JP2023072912A - Liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve such a problem that a cleaning fluid used for wiping flows into a nozzle surface after wiping of the nozzle surface, and the cleaning fluid flown into the nozzle surface mixes with a liquid remaining in nozzles and the nozzle surface and thereby contaminate the nozzle surface again.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device includes: a head having a nozzle surface provided with nozzles for discharging a liquid in a horizontal direction; a wiping member which wipes the nozzle surface; and a cleaning fluid supply member which supplies the cleaning fluid to the wiping member. In the liquid discharge device, the head or the wiping member is moved in a direction that intersects with a vertical direction and the horizontal direction to wipe the nozzle surface with the wiping member. In an upper surface of an outer periphery part of the head, a vertical position at the end side of wiping by the wiping member is lower than a vertical position of the start side of the wiping in a moving direction of the head or the wiping member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device.

Patent Document 1 discloses an ejection unit integrally including a head having nozzles for ejecting liquid and a cleaning mechanism section including a wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface of the head. The wiping member moves between a position facing the nozzle surface and a position retreating from the nozzle surface via the moving member.

In the conventional technology, after wiping the nozzle surface, the cleaning liquid used for wiping flows onto the nozzle surface, and the cleaning liquid that flows into the nozzle surface mixes with the liquid (for example, ink) remaining on the nozzle or nozzle surface. was soiled again.

The present invention comprises a head having a nozzle surface provided with nozzles for ejecting liquid in a horizontal direction, a wiping member for wiping the nozzle surface, and a cleaning liquid supply member for supplying cleaning liquid to the wiping member, and the head Alternatively, the liquid ejecting apparatus moves the wiping member in a vertical direction and a direction crossing the horizontal direction to wipe the nozzle surface with the wiping member, wherein the top surface of the outer peripheral portion of the head is the head or the In the direction of movement of the wiping member, the vertical position of the wiping end side of the wiping member is lower than the vertical position of the wiping start side.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid ejection device that reduces the flow of liquid into the nozzle surface.

1 is an overall perspective view of a liquid ejection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of the carriage at the retracted position; FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of the carriage at the liquid ejection position; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of head positions in the embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration around a head and a cleaning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the head according to the embodiment of the present invention; Explanatory drawing of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the liquid ejection device according to the embodiment of the invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing still another example of the liquid ejection device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated liquid ejecting apparatus is, for example, a printing apparatus that forms an image on the side surface of a truck body.

The printing device 1000 is installed facing the vehicle body side 100 shown as an example of the object. The printing apparatus 1000 includes an X-axis rail 101 , a Y-axis rail 102 intersecting the X-axis rail 101 , and a Z-axis rail 103 intersecting the X-axis rail 101 and the Y-axis rail 102 .

The Y-axis rail 102 holds the X-axis rail 101 so that the X-axis rail 101 can move in the Y direction (positive side and negative side). The X-axis rail 101 holds the Z-axis rail 103 so that the Z-axis rail 103 can move in the X direction (positive side and negative side). The Z-axis rail 103 holds the carriage 1 so that the carriage 1 can move in the Z direction (positive side and negative side).

The printing apparatus 1000 includes a first Z-direction drive unit 92 that moves the carriage 1 along the Z-axis rails 103 in the Z-direction, and an X-direction drive unit 72 that moves the Z-axis rails 103 along the X-axis rails 101 in the X-direction. Prepare. The printing apparatus 1000 also includes a Y-direction drive unit 82 that moves the X-axis rail 101 along the Y-axis rail 102 in the Y direction. Further, the printing apparatus 1000 includes a second Z-direction driving section 93 that moves the head holder 70 with respect to the carriage 1 in the Z-direction.

The printing apparatus 1000 configured as described above ejects liquid (ink in this example) from the head provided on the head holder 70 while moving the carriage 1 in the X, Y and Z directions to form an image on the side surface 100 of the vehicle body. . Here, the movement of the carriage 1 and the head holder 70 in the Z direction does not necessarily mean parallel to the Z direction, and may be oblique movement as long as it includes at least a component in the Z direction. .

