Liquid ejection device and cleaning device

Abstract

To provide a liquid jet device capable of stably wiping a nozzle surface disposed with nozzles jetting liquid, and a cleaning device.SOLUTION: An ink-jet printer comprises: a liquid jet head 27 jetting ink from nozzles disposed on a nozzle surface 63; a wiping member 73 capable of wiping off the ink adhered to the nozzle surface 63; and an absorption member 78 being brought into contact with the nozzle surface 63 and capable of holding the ink adhered to the nozzle surface 63. Further, the ink-jet printer can perform first maintenance operation for wiping the nozzle surface 63 by the wiping member 73 and second maintenance operation for bringing the absorption member 78 into contact with the nozzle surface 63 by biasing the absorption member 78 by the wiping member 73.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device and a cleaning device such as an inkjet printer.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a type of liquid ejection device, an inkjet printer that records an image by ejecting ink droplets onto a recording medium from nozzles formed on the nozzle surface of an inkjet recording head is known. Among such printers, there is one provided with a string-like wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] A part of the wiping member is arranged in a state where a predetermined tension is applied so as to span between a pay-out portion and a take-up portion arranged on both sides sandwiching the inkjet recording head. That is, the wiping member is wound around the pay-out portion, unwound from the pay-out portion, and taken up by the take-up portion. Then, by moving the pay-out portion and the take-up portion in a direction orthogonal to the spanning direction of the wiping member while the wiping member is in contact with the nozzle surface, ink and the like adhering to the nozzle surface are wiped by the wiping member.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, in the printer as described above, when the wiping member wipes the nozzle surface, the pressing force of the wiping member against the nozzle surface is due to the tension applied to the wiping member, so it is not uniform. For this reason, there is a problem that the nozzle surface is not stably wiped by the wiping member, and there is a possibility that the wiping member may leave a residue on the nozzle surface.

[0006] Note that such problems are not limited to inkjet printers that eject ink droplets from nozzles to record images, but are generally common in liquid ejecting devices that wipe the liquid adhering to the nozzle surface while pressing a wiping member against the nozzle surface on which the nozzles are arranged.

[0007] The present invention has been made by paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art. The object is to provide a liquid ejecting device and a cleaning device capable of stably wiping the nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting liquid are arranged.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] Hereinafter, means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described. The liquid ejecting apparatus for solving the above problems includes a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid from nozzles disposed on a nozzle surface, a plate-shaped first wiping member having flexibility capable of wiping the nozzle surface, and a first wiping member moving mechanism capable of moving the first wiping member, and a first wiping mechanism having a first wiping member moving mechanism capable of moving the first wiping member in a wiping direction to wipe the nozzle surface, a long second wiping member capable of absorbing the liquid adhering to the nozzle surface in contact with the nozzle surface, and a winding reel that winds up the second wiping member holding the liquid, and a second wiping mechanism having a winding reel, and a first maintenance operation of wiping the nozzle surface by moving the first wiping member in a wiping direction, a third maintenance operation of bringing the second wiping member into contact with the nozzle surface without urging the second wiping member by the first wiping member, and a first wiping member cleaning operation of cleaning the wiping member by bringing the first wiping member into contact with the second wiping member. The first wiping member moving mechanism is capable of moving a contact portion of the first wiping member that contacts the nozzle surface in the first maintenance operation to a wiping position that contacts the nozzle surface in the first maintenance operation and a cleaning position that contacts the second wiping member in the first wiping member cleaning operation, and the cleaning position is a position that does not contact the nozzle surface and is located below the wiping position. In the above liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that a second maintenance operation of bringing the second wiping member into contact with the nozzle surface by urging the second wiping member by the first wiping member can be performed.

[0009] According to this configuration, particularly by selectively performing the second maintenance operation, the second wiping portion can be stably brought into contact with the nozzle surface. Therefore, the nozzle surface on which the nozzles for ejecting liquid are disposed can be stably wiped.

[0010] In the above liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that a third maintenance operation of bringing the second wiping portion into contact with the nozzle surface without urging the second wiping portion by the first wiping portion can be performed.

[0011] According to this configuration, it is possible to wipe the nozzle surface while suppressing damage to the nozzle surface. In the above liquid injection device, it is preferable to clean the first wiping part by bringing the second wiping part into contact with the first wiping part.

[0012] According to this configuration, the second wiping part can also be used as a cleaner for the first wiping part. In the above liquid injection device, it is preferable that the first wiping part is constituted by a flexible wiping member, and the second wiping part is constituted by a long absorbent member capable of absorbing the liquid.

[0013] According to this configuration, the liquid adhering to the nozzle surface can be scraped off by the wiping member or absorbed by the absorbent member. In the above liquid injection device, in the maintenance operation of wiping the nozzle surface using the second wiping part, it is preferable to vibrate or rotate the second wiping part.

[0014] According to this configuration, the wiping performance by the second wiping part can be improved. The cleaning device for solving the above problems includes a plate-shaped first wiping member having flexibility to wipe the nozzle surface of a liquid injection head that injects liquid from nozzles arranged on the nozzle surface, and a first wiping member moving mechanism capable of moving the first wiping member, a first wiping mechanism having the first wiping member moving mechanism, a long second wiping member capable of absorbing the liquid adhering to the nozzle surface in contact with the nozzle surface, and a winding reel for winding up the second wiping member holding the liquid, a second wiping mechanism having the winding reel, and is capable of performing a first maintenance operation of wiping the nozzle surface by moving the first wiping member in the wiping direction, a third maintenance operation of bringing the second wiping member into contact with the nozzle surface without being urged by the first wiping member, and a first wiping member cleaning operation of cleaning the wiping member by bringing the first wiping member into contact with the second wiping member. The first wiping member moving mechanism is capable of moving a contact portion of the first wiping member that contacts the nozzle surface in the first maintenance operation to a wiping position that contacts the nozzle surface in the first maintenance operation and a cleaning position that contacts the second wiping member in the first wiping member cleaning operation, and the cleaning position is a position that does not contact the nozzle surface and is located below the wiping position.

[0015] In the above cleaning device, it is preferable that the winding reel is located on the downstream side in the wiping direction from the contact portion of the first wiping member at the wiping position.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the liquid ejection device will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, an inkjet printer 11 as an example of a liquid ejection device includes a conveyance unit 14 that conveys a recording medium 13 such as paper supported on a support base 12 along the conveyance direction Y on the surface of the support base 12, and a printing unit 15 that performs printing by ejecting ink as an example of a liquid onto the conveyed recording medium 13.

[0018] The support base 12, the conveyance unit 14, and the printing unit 15 are assembled to a printer main body 16 constituted by a housing, a frame, or the like. The support base 12 extends in the width direction of the recording medium 13 (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 1) in the inkjet printer 11. Further, a cover 17 is attached to the printer main body 16 so as to be openable and closable.

[0019] The conveying unit 14 includes conveying roller pairs 18 and 19 respectively arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the support base 12 in the conveying direction Y, and a guide plate 20 arranged on the downstream side of the conveying roller pair 19 in the conveying direction Y for guiding while supporting the recording medium 13. Then, the conveying unit 14 conveys the recording medium 13 in the conveying direction Y along the surfaces of the support base 12 and the guide plate 20 by the driving of the conveying motor (not shown) for the conveying roller pairs 18 and 19 to rotate while sandwiching the recording medium 13.

[0020] The printing unit 15 includes guide shafts 22 and 23 extending along the scanning direction X which is the width direction of the recording medium 13 orthogonal (intersecting) to the conveying direction Y of the recording medium 13, and a carriage 25 guided by the guide shafts 22 and 23 and capable of reciprocating in the scanning direction X. The carriage 25 reciprocates in the scanning direction X with the driving of the carriage motor 24 (see FIG. 2).

