JP2012143921A - Maintenance apparatus, maintenance method, and liquid jetting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a maintenance apparatus, a maintenance method, and a liquid jetting apparatus, capable of improving the accuracy of maintenance and preventing a nozzle from clogging to maintain a good jetting property.SOLUTION: The maintenance apparatus maintains a recording head on which a plurality of nozzle openings for jetting liquid are formed on a nozzle surface. The apparatus includes: a cap which seals the nozzle surface and opens on the nozzle surface side and on which a sealed hollow portion for receiving liquid jetted from the nozzle opening is disposed; a suction device for supplying a negative pressure to the sealed hollow portion; and a moving mechanism for allowing the cap to move parallel to the nozzle surface while the cap fitting to the nozzle surface.

Description

  The present invention relates to a maintenance device, a maintenance method, and a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  As a liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink jet liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects ink (liquid) to a recording medium from a nozzle of a recording head (liquid ejecting head) is known. In such an ink jet liquid ejecting apparatus, the ejection speed and ejection amount of ink from the nozzles change with the passage of time, and the ejection state (ejection state) of the ink changes. Inside the recording head, bubbles grow or the ink thickens as time passes, so that the ink ejection speed and ejection amount exceed desired values, resulting in ejection failure. For this reason, in order to maintain the ink ejection speed and the ejection amount within a desired range, the recording head maintenance operation is periodically performed.

  As a specific maintenance operation, the nozzle surface of the recording head is covered with a cap portion, and a suction operation for forcibly sucking ink from the nozzle, or ink that has adhered to the nozzle surface due to ink ejection is wiped member There is a wiping operation for removing ink on the nozzle surface by wiping.

However, when the ink is sucked while air is introduced into the cap portion in order to discharge the ink discharged into the cap portion into the waste liquid container after the suction operation is completed, air and ink are mixed to generate bubbles. This bubble may destroy the ink meniscus of the nozzle.
According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-2001, after the suction operation is completed, the cap portion is opened away from the nozzle surface without opening the inside of the cap portion to the atmosphere, and the ink leaked from the inclined cap portion is removed by a waste liquid container disposed below the cap portion. The receiving configuration is disclosed. Thereby, the bubble in a cap part can be processed rapidly.

JP 2007-160713 A

  However, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 11 (1999), the ink discharged into the cap member is zeroed into the waste liquid container by using the inclination of the cap portion, so that the ink may splash and the surroundings may become dirty. Further, it is necessary to dispose the waste liquid container directly below the cap portion, and there is no degree of freedom in disposing the waste liquid container.

  In general, in the wiping operation, the wiping member abuts against the nozzle surface of the recording head and slides on the nozzle surface while being bent and deformed, and when the wiping operation moves away from the end of the nozzle surface, the original shape is restored by an elastic repulsive force. . For this reason, there is a problem that a part of the ink adhering to the tip of the wipe member is scattered by the vibration at the time of returning, and the members in the printer are soiled.

  Further, if the nozzle surface is wiped with a wipe member to which ink is attached, the meniscus in the nozzle may be destroyed, and ink ejection failure may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and is intended to improve maintenance accuracy, suppress a nozzle clogging, and maintain a good ejection characteristic, a maintenance method, a liquid ejection, and the like. One of the purposes is to provide a device.

  A maintenance device according to the present invention is a maintenance device that performs maintenance on a recording head in which a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid are formed on a nozzle surface, the nozzle surface being sealable and the nozzle surface side A cap part provided with a sealing cavity for receiving the liquid ejected from the nozzle opening, suction means for supplying a negative pressure to the sealing cavity, and the cap part on the nozzle surface And a moving mechanism that moves in a close contact state.

  According to this, the liquid adhered to the nozzle surface while sliding (wiping) the cap portion on the nozzle surface by moving the cap portion in parallel with the nozzle surface in a state where the cap portion is in close contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head. Can be removed. Further, the liquid removed by the cap part does not scatter around, and the removed liquid flows into the sealed empty part of the cap part. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a wipe member separately from the cap portion, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, the cap portion may be provided with a liquid receiving portion for receiving the liquid flowing out from the sealing empty portion outside the sealing empty portion.

  According to this, when the cap member is moved, the liquid flowing out from the sealing empty portion can be received by the liquid receiving portion, and the cap portion is moved in a state where the sealing empty portion is filled with the liquid. Is possible. By moving the cap part that seals the nozzle surface in a state where the sealing empty part is filled with liquid, bubbles are less likely to be generated when the sealing empty part is opened to the atmosphere. With this configuration, even when the sealing empty space is filled with liquid, the liquid can be received without leaking to the outside of the cap portion during movement, and contamination of various members is suppressed. Is done.