Although the surface shape of the vehicle body side surface 100 is flat in FIG. 1, the surface shape of the vehicle body side surface 100 may be a nearly vertical surface, a surface having a large radius of curvature, or a surface having some unevenness. Next, the configuration of the carriage 1 will be described.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the carriage in the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the carriage 1 is at the retracted position on the Z axis.

The carriage 1 has a head holder 70 . Also, the carriage 1 can move in the Z direction along the Z-axis rail 103 by the power from the first Z-direction drive unit 92 . The head holder 70 holds the head 300 and is movable in the Z direction with respect to the carriage 1 by power from the second Z-direction driving section 93 shown in FIG. Regarding the head 300, this embodiment exemplifies a configuration in which six heads 300a to 300f are arranged in a layered manner on the head holder .

Each of the heads 300a-300f has a nozzle face 302a with a plurality of nozzles 302 therein. The types and number of colors of ink used in the heads 300a to 300f may be different for each head, or may be the same for all. For example, if the printing apparatus 1000 is a monochrome apparatus, the inks used in the heads 300a to 300f may be the same color. Also, the number of heads constituting the head 300 is not limited to six. It may be more than 6 or less than 6.

The head 300 is mounted on the head holder 70 such that the nozzle surface 302a of each head intersects the horizontal plane (XZ plane) and the direction in which the plurality of nozzles 302 are arranged is inclined with respect to the X axis as shown in the figure. fixed. As a result, the nozzle 302 ejects ink in the horizontal direction (Z direction).

The carriage 1 also includes a cleaning device 4 that cleans the head 300 . The carriage 1 supports a frame 2 surrounding the head holder 70 . The frame 2 has a guide rod 3 made of a shaft member extending in the X direction, and the cleaning device 4 moves along the guide rod 3 in the X direction, that is, in the horizontal direction (Z direction) and the vertical direction (Y direction). It is attached to the guide rod 3 so that it can move in the direction intersecting with the.

The frame 2 includes a driving motor for moving the cleaning device 4 along the guide rod 3, a position sensor for detecting the position of the cleaning device 4 in the X direction (standby position, folded position), and the like. . As a result, the drive motor transmits power to the power transmission belt 5, and the cleaning device 4 connected to the power transmission belt 5 moves along the guide rod 3 to the positive side in the X direction. The cleaning device 4 then cleans the nozzle surface 302 a of the head 300 and the nozzles 302 . When the cleaning device 4 further moves to the positive side in the X direction and reaches the turn-back position, the moving direction of the cleaning device 4 switches to the negative side in the X direction, and the cleaning device 4 returns to the standby position.

FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view of the carriage in the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, showing a state where the carriage 1 and the head 300 are at the liquid ejection position on the Z axis.

The difference from FIG. 2 is that the carriage 1 and the head holder 70 have moved to the positive side in the Z direction. Like the carriage 1, the head holder 70 is also movable in the Z direction between the liquid ejection position (FIG. 3) and the retracted position (FIG. 2). Note that the Z-direction position of the carriage 1 during ink ejection is not always constant. The Z-direction position of the carriage 1 at the time of ink ejection varies following the surface shape of the vehicle body side surface 100 .

4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams of the head positions in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A is the liquid ejection position, FIG. 4B is the cleaning position, and FIG. 4C is the head at the retracted position. is shown. In the following description, the number of heads is assumed to be four (300a to 300d) for simplification.

The head 300 is connected to the slide mechanism 90 via the head holder 70 . The slide mechanism 90 corresponds to the first Z-direction driving section 92 and the second Z-direction driving section 93 shown in FIG. 1, and for the sake of convenience, they will be collectively described here. The slide mechanism 90 allows the head 300 to move to the liquid ejection position, cleaning position, and retraction position in the normal direction (Z direction) of the nozzle surface 302a. Here, the slide mechanism 90 is an example of a contact/separation mechanism.

