Liquid dispensing device, its control method and program

Abstract

To stabilize the cleaning results of the nozzle surface. [Solution] The printing apparatus includes a head, a wiper moving mechanism that changes the position of the wiper between a first contact position and a second contact position where the degree of contact between the wiper and the cleaning liquid is less than that of the first contact position, and a control unit. The control unit moves the wiper to the first contact position when performing a printing process in which the amount of ink ejected is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, and moves the wiper to the second contact position when performing a printing process in which the amount of ink ejected is less than a predetermined amount.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a liquid ejection device that ejects a liquid from a nozzle, a control method thereof, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] As an example of a liquid ejection device that ejects a liquid from a nozzle, Patent Document 1 describes a printer that ejects ink from a nozzle to print an image on a recording medium. The printer described in Patent Document 1 includes a wiper configured to remove ink on a nozzle surface by contacting the nozzle surface on which the nozzles are formed, and a cleaning liquid tank that stores a cleaning liquid. The wiper is rotatable about a rotation axis by a wiper movement mechanism. By rotating the wiper about the rotation axis, the wiper can be arranged at a position where it can contact the nozzle surface, a position where it is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank, and a position where it contacts a scraper for absorbing the cleaning liquid attached to the wiper. Further, in the printer of Patent Document 1, the cleaning liquid is for cleaning ink or the like attached to the wiper. Before wiping the nozzle surface with the wiper, the wiper is brought into contact with the scraper to remove the cleaning liquid from the wiper.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the printer described in Patent Document 1, as mentioned above, the cleaning solution is removed from the wiper before wiping the nozzle surface with the wiper. On the other hand, in a printer equipped with a wiper and a cleaning solution tank for storing cleaning solution, such as in Patent Document 1, it is conceivable to wipe the nozzle surface with a wiper coated with cleaning solution in order to efficiently remove dirt and other contaminants adhering to the nozzle surface. However, the cleaning results of the nozzle surface may vary depending on the amount of cleaning solution adhering to the wiper and the condition of the nozzle surface after processing such as printing.

[0005] Therefore, the object of this disclosure is to provide a liquid dispensing device, a control method therefor, and a program that can stabilize the cleaning results of the nozzle surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The liquid dispensing device of the present disclosure comprises a nozzle surface having a nozzle, a wiper, a cleaning fluid tank for storing cleaning fluid, a moving mechanism for moving one or both of the wiper and the liquid surface in order to change the position of the wiper relative to the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid, and a control unit, wherein the control unit controls the moving mechanism and is capable of performing a change process to change the position of the wiper, a specific process to perform a first process or a second process, and a wipe process to be performed after both the change process and the specific process, in which the wiper is brought into contact with the nozzle surface and the nozzle surface is wiped, wherein when the first process is performed in the specific process, the position of the wiper is changed in the change process to a first position in which the wiper and the cleaning fluid are in contact, and when the second process is performed in the specific process, the position of the wiper is changed in the change process to a second position in which the degree of contact between the wiper and the cleaning fluid is less than that of the first position.

[0007] The control method of the liquid discharge device comprises a nozzle surface having a nozzle, a wiper, a cleaning fluid tank for storing cleaning fluid, and a moving mechanism for moving one or both of the wiper and the liquid surface in order to change the position of the wiper relative to the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid, wherein the method is capable of performing a change process to change the position of the wiper by the moving mechanism, a specific process to perform a first process or a second process, and a wipe process to be performed after both the change process and the specific process, in which the wiper is brought into contact with the nozzle surface and the nozzle surface is wiped, wherein when the first process is performed in the specific process, the position of the wiper is changed in the change process to a first position in which the wiper and the cleaning fluid are in contact, and when the second process is performed in the specific process, the position of the wiper is changed in the change process to a second position in which the degree of contact between the wiper and the cleaning fluid is less than that of the first position.

[0008] The program of this disclosure provides a control unit used in a liquid dispensing device comprising a nozzle surface having a nozzle, a wiper, a cleaning fluid tank for storing cleaning fluid, and a moving mechanism for moving one or both of the wiper and the liquid surface in order to change the position of the wiper relative to the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid, which functions as a changing means for executing a changing process to change the position of the wiper by the moving mechanism, a specifying means for executing a first or second process, and a wiping means executed after the processing by both the changing means and the specifying means to execute a wiping process in which the wiper is brought into contact with the nozzle surface and the nozzle surface is wiped, wherein when the first process is executed by the specifying means, the changing means changes the position of the wiper to a first position in which the wiper and the cleaning fluid are in contact, and when the second process is executed by the specifying means, the changing means changes the position of the wiper to a second position in which the degree of contact between the wiper and the cleaning fluid is less than that of the first position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] In the liquid dispensing device and control method of this disclosure, the amount of cleaning liquid adhering to the wiper can be adjusted to an amount corresponding to a process performed in a specific process prior to the wiping process, thereby stabilizing the cleaning results of the nozzle surface. In the program of this disclosure, by making the control unit used in the liquid dispensing device function as a modification means, the amount of cleaning liquid adhering to the wiper can be adjusted to an amount corresponding to a process performed in a first or second process prior to the wiping process, thereby stabilizing the cleaning results of the nozzle surface. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the printing apparatus. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a front view of the printing apparatus. [Figure 4] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the head. [Figure 5] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a partial configuration of the maintenance unit. [Figure 6] Figure 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of other parts of the maintenance unit. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view along the line VII-VII shown in Figure 6. [Figure 8] (a) is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state when the wiper is in the first contact position, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state when the wiper is in the second contact position, (c) is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state when the wiper is in the non-contact position, and (d) is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the state when the wiper is in the wipe position. [Figure 9] This block diagram shows the electrical configuration of the printing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 10] Figure 1 is a control flow diagram of the printing device during printing. [Figure 11] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the wiping process of the printing apparatus. [Figure 12]It is a control flow diagram during specific flashing of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 13] It is a control flow diagram during manual purge of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 14] It is a control flow diagram for changing the wiper position of the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 15] It is a control flow diagram during printing of the printing apparatus according to the second modification example of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing a main part of the control flow during printing of the printing apparatus according to the third modification example of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] It is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing the situation of the cleaning liquid removal process of the printing apparatus according to the third modification example of the present disclosure.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] <Embodiment> The printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the vertical direction and the front-rear direction are defined based on the state in which the printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is installed for use, and the left-right direction is defined when viewing the printing apparatus 1 from the front. In the following description, the left-right direction may also be referred to as the main scanning direction, and the front-rear direction may be referred to as the sub-scanning direction. In the present embodiment, the printing apparatus 1 corresponds to the "liquid ejection apparatus" of the present disclosure.

[0012] The printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an inkjet printer, which ejects ink onto a printing medium to perform printing. The printing apparatus 1 prints a color image on the printing medium using seven colors of ink: white, black, yellow, cyan, magenta, green, and orange. The printing medium is not particularly limited as long as it can eject ink to form an image, and examples thereof include cloth, paper, and the like.

[0013] Hereinafter, the white ink among the seven-color inks is referred to as "white ink". When collectively referring to the six-color inks of black, cyan, yellow, magenta, green, and orange among the seven-color inks, or when not specifying any of them, they are referred to as "color inks". When collectively referring to the white ink and the color inks, or when not specifying any of them, they are simply referred to as "inks". The white ink is used for printing as a part representing the white color of an image or as a base for the color inks. The color inks are discharged onto the base by the white ink and are used for printing color images.

[0014] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the external configuration of the printing apparatus 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 1 includes a housing 8, a platen 12, a conveyance mechanism 14, an operation unit 15, a touch panel 16, a discharge unit 40 shown in FIG. 2, a maintenance unit 50, and a control unit 80 shown in FIG. 9.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 8 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing 8 has a frame body 2 and a cover 3. The frame body 2 is configured in a lattice shape by a plurality of shafts extending in the front-rear direction, left-right direction, or up-down direction. The cover 3 is composed of a plurality of plate-like members fixed to the frame body 2 so as to cover the outer periphery of the frame body 2. A platen opening 13 is formed substantially at the center in the left-right and up-down directions on the front surface of the cover 3 of the housing 8. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the platen 12 is composed of a plate-like member having a substantially rectangular planar shape. The upper surface of the platen 12 is a support surface 12A for supporting a printing medium. The support surface 12A has a square shape.