  In addition, the cap portion is made of an elastic member and has a cap member having the sealing void inside, and a cap holder that holds the cap member and has the liquid receiving portion outside the sealing void. The nozzle surface may be sealed by the cap member.

  According to this, the nozzle surface is sealed by the cap member made of an elastic member, and when moving, the cap member wipes the nozzle surface while elastically deforming, so that the liquid adhering to the nozzle surface can be removed. it can.

  A suction passage that communicates with the sealing empty portion; a discharge passage that communicates with the liquid receiving portion; and a waste liquid container that collects the liquid discharged through the suction passage and the discharge passage. The means may supply a negative pressure to at least the suction path.

  According to this, the liquid discharged (injected) into the sealing empty portion can be discharged (sucked) quickly and efficiently from the cap portion. Further, by adopting a configuration in which a negative pressure is supplied to the discharge passage communicating with the liquid receiving portion by the suction means, the liquid accumulated in the liquid receiving portion can be discharged (sucked) quickly and efficiently. . Moreover, there is no restriction | limiting in the arrangement position of a waste liquid container, and a design freedom increases.

  The liquid receiving portion may be provided outside the sealing empty portion and at least in the moving direction of the cap portion by the moving mechanism.

  When moving the cap part in a sealed state with the recording head without opening to the atmosphere, the cap part is in a state filled with liquid at the start of movement. The rubber at the contact portion between the recording head and the cap portion is elastically deformed at a location away from the head, that is, in the front portion in the moving direction, and there is a risk that the ink may splatter or the ink may scatter due to the pressure difference between the pressure in the cap portion and the atmospheric pressure However, by providing the liquid receiving portion at least in the moving direction as in the present invention, it is possible to suppress the liquid from leaking into the apparatus.

  Further, the liquid receiving portion may be provided so as to surround the periphery of the sealing empty portion.

  According to this, since the liquid receiving part is provided so as to surround the periphery of the sealing empty part, it is possible to receive liquid flowing out from any part of the sealing empty part.

  According to the maintenance method of the present invention, a sealing step for sealing a nozzle surface of a recording head in which a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid are formed is sealed with a cap portion, and the sealing in the cap portion is started by starting driving of the suction means. A first suction step for sucking the liquid from the nozzle opening by supplying a negative pressure to the stationary part, and the cap part in which the liquid is accumulated in the sealing cavity by stopping driving of the suction unit Moving along the nozzle surface while being in close contact with the nozzle surface, and a second suction step for sucking the liquid in the sealing space after the sealing space is opened to the atmosphere It is characterized by providing.

  According to this, since the cap portion where the liquid ejected from the recording head is present in the sealing empty portion is moved horizontally along the nozzle surface while being in contact with the nozzle surface, the cap portion Thus, the nozzle surface is wiped off, and the liquid adhering to the nozzle surface during ejection can be removed.

  In the moving step, the liquid that has flowed out of the sealing empty part is received by a liquid receiving part provided outside the sealing empty part and at least in the moving direction of the cap part. Also good.

  According to this, the fluid that has flowed out of the sealing empty portion when the cap portion is moved can be received by the liquid receiving portion.

  Also, in the first suction step, the liquid is sucked from the nozzle opening until the inside of the sealing empty portion is filled with the liquid by controlling the driving of the suction means, and in the moving step, the sealing empty is It is good also as a method of moving the said cap part in the state with which the inside was filled with the said liquid.

  According to this, it is possible to suppress the generation of unnecessary bubbles in the sealing empty part by moving the cap part in a state where the sealing empty part is filled with the liquid. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of ejection failure of the recording head.

  In addition, the cap portion is made of an elastic member and has a cap member having the sealing void inside, and a cap holder that holds the cap member and has the liquid receiving portion outside the sealing void. In the moving step, the cap member may be moved while being in close contact with the nozzle surface.

  According to this, by moving the cap portion in a state where the cap member made of an elastic member is in contact with the nozzle surface, the cap member wipes the nozzle surface while elastically deforming. Can be removed.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a recording head in which a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid are formed on a nozzle surface, and the maintenance device that performs maintenance on the recording head. When the recording head is in a non-recording state, the nozzle surface of the recording head is covered with a cap part and can be sealed with the nozzle opening facing the sealing empty part. The liquid overflowing from the stationary part is configured to be received by a liquid receiving part.

  According to this, since the maintenance of the recording head is performed using the above-described maintenance device, it is possible to maintain good jetting characteristics by suppressing nozzle clogging without polluting the inside of the device.

