Head cap and inkjet recording device

Abstract

To disperse aggregates of an ink in a recording head and inhibit overflowing of a cleaning fluid from head caps.SOLUTION: Head caps (53a to 53d) are attached to inkjet type recording heads (41a to 41d). Each head cap is provided with: a cap housing (54a to 54d) where a cleaning fluid storage space (55a to 55d) is open to the upper side; and a cap cover (58a to 58d) which is provided along an open end of the cap housing. The cap cover is formed with an opening (59a to 59d) through which the recording head can get into / out from the storage space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a head cap and an inkjet recording apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, in inkjet recording devices, in order to eliminate clogging of the recording head caused by dried ink, a purging operation is performed to expel ink from the recording head, and a wiping operation is performed to clean the nozzle surface with a wiping blade. In addition, as an inkjet recording device, one in which the nozzle surface of the recording head is sealed with a head cap is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The head cap described in Patent Document 1 is filled with a cleaning liquid, and by immersing the nozzle surface of the recording head in the cleaning liquid, adhesion of ink to the nozzle surface and nozzle holes is suppressed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-176898 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the inkjet recording device described in Patent Document 1, the nozzle surface is moistened by the cleaning liquid, which suppresses ink coagulation on the nozzle surface and in the nozzle holes, but it is difficult to disperse ink coagulation that has solidified inside the recording head, etc. Also, when the cleaning liquid shakes, it is prone to spilling from the head cap.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to disperse ink aggregates inside the recording head and to prevent cleaning liquid from spilling from the head cap. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A head cap of one embodiment of the present invention is a head cap that is placed over an inkjet recording head, and comprises a cap housing in which a storage space for cleaning liquid is open toward the top, and a cap cover that is provided along the open end of the cap housing, and an opening is formed in the cap cover through which the recording head can enter and exit.

[0007] In the head cap, the cross-sectional shape of the opening edge of the cap cover is formed into a curved shape.

[0008] In the head cap, the storage space is formed so that its area narrows from the open end toward the bottom surface.

[0009] In the head cap, the cap cover is formed by a plurality of cover parts along each side surface of the recording head.

[0010] In the head cap, the plurality of cover parts are pivotally mounted on the cap housing.

[0011] An inkjet recording device of one embodiment of the present invention comprises the head cap described above and a wiping blade that wipes the nozzle surface of the recording head, and the head cap is placed over any non-ejecting head among the recording heads in which the wiping operation does not resolve the non-ejection of ink.

[0012] After separating the non-ejection head from the head cap, the inkjet recording apparatus causes the non-ejection head to perform a purging operation and causes the wiping blade to perform a wiping operation on the nozzle surface of the non-ejection head.

[0013] The inkjet recording apparatus includes a notification unit that notifies completion of cleaning after wiping the nozzle surface of the non-ejection head.

[0014] The inkjet recording apparatus causes the non-ejection head to record a test pattern after performing a wiping operation on the nozzle surface of the non-ejection head. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, when the cap housing is placed over the recording head, the recording head enters the cleaning liquid storage space through the opening in the cap cover. By immersing the recording head in the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid reaches the inside of the recording head and disperses ink aggregates. This eliminates ink non-ejection without the need to replace the recording head. In addition, even if the cleaning liquid sways, the cap cover prevents the cleaning liquid from spilling out of the storage space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams of a cap unit and a wipe unit according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the head cap of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating an example of a cleaning procedure for a non-ejection head according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating an example of a cleaning procedure for a non-ejection head according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a head cap of a modified example. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a head cap according to another modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] An inkjet recording device to which the head cap of this embodiment is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the inkjet recording device of this embodiment. For ease of explanation, the front side of the paper in Fig. 1 is the front side (front side) of the image forming device, and the left and right directions will be described based on the direction when the inkjet recording device is viewed from the front. Arrows L, R, U, Lo, Fr, and Rr appropriately attached to each figure indicate the left side, right side, upper side, lower side, front side, and rear side of the image forming device, respectively.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, the inkjet recording device 1 is configured to eject ink from inkjet recording heads 41a-41d toward a sheet S and to be able to perform single-sided printing and double-sided printing on the sheet S. The inkjet recording device 1 includes a box-shaped housing 10 that houses various devices. A paper feed cassette 12 in which the sheets S are set is housed in the lower part of the housing 10, and a manual feed tray 13 in which the sheets S are manually set is provided on the right side of the housing 10. A paper discharge tray 16 on which the recorded sheets S are stacked is provided on the upper left side of the housing 10.

