rotates around the front-rear direction as the axial direction of the rotation.

[0039] In this embodiment, the wiper member 15 is rotatable with the front-to-rear direction as the axial direction of rotation between a contactable position 15A where the wiper member 15 can contact the ink ejection surface 3a (specifically, the upper end of the wiper member 15 can contact the ink ejection surface 3a) and a retracted position 15B where the wiper member 15 cannot contact the ink ejection surface 3a (specifically, the upper end of the wiper member 15 cannot contact the ink ejection surface 3a) (see FIG. 8). The wiper member 15 positioned in the retracted position 15B is positioned below the ink ejection surface 3a so as not to contact the ink ejection surface 3a.

[0040] In this embodiment, when the wiper member 15 disposed at the contactable position 15A rotates in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the front (hereinafter, this direction will be referred to as the "counterclockwise direction"), the wiper member 15 is disposed at the retracted position 15B. That is, when the wiper member 15 disposed at the retracted position 15B rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed from the front (hereinafter, this direction will be referred to as the "clockwise direction"), the wiper member 15 is disposed at the contactable position 15A. The rotation angle of the wiper member 15 rotating between the contactable position 15A and the retracted position 15B is, for example, about 45°.

[0041] The wiping mechanism 11 also includes a wiper drive mechanism 20 for moving the wiper member 15 in the front-to-rear direction, a torsion coil spring 21 (see FIG. 7) as a biasing member that biases the wiper holding member 16 relative to the slide member 17 to one side in the direction of rotation of the wiper holding member 16 relative to the slide member 17, a sponge 22 as a liquid absorbing member that can absorb ink, and a sponge holding member 23 that holds the sponge 22. The wiper drive mechanism 20 moves the slide member 17 in the front-to-rear direction. The movement of the slide member 17 in the front-to-rear direction causes the wiper member 15 to move in the front-to-rear direction.

[0042] If the head position is defined as the front-to-rear position through which the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3, which moves left and right together with the carriage 4, passes, the wiper drive mechanism 20 moves the wiper member 15 back and forth between a wiping position 15C (see Figures 4 and 6) where the wiper member 15 is positioned at the head position, and a standby position 15D (see Figures 3 and 5) where the wiper member 15 is disengaged from the head position.

[0043] In this embodiment, when the wiper member 15 moves to the front limit position of the movable range of the wiper member 15 in the front-to-rear direction, the wiper member 15 is positioned at the wiping position 15C, and when the wiper member 15 moves to the rear limit position of the movable range of the wiper member 15 in the front-to-rear direction, the wiper member 15 is positioned at the standby position 15D. In other words, the wiper member 15 moving from the standby position 15D to the wiping position 15C moves forward, and the wiper member 15 moving from the wiping position 15C to the standby position 15D moves backward. The wiper member 15 positioned at the standby position 15D is positioned behind the ink ejection surface 3a.

[0044] The wiper member 15 is formed of an elastic material. Specifically, the wiper member 15 is formed of rubber. The wiper member 15 is formed in the shape of a generally rectangular flat plate that is elongated in the front-rear direction. The width of the wiper member 15 in the front-rear direction is wider than the width of the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3 in the front-rear direction. The upper end of the wiper member 15 is curved. Specifically, the upper end of the wiper member 15 is curved so that it curves toward the right when the wiper member 15 is positioned in the contactable position 15A. The wiper holding member 16 is formed in the shape of a generally rectangular parallelepiped that is elongated in the front-rear direction. The slide member 17 is formed in the shape of a generally rectangular parallelepiped that is elongated in the front-rear direction.

[0045] A fixed shaft 25, which serves as the rotation center of the wiper holding member 16, is fixed to either the wiper holding member 16 or the slide member 17 (see FIG. 7). Alternatively, the fixed shaft 25 is formed on either the wiper holding member 16 or the slide member 17. The axial direction of the fixed shaft 25 coincides with the front-to-rear direction. An insertion hole into which the fixed shaft 25 is inserted is formed in the other of the wiper holding member 16 or the slide member 17. The slide member 17 is provided with a guide portion 17a for guiding the slide member 17 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0046] The torsion coil spring 21 is held by a fixed shaft 25. One end of the torsion coil spring 21 is engaged with the wiper holding member 16, and the other end of the torsion coil spring 21 is engaged with the slide member 17. The torsion coil spring 21 biases the wiper holding member 16 counterclockwise relative to the slide member 17. In other words, the torsion coil spring 21 biases the wiper holding member 16 in a direction that moves the wiper member 15 toward the retracted position 15B.