[0016] Further, the housing 8 has a discharge unit cover 8A. The discharge unit cover 8A is a front portion of the cover 3 and is disposed above the platen opening 13. The discharge unit cover 8A is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape with an open bottom and covers the discharge unit 40. The discharge unit 40 is connected to a processing liquid tank (not shown) via a pipe and discharges the processing liquid downward under the control of the control unit 80.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the housing 8 contains seven ink tanks 10, each holding seven colors of ink. The seven ink tanks 10, from rear to front, contain white, magenta, cyan, yellow, black, green, and orange inks. The housing 8 also contains a cleaning solution tank 11 for storing cleaning solution. The cleaning solution tank 11 is located in front of the seven ink tanks 10 and is positioned alongside them in the front-to-back direction.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, the operating unit 15 is located in front of the platen opening 13. The operating unit 15 is also positioned to sandwich the platen support 37 (described later) from the left and right. The operating unit 15 outputs information to the control unit 80 in response to the operator's operation. By operating the operating unit 15, the operator can input a print command to the control unit 80 to start printing by the printing device 1. The print command includes print data. The print data includes image data of the image to be formed on the printing medium.

[0019] The touch panel 16 is located on the upper right side of the front surface of the cover 3, above the platen opening 13. The touch panel 16 displays various information. The operator can also input a specific flushing command to start a specific flushing process and a purge command to start purging by operating the touch panel 16 to the control unit 80. The specific flushing command includes specific flushing data. The specific flushing data includes data that causes each head 30, described later, to eject a predetermined number of ink jets. The purge command is a signal that executes the purge process described later.

[0020] The transport mechanism 14 transports the platen 12 on which the printing medium is placed, through the platen opening 13, between the inside and outside of the housing 8. When the platen 12 is positioned in the printing transport area P3, shown by the dashed line in Figure 2, inside the housing 8, ink is ejected from the head 30 (described later) to perform printing. When the platen 12 is positioned in the processing liquid ejection area P4, shown in Figure 2, processing liquid is ejected from the ejector 40 and applied to the printing medium. The processing liquid ejected from the ejector 40 is, for example, a pre-treatment liquid that forms a base coat before printing.

[0021] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the transport mechanism 14 includes a support base 36, a platen support section 37, a pair of left and right rails 38, a transmission member 39, and a sub-scanning motor 14M. The platen support section 37 includes a tray 37A and a support section 37B, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The platen support section 37 is positioned above the support base 36.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, the support portion 37B extends vertically and supports the platen 12 from below. The lower end of the support portion 37B is fixed to the tray 37A, connecting the tray 37A and the platen 12.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, the pair of left and right rails 38 extend in the front-rear direction and support the platen support 37 so that it can move in the front-rear direction. The pair of rails 38 are arranged on a support base 36. The support base 36 also extends in the front-rear direction. The support base 36 and the pair of rails 38 extend from the rear to the front of the housing 8 and are formed to protrude outside the housing 8. The transmission member 39 connects the platen support 37 to the sub-scanning motor 14M and moves the platen support 37 in the front-rear direction, i.e., in the sub-scanning direction, in response to the drive of the sub-scanning motor 14M.

[0024] The operator places the printing medium on the support surface 12A of the platen 12 when the platen 12 is positioned in front of the front of the housing 8, i.e., outside the housing 8. The position of the platen 12 shown in Figure 2 is the set position P1 where the platen 12 supports the printing medium. The processing liquid discharge area P4 described above is located in the middle of the transport path of the platen 12 and is the area where the processing liquid is discharged from the discharger 40, and is located below the discharger 40. In addition, before printing on the printing medium, the platen 12 moves from the set position P1 to the pre-printing standby position P2 shown by the dashed line in Figure 2. The pre-printing standby position P2 is behind the processing liquid discharge area P4 and the printing transport area P3, and is at the rear end of the transport path of the platen 12. The printing transport area P3 is the area in the transport path of the platen 12 that overlaps vertically with the movement path of the head 30 in the main scanning direction, which will be described later. The movement path of the head 30 in the main scanning direction is the path between the rear end of the white head 31A, which is the rearmost head 30 and described later, and the front end of the color head 32D, which is the frontmost head 30 and described later.

[0025] The internal structure of the printing apparatus 1 will now be described. As shown in Figure 2, the printing apparatus 1 includes two white heads 31A and 31B, four color heads 32A to 32D, and a moving mechanism 7 inside the housing 8. The moving mechanism 7 includes a guide shaft 20 and a carriage 6 fixed to the frame 2. As shown in Figure 2, the guide shaft 20 consists of a front shaft 21, a rear shaft 22, a left shaft 23, and a right shaft 24.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, the front shaft 21 is positioned at the front end of the frame 2 and extends horizontally from the left end to the right end of the frame 2. The rear shaft 22 is positioned approximately in the center of the frame 2 in the front-to-back direction and extends horizontally from the left end to the right end of the frame 2. The left shaft 23 is positioned at the left end of the frame 2 and extends horizontally from the left end of the front shaft 21 to the left end of the rear shaft 22. The right shaft 24 is positioned at the right end of the frame 2 and extends horizontally from the right end of the front shaft 21 to the right end of the rear shaft 22. The front shaft 21 and the rear shaft 22 support the carriage 6. The transport mechanism 14 is fixed to the frame 2.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the carriage 6 is supported on the front shaft 21 and the rear shaft 22 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction. The carriage 6 is plate-shaped and extends in the front, back, left, and right directions. The carriage 6 extends from the front shaft 21 to the rear shaft 22. As shown in Figure 2, the carriage 6 is equipped with white heads 31A, 31B and color heads 32A to 32D.

[0028] The white heads 31A and 31B and the color heads 32A to 32D each have the same structure and, in this embodiment, are rectangular parallelepipeds. Hereinafter, the white heads 31A and 31B and the color heads 32A to 32D will be referred to collectively as "head 30" when referring to them together or when not specifying which one they are. The white heads 31A and 31B will be referred to collectively as "white head 31". The color heads 32A to 32D will be referred to collectively as "color head 32".

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the head 30 includes a flow path unit 33 and an actuator unit 34. Multiple nozzles N are formed on the nozzle surface 30A, which is the lower surface of the flow path unit 33. The nozzle surface 30A is a surface that extends in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. A liquid-repellent film may be formed on the nozzle surface 30A. Inside the flow path unit 33, a common flow path 33A that communicates with the ink tank 10 and individual flow paths 33B, each for each nozzle N, are formed. The individual flow paths 33B are flow paths that go from the outlet of the common flow path 33A through the pressure chamber 33P to the nozzle N. Multiple pressure chambers 33P are open on the upper surface of the flow path unit 33. In this embodiment, the common flow path 33A and the individual flow paths 33B correspond to the "liquid flow paths" of this disclosure.

[0030] The actuator unit 34 includes a metal diaphragm 34A, a piezoelectric layer 34B, and a plurality of individual electrodes 34C. The diaphragm 34A is positioned on the upper surface of the flow channel unit 33 so as to cover a plurality of pressure chambers 33P. The piezoelectric layer 34B is positioned on the upper surface of the diaphragm 34A. The plurality of individual electrodes 34C are positioned on the upper surface of the piezoelectric layer 34B and face the plurality of pressure chambers 33P.

[0031] The diaphragm 34A and the multiple individual electrodes 34C are electrically connected to the driver IC 35. The driver IC 35 maintains the potential of the diaphragm 34A at ground potential, while changing the potential of the individual electrodes 34C between ground potential and drive potential. Specifically, the driver IC 35 generates a drive signal based on a control signal from the control unit 80 and supplies the generated drive signal to the individual electrodes 34C. As a result, the potential of the individual electrodes 34C changes between drive potential and ground potential. At this time, the portion of the diaphragm 34A and piezoelectric layer 34B sandwiched between the individual electrodes 34C and the pressure chamber 33P deforms, changing the volume of the pressure chamber 33P. This sandwiched portion functions as an actuator 34X, applying pressure to the ink in the pressure chamber 33P, and causing ink to be ejected from the nozzle N. An actuator 34X is provided for each individual electrode 34C, i.e., for each nozzle N, and can be independently deformed according to the potential supplied to the individual electrode 34C. In this embodiment, the actuator 34X corresponds to the "pressure applying unit" of this disclosure.

[0032] The white print head 31 is located at the rear of the carriage 6, as shown in Figure 2. The white print heads 31A and 31B are positioned offset from each other. The white print head 31 is connected to an ink tank 10 that stores white ink via piping (not shown), and white ink is supplied from the ink tank 10.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, the color head 32 is positioned in front of the white head 31. Color heads 32A and 32B are also positioned offset from each other. As shown in Figure 2, the color heads 32C and 32D are positioned in front of the color heads 32A and 32B. Color heads 32C and 32D are also positioned offset from each other. Each color head 32 is connected to six ink tanks 10 that store color ink via piping (not shown), and color ink is supplied from these ink tanks 10.

