Printer

Abstract

To suppress increase in size of a printer.SOLUTION: A printer 10 includes an ink head 24, a carriage 22, a wiper 60 and a wiping mechanism 70. The ink head 24 includes a nozzle surface 25 formed with a nozzle 26 for discharging ink. The carriage 22 is provided with an ink head 24. The wiper 60 is provided in the carriage 22 and movable relative to the nozzle surface 25. The wiping mechanism 70 moves the wiper 60 in a movement direction D1 so that the wiper 60 wipes the nozzle surface 25. The printer 10 may include a head movement mechanism 30 for moving the ink head 24 in a first direction Y. The wiping mechanism 70 may be configured to move the wiper 60 in the first direction Y or a second direction X relative to the nozzle surface 25.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet printer that includes a printer body, an ink head having a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed, and a wiper device having a wiper that wipes the nozzle surface of the ink head.

[0003] A space for disposing a wiper device is provided in the printer body of the inkjet printer. The wiper device is disposed in the space. The ink head is configured to move relative to the wiper. In the inkjet printer, the nozzle surface can be cleaned by moving the ink head relative to the wiper while the wiper is in contact with the nozzle surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-16971 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the inkjet printer, as described above, it is necessary to secure a space for arranging the wiper device in the printer body, which may increase the size of the printer by the amount of space required for arranging the wiper device.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and has an object to provide a printer that is capable of preventing the printer from becoming large. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The printer of the present invention comprises an ink head having a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed, a carriage on which the ink head is mounted, a wiper mounted on the carriage and movable relative to the nozzle surface, and a wiping mechanism which moves the wiper in a movement direction so that the wiper wipes the nozzle surface.

[0008] According to the printer of the present invention, the wiper is provided on the carriage, so that the wiper moves with the movement of the carriage, for example. Therefore, unlike the conventional printer, there is no need to secure a dedicated space in the housing for arranging the wiper. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the printer from becoming large. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printer that can prevent the printer from becoming large. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a printer according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the printer taken along line II-II in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of the bottom surface of the carriage. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the carriage and the wiper. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a right side view showing the carriage and the wiper. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a front view showing a carriage and a cap unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a front view showing a carriage and a cap unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a right side view showing the carriage, wiper and scraper. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a printer. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a front view showing a carriage and a wiper according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a right side view showing a carriage and a wiper according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a front view showing a carriage and a wiper according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a right side view showing a carriage and a wiper according to the third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a right side view showing a carriage, a wiper, and an absorbing member according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a printer according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described here is, of course, not intended to limit the present invention in any particular way. Also, the same reference numerals are used for members and parts that perform the same functions, and duplicated descriptions are omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0012] First Embodiment First, a printer 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a front view showing the printer 10 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the printer 10 taken along line II-II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the bottom surface of a carriage 22 in the printer 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0013] In the drawings, the symbols F, Rr, L, R, U, and D respectively indicate the front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom of the printer 10. Furthermore, the symbol Y indicates the main scanning direction, and the symbol X indicates the sub-scanning direction. The symbol Z indicates the height direction. In this embodiment, the main scanning direction Y is the left-right direction. The sub-scanning direction X intersects with the main scanning direction Y in a plan view, and is perpendicular to the main scanning direction Y here. The sub-scanning direction X is, for example, the front-back direction. The height direction Z is the up-down direction. In this embodiment, the main scanning direction Y is an example of the first direction. The sub-scanning direction X is an example of the second direction. However, these directions are merely defined for the convenience of explanation, and do not limit the installation mode of the printer 10 in any way.

[0014] The printer 10 is a so-called inkjet printer. However, the type of the printer 10 is not limited to the inkjet type. The printer 10 may be, for example, a dot impact printer, a laser printer, or a thermal printer.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the printer 10 prints on a medium 5. The medium 5 is, for example, a roll of recording paper, commonly known as roll paper. However, the type of the medium 5 is not particularly limited. The medium 5 may be plain paper or inkjet printing paper, or it may be a sheet or film made of a resin such as polyvinyl chloride or polyester, a plate material, a fabric such as a woven fabric or a nonwoven fabric, or other medium.

[0016] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 includes a housing 11, a guide rail 20, a carriage 22, an ink head 24 (see FIG. 3), a head moving mechanism 30, a support base 40, and a medium moving mechanism 50.

[0017] In this embodiment, the housing 11 extends in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 11 is hollow and has an internal space 12. Printing is performed on the medium 5 in this internal space 12. Note that in FIG. 1, in order to illustrate the internal configuration of the printer 10, a part of the housing 11 (here, the central part of the front of the housing 11) is omitted from the illustration. The housing 11 is provided with legs 13 that support the housing 11. The legs 13 extend downward from the bottom surface of the housing 11. Note that the legs 13 are omitted from the illustration in FIG. 2.

[0018] 1, an operation panel 15 on which a user performs operations related to printing is provided on the housing 11. The operation panel 15 has a display screen 16 on which information related to printing, such as the resolution and ink density, and the status of the printer 10 during printing, are displayed, and input keys 17 for inputting information related to printing.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, the guide rail 20 is disposed in the internal space 12 of the housing 11 and is fixed to the housing 11. As shown in Fig. 1, the guide rail 20 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The carriage 22 is slidably engaged with the guide rail 20. The carriage 22 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 20.

[0020] 3 ejects ink toward the support base 40 (more specifically, the medium 5 supported by the support base 40). The ink head 24 is provided on the carriage 22. The ink head 24 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 20 together with the carriage 22.

[0021] The number of ink heads 24 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the number of ink heads 24 is four. The four ink heads 24 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y. Here, the four ink heads 24 will also be referred to as the first ink head 24A, the second ink head 24B, the third ink head 24C, and the fourth ink head 24D, from the left. In the following description, when describing all of the ink heads, the first ink head 24A to the fourth ink head 24D, the term "ink head 24" will be used as appropriate.

[0022] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, each of the first ink head 24A to the fourth ink head 24D has a nozzle surface 25. The nozzle surface 25 forms the bottom surface of the ink head 24. A plurality of nozzles 26 are formed in one nozzle surface 25. In this embodiment, the plurality of nozzles 26 in one nozzle surface 25 are arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X. Here, a row of the plurality of nozzles 26 arranged side by side in the sub-scanning direction X is referred to as a nozzle row 27. In this embodiment, the number of nozzle rows 27 in one nozzle surface 25 is one. However, the number of nozzle rows 27 in one nozzle surface 25 may be multiple, for example, two or more.