[0047] The holding frame 18 is formed by bending a metal plate formed into a predetermined shape into the predetermined shape. The holding frame 18 has a bottom surface portion 18a that forms the bottom surface of the holding frame 18. The thickness direction of the bottom surface portion 18a coincides with the up-down direction. The bottom surface portion 18a is formed in a rectangular shape that is elongated in the front-to-rear direction. The holding frame 18 also has a right side surface portion 18b that rises upward from the right end of the bottom surface portion 18a, and a left side surface portion 18c that rises upward from the left end of the bottom surface portion 18a.

[0048] The thickness direction of the right side surface portion 18b and the thickness direction of the left side surface portion 18c coincide with the left-right direction. The right side surface portion 18b and the left side surface portion 18c are formed in a rectangular shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction. The wiper holding member 16 is disposed between the right side surface portion 18b and the left side surface portion 18c in the left-right direction. A resin reinforcing member 26 is disposed on the bottom surface portion 18a (see FIG. 7). A guide groove 18d is formed in the left side surface portion 18c, in which a portion of the guide portion 17a of the slide member 17 is disposed. The guide groove 18d is formed in the shape of a slit that is elongated in the front-rear direction. The guide groove 18d penetrates the left side surface portion 18c in the left-right direction. Note that the reinforcing member 26 is not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0049] Furthermore, the holding frame 18 is formed with a guide portion 18e for rotating the wiper holding member 16 against the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 21 on the other side (specifically, the clockwise side) of the rotation direction of the wiper holding member 16 relative to the slide member 17. That is, the wiping mechanism 11 is provided with the guide portion 18e. The guide portion 18e is also formed integrally with the holding frame 18. The guide portion 18e comes into contact with the wiper holding member 16 to rotate the wiper holding member 16. Specifically, the guide portion 18e comes into contact with the upper end side of the left side surface of the wiper holding member 16 to rotate the wiper holding member 16.

[0050] Guide portion 18e is formed by pushing a portion of left side surface portion 18c toward the right. Guide portion 18e is formed at the upper end of left side surface portion 18c. Guide portion 18e is also formed at the front portion of left side surface portion 18c. Guide portion 18e is composed of inclined portion 18f that forms the rear end of guide portion 18e, inclined portion 18g that forms the front end of guide portion 18e, and connecting portion 18h that connects inclined portion 18f and inclined portion 18g.

[0051] Inclined portion 18f is inclined toward the right as it moves toward the front. Inclined portion 18g is inclined toward the left as it moves toward the front. Connection portion 18h is parallel to the front-to-rear direction. The front end of inclined portion 18f and the rear end of inclined portion 18g are connected to connection portion 18h. Inclined portion 18f and torsion coil spring 21 function to rotate wiper member 15 between contactable position 15A and retracted position 15B. Connection portion 18h and torsion coil spring 21 function to maintain wiper member 15 at contactable position 15A. While wiper holding member 16 is in contact with connection portion 18h, wiper member 15 is positioned at contactable position 15A.

[0052] In this embodiment, the wiper member 15 disposed in the standby position 15D is disposed in the retracted position 15B by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 21. When the wiper member 15 disposed in the standby position 15D moves forward together with the wiper holding member 16 and the slide member 17 toward the wiping position 15C, the wiper holding member 16 comes into contact with the inclined portion 18f, and the wiper member 15 moves to the contactable position 15A. When the wiper member 15 is disposed in the wiping position 15C, the wiper holding member 16 comes into contact with the connecting portion 18h, and the wiper member 15 is disposed in the contactable position 15A. That is, the wiper member 15 disposed in the wiping position 15C is disposed in the contactable position 15A by the action of the guide portion 18e.

[0053] In this way, the wiper member 15 moving forward from the standby position 15D moves toward the wiping position 15C while rotating from the retracted position 15B toward the contactable position 15A due to the action of the inclined portion 18f at the front part of the holding frame 18. Furthermore, the wiper member 15 moving rearward from the wiping position 15C moves toward the standby position 15D while rotating from the contactable position 15A toward the retracted position 15B due to the action of the inclined portion 18f at the front part of the holding frame 18.