[0034] The white head 31 ejects white ink downwards from multiple nozzles N. The multiple nozzles N of each color head 32 are arranged so that there are six rows of nozzles extending in the front-to-back direction, arranged in the left-to-right direction. Each of the six rows of nozzles on each color head 32 corresponds to a different color of ink. In other words, each color head 32 ejects color ink of the color corresponding to each nozzle row downwards from its multiple nozzles N.

[0035] Alternatively, each color head 32 may have four nozzle rows, and magenta, cyan, yellow, and black inks may be ejected from the four nozzle rows of each color head 32, without ejecting green and orange inks from the color head 32. In this case, an ink tank 10 for storing green and orange inks may not be provided.

[0036] The moving mechanism 7 includes a drive belt 7A and a main scanning motor 7M. The drive belt 7A is connected to the rear end of the carriage 6. The drive belt 7A is mounted on the rear shaft 22 and extends in the left-right direction. The left end of the drive belt 7A is connected to the main scanning motor 7M. When the main scanning motor 7M is driven, the drive belt 7A moves the carriage 6 in the left-right direction along the front shaft 21 and the rear shaft 22. In other words, the moving mechanism 7 moves the carriage 6 on which the head 30 is mounted in the main scanning direction. Figure 2 shows the state in which the carriage 6 is located at the right end of the movement range R.

[0037] The head 30 is positioned primarily in one of the following locations by the movement of the carriage 6: cap position B1, discharge area B2, and head standby position B3. Cap position B1 is the position of the head 30 when the carriage 6 is located at the left end of the movement range R. Cap position B1 is the position when the nozzle surface 30A of the head 30 is covered by the cap 51, which will be described later.

[0038] The ejection area B2 is the area between the cap position B1 and the head standby position B3 in the main scanning direction, and overlaps vertically with the print transport area P3, which is the transport path for the platen 12, in the movement path of the head 30. When printing on a printing medium, as the head 30 passes through the ejection area B2 due to the movement of the carriage 6, the head 30 ejects ink from the nozzles formed on the nozzle surface 30A based on the print data, and printing is performed on the printing medium on the platen 12. The head standby position B3 is the position of the head 30 when the carriage 6 is at the right end of the movement range R. The head standby position B3 is the position where the head 30 is placed when an operator performs tasks such as cleaning the head 30.

[0039] The printing apparatus 1 moves the platen 12 in the sub-scanning direction in the printing transport area P3 and the carriage 6 in the main scanning direction in the ejection area B2, thereby causing the printing medium to move relative to the head 30 in the sub-scanning direction and the main scanning direction.

[0040] The operation of moving the head 30 in the main scanning direction and ejecting ink onto the printing medium when the head 30 is facing the printing medium is called "ejection scanning." The printing device 1 prints on the printing medium by repeating ejection scanning and the movement of the platen 12 in the sub-scanning direction. For example, during ejection scanning, the printing device 1 ejects white ink from the white heads 31A and 31B to form a base layer of color ink on the printing medium. On top of the base layer formed on the printing medium during ejection scanning, the printing device 1 ejects color ink from the color heads 32A to 32D to print a color image.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the housing 8 has a protruding portion 8B that extends forward. The protruding portion 8B is the front part of the cover 3 and is located below the platen opening 13. As shown in Figure 3, the protruding portion 3B has a door 8B1 on its front. When the door 8B1 is open, a processing liquid tank (not shown) that stores the processing liquid is exposed.

[0042] Next, the maintenance unit 50 will be described. As shown in Figures 2, 5 to 7, the maintenance unit 50 includes six caps 51, a cleaning fluid tank 52, six wipers 53, a wiper moving mechanism 54, a suction pump 55, a waste liquid tank 56, and two valves 57 and 58.

[0043] As shown in Figure 2, the six caps 51 are individually provided for the six heads 30. The six caps 51 are located below the six heads 30. The six caps 51 overlap the six heads 30 located at cap position B1 in the vertical direction. The six caps 51 can be raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown).

[0044] The lifting mechanism moves the head 30 to the cap position B1, contacting the carriage 6 just before the head 30 reaches the cap position B1. The lifting mechanism then uses the force of the carriage 6 pushing the head 30 as it moves to the left until it reaches the cap position B1 to raise the six caps 51. When the head 30 reaches the cap position B1, the nozzle surface 30A of each head 30 contacts and covers the corresponding cap 51, as shown in Figure 5. Figure 5 shows one cap 51 corresponding to one head 30.

[0045] The lifting mechanism lowers the cap 51 when the carriage 6 is moved to the right, starting from a state where the nozzle surface 30A of each head 30 is covered by the corresponding cap 51. In this way, the cap 51 separates from the nozzle surface 30A and does not cover the nozzle surface 30A. The lifting mechanism may also be connected to a motor and operated by the drive of the motor to raise and lower the cap 51.

[0046] As shown in Figure 2, the cleaning fluid tank 52 is located between the cap position B1 and the discharge area B2 in the main scanning direction. When the carriage 6 moves the head 30 between the cap position B1 and the discharge area B2, the head 30 passes over the cleaning fluid tank 52.

[0047] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the cleaning fluid tank 52 has a housing 52A and a lid 52B. The housing 52A is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped member that extends in the front-to-back direction and has an open top end. Inside the housing 52A, as shown in Figure 6, there are two cleaning fluid chambers 52C and 52D. The two cleaning fluid chambers 52C and 52D are arranged in the front-to-back direction and separated by a wall portion 52G that extends in the left-to-right and up-to-down directions. Cleaning fluid chamber 52C is located behind cleaning fluid chamber 52D and corresponds to the wiper 53 corresponding to the white head 31. Cleaning fluid chamber 52D corresponds to the color head 32 and corresponds to the wiper 53.

[0048] The two cleaning fluid chambers 52C and 52D store cleaning fluid. The two cleaning fluid chambers 52C and 52D are provided with a supply port and a discharge port (not shown). The supply port is connected to the cleaning fluid tank 11 by piping (not shown). The discharge port is connected to the waste fluid tank 56 by piping (not shown).

[0049] The cover 52B has six openings 52E and three openings 52F. The six openings 52E are arranged to correspond to six wipers 53. Each opening 52E is provided to allow the wipers 53 to enter and exit.

[0050] Of the six openings 52E, the two rear openings 52E face the cleaning fluid chamber 52C, and the four front openings 52E face the cleaning fluid chamber 52D. The two rear openings 52E are spaced apart in the left-right direction and offset in the front-back direction. Of the four front openings 52E, the two rear openings 52E are spaced apart in the left-right direction and offset in the front-back direction. Of the four front openings 52E, the two front openings 52E are also spaced apart in the left-right direction and offset in the front-back direction.

[0051] The three openings 52F are arranged side by side in the front-to-back direction. Each opening 52F overlaps with two openings 52E in the left-to-right direction. Of the three openings 52F, the rearmost opening 52F is large enough for the ink ejected from the two white heads 31 to pass through and faces the cleaning fluid chamber 52C. The opening 52F in the center in the front-to-back direction is large enough for the ink ejected from the two color heads 32A and 32B to pass through and faces the cleaning fluid chamber 52D. The frontmost opening 52F is large enough for the ink ejected from the two color heads 32C and 32D to pass through and faces the cleaning fluid chamber 52D.

[0052] As shown in Figure 6, the lid 52B is provided with three ink receiving plates 59. As shown in Figure 7, the three ink receiving plates 59 are arranged to cover the three openings 52F from below. Each ink receiving plate 59 has a plurality of through holes 59A. After receiving the ink ejected from the head 30, the ink receiving plates 59 allow it to flow through the through holes 59A to the cleaning fluid chambers 52C and 52D. In this embodiment, the ink receiving plates 59 correspond to the "receiving members" of this disclosure.

[0053] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the six wipers 53 are plate-shaped members extending in the front-rear direction and are arranged corresponding to the six heads 30. Of the six wipers 53, the two rear wipers 53 correspond to the two white heads 31 and are spaced apart in the left-right direction and offset in the front-rear direction. The two rear wipers 53 are positioned to enter and exit the cleaning fluid chamber 52C through the two rear openings 52E of the six openings 52E.

[0054] Of the six wipers 53, the four front wipers 53 correspond to the four color heads 32. Of the four front wipers 53, the two rear wipers 53 correspond to the two color heads 32A and 32B, and are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction and offset from each other in the front-back direction. Of the four front wipers 53, the two front wipers 53 correspond to the two color heads 32C and 32D, and are arranged with a gap between them in the left-right direction and offset from each other in the front-back direction. The four front wipers 53 are arranged to enter and exit the cleaning fluid chamber 52D through the four front openings 52E of the six openings 52E.