4(a), the head 300 protrudes to the positive side in the X direction from the cleaning device 4, and the head 300 is ejected while maintaining the distance between the side surface 100 of the vehicle body and the head 300 shown in FIG. Ink is ejected from 300 to form an image on the side surface 100 of the vehicle body. The head 300 protrudes from the cleaning device 4 to the positive side in the X direction to prevent interference between the cleaning device 4 and the side surface 100 of the vehicle body during printing, and the nozzle surface 302a can maintain an appropriate distance from the side surface 100 of the vehicle body. there is

At the cleaning position, the head 300 retreats from the cleaning device 4 toward the negative side in the X direction, as shown in FIG. At the retracted position, the head 300 is further retracted from the cleaning position to the negative side in the X direction as shown in FIG. Note that the cleaning device 4 can move in the X direction (positive side and negative side) even in the retracted position. Next, the configuration around the head 300 and the cleaning device 4 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a schematic configuration around the head and cleaning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

A frame 2 provided on the carriage 1 has guide rods 3 at its upper and lower portions. The guide rod 3 holds the cleaning device 4 via a bush member 3a. The upper part of the cleaning device 4 is connected to a power transmission belt 5 provided above the guide rod 3, and the power from the power transmission belt 5 moves the cleaning device 4 along the guide rod 3 in the X direction (positive side and negative side). side).

The cleaning device 4 includes a wiper 41 , a cleaning liquid supply member 42 and a cleaning liquid recovery member 43 . The wiper 41 wipes the nozzle surfaces 302a of the heads 300 (300a to 300d) fixed to the head holder 70 as the cleaning device 4 moves in the X direction, thereby removing stains on the nozzle surfaces 302a. Here, the wiper 41 is an example of a wiping member. The cleaning liquid supply member 42 is positioned above the wiper 41 (positive side in the Y direction) and supplies the cleaning liquid downward (negative side in the Y direction) from above the wiper 41 . The cleaning liquid recovery member 43 is positioned below the wiper 41 (negative side in the Y direction) and recovers waste liquid such as excess cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid supply member 42 and the cleaning liquid recovery member 43 are connected to the cleaning liquid supply source and the cleaning liquid recovery destination by pipes, respectively. It is configured such that the liquid is recovered at the cleaning liquid recovery destination.

In the movement direction (X direction) of the wiper 41, the outer peripheral upper surface 301 of the heads 300a to 300d is arranged so that the vertical direction (Y direction) position of the wiping end side (X direction positive side) by the wiper 41 is the wiping start side (X direction). (negative side) in the vertical direction.

In the above configuration, when cleaning the nozzle surface 302a, the head 300 and the cleaning device 4 are arranged as shown in FIG. Wipe 302a. When the wiper 41 passes the nozzle surface 302a and wiping of the nozzle surface 302a is completed, the head 300 and the cleaning device 4 are arranged as shown in FIG. , the cleaning device 4 is moved to the negative side in the X direction. As a result, the cleaning device 4 returns to the standby position.

As for the standby position of the cleaning device 4, the cleaning device 4 may be located on the right side of the head 300 as shown in FIG. The state may be the standby position. In the latter case, when moving the cleaning device 4 toward the negative side in the X direction, the wiper 41 and the head 300 are separated from each other and the cleaning device 4 is moved to the right side of the head 300 . When the cleaning device 4 is moved to the positive side in the X direction, the wiper 41 and the head 300 are brought into contact with each other, and the cleaning device 4 is moved to the left side of the head 300 to wipe the nozzle surface 302a.

As described above, when cleaning is performed during either the forward movement or the backward movement of the reciprocating movement of the cleaning device 4, the upper surface 301 of the outer peripheral portion of the head 300 is positioned at the vertical position on the wiping end side in the wiping direction. is lower than the vertical position on the wiping start side. As a result, it is possible to prevent the problem that the cleaning liquid overflowing the upper surface 301 of the outer peripheral portion of the head 300 after wiping flows to the nozzle surface 302a and stains the nozzle surface 302a.

In addition, it is possible to suppress the consumption of the cleaning liquid by performing one-way cleaning when the cleaning device 4 moves either forward or backward. In addition, the chances of the wiper 41 coming into contact with the nozzle surface 302a can be reduced, so the life of the wiper 41 can be lengthened. In particular, when printing an image with a low print rate or when the print width is short, the amount of ink used is small and the amount of ink adhering to the nozzle surface 302a is small, so the one-way cleaning described above is preferable.