[0054] The wiper drive mechanism 20 includes a motor 28, a first lever member 29 having one end fixed to an output shaft 28a of the motor 28, and a second lever member 30 having one end rotatably connected to the other end of the first lever member 29. The motor 28 is attached to the rear end of the right side surface 18b. The motor 28 is disposed so that the axial direction of the output shaft 28a coincides with the left-right direction. The output shaft 28a protrudes to the left from the right side surface 18b. The second lever member 30 is disposed to the left of the first lever member 29. The second lever member 30 is connected to the first lever member 29 so as to be rotatable with the left-right direction as the axial direction of the rotation relative to the first lever member 29.

[0055] The other end of the second lever member 30 is rotatably connected to the slide member 17. Specifically, the other end of the second lever member 30 is rotatably connected to the rear end of the slide member 17. Furthermore, the second lever member 30 is connected to the slide member 17 so as to be rotatable with the left-right direction as the axial direction of rotation relative to the slide member 17. In other words, a link mechanism is formed by the slide member 17, the first lever member 29, and the second lever member 30. The first lever member 29 and the second lever member 30 are disposed between the right side surface portion 18b and the left side surface portion 18c in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the first lever member 29 and the second lever member 30 are disposed rearward of the slide member 17. When the motor 28 is driven, the slide member 17 moves in the front-rear direction.

[0056] The sponge holding member 23 is fixed to the wiper holding member 16. Specifically, the sponge holding member 23 is fixed to the right side surface of the wiper holding member 16 when the wiper member 15 is positioned in the contact position 15A (see FIG. 8 ). The sponge 22 is fixed to the sponge holding member 23. The sponge 22 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction. The width of the sponge 22 in the front-rear direction is wider than the width of the wiper member 15 in the front-rear direction. The front end of the sponge 22 is located forward of the front end of the wiper member 15. The rear end of the sponge 22 is located rearward of the rear end of the wiper member 15. The sponge 22 rotates together with the sponge holding member 23, wiper holding member 16, and wiper member 15, with the front-rear direction being the axis of rotation. Furthermore, the sponge 22 moves in the front-rear direction together with the sponge holding member 23, wiper holding member 16, and wiper member 15.

[0057] The sponge 22 is disposed to the right of the wiper member 15 disposed in the contact position 15A, and is disposed clockwise from the wiper member 15. When the wiper member 15 is disposed in the retracted position 15B, the sponge 22 is disposed in a second contact position 22A where it can contact the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3 (see FIG. 8(A) and the like). When the sponge 22 is disposed in the second contact position 22A, the upper end surface of the sponge 22 is perpendicular to the up-down direction. When the wiper member 15 is disposed in the standby position 15D, the front end of the sponge 22 is disposed behind the ink ejection surface 3a (see FIG. 3), and when the wiper member 15 is disposed in the wiping position 15C, the front end of the sponge 22 is disposed in front of the ink ejection surface 3a (see FIG. 4).

[0058] In the printer 1, when the carriage 4 moves from the capping mechanism 10 to the left, the wiping mechanism 11 wipes the ink ejection surface 3a. In other words, when the carriage 4 moves from the printing area to the right toward the capping mechanism 10, the wiping mechanism 11 does not wipe the ink ejection surface 3a. Therefore, when the carriage 4 moves from the printing area to the right toward the capping mechanism 10, the wiper member 15 is located in the retracted position 15B and also in the standby position 15D (see FIGS. 3, 5, and 8A).

[0059] When the wiping mechanism 11 wipes the ink ejection surface 3a, the wiper member 15 moves from the standby position 15D to the wiping position 15C before the carriage 4 starts moving leftward from the capping mechanism 10. When the wiper member 15 moves to the wiping position 15C, the wiper member 15 is positioned at the contact position 15A (see FIGS. 4, 6, and 8B). In this state, the carriage 4 moves leftward, and the ink ejection surface 3a is wiped (see FIGS. 4, 6, and 8C). That is, when wiping the ink ejection surface 3a, the wiper member 15 is positioned at both the wiping position 15C and the contact position 15A. The upper end of the wiper member 15, which comes into contact with the ink ejection surface 3a when wiping off the ink, elastically deforms slightly toward the right.

[0060] In this embodiment, the wiper member 15 starts moving rearward before the right end of the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3, which is moving leftward together with the carriage 4, passes the wiper member 15, which is positioned at the wiping position 15C and the contact position 15A. Also, in this embodiment, when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, before the right end of the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3, which is moving leftward together with the carriage 4, passes the wiper member 15, which is positioned at the contact position 15A and wiping the ink ejection surface 3a, the wiper member 15 starts a retraction operation in which it moves toward the retracted position 15B while rotating toward the retracted position 15B (see FIGS. 8C and 8D).

