JP2008238659A - Fluid ejecting apparatus and method for controlling the apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for generating a sufficient negative pressure in a cap inner space by improving an adhesion property of a cap abutting part on a fluid injection head. <P>SOLUTION: The fluid injection apparatus is provided with: a fluid injection head for injecting a fluid from a nozzle opening of a nozzle; and a cap having a cap opening opened for a fluid injection head, and an annular cap abutting part provided in the circumference of the cap opening. The cap abutting part is slid against the fluid injection head in the state where the cap is abutted on the fluid injection head. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects fluid from a nozzle opening, and more particularly to a technique for surrounding the nozzle opening with a cap and sucking the inside of the cap while the fluid ejecting operation from the nozzle opening is not performed.

A typical example of this type of fluid ejecting apparatus is an image recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer that performs recording by ejecting and landing ink droplets on a recording medium such as recording paper. In recent years, the fluid ejecting apparatus is applied not only to the image recording apparatus but also to various manufacturing apparatuses. For example, liquid crystal display, plasma display, organic EL (Electro
In a display manufacturing apparatus such as a Luminescence (Display) or FED (Surface Emission Display), various liquid materials such as coloring materials and electrodes are ejected to a pixel formation region, an electrode formation region, etc. A fluid ejection device is used.

  For example, an ink jet printer described in Patent Document 1 records an image on a recording material by ejecting ink from nozzle openings of nozzles of an ink jet head. Further, during non-printing when no image recording operation is performed on the recording material, a cap is attached to the nozzle opening to prevent the ink from drying and clogging the nozzle. Specifically, the cap has a cap opening that opens toward the ink jet head, and a cap abutting portion provided at the peripheral edge of the cap opening abuts the ink jet head when not printing. Further, a suction recovery device is connected to the cap. In other words, when the nozzle is clogged or foreign matter is mixed in the nozzle, the suction recovery device sucks the nozzle through the cap while the cap is in contact with the inkjet head. Remove foreign material (clogging, etc.).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-108684

  As described above, the technique described in Patent Document 1 removes clogging and the like by sucking the nozzle by the cap suction means such as a suction recovery device in a state where the cap is in contact with the ink jet head (fluid ejecting head). . More specifically, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 sucks a cap internal space formed between the fluid ejecting head and the inner wall of the cap in a state where the cap is in contact with the fluid ejecting head. By generating a negative pressure, nozzle clogging and the like are removed. By the way, the cap abuts on the fluid ejecting head via the cap abutting portion at the periphery of the cap opening. Therefore, in order to generate a sufficient negative pressure in the cap internal space to remove clogging and the like, the cap contact portion needs to be in close contact with the ink jet head.

  However, as in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the cap internal space is sucked, the cap abutting portion is in close contact with the fluid ejecting head when the cap is merely brought into contact with the ink jet head (fluid ejecting head). In some cases, poor adhesion (for example, poor adhesion in which the cap contact portion does not partially adhere to the fluid ejecting head) occurs. In some cases, sufficient negative pressure cannot be generated in the cap internal space due to such poor adhesion. As a result, there is a possibility that problems such as clogging of the nozzles cannot be sufficiently removed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of generating a sufficient negative pressure in the cap internal space by improving the adhesion of the cap contact portion to the fluid ejecting head. And

  In order to achieve the above object, a fluid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention includes a fluid ejecting head that ejects fluid from a nozzle opening of a nozzle, a cap opening that opens toward the fluid ejecting head, and a peripheral edge of the cap opening. An annular cap contact portion, and is provided so as to be separated from the fluid ejecting head and to be able to contact the fluid ejecting head via the cap contacting portion, and the cap opening by the contact of the cap contacting portion with the fluid ejecting head Includes a cap that surrounds the nozzle opening, a cap separating / contacting means that moves the cap to separate and abut the cap against the fluid ejecting head, and the cap is in contact with the fluid ejecting head with respect to the fluid ejecting head. A cap sliding means for sliding the cap abutting portion, and in a state where the cap is in contact with the fluid ejecting head, the fluid ejecting head and the inner wall of the cap It is characterized in that a cap suction means for sucking the cap internal space formed between.