[0055] Each wiper 53 is made of an elastically deformable elastic member. In this embodiment, each wiper 53 is made of urethane foam, but it may be made of an elastic material such as rubber.

[0056] The wiper moving mechanism 54 has six wiper support sections 54A and a wiper motor 54M. As shown in Figure 6, one wiper support section 54A supports one wiper 53. Although Figure 6 shows one wiper support section 54A, the wiper moving mechanism 54 has six wiper support sections 54A that support six wipers 53. Of the six wiper support sections 54A, two wiper support sections 54A that support two wipers 53 corresponding to the white head 31 are located in the cleaning fluid chamber 52C. Four wiper support sections 54A that support four wipers 53 corresponding to the color head 32 are located in the cleaning fluid chamber 52D. The six wiper support sections 54A are located above the cleaning fluid surface.

[0057] Each wiper support section 54A extends in the front-rear direction. Each wiper support section 54A is rotatably supported by the housing 52A around a rotation axis 54X. The wiper movement mechanism 54 has a transmission mechanism (not shown). This transmission mechanism transmits the driving force of the wiper motor 54M to each wiper support section 54A. In other words, by driving the wiper motor 54M, the six wiper support sections 54A can be rotated.

[0058] The wiper movement mechanism 54 selectively positions the wiper 53 to four positions by driving the wiper motor 54M. By positioning the wiper 53 to these four positions, the position of the wiper 53 relative to the cleaning fluid surface is changed. The four positions are the first contact position, the second contact position, the non-contact position, and the wipe position. The first contact position is the position where the wiper 53 and the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid chambers 52C and 52D come into contact, as shown in Figure 8(a). The first contact position is also the position where the wiper 53 is positioned to extend vertically downward from the wiper support part 54A. The second contact position is the position where the wiper 53 and the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid chambers 52C and 52D come into contact, as shown in Figure 7(b). The second contact position is also the position where the wiper 53 is positioned to extend diagonally downward to the left from the wiper support part 54A. The wiper 53 at the second contact position has less contact with the cleaning fluid than the wiper 53 at the first contact position. In other words, the wiper 53 at the first contact position has more cleaning fluid adhering to it than the wiper 53 at the second contact position. The wiper 53 in this embodiment is made of urethane foam. Therefore, when the wiper 53 is positioned at the first or second contact position, the cleaning fluid soaks into the wiper 53. In this embodiment, the first contact position corresponds to the "first position" in this disclosure. Also, in this embodiment, the wiper moving mechanism 54 corresponds to the "moving mechanism" in this disclosure.

[0059] The non-contact position is the position shown in Figure 7(c) where the wiper 53 is positioned above the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid chambers 52C and 52D. The non-contact position is also the position where the wiper 53 is positioned so as to extend to the left from the wiper support portion 54A. In this embodiment, the second contact position and the non-contact position correspond to the "second position" of this disclosure.

[0060] The wipe position is the position shown in Figure 8(d) where the wiper 53 is positioned above the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid chambers 52C and 52D. The wipe position is also the position where the wiper 53 is positioned so as to extend vertically upward from the wiper support portion 54A. Furthermore, the wipe position is the position where the tip of the wiper 53 is positioned above the nozzle surface 30M of the head 30. Additionally, the wipe position is the position where the head 30 can contact the right side surface 30B of the head when it moves to the right from the cap position B1. In this embodiment, the right side surface 30B of the head corresponds to the "contact surface" in this disclosure, and the wipe position corresponds to the "position in contact with the contact surface" in this disclosure.

[0061] As shown in Figure 5, the suction pump 55 is connected to six caps 51 via piping 55A. Although only one cap 51 is shown in Figure 5, the suction pump 55 is connected to six caps 51. The suction pump 55 is also connected to a waste liquid tank 56 via piping 55A. When the caps 51 cover the nozzle surface 30A of the head 30, the suction pump 55 is driven by the control unit 80, which reduces the pressure in the sealed space between the caps 51 and the head 30, forcibly discharging ink from the nozzles N. The discharged ink is received by the caps 51 and flows to the waste liquid tank 56.

[0062] Each cap 51 is connected to the cleaning fluid tank 11 via piping 11A. Each cap 51 is capable of containing cleaning fluid from the cleaning fluid tank 11. The caps 51 in this embodiment correspond to the "cleaning fluid containing members" of this disclosure. A valve 57 is provided in the middle of piping 11A. Valve 57 is an on / off valve. A branch pipe 11B is provided between the caps 51 and valve 57 of piping 11A. The end of the branch pipe 11B is open to the atmosphere. A valve 58 is provided in the middle of branch pipe 11B. Valve 58 is an on / off valve.

[0063] Referring to Figure 9, the electrical configuration of the printing device 1 will be explained. The control unit 80 is equipped with a CPU 81, ROM 82, RAM 83, and flash memory 84. The CPU 81 controls the printing device 1 and is electrically connected to the ROM 82, RAM 83, and flash memory 84. The ROM 82 stores control programs for the CPU 81 to control the operation of the printing device 1, and information necessary for the CPU 81 when executing various programs. The ROM 82 stores each position of the carriage 6 based on the rotation angle of the main scanning motor 7M and each position of the platen 12 based on the rotation angle of the sub-scanning motor 14M. The RAM 83 temporarily stores various data such as pre-printing flashing data and specific flashing data used in the control program. The flash memory 84 is non-volatile and stores print data, the number of printed pages, etc.

[0064] As shown in Figure 9, the control unit 80 is electrically connected to the main scanning motor 7M, sub-scanning motor 14M, wiper motor 54M, six driver ICs 35, operation unit 15, touch panel 16, suction pump 55, and valves 57 and 58. The main scanning motor 7M, sub-scanning motor 14M, wiper motor 54M, six driver ICs 35, suction pump 55, and valves 57 and 58 are driven by control from the control unit 80.

[0065] <Printing control> Referring to Figure 10, the control by the control unit 80 when printing an image onto a printing medium will be explained. When the operator operates the control unit 15 and a print command is input to the printing device 1, the control unit 80 reads the control program from the ROM 82 and executes the flow shown in Figure 10. The flow shown in Figure 10 will be explained below.

[0066] The control unit 80 first determines whether or not a print command has been input (S1). Before the operator operates the control unit 15 to input a print command, the operator places the printing medium, which has not been coated with processing liquid, on the support surface 12A of the platen 12. The platen 12 is positioned at the set position P1 when not printing. In this embodiment, a T-shirt is used as the printing medium. When not printing, the printing device 1 normally has the head 30 positioned at the cap position B1, and the nozzle surface 30A of the head 30 is covered by the cap 51.

[0067] If no print command is entered (S1: NO), S1 is repeated until a print command is entered. On the other hand, if a print command is entered (S1: YES), the control unit 80 determines whether the number of printed pages has reached a predetermined number (S2).

[0068] In S2, if the number of printed pages has not reached the predetermined number (S2:NO), the control unit 80 executes the printing process (S3).

[0069] In the printing process, the control unit 80 first controls the sub-scanning motor 14M to start transporting the platen 12 from the set position P1 toward the processing liquid discharge area P4. Next, the control unit 80 controls the discharger 40 to discharge the processing liquid. As a result, the processing liquid is applied to the printing medium as it passes through the processing liquid discharge area P4, forming a base on the printing medium coated with the processing liquid.

[0070] Next, when the platen 12 passes through the processing liquid discharge area P4, the control unit 80 controls the discharger 40 to stop the discharge of processing liquid from the discharger 40. Also, when the platen 12 reaches the pre-print standby position P2, the control unit 80 controls the sub-scanning motor 14M to stop platen transport. Then, the control unit 80 controls the sub-scanning motor 14M to move the platen 12 from the pre-print standby position P2 to the print transport area P3. At this time, the control unit 80 controls the main scanning motor 7M to move the carriage 6 from the cap position B1 to the discharge area B2, so that the head 30 faces the printing medium placed on the platen 12.

[0071] As the carriage 6 moves from the cap position B1 to the ejection area B2, each head 30 faces the ink receiving plate 59. The control unit 80 performs pre-print flushing when each head 30 faces the ink receiving plate 59. During pre-print flushing, the control unit 80 controls the driver IC 35 based on the pre-print flushing data and ejects ink from the nozzles N toward the ink receiving plate 59 at the timing when the heads 30 face the ink receiving plate 59. The pre-print flushing data is data for ejecting several ink droplets from each nozzle N.