[0021] At least one (two in this embodiment) liquid injection head 27 having nozzles 26 for injecting ink is attached to the lower end of the carriage 25. That is, the liquid injection head 27 is attached to the carriage 25 in a posture where its lower surface faces the support base 12 at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction Z, and reciprocates in the scanning direction X together with the carriage 25 with the driving of the carriage motor 24 (see FIG. 2). The liquid injection heads 27 are arranged to be separated from each other by a predetermined distance in the scanning direction X and shifted by a predetermined distance in the conveying direction Y.

[0022] On the other hand, a part of a supply mechanism 31 for supplying ink from the ink cartridge 30 to the liquid injection head 27 is attached to the upper side of the carriage 25. The supply mechanism 31 flows the ink along the supply direction A from the upstream side on the ink cartridge 30 side to the downstream side on the liquid injection head 27 side. The ink cartridge 30 and the supply mechanism 31 are provided with at least one set (five sets in this embodiment) for each type of ink.

[0023] The five ink cartridges 30 are each detachably mounted on a plurality (five in this embodiment) of mounting portions 32, and each contain ink of a different color (type). As an example, inks of each color of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), black (K), and white (W) are contained in each ink cartridge 30. By ejecting the ink supplied from each ink cartridge 30 from the liquid ejection head 27, color printing on the recording medium 13 and the like are performed. As an example, in the case of a dark-colored recording medium 13, white printing (undercoat printing) is performed first, and then color printing is performed thereon.

[0024] The supply mechanism 31 includes a supply path 33 for supplying ink from the ink cartridge 30 to the liquid ejection head 27. In the supply path 33, in order from the upstream side, there are provided a supply pump 34 for flowing ink in the supply direction A, a filter unit 35 for capturing bubbles and foreign substances in the ink, a static mixer 36 for changing the flow of the ink flowing through the supply path 33 to stir the ink, a liquid storage chamber 37 for storing the ink, and a pressure adjustment unit 38 for adjusting the pressure of the ink.

[0025] The supply pump 34 has a diaphragm pump 40 with a variable volume of the pump chamber, a suction valve 41 disposed upstream of the diaphragm pump 40, and a discharge valve 42 disposed downstream of the diaphragm pump 40. The suction valve 41 and the discharge valve 42 are constituted by one-way valves that allow the flow of ink to the downstream side while inhibiting the flow of ink to the upstream side.

[0026] Therefore, the supply pump 34 sucks ink from the ink cartridge 30 side through the suction valve 41 as the volume of the pump chamber of the diaphragm pump 40 increases, and discharges the ink to the liquid ejection head 27 side through the discharge valve 42 as the volume of the pump chamber decreases. Further, the filter unit 35 is disposed at a position corresponding to the cover 17 of the printer main body 16 and is detachably mounted on the supply path 33. And the filter unit 35 can be replaced by opening the cover 17.

[0027] In addition, the inkjet printer 11 includes a control unit 39 that performs drive control of a conveyance motor (not shown) for driving the pair of conveyance rollers 18 and 19, a carriage motor 24 (see FIG. 2), a supply pump 34, and the like, and ink ejection control from each nozzle 26 of the liquid ejection head 27. The liquid ejection head 27 performs printing by ejecting ink onto a recording medium 13 conveyed on the support base 12 from each nozzle 26 while reciprocating in the scanning direction X together with the carriage 25 as the carriage motor 24 is driven.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, a maintenance mechanism 43 for maintaining the liquid ejection head 27 is provided at a position adjacent to one end of the support base 12 in the scanning direction X. In the present embodiment, a conveyance region PA is defined as a region where the liquid ejection head 27 ejects ink onto the recording medium 13 for printing and where the recording medium 13 may be conveyed. In this case, the maintenance mechanism 43 is disposed outside the conveyance region PA (on the right side in FIG. 2) within the scanning range of the carriage 25 in the scanning direction X.

[0029] The maintenance mechanism 43 includes a flushing unit 45 having a liquid receiving portion 44, a wiper unit 46 as an example of a cleaning device, and a cap unit 48 having two cap portions 47 in the shape of a bottomed rectangular box with an open upper end, which are arranged in order from a position close to the conveyance region PA in the scanning direction X.

[0030] The carriage 25 and the liquid ejection head 27 standby at a home position HP where the cap unit 48 is disposed when printing is not being performed or when the power is off. That is, the liquid ejection head 27 is movable between the conveyance region PA and the home position HP in the scanning direction X orthogonal (intersecting) to the conveyance direction Y.

[0031] When the two liquid ejection heads 27 are moved to the home position HP, the two cap parts 47 face the two liquid ejection heads 27 in the vertical direction respectively. Each cap part 47 is moved up and down between a position where it can contact each liquid ejection head 27 and a position away from each liquid ejection head 27 by driving a capping motor 49.

[0032] Each cap part 47 performs capping to form a closed space with each liquid ejection head 27 by contacting each liquid ejection head 27 so as to surround a plurality of nozzles 26, thereby suppressing drying of the ink in each nozzle 26. Each liquid ejection head 27 is capped by each cap part 47 at the home position HP when printing is not performed or the like.

[0033] Inside each cap part 47, it can be sucked by a suction pump 50 via a suction tube (not shown) having one end connected to each cap part 47. And each liquid ejection head 27 sucks the inside (closed space) of each cap part 47 by driving the suction pump 50 in a state of being capped by each cap part 47 at the home position HP, so that thickened ink, bubbles, etc. in each liquid ejection head 27 from each nozzle 26 are discharged into each cap part 47, and so-called head cleaning is performed. Note that the capping motor 49 and the suction pump 50 are driven and controlled by a control unit 39 (see FIG. 1).

[0034] The wiper unit 46 includes a first wiping mechanism 51 capable of wiping the ink adhering to the lower surface of the liquid ejection head 27, a second wiping mechanism 52 capable of holding the ink adhering to the lower surface by contacting the lower surface of the liquid ejection head 27, and a rectangular plate-shaped base member 53 supporting the first wiping mechanism 51 and the second wiping mechanism 52. The wiper unit 46 is guided by a pair of rail parts 54 so as to be reciprocally movable along the conveyance direction Y.

[0035] Further, the flushing unit 45 receives the flushing ink discharged when performing so-called flushing, which discharges ink droplets from each nozzle 26 independently of printing for the purpose of preventing or eliminating clogging of each nozzle 26 or the like, in the liquid receiving portion 44. The flushing unit 45 is arranged such that when the liquid ejection head 27 on the right side in FIG. 2 is positioned above the wiper unit 46, the liquid receiving portion 44 is positioned below the liquid ejection head 27 on the left side in FIG. 2.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the head unit 55 is attached to the lower surface portion of the carriage 25, and includes a bracket portion 56 for attaching to the carriage 25 and a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped liquid ejection head 27 protruding downward from the bracket portion 56. The liquid ejection head 27 includes a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped flow path forming portion 57 protruding downward from the bracket portion 56 and a rectangular plate-shaped head body 58 fixed to the lower side of the flow path forming portion 57. On the lower surface of the head body 58 in FIG. 3, a plurality of rows (for example, 10 rows) of nozzle rows 59 are formed.

[0037] Further, on the lower surface side of the head body 58, a plate-shaped cover member 60 having a plurality (for example, 5) of through holes 60a is attached so as to cover a part of the nozzle opening surface 61 (in this example, the lower surface) where each nozzle 26 (see FIG. 4) constituting the nozzle row 59 opens. A plurality of nozzle rows 59 are exposed in a predetermined number of rows (for example, 2 rows) in each through hole 60a.