The perspective view of an inkjet printer. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a recording head. (A) is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of a maintenance apparatus, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the effect | action of a maintenance apparatus. The figure which shows the electrical constitution of a printer. The flowchart figure which shows the attraction | suction operation | movement of a maintenance apparatus. The figure which shows the operation state of the maintenance apparatus at the time of suction operation. The figure which shows the operation state of the maintenance apparatus at the time of suction operation. The figure which shows the operation state of the maintenance apparatus at the time of suction operation. The figure which shows the operation state of the maintenance apparatus at the time of suction operation. The figure which shows the operation state of the maintenance apparatus at the time of suction operation. The figure which shows the operation state of the maintenance apparatus at the time of suction operation.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet printer 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer 1) which is a typical ink jet liquid ejecting apparatus (ink jet recording apparatus) in the first embodiment.
In the following description, when referring to “front-rear direction”, “left-right direction”, and “up-down direction”, the direction indicated by an arrow in each figure is used as a reference. In addition, in the arrows indicating the upward direction, the right direction, and the forward direction in the drawing, those in which dots are indicated in circles (the view of the tip of the arrow viewed from the front) are arrows pointing from the back of the page to the front. This means that a circle with a cross mark (a view of the arrow blade from behind) means an arrow heading from the front to the back of the page.

  A printer (liquid ejecting apparatus) 1 includes a carriage 2 that is movably attached to a guide shaft 3. The carriage 2 is connected to a timing belt 6 that is stretched between a drive pulley 4 and an idle pulley 5. The drive pulley 4 is joined to the rotating shaft of the pulse motor 7. For this reason, when the pulse motor 7 is driven, the carriage 2 moves in the width direction (main scanning direction) of the recording paper 8 which is a kind of print recording medium.

  The carriage 2 is provided with a cartridge holder portion, and an ink cartridge 9 is detachably attached to the cartridge holder portion. The ink cartridge 9 is a member that stores ink liquid, that is, liquid ink.

  When the ink cartridge 9 is mounted on the cartridge holder portion, an ink supply needle (not shown) provided on the cartridge holder portion is inserted into the ink cartridge 9. Since the ink supply needle communicates with the ink supply pipe 25 (see FIG. 2) of the recording head 10, the ink liquid in the ink cartridge 9 flows out to the ink supply pipe 25 side when the ink supply needle is inserted. It becomes possible.

  A recording head 10 capable of ejecting ink liquid as ink droplets is attached to the lower surface of the carriage 2 facing the recording paper 8. A paper feed roller 11 is disposed below the guide shaft 3 in parallel with the guide shaft 3. The paper feed roller 11 is rotated by the driving force from the paper feed motor 12 (see FIG. 4) when the recording paper 8 is conveyed.

  A home position is set outside the recording area in the movement range of the carriage 2, and the recording head 10 is positioned at this home position when waiting for a printing operation or the like. At this home position, a maintenance device 13 that performs maintenance processing on the recording head 10 is disposed. The maintenance device 13 includes a capping mechanism 14 that can seal the nozzle surface 10a of the recording head 10 in a non-recording state.

Next, the recording head 10 will be briefly described.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the recording head.
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 10 includes a case 20, a flow path unit 21 having a nozzle opening 29, a pressure chamber 31, and the like, and a vibrator unit 22 having a vibrator group 24 composed of a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators. It is roughly composed. The flow path unit 21 has a configuration in which an elastic plate 28, a flow path substrate 26, and a nozzle plate 27 are laminated and bonded and integrated with an adhesive or the like.
A plurality of nozzle openings 29 are formed in the nozzle plate 27, and the outer surface (surface opposite to the case 20) of the nozzle plate 27 functions as the nozzle surface 10a in the present invention.
The flow path substrate 26 has a recess for forming an ink circulation chamber such as a reservoir 30, an ink supply port 32, and a pressure chamber 31 that connect the lower end of the ink supply pipe 25 and the nozzle opening 29. These recesses are formed by anisotropically etching a silicon single crystal substrate that is a base material of the flow path substrate 26.

  The case 20 is a block-shaped member made of synthetic resin and provided with an accommodation cavity 23 having both the front end and the rear end open, and the flow path unit 21 is joined to the front end. In addition, the transducer unit 22 is accommodated (adhered) in the accommodation space 23 with the distal end of the transducer group 24 facing the distal end side opening. Further, an ink supply pipe 25 that communicates between the ink supply needle and the flow path unit 21 is provided on the side of the accommodation space 23.