6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams of the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the head according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A shows the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6B shows the configuration of a comparative example. .

In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6A, the top surface 301 of the outer peripheral portion of the head 300 is positioned such that the vertical direction (Y direction) position of the wiping end side (positive side in the X direction) of the wiper 41 is the wiping start side ( X-direction negative side). As a result, after wiping the nozzle surface 302 a with the wiper 41 , the excess cleaning liquid Lc used for wiping flows over the upper peripheral surface 301 of the head, and the cleaning liquid Lc immediately reaches the edge portion (corner) of the head 300 . Therefore, it becomes difficult for the cleaning liquid Lc to flow into the nozzle surface 302a, and the problem that the nozzle surface 302a wiped by the wiper 41 becomes soiled again can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the wiper 41 is made of an elastic material such as sponge or low-hardness rubber. The wiper 41 is deformed by coming into contact with the nozzle surface 302a and wipes off ink stains adhering to the nozzle surface 302a. Therefore, after overflowing the contact surface between the wiper 41 and the nozzle surface 302a, the excess cleaning liquid Lc flows along the inclination of the upper surface 301 of the outer peripheral portion toward the negative side in the vertical direction (Y direction).

On the other hand, as in the comparative example of FIG. 6B, when the outer peripheral upper surface 301 is arranged so that the vertical position of the wiping end side by the wiper 41 is higher than the vertical position of the wiping start side, excessive The cleaning liquid Lc flows along the upper surface 301 of the outer peripheral portion toward the negative side in the X direction.

In this case, the cleaning liquid Lc flows over a long distance, and the cleaning liquid Lc overflows toward the nozzle surface 302a while flowing toward the negative side in the X direction. The overflowing cleaning liquid Lc mixes with the ink remaining on the nozzle 302 and the nozzle surface 302a and contaminates the nozzle surface 302a again.

As described above, the present embodiment includes the head 300 having the nozzle surface 302a provided with the nozzles 302 for ejecting ink in the horizontal direction (Z direction), the wiper 41 for wiping the nozzle surface 302a, and the cleaning liquid applied to the wiper 41. The cleaning liquid supply member 42 is provided, and the wiper 41 is moved in the direction (X direction) intersecting the vertical direction (Y direction) and the horizontal direction (Z direction) to wipe the nozzle surface 302a with the wiper 41. In the device 1000, the vertical position of the outer peripheral upper surface 301 of the head 300 on the wipe end side of the wiper 41 is lower than the vertical position on the wipe start side in the direction of movement of the wiper 41 . This makes it difficult for the cleaning liquid used for wiping the nozzle surface 302a to flow into the nozzle surface 302a, thereby reducing the problem that the nozzle surface 302a becomes soiled again after wiping. Note that the "horizontal direction" (Z direction) is not necessarily limited to the direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity. The direction may be slightly deviated as long as the above effect can be achieved by lowering the position on the wiping end side.

Further, as described above, the slide mechanism 90 is provided for moving the nozzle surface 302a toward and away from the wiper 41. As shown in FIG. As a result, when the wiper 41 is moved in the X direction without wiping the nozzle surface 302a, the nozzle surface 302a can be separated from the wiper 41, resulting in wasteful consumption of the cleaning liquid and reduction of the wiper 41 on the nozzle surface 302a. Unnecessary contact can be eliminated.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the member equivalent to the member demonstrated in the above-mentioned embodiment, and description here is abbreviate|omitted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, one-way cleaning is performed either when the cleaning device 4 moves forward or when it moves back. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, in both the reciprocating movement of the cleaning device 4, that is, the forward movement of the cleaning device 4 to the negative side in the X direction and the return movement of the cleaning device 4 to the positive side in the X direction, The nozzle surface 302a is configured to be reciprocally cleaned. When printing an image with a high print rate or when printing a long width, a large amount of ink is used and a large amount of ink adheres to the nozzle surface 302a, so it is preferable to perform reciprocating cleaning.