[0061] The retraction operation begins when the wiper holding member 16, moving rearward, begins to contact the inclined portion 18f. Therefore, when the wiper holding member 16, moving rearward, begins to contact the inclined portion 18f, the right end of the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3, which is moving leftward together with the carriage 4, is positioned to the right of the wiper member 15, which is positioned at the contact position 15A. The wiper member 15, which moves rearward from the wiping position 15C, remains in contact with the ink ejection surface 3a until the retraction operation begins. During the retraction operation, the wiper member 15 rotates counterclockwise. Therefore, at the start of the retraction operation, the upper end of the wiper member 15 moves to the left, which is the same direction as the movement of the carriage 4.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the area of ​​the ink ejection surface 3a where the nozzles are formed is referred to as the nozzle formation area 3b (see Figure 8(C)), when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, the right end of the nozzle formation area 3b of the head 3, which moves to the left together with the carriage 4, passes the wiper member 15, which is positioned at the contact position 15A and wiping the ink ejection surface 3a, and then the wiper member 15 begins a retraction operation in which it moves towards the standby position 15D while rotating towards the retracted position 15B (see Figures 8(C) and (D)).

[0063] The retraction operation is completed when the wiper holding member 16 moves rearward to a position where it is clear of the inclined portion 18f and the wiper member 15 is positioned at the retracted position 15B. Thereafter, the wiper member 15, which is positioned at the retracted position 15B, moves rearward to the standby position 15D. When the retraction operation is completed, the sponge 22 is positioned at the second contactable position 22A. When the retraction operation is completed, the front end of the sponge 22 is positioned forward of the ink ejection surface 3a. In this embodiment, at least the right portion of the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3 moving leftward comes into contact with the sponge 22 positioned at the second contactable position 22A (see FIG. 8(E)). Therefore, ink adhering to at least the right portion of the ink ejection surface 3a is absorbed by the sponge 22.

[0064] (Main effect of this form) As described above, in this embodiment, when wiping the ink ejection surface 3a, the wiper member 15 is positioned at both the wiping position 15C and the contact position 15A. Also, in this embodiment, when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, before the right end of the ink ejection surface 3a of the head 3 moving leftward together with the carriage 4 passes the wiper member 15 positioned at the contact position 15A and wiping the ink ejection surface 3a, the wiper member 15 begins a retraction operation, rotating toward the retracted position 15B and moving toward the standby position 15D. Therefore, in this embodiment, the upper end of the wiper member 15, which has elastically deformed upon contact with the ink ejection surface 3a when wiping off ink adhering to the ink ejection surface 3a, can be elastically deformed gradually when returning to its original shape. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to suppress ink splashing due to the elastic deformation of the wiper member 15.

[0065] In this embodiment, during the retraction operation, wiper member 15 moves toward standby position 15D while rotating toward retracted position 15B. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to shorten the movement time of wiper member 15 when moving from wiping position 15C to standby position 15D, compared to, for example, a case in which wiper member 15 starts moving rearward toward standby position 15D after rotating to retracted position 15B.

[0066] In this embodiment, when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, the right end of the nozzle formation region 3b of the head 3, which moves leftward together with the carriage 4, passes the wiper member 15, which is positioned at the contact position 15A and wiping the ink ejection surface 3a, and then the wiper member 15 starts a retraction operation in which it moves toward the standby position 15D while rotating toward the retracted position 15B. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent ink adhering to the nozzle formation region 3b from being left unwiped.

[0067] In this embodiment, the torsion coil spring 21 biases the wiper holding member 16 in the direction in which the wiper member 15 moves toward the retracted position 15B, and the wiper member 15 located at the standby position 15D is located at the retracted position 15B. Also, in this embodiment, a guide portion 18e is formed on the holding frame 18. When the wiper member 15 located at the standby position 15D moves forward together with the wiper holding member 16 and the slide member 17 toward the wiping position 15C, the wiper holding member 16 contacts the guide portion 18e and moves to the contact position 15A. Therefore, in this embodiment, a drive source for rotating the wiper member 15 with the forward / rearward direction as the rotation axis is not required. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cost of the wiping mechanism 11 can be reduced.