[0023] In this embodiment, different inks are ejected from the nozzles 26 for each nozzle row 27. Here, different inks include inks of different colors as well as inks of the same color but with different types of components. Here, one nozzle row 27 is provided for the nozzle surface 25 of one ink head 24, so that different inks are ejected for each ink head 24. The inks ejected from the nozzles 26 are, for example, process color inks or special color inks. Process color inks include, for example, cyan ink, magenta ink, yellow ink, and black ink. Special color inks include, for example, white ink, clear ink, primer ink, fluorescent ink, metallic ink, orange ink, red ink, violet ink, blue ink, and green ink. In addition, the types of inks ejected from the nozzles 26 include, for example, solvent ink, photocurable ink, water-based ink, resin ink, sublimation ink, and oil-based ink.

[0024] In this embodiment, for example, the nozzles 26 formed on the nozzle surface 25 of the first ink head 24A are an example of a first nozzle. The ink ejected from the nozzles 26 of the first ink head 24A is an example of a first ink. In addition, for example, the nozzles 26 formed on the nozzle surface 25 of the second ink head 24B are an example of a second nozzle. The ink ejected from the nozzles 26 of the second ink head 24B is an example of a second ink.

[0025] In this embodiment, the size of the nozzle surface 25 of each ink head 24 is the same, but may be different. The shape of the nozzle surface 25 is rectangular, but this shape is not particularly limited. In each ink head 24, the nozzle surface 25 is a surface that is longer in the sub-scanning direction X than in the main scanning direction Y. Here, in each ink head 24, the length L11 of the nozzle surface 25 in the main scanning direction Y is shorter than the length L12 of the nozzle surface 25 in the sub-scanning direction X. However, the length L11 of the nozzle surface 25 in the main scanning direction Y may be longer than the length L12 in the sub-scanning direction X, or may be the same as the length L12 in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the head moving mechanism 30 is a mechanism that moves the carriage 22 and the ink head 24 (see FIG. 3) in the main scanning direction Y relative to the support base 40. Here, the head moving mechanism 30 moves the carriage 22 and the ink head 24 in the main scanning direction Y. The configuration of the head moving mechanism 30 is not particularly limited. The head moving mechanism 30 has, for example, left and right head pulleys 31a and 31b, a head belt 32, and a scan motor 33. The left head pulley 31a is provided around the left end of the guide rail 20. The right head pulley 31b is provided around the right end of the guide rail 20. The head belt 32 is, for example, an endless belt, and is wound around the left and right head pulleys 31a and 31b. The carriage 22 is attached and fixed to the head belt 32.

[0027] The scan motor 33 is connected to, for example, the right head pulley 31b. Here, the right head pulley 31b rotates as the scan motor 33 is driven. As the right head pulley 31b rotates, the head belt 32 runs between the left and right head pulleys 31a, 31b. As a result, the carriage 22 and the ink head 24 move in the main scanning direction Y along the guide rail 20.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the support table 40 supports the medium 5. Printing onto the medium 5 is performed on the support table 40. The support table 40 is disposed below the guide rail 20, the carriage 22, and the ink head 24. Here, the support table 40 has a support surface 41, a first apron 42, and a second apron 43. The support surface 41 supports the medium 5, and is located directly below the ink head 24 in a side view. The support surface 41 forms the upper surface of the support table 40. The support surface 41 is a flat surface extending in the main scanning direction Y and the sub-scanning direction X. Printing onto the medium 5 is performed on the support surface 41.

[0029] The first apron 42 is disposed behind the support surface 41. The first apron 42 is formed, for example, in an arc-shaped cross section. The first apron 42 curves downward as it moves away from the support surface 41. The second apron 43 is disposed in front of the support surface 41. The second apron 43 is formed, for example, in an arc-shaped cross section. The second apron 43 curves downward as it moves away from the support surface 41.

[0030] The medium moving mechanism 50 shown in FIG. 1 is a mechanism for moving the medium 5 supported by the support base 40 in the sub-scanning direction X relative to the ink head 24. Here, the medium moving mechanism 50 moves the medium 5 supported by the support base 40 in the sub-scanning direction X. The configuration of the medium moving mechanism 50 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the medium moving mechanism 50 includes a grit roller 51 provided on the support base 40 so as to be partially exposed, a pinch roller 52 that presses the medium 5 above the grit roller 51, and a feed motor 53 connected to the grit roller 51. Here, the feed motor 53 is driven with the medium 5 sandwiched between the grit roller 51 and the pinch roller 52, causing the grit roller 51 to rotate. The rotation of the grit roller 51 causes the medium 5 supported by the support base 40 to move in the sub-scanning direction X.

[0031] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, the printer 10 includes a wiper 60 and a wiping mechanism 70. Note that the wiper 60 and the wiping mechanism 70 are omitted from Figs. 1 and 2. The wiper 60 wipes, or wipes, the nozzle surface 25 of the ink head 24. For example, ink ejected from the nozzles 26 may adhere to the nozzle surface 25 of the ink head 24. The wiper 60 wipes off the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 25.

[0032] The wiper 60 is provided on the carriage 22. Here, "the wiper 60 is provided on the carriage 22" refers to a state in which, when the carriage 22 moves in the main scanning direction Y, the wiper 60 moves in the main scanning direction Y together with the carriage 22 and the ink head 24. Here, when the wiper 60 is not moved by the wiping mechanism 70, the relative position of the wiper 60 and the ink head 24 does not change.

[0033] 4 and 5 are a front view and a right side view, respectively, of the carriage 22 and the wiper 60. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, the wiper 60 extends in the main scanning direction Y. The wiper 60 is a plate-like member that expands in the main scanning direction Y and the height direction Z when wiping the nozzle surface 25. Here, the tip (here, the upper end) of the wiper 60 is brought into contact with the nozzle surface 25 to wipe the nozzle surface 25.

[0034] Here, the wiper 60 has a size that allows it to collectively wipe the nozzle faces 25 of the four ink heads 24. Specifically, the length L21 of the wiper 60 in the main scanning direction Y is equal to or greater than the distance L22 from the left end of the leftmost nozzle face 25 to the right end of the rightmost nozzle face 25 among the nozzle faces 25 of the multiple ink heads 24. In other words, this distance L22 is the distance in the main scanning direction Y from the left end of the nozzle face 25 of the first ink head 24A to the right end of the nozzle face 25 of the fourth ink head 24D.

[0035] The wiper 60 is made of rubber, for example. However, the material from which the wiper 60 is made is not limited to rubber, and is not particularly limited as long as it can wipe off ink adhering to the nozzle surface 25.

[0036] 5, the wiping mechanism 70 is a mechanism that moves the wiper 60 in a movement direction D1 so that the wiper 60 wipes the nozzle surface 25. The specific direction of the movement direction D1 in which the wiping mechanism 70 moves the wiper 60 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the movement direction D1 is the sub-scanning direction X. Therefore, the wiping mechanism 70 causes the wiper 60 to wipe the nozzle surface 25 while moving in the sub-scanning direction X. In other words, the wiper 60 moves in the sub-scanning direction X while in contact with the nozzle surface 25, and wipes off ink adhering to the nozzle surface 25.