When the nozzle surface 302a is wiped by the wiper 41 on the outward and return paths of the reciprocating movement, the vertical position of the outer peripheral upper surface 301 of the head 300 on the wiping end side (positive side in the X direction) in the return path is the same as the position in the return path. It is provided so as to be lower than the vertical position on the wiping start side (negative side in the X direction). As a result, it is possible to prevent the problem that the cleaning liquid mixed with the ink overflowing the upper surface 301 of the outer peripheral portion of the head 300 after wiping flows to the nozzle surface 302a and stains the nozzle surface 302a.

When the wiper 41 is moved from the wiping end side of the return pass to the wiping start side, that is, when it is moved in the wiping direction of the forward pass in FIG. The wiper 41 may be separated from the nozzle surface 302a by the slide mechanism 90 of .

As described above, in the present embodiment, the wiper 41 is capable of reciprocating in the movement direction (X direction) of the wiper 41, and wipes the nozzle surface 302a on the outward and return paths of the reciprocating movement. is the wiping end side in the return path. This makes it difficult for the cleaning liquid used for wiping the nozzle surface 302a to flow into the nozzle surface 302a even in the case of reciprocating cleaning, thereby reducing the problem that the nozzle surface 302a becomes dirty again after wiping.

As described above, when the wiper 41 is moved from the wiping end side of the return pass to the wiping start side of the return pass, the slide mechanism 90 separates the wiper 41 from the nozzle surface 302a. This makes it difficult for the cleaning liquid to flow into the nozzle surface 302a even when wiping is performed in one direction of the reciprocating movement, and the problem that the nozzle surface 302a after wiping is soiled again can be reduced.

8A and 8B are explanatory diagrams of a third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8A being a front view showing a schematic configuration around the head and the cleaning device, and FIG. 8B being a side view thereof. Members that are the same as those described in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In the first and second embodiments, the cleaning device 4 is mounted on the carriage 1, but in this embodiment, the cleaning device 4 is not mounted on the carriage 1, but is fixed to the end of the X-axis rail 101 of the printing device 1000. The difference is that the

The carriage 1 is movable in the X direction (positive side and negative side) along the X-axis rail 101 and holds the head holder 70 via the slide mechanism 90 . The head holder 70 has a head 300 as in the above-described embodiments. Also, the X-axis rail 101 has the cleaning device 4 fixed to its end. The cleaning device 4 includes a wiper 41, a cleaning liquid supply member 42, and a cleaning liquid recovery member 43 as in the above-described embodiments.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are also explanatory views of the third embodiment, FIG. 9A being a top view showing a schematic configuration around the head and the cleaning device, and FIG. 9B being a front view of the head portion.

When cleaning the nozzle surface 302a in the third embodiment, the carriage 1 is once moved to the right side of the cleaning device 4, and then the head 300 and the cleaning device 4 are aligned as shown in FIG. 8(b). Placement. After that, as the carriage 1 moves to the positive side in the X direction, the wiper 41 wipes the nozzle surface 302a.

In this embodiment, the upper surface 301 of the outer peripheral portion of the head 300 is inclined so that the negative side in the X direction is lower. If the relationship of lowering is established, it may be tilted so that the positive side in the X direction is lower as shown in FIG.

As described above, when cleaning is performed during either the forward movement or the backward movement of the reciprocating movement of the carriage 1, the upper surface 301 of the outer peripheral portion of the head 300 is located at the vertical position of the wiping end side in the wiping direction. , is provided so as to be lower than the vertical position on the wiping start side. As a result, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid overflowing the upper surface 301 of the outer peripheral portion of the head 300 after wiping from flowing to the nozzle surface 302a and staining the nozzle surface 302a.

In addition, by performing one-way cleaning during either the outward movement or the return movement of the carriage 1, it is possible to suppress the consumption of the cleaning liquid. In addition, the chances of the wiper 41 coming into contact with the nozzle surface 302a can be reduced, so the life of the wiper 41 can be lengthened. In particular, when printing an image with a low print rate or when the print width is short, the amount of ink used is small and the amount of ink adhering to the nozzle surface 302a is small, so the one-way cleaning described above is preferable.