[0068] In this embodiment, the guide portion 18e is formed integrally with the holding frame 18. Therefore, in this embodiment, the configuration of the wiping mechanism 11 can be simplified and the cost of the wiping mechanism 11 can be reduced compared to when the guide portion 18e and the holding frame 18 are provided separately. Also, in this embodiment, the torsion coil spring 21 is the biasing member that biases the wiper holding member 16 against the slide member 17, so it is possible to reduce the space required for arranging the torsion coil spring 21. Therefore, in this embodiment, the wiping mechanism 11 can be made more compact.

[0069] In this embodiment, the wiping mechanism 11 includes a sponge 22 that rotates together with the wiper member 15 with the front-rear direction as its axis of rotation, moves together with the wiper member 15 in the front-rear direction, and is capable of absorbing ink. In this embodiment, the front end of the sponge 22 is positioned in front of the ink ejection surface 3a when the wiper member 15 is positioned at the wiping position 15C, and the sponge 22 is positioned at a second contactable position 22A that can contact the ink ejection surface 3a when the wiper member 15 is positioned at the retracted position 15B. Therefore, in this embodiment, the sponge 22 can absorb and remove ink that adheres to at least the right portion of the ink ejection surface 3a and that was not wiped off by the wiper member 15 moving from the wiping position 15C toward the standby position 15D.

[0070] (Example of changing the printer) In the embodiment described above, the wiper member 15 may wipe the ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a by contacting the ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a of the ultraviolet irradiator 13. In this case, if the position in the front-rear direction through which the ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a of the ultraviolet irradiator 13, which moves in the left-right direction together with the carriage 4, passes is defined as the ultraviolet irradiator position, the wiper drive mechanism 20 moves the wiper member 15 in the front-rear direction between a wiping position 15C where the wiper member 15 is located at the ultraviolet irradiator position, and a standby position 15D where the wiper member 15 is out of the ultraviolet irradiator position.

[0071] The wiper member 15 is rotatable with the front-to-rear direction as the axis of rotation between a contactable position 15A where the wiper member 15 can contact the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a and a retracted position 15B where the wiper member 15 cannot contact the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a. When the wiper member 15 is positioned in the retracted position 15B, the sponge 22 is positioned in a second contactable position 22A where the sponge 22 can contact the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a. Furthermore, when the wiper member 15 is positioned in the standby position 15D, the front end of the sponge 22 is positioned behind the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a, and when the wiper member 15 is positioned in the wiping position 15C, the front end of the sponge 22 is positioned behind the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a.

[0072] In this modification, for example, when the carriage 4 moves leftward from the capping mechanism 10, the wiping mechanism 11 wipes the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a. Therefore, when the carriage 4 moves rightward toward the capping mechanism 10, the wiper member 15 is disposed at the retracted position 15B and at the standby position 15D.

[0073] When wiping the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a by the wiping mechanism 11, before the carriage 4 starts moving leftward from the capping mechanism 10, the wiper member 15 moves from the standby position 15D to the wiping position 15C, and the wiper member 15 is positioned at the contact position 15A. In this state, the carriage 4 moves leftward and the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a is wiped. That is, when wiping the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a, the wiper member 15 is positioned at the wiping position 15C and the contact position 15A. The upper end of the wiper member 15, which comes into contact with the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a when wiping off the ink, elastically deforms slightly toward the right.

[0074] In this modified example, the wiper member 15 starts moving rearward before the right end of the ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a of the ultraviolet irradiator 13, which moves leftward together with the carriage 4, passes the wiper member 15, which is positioned at the wiping position 15C and the contact position 15A. Also, when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, before the right end of the ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a of the ultraviolet irradiator 13, which moves leftward together with the carriage 4, passes the wiper member 15, which is positioned at the contact position 15A and wiping the ink ejection surface 3a, the wiper member 15 starts a retraction operation in which it moves toward the retracted position 15B and toward the standby position 15D.

[0075] The retraction operation begins when the wiper holding member 16, moving rearward, begins to contact the inclined portion 18f. Therefore, when the wiper holding member 16, moving rearward, begins to contact the inclined portion 18f, the right end of the ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a of the ultraviolet irradiator 13, which is moving leftward together with the carriage 4, is positioned to the right of the wiper member 15, which is positioned at the contact position 15A. The wiper member 15, which moves rearward from the wiping position 15C, remains in contact with the ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a and the ink ejection surface 3a until the retraction operation begins. During the retraction operation, the wiper member 15 rotates counterclockwise. Therefore, at the start of the retraction operation, the upper end of the wiper member 15 moves leftward, which is the same direction as the movement of the carriage 4.