  Further, the control method of the fluid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention includes a fluid ejecting head that ejects fluid from a nozzle opening of a nozzle, a cap opening that opens toward the fluid ejecting head, and an annular shape provided on the periphery of the cap opening. A control method for a fluid ejecting apparatus including a cap having a cap abutting portion. To achieve the above object, the cap abutting portion of the cap is abutted against the fluid ejecting head, and the nozzle opening is capped. A cap abutting step surrounded by the opening, a cap sliding step for sliding the cap abutting portion with respect to the fluid ejecting head in a state where the cap abuts on the fluid ejecting head, and the cap abutting on the fluid ejecting head. And a cap suction step for sucking a cap internal space formed between the fluid ejecting head and the inner wall of the cap.

  The invention configured as described above sucks the cap internal space formed between the fluid ejecting head and the inner wall of the cap in a state where the cap is in contact with the fluid ejecting head. Note that the contact of the cap with the fluid ejecting head is performed by the cap separating and contacting means. The cap includes a cap opening that opens toward the fluid ejecting head, and an annular cap contact portion that is provided at the periphery of the cap opening. The cap contact portion of the cap contacts the fluid ejecting head, and the cap opening surrounds the nozzle opening. Therefore, as described above, if the adhesiveness of the cap contact portion to the fluid ejecting head is not good, a sufficient negative pressure may not be generated in the cap internal space.

  On the other hand, in the above invention, the cap contact portion is slid with respect to the fluid ejecting head in a state where the cap is in contact with the fluid ejecting head. That is, in the above invention, not only the cap is brought into contact with the fluid ejecting head, but also the cap abutting portion is slid with respect to the fluid ejecting head. Therefore, when the cap (specifically, the cap abutting portion) is in contact with the fluid ejecting head, the adhesion of the cap abutting portion to the fluid ejecting head is not good and adhesion failure occurs. Even so, by sliding the cap abutting portion with respect to the fluid ejecting head, it becomes possible to alleviate the adhesion failure and improve the adhesion of the cap abutting portion to the fluid ejecting head. . Therefore, it is possible to generate a sufficient negative pressure in the cap internal space, and it is possible to efficiently remove clogging and the like.

  The cap suction means may start suction of the cap internal space after the cap abutting portion is slid by the cap sliding means. That is, before the cap sliding portion is slid by the cap sliding means, there is a poor contact between the caps. For example, a gap is partially generated between the cap contact portion and the fluid ejecting head. There is a possibility that. Therefore, if suction of the cap internal space is started before the sliding operation is performed, air may enter the cap internal space through the gap between the cap contact portion and the fluid ejecting head. It may be difficult to generate negative pressure in the space.

  Therefore, from the viewpoint of more reliably generating the negative pressure, it is preferable to start the suction of the cap internal space after the cap abutting portion is slid by the cap sliding means. In such a configuration, when the suction of the cap internal space is started, the sliding operation of the cap abutting portion by the cap sliding means is already completed, and the occurrence of poor adhesion of the cap abutting portion is suppressed. ing. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation where air enters the cap internal space through the gap between the cap contact portion and the fluid ejecting head as described above.

  Further, in the fluid ejecting apparatus in which the fluid ejecting head has a nozzle opening plane, and the nozzle opening is opened at the nozzle opening plane, the cap abuts with the cap in contact with the fluid ejecting head. The portion may abut against the nozzle opening plane, and the cap sliding means may reciprocate the cap in a direction parallel to the nozzle opening plane to slide the cap abutting portion relative to the fluid ejecting head. That is, in the invention configured as described above, the cap abutting portion is slid relative to the fluid ejecting head by reciprocating the cap in a direction parallel to the nozzle opening plane. It becomes possible to improve the adhesiveness of the. Therefore, this invention is suitable because it is possible to generate a sufficient negative pressure in the cap internal space, and to effectively remove clogging and the like.