As described above, the present embodiment includes the head 300 having the nozzle surface 302a provided with the nozzles 302 for ejecting ink in the horizontal direction (Z direction), the wiper 41 for wiping the nozzle surface 302a, and the cleaning liquid applied to the wiper 41. The head 300 is moved in a direction (X direction) crossing the vertical direction (Y direction) and the horizontal direction (Z direction) to wipe the nozzle surface 302a with the wiper 41. In the device 1000 , the vertical position of the outer peripheral upper surface 301 of the head 300 is lower in the direction of movement of the head 300 at the end of wiping by the wiper 41 than at the start of wiping. This makes it difficult for the cleaning liquid used for wiping the nozzle surface 302a to flow into the nozzle surface 302a, thereby reducing the problem that the nozzle surface 302a becomes soiled again after wiping.

Further, as described above, the slide mechanism 90 is provided for moving the nozzle surface 302a toward and away from the wiper 41. As shown in FIG. As a result, the nozzle surface 302a can be separated from the wiper 41 when the head 300 is moved in the X direction without wiping the nozzle surface 302a. Unnecessary contact can be eliminated.

11A and 11B are explanatory views of a fourth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11A is a top view showing a schematic configuration around the head and cleaning device, and FIG. 11B is a front view of the head portion. be. The same reference numerals are assigned to members that are the same as those shown in the third embodiment, and descriptions thereof are omitted here.

In the third embodiment, one-way cleaning is performed either when the carriage 1 moves forward or when it moves back. In contrast, in the fourth embodiment, the nozzle surface 302a is is configured to clean back and forth. When printing an image with a high print rate or when printing a long width, a large amount of ink is used and a large amount of ink adheres to the nozzle surface 302a, so it is preferable to perform reciprocating cleaning.

When the nozzle surface 302a is wiped by the wiper 41 on the outward and return paths of the reciprocating movement, the vertical position of the outer peripheral upper surface 301 of the head 300 on the wiping end side (the negative side in the X direction) in the return path is Provided so as to be lower than the vertical position of the wiping start side (positive side in the X direction). As a result, it is possible to prevent the problem that the cleaning liquid mixed with the ink overflowing the upper surface 301 of the outer peripheral portion of the head 300 after wiping flows to the nozzle surface 302a and stains the nozzle surface 302a.

When the carriage 1 moves to the positive side in the X direction and the head 300 has passed the cleaning device 4, the head holder 70 is moved to the positive side in the Z direction by the slide mechanism 90. FIG. By using this slide mechanism 90, it is possible to adjust the position of the nozzle surface 302a with respect to the wiper 41, and to switch contact/separation between the wiper 41 and the nozzle surface 302a.

When the carriage 1 is moved in the wiping direction in the forward pass (from the wiping end side to the wiping start side in the return pass) and when there is no need to perform wiping in the forward pass, the slide mechanism 90 moves the nozzle surface 302a. It may be spaced apart from the wiper 41 .

As described above, in this embodiment, the head 300 (carriage 1) is capable of reciprocating in the direction of movement of the head 300 (X direction), and wipes the nozzle surface 302a on the outward and return paths of the reciprocating movement. , the wiping end side is the wiping end side in the return path. This makes it difficult for the cleaning liquid used for wiping the nozzle surface 302a to flow into the nozzle surface 302a even in the case of reciprocating cleaning, thereby reducing the problem that the nozzle surface 302a becomes dirty again after wiping.

As described above, when the head 300 (carriage 1) is reciprocatingly moved from the wiping end side of the return pass to the wiping start side of the return pass, the wiper 41 and the nozzle surface 302a are moved by the slide mechanism 90. release. This makes it difficult for the cleaning liquid to flow into the nozzle surface 302a even when wiping is performed in one direction of the reciprocating movement, and the problem that the nozzle surface 302a after wiping is soiled again can be reduced.

12A and 12B are explanatory diagrams showing another example of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12A is an overall configuration diagram, and FIG. 12B is an enlarged view of a main portion of FIG. It is a diagram.