[0038] In this example, the region of the nozzle opening surface 61 exposed by the through hole 60a is the nozzle peripheral region 62. That is, the surface of the liquid ejection head 27 having the nozzles 26 is covered by a cover member 60 having a through hole 60a for exposing the nozzle peripheral region 62 in a portion corresponding to the nozzle peripheral region 62. The nozzle peripheral region 62 includes the opening regions of each nozzle 26 (see FIG. 4).

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cover member 60 is fixed to the liquid ejection head 27 by a fixing structure such as locking in a state of covering a portion of the nozzle opening surface 61 other than the nozzle peripheral region 62 exposed by the through hole 60a. And, as shown in FIG. 3, the entire bottom surface of the liquid ejection head 27 is the nozzle surface 63 to be wiped by the wiper unit 46. The nozzle surface 63 includes a nozzle peripheral region 62 (that is, the region within the through hole 60a) and a non-nozzle peripheral region which is a region other than the nozzle peripheral region 62, and a protruding surface 64 that protrudes by the thickness of the cover member 60 (0.1 mm in this example) more than the nozzle peripheral region 62.

[0040] Therefore, a step 65 exists between the nozzle peripheral region 62 and the protruding surface 64 (non-nozzle peripheral region). That is, the nozzle surface 63 is constituted by an uneven surface that is a concave portion in the portion of the nozzle peripheral region 62 and a convex portion in the portion of the protruding surface 64. The cover member 60 is made of, for example, metal (such as stainless steel).

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle row 59 is composed of a large number (for example, 180 or 360) of nozzles 26 arranged at a constant pitch along the conveyance direction Y. Each nozzle row 59 ejects one color of ink corresponding to the ink color of the ink cartridge 30 (see FIG. 1). Of course, inks of colors other than the four colors of CMYK and white (W) may be ejected. For example, inks of colors such as light magenta, light cyan, light yellow, gray, and orange may be ejected. Also, the number of colors of the liquid ejection head 27 may be four colors of CMYK, three colors of CMY, one color of black, etc. Further, there may be an unused nozzle row in which ink is not ejected among the plurality of nozzle rows 59.

[0042] In addition, the nozzle opening surface 61 is subjected to a liquid repellent treatment (ink repellent treatment) that makes it easy to repel ink, and a liquid repellent film 66 (ink repellent film) is formed on its surface. The liquid repellent film 66 may be composed of, for example, a thin film base layer mainly made of polyorganosiloxane containing an alkyl group and a liquid repellent film layer made of a metal alkoxide having a long-chain polymer group containing fluorine. The ink used in this embodiment is, as an example, pigment ink. In pigment ink, a large number of pigment particles are dispersed in the liquid used as the dispersion medium. As cyan, magenta, and yellow pigments, organic pigments with an average particle size of about 100 nm are adopted, as black pigment, carbon black (inorganic pigment) with an average particle size of about 120 nm is adopted, and as white pigment, titanium oxide (inorganic pigment) with an average particle size of about 320 nm is adopted, etc.

[0043] The ink in this example is aqueous ink, and a large number of pigment particles are dispersed in water as the dispersion medium. Therefore, in this example, the liquid repellent film 66 is used as a water repellent film having a function of repelling aqueous ink. The liquid repellent film 66 may be composed of, for example, a thin film base layer mainly made of polyorganosiloxane containing an alkyl group and a liquid repellent film layer made of a metal alkoxide having a long-chain polymer group containing fluorine. The liquid repellent film 66 gradually wears out when wiping against the nozzle opening surface 61 is repeated, and when the liquid repellent film 66 wears more than a certain level, its liquid repellency decreases. Note that the liquid repellent film 66 may be a liquid repellent coating film or a liquid repellent monomolecular film, and its film thickness and liquid repellent treatment method can be arbitrarily selected.

[0044] In a state where the liquid repellency of the liquid repellent film 66 has decreased, the wetting angle (contact angle) of a liquid such as ink mist with respect to the nozzle peripheral region 62 becomes small. Therefore, a plurality of ink mists adhering to the nozzle peripheral region 62 are likely to spread by wetting and grow into a relatively large single ink droplet (adhering ink). Therefore, such adhering ink may exist near the nozzle 26, block the openings of some nozzles 26, or even flow into the nozzle 26.

[0045] Also, when an ink droplet is ejected from the nozzle 26 with adhering ink present in the vicinity of the nozzle 26, the ejected ink droplet contacts the adhering ink, inducing a flight curve of the ink droplet. Such a flight curve of the ink droplet causes the landing position of the ink droplet on the recording medium 13 (i.e., the printing dot formation position) to deviate from the assumed position, leading to a deterioration in the print image quality. For these reasons, it is necessary to minimize the wear of the liquid-repellent film 66 due to wiping.

[0046] On the other hand, the cover member 60 is manufactured by processing a metal plate into a predetermined shape, and no liquid-repellent treatment is applied to the surface of the cover member 60. Therefore, the protruding surface 64 (non-nozzle peripheral region) has lower liquid repellency than the nozzle peripheral region 62. That is, the wetting angle of the ink with respect to the protruding surface 64 is smaller than the wetting angle of the ink with respect to the nozzle peripheral region 62.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 5, the liquid ejection head 27 has a plurality (for example, five in this embodiment) of recording heads 67 (unit heads) arranged in parallel at a constant pitch in the scanning direction X. The peripheral edge of the nozzle opening surface 61, which is the lower surface of the recording head 67, is covered by the cover member 60, and the nozzle peripheral region 62 including the nozzles 26 for two rows is exposed from the through hole 60a perforated in the cover member 60.

[0048] Each nozzle 26 communicates with each ink flow path 57a passing through the flow path forming portion 57, and each ink flow path 57a communicates with a plurality of supply pipe portions 55a protruding upward from the upper surface of the flow path forming portion 57 through a flow path (not shown). Each supply pipe portion 55a communicates with the supply port of a pressure adjustment unit 38 (see FIG. 1) mounted on the carriage 25 through a flow path (not shown).

[0049] Therefore, from each pressure adjustment unit 38 (see FIG. 1), the inks of the corresponding colors are supplied to the nozzles 26 of the corresponding recording head 67 through the corresponding supply pipe portions 55a and each ink flow path 57a, etc. Note that the liquid ejection head 27 may be configured as one head having three or more nozzle rows.

[0050] Next, the configuration of the wiper unit 46 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the wiper unit 46 is guided along a pair of rail portions 54 via a guide portion 68 fixed to the lower surface of the base member 53 and is reciprocally movable along the conveyance direction Y. On the side of the printer main body 16 (see FIG. 1), an electric motor 69 serving as a power source is provided, and a pinion 71 is attached to the tip of the output shaft 70 of the electric motor 69.

[0051] Further, a rack 72 extending along the conveyance direction Y is provided on the side portion of the base member 53 of the wiper unit 46, and the rack 72 meshes with the pinion 71. When the electric motor 69 is driven forward, the pinion 71 rotates forward, and the wiper unit 46 moves in the conveyance direction Y together with the rack 72. On the other hand, when the electric motor 69 is driven in reverse, the pinion 71 rotates in reverse, and the wiper unit 46 moves in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction Y together with the rack 72.

[0052] The first wiping mechanism 51 of the wiper unit 46 includes a flexible wiping member 73 as an example of a first wiping portion capable of wiping the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 63, which is disposed at the central portion on the base member 53, and an actuator 74 that supports the wiping member 73 so as to be movable up and down. A nut portion 75 is provided at the lower portion of the actuator 74, and the nut portion 75 is screwed with a ball screw 77 that extends in the conveyance direction Y and is rotationally driven by a motor 76.