[0076] The retraction operation is completed when the wiper holding member 16 moves rearward to a position where it is clear of the inclined portion 18f and the wiper member 15 is positioned at the retracted position 15B. Thereafter, the wiper member 15, which is positioned at the retracted position 15B, moves rearward to the standby position 15D. When the retraction operation is completed, the sponge 22 is positioned at the second contactable position 22A. When the retraction operation is completed, the front end of the sponge 22 is positioned forward of the ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a. As the ultraviolet irradiator 13 moves leftward, at least the right portion of the ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a comes into contact with the sponge 22 positioned at the second contactable position 22A. Therefore, ink adhering to at least the right portion of the ultraviolet irradiation surface 13a is absorbed by the sponge 22.

[0077] In this modified example, when wiping off ink adhering to the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a, the upper end of the wiper member 15, which has elastically deformed upon contact with the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a, can be allowed to elastically deform and return to its original shape more gradually. This makes it possible to prevent ink from scattering due to the elastic deformation of the wiper member 15. Furthermore, during the retraction operation, the wiper member 15 moves toward the standby position 15D while rotating toward the retracted position 15B. This reduces the movement time of the wiper member 15 when moving from the wiping position 15C to the standby position 15D. Furthermore, in this modified example, ink adhering to at least the right portion of the ultraviolet irradiated surface 13a that was not wiped off by the wiper member 15 moving from the wiping position 15C to the standby position 15D can be absorbed and removed by the sponge 22.

[0078] (Example of changing the sponge) FIG. 9(A) is a plan view illustrating the configuration of a sponge 22 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9(B) is a side view showing the sponge 22 etc. from the GG direction of FIG. 9(A).

[0079] In the above-described embodiment, the sponge 22 may be formed in a rectangular flat plate shape with its thickness aligned in the front-to-rear direction. In this case, the sponge holding member 23 is fixed to the front end of the wiper holding member 16. When the sponge 22 is positioned at the second contactable position 22A, the upper end surface of the sponge 22 is perpendicular to the up-down direction. When the wiper member 15 is positioned at the standby position 15D, the sponge 22 is positioned behind the ink ejection surface 3a. When the wiper member 15 is positioned at the wiping position 15C, the sponge 22 is positioned ahead of the ink ejection surface 3a. Furthermore, upon completion of the retraction operation, the sponge 22 is positioned ahead of the ink ejection surface 3a. As the head 3 moves leftward, at least the right front portion of the ink ejection surface 3a contacts the sponge 22 positioned at the second contactable position 22A. Therefore, ink adhering to at least the right front portion of the ink ejection surface 3a is absorbed by the sponge 22.

[0080] (Other embodiments) The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0081] In the above-described embodiment, when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, before the right end of the nozzle forming region 3b of the head 3, which moves to the left together with the carriage 4, passes the wiper member 15, which is positioned at the contact position 15A and wiping the ink ejection surface 3a, the wiper member 15 may start a retraction operation in which it rotates toward the retracted position 15B and moves toward the standby position 15D.

[0082] In the embodiment described above, the torsion coil spring 21 may bias the wiper holding member 16 clockwise relative to the slide member 17. That is, the torsion coil spring 21 may bias the wiper holding member 16 in a direction in which the wiper member 15 moves toward the contactable position 15A. In this case, the guide portion 18e is formed so that when the wiper member 15 disposed at the wiping position 15C moves toward the standby position 15D together with the wiper holding member 16 and the slide member 17, the wiper holding member 16 comes into contact with the guide portion 18e, causing the wiper 15 to move to the retracted position 15B.

[0083] In the embodiment described above, the wiping mechanism 11 may include a wiper rotation mechanism that rotates the wiper member 15 with the front-rear direction as the rotation axis. In this case, for example, the wiper rotation mechanism is mounted on the slide member 17 and rotates the wiper holding member 16 relative to the slide member 17. In this case, the guide portion 18e is not formed on the holding frame 18. Also, the wiping mechanism 11 may not include the torsion coil spring 21. In this case, the wiper drive mechanism 20 and the wiper rotation mechanism work together to perform a retraction operation in which the wiper member 15 rotates toward the retracted position 15B while moving toward the standby position 15D.

[0084] In this case, the retraction operation may be started immediately after wiper member 15, which is positioned at wiping position 15C and contact position 15A, starts moving backward. Furthermore, in this case, wiper member 15 may be positioned at standby position 15D and then rotated from retracted position 15B to contact position 15A, and then moved to wiping position 15C, or wiper member 15, which is positioned at retracted position 15B, may move to wiping position 15C and then rotate to contact position 15A. In this case, wiper member 15 positioned at standby position 15D may be positioned at contact position 15A.