[0072] Next, the control unit 80 performs printing on the printing medium with the platen 12 positioned in the print transport area P3 and the carriage 6 positioned in the ejection area B2. At this time, the control unit 80 controls the driver IC 35, the main scanning motor 7M, and the sub-scanning motor 14M, and performs printing on the printing medium by alternately repeating ejection scanning and the forward movement of the platen 12. When printing on the printing medium, white ink is ejected from the nozzle N of the white head 31 onto the base of the printing medium formed by the application of the processing liquid, forming a base for the color ink. Then, ink is ejected from the nozzle N of the color head 32 onto the base for the color ink, forming an image.

[0073] When printing on the printing medium based on the print data is complete, the control unit 80 controls the sub-scanning motor 14M to stop the platen 12 at the set position P1. At this time, the control unit 80 adds the number of printed sheets to the stored number of printed sheets. The control unit 80 also controls the main scanning motor 7M to move the carriage 6 from the ejection area B2 to the cap position B1. Thus the printing process is completed. The operator removes the printed medium with the image formed on it from the platen 12 which is positioned at the set position P1.

[0074] On the other hand, in S2, if the number of printed pages has reached a predetermined number (S2: YES), the control unit 80 performs the purging process in S4 and the cleaning process in S5. In this embodiment, after the purging process discharges ink from the nozzle N to the cap 51, the cleaning process supplies cleaning fluid into the cap 51 and cleans the inside of the piping 55A. The purging process + cleaning process in this embodiment corresponds to the "second process" and "specific process" of this disclosure. The cleaning process also corresponds to the "counter-process" of this disclosure.

[0075] In the S4 purging process, the control unit 80 first drives the suction pump 55. At this time, the nozzle surface 30M of each head 30 is covered by the corresponding cap 51, and the two valves 57 and 58 are closed. This creates negative pressure inside the cap 51, and a purging operation is performed in which the ink in the head 30 is discharged into the cap 51 from the multiple nozzles N. At this time, the control unit 80 resets the stored number of printed pages to zero.

[0076] Next, the control unit 80 controls valve 58 to open. This allows air to flow into cap 51 via branch pipe 11B and pipe 11A, and the ink discharged into cap 51 is discharged to waste liquid tank 56 via pipe 55A. After this, the control unit 80 stops driving the suction pump 55 and controls valve 58 to close. Thus, the purging process is completed.

[0077] In the cleaning process of S5, the control unit 80 first controls the valve 57 to open and drives the suction pump 55. As a result, the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid tank 11 flows into the cap 51 via the piping 11A. At this time, the nozzle surface 30A of each head 30 faces the cleaning fluid in the cap 51. Some of the cleaning fluid that flows into the cap 51 comes into contact with and adheres to the nozzle surface 30M. In addition, some of the cleaning fluid in the cap 51 evaporates and adheres to the nozzle surface 30M.

[0078] Next, the control unit 80 controls valve 58 to open. This allows air to flow into cap 51 via branch pipe 11B and pipe 11A, and the cleaning liquid that has flowed into cap 51 is discharged to waste liquid tank 56 via pipe 55A. In this way, a cleaning operation is performed in which the ink in pipe 55A is cleaned by the cleaning liquid. After this, the control unit 80 stops the operation of the suction pump 55 and controls valves 57 and 58 to close. Thus, the cleaning process is completed.

[0079] When S3 or S5 is completed, the control unit 80 controls the wiper motor 54M to move the wiper 53 to the wipe position as shown in Figure 8(d) (S6). The position of the wiper 53 immediately before moving to the wipe position will be described in detail in the wiper position change control section below.

[0080] Next, the control unit 80 performs a wipe process (S7). In the wipe process, the control unit 80 first controls the main scanning motor 7M to move the carriage 6 to the right from the cap position B1 and pass over the wiper 53. At this time, as shown in Figure 11, the nozzle surface 30A of each head 30 comes into contact with the upper end of the wiper 53 as the head 30 moves to the right. As a result, each nozzle surface 30A is wiped by the wiper 53. Thus, the wipe process is completed.

[0081] Next, the control unit 80 controls the wiper motor 54M at the moment the carriage 6 passes over the wiper 53, moving the wiper 53 to the first contact position as shown in Figure 8(a) (S8). As a result, most of the wiper 53 is immersed in the cleaning fluid, and any ink or other substances adhering to the wiper 53 are washed away.

[0082] Next, the control unit 80 controls the main scanning motor 7M to move the carriage 6 to the cap position B1 (S9). After this, the control unit 80 determines whether the printing process S3 based on the printing command S1 has been completed (S10). The control unit 80 proceeds from S2 to S4, and if the printing process S3 has not been executed (S9: NO), it returns to S2. On the other hand, the control unit 80 proceeds from S2 to S3, and if the printing process S3 has been executed (S9: YES), it terminates the flow shown in Figure 10.

[0083] <Control during specific flushing events> Referring to Figure 12, the control by the control unit 80 when performing specific flashing will be explained. When the operator operates the touch panel 16 and a specific flashing command is input to the printing device 1, the control unit 80 reads the control program from the ROM 82 and executes the flow shown in Figure 12. The flow shown in Figure 12 will be explained below.

[0084] The control unit 80 first determines whether a specific flushing command has been input (S101). If no specific flushing command has been input (S101: NO), S101 is repeated until a specific flushing command is input. On the other hand, if a specific flushing command has been input (S101: YES), the control unit 80 executes a specific flushing process (S102). The specific flushing process in this embodiment corresponds to the "first discharge process," "first process," and "specific process" in this disclosure.

[0085] In the specific flushing process, the control unit 80 first controls the main scanning motor 7M to move the carriage 6 to the right from the cap position B1, so that the head 30 faces the ink receiving plate 59. After this, the control unit 80 controls the driver IC 35 based on the specific flushing data to eject ink from each nozzle N toward the ink receiving plate 59. This makes it possible to discharge thickened ink and other contaminants from inside the nozzle N. The specific flushing data in this embodiment is data that causes a larger number of ink droplets to be ejected from the nozzle N than the number of ink droplets ejected from the nozzle N by the pre-print flushing data. For example, the number of ink droplets ejected by the specific flushing data in this embodiment is 300,000 in total. By ejecting a large number of ink droplets in this flushing operation, contaminants near the nozzle N can also be discharged. Therefore, disturbances in the ink ejection direction during printing caused by contaminants can also be corrected.

[0086] In this embodiment, pre-print flushing is performed during the printing process in S3, but instead, a pre-print flushing process may be performed between S2 and S3. Also, the number of ink droplets ejected by the pre-print flushing data in this embodiment is, for example, 10,000 in total.

[0087] When ink ejection based on specific flushing data is completed, the control unit 80 controls the main scanning motor 7M to move the carriage 6 to the cap position B1. This completes the specific flushing process.

[0088] Next, the control unit 80 controls the wiper motor 54M to move the wiper 53 to the wipe position (S103). The position of the wiper 53 immediately before moving to the wipe position will be described in detail in the wiper position change control section below.

[0089] Next, the control unit 80 performs a wipe process similar to the wipe process in S7 (S104). As a result, each nozzle surface 30A is wiped by the wiper 53. Thus, the wipe process is completed.

[0090] Next, the control unit 80 controls the wiper motor 54M at the moment the carriage 6 passes over the wiper 53, moving the wiper 53 to the first contact position (S105). As a result, most of the wiper 53 is immersed in the cleaning fluid, and any ink or other substances adhering to the wiper 53 are washed away.

[0091] Next, the control unit 80 controls the main scanning motor 7M to move the carriage 6 to the cap position B1 (S106). This completes the flow shown in Figure 12.

[0092] <Control during manual purging> Referring to Figure 13, the control by the control unit 80 when purging is performed manually will be explained. When the operator operates the touch panel 16 and a purge command is input to the printing device 1, the control unit 80 reads the control program from the ROM 82 and executes the flow shown in Figure 13. The flow shown in Figure 13 will be explained below.

[0093] The control unit 80 first determines whether or not a purge command has been input (S201). If no purge command has been input (S201: NO), S201 is repeated until a purge command is input.

[0094] On the other hand, if a purge command is input (S201: YES), the control unit 80 performs the same purge process as in S4 (S202). This causes a purging operation in which the ink in the head 30 is discharged into the cap 51 from multiple nozzles N, and air bubbles and thickened ink in the head 30 are discharged. Thus, the purge process is completed.