[0053] When the motor 76 drives forward, the ball screw 77 rotates forward, and together with the actuator 74, the wiping member 73 moves in the conveyance direction Y on the base member 53. On the other hand, when the motor 76 drives in reverse, the ball screw 77 rotates in reverse, and together with the actuator 74, the wiping member 73 moves in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction Y on the base member 53. Note that the wiping member 73 is constituted by, for example, a rectangular plate-shaped rubber wiper or the like, and the actuator 74 is constituted by, for example, an air cylinder or the like. Further, the electric motor 69, the motor 76, and the actuator 74 are driven and controlled by the control unit 39 (see FIG. 1).

[0054] The second wiping mechanism 52 of the wiper unit 46 includes a long absorption member 78 as an example of a second wiping part that can contact the nozzle surface 63 and absorb and hold the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 63, a pay-out reel 79 that supports the unused absorption member 78 in a wound state, and a take-up reel 80 that winds up and supports the absorption member 78 that has been paid out from the pay-out reel 79 and has become used.

[0055] As the absorption member 78, those formed in a string shape, a filament shape, or a cloth shape (band shape) can be used, but in this embodiment, those formed in a string shape are used. As the string-shaped absorption member 78, it is preferable to bundle ultrafine fibers (microfibers) having a single-fiber fineness (the fineness of one strand) of 10 μm or less into a string shape. As the material of the single fiber, polyester (island-in-sea type ultrafine fiber, about 2 μm), nylon (polyamide), or a combination of polyester and nylon (separated type ultrafine fiber, about 5 μm) is preferable. Further, single fibers of one type (for example, polyester) among the above materials may be bundled into a string shape, or single fibers of a plurality of types (for example, polyester and nylon) may be bundled into a string shape.

[0056] When forming the absorption member 78 into a filament shape, it is preferable to use polyester or nylon as the material. When forming the absorption member 78 into a cloth shape, it is preferable to use a knitted or plain-woven material made of ultra-fine fibers (microfibers) with a single-fiber fineness (the fineness of one strand) of about 2 to 10 μm. As the material, it is preferable to use polyester (island-in-sea type ultra-fine fibers, about 2 μm) or a combination of polyester and nylon (separated type ultra-fine fibers, about 5 μm). Specific examples include Toray Industries, Inc.'s Torayce (registered trademark), and the product names of Torayce include Torayce PK and Torayce PW.

[0057] The pay-out reel 79 and the take-up reel 80 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the scanning direction X so as to face each other with the ball screw 77 interposed therebetween. The pay-out reel 79 is rotatably supported about an axis extending in the conveying direction Y by a pair of pay-out support columns 81 erected on the base member 53, and is rotationally driven by a motor 82 attached to one of the pair of pay-out support columns 81. Similarly, the take-up reel 80 is rotatably supported about an axis extending in the conveying direction Y by a pair of take-up support columns 83 erected on the base member 53, and is rotationally driven by a motor 84 attached to one of the pair of take-up support columns 83.

[0058] Between the pay-out reel 79 and the take-up reel 80 on the base member 53, a pair of support mechanisms 85 for supporting the absorption member 78 are erected at a predetermined interval in the scanning direction X so as to face each other with the ball screw 77 interposed therebetween. In this case, the pair of support mechanisms 85 are arranged at an interval wider than the width of the nozzle surface 63 in the scanning direction X so as not to interfere with the movement of the wiping member 73 along the conveying direction Y.

[0059] The support mechanism 85 is constituted by, for example, an air cylinder that is driven and controlled by a control unit 39 (see FIG. 1), and has a rod 86 that moves in the vertical direction. At the tip of the rod 86, a support member 87 that supports the absorption member 78 is provided. As shown in FIG. 8, the support member 87 has a concave receiving portion 87a that receives the absorption member 78. Therefore, by moving the two rods 86 in the vertical direction, it is possible to change the height of the absorption member 78 located between the two receiving portions 87a.

[0060] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, at the upper end of the surface on the conveyance direction Y side of the wiping member 73, a holding groove 73a that can engage with the absorption member 78 and hold the absorption member 78 is formed so as to extend in the scanning direction X between the two support members 87. In this case, the holding groove 73a can hold the absorption member 78 in a state where about half of the absorption member 78 is accommodated.

[0061] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the motors 82 and 84 are constituted by, for example, servo motors, and have a torque detection unit (not shown) that detects rotational torque inside. The motors 82 and 84 are driven and controlled by a control unit 39 (see FIG. 1). Then, the control unit 39 (see FIG. 1) controls the driving and rotational direction of the motors 82 and 84 based on a detection signal from the torque detection unit (not shown), thereby applying a predetermined tension to the absorption member 78 fed out between the pair of support mechanisms 85.

[0062] Also, between the pay-out reel 79 and the support mechanism 85 closer to the pay-out reel 79 among the pair of support mechanisms 85, a cleaning liquid supply unit 88 that sprays and applies a cleaning liquid to the unused absorption member 78 fed out from the pay-out reel 79 is arranged. The cleaning liquid is applied to the absorption member 78 in order to improve the wiping property of the absorption member 78 against the nozzle surface 63, and is constituted by, for example, water or the like. Of course, the cleaning liquid may be impregnated in advance into the absorption member 78 in a state where it is wound around the pay-out reel 79 without arranging the cleaning liquid supply unit 88.

[0063] Next, the operation of the inkjet printer 11 will be described. In the inkjet printer 11, during the movement of the carriage 25 in the scanning direction X, ink droplets are ejected from each nozzle 26 of the liquid ejection head 27 to perform a printing operation of recording one scan on the recording medium 13, and the conveyance operation of conveying the recording medium 13 to the next printing position are alternately repeated, whereby printing on the recording medium 13 proceeds. During this printing, the wiper unit 46 waits at a retracted position on the side opposite to the conveyance direction Y so as not to contact the liquid ejection head 27 moving in the scanning direction X.

[0064] And in the inkjet printer 11, head cleaning is performed to forcibly suck and discharge the ink in the liquid ejection head 27 from the nozzles 26 at a predetermined timing (when replacing the ink cartridge 30, when ink ejection failure occurs from the nozzles 26, before printing, etc.). When performing this head cleaning, first, the carriage 25 and the liquid ejection head 27 are moved to the home position HP where the cap unit 48 is disposed by driving the carriage motor 24, and then the capping motor 49 is driven to raise the cap portion 47, whereby the liquid ejection head 27 is capped by the cap portion 47.

[0065] Subsequently, when the suction pump 50 is driven to suck the inside of the cap portion 47 (closed space), thickened ink, air bubbles, etc. in the liquid ejection head 27 are discharged into the cap portion 47 from each nozzle 26. At this time, since the inside of the cap portion 47 is filled with the ink discharged from each nozzle 26, the region corresponding to the inside of the cap portion 47 on the nozzle surface 63 is immersed in the ink.

[0066] When a predetermined amount of ink is discharged from each nozzle 26, the suction pump 50 is stopped. Subsequently, an air release valve (not shown) provided in the cap portion 47 is opened, and the suction pump 50 is driven for a predetermined time with the inside of the cap portion 47 being open to the atmosphere to perform air suction inside the cap portion 47, thereby discharging the ink remaining inside the cap portion 47. Subsequently, when the cap portion 47 is lowered by driving the capping motor 49, the cap portion 47 separates from the liquid ejection head 27.

[0067] Thereby, the head cleaning is completed. After the head cleaning is completed, since the region corresponding to the inside of the cap portion 47 on the nozzle surface 63 is in a state of being wetted with ink, it is necessary to wipe the nozzle surface 63 with the wiper unit 46 to remove this ink.