[0019] A first transport path 21 is formed on the right side inside the housing 10 to transport sheets S from the paper feed cassette 12 toward the recording heads 41a-41d in the center of the housing 10. A paper feed unit 14 that takes out sheets S from the stack of sheets in the paper feed cassette 12 is provided upstream of the first transport path 21, and a registration roller device 31 that adjusts the timing of sending out sheets S is provided downstream of the first transport path 21. A paper feed path 24 for the manual feed tray 13 is connected downstream of the first transport path 21, and a paper feed unit 15 that takes out sheets S from the stack of sheets in the manual feed tray 13 is provided in the paper feed path 24 for the manual feed tray 13.

[0020] The registration roller device 31 has a pair of registration rollers 32, 33 facing each other vertically. Downstream of the pair of registration rollers 32, 33, recording heads 41a-41d and a transport unit 35 are provided. The pair of registration rollers 32, 33 correct the skew of the sheet S and send the sheet S to the transport unit 35 in accordance with the ink ejection operation of the recording heads 41a-41d. The recording heads 41a-41d eject ink of four colors, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively. The transport unit 35 is configured by stretching a transport belt 38 around tension rollers 36, 37 provided below the recording heads 41a-41d.

[0021] A decurling device 45 that corrects curls caused in the sheet S due to drying of the ink is provided downstream of the conveying unit 35. A capping unit 51 that caps the recording heads 41a-41d and a wiping unit 71 that wipes the recording heads 41a-41d are provided below the decurling device 45. A second conveying path 22 that conveys the sheet S toward the paper discharge tray 16 is formed downstream of the decurling device 45. A branching member 25 that switches the discharge destination of the sheet S is provided in the middle of the second conveying path 22, and a paper discharge unit 17 that discharges the recorded sheet S to the paper discharge tray 16 is provided downstream of the second conveying path 22.

[0022] A third transport path 23 is formed in the upper part of the housing 10, which transports the sheet S from the branching member 25 to the registration roller device 31 downstream of the first transport path 21. A sheet inverting section 26 that inverts the sheet S is provided in the middle of the third transport path 23. When the sheet S is transported to the third transport path 23, the sheet inverting section 26 switches back the sheet S, and the inverted sheet S is transported toward the registration roller device 31. As a result, the sheet S is transported from the registration rollers 32 and 33 to the recording heads 41a-41d with the back side of the sheet S facing up.

[0023] During image recording, the sheet S is taken out from the paper feed cassette 12 or the manual feed tray 13 by the paper feed units 14 and 15 and sent to the registration roller device 31. The sheet S is sent from the registration roller device 31 to the conveyor belt 38 in accordance with the ink ejection timing, and a color image is recorded on the front side of the sheet S by the recording heads 41a-41d. During single-sided recording, after the curl generated in the sheet S is corrected by the decurling device 45, the sheet S is conveyed to the paper discharge unit 17 via the second conveyance path 22, and the sheet S with the image recorded on the front side is discharged by the paper discharge unit 17 to the paper discharge tray 16.

[0024] During double-sided recording, the curl generated on the sheet S is straightened by the decurl device 45, and then the sheet S after the front side recording is inverted by the third transport path 23 and transported again toward the registration roller device 31. The sheet S is sent from the registration roller device 31 to the transport belt 38, and an image is recorded on the back side of the sheet S by the recording heads 41a-41d. Then, the curl generated on the sheet S is straightened by the decurl device 45, and then the sheet S is transported to the paper discharge unit 17 via the second transport path 22, and the sheet S with images recorded on both sides is discharged by the paper discharge unit 17 to the paper discharge tray 16.