The exemplified liquid ejection device is a printing device that forms an image on, for example, the side surface of an aircraft. The printing apparatus 2000 includes a linear rail 404 that supports the carriage 1 so as to be able to linearly move back and forth, and an articulated robot 405 that moves the linear rail 404 to a predetermined position and holds it at that position. The multi-joint robot 405 has a robot arm 405a that can freely move like a human arm through a plurality of joints, and the tip of the robot arm 405a can be freely moved and placed at an accurate position. .

As the articulated robot 405, for example, a 6-axis control type industrial robot having 6 axes, that is, 6 joints can be used. According to the 6-axis type articulated robot, the linear rail 404 can be positioned at a predetermined position on the machine body 702 very accurately and quickly by teaching information about the motion in advance. The robot 405 is not limited to 6 axes, and a multi-joint robot having an appropriate number of axes such as 5 axes or 7 axes can be used.

A robot arm 405 a of the robot 405 has a fork-shaped support member 424 . A vertical linear rail 423a is attached to the tip of the left branch portion 424a of the support member 424, and a vertical linear rail 423b is attached to the tip of the right branch portion 424b in parallel. Two vertical linear rails 423a and 423b support both ends of the linear rail 404 that movably holds the carriage 1. As shown in FIG.

The carriage 1 has the configurations of the first to fourth embodiments, etc., and has a head that ejects liquid toward the machine body 702 . The head includes the head 300 described above, a plurality of heads 300 for ejecting liquids of respective colors such as yellow, magenta, cyan, black, and white, or a head 300 having a plurality of nozzle rows. Each head 300 of the carriage 1 or each nozzle row of the head 300 is supplied with liquid of each color from an ink tank 400 .

The carriage 1 moves in a first direction by moving on the linear rail 404, and moves in a second direction crossing the first direction by moving the linear rail 404 on the vertical linear rails 423a, 423b. Is possible. Further, the carriage 1 is provided with a first slide mechanism that moves the carriage 1 in a third direction (in this example, the liquid ejection direction toward the machine body 702) that intersects the first direction and the second direction. ing. The carriage 1 also has a second slide mechanism that moves the head relative to the carriage 1 in a third direction.

The printing apparatus 2000 moves the linear rails 404 to the image forming area of the machine body 702 by the robot 405, drives the head 300 while moving the carriage 1 along the linear rails 404 according to the image data, and forms an image. When one line of printing is completed, the vertical linear rails 423a and 423b are driven to move the head 300 of the carriage 1 from one line to the next line. By repeating this operation, it is possible to form an image in a desired image forming area of the machine body 702 .

FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram showing still another example of the liquid ejection device according to the embodiment of the invention.

The illustrated liquid ejection device is an unmanned vehicle type printing device such as a wall climbing robot. The printing device 7000 can move by driving the rollers 710 while sucking the object (the wall surface of the building in this example) 100 at the bottom of the printing device 7000 . The printing apparatus 7000 includes a head for ejecting liquid such as ink and a liquid ejection unit 720 including a cleaning device. Then, the printing apparatus 7000 ejects the liquid from the head provided in the liquid ejection unit 720 toward the object 100 to apply the liquid to the coating portion P of the object 100 .

In this example, the liquid tank 730 is installed on the ground and the liquid is supplied from the liquid tank 730 to the liquid ejection unit 720 via the cable 740. However, the liquid tank 730 may be provided in the printing apparatus 7000. good. Equipping the printing apparatus 7000 with the liquid tank 730 eliminates restrictions on the range of movement due to the cable 740, and allows the printing apparatus 7000 to move freely.

The effects of the present invention can also be obtained when the configuration of the first embodiment or the second embodiment is applied to the liquid ejection unit 720 of such a printing apparatus 7000 .

In the present invention, liquids include solvents such as water and organic solvents, colorants such as dyes and pigments, functional imparting materials such as polymerizable compounds, resins and surfactants, DNA, amino acids, proteins, calcium and the like. Solutions, suspensions, emulsions, etc. containing biocompatible materials, edible materials such as natural pigments, and the like may also be used. These can be used, for example, as inkjet inks, coating materials, surface treatment liquids, liquids for forming components of electronic elements and light-emitting elements, electronic circuit resist patterns, material liquids for three-dimensional modeling, and the like.