[0068] In this case, since the nozzle opening surface 61, that is, the nozzle peripheral region 62, is covered with the liquid-repellent film 66, small ink droplets (ink droplets smaller than the step 65 of 0.1 mm) adhering to the nozzle peripheral region 62 flow when the cap portion 47 separates from the liquid ejection head 27. For this reason, large ink droplets (ink droplets larger than or equal to the step 65 of 0.1 mm) remain attached to the nozzle peripheral region 62.

[0069] And when wiping the nozzle surface 63 with the wiper unit 46, in the inkjet printer 11 of the present embodiment, it is possible to perform three types of wiping operations: a first maintenance operation, a second maintenance operation, and a third maintenance operation. Hereinafter, the first maintenance operation, the second maintenance operation, and the third maintenance operation will be sequentially described.

[0070] <First Maintenance Operation> The first maintenance operation is a wiping operation in which the nozzle surface 63 is wiped by the wiping member 73, and the nozzle surface 63 is wiped only by the wiping member 73 without using the absorption member 78. When wiping the nozzle surface 63 by the first maintenance operation, first, the carriage 25 is moved by driving the carriage motor 24 to a position where the nozzle surface 63 of the liquid ejection head 27 is wiped by the wiper unit 46.

[0071] Subsequently, by driving the actuator 74, the height of the wiping member 73 is adjusted to a predetermined height at which the wiping member 73 can wipe the nozzle surface 63. Subsequently, by driving the pair of support mechanisms 85, the height of the absorption member 78 located between these support members 87 is made lower than the height at which it does not contact the nozzle surface 63. Subsequently, when the electric motor 69 is driven to move the wiper unit 46 from the retracted position in the conveyance direction Y, as shown in FIG. 10, the wiping member 73 contacts the nozzle surface 63 while elastically deforming.

[0072] Subsequently, when the wiper unit 46 is moved in the conveyance direction Y, the wiping member 73 slides on the nozzle surface 63 to wipe the entire nozzle surface 63, and the ink I attached to the nozzle surface 63 is scraped off and removed by the wiping member 73. Thereby, the first maintenance operation is completed. Thereafter, with the height of the wiping member 73 made lower than the height at which the wiping member 73 does not contact the nozzle surface 63 by driving the actuator 74, the electric motor 69 is driven to move the wiper unit 46 to the side opposite to the conveyance direction Y and return it to the retracted position.

[0073] In addition, the ink I scraped off from the nozzle surface 63 by the wiping member 73 adheres to the surface of the wiping member 73 on the conveyance direction Y side as shown in FIG. 14. Therefore, it is necessary to perform cleaning to remove the ink I adhering to the wiping member 73. When performing cleaning to remove the ink I adhering to the wiping member 73, as shown in FIG. 14, first, by driving the motor 76 and the pair of support mechanisms 85, the absorption member 78 positioned between the support members 87 of the pair of support mechanisms 85 is brought into contact with the upper end portion of the surface of the wiping member 73 on the conveyance direction Y side.

[0074] In this state, while stopping the wiping member 73 and driving the pair of support mechanisms 85 to slide the absorption member 78 that has come into contact with the upper end portion of the surface of the wiping member 73 on the conveyance direction Y side downward, as shown in FIG. 15, the ink I adhering to the surface of the wiping member 73 on the conveyance direction Y side is absorbed and removed by the absorption member 78. At this time, since the amount by which the absorption member 78 loosens due to lowering the absorption member 78 is wound up by the winding reel 80 by driving the motor 84, the tension applied to the absorption member 78 is maintained.

[0075] After that, by sliding the absorption member 78 to the lower end of the surface of the wiping member 73 on the conveyance direction Y side, the cleaning of the wiping member 73 is completed. Even if the ink I adhering to the wiping member 73 cannot be completely absorbed by the absorption member 78, this ink I is scraped off from the wiping member 73 by the absorption member 78. The portion of the absorption member 78 soiled with the ink I is moved to the downstream side (the winding reel 80 side) beyond the support mechanism 85 closer to the winding reel 80 among the pair of support mechanisms 85 by winding up the absorption member 78 with the winding reel 80.

[0076] <Second Maintenance Operation> The second maintenance operation is a wiping operation in which the absorption member 78 is brought into contact with the nozzle surface 63 by urging the absorption member 78 with the wiping member 73, and the nozzle surface 63 is wiped using both the absorption member 78 and the wiping member 73. When wiping the nozzle surface 63 by the second maintenance operation, first, the carriage 25 is moved to a position where the nozzle surface 63 of the liquid ejection head 27 is wiped by the wiper unit 46 by driving the carriage motor 24.

[0077] Subsequently, by driving the actuator 74, the height of the wiping member 73 is adjusted to a predetermined height at which the wiping member 73 can wipe the nozzle surface 63. Subsequently, by driving the pair of support mechanisms 85, the height of the absorption member 78 positioned between these support members 87 is made the same as the height of the holding groove 73a of the wiping member 73. Subsequently, by driving the motor 76, the wiping member 73 is moved to hold the absorption member 78 in the holding groove 73a.

[0078] In this state, when the electric motor 69 is driven to move the wiper unit 46 from the retracted position in the conveyance direction Y, as shown in FIG. 11, the wiping member 73 contacts the nozzle surface 63 while elastically deforming prior to the absorption member 78.

[0079] Subsequently, when the wiper unit 46 is moved in the conveyance direction Y, the wiping member 73 slides on the nozzle surface 63 to wipe the nozzle surface 63, and as shown in FIG. 12, both the wiping member 73 and the absorption member 78 are in contact with the nozzle surface 63. In this state, the elastic restoring force of the wiping member 73 acts as a pressing force for pressing the absorption member 78 against the nozzle surface 63. That is, the wiping member 73 urges the absorption member 78 to press the absorption member 78 against the nozzle surface 63.

[0080] Subsequently, when the wiper unit 46 is moved in the conveying direction Y, both the wiping member 73 and the absorption member 78 slide on the nozzle surface 63 with the absorption member 78 pressed against the nozzle surface 63 by the wiping member 73, thereby wiping the ink I adhering to the nozzle surface 63. Subsequently, when the wiper unit 46 is moved in the conveying direction Y, as shown in FIG. 13, the wiping member 73 separates from the nozzle surface 63 and the wiping member 73 presses the absorption member 78 against the nozzle surface 63.

[0081] Subsequently, when the wiper unit 46 is moved in the conveying direction Y, the absorption member 78 slides on the nozzle surface 63 to wipe the entire nozzle surface 63, and the ink I adhering to the nozzle surface 63 is absorbed and removed by the absorption member 78. Thereby, the second maintenance operation is completed.

[0082] Thus, in the second maintenance operation, the wiping member 73 biases the absorption member 78 so that the nozzle surface 63 is wiped with the absorption member 78 pressed against the nozzle surface 63. That is, in the second maintenance operation, the contact state of the absorption member 78 with respect to the nozzle surface 63 is stabilized, so that the nozzle surface 63 is stably wiped by the absorption member 78.

[0083] Thereafter, by driving the actuator 74, the height of the wiping member 73 is set to a height below which the wiping member 73 does not contact the nozzle surface 63, and by driving the pair of support mechanisms 85, the absorption member 78 located therebetween is lowered by the same amount as the wiping member 73.

[0084] At this time, the amount by which the absorption member 78 is loosened by lowering the absorption member 78 is wound up by the winding reel 80 by driving the motor 84, so that the tension applied to the absorption member 78 is maintained. Therefore, the state in which the absorption member 78 is held in the holding groove 73a of the wiping member 73 is maintained. Subsequently, the electric motor 69 is driven to move the wiper unit 46 to the opposite side of the conveying direction Y and return it to the retracted position.