[0025] When cleaning the recording heads 41a-41d, the recording heads 41a-41d are made to perform a purge operation, and the wipe unit 71 is made to perform a wiping operation. The recording heads 41a-41d use ink with high dispersion stability, but when the ink dries, the dispersion stability is lost and ink (pigment) aggregates are generated in the recording heads 41a-41d. The purging operation and wiping operation can remove the ink aggregates that have adhered to the nozzle holes and nozzle surfaces. However, it is not possible to sufficiently clean the area deeper than the nozzle holes of the recording heads 41a-41d, and it is difficult to remove the ink aggregates that have adhered to the inside of the recording heads 41a-41d.

[0026] Therefore, the inkjet recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment is provided with a cap unit 51 that spreads the cleaning liquid to the inside of the recording heads 41a-41d. The cap unit 51 is provided with head caps 53a-53d (see FIG. 2) that are placed on the recording heads 41a-41d so as to immerse the recording heads 41a-41d in the cleaning liquid. In addition, since the cleaning liquid in the head caps 53a-53d is shaken in association with the vibration of the cap unit 51, etc., the head caps 53a-53d are provided with cap covers 58a-58d (see FIG. 2) to prevent the cleaning liquid from spilling.

[0027] The cap unit and the wipe unit will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the cap unit and the wipe unit of this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of the head cap of this embodiment.

[0028] 2, in the inkjet recording device 1, a transport unit 35 is installed below the recording heads 41a-41d, and a cap unit 51 and a wipe unit 71 are installed vertically side by side on the left side of the transport unit 35. A unit lifting mechanism 39 is connected to the transport unit 35, and the unit lifting mechanism 39 lifts and lowers the transport unit 35 between a transport position and a standby position. A unit moving mechanism 75 is connected to the cap unit 51 and the wipe unit 71, and the unit moving mechanism 75 selectively moves the cap unit 51 and the wipe unit 71 in the left-right direction between a cleaning position and a standby position.

[0029] A large number of nozzle holes are formed on the nozzle surface of the recording heads 41a-41d. Inside the recording heads 41a-41d, pressure chambers (not shown) connected to the nozzle holes and internal flow paths (not shown) connected to the pressure chambers are formed. A piezoelectric element (not shown) is also installed in the pressure chamber. Ink is filled into the pressure chamber from an ink tank, and ink is ejected from the nozzle holes by applying a drive voltage to the piezoelectric element. A head lifting mechanism 42 is also connected to the recording heads 41a-41d, and the recording heads 41a-41d are raised and lowered by the head lifting mechanism 42 during cleaning of the recording heads 41a-41d, etc.

[0030] Wiping blades 73a-73d for wiping the nozzle surfaces of the recording heads 41a-41d are provided on a base plate 72 of the wiping unit 71. The wiping blades 73a-73d are formed in a squeegee shape from an elastic material such as rubber. An advancing and retreating mechanism (not shown) is connected to the wiping blades 73a-73d, and the advancing and retreating mechanism (not shown) moves the wiping blades 73a-73d in a wiping direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface). A cleaning liquid application section (not shown) is provided on the recording heads 41a-41d, and cleaning liquid is applied from the application section to the tips of the wiping blades 73a-73d.

[0031] On the base plate 52 of the cap unit 51, head caps 53a-53d are provided to cover the recording heads 41a-41d. In the cap housings 54a-54d of the head caps 53a-53d, storage spaces 55a-55d for cleaning liquid are opened upward. The storage spaces 55a-55d are formed in a trapezoidal shape in cross section so that the area narrows from the open end toward the bottom surface, and the storage spaces 55a-55d store cleaning liquid capable of dispersing ink aggregates. Compared to the case where the storage spaces 55a-55d are formed in a rectangular shape in cross section, the amount of cleaning liquid used for the storage spaces 55a-55d is reduced.