[0037] In this embodiment, the wiping mechanism 70 is provided in the carriage 22, but it does not have to be provided in the carriage 22. Here, the wiping mechanism 70 is provided in the left and right parts of the carriage 22. The position where the wiping mechanism 70 is provided may be either the left or right part of the carriage 22. Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the wiping mechanism 70 provided in the right part of the carriage 22 is also referred to as a right wiping mechanism 70A. The wiping mechanism 70 provided in the left part of the carriage 22 is also referred to as a left wiping mechanism 70B. In the following description, when describing both the right wiping mechanism 70A and the left wiping mechanism 70B, the term wiping mechanism 70 is used.

[0038] The configuration of the wiping mechanism 70 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the wiping mechanism 70 is a mechanism that uses a belt 73 to move the wiper 60 in the moving direction D1, and is a so-called belt mechanism. Here, the right wiping mechanism 70A and the left wiping mechanism 70B have the same configuration. Therefore, the configuration of the right wiping mechanism 70A will be described below. In the following description of the right wiping mechanism 70A, by replacing right with left, the description of the left wiping mechanism 70B can be used. The right wiping mechanism 70A includes a first pulley 71, a second pulley 72, a belt 73, a support member 74, and a drive motor 75.

[0039] The first pulley 71 is provided on the carriage 22. Here, the first pulley 71 is provided at the front of the right surface of the carriage 22 and protrudes to the right from the carriage 22. The first pulley 71 is rotatable relative to the carriage 22. The second pulley 72 is also provided on the carriage 22. The second pulley 72 is disposed away from the first pulley 71 in the moving direction D1. Here, the second pulley 72 is disposed behind the first pulley 71 and provided at the rear of the right surface of the carriage 22. The second pulley 72 protrudes to the right from the carriage 22. The second pulley 72 is also rotatable relative to the carriage 22.

[0040] The belt 73 is, for example, endless, and is wound around the first pulley 71 and the second pulley 72. Here, the belt 73 runs between the first pulley 71 and the second pulley 72 as at least one of the first pulley 71 and the second pulley 72 rotates.

[0041] The support member 74 supports the wiper 60. The support member 74 is fixed to the belt 73, and when the belt 73 runs, the support member 74 also runs together with the belt 73. The support member 74 is, for example, a rod-shaped member extending from the belt 73 toward the wiper 60. Here, one end of the support member 74 is connected to the belt 73, and the other end of the support member 74 is connected to the wiper 60.

[0042] 4, the support member 74 of the right wiping mechanism 70A is also referred to as a right support member 74A. The support member 74 of the left wiping mechanism 70B is also referred to as a left support member 74B. In this embodiment, the right support member 74A supports the right end portion of the wiper 60. The left support member 74B supports the left end portion of the wiper 60.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, the drive motor 75 is connected to the first pulley 71. However, the drive motor 75 may be connected to the second pulley 72. In this embodiment, when the drive motor 75 is driven, the first pulley 71 rotates. When the first pulley 71 rotates, the belt 73 runs between the first pulley 71 and the second pulley 72. As the belt 73 runs, the support member 74 moves in the sub-scanning direction X. The wiper 60 supported by the support member 74 also moves in the sub-scanning direction X. When the wiper 60 moves in the sub-scanning direction X, the wiper 60 is in contact with the nozzle surface 25, and therefore the nozzle surface 25 is wiped.

[0044] In addition, when the wiper 60 is positioned around the first pulley 71 (or the second pulley 72) and the wiping mechanism 70 is activated, the wiper 60 rotates around the first pulley 71 (or the second pulley 72), as shown by the imaginary line in Figure 5.

[0045] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, during printing, the support base 40 is disposed below the nozzle surface 25 with a small gap. The wiper 60 is longer in the height direction Z than the small gap. If the wiper 60 is disposed below the nozzle surface 25, the wiper 60 may come into contact with the support base 40. Therefore, during printing, the wiper 60 may be disposed at a position that is off from the bottom of the nozzle surface 25 so that the wiper 60 does not come into contact with the support base 40. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the position that is off from the bottom of the nozzle surface 25 is referred to as the non-overlapping position P1. In FIG. 5, the wiper 60 shown by the virtual line is located at the non-overlapping position P1. The wiping mechanism 70 is configured to be able to move the wiper 60 to the non-overlapping position P1. This non-overlapping position P1 is a position that does not overlap with the nozzle surface 25 in a plan view. In this embodiment, the non-overlapping position P1 is a position forward of the first pulley 71 and a position forward of the ink head 24. The non-overlapping position P1 is also a position in front of the carriage 22.

[0046] In this embodiment, when the belt 73 runs between the first pulley 71 and the second pulley 72, if the wiper 60 is located forward of the first pulley 71, the wiper 60 assumes a posture that is tilted forward as it moves downward. Therefore, when the wiper 60 is disposed at the non-overlapping position P1, the wiper 60 is disposed in a posture that is tilted with respect to the height direction Z.

[0047] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 includes a cap unit 80. The cap unit 80 is disposed at a position that does not overlap with the support base 40 in the main scanning direction Y. Here, the cap unit 80 is disposed below the right end of the guide rail 20 and to the right of the support base 40. However, the cap unit 80 may be disposed, for example, below the left end of the guide rail 20 and to the left of the support base 40. In this embodiment, the cap unit 80 is disposed at a so-called home position HP. Here, the home position HP is a position where the ink head 24 waits during printing standby, and is set at the right end of the guide rail 20 in this embodiment.

[0048] 6 and 7 are front views showing the carriage 22 and the cap unit 80. As shown in Fig. 6, the cap unit 80 includes a plurality of caps 81, a vertical movement mechanism 85, and a suction pump 88. In this example, the cap unit 80 is used when performing so-called flushing. Flushing here refers to a process in which the cap 81 is attached to the ink head 24 and ink is ejected from the nozzles 26 toward the cap 81.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 7, the cap 81 is detachably attached to the ink head 24 so as to cover the multiple nozzles 26 (see FIG. 3) of one ink head 24. One cap 81 is attached to one ink head 24. The number of caps 81 is the same as the number of ink heads 24, which is four in this example. The four caps 81 are arranged side by side in the main scanning direction Y. The cap 81 has a box-like shape with an open top. Here, at least the portion of the cap 81 that comes into contact with the ink head 24 is made of rubber, for example. An absorbent such as a sponge (not shown) is arranged inside the cap 81.