What has been described above is only an example, and the present invention has specific effects in each of the following aspects.

[First aspect]
A first aspect includes a head (for example, head 300) having a nozzle surface (for example, nozzle surface 302a) provided with nozzles for ejecting liquid in a horizontal direction (for example, Z direction), and a wiping member (for example, a wiper) for wiping the nozzle surface. 41) and a cleaning liquid supply member (eg, cleaning liquid supply member 42) that supplies cleaning liquid to the wiping member, and the head or the wiping member is arranged in a vertical direction (eg, Y direction) and a direction intersecting the horizontal direction. A liquid ejecting apparatus (for example, a printing apparatus 1000) that moves in (for example, the X direction) and wipes the nozzle surface with the wiping member, wherein the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the head (for example, the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion 301) Alternatively, in the moving direction of the wiping member, the vertical position of the wiping end side of the wiping member is lower than the vertical position of the wiping start side. According to the first aspect, it is possible to provide a liquid ejection device that reduces the amount of liquid flowing into the nozzle surface.

[Second aspect]
In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the head (for example, the head 300) or the wiping member (for example, the wiper 41) can reciprocate in the movement direction (for example, the X direction) of the head or the wiping member. It is characterized in that the nozzle surface (for example, the nozzle surface 302a) is wiped on the outward and return paths of the reciprocating movement, and the wiping end side is the wiping end side of the return path. According to the second aspect, even in the case of reciprocating cleaning, it becomes difficult for the cleaning liquid used for wiping the nozzle surface to flow into the nozzle surface, and it is possible to reduce the problem that the nozzle surface becomes dirty again after wiping.

[Third aspect]
A third aspect is that in the first aspect or the second aspect, a contact/separation mechanism (e.g., slide mechanism 90) is provided to bring the nozzle surface (e.g., nozzle surface 302a) into contact with and separate from the wiping member (e.g., wiper 41). It is characterized by According to the third aspect, when moving the head or the wiping member without wiping the nozzle surface, it is possible to separate the nozzle surface and the wiping member, and it is possible to suppress consumption of the cleaning liquid. In addition, the chances of contact between the wiping member and the nozzle surface can be reduced, so the life of the wiping member can be lengthened.

[Fourth mode]
A fourth aspect is the third aspect, in which the head (for example, the head 300) or the wiping member (for example, the wiper 41) is moved from the wiping end side to the wiping start side in the reciprocating movement of the head (for example, the head 300) or the wiping member (for example, the wiper 41). In the case, the wiping member and the nozzle surface are separated by the contact/separation mechanism (for example, the slide mechanism 90). According to the fourth aspect, even when wiping is performed in one way of the reciprocating movement, it is difficult for the cleaning liquid to flow into the nozzle surface, and the problem that the nozzle surface after wiping is soiled again can be reduced.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 carriage 300 head 301 outer peripheral upper surface 302 nozzle 302a nozzle surface 4 cleaning device 41 wiper 42 cleaning liquid supply member 43 cleaning liquid recovery member

JP 2020-168786 A

Claims (4)

a head having a nozzle surface provided with nozzles for ejecting liquid in a horizontal direction;
a wiping member that wipes the nozzle surface;
a cleaning liquid supply member that supplies cleaning liquid to the wiping member;
with
A liquid ejecting device that moves the head or the wiping member in a vertical direction and a direction crossing the horizontal direction to wipe the nozzle surface with the wiping member,
In the direction of movement of the head or the wiping member, the upper surface of the peripheral portion of the head is characterized in that the vertical position of the wiping end side by the wiping member is lower than the vertical position of the wiping start side. Liquid ejection device. The head or the wiping member is capable of reciprocating in the direction of movement of the head or the wiping member, and wipes the nozzle surface on the outward and return paths of the reciprocating movement. 2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiping end side of the return path is the liquid ejecting apparatus. 3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a contact/separation mechanism for contacting/separating the nozzle surface with respect to the wiping member. In the reciprocating movement of the head or the wiping member, when the head or the wiping member is moved from the wiping end side to the wiping start side, the contact/separation mechanism separates the wiping member from the nozzle surface. 4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3.

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