[0032] Supply ports 56a-56d and discharge ports 57a-57d are formed so as to penetrate the base plate 52 from the bottom surfaces of the cap housings 54a-54d. A supply tank 66 is connected to the supply ports 56a-56d through a supply flow path 65, and a discharge tank 68 is connected to the discharge ports 57a-57d through a discharge flow path 67. A pump (not shown) and a valve (not shown) are interposed in the supply flow path 65 and the discharge flow path 67. The supply operation and discharge operation of the cleaning liquid are performed by driving the pump and switching the valve, and the cleaning liquid stored in the storage spaces 55a-55d is automatically replaced.

[0033] The cap housings 54a-54d are provided at their open ends with rectangular frame-shaped cap covers 58a-58d along the open ends. The cap covers 58a-58d are made of an elastic material such as rubber and are attached to the open ends of the cap housings 54a-54d. The cap covers 58a-58d are formed with openings 59a-59d through which the recording heads 41a-41d can enter and exit. The recording heads 41a-41d enter the storage spaces 55a-55d through the openings 59a-59d of the cap covers 58a-58d, and the recording heads 41a-41d are immersed in the cleaning liquid, so that the cleaning liquid permeates the interiors of the recording heads 41a-41d.

[0034] The shape of the openings 59a-59d of the cap covers 58a-58d corresponds to the outer peripheral shape of the recording heads 41a-41d, and the periphery of the recording heads 41a-41d is covered by the cap covers 58a-58d. Since there is only a small gap between the opening edge of the cap covers 58a-58d and the outer peripheral surface of the recording heads 41a-41d, the opening edge of the cap covers 58a-58d may come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the recording heads 41a-41d. Since the cap covers 58a-58d are made of an elastic material, the opening edge of the cap covers 58a-58d will not chip, but there is a risk that the cap covers 58a-58d may be deformed when capping is performed.

[0035] For this reason, the cross-sectional shape of the opening edge of the cap covers 58a-58d is formed into a curved shape. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the opening edge of the cap covers 58a-58d is formed into a semicircular shape, and the apex of the opening edge of the cap covers 58a-58d is in point contact with the outer circumferential surface of the recording head 41a-41d. The contact between the opening edge of the cap covers 58a-58d and the side surface of the recording head 41a-41d is minimized, and deformation of the cap covers 58a-58d due to friction is suppressed. In addition, even if the cleaning liquid is shaken, the cap covers 58a-58d make it difficult for the cleaning liquid to spill out of the storage space 55a-55d.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the cap cover 58a is formed by a pair of cover parts 61 along the left and right side surfaces of the recording head 41a, and a pair of cover parts 62 along the front and rear side surfaces of the recording head 41a. The mating surfaces of the cover parts 61 and 62 are formed with uneven shapes, and the uneven shapes are connected so as to mesh with each other. For example, if the front side (front side of the paper) of the mating surfaces of the cover parts 61 and 62 is shown by a solid line and the back side (back side of the paper) of the mating surfaces is shown by a dashed line, the uneven shapes of the cover parts 61 and 62 are reversed between the front side and the back side of the mating surfaces. In this way, the pair of cover parts 61 and 62 are meshed with each other.

[0037] Since the cover parts 61, 62 are not integrated, the transmission of deformation between the cover parts 61, 62 is minimized. For example, even if the opening edge of the cover part 61 hits the side of the recording head 41a and stress is generated, the stress is unlikely to be transmitted from the cover part 61 to the cover part 62 at the mating surface of the cover parts 61, 62. This makes it difficult for complex stress to act on the cap cover 58a, improving the durability of the cap cover 58a. Note that the cap covers 58b-58d are also formed of the cover parts 61, 62, improving the durability of the cap covers 58b-58d.

[0038] Returning to Fig. 2, the inkjet recording apparatus 1 is provided with a controller 78 that controls each part of the apparatus. The controller 78 controls the purging operation and test pattern recording operation by the recording heads 41a-41d, the wiping operation by the wipe unit 71, the capping operation by the cap unit 51, etc. The controller 78 is composed of a logic circuit such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0039] The controller 78 controls a normal cleaning procedure and a non-ejection head cleaning procedure. In the normal cleaning procedure, a purging operation, a wiping operation, and a test pattern recording operation are performed. In the non-ejection head cleaning procedure, a capping operation, a purging operation, a wiping operation, and a test pattern recording operation are performed on the non-ejection head. In addition, a display unit 79 is connected to the controller 78 as a notification unit. After the cleaning procedure for the non-ejection head is completed, a message indicating that cleaning is complete is displayed on the display unit 79.