  In the recording head 10 having such a configuration, a series of ink flow paths are formed from the ink supply pipe 25 to the nozzle opening 29 through the reservoir 30 and the pressure chamber 31. When the piezoelectric vibrator is expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction of the element, the elastic plate 28 is deformed, and the volume of the pressure chamber 31 is changed. Thereby, the ink pressure in the pressure chamber 31 changes. Ink droplets can be ejected from the nozzle openings 29 by utilizing the change in the ink pressure in the pressure chamber 31.

Next, the maintenance device will be described.
FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of the maintenance device, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of the maintenance device.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the capping mechanism 14 is formed on a cap portion 55 including a frame-shaped cap member 51, a cap holder 57 that holds the cap member 51, and a bottom portion 57 </ b> A of the cap holder 57. The suction path 52 communicating with the sealing void 50 formed inside the cap member 51 through the through-hole 57a and the ink receiving portion (outside of the cap member 51 through the through-hole 57b). A discharge passage 53 communicating with the liquid receiving portion 59, a suction pump (suction means) 54 as a suction means provided in the middle of the suction passage 52, and a cap portion moving mechanism (moving) for moving the cap holder 57 up and down and left and right Mechanism) 42 (see FIG. 4).

  The cap member 51 is capable of sealing the nozzle surface 10a of the recording head 10 and is open to the nozzle surface 10a side, and is a sealing empty portion that receives the ink L (FIG. 3B) ejected from the nozzle opening 29. 50. The cap member 51 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and is fixed so as to be partially embedded in the bottom portion 57 </ b> A while standing upright from the bottom portion 57 </ b> A of the cap holder 57. The cap member 51 is manufactured by molding an elastic member such as an elastomer into a frame shape, and in order to improve the sealing performance with the nozzle surface 10a at the tip of the nozzle surface 10a side, A contact portion 51c having a substantially mountain-shaped cross section is provided on the upper surface.

  As described above, the cap member 51 made of an elastic member functions as a wipe member for wiping the nozzle surface 10 a of the recording head 10. That is, when the cap holder 57 moves in the horizontal direction along the nozzle surface 10a, the contact portion 51c at the tip of the cap member 51 is in sliding contact with the nozzle surface 10a so that the ink attached to the nozzle surface 10a can be removed. It has become.

Further, an absorber 56 is disposed in the sealing empty portion 50 in the cap member 51 in order to enhance the ink liquid absorption effect. The absorber 56 is made of an absorbent material such as felt or sponge that can absorb and hold liquid. Since the absorber 56 is formed thin so that the thickness does not protrude from the cap member 51, the upper surface of the absorber 56 is sealed with the nozzle surface 10 a sealed by the cap member 51, as shown in FIG. Is separated from the nozzle surface 10a and is in a non-contact state.
In addition, it is good also as a structure which does not arrange | position the absorber 56 in the sealing empty part 50. FIG.

  The cap holder 57 has a bottomed box shape that opens toward the nozzle surface 10 a, and is made of a rigid material that supports the cap member 51. Then, outside the cap member 51 (sealing empty portion 50), the ink flowing out from the sealing empty space 50 is received at least in the moving direction of the cap portion 55 moved by the cap portion moving mechanism 42. An ink receiving portion 59 is provided. In the present embodiment, the cap member 51 is held to form the sealing void 50 in the center portion of the cap holder 57, and the ink is formed so as to surround the cap member 51 (sealing void 50). A receiving portion 59 is provided. By providing the ink receiving portion 59 around the cap member 51, the ink receiving portion 59 can receive the spilled ink from the cap member 51 (sealing empty portion 50).

  Specifically, in the present embodiment, the ink receiving portion 59 is provided on the entire periphery of the cap portion 55.

  The suction passage 52 is a passage through which air or ink liquid flows when the suction pump 54 is operated, and is formed of a resin tube or the like. A waste liquid container 58 as an ink trap for collecting ink liquid is provided on the downstream side of the suction pump 54 disposed in the middle of the suction path 52. The waste liquid container 58 is open to the atmosphere.

  The suction pump 54 is suction means for taking ink liquid or air from the suction port on the sealing empty portion 50 side and discharging the taken ink liquid or the like to the waste liquid container 58. As the suction pump 54, for example, a resin tube constituting the suction path 52 is sandwiched between rollers, and the roller is moved along the tube so that air in the tube is exhausted from the end of the tube. A "type pump or the like is preferably used. When the suction pump 54 is operated, the pressure in the sealed space 50 is reduced through the suction path 52, and the air and ink liquid in the sealed space 50 are sucked.