[0095] Next, the control unit 80 performs the same cleaning process as in S5 (S203). This performs the cleaning operation, and the ink in the pipe 55A is cleaned with the cleaning solution. Thus, the cleaning process is completed.

[0096] Next, the control unit 80 executes the same processes as in S6 to S9 (S204 to S207). This completes the flow shown in Figure 13.

[0097] <Wiper position change control> Referring to Figure 14, the wiper position change control for changing the position of the wiper 53 relative to the cleaning liquid surface will be described. When the printing process, purging process, or specific flushing process is started, the control unit 80 reads the control program from the ROM 82 and operates to execute the flow shown in Figure 14. The flow shown in Figure 14 will be described below.

[0098] The control unit 80 first determines whether a printing process, a purging process, or a specific flashing process has started (S301). The determination of whether any of the above processes, printing, purging, or specific flashing processes, has started is made by the control unit 80 initiating the process. If the printing process, purging process, or specific flashing process has not started (S301: NO), the control unit 80 repeats S301. On the other hand, if the printing process, purging process, or specific flashing process has started (S301: YES), the control unit 80 determines whether the printing process has started (S302).

[0099] When printing is started (S302:YES), the control unit 80 determines whether the amount of ink ejected from each head 30 in the current printing process is less than a predetermined amount (S303). The amount of ink ejected from the head 30 is derived by calculating the amount of ink to be ejected based on the image data in the current printing process. In this embodiment, a printing process in which the amount of ink ejected from each head 30 is less than a predetermined amount corresponds to the "second process" and "specific process" of this disclosure, and this printing process corresponds to the "second ejection process" of this disclosure. Furthermore, a printing process in which the amount of ink ejected from each head 30 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount corresponds to the "first process" and "specific process" of this disclosure, and this printing process corresponds to the "first ejection process" of this disclosure.

[0100] If the amount of ink ejected is less than a predetermined amount (S303: YES), the control unit 80 controls the wiper motor 54M to move the wiper 53 to the second contact position as shown in Figure 8(b) (S304). Normally, the wiper 53 is positioned at the first contact position when printing, purging, specific flushing, or wiping is not being performed. The process in S304 of this embodiment corresponds to the "change process" of this disclosure.

[0101] By moving the wiper 53 from the first contact position to the second contact position and keeping it in that position, less cleaning fluid adheres to the wiper 53 than to the wiper 53 in the first contact position. When the amount of ink ejected from each head 30 during the printing process is less than a predetermined amount, the amount of ink adhering to the nozzle surface 30A of each head 30 is also relatively small. In other words, there is less dirt on the nozzle surface 30A. Therefore, even when wiping the nozzle surface 30A with a wiper 53 that has less cleaning fluid adhering to it during the wiping process, good cleaning results can be obtained. In addition, by reducing the amount of cleaning fluid that adheres to the wiper 53, it is also possible to reduce the amount of cleaning fluid used.

[0102] On the other hand, if the amount of ink to be ejected is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount (S303:NO), the control unit 80 controls the wiper motor 54M to move the wiper 53 to the first contact position as shown in Figure 8(a) (S305). In this embodiment, the wiper 53 is normally positioned at the first contact position and is therefore maintained at the first contact position. The process in S305 of this embodiment corresponds to the "change process" of this disclosure.

[0103] By positioning the wiper 53 in the first contact position and keeping it in standby, more cleaning fluid adheres to the wiper 53 than to the wiper 53 in the second contact position. When the amount of ink ejected from each head 30 during the printing process exceeds a predetermined amount, the amount of ink adhering to the nozzle surface 30A of each head 30 also increases. In other words, the nozzle surface 30A is more prone to soiling. Therefore, in the wiping process, wiping the nozzle surface 30A with the wiper 53 that has a large amount of cleaning fluid adhering to it can yield good cleaning results. Furthermore, even if the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 30A dries, the nozzle surface 30A can still be wiped with the wiper 53 that has a relatively large amount of cleaning fluid adhering to it. For this reason, good cleaning results can be obtained.

[0104] In S302, if the printing process has not started (S302: NO), the control unit 80 determines whether or not the specific flashing process has started (S306). If the specific flashing process has started (S306: YES), the control unit 80 controls the wiper motor 54M to move the wiper 53 to the first contact position.

[0105] During the specific flushing process, the amount of ink ejected from each head 30 exceeds the predetermined amount mentioned above. As a result, a large amount of ink adheres to the nozzle surface 30A of each head 30, making the nozzle surface 30A prone to soiling. Therefore, during the wiping process, wiping the nozzle surface 30A with a wiper 53 that has a large amount of cleaning solution on it can yield good cleaning results.

[0106] If the purging process has started and the specific flushing process has not started (S306: NO), the control unit 80 controls the wiper motor 54M to move the wiper 53 to a non-contact position (S307). The process in S307 of this embodiment corresponds to the "change process" of this disclosure.

[0107] By positioning the wiper 53 in a non-contact position, the amount of cleaning fluid adhering to the wiper 53 is significantly less than that of the wiper 53 in the first contact position. In this embodiment, the cleaning process is performed after the purging process. As a result of the cleaning process, cleaning fluid adheres to the nozzle surface 30A of each head 30. Therefore, during the wiping process, even if the nozzle surface 30A is wiped with a wiper 53 that has less cleaning fluid adhering to it, the cleaning fluid that has already adhered to the nozzle surface 30A can be utilized. As a result, good cleaning results can be obtained. In addition, by reducing the amount of cleaning fluid that adheres to the wiper 53, it is also possible to reduce the amount of cleaning fluid used.

[0108] As described above, according to the printing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the state of the nozzle surface 30A differs depending on whether a printing process is performed in which the amount of ink ejected from the head 30 is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, whether a printing process is performed in which the amount of ink ejected from the head 30 is less than a predetermined amount, whether a purging process is performed, or whether a specific flushing process is performed. Depending on which of the above processes is performed, the position of the wiper 53 is changed in the modification process, and the degree of contact between the wiper 53 and the cleaning liquid is changed. After this, a wipe process is performed. In other words, after one of the modification processes S304, S305, or S307 is performed, one of the wipe processes S7, S104, or S205 is performed. This makes it possible to adjust the amount of cleaning liquid adhering to the wiper 53 to an amount corresponding to the process performed before the wipe process among the above processes, and stabilize the cleaning result of the nozzle surface 30A.

[0109] When purging and cleaning are performed, in the change process, the wiper 53 is positioned in a non-contact position in S307. By positioning the wiper 53 in a non-contact position, the amount of cleaning fluid adhering to the wiper 53 can be reduced more reliably than when the wiper 53 is in the first contact position. Consequently, the amount of cleaning fluid adhering to the wiper 53 can be more effectively adjusted to the amount corresponding to the process performed before the wiping process among the above processes, thereby stabilizing the cleaning results of the nozzle surface 30A.

[0110] <First variation> In the above-described embodiment, the process in S303 is performed in the process of changing the wiper position, but in the first modified example, the process in S303 does not need to be performed. That is, when the printing process is started, the wiper 53 only needs to be positioned at the first contact position. Even if the nozzle surface 30A becomes dirty when the printing process is performed, it is possible to wipe the nozzle surface 30A with the wiper 53 to which a relatively large amount of cleaning fluid has adhered. As a result, good cleaning results can be obtained.

[0111] <Second variation> In the print control in the above embodiment, the process in S2 was performed before the print process to determine whether to perform the print process or the purge process. However, in the second modified example, the determination of whether to perform the purge process may be made after the print process. In the print control in the second modified example, the control unit 80 reads the control program from the ROM 82 and operates to execute the flow shown in Figure 15. The flow shown in Figure 15 will be described below.

[0112] The control unit 80 first determines whether or not a print command has been input (S401). If no print command has been input (S401: NO), S401 is repeated until a print command is input. On the other hand, if a print command has been input (S401: YES), the control unit 80 executes the printing process (S402). The printing process in S402 is the same as the printing process in S3.

[0113] Next, the control unit 80 controls the wiper motor 54M to move the wiper 53 to the wipe position (S403). After this, the control unit 80 performs the wipe process (S404). The wipe process in S404 is the same as the wipe process in S7.

[0114] Next, the control unit 80 controls the wiper motor 54M at the moment the carriage 6 passes over the wiper 53 to move the wiper 53 to the first contact position (S405). After this, the control unit 80 controls the main scanning motor 7M to move the carriage 6 to the cap position B1 (S406).

[0115] Next, the control unit 80 determines whether the number of printed pages has reached a predetermined number (S407). If the number of printed pages has reached a predetermined number (S407: YES), the control unit 80 performs the purging process in S408 and the cleaning process in S409. The purging process in S408 is the same as the purging process in S4. The cleaning process in S409 is the same as the cleaning process in S5. After this, the process returns to S404.