  Further, in the above invention, when the cap abutting portion is slid with respect to the fluid ejecting head, the cap is reciprocated. That is, in the reciprocating operation, the cap moves in a predetermined direction from the position at which sliding starts (sliding start position) and returns to the sliding start position again. Accordingly, the positional relationship between the fluid ejecting head and the cap contact portion is the same before and after sliding of the cap contact portion. Therefore, when designing the fluid ejecting apparatus, it is not necessary to consider the difference in the positional relationship between the fluid ejecting head and the cap abutting part before and after sliding of the cap abutting part, and the design can be simplified and simplified. The above invention is suitable.

  Further, the cap sliding means may execute the reciprocating movement of the cap a plurality of times. This is because it is possible to improve the adhesion of the cap contact portion to the fluid ejecting head more effectively by executing the reciprocating movement of the cap a plurality of times.

  Prior to describing an embodiment of the present invention, a basic configuration of a fluid ejecting apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described. After such description, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

Basic Configuration FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a printer as a fluid ejecting apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the outline of the maintenance unit. As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 1 as a fluid ejecting apparatus includes a substantially rectangular frame 2. A platen 3 is disposed in the frame 2 in the longitudinal direction (x direction), and the recording paper P is fed onto the platen 3 by a paper feed mechanism (not shown) provided with a paper feed motor 4. It has become.

  A guide member 5 is installed on the frame 2 so as to be parallel to the platen 3. A carriage 6 that is movable along the guide member 5 is inserted into and supported by the guide member 5. A carriage motor 7 is attached to the frame 2, and a carriage 6 is drivingly connected to the carriage motor 7 via a timing belt 8 hung on a pair of pulleys P 1 and P 2. With this configuration, when the carriage motor 7 is driven, the driving force of the carriage 6 is transmitted via the timing belt 8. Under this driving force, the carriage 6 is guided by the guide member 5 and reciprocates in the main scanning direction (+ x direction and −x direction) in parallel with the platen 3.

  A recording head 9 as a fluid ejecting head is provided on the lower surface of the carriage 6. The recording head 9 has a flat nozzle forming surface. A plurality of nozzles (not shown) are formed on the nozzle forming surface so as to face the recording paper P. That is, the nozzle forming surface corresponds to the nozzle opening plane of the present invention. Each nozzle opens at a nozzle opening plane.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the carriage 6 is detachably loaded with an ink cartridge 10 as a fluid reservoir. The ink cartridge 10 includes a plurality of storage chambers, and each storage chamber stores ink as a fluid (for example, pigment ink and reactive ink). That is, the printer 1 is a so-called on-carriage type. The ink stored in the ink cartridge 10 is supplied to the nozzles of the corresponding recording head 9. With this configuration, when the ink cartridge 10 is loaded on the carriage 6, the ink stored in the ink cartridge 10 flows into the recording head 9. The ink that has flowed into the recording head 9 is pressurized by a piezoelectric element (not shown) and ejected as ink droplets from the nozzle opening toward the recording paper P to form dots.

  The recording head 9 is driven so as to eject the reactive ink after ejecting the black ink or the color ink (pigment ink). The reactive ink adheres to the color ink on the recording paper P to cause an agglomeration reaction with the color ink, thereby improving the color developability and glossiness of the color ink. Further, the recording head 9 is driven and controlled so that the black ink and the color ink are ejected to improve glossiness even on the paper surface.