[0085] In the above-described embodiment, the wiper drive mechanism 20 may be provided with a belt and pulley, or a ball screw, instead of the first lever member 29 and the second lever member 30. The wiper drive mechanism 20 may be provided with a rack and pinion, instead of the first lever member 29 and the second lever member 30. In the above-described embodiment, the guide portion 18e formed separately from the holding frame 18 may be attached to the holding frame 18.

[0086] In the above-described embodiment, the wiper member 15 may be formed of an elastic member other than rubber. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the biasing member that biases the wiper holding member 16 against the slide member 17 may be a spring member other than the torsion coil spring 21. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the wiping mechanism 11 may be provided with a liquid absorbing member other than the sponge 22 that is a liquid absorbing member capable of absorbing ink. Furthermore, the wiping mechanism 11 does not necessarily have to be provided with the sponge 22.

[0087] In the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 may include multiple heads 3. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the medium 2 does not have to be formed in a long shape. In this case, the printer 1 may include, for example, a table on which the medium 2 is placed and a table feed mechanism that moves the table back and forth. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the ink ejected by the head 3 may be ink other than UV ink. In this case, the printer 1 does not include the ultraviolet irradiator 13. Also, the inkjet printer to which the present invention is applied may be a 3D printer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1. Printer (inkjet printer) 3 heads (inkjet heads) 3a Ink ejection surface 3b Nozzle formation area 4 carriages 5 Carriage drive mechanism 9 Maintenance Unit 13 Ultraviolet irradiator 13a Ultraviolet irradiation surface 15 Wiper member 15A contactable position 15B Evacuation position 15C Wiping position 15D Standby position 16 Wiper holding member 17 Slide member 18 Retaining Frame 18e Guide part 20 Wiper drive mechanism 21 Torsion coil spring (biasing member) 22 Sponge (liquid absorbing material) 22A 2nd contactable position 28 Motor 29 First lever member 30 Second lever member X Anteroposterior direction X1 One side in the front-to-rear direction Y Main scanning direction, left and right direction Y1 The other side in the left-right direction Y2 One side in the left-right direction Z vertical direction

Claims

1. an inkjet head that ejects ink; a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted; a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction that is perpendicular to a vertical direction; and a maintenance unit that prevents clogging of a plurality of nozzles of the inkjet head; an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of the nozzles are arranged is formed on a lower surface of the inkjet head; The main scanning direction is defined as the left-right direction, the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction is defined as the front-rear direction, and the position in the front-rear direction through which the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head, which moves in the left-right direction together with the carriage, passes is defined as the head position. the maintenance unit includes a wiper member that comes into contact with the ink ejection surface to wipe the ink ejection surface, and a wiper drive mechanism that moves the wiper member in a forward and backward direction; the wiper drive mechanism moves the wiper member in a front-rear direction between a wiping position where the wiper member is disposed at the head position and a standby position where the wiper member is displaced from the head position; the wiper member is rotatable about an axial direction of rotation in a front-to-rear direction between a contactable position where the wiper member can contact the ink ejection surface and a retracted position where the wiper member cannot contact the ink ejection surface, When wiping the ink ejection surface, the wiper member is disposed at the wiping position and at the contact position, an inkjet printer characterized in that, when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, the wiper member starts a retraction operation of moving toward the standby position while rotating toward the retracted position before the other left-to-right end of the ink ejection surface of the inkjet head, which moves to one side in the left-to-right direction together with the carriage, passes by the wiper member, which is positioned at the contactable position and wiping the ink ejection surface.

2. If the area of ​​the ink ejection surface where the nozzles are formed is defined as a nozzle forming area, 2. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein, when viewed from the front-to-rear direction, the other end of the nozzle formation region of the inkjet head, which moves to one side in the left-to-right direction together with the carriage, passes the wiper member, which is positioned at the contactable position and wiping the ink ejection surface, and then the wiper member starts the retraction operation.