[0050] 6 is a mechanism for moving the cap 81 in the height direction Z relative to the nozzle surface 25. The vertical movement mechanism 85 is a mechanism for moving the cap 81 in the height direction Z, i.e., for raising and lowering the cap 81. The vertical movement mechanism 85 is a mechanism for raising and lowering the cap 81, and attaching or separating the cap 81 from the nozzle surface 25.

[0051] The configuration of the vertical movement mechanism 85 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the vertical movement mechanism 85 has a plate-shaped support plate 86 that supports the multiple caps 81, and a vertical movement motor 87 connected to the support plate 86. The support plate 86 moves in the height direction Z as the vertical movement motor 87 is driven. As the support plate 86 moves in the height direction Z, the multiple caps 81 also move in the height direction Z.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 6, the suction pump 88 is connected to the cap 81. Here, one suction pump 88 is connected to one cap 81, and the number of the suction pumps 88 is four, which is the same as the number of the caps 81. The suction pump 88 sucks the ink in the connected cap 81 and the ink in the ink head 24 attached to the cap 81. The type of the suction pump 88 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a vacuum pump. In this embodiment, the suction pump 88 is connected to the bottom surface of the cap 81 via a tube (not shown). The suction pump 88 is configured to generate a pressure lower than the pressure in the corresponding ink head 24 when driven. For example, when the suction pump 88 is driven with the cap 81 attached to the ink head 24, ink is sucked out from the nozzle 26 (see FIG. 3). The ink sucked by the suction pump 88 is discharged to a waste liquid tank (not shown) via a tube.

[0053] FIG. 8 is a right side view showing the carriage 22, the wiper 60, and the scraper 90. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the printer 10 includes the scraper 90. For example, the wiper 60 may become contaminated with ink, dust, or the like. The scraper 90 is a member that removes the contaminants that have adhered to the wiper 60. The material that forms the scraper 90 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a material that is harder than the wiper 60. In this embodiment, the scraper 90 is formed of, for example, plastic.

[0054] The position of the scraper 90 is not particularly limited. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the scraper 90 is disposed at a home position HP located to the right of the support base 40. For example, the scraper 90 is disposed to the right of the support base 40 and the cap unit 80. As shown in FIG. 8, the scraper 90 is provided in the housing 11 and fixed to the housing 11. In this embodiment, the housing 11 has a front wall 11A disposed forward of the carriage 22 and the ink head 24. The scraper 90 is provided at the right end of the front wall 11A, at a portion located at the home position HP. The scraper 90 is a plate-like member extending rearward from the front wall 11A. The scraper 90 also extends in the main scanning direction Y, and the length of the scraper 90 in the main scanning direction Y is equal to or greater than the length L21 (see FIG. 4) of the wiper 60 in the main scanning direction Y.

[0055] The scraper 90 is configured to come into contact with the wiper 60 when the wiper 60 is moved to the non-overlapping position P1 by the wiping mechanism 70. That is, when the wiper 60 is located at the non-overlapping position P1, at least a part of the scraper 90 is configured to overlap with the tip portion of the wiper 60 (here, the portion in contact with the nozzle surface 25). Here, at the non-overlapping position P1, the wiping mechanism 70 is operated, and the wiper 60 rotates around the first pulley 71 as an axis. At this time, the wiper 60 comes into contact with the scraper 90 while bending. When the wiper 60 comes into contact with the scraper 90, the ink or other adhering matter attached to the wiper 60 adheres to the scraper 90, and the adhering matter attached to the wiper 60 is removed. In this embodiment, the process of bringing the wiper 60 into contact with the scraper 90 and removing the adhering matter attached to the wiper 60 is called scraping.

[0056] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 includes a control device 100. The control device 100 is a device that controls printing on the medium 5. The control device 100 also controls the operation of the wiper 60. The configuration of the control device 100 is not particularly limited. The control device 100 is, for example, a microcomputer. The hardware configuration of the microcomputer is not particularly limited, but includes, for example, an I / F, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a storage device. The control device 100 is provided inside the housing 11. However, the control device 100 does not have to be provided inside the housing 11. For example, the control device 100 may be realized by a computer or the like installed outside the housing 11. In this case, the control device 100 may be connected to a board (not shown) or the like arranged inside the housing 11 via a wire or wirelessly so as to be able to communicate with it.

[0057] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of the printer 10. As shown in Fig. 9, the control device 100 is communicatively and electrically connected to the operation panel 15 (more specifically, the display screen 16 and the input keys 17), the ink head 24, the head moving mechanism 30 (more specifically, the scan motor 33), the medium moving mechanism 50 (more specifically, the feed motor 53), the wiping mechanism 70 (more specifically, the drive motor 75), the up-down movement mechanism 85 of the cap unit 80 (more specifically, the up-down movement motor 87), and the suction pump 88. The control device 100 controls the operation panel 15, the ink head 24, the head moving mechanism 30, the medium moving mechanism 50, the wiping mechanism 70, the up-down movement mechanism 85, and the suction pump 88.

[0058] In this embodiment, the control device 100 includes a storage unit 101, a print control unit 102, a print wiper control unit 103, a movement control unit 104, a wiping control unit 105, and a removal control unit 106. Each of the units 101 to 106 of the control device 100 described above may be configured by software or may be configured by hardware. For example, each of the units 101 to 106 of the control device 100 may be executed by a processor, or may be incorporated into a circuit.

[0059] The print control unit 102 controls the ink head 24 to eject ink onto the medium 5 supported by the support table 40, thereby printing on the medium 5. For example, the storage unit 101 stores print image data (not shown). The print control unit 102 prints an image based on the print image data stored in the storage unit 101 onto the medium 5. Here, the print control unit 102 first controls the head moving mechanism 30 to move the ink head 24 in the main scanning direction Y. While the ink head 24 is moving in the main scanning direction Y, when it passes over the medium 5 supported by the support table 40, the print control unit 102 ejects ink from the ink head 24 toward the medium 5 to print one line. After printing one line, the print control unit 102 controls the medium moving mechanism 50 to move the medium 5 supported by the support table 40 a predetermined distance in the sub-scanning direction X. After moving the medium 5 in the sub-scanning direction X, the next line is printed. In this way, by repeatedly printing one line and moving the medium 5 in the sub-scanning direction X, an image based on the print image data can be printed on the medium 5.