[0085] Further, by performing the second maintenance operation described above, ink I adheres to the area below the holding groove 73a on the surface of the wiping member 73 on the Y-side in the conveyance direction, as shown in FIG. 14. Therefore, it is necessary to perform cleaning to remove the ink I adhering to the wiping member 73.

[0086] When performing cleaning to remove the ink I adhering to the wiping member 73, in the state shown in FIG. 14, while stopping the wiping member 73, by driving the pair of support mechanisms 85, the absorption member 78 held in the holding groove 73a of the wiping member 73 is slid downward, as shown in FIG. 15, the ink I adhering to the surface of the wiping member 73 on the Y-side in the conveyance direction is absorbed and removed by the absorption member 78. At this time, since the amount by which the absorption member 78 loosens when the absorption member 78 is lowered is wound up by the winding reel 80 by driving the motor 84, the tension applied to the absorption member 78 is maintained.

[0087] After that, by sliding the absorption member 78 to the lower end of the surface of the wiping member 73 on the Y-side in the conveyance direction, the cleaning of the wiping member 73 is completed. Even if the ink I adhering to the wiping member 73 cannot be completely absorbed by the absorption member 78, this ink I is scraped off from the wiping member 73 by the absorption member 78. The portion of the absorption member 78 soiled with the ink I is moved to the downstream side (the winding reel 80 side) beyond the support mechanism 85 closer to the winding reel 80 among the pair of support mechanisms 85 by winding up the absorption member 78 with the winding reel 80.

[0088] <Third Maintenance Operation> The third maintenance operation is a wiping operation for wiping the nozzle surface 63 with the absorption member 78, and the nozzle surface 63 is wiped only with the absorption member 78 without urging the absorption member 78 by the wiping member 73. When performing the wiping of the nozzle surface 63 by the third maintenance operation, first, the carriage 25 is moved by driving the carriage motor 24 to a position where the nozzle surface 63 of the liquid ejection head 27 is wiped by the wiper unit 46.

[0089] Subsequently, by driving a pair of support mechanisms 85, the height of the absorption member 78 positioned between these support members 87 is adjusted to a predetermined height at which the absorption member 78 can wipe the nozzle surface 63. Subsequently, by driving the actuator 74, the height of the wiping member 73 is set to a height below which the wiping member 73 does not contact the nozzle surface 63. Subsequently, when the electric motor 69 is driven to move the wiper unit 46 from the retracted position in the conveying direction Y, as shown in FIG. 16, the absorption member 78 contacts the nozzle surface 63.

[0090] Subsequently, when the wiper unit 46 is moved in the conveying direction Y, the absorption member 78 slides on the nozzle surface 63 to wipe the entire nozzle surface 63, and the ink I adhering to the nozzle surface 63 is absorbed and removed by the absorption member 78. Thereby, the third maintenance operation is completed. Thereafter, by driving a pair of support mechanisms 85, with the height of the absorption member 78 positioned between these support members 87 set to a height below which the absorption member 78 does not contact the nozzle surface 63, the electric motor 69 is driven to move the wiper unit 46 in the direction opposite to the conveying direction Y and return it to the retracted position.

[0091] At this time, the amount by which the absorption member 78 sags due to lowering the absorption member 78 is wound up by the winding reel 80 by driving the motor 84, so the tension applied to the absorption member 78 is maintained. Note that the portion of the absorption member 78 soiled with the ink I is moved to the downstream side (the winding reel 80 side) beyond the support mechanism 85 closer to the winding reel 80 among the pair of support mechanisms 85 by winding up the absorption member 78 with the winding reel 80.

[0092] As described above, the first maintenance operation, the second maintenance operation, and the third maintenance operation have been explained. However, it is preferable to determine which of these to select based on the amount and viscosity of the ink I adhering to the nozzle surface 63. For example, when the amount of the ink I adhering to the nozzle surface 63 is large or the viscosity of the ink I is high, since it is necessary to wipe the nozzle surface 63 firmly, the second maintenance operation is selected.

[0093] Also, for example, when the amount of ink I adhering to the nozzle surface 63 is small or the viscosity of ink I is low, the ink I adhering to the nozzle surface 63 can be removed without wiping the nozzle surface 63 at the second maintenance operation level. Therefore, the first maintenance operation or the third maintenance operation is selected.

[0094] In addition, especially when wiping the nozzle surface 63 by the second maintenance operation, the absorption member 78 may not contact the nozzle peripheral area 62 at all. However, since the size of the ink I adhering to the nozzle peripheral area 62 is 0.1 mm or more of the step 65, even in such a case, the absorption member 78 surely contacts the ink I adhering to the nozzle peripheral area 62. For this reason, the ink I adhering to the nozzle peripheral area 62 is surely absorbed and removed by the absorption member 78.

[0095] Note that since ink mist generated during printing adheres to the nozzle surface 63, wiping of the nozzle surface 63 by any one of the first maintenance operation, the second maintenance operation, and the third maintenance operation is performed at a predetermined timing not only after the head cleaning but also during printing.

[0096] As described above in detail, the following effects can be obtained according to the embodiment. (1) The inkjet printer 11 can perform a first maintenance operation of wiping the nozzle surface 63 by the wiping member 73 and a second maintenance operation of bringing the absorption member 78 into contact with the nozzle surface 63 by urging the absorption member 78 by the wiping member 73. Therefore, by selectively performing the second maintenance operation in particular, the absorption member 78 can be stably brought into contact with the nozzle surface 63. Therefore, the nozzle surface 63 on which the nozzles 26 for ejecting ink are arranged can be stably wiped.

[0097] (2) The inkjet printer 11 is capable of performing a third maintenance operation in which the absorption member 78 is brought into contact with the nozzle surface 63 without being urged by the wiping member 73. Therefore, by performing the third maintenance operation, it is possible to wipe the nozzle surface 63 while suppressing damage to the nozzle surface 63.

[0098] (3) The inkjet printer 11 cleans the wiping member 73 by bringing the absorption member 78 into contact with the wiping member 73. Therefore, the absorption member 78 can also be used as a cleaner for the wiping member 73.

[0099] (4) In the inkjet printer 11, the first wiping part is constituted by the flexible wiping member 73, and the second wiping part is constituted by the long absorption member 78 capable of absorbing the ink I. Therefore, the ink I adhering to the nozzle surface 63 can be scraped off by the wiping member 73 or absorbed by the absorption member 78.

[0100] (Modification example) Note that the above embodiment may be modified as follows. · As shown in FIG. 17, instead of the wiping member 73, as the first wiping part, a flexible wiping member 90 having a substantially block shape with a holding groove 90a extending in the scanning direction X capable of holding the absorption member 78 at the upper end may be used. In this case, when wiping the nozzle surface 63 by the second maintenance operation, the wiping member 90 may urge the absorption member 78 so that only the absorption member 78 contacts the nozzle surface 63 as shown in FIG. 17, or both the wiping member 90 and the absorption member 78 may contact the nozzle surface 63 as shown in FIG. 18. Further, in this case, when wiping the nozzle surface 63 by the first maintenance operation, as shown in FIG. 19, two portions sandwiching the holding groove 90a at the tip of the wiping member 90 contact the nozzle surface 63.

[0101] · In the maintenance operation using the absorption member 78, that is, the third maintenance operation, as shown in FIG. 20, the absorption member 78 may be vibrated, or as shown in FIG. 21, the absorption member 78 may be rotated. By doing so, the wiping property of the nozzle surface 63 by the absorption member 78 can be improved. In addition, since the absorption member 78 is used also in the second maintenance operation, the absorption member 78 may be vibrated or the absorption member 78 may be rotated.