3. The ink jet head includes an ink jet head that ejects ultraviolet curable ink, an ultraviolet irradiator that irradiates ultraviolet light onto the ink ejected from the ink jet head to cure the ink, a carriage on which the ink jet head and the ultraviolet irradiator are mounted, a carriage drive mechanism that moves the carriage in a main scanning direction that is perpendicular to the up-down direction, and a wiper member that comes into contact with an ultraviolet irradiating surface that is the lower surface of the ultraviolet irradiator and wipes the ultraviolet irradiating surface, The main scanning direction is defined as the left-right direction, the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction is defined as the front-rear direction, and the position in the front-rear direction through which the ultraviolet irradiation surface of the ultraviolet irradiator, which moves in the left-right direction together with the carriage, passes is defined as the ultraviolet irradiator position. a wiper drive mechanism for moving the wiper member in the forward and backward directions; the wiper drive mechanism moves the wiper member in a front-rear direction between a wiping position where the wiper member is disposed at the ultraviolet irradiator position and a standby position where the wiper member is displaced from the ultraviolet irradiator position, the wiper member is rotatable about a rotation axis in a front-rear direction between a contactable position where the wiper member can contact the ultraviolet irradiated surface and a retracted position where the wiper member cannot contact the ultraviolet irradiated surface, When wiping the ultraviolet irradiated surface, the wiper member is disposed at the wiping position and at the contact position, An inkjet printer characterized in that, when viewed from the front-to-back direction, the wiper member starts a retraction operation of rotating toward the retracted position and moving toward the standby position before the other left-to-right end of the ultraviolet irradiation surface of the ultraviolet irradiator, which moves to one side in the left-to-right direction together with the carriage, passes the wiper member, which is positioned at the contactable position and wiping the ultraviolet irradiation surface.

4. the maintenance unit includes a wiper holding member that holds the wiper member, a slide member that rotatably holds the wiper holding member, a holding frame that movably holds the slide member, a biasing member that biases the wiper holding member against the slide member toward one side in a rotation direction of the wiper holding member relative to the slide member, and a guide portion that comes into contact with the wiper holding member to rotate the wiper holding member against the biasing force of the biasing member toward the other side in the rotation direction of the wiper holding member relative to the slide member, The wiper holding member is rotatable relative to the slide member with the front-rear direction as the axis of rotation, The slide member is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the holding frame, The wiper drive mechanism moves the slide member in a front-rear direction, The wiper member disposed at the standby position is disposed at the retracted position, 4. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member biases the wiper holding member in a direction in which the wiper member moves toward the retracted position, and when the wiper member disposed at the standby position moves toward the wiping position together with the wiper holding member and the sliding member, the wiper holding member comes into contact with the guide portion and the wiper member moves to the contact position; or, the biasing member biases the wiper holding member in a direction in which the wiper member moves toward the contact position, and when the wiper member disposed at the wiping position moves toward the standby position together with the wiper holding member and the sliding member, the wiper holding member comes into contact with the guide portion and the wiper member moves to the retracted position.

5. 5. The ink jet printer according to claim 4, wherein the guide portion is formed integrally with the holding frame.

6. 5. The ink jet printer according to claim 4, wherein the biasing member is a torsion coil spring.

7. the wiper drive mechanism includes a motor, a first lever member having one end fixed to an output shaft of the motor, and a second lever member having one end rotatably connected to the other end of the first lever member, 5. The ink jet printer according to claim 4, wherein the other end of said second lever member is rotatably connected to said slide member.

8. the maintenance unit includes a liquid absorbing member that rotates together with the wiper member with the front-rear direction as an axial direction of rotation and moves in the front-rear direction together with the wiper member, and that is capable of absorbing ink; The wiper member, which moves from the standby position to the wiping position, moves to one side in the front-rear direction, one end of the liquid absorbing member in the front-rear direction is disposed on one side of the ink ejection surface in the front-rear direction when the wiper member is disposed at the wiping position, 3. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the liquid absorbing member is disposed at a second contactable position where the liquid absorbing member can contact the ink ejection surface when the wiper member is disposed at the retracted position.

9. a liquid absorbing member that rotates together with the wiper member with the front-rear direction as an axial direction of rotation and moves in the front-rear direction together with the wiper member and is capable of absorbing ink; The wiper member, which moves from the standby position to the wiping position, moves to one side in the front-rear direction, one end of the liquid absorbing member in the front-rear direction is disposed on one side of the ultraviolet ray irradiated surface in the front-rear direction when the wiper member is disposed at the wiping position, 4. The inkjet printer according to claim 3, wherein the liquid absorbing member is disposed at a second contactable position where the liquid absorbing member can contact the ultraviolet ray irradiated surface when the wiper member is disposed at the retracted position.

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