[0060] Incidentally, during printing on the medium 5 by the print control unit 102, it is preferable that the wiper 60 is disposed at the non-overlapping position P1, as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 5, so that the wiper 60 does not come into contact with the support table 40 and the ink discharged from the ink head 24 is not discharged onto the wiper 60. Therefore, the print wiper control unit 103 in FIG. 9 controls the wiping mechanism 70 to move the wiper 60 to the non-overlapping position P1 when ink is discharged from the ink head 24. Here, before printing starts, when the ink head 24 is located at the home position HP (see FIG. 1), the print wiper control unit 103 controls the wiping mechanism 70 to move the wiper 60 forward in the sub-scanning direction X. Then, when the wiper 60 moves to the non-overlapping position P1, the print wiper control unit 103 stops the wiping mechanism 70. After the wiper 60 is disposed at the non-overlapping position P1, the print control unit 102 starts controlling printing on the medium 5. During printing, the print wiper control unit 103 controls the wiping mechanism 70 to maintain the wiper 60 in the non-overlapping position P1.

[0061] Next, control regarding wiping of the nozzle surface 25 by the wiper 60 will be described. Hereinafter, the control when the wiper 60 wipes the nozzle surface 25 will be referred to as wiping control. In this embodiment, the wiping control is performed at a position where the ink head 24 does not overlap with the support base 40 in a planar view. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the wiping control is performed at the home position HP, where the ink head 24 overlaps with the cap 81 in a planar view. In other words, the wiping control is performed in a state where the ink head 24 is disposed directly above the cap 81.

[0062] In this embodiment, the wiping control is executed by the movement control unit 104 and the wiping control unit 105 shown in Fig. 9. First, the movement control unit 104 moves the ink head 24 so that the nozzle surface 25 of the ink head 24 is positioned so as to overlap with the cap 81 in a plan view. Here, the movement control unit 104 controls the head movement mechanism 30 so that the ink head 24 moves in the main scanning direction Y toward the home position HP. Then, when the ink head 24 moves to just above the cap 81 at the home position HP (here, when all the ink heads 24 have moved to just above all the caps 81), the movement control unit 104 stops the head movement mechanism 30.

[0063] 9 controls the wiping mechanism 70 to wipe the nozzle surface 25 with the wiper 60 after the nozzle surface 25 is positioned at a position overlapping with the cap 81 in a plan view. For example, when the ink head 24 is positioned directly above the cap 81, the wiper 60 is positioned at the non-overlapping position P1.

[0064] In this state, the wiping control unit 105 controls the wiping mechanism 70 to move the wiper 60 rearward in the movement direction D1 (here, the sub-scanning direction X). When the wiper 60 is moving rearward, the tip portion (here, the upper end portion) of the wiper 60 comes into contact with the nozzle faces 25 of all the ink heads 24. When the wiper 60 moves rearward while in contact with the nozzle faces 25, the wiper 60 moves in a bent state. Then, as the wiper 60 moves rearward while in contact with the nozzle faces 25, any deposits adhering to the nozzle faces 25 are wiped off by the wiper 60.

[0065] After the wiper 60 has moved to the rear end of the nozzle surface 25, the wiping control unit 105 then controls the wiping mechanism 70 to move the wiper 60 forward in the movement direction D1. When the wiper 60 moves forward in a state in which it is in contact with the nozzle surface 25, the wiper 60 moves in a bent state. Then, as the wiper 60 moves forward while in contact with the nozzle surface 25, the wiper 60 further wipes off any deposits adhering to the nozzle surface 25. The wiping control is performed as described above.

[0066] In this embodiment, after the wiping control, it is possible that a deposit may adhere to the wiper 60. Therefore, a removal control is performed to remove the deposit from the wiper 60. The removal control is a control to remove the deposit from the wiper 60 by bringing the wiper 60 into contact with the scraper 90 as shown in FIG. 8, and is performed by the removal control unit 106 in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 8, the removal control unit 106 controls the wiping mechanism 70 in a state in which the ink head 24 is disposed at the home position HP and the wiper 60 is disposed at the non-overlapping position P1, and brings the wiper 60 into contact with the scraper 90. When the wiper 60 moves further in a state in which the wiper 60 is in contact with the scraper 90, the wiper 60 bends and comes into contact with the scraper 90. When the wiper 60 comes into contact with the scraper 90, the deposit attached to the wiper 60 adheres to the scraper 90, and the deposit attached to the wiper 60 is removed.

[0067] As described above, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the printer 10 includes the ink head 24, the carriage 22, the wiper 60, and the wiping mechanism 70. The ink head 24 has a nozzle surface 25 in which the nozzles 26 for ejecting ink are formed. The ink head 24 is provided on the carriage 22. The wiper 60 is provided on the carriage 22 and is movable relative to the nozzle surface 25. As shown in FIG. 5, the wiping mechanism 70 moves the wiper 60 in the moving direction D1 so that the wiper 60 wipes the nozzle surface 25. As a result, since the wiper 60 is provided on the carriage 22, the wiper 60 moves with the movement of the carriage 22. Therefore, it is not necessary to secure a dedicated space for arranging the wiper 60 in the housing 11 (for example, the position of the home position HP to the right of the support base 40) as in the conventional case. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the printer 10 from becoming large (especially large in the main scanning direction Y).

[0068] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the wiper 60 is provided on the carriage 22, the position of the wiper 60 in the main scanning direction Y relative to the ink head 24 does not change when the ink head 24 moves in the main scanning direction Y. Therefore, control for adjusting the position of the wiper 60 in the main scanning direction Y relative to the ink head 24 can be omitted, making control easier.

[0069] In this embodiment, the head moving mechanism 30 moves the ink head 24 in the main scanning direction Y. As shown in Fig. 5, the wiping mechanism 70 is configured to move the wiper 60 in the sub-scanning direction X relative to the nozzle surface 25. This makes it possible to move the wiper 60 even in a direction different from the direction in which the ink head 24 moves.

[0070] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, each nozzle surface 25 has a plurality of nozzles 26 arranged in the sub-scanning direction X and ejecting ink. For example, the plurality of nozzles 26 of the first ink head 24A eject a first ink, and the plurality of nozzles 26 of the second ink head 24B eject a second ink different from the first ink. For example, when the wiper 60 wipes the nozzle surface 25, ink adhering to the wiper 60 may enter the nozzles 26. Here, the wiper 60 moves along the direction in which the plurality of nozzles 26 ejecting ink of the same color and type (in other words, the same composition) are arranged to wipe the nozzle surface 25. Therefore, when the wiper 60 wipes the nozzle surface 25, the ink adhering to the wiper 60 that enters the nozzles 26 is likely to be the same color or type as the ink ejected from the nozzles 26. Therefore, when the wiper 60 wipes the nozzle surface 25, it is possible to prevent ink of a different color or type from adhering to the nozzles 26.