[0102] · As shown in FIG. 22, the wiping member 73 may be changed to a flexible wiping member 91 having a sickle-shaped cross section. That is, the wiping member 91 has a pointed portion 91a protruding in a triangular shape in cross section at the tip of the surface on the side that wipes the nozzle surface 63, and a holding groove 91b formed adjacent to the pointed portion 91a and capable of holding the absorption member 78, and has a substantially rectangular plate shape as a whole. In this case, the wiper unit 46 is arranged such that the absorption member 78 extends in the conveyance direction Y and is located closer to the support base 12 than the wiping member 91. Further, in this case, when performing the first to third maintenance operations, with the wiper unit 46 stopped, the nozzle surface 63 side is moved in the scanning direction X. And when performing the first maintenance operation, as shown in FIG. 23, since the pointed portion 91a of the wiping member 91 enters up to the nozzle peripheral region 62, not only the ink adhering to the protruding surface 64 but also the ink adhering to the nozzle peripheral region 62 can be surely wiped. Also, when performing the second maintenance operation, as shown in FIG. 24, since the pointed portion 91a of the wiping member 91 and the absorption member 78 enter up to the nozzle peripheral region 62, not only the ink adhering to the protruding surface 64 but also the ink adhering to the nozzle peripheral region 62 can be surely absorbed and removed. Further, when performing the third maintenance operation, as shown in FIG. 25, similar to the above-described embodiment, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 63 can be preferably absorbed and removed by the absorption member 78.

[0103] · As shown in FIG. 26, a rectangular plate-shaped wiping member 92 having flexibility may be used as the first wiping part instead of the wiping member 73, and a long rectangular plate-shaped absorbing member 93 may be used as the second wiping part instead of the absorbing member 78. The absorbing member 93 is formed in a cloth shape and is adapted to absorb ink. At the tip of the surface of the wiping member 92 on the side for wiping the nozzle surface 63, a holding part 92a for holding the absorbing member 93 is recessed. Then, when performing the second maintenance operation, as shown in FIG. 26, since the absorbing member 93 enters up to the nozzle peripheral area 62 and the sharp corner of the absorbing member 93 contacts the nozzle peripheral area 62, not only the ink adhering to the protruding surface 64 but also the ink adhering to the nozzle peripheral area 62 can be surely absorbed and removed. In this case, the wiper unit 46 is arranged such that the absorbing member 93 extends in the transport direction Y and is located closer to the support base 12 than the wiping member 92, and with the wiper unit 46 stopped, the nozzle surface 63 side is moved in the scanning direction X.

[0104] · As shown in FIG. 27, the wiping member 92 of FIG. 26 described above may be used as the first wiping part instead of the wiping member 73, and a long absorbing member 94 having an L-shaped cross-section may be used as the second wiping part instead of the absorbing member 78. The absorbing member 94 is formed in a cloth shape and is adapted to absorb ink. Then, when performing the second maintenance operation, as shown in FIG. 27, since the absorbing member 94 enters up to the nozzle peripheral area 62 and the corner part of the absorbing member 94 contacts the nozzle peripheral area 62, not only the ink adhering to the protruding surface 64 but also the ink adhering to the nozzle peripheral area 62 can be surely absorbed and removed. In this case, the wiper unit 46 is arranged such that the absorbing member 94 extends in the transport direction Y and is located closer to the support base 12 than the wiping member 92, and with the wiper unit 46 stopped, the nozzle surface 63 side is moved in the scanning direction X.

[0105] · As shown in Fig. 28, a long strip-shaped absorption member 95 may be used as the second wiping part instead of the absorption member 78. The absorption member 95 is formed in a cloth shape and is adapted to absorb ink. When performing the third maintenance operation, as shown in Fig. 28, the absorption member 95 may be brought into contact with the nozzle surface 63 in a state where it is inclined with a predetermined amount of interference with respect to the nozzle surface 63. In this case, the wiper unit 46 is arranged such that the absorption member 93 extends in the conveyance direction Y and is located closer to the support base 12 than the wiping member 73. With the wiper unit 46 stopped, the nozzle surface 63 side is moved in the scanning direction X. In this way, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 63 can be suitably absorbed and removed by the absorption member 95.

[0106] · As shown in Figs. 29 and 31, the feeding reel 79 and the take-up reel 80 may be rotatably supported by a pair of L-shaped arms 96 on the carriage 25. The pay-out reel 79 and the take-up reel 80 are arranged to face each other with the carriage 25 therebetween, and are rotatably drivable by a motor (not shown) about an axis extending in the vertical direction Z. Further, the pair of arms 96 are guided by guide grooves 97 provided on the side surfaces of the carriage 25, and are reciprocally movable together with the pay-out reel 79 and the take-up reel 80 in the vertical direction Z and the scanning direction X by the drive of a motor (not shown). In this way, as shown in FIG. 29, the absorption member 78 between the pay-out reel 79 and the take-up reel 80 can be flushed with ink discharged from the nozzles 26 of the liquid ejection head 27 for the purpose of eliminating nozzle clogging or the like unrelated to printing. Further, as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, with the height of the absorption member 78 between the pay-out reel 79 and the take-up reel 80 adjusted to a height at which the absorption member 78 can contact the nozzle surface 63, the nozzle surface 63 can be wiped by the third maintenance operation by moving the pay-out reel 79 and the take-up reel 80 in the scanning direction X. Further, when wiping the nozzle surface 63 by the second maintenance operation, as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33, the absorption member 78 between the pay-out reel 79 and the take-up reel 80 may be held in the holding groove 73a of the wiping member 73, and the wiping member 73 may be moved along the scanning direction X to pull out the absorption member 78 from the pay-out reel 79. In this case, as shown in FIG. 34, the pay-out reel 79 and the take-up reel 80 may be moved together with the wiping member 73 so that the absorption member 78 is not pulled out from the pay-out reel 79.

[0107] · The wiping of the nozzle surface 63 may be performed by performing the second maintenance operation after performing the first maintenance operation. In this way, the ink remaining on the nozzle surface 63 in the first maintenance operation can be effectively removed in the second maintenance operation. In this case, since the first maintenance operation is performed with the nozzle peripheral area 62 wet with ink, the damage caused to the nozzle peripheral area 62 by the first maintenance operation can be reduced, and the ink (including foreign matter) remaining in the nozzle peripheral area 62 can be absorbed and removed in the subsequent second maintenance operation.

[0108] · The absorbing member 78 may have a large number of fine hairs on its surface. In this case, the hairs are preferably thin enough to enter into the nozzle 26. · A cloth wiper (a strip of cloth capable of absorbing ink) may be used as the second wiping part, and a roller having flexibility to press the cloth wiper may be used as the first wiping part.

[0109] · The first wiping part does not necessarily have to have flexibility. That is, the first wiping part may be constituted by, for example, a metal with good slidability. · The second wiping part does not necessarily have to be capable of absorbing ink. That is, the second wiping part only needs to be able to hold ink, and may be constituted by, for example, a rope formed by bundling a plurality of wires. In this case, the ink wiped off from the nozzle surface 63 is held by the unevenness on the surface of the rope due to its surface tension.

[0110] · The wiping member 73 does not necessarily have to be cleaned by the absorbing member 78. · The inkjet printer 11 does not necessarily have to be able to perform a third maintenance operation.

[0111] · For cleaning the wiping member 73 by the absorbing member 78, in a state where the absorbing member 78 and the wiping member 73 are in contact, the wiping member 73 may be moved upward while the absorbing member 78 is stopped, or the wiping member 73 may be moved upward while the absorbing member 78 is moved downward.