[0116] On the other hand, if the number of printed pages has not reached a predetermined number in S407 (S407:NO), the control unit 80 terminates the flow shown in Figure 15.

[0117] In the second modified example, the same effect can be obtained with a configuration similar to that of the embodiment described above.

[0118] <Third variation> In the third modification, the cleaning solution removal process is performed before the wipe process in S7, which is performed after the purging and cleaning process. In this modification as well, the control unit 80 reads the control program from the ROM 82 and operates to execute the flow shown in Figure 16. The flow shown in Figure 16 will be explained below.

[0119] In the third modified example, when the cleaning process is performed, the control unit 80 stores a cleaning flag. Then, before the wiping process is performed, as shown in Figure 16, the control unit 80 determines whether or not the cleaning flag is stored (S501).

[0120] If the cleaning fluid flag is not stored (S501: NO), the control unit 80 controls the wiper motor 54M to move the wiper 53 to the wipe position (S6). On the other hand, if the cleaning fluid flag is stored (S501: YES), the control unit 80 moves the wiper 53 to a contact position where it can contact the right side surface 30B of the head 30, as shown in Figure 17 (S502). The contact position in this modified example is the same as the wipe position in the above-described embodiment. The right side surface 30B in this modified example corresponds to the "contact surface" in this disclosure, and the contact position corresponds to the "position in contact with the contact surface" in this disclosure.

[0121] Next, the control unit 80 performs a cleaning fluid removal process to remove cleaning fluid from each wiper 53 (S503). In the cleaning fluid removal process in S503, the control unit 80 controls the main scanning motor 7M to move the carriage 6 to the right from the cap position B1. Then, as shown in Figure 17, the control unit 80 controls the main scanning motor 7M so that it stops moving when the right side surface 30B of the head 30 comes into contact with the wiper 53. After this, the control unit 80 controls the main scanning motor 7M so that the carriage 6 swings from side to side while the wiper 53 is in contact with the right side surface 30B of the head 30. As a result, the wiper 53 is repeatedly pressed by the right side surface 30B of the head 30, which is different from the nozzle surface 30A, and the cleaning fluid that has soaked into the wiper 53 is squeezed out and removed. The control unit 80 also clears the stored cleaning flag. Thus, the cleaning fluid removal process is completed.

[0122] Next, the control unit 80 performs the wiper process. Specifically, the control unit 80 controls the main scanning motor 7M to move the carriage 6 to the right and pass over the wiper 53. As a result, each nozzle surface 30A is wiped by the wiper 53. Thus, the wiper process is completed.

[0123] In this third modified printing apparatus, the wiper 53 is positioned at the contact point and the cleaning fluid removal process is performed. Therefore, it is possible to effectively remove the cleaning fluid adhering to the wiper 53 by bringing it into contact with the right side surface 30B of the head 30 before the wiping process.

[0124] In the cleaning fluid removal process in the third modified example, the carriage 6 is swung from side to side while the wiper 53 is in contact with the right side surface 30B of the head 30. However, the carriage 6 may be stopped for a predetermined period of time without swinging, while the wiper 53 is in contact with the right side surface 30B of the head 30. Even in this case, it is still possible to effectively remove the cleaning fluid adhering to the wiper 53.

[0125] <Fourth variation> In the print control in the above-described embodiment, the cleaning process in S5 was performed after the purging process in S4, but in the fourth modified example, the cleaning process in S5 does not need to be performed. In this case, in the wiper position change control, the control unit 80 performs the process in S305 if the printing process has not been started (S302: NO) in S302. In other words, if a specific flushing process or purging process is performed, the process in S305 is performed without performing the processes in S306 and S307. The purging process in this modified example corresponds to the "first process" and "specific process" in this disclosure.

[0126] In this fourth modified printing apparatus 1, the cleaning process is not performed after the purging process. Therefore, the nozzle surface 30A after the purging process is free of cleaning solution and is prone to becoming dirty with a lot of ink. Accordingly, by wiping the nozzle surface 30A with a wiper 53 that has a large amount of cleaning solution on it during the wiping process, good cleaning results can be obtained.

[0127] While preferred embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible as long as they are within the scope of the claims.

[0128] In the above-described embodiment, the wiper moving mechanism 54 changes the position of the wiper 53 by rotating the wiper support portion 54A. However, the position of the wiper 53 relative to the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid may also be changed by moving the wiper support portion 54A vertically while the wiper 53 is in the position it is in when it is positioned at the first contact position. In this case, a first contact position, a second contact position, and a non-contact position can be set, each having a different degree of contact between the wiper 53 and the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid tank 52.

[0129] Alternatively, instead of the wiper moving mechanism 54, a moving mechanism may be provided that changes the position of the wiper 53 relative to the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid by moving the cleaning fluid tank 52 vertically. In this case, by moving the cleaning fluid tank 52 vertically while the wiper 53 is in the position when it is positioned at the first contact position, a first contact position, a second contact position, and a non-contact position can be set, each with a different degree of contact between the wiper 53 and the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid tank 52.

[0130] Alternatively, instead of the wiper moving mechanism 54, a pump may be provided to change the position of the wiper 53 relative to the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid by increasing or decreasing the amount of cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid tank 52. In this case as well, by moving the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid tank 52 vertically while the wiper 53 is in the position when it is positioned at the first contact position, a first contact position, a second contact position, and a non-contact position can be set, each with a different degree of contact between the wiper 53 and the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid tank 52.

[0131] Alternatively, instead of the wiper movement mechanism 54, an extension / retraction mechanism may be provided that changes the position of the wiper relative to the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid by extending or retracting the wiper in the vertical direction. The extension / retraction mechanism can be configured to set a first contact position, a second contact position, and a non-contact position, where the degree of contact between the wiper and the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid tank 52 differs, by extending or retracting the wiper while it is in the position when it is in the first contact position.

[0132] The moving mechanism for changing the position of the wiper 53 and the cleaning fluid in the cleaning fluid tank 52 relative to the liquid surface may involve moving both the wiper 53 and the cleaning fluid tank 52.

[0133] In the above embodiment, the cleaning process is performed immediately after the purging process, but the cleaning process may be performed at a time other than immediately after the purging process. Alternatively, the cleaning process may be performed immediately before the purging process.

[0134] In the above embodiment, during the cleaning process, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the cap 51, causing the cleaning liquid contained in the cap 51 to face the nozzle surface 30A. However, a foam containing the cleaning liquid may be provided inside the printing device, and a facing process in which the foam and the nozzle surface 30A face each other may be performed before the wiping process. In this case, the cleaning liquid evaporated from the foam adheres to the nozzle surface 30A. Therefore, if the facing process is performed, the modification process in S307 should be executed. As a result, when performing the wiping process after the facing process, good cleaning results can be obtained even if the nozzle surface 30A is wiped with a wiper 53 that has less cleaning liquid adhering to it. In addition, by reducing the amount of cleaning liquid that adheres to the wiper 53, it is possible to reduce the amount of cleaning liquid used. Instead of foam, a container with an upward opening capable of containing the cleaning liquid and a liquid supply pump that supplies the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank 11 to the container may be provided separately, and the cleaning liquid supplied to the container may face the nozzle surface 30A during the facing process. The forms and containers in these modifications correspond to the "cleaning liquid containing member" in this disclosure, and the opposing processes correspond to the "second process" and the "specific process."

[0135] In the wiper position change control shown in Figure 14, the wiper position is changed after one of the following processes—printing, purging, or specific flashing—has started. However, the wiper position may also be changed before the process is performed, or after the process has finished but before the wiper 53 moves to the wipe position.

[0136] Furthermore, ink may be ejected into the cap 51 when performing specific flushing and pre-printing flushing. In this case, it is not necessary to provide an ink receiving plate 59, which contributes to miniaturization of the printing device. In this modified example, the cap 51 corresponds to the "receiving member" of this disclosure.

[0137] In the third modified example described above, the cleaning fluid adhering to the wiper 53 is removed by bringing the wiper 53 into contact with the right side surface 30B of the head 30. However, a scraper, which is a separate component from the head 30 and capable of contacting the wiper 53, may also be provided in the printing apparatus. Furthermore, the wiper 53 may be moved from a non-contact position to a contact position where it can contact the scraper before the wiping process. In this case as well, it is possible to effectively remove the cleaning fluid adhering to the wiper 53.