[0071] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the wiping mechanism 70 includes a first pulley 71, a second pulley 72, a belt 73, a support member 74, and a drive motor 75. The first pulley 71 is provided rotatably with respect to the carriage 22. The second pulley 72 is disposed apart from the first pulley 71 in the moving direction D1 and is provided rotatably with respect to the carriage 22. The belt 73 is wound around the first pulley 71 and the second pulley 72. The support member 74 is fixed to the belt 73 and supports the wiper 60. The drive motor 75 is connected to the first pulley 71. In this way, by realizing the wiping mechanism 70 with a so-called belt mechanism, the speed at which the wiper 60 moves in the moving direction D1 can be made relatively fast. Therefore, the time required for the wiper 60 to perform wiping can be shortened.

[0072] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, the printer 10 is provided with a scraper 90 that removes ink and other adhering matter adhering to the wiper 60. With this, the scraper 90 can be brought into contact with the portion of the wiper 60 on which the adhering matter is adhering, thereby removing the adhering matter adhering to the wiper 60. Therefore, when wiping with the wiper 60, it is possible to make it difficult for the adhering matter on the wiper 60 to adhere to the nozzle surface 25. This improves wiping performance.

[0073] In this embodiment, the printer 10 includes a housing 11 that houses at least the ink head 24, the carriage 22, and the wiper 60. The scraper 90 is provided in the housing 11. As a result, when wiping with the wiper 60, the position of the scraper 90 does not change, and when the position of the wiper 60 is changed by the head moving mechanism 30 or the wiping mechanism 70, the relative position of the scraper 90 with respect to the wiper 60 is changed. Therefore, by moving the wiper 60 by the head moving mechanism 30 or the wiping mechanism 70, the wiper 60 can be brought into contact with the scraper 90 to remove the deposits attached to the wiper 60. Therefore, since there is no need to provide a dedicated moving mechanism for scraping, the configuration can be simplified.

[0074] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the printer 10 includes a cap 81, a vertical movement mechanism 85, and a control device 100 (see FIG. 1). The cap 81 is detachable from the ink head 24 so as to cover the nozzles 26 after the ink head 24 moves in the main scanning direction Y. The vertical movement mechanism 85 moves the cap 81 in the height direction Z relative to the nozzle surface 25. As shown in FIG. 9, the control device 100 includes a movement control unit 104 and a wiping control unit 105. As shown in FIG. 5, the movement control unit 104 moves the ink head 24 so that the nozzle surface 25 is positioned so as to overlap with the cap 81 in a plan view. The wiping control unit 105 controls the wiping mechanism 70 so that the nozzle surface 25 is wiped by the wiper 60 after the nozzle surface 25 is positioned so as to overlap with the cap 81 in a plan view. In this manner, wiping of the nozzle surface 25 by the wiper 60 is performed on the cap 81. Therefore, if any foreign matter adhering to the wiper 60 falls off during wiping, the foreign matter falls and is collected in the cap 81. The cap 81 is used, for example, when performing flushing. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated container for collecting the foreign matter that falls off the wiper 60, and the number of parts can be reduced.

[0075] 5, in this embodiment, the wiping mechanism 70 is configured to be able to move the wiper 60 to a non-overlapping position P1 where the wiper 60 does not overlap with the nozzle surface 25 in a plan view. This allows the wiper 60 to be moved to the non-overlapping position P1 when not wiping.

[0076] 9, in this embodiment, the control device 100 includes a print control unit 102 that causes the ink head 24 to eject ink onto the medium 5 supported by the support base 40, and a print wiper control unit 103 that moves the wiper 60 to the non-overlapping position P1 when ink is being ejected from the ink head 24. This allows the wiper 60 to be positioned at the non-overlapping position P1 during printing. This prevents the wiper 60 from coming into contact with the support base 40 and prevents ink ejected from the ink head 24 from adhering to the wiper 60 during printing.

[0077] In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the wiper 60 is a rectangular plate-like member, and the tip (here, the upper end) of the wiper 60 that contacts the nozzle surface 25 is linear. However, as in the printer 10A shown in FIG. 10, a notch 61 may be provided at the tip of the wiper 60A. This notch 61 is formed at the tip of the wiper 60A that does not contact the nozzle surface 25. Here, the notch 61 is formed at the tip of the wiper 60A that is located between the first ink head 24A and the second ink head 24B, between the second ink head 24B and the third ink head 24C, and between the third ink head 24C and the fourth ink head 24D. The number of notches 61 is three. The position, depth, and width of the notch 61 are not particularly limited, and are appropriately set according to the size and material of the wiper 60A. For example, the depth of the cut 61 may be the same as the thickness of the wiper 60A (here, the front-to-rear length when the wiper 60A is standing up in the height direction Z (in other words, when it is extending in the height direction Z)), or may be deeper than the thickness of the wiper 60A.

[0078] By forming the notches 61 in this way, when the tip of the wiper 60 comes into contact with the nozzle faces 25 of the four ink heads 24, the wiper 60 can bend in the same way when it comes into contact with the four nozzle faces 25. This makes it possible to make the contact conditions, such as the contact angle of the wiper 60 with respect to each nozzle face 25, the same, making it easier to wipe each nozzle face 25 uniformly.

[0079] <Second embodiment> Next, a printer 110 according to a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 11 is a right side view showing the carriage 22 and wiper 60 of the printer 110 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 11, the printer 110 includes the wiper 60 and a wiping mechanism 170. The configuration and orientation of the wiper 60 are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0080] The wiping mechanism 170 is a mechanism that moves the wiper 60 in a movement direction D1, here the sub-scanning direction X, so that the wiper 60 wipes the nozzle surface 25. In this embodiment, the wiping mechanism 170 has a different configuration from the wiping mechanism 70 (see FIG. 5) according to the first embodiment. Here, the wiping mechanism 170 is realized by a so-called screw mechanism.

[0081] The wiping mechanism 170 includes a rod-shaped member 171, a screw member 173, a support member 174, and a drive motor 175. The rod-shaped member 171 is rotatably provided with respect to the carriage 22, and extends in a moving direction D1 (here, the sub-scanning direction X). The rod-shaped member 171 is disposed, for example, inside the carriage 22. One end of the rod-shaped member 171 is rotatably supported on the front surface of the carriage 22, and the other end of the rod-shaped member 171 is rotatably supported on the rear surface of the carriage 22. A first screw portion 171a is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the rod-shaped member 171. That is, a screw is cut on the outer circumferential surface of the rod-shaped member 171, and the rod-shaped member 171 constitutes a male screw.

[0082] The screw member 173 is screwed into the rod-shaped member 171. The screw member 173 is cylindrical, and a second screw portion 173a is formed on the inner circumferential surface. That is, a screw is cut into the inner circumferential surface of the screw member 173, and the screw member 173 forms a female screw. The second screw portion 173a is screwed into the first screw portion 171a of the rod-shaped member 171. In this embodiment, the rod-shaped member 171 is inserted into the screw member 173 in a state in which the second screw portion 173a and the first screw portion 171a are screwed into each other.