The discharge path 53 has one end communicating with the ink receiving portion 59 outside the cap member 51 and the other end communicating with the suction path 52. The discharge path 53 is connected to the end of the suction path 52 on the waste liquid container 58 side and downstream of the suction pump 54. Similarly to the suction path 52, the discharge path 53 is also formed of a resin tube.
The ends of the discharge path 53 and the suction path 52 on the downstream side of the suction pump 54 are open to the atmosphere.

  It should be noted that a suction pump may be disposed on the discharge path 53 as well. Or you may arrange | position the suction pump 54 on the suction path 52 downstream from the part to which the discharge path 53 is connected. Thereby, it is possible to supply negative pressure to both the suction path 52 and the discharge path 53 by one suction pump 54. In this case, not only the ink accumulated in the sealing empty portion 50 but also the ink accumulated in the ink receiving portion 59 can be quickly sucked (discharged).

  The cap moving mechanism 42 is a mechanism that moves the cap member 51 in the vertical and horizontal directions as described above. When the carriage 2 moves from the recording area side to the maintenance area, the cap member 51 is moved in the horizontal direction and then lifted to raise the wall portion 51b as shown in FIG. 3B. The contact portion 51 c provided on the upper surface of the recording medium 10 is in close contact with the nozzle surface 10 a of the recording head 10 and sealed. In this sealed state, the nozzle opening 29 faces the sealing void 50, and the evaporation of the ink solvent from the nozzle opening 29 is suppressed. Further, when the suction pump 54 is operated in a state of being sealed by the cap member 51, the inside of the sealing empty portion 50 is reduced to a negative pressure, and the ink liquid in the recording head 10 is discharged from the nozzle opening 29.

Next, the electrical configuration of the printer 1 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the printer.
As shown in FIG. 4, the printer 1 includes a printer controller 60 and a print engine 61.
The printer controller 60 stores an interface 62 (external I / F 62) that receives print data from a host computer (not shown), a RAM 63 that stores various data, a control routine for various data processing, and the like. A ROM 64, a control unit 65 including a CPU, and the like, and an interface 66 (internal I / F 66) for transmitting a drive signal for a printing operation and a control signal for a maintenance operation to the print engine 61 are provided. Each part is electrically connected by an I / O bus 67.

  The print engine 61 includes a pulse motor 7 that moves the carriage 2, a paper feed motor 12 that rotates the paper feed roller 11, an electric drive system 15 of the recording head 10, a cap unit moving mechanism 42, and a suction pump 54. Etc.

  The control unit 65 is a part that performs control in the printer 1, and controls each part of the print engine 61. For example, in controlling the printing operation, dot pattern data is generated based on print data from a host computer (not shown), and the generated dot pattern data is transferred to the recording head 10. Further, the carriage 2 (that is, the recording head 10) is moved by operating the pulse motor 7, and the recording paper 8 is conveyed by operating the paper feed motor 12.

Next, a printer maintenance method (operation) according to this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the suction operation of the maintenance device during the maintenance process. 6-11 is a figure which shows the operation state of the maintenance apparatus at the time of the suction operation in a maintenance process.
When the suction operation is started, the control unit 65 first controls the pulse motor 7 that moves the carriage 2 to move the recording head 10 to the home position (maintenance area).

The control unit 65 controls the cap unit moving mechanism 42 to move the cap unit 55 in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 6 when the position of the cap unit 55 is deviated from the home position (maintenance area). (Moving step S10), it is made to face the recording head 10 arranged at the home position (maintenance area).
After the recording head 10 and the cap unit 55 are arranged at predetermined positions, the control unit 65 controls the cap unit moving mechanism 42 to raise the cap unit 55 toward the recording head 10 as shown in FIG. (Sealing step S11). In this way, the cap member 51 constituting the cap portion 55 is brought into contact with the recording head 10 nozzle surface 10a to seal the nozzle surface 10a.

  Next, the control unit 65 operates the suction pump 54 to apply a negative pressure to the sealing hollow portion 50 of the cap member 51, and the space surrounded by the cap member 51, the cap holder 57, and the nozzle surface 10 a. To a reduced pressure state. As shown in FIG. 8, by applying a negative pressure to the sealing void 50, the ink in all the nozzle openings 29 of the recording head 10 is sucked (first sucking step S12). The sucked ink (ink discharged from each nozzle opening 29) is discharged into the sealing empty portion 50 of the cap portion 55 and absorbed by the absorber 56. In the main suction step S12, suction is performed until the inside of the sealing void 50 is filled with ink, and the ink suction amount is adjusted by controlling the driving time of the suction pump 54.