[0138] In the above-described embodiment, the first and second contact positions can be set to any position relative to the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid, as long as the wiper 53 is immersed in the cleaning fluid and the degree of contact between the wiper 53 and the cleaning fluid at the first contact position is greater than that at the second contact position. The non-contact position can be set to any position as long as the wiper 53 does not come into contact with the cleaning fluid.

[0139] In the above-described embodiment, the wiper 53 is set to be able to be positioned at either a first contact position or a second contact position as a position for contacting the cleaning fluid, but it is not necessary for the first or second contact position to be set to be able to be positioned.

[0140] The wipe position may be such that the wiper 53 is positioned at a slight inclination with respect to the vertical direction, and may be set to any position that allows the nozzle surface 30A to be wiped.

[0141] A different flushing process with a smaller ink ejection volume than the specific flushing process may be performed. In this case, S304 or S305 may be performed as a process to change the position of the wiper after the start of the flushing process but before the wiper 53 moves to the wipe position. This makes it possible to wipe the nozzle surface with the wiper to which the cleaning fluid has adhered, and good cleaning results can be obtained.

[0142] The specific flushing process is not limited to being initiated by an operator operating the touch panel 16; it may also be initiated, for example, at a predetermined time. Similarly, the purging process may also be initiated, for example, at a predetermined time.

[0143] The purging process performed in S4 and the purging process performed in S202 may have different operating times for the suction pump 55, i.e., different suction times. Furthermore, the pump rotation speed per unit time of the suction pump 55 may differ between the purging process performed in S4 and the purging process performed in S202. By making the operation of the purging process performed in S4 and the purging process performed in S202 different in this way, the suction force acting on the nozzle N due to the purging process performed in S4 and the suction force acting on the nozzle N due to the purging process performed in S202 may be changed.

[0144] In the above-described embodiment, the first process is a specific flushing process and a printing process in which the amount of ink is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. However, the first process may also be a first detection process that detects a temperature below a predetermined temperature. After the first detection process is performed, the process in S305 is executed. Even when the ink is prone to adhering to the nozzle surface 30A at a low temperature below a predetermined temperature, it becomes possible to wipe the nozzle surface with a wiper to which a large amount of cleaning solution is attached, and good cleaning results can be obtained.

[0145] In the above embodiment, the second process is a purging process + cleaning process and a printing process where the amount of ink is less than a predetermined amount. However, the second process may be a second detection process that detects a set predetermined end time. The end time is the time when the period in which the printing device can perform the printing process ends. After the second detection process is executed, the process in S304 or S307 is executed. Since no printing is performed after the end time, there is little need to wipe with a wiper to which a large amount of cleaning solution has adhered. For this reason, the wiper can be positioned in the second position in advance, and the wiping process can be performed with a wiper to which a small amount of cleaning solution has adhered.

[0146] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments and their respective modifications, the control unit 80 may use a microcomputer, ASIC, FPGA, etc., as the processor instead of the CPU 81. In this case, the main processing may be distributed among multiple processors. Non-temporary storage media such as ROM 82 and flash memory 84 can be any storage medium capable of retaining information regardless of the period for which the information is stored. The control program may be downloaded, for example, from a server connected to a network (not shown) and stored in ROM 82 or flash memory 84. In this case, the control program may be stored in a non-temporary storage medium such as an HDD provided on the server.

[0147] While the present invention has been described in the context of a printing apparatus that prints on a printing medium by ejecting ink from a nozzle, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a liquid dispensing apparatus other than a printing apparatus that dispenses liquids other than ink, such as liquid resin or metal, onto a dispensing medium. The dispensing medium is not limited to cloth, but may be paper, a resin material, or the like.

[0148] Furthermore, if it is possible to eject liquid from the nozzle, it is also possible to use a pressure application unit other than the actuator 34X. As a pressure application unit, for example, a thermal pressure application unit may be used that heats the liquid in the individual flow path with a heating element, generates bubbles to apply pressure to the liquid, and pushes the ink out from the nozzle for recording.

[0149] The program disclosed herein can be distributed by storing it on removable storage media such as flexible disks or fixed storage media such as hard disks, and can also be distributed via communication lines. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0150] 1 Printing device 30A Nozzle surface 30B Right side 33A Common channel 33B Individual channel 34X Actuator 51 Cap 52 Washing solution tank 53 Wiper 54 Wiper movement mechanism 55 Suction pump 80 Control Unit N Nozzle

Claims

1. A nozzle surface having a nozzle, Wipers and, A cleaning fluid tank for storing the cleaning fluid, A moving mechanism for moving one or both of the wiper and the liquid surface in order to change the position of the wiper relative to the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid, It comprises a control unit and, The control unit, A change process that controls the moving mechanism and changes the position of the wiper, A specific process that executes either the first or second process, A wiping process, which is performed after both the modification process and the specification process, is possible, in which the wiper is brought into contact with the nozzle surface and the nozzle surface is wiped. When the first process is performed in the specified process, the position of the wiper is changed in the modification process to a first position in which the wiper and the cleaning fluid come into contact. A liquid dispensing device characterized in that, when the second process is performed in the specified process, the position of the wiper is changed in the modification process to a second position in which the degree of contact between the wiper and the cleaning liquid is smaller than that of the first position.

2. The liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second position is a position in which the wiper does not come into contact with the cleaning liquid.

3. The system includes a pressure application unit that applies pressure to a liquid flow path communicating with the nozzle, The liquid dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the first process is a first dispensing process in which liquid is discharged from the nozzle by driving the pressure application unit.

4. The second process is a second discharge process in which a smaller amount of liquid than that of the first discharge process is discharged from the nozzle by driving the actuator, The liquid dispensing device according to claim 3, characterized in that the second position is a position in which the wiper comes into contact with the cleaning liquid.

5. A cleaning liquid container capable of containing cleaning liquid, A cap capable of covering the nozzle surface, A pump, and further equipped, The liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second process includes a facing process in which the cleaning liquid contained in the cleaning liquid containment member is brought into contact with the nozzle surface, and a purging process in which the liquid is discharged from the nozzle by driving the pump while the nozzle surface is covered with the cap.

6. A cap capable of covering the nozzle surface, A pump, and further equipped, The liquid dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the first process includes a purging process in which the nozzle surface is covered with the cap and the liquid is discharged from the nozzle by driving the pump.

7. The liquid dispensing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the first dispensing process is a printing process in which liquid is dispensed from the nozzle toward a printing medium based on image data, and an image is printed on the printing medium.

8. The system further comprises a receiving member for receiving the liquid discharged from the nozzle, The liquid dispensing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the first dispensing process is a flushing process that discharges liquid from the nozzle toward the receiving member based on flushing data.

9. The surface further comprises a contact surface that is different from the nozzle surface and is capable of contacting the wiper, The liquid dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that when the control unit performs the second process in the specific process, after changing the position of the wiper to the second position in the change process and before performing the wipe process, the control unit changes the position of the wiper to a position in which the wiper contacts the contact surface in the change process.

10. A control method for a liquid dispensing device comprising: a nozzle surface having a nozzle; a wiper; a cleaning fluid tank for storing cleaning fluid; and a moving mechanism for moving one or both of the wiper and the liquid surface in order to change the position of the wiper relative to the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid, A change process that changes the position of the wiper by the moving mechanism, A specific process that executes either the first or second process, A wiping process, which is performed after both the modification process and the specification process, is possible, in which the wiper is brought into contact with the nozzle surface and the nozzle surface is wiped. When the first process is performed in the specified process, the position of the wiper is changed in the modification process to a first position in which the wiper and the cleaning fluid come into contact. A control method characterized in that, when the second process is performed in the specified process, the position of the wiper is changed in the modification process to a second position in which the degree of contact between the wiper and the cleaning fluid is smaller than that of the first position.

11. A control unit used in a liquid dispensing device comprising a nozzle surface having a nozzle, a wiper, a cleaning fluid tank for storing cleaning fluid, and a moving mechanism for moving one or both of the wiper and the liquid surface in order to change the position of the wiper relative to the liquid surface of the cleaning fluid, A change means that performs a change process to change the position of the wiper using the moving mechanism. A specific means for performing the first or second process, and A wiping means is used to perform a wiping process that is carried out after processing by both the modifying means and the identifying means, by bringing the wiper into contact with the nozzle surface and wiping the nozzle surface. When the first process is performed by the specified means, the changing means changes the position of the wiper to a first position in which the wiper and the cleaning liquid come into contact. A program characterized in that, when the second process is performed by the specified means, the changing means changes the position of the wiper to a second position in which the degree of contact between the wiper and the cleaning fluid is smaller than that of the first position.

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