[0083] In this embodiment, a movement hole 22a is formed in the carriage 22. The movement hole 22a is a hole extending in the sub-scanning direction X, and is formed, for example, on the right surface of the carriage 22. Here, a part of the screw member 173 is disposed inside the carriage 22, and another part of the screw member 173 is exposed to the outside from the movement hole 22a. The screw member 173 is movable in the sub-scanning direction X along the movement hole 22a.

[0084] The support member 174 supports the wiper 60. The support member 174 is provided on the screw member 173. Here, the support member 174 is a rod-shaped member extending downward from a portion of the screw member 173 exposed from the movement hole 22a. The drive motor 175 is connected to the rod-shaped member 171 and rotates the rod-shaped member 171.

[0085] In this embodiment, when the drive motor 175 is driven, the rod-shaped member 171 rotates in the direction T1 around the central axis A1 extending in the moving direction D1. At this time, the rod-shaped member 171 rotates relative to the screw member 173. Since the rod-shaped member 171 rotates with the second screw portion 173a and the first screw portion 171a screwed together, the screw member 173 moves in the moving direction D1 (the sub-scanning direction X in this case) as the rod-shaped member 171 rotates. As the screw member 173 moves in the moving direction D1, the support member 174 and the wiper 60 also move in the moving direction D1. Here, when the wiper 60 moves in the moving direction D1, the tip portion (the upper end portion in this case) of the wiper 60 comes into contact with the nozzle faces 25 of all the ink heads 24. When the wiper 60 moves in the movement direction D1 while in contact with the nozzle surface 25, the wiper 60 wipes off any deposits that have adhered to the nozzle surface 25.

[0086] In this embodiment, the wiping mechanism 170 is provided on the right side of the carriage 22, but it may be provided on the left side of the carriage 22, or on both the left and right sides of the carriage 22.

[0087] The wiping mechanism 170 according to this embodiment can also perform wiping while moving the wiper 60 provided on the carriage 22 in the movement direction D1. In addition, in this embodiment, the wiping mechanism 170 is realized by a screw mechanism, so that the resolution can be fine. Therefore, the movement distance of the wiper 60 can be set finely.

[0088] <Third embodiment> Next, a printer 210 according to a third embodiment will be described. Figures 12 and 13 are a right side view and a front view, respectively, showing the carriage 22 and the wiper 260 of the printer 210 according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, the printer 210 includes the wiper 260 and a wiping mechanism 270.

[0089] In each of the above-described embodiments, the wiper 60 extends in the main scanning direction Y as shown in Fig. 4, but the wiper 260 according to this embodiment extends in the sub-scanning direction X as shown in Fig. 13. Here, the length of the wiper 260 in the sub-scanning direction X is longer than the length of the nozzle row 27 (see Fig. 3).

[0090] As shown in FIG. 12, the wiping mechanism 270 is a mechanism that moves the wiper 260 in a movement direction D1 so that the wiper 260 wipes the nozzle surface 25. In this embodiment, the movement direction D1 in which the wiping mechanism 270 moves the wiper 260 is the main scanning direction Y. Therefore, the wiper 260 wipes the nozzle surface 25 while moving in the main scanning direction Y by the wiping mechanism 270. That is, the wiper 260 moves in the main scanning direction Y while contacting the nozzle surface 25, and wipes off the ink attached to the nozzle surface 25. As shown in FIG. 13, the wiping mechanism 270 is provided, for example, in the front part and the rear part of the carriage 22. However, the wiping mechanism 270 may be provided in only one of the front part and the rear part of the carriage 22.

[0091] The components of the wiping mechanism 270 are the same as those of the wiping mechanism 70 of the first embodiment. That is, as shown in Fig. 12, the wiping mechanism 270 is realized by a so-called belt mechanism, and includes a first pulley 271, a second pulley 272, a belt 273, a support member 274, and a drive motor 275.

[0092] The first pulley 271 and the second pulley 272 are rotatably provided with respect to the carriage 22. The first pulley 271 and the second pulley 272 protrude forward from the carriage 22. However, the first pulley 271 and the second pulley 272 may protrude rearward from the carriage 22. The first pulley 271 and the second pulley 272 are disposed at positions spaced apart in the movement direction D1 (here, the main scanning direction Y) and are aligned in the main scanning direction Y. Here, the second pulley 272 is disposed to the right of the first pulley 271.

[0093] The belt 273 is, for example, endless, and is wound around the first pulley 271 and the second pulley 272. The support member 274 is, for example, a rod-shaped member, and is fixed to the belt 273 to support the wiper 260. The drive motor 275 is connected to the first pulley 271.

[0094] When the drive motor 275 is driven, the first pulley 271 rotates and the belt 273 runs. This causes the support member 274 and the wiper 260 to move in the main scanning direction Y. Here, when the wiper 260 is moving in the moving direction D1 (here, the main scanning direction Y), the tip portion of the wiper 260 comes into contact with the nozzle surface 25. When the wiper 260 moves in the moving direction D1 while in contact with the nozzle surface 25, the wiper 260 wipes off any deposits that have adhered to the nozzle surface 25.

[0095] As described above, in this embodiment, the wiping mechanism 270 is configured to move the wiper 260 in the main scanning direction Y relative to the nozzle surface 25. This allows the wiper 260 to move in the same direction as the ink head 24 moves.

[0096] 3, similarly to the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the length L11 of the nozzle surface 25 in the main scanning direction Y is shorter than the length L12 of the nozzle surface 25 in the sub-scanning direction X. As a result, the wiper 260 wipes while moving in the main scanning direction Y, which is the shorter direction of the nozzle surface 25, so the distance required for wiping can be shortened. Therefore, during wiping, the number of nozzles 26 that any part of the wiper 260 passes through can be made relatively small (here, the number of nozzle rows 27, which is four), so that dust and other deposits attached to the wiper 260 are less likely to enter the nozzles 26.

[0097] In this embodiment, the wiping mechanism 270 is realized by a belt mechanism, but it may be realized by a screw mechanism as in the second embodiment. In this case, the rod-shaped member 171 as in the second embodiment may extend in the main scanning direction Y.

[0098] <Other embodiments> FIG. 14 is a right side view showing the carriage 22, the wiper 60, and the absorbing member 390 according to another embodiment. In the first embodiment, the scraper 90 (see FIG. 8) is provided on the housing 11, but as shown in FIG. 14, instead of the scraper 90, an absorbing member 390 may be provided on the housing 11. The absorbing member 390 absorbs ink adhering to the wiper 60. The material forming the absorbing member 390 is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of absorbing ink. The absorbing member 390 is preferably made of a material softer than the wiper 60. The absorbing member 390 is formed of, for example, a sponge.