  When the sealing empty part 50 of the cap part 55 is filled with ink, the control part 65 stops driving the suction pump 54 and waits for a while until the reduced pressure state of the sealing empty part 50 is naturally released. (Standby step S13). The reduced pressure state of the sealing void 50 is gradually released by slightly discharging ink from the nozzle openings 29 even after the suction pump 54 is stopped.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 65 controls the pulse motor 7 to move the carriage 2 and horizontally moves the cap unit 55 in a direction parallel to the nozzle surface 10 a of the recording head 10 ( Movement step S14). At this time, the recording head 10 is moved while the contact portion 51c of the cap member 51 is in close contact with the nozzle surface 10a of the recording head 10. Then, a part of the abutting portion 51 c which is the rear of the carriage 2 in the moving direction functions as a wipe member for wiping the nozzle surface 10 a of the recording head 10. As the carriage 2 moves, a part of the contact portion 51c comes into sliding contact with the nozzle surface 10a, so that the ink attached to the nozzle surface 10a is removed. The ink removed from the nozzle surface 10a by a part of the contact part 51c flows along the inner wall surface of the standing wall part 51b and flows into the sealing empty part 50.

  Here, the sealing void 50 after completion of the suction operation is in a state filled with ink. For this reason, when the cap part 55 is moved horizontally, the ink in the sealing empty part 50 may spill outward (flow out), but the ink overflowing from the sealing empty part 50 It is received by an ink receiving portion 59 provided outside. The ink accumulated in the ink receiving portion 59 flows from the through hole 57 b to the discharge path 53 and is discharged to the waste liquid container 58 through the discharge path 53.

  Although the ink receiving portion 59 is provided around the sealing empty portion 50, the ink receiving portion 59 spills from the sealing empty portion 50 when the cap portion 55 is moved in the horizontal direction by the cap portion moving mechanism 42. As long as it is provided in a place where ink can be received, it does not necessarily have to be provided so as to surround the entire periphery of the sealing void 50.

The control unit 65 completely separates the cap unit 55 from the recording head 10 as shown in FIG. 10 to open the sealing empty portion 50, and then lowers the cap unit 55 as shown in FIG. Step S15).
Thereafter, the driving of the suction pump 54 is started again, and the ink accumulated in the sealing empty space 50 is sucked (second suction step S16) and discharged to the waste liquid container 58 through the suction path 52. Thereafter, the driving of the suction pump 54 is stopped.

According to this embodiment described above, the following effects are obtained.
First, in the present embodiment, after the nozzle surface 10a of the recording head 10 is sealed and the suction operation for the nozzle opening 29 is performed, the contact portion 51c of the cap member 51 remains in contact with the nozzle surface 10a. It was decided to move horizontally in one direction. Thereby, a part of the contact portion 51c of the cap member 51 made of an elastic member wipes the nozzle surface 10a while sliding on the nozzle surface 10a, and efficiently removes ink droplets attached to the nozzle surface 10a during the suction process. It becomes possible to do. Here, the cap portion 55 is separated from the recording head 10 to open the sealing empty portion 50, and at the same time, the wiping process of the nozzle surface 10a by the cap member 51 can be performed, so that a wiping mechanism needs to be provided separately. There is no. For this reason, the apparatus can be miniaturized.

  Conventionally, after the suction operation is completed, the cap portion is separated from the recording head, and then ink droplets adhering to the nozzle surface are removed by a flat wipe member made of an elastic member. However, when the nozzle surface is wiped by the flat wipe member, the ink may be repelled and scattered when the curved wipe member is elastically restored by coming into contact with the nozzle surface. It is necessary to prevent the scattered ink from adhering to the surrounding members and from contaminating the inside of the apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, the nozzle surface 10a is wiped by a part of the cap member 51 having a frame shape. Specifically, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface 10a is removed by the contact portion 51c provided at the tip of the cap member 51 having a substantially mountain-shaped cross section in sliding contact with the nozzle surface 10a. The abutting portion 51c of the cap member 51 has a frame shape in plan view, and is less elastically deformed when wiping the nozzle surface than a conventional plate-like wipe member, and ink splatters to the surroundings after wiping almost occurs. Absent. For this reason, contamination of various members by the scattered ink is suppressed, and the cleaning accuracy for the recording head 10 is improved.