[0040] A procedure for cleaning a non-ejection head will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are diagrams showing an example of a procedure for cleaning a non-ejection head in this embodiment.

[0041] As shown in the left diagram of FIG. 4, among the recording heads 41a-41d, the recording head 41a, whose ink non-ejection problem has not been resolved, is selected as the non-ejection head. In this case, after the purging operation and wiping operation are performed on the recording heads 41a-41d, the non-ejection head is selected based on the recording results of the test patterns of the recording heads 41a-41d. When the recording head 41a is selected as the non-ejection head, the head cap 53a is positioned below the recording head 41a. A cleaning liquid is supplied from a supply port 56a to a storage space 55a of the head cap 53a, and a sufficient amount of cleaning liquid is stored in the storage space 55a to immerse the recording head 41a.

[0042] As shown in the center of FIG. 4, the head cap 53a is placed on the recording head 41a. The recording head 41a is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the storage space 55a through the opening 59a of the cap cover 58a. At this time, friction between the opening edge of the cap cover 58a and the side of the recording head 41a is minimized, suppressing deformation of the cap cover 58a. The cleaning liquid enters through the nozzle holes of the recording head 41a and spreads to the inside of the recording head 41a. With the head cap 53a placed on the recording head 41a, the operation is stopped until a certain time has passed, and the ink aggregates that have solidified inside are dispersed by the cleaning liquid.

[0043] As shown in the right diagram of Fig. 4, the head cap 53a is separated from the recording head 41a, and the cleaning liquid is discharged from the storage space 55a of the head cap 53a through the discharge port 57a. In such a capping operation, the head cap 53a vibrates during the operation, causing the surface of the cleaning liquid in the storage space 55a to sway. The swaying of the surface of the cleaning liquid causes the cleaning liquid to rise up toward the wall of the storage space 55a, but since the cap cover 58a is provided like an eave on the upper end of the wall of the storage space 55a, the cap cover 58a prevents the cleaning liquid from spilling out of the storage space 55a.

[0044] As shown in the left diagram of FIG. 5, after the recording head 41a is detached from the head cap 53a, a purge operation is performed again by the recording head 41a. The purge operation ejects cleaning liquid remaining inside the recording head 41a and in the nozzles. As shown in the center diagram of FIG. 5, a wiping blade 73a is positioned below the recording head 41a, and the wiping blade 73a performs a wiping operation again on the nozzle surface of the recording head 41a. The wiping operation scrapes off foreign matter remaining on the nozzle surface of the recording head 41a. The capping operation, purging operation, and wiping operation resolve the non-ejection of ink from the recording head 41a.

[0045] 5, after wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head 41a, the transport unit 35 is positioned below the recording head 41a. A message indicating completion of cleaning is displayed on the display unit 79, and the recording head 41a performs a test pattern recording operation. The message indicating completion of cleaning notifies the user that the recording head 41a has been restored, and the recording result of the test pattern reconfirms the non-ejection of ink from the recording head 41a. If the non-ejection of ink from the recording head 41a has not been resolved, the above cleaning procedure may be repeated, or the recording head 41a may be replaced.

[0046] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the cap housings 54a-54d are placed on the recording heads 41a-41d, the recording heads 41a-41d enter the cleaning liquid storage spaces 55a-55d through the openings 59a-59d of the cap covers 58a-58d. By immersing the recording heads 41a-41d in the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid reaches the inside of the recording heads 41a-41d and disperses the ink aggregates. This solves the problem of ink non-ejection without replacing the recording heads 41a-41d. In addition, even if the cleaning liquid shakes, the cap covers 58a-58d prevent the cleaning liquid from spilling out of the storage spaces 55a-55d.