[0099] The position of the absorbing member 390 is not particularly limited, but may be the same as the scraper 90 in the first embodiment. That is, the absorbing member 390 is disposed at a home position HP (see FIG. 1) located to the right of the support base 40. The absorbing member 390 is provided in the housing 11 and fixed to the housing 11. More specifically, the absorbing member 390 is provided at the right end of the front wall 11A of the housing 11 located forward of the ink head 24, at a portion located at the home position HP. The absorbing member 390 extends rearward from the front wall 11A. The absorbing member 390 also extends in the main scanning direction Y, and the length of the absorbing member 390 in the main scanning direction Y is equal to or greater than the length L21 (see FIG. 4) of the wiper 60 in the main scanning direction Y.

[0100] The absorbing member 390 is configured to come into contact with the wiper 60 when the wiper 60 moves to the non-overlapping position P1. When the wiper 60 is located at the non-overlapping position P1, at least a portion of the absorbing member 390 overlaps with a tip portion of the wiper 60. Here, when the wiper 60 comes into contact with the absorbing member 390 at the non-overlapping position P1, ink adhering to the wiper 60 is absorbed by the absorbing member 390.

[0101] In this way, by providing the absorbing member 390, it is possible to remove ink adhering to the wiper 60. Therefore, when wiping with the wiper 60, it is possible to make it difficult for ink adhering to the wiper 60 to adhere to the nozzle surface 25. This improves wiping performance.

[0102] Moreover, in this embodiment, the absorbing member 390 is provided in the housing 11. Therefore, when wiping is performed by the wiper 60, the position of the absorbing member 390 is not changed, and when the position of the wiper 60 is changed by the head moving mechanism 30 or the wiping mechanism 70, the relative position of the absorbing member 390 with respect to the wiper 60 is changed. Therefore, by moving the wiper 60 by the head moving mechanism 30 or the wiping mechanism 70, the wiper 60 can be brought into contact with the absorbing member 390 and ink adhering to the wiper 60 can be removed. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated moving mechanism for causing the absorbing member 390 to absorb ink, and therefore the configuration can be simplified.

[0103] In each of the above embodiments, the non-overlapping position P1 is a position forward of the ink head 24. However, the non-overlapping position P1 may be any position that does not overlap with the nozzle surface 25 in a plan view, and may be, for example, a position rearward of the ink head 24.

[0104] In each of the above embodiments, one wiper 60 wipes the nozzle surfaces 25 of all the ink heads 24. However, one wiper 60 may be configured to wipe the nozzle surfaces 25 of one ink head 24. In this case, the number of wipers 60 is the same as the number of ink heads 24, for example, four. In this case, one wiping mechanism 70 may be provided for one wiper 60, or one for multiple wipers 60. In other words, the wiping mechanism 70 may be configured to move each wiper 60 independently, or may be configured to move all the wipers 60 together. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 5 Medium 10, 120, 220 Printers 11. Cabinet 22 Carriage 24 Ink head 25 Nozzle surface 26 Nozzles 30 Head movement mechanism 40 Support stand 60, 260 wiper 70, 270 Wiping mechanism 71 No. 1 pulley 72 No. 2 pulley 73 Belt 74 Support member 75 Drive motor 81 Cap 85 Up / down movement mechanism 90 Scraper 100 Control device 102 Print control unit 103 Print wiper control section 104 Movement control section 105 Wiping control section 170 Wiping mechanism 171 Rod-shaped members 171a 1st threaded part 173 Screw-fitting parts 173a 2nd threaded part 174 Support member 175 Drive motor 390 Absorbing material

Claims

1. A support base for supporting the medium; an ink head disposed opposite the support stand and above the medium supported by the support stand, the ink head having a nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink downward are formed; a head moving mechanism that moves the ink head in a first direction; a carriage provided with the ink head; a wiper provided on the carriage and movable relative to the nozzle surface; a wiping mechanism that moves the wiper in a movement direction perpendicular to a vertical direction so that the wiper wipes the nozzle surface; Equipped with The wiping mechanism is configured to be capable of moving the wiper to a non-overlapping position where the wiper does not overlap the nozzle face in the movement direction.

2. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the wiping mechanism is configured to move the wiper relative to the nozzle face in a second direction that intersects with the first direction.

3. The nozzle surface is a plurality of first nozzles arranged in the second direction and configured to eject a first ink; a plurality of second nozzles arranged in the second direction and configured to eject a second ink different from the first ink; 3. The printer of claim 2, further comprising:

4. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the wiping mechanism is configured to move the wiper in the first direction relative to the nozzle face.

5. The printer according to claim 4 , wherein a length of the nozzle surface in the first direction is shorter than a length of the nozzle surface in a second direction intersecting the first direction.

6. The wiping mechanism includes: a first pulley rotatably provided with respect to the carriage; a second pulley disposed apart from the first pulley in the moving direction and rotatably provided with respect to the carriage; a belt wound around the first pulley and the second pulley; a support member fixed to the belt and supporting the wiper; A drive motor connected to the first pulley; A printer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising:

7. The wiping mechanism includes: a rod-shaped member that is rotatably provided with respect to the carriage, extends in the moving direction, and has a first screw portion formed on an outer circumferential surface; a screw member having an inner circumferential surface on which a second screw portion is formed, the second screw portion being screwed into the first screw portion; a support member provided on the screw member and supporting the wiper; A drive motor that rotates the rod-shaped member; A printer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising:

8. 8. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a scraper for removing any deposits adhering to the wiper.

9. a housing that houses the ink head, the carriage, and the wiper; The printer according to claim 8 , wherein the scraper is provided on the housing.

10. 8. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising an absorbent member for absorbing ink adhering to the wiper.

11. a housing that houses the ink head, the carriage, and the wiper; The printer according to claim 10 , wherein the absorbing member is provided on the housing.

12. a cap that is detachably attached to the ink head so as to cover the nozzle after the ink head moves in the first direction; a vertical movement mechanism that moves the cap in a vertical direction relative to the nozzle surface; A control device; Equipped with The control device includes: a movement control unit that moves the ink head so that the nozzle surface is positioned at a position overlapping with the cap in a plan view; a wiping control unit that controls the wiping mechanism so as to wipe the nozzle surface with the wiper after the nozzle surface is positioned at a position overlapping with the cap in a plan view; A printer according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising:

13. A control device is provided, The control device includes: a print control unit that ejects ink from the ink head onto the medium supported by the support table; a print wiper control unit that moves the wiper to the non-overlapping position when ink is being ejected from the ink head; A printer according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising:

Images