[0112] · The protruding surface 64 may be formed integrally with the liquid ejection head 27 without using the cover member 60. In this case, the nozzle opening surface 61 is constituted by an uneven surface. · The liquid ejection head 27 may perform head cleaning by capping each nozzle row 59. In this way, compared with the case where all the nozzle rows 59 are capped by the cap part 47 for head cleaning, the cap part can be made smaller, so that the amount of ink consumed during head cleaning can be reduced.

[0113] · In the used area of the absorption member 78 in the wiper unit 46 (the area where the nozzle surface 63 has been wiped), flushing may be performed to discharge ink from the nozzles 26 of the liquid ejection head 27 for the purpose of eliminating nozzle clogging or the like unrelated to printing.

[0114] · The wiping of the nozzle surface 63 by the wiper unit 46 may be performed by moving the nozzle surface 63 with the wiper unit 46 stopped, or may be performed by moving both the wiper unit 46 and the nozzle surface 63.

[0115] · When a plurality of liquid ejection heads 27 are provided, for example, two as in the embodiment, wiping of the nozzle surface 63 of one liquid ejection head 27 by the wiper unit 46 and flushing from the nozzles 26 of the other liquid ejection head 27 to the liquid receiving portion 44 of the flushing unit 45 may be performed in parallel.

[0116] · The inkjet printer 11 may be of a line head type that does not include a carriage 25 for supporting the liquid ejection head 27 and includes a line head whose printing range extends over the entire width of the recording medium 13. In this case, since the line head is fixed and does not move, the nozzle surface is wiped by moving the wiper unit.

[0117] · In the above-described embodiment, the liquid ejection device may be a liquid ejection device that ejects or discharges a liquid other than ink. Note that, as the state of the liquid discharged as minute droplets from the liquid ejection device, those having a granular, teardrop, or trailing filamentous shape are also included. Also, the liquid here may be any material that can be ejected from the liquid ejection device. For example, it may be in a state when the substance is in a liquid phase, and includes highly viscous or low-viscosity liquids, sols, gels, water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, and fluid substances such as liquid metals (molten metals). Further, not only liquids as a state of a substance, but also those in which particles of functional materials made of solids such as pigments and metal particles are dissolved, dispersed, or mixed in a solvent are included. Representative examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general aqueous inks, oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot melt inks. Specific examples of the liquid ejection device include, for example, a liquid ejection device that ejects a liquid containing materials such as electrode materials and coloring materials used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, surface-emitting displays, color filters, etc. in a dispersed or dissolved form. Also, a liquid ejection device that ejects a biological organism used in the manufacture of a biochip, a liquid ejection device that is used as a precision pipette and ejects a liquid serving as a sample, a printing device, a microdispenser, etc. may be used. Furthermore, a liquid ejection device that ejects lubricating oil pinpointedly onto precision machinery such as watches and cameras, or a liquid ejection device that ejects a transparent resin liquid such as an ultraviolet curable resin onto a substrate to form a minute hemispherical lens (optical lens) used in an optical communication element, etc. may be used. Also, a liquid ejection device that ejects an etching liquid such as an acid or an alkali to etch a substrate or the like may be used.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0118] 11... An inkjet printer as an example of a liquid ejection device, 12... A support base, 13... A recording medium, 14... A conveyance unit, 15... A printing unit, 16... A printer main body, 17... A cover, 18... A pair of conveyance rollers, 19... A pair of conveyance rollers, 20... A guide plate, 22... A guide shaft, 23... A guide shaft, 24... A carriage motor, 25... A carriage, 26... Nozzles, 27... A liquid ejection head, 30... An ink cartridge, 31... A supply mechanism, 32... A mounting portion, 33... A supply path, 34... A supply pump, 35... A filter unit, 36... A static mixer, 37... A liquid storage chamber, 38... A pressure adjustment unit, 39... A control unit, 40... A diaphragm pump, 41... An intake valve, 42... A discharge valve, 43... A maintenance mechanism, 44... A liquid receiving portion, 45... A flushing unit, 46... A wiper unit as an example of a cleaning device, 47... A cap portion, 48... A cap unit, 49... A capping motor, 50... A suction pump, 51... A first wiping mechanism, 52... A second wiping mechanism, 53... A base member, 54... A rail portion, 55... A head unit, 55a... A supply pipe portion, 56... A bracket portion, 57... A flow path forming portion, 57a... An ink flow path, 58... A head body, 59... A nozzle row, 60... A cover member, 60a... A through hole, 61... A nozzle opening surface, 62... A peripheral region of the nozzle, 63... A nozzle surface, 64... A protruding surface, 65... A step, 66... A liquid repellent film, 67... A recording head, 68... A guide portion, 69... An electric motor, 70... An output shaft, 71... A pinion, 72... A rack, 73, 90, 91, 92... A wiping member as an example of a first wiping portion, 73a... A holding groove, 74... An actuator, 75... A nut portion, 76... A motor, 77... A ball screw, 78, 93, 94, 95... An absorption member as an example of a second wiping portion, 79... A pay-out reel, 80... A take-up reel, 81... A pay-out support column, 82... A motor, 83... A take-up support column, 84... A motor, 85... A support mechanism, 86... A rod, 87... A support member, 87a... A receiving portion, 88... A cleaning liquid supply portion, 90a... A holding groove, 91a... A tip portion, 91b... A holding groove, 92a... A holding portion, 96... An arm, 97... A guide groove, A... A supply direction, I... Ink, X... A scanning direction, Y... A conveyance direction, Z... A vertical direction, HP... A home position, PA... A conveyance area.

Claims

1. A first wiping member having a plate shape and flexibility capable of wiping the wiping target; a second wiping section capable of wiping the wiping target in a state where the second wiping section is wound around a supply reel and a take-up reel; Materials and a moving device having the first wiping member and the second wiping member and movable along a wiping direction; a movable portion; While the moving part moves in the wiping direction, a first state in which a wiping surface of the first wiping member is in contact with the object to be wiped; The wiping surface of the first wiping member is pressed against the second wiping member. a second state in which the member is in contact with the object to be wiped, and a wiping operation in which the member is displaced to the second state. A wiping device characterized by:

2. In the first state, the second wiping member does not come into contact with the object to be wiped. The wiping device according to claim 1 .

3. The second state includes a state in which the wiping surface of the first wiping member is not in contact with the object to be wiped. nothing The wiping device according to claim 1 .

4. If the wiping operation is a first wiping operation, While the moving portion moves in the wiping direction, the first wiping member moves the wiping target. and performing a second wiping operation in which the second wiping member wipes the target to be wiped without wiping. The wiping device according to claim 1 .

5. The wiping surface of the first wiping member is brought into contact with the second wiping member. Perform the winding operation to wind up The wiping device according to claim 1 .

6. A liquid ejection head that ejects liquid; The wiping device according to claim 1 or 2 is provided. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising:

7. A maintenance device for performing maintenance on a liquid ejection head that ejects liquid, comprising: The wiping device according to claim 1 or 2 is provided. A maintenance device characterized by:

8. A liquid ejection head that ejects liquid; The maintenance device according to claim 7, A liquid ejection apparatus comprising:

9. a liquid ejection head that ejects liquid from nozzles arranged on a nozzle surface; a first wiping member having a plate shape and flexibility capable of wiping the nozzle surface; a second wiping section capable of wiping the nozzle surface while being wound around the supply reel and the take-up reel; Materials and a moving device having the first wiping member and the second wiping member and movable along a wiping direction; a movable portion; While the moving part moves in the wiping direction, a first state in which a wiping surface of the first wiping member contacts the nozzle surface; The wiping surface of the first wiping member is pressed against the second wiping member. a second state in which the member contacts the nozzle surface; and a wiping operation in which the member displaces to the second state. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising:

Images