  Further, the ink on the nozzle surface 10 a removed by the contact portion 51 c of the cap member 51 is received in the sealing empty portion 50 together with the ink discharged from the nozzle opening 29 during the suction operation, and is caused by the action of the suction pump 54. The liquid is forcibly sucked and discharged to the waste liquid container 58. For this reason, the ink is not left on the cap member 51 and the accumulation of ink can be suppressed. If the nozzle surface 10a is wiped with the cap member 51 to which the ink has adhered, the meniscus in the nozzle opening 29 may be destroyed. However, in this embodiment, the nozzle surface 10a is not destroyed on the nozzle surface 29a without breaking the meniscus in the nozzle opening 29. Since it can be wiped off, the ink ejection characteristics of the nozzle openings 29 can be maintained well.

  In addition, the cap portion 55 is provided with an ink receiving portion 59 that receives the spilled ink from the sealing empty portion 50 outside the cap member 51 (sealing empty portion 50). Since the ink receiving portion 59 is provided so as to surround the periphery of the cap member 51, when the cap portion 55 is horizontally moved in a predetermined direction by the cap portion moving mechanism 42, the ink receiving portion 59 spills from the sealing empty portion 50. Can catch the ink.

  The ink receiving portion 59 is provided outside the sealing empty portion 50 and at least in the moving direction of the cap portion 55 by the cap portion moving mechanism 42. When the cap part 55 in a sealed state with the recording head 10 is moved without being released to the atmosphere, the cap part 55 is filled with ink at the start of the movement. The rubber (cap member 51) at the contact portion between the recording head 10 and the cap portion 55 is elastically deformed at a position where the head 10 is first separated, that is, a portion in front of the moving direction, and ink splattering or pressure in the cap portion 55 is detected. Ink may scatter due to a pressure difference between the pressure and the atmospheric pressure. However, by providing the ink receiving portion 59 at least in front of the moving direction as in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent ink from leaking into the apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, the cap portion 55 that seals the nozzle surface 10a is moved in a state where the sealing empty portion 50 is filled with ink. Thereby, when the sealing empty part 50 is open | released by air | atmosphere, it becomes difficult to generate | occur | produce an unnecessary bubble. If bubbles generated in the sealing void 50 enter the nozzle opening 29, a discharge failure occurs, so it is necessary to suppress the generation of bubbles. Therefore, during the suction operation, the drive time of the suction pump 54 is controlled so that the ink is forcibly ejected from each nozzle opening 29 until the inside of the sealing void 50 is filled with ink.

  As described above, in order to suppress the generation of bubbles when the atmosphere is released, the cap portion 55 is moved while the inside of the sealing void 50 is filled with ink. However, even if the ink spills outside the sealing empty space 50, it can be received by the ink receiving portion 59 provided around the ink. Therefore, the ink can be moved to the outside of the cap portion 55 without leaking, and the members in the apparatus are prevented from being soiled.

  In the present embodiment, the suction path 52 and the discharge path 53 are connected to the cap portion 55, and the ink in the sealing empty portion 50 and the ink receiving portion 59 is removed from the waste liquid container through the suction path 52 and the discharge path 53. It is made to discharge in 58. Since the negative pressure is supplied to the suction path 52 by the action of the suction pump 54 and the ink in the sealing empty portion 50 is forcibly discharged into the waste liquid container 58, the ink can be discharged quickly. As a result, the accumulation of ink in the cap member 51 and the suction path 52 is suppressed.

  Further, the negative pressure is also supplied to the discharge passage 53 communicating with the ink receiving portion 59 by the suction pump 54, whereby the ink accumulated in the ink receiving portion 59 is discharged (sucked) quickly and efficiently. It becomes possible to make it. Further, both the suction path 52 and the discharge path 53 that connect the cap portion 55 and the waste liquid container 58 are constituted by resin tubes. For this reason, since it can be routed in any way in the apparatus, there is no restriction on the arrangement position of the waste liquid container 58, and the degree of design freedom is increased.

  As described above, the preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the examples. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that it belongs to.

  For example, in the previous embodiment, the ink receiving portion 59 is provided outside the sealing empty portion 50 and at least in the moving direction of the cap portion 55 by the cap portion moving mechanism 42. As long as the spilled ink can be received from the cap member 51 during the movement of the portion 55, the configuration may not be necessarily provided forward in the movement direction.

In the said embodiment, a target is not limited to continuous paper, A cloth, a film, a resin sheet, a metal sheet etc. may be sufficient.
In the above embodiment, an ink jet printer is employed as the liquid ejecting apparatus. However, a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects fluid other than ink may be employed. Further, the present invention can be used for various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a liquid ejecting head that ejects a minute amount of liquid droplets. In this case, the droplet means a state of the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatus, and includes a liquid that is tailed in a granular shape, a tear shape, or a thread shape.
The liquid referred to here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in the state when the substance is in a liquid phase, and may be in a liquid state with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts) ) And a liquid as one state of a substance, as well as a material in which particles of a functional material made of a solid such as a pigment or metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent.