[0047] In this embodiment, the cap cover is provided at the open end of the cap housing, but the cap cover may be provided along the open end of the cap housing. For example, as in the case of a head cap 80 shown in FIG. 6, if the cap cover 82 is provided along the open end of the cap housing 81, the cap cover 82 may be provided on the inner circumferential surface of the cap housing 81.

[0048] In this embodiment, each cover part of the cap cover is attached to the cap housing so as not to be able to swing, but each cover part 87 of the cap cover 86 may be attached to the cap housing 85 so as to be able to swing, as in the case of a head cap 84 shown in Fig. 7. The movement of each cover part 87 guides the entry and exit of the recording head 89 into and out of the storage space 88 of the cap housing 85.

[0049] Further, in this embodiment, the cap cover is formed by a plurality of cover parts, but the cap cover may be formed by a single part.

[0050] In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the opening edge of the cap cover is curved, but the cross-sectional shape of the opening edge of the cap cover is not particularly limited. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the opening edge of the cap cover may be flat as long as the friction between the opening edge of the cap cover and the side surface of the recording head is sufficiently reduced.

[0051] In addition, in this embodiment, the storage space is formed into a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape whose area narrows from the open end toward the bottom surface, but the cross-sectional shape of the storage space is not particularly limited as long as it can store cleaning liquid to an extent that the cleaning liquid can reach the inside of the recording head.

[0052] In addition, in this embodiment, a display unit is exemplified as the notification unit, but the notification unit may be a lamp or a speaker that can notify the completion of cleaning after the wiping operation of the nozzle surface of the non-ejection head. That is, the completion of cleaning may be notified by a lamp by emitting light, or by a speaker by sound.

[0053] In addition, in the present embodiment, a sheet-shaped recording medium is exemplified, but a strip-shaped recording medium may be used. Furthermore, the recording medium may be a plastic film, recording paper, cloth, or the like.

[0054] Although the present embodiment has been described, other embodiments may be obtained by combining the above-described embodiments and modified examples in whole or in part.

[0055] In addition, the technology of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be variously changed, substituted, or modified within the scope of the gist of the technical idea. Furthermore, if the technical idea can be realized in a different way due to the progress of technology or a different technology derived therefrom, it may be implemented using that method. Therefore, the claims cover all embodiments that can be included in the scope of the technical idea. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1: Inkjet recording device 41a-41d: Recording head 53a-53d: Head cap 54a-54d: Cap housing 55a-55d: Storage space 58a-58d: Cap cover 59a-59d: Opening 61: Cover parts 62: Cover parts 73a-73d: Wiping blades 79: Display unit (notification unit)

Claims

1. A head cap that is placed on an inkjet recording head, a cap housing having a storage space for a cleaning liquid that is open upward; a cap cover provided along an open end of the cap housing; an opening through which the recording head can enter and exit is formed in the cap cover; an opening shape of the cap cover corresponds to an outer periphery shape of the recording head, and the periphery of the recording head is covered by the cap cover; The cap cover prevents the cleaning liquid from spilling out of the storage space, A head cap characterized in that the cap cover is formed by a plurality of cover parts that extend along each side of the recording head, and the mating surfaces of the plurality of cover parts are formed with uneven shapes, and the uneven shapes are connected to each other so as to interlock with each other.

2. 2. The head cap according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the opening edge of the cap cover is curved.

3. 3. The head cap according to claim 1, wherein the storage space is formed so that its area narrows from the open end toward the bottom surface.

4. 4. The head cap according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of cover parts are provided to the cap housing so as to be capable of swinging.

5. A head cap according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a wiping blade for wiping the nozzle surface of the recording head, an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the head cap is placed over any non-ejection head of the recording heads in which the non-ejection of ink cannot be resolved by a wiping operation.

6. 6. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein after the non-ejection head is separated from the head cap, a purging operation is performed on the non-ejection head, and the wiping blade is caused to perform a wiping operation on the nozzle surface of the non-ejection head.

7. 7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a notification unit that notifies completion of cleaning after wiping the nozzle surface of the non-ejection head.

8. 8. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a step of causing the non-ejection head to record a test pattern after a wiping operation of the nozzle surface of the non-ejection head.

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