Further, representative examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as used in the above embodiment. Here, the ink generally includes various liquid compositions such as water-based ink, oil-based ink, gel ink, and hot-melt ink. As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a color material used in the manufacture of a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, a color filter, or the like in a dispersed or dissolved form. It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that injects a biological organic material used in biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid that is a sample used as a precision pipette, a textile printing apparatus, a microdispenser, etc. .
In addition, a transparent resin liquid such as an ultraviolet curable resin is applied to the substrate to form a liquid injection device that injects lubricating oil onto a watch or precision machine, a micro hemispherical lens (optical lens) used in optical communication devices, etc. A liquid ejecting apparatus that injects an etching solution such as an acid or an alkali to etch the substrate or the like may be employed. The present invention can be applied to any one of these injection devices.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer (liquid ejecting apparatus), 10 ... Recording head, 10A ... Nozzle surface, 13 ... Maintenance apparatus, 29 ... Nozzle opening, 42 ... Cap part moving mechanism (moving mechanism), 50 ... Sealing empty part, 51 ... Cap 52, suction path, 53 ... discharge path, 54 ... suction pump (suction means), 55 ... cap part, 57 ... cap holder, 58 ... waste liquid container, 59 ... ink receiving part (liquid receiving part), S10, S14 ... Moving step, S11 ... Sealing step, S12 ... First suction step, S16 ... Second suction step

Claims (11)

A maintenance device for performing maintenance on a recording head in which a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid are formed on a nozzle surface,
A cap portion that is capable of sealing the nozzle surface and is provided with a sealing empty portion that opens to the nozzle surface side and receives the liquid ejected from the nozzle opening;
Suction means for supplying a negative pressure to the sealing void;
And a moving mechanism that moves the cap portion in a state of being in close contact with the nozzle surface. The maintenance device according to claim 1, wherein the cap portion includes a liquid receiving portion that receives the liquid that has flowed out of the sealing empty portion outside the sealing empty portion. The cap portion includes a cap member made of an elastic member and having the sealing void inside, and a cap holder that holds the cap member and has the liquid receiving portion outside the sealing void. Configured
The maintenance device according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle surface is sealed by the cap member. A suction path communicating with the sealing void;
A discharge path communicating with the liquid receiving portion;
A waste liquid container for collecting the liquid discharged through the suction path and the discharge path,
The maintenance device according to claim 2, wherein the suction unit supplies a negative pressure to at least the suction path. The maintenance device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the liquid receiving portion is provided outside the sealing empty portion and at least in a moving direction of the cap portion by the moving mechanism. The maintenance device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the liquid receiving portion is provided so as to surround a periphery of the sealing empty portion. A sealing step of sealing the nozzle surface of the recording head formed with a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid with a cap portion;
A first suction step of sucking the liquid from the nozzle opening by supplying a negative pressure to the sealing void in the cap portion by starting driving of the suction means;
A movement step of stopping the suction means and moving the cap part in which the liquid has accumulated in the sealing empty part along the nozzle surface while being in close contact with the nozzle surface;
And a second suction step of sucking the liquid in the sealed void after the sealed void is opened to the atmosphere. In the moving step,
The maintenance method according to claim 7, wherein the liquid that has flowed out of the sealing empty portion is received by a liquid receiving portion provided outside the sealing empty portion and at least in front of the cap portion in the movement direction. In the first suction step, the liquid is sucked from the nozzle opening until the inside of the sealing void is filled with the liquid by controlling the driving of the suction means;
The maintenance method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, in the moving step, the cap portion in a state where the inside of the sealing empty portion is filled with the liquid is moved. The cap portion includes a cap member made of an elastic member and having the sealing void inside, and a cap holder that holds the cap member and has the liquid receiving portion outside the sealing void. Configured,
The maintenance method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, in the moving step, the cap member is moved in a state of being in close contact with the nozzle surface. A recording head in which a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid are formed on the nozzle surface;
The maintenance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein maintenance is performed on the recording head.
The maintenance device is capable of sealing in a state where the recording head is in a non-recording state and the nozzle surface of the recording head is covered with a cap portion so that the nozzle opening faces the sealing empty portion,
A liquid ejecting apparatus configured to receive the liquid overflowing from a sealing empty part in the cap part by a liquid receiving part.

Images