  In the printer 1, an area for printing by ejecting ink droplets onto the recording paper P while reciprocating the carriage 6 is set as a printing area as an ejection area. Further, the printer 1 is provided with a non-printing area for capping nozzles during non-printing, and a maintenance unit 11 is provided in the non-printing area as shown in FIG. This maintenance unit 11 is for maintaining the discharge state from each nozzle satisfactorily by appropriately performing maintenance on the recording head 9.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the maintenance unit 11, the slider 12 can reciprocate in the left-right direction (+ x direction and −x direction) via the spring member SP1 (see FIG. 3 or 4) in the main body case C. Is attached. The slider 12 is provided with a cap member 13 formed in a substantially rectangular shape for capping the nozzles of the recording head 9. The maintenance unit 11 moves the cap member 13 horizontally and positions it directly below the recording head 9 via a moving mechanism described later, or moves the cap member 13 up and down to bring it into close contact with the recording head 9. 9 nozzles are capped.

  The cap member 13 is divided into two parts, and the absorbers 13a and 13b are placed on the cap member 13, respectively. A platen shown in FIG. 1 is provided on the bottom (not shown) of the cap member 13 via two tubes (not shown) and a suction pump 14 (cap suction means) respectively communicating with the compartments of the cap member 13. 3 is connected to a waste ink tank 15 provided on the lower side. The waste ink tank 15 is divided into two sections, which are connected to the two sections of the cap member 13, respectively.

  That is, by configuring as described above, so-called cleaning can be performed in which the pigment ink and the reactive ink stored in the ink cartridge 10 are separately absorbed by the absorbers 13a and 13b and discarded into the waste ink tank 15, respectively. . Details of the cleaning will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the maintenance unit 11 includes a wiper member W for wiping off ink adhering to the nozzle formation surface of the recording head 9. The wiper member W is provided so as to be housed in the main body case C by moving through a drive mechanism (not shown).

  Next, the configuration of the maintenance unit 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views for explaining the configuration of the maintenance unit 11. FIG. 5 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the drive mechanism of the slider 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the maintenance unit 11 includes a slider guide 16 that guides the slider 12 to the main body case C. The slider guide 16 is inserted into the insertion opening 17 of the slider 12. Further, a support rod 18 is formed in the slider 12 so as to extend in the right direction (+ x direction) in the insertion opening 17. A support groove 19 is formed in the slider guide 16 so as to correspond to the support bar 18. The support groove 19 is formed so as to penetrate the support bar 18 so that the support bar 18 can be moved in the left-right direction (+ x direction and −x direction). Further, the support groove 19 is formed in a vertically long shape so that the support bar 18 can move in the vertical direction (+ z direction and −z direction). Further, the support groove 19 abuts on the support rod 18 at the upper end portion thereof, and restricts the upward movement (+ z direction) of the support rod 18.

  With this configuration, the slider 12 can move in the vertical direction (+ z direction and −z direction) and the horizontal direction (+ x direction and −x direction) with respect to the main body case C.

  Further, as described above, the slider 12 is attached to the main body case C via the spring member SP1 as the first urging means. Thus, the slider 12 is urged leftward (−x direction) with respect to the main body case C. Therefore, when no force is applied to the slider 12, the insertion port 17 of the slider 12 is in contact with the right side surface of the slider guide 16 of the main body case C as shown in FIG. Yes. Such a state is referred to as a reference position.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cap member 13 is attached to the slider 12 via a spring member SP <b> 2 as second urging means. As shown in FIG. 3 or 4, the cap member 13 includes a sealing member S that has flexibility and abuts against the recording head 9, and a claw portion T as a support member that abuts against the recording head 9. Yes. Furthermore, the cap member 13 extends in the front direction (+ y direction) as a support bar 20 extending in the front direction (+ y direction), the support bar 21 extended in the rear direction (−y direction), and a positioning means. The positioning rod 22 is provided.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3 or 4, the slider 12 is formed with support grooves 23 and 24 and guide grooves 25 as guide means so as to correspond to the support bars 20 and 21 and the positioning bar 22. Yes. The support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide groove 25 insert and support the support bars 20 and 21 and the positioning bar 22, respectively, and the support bars 20 and 21 and the positioning bar 22 can move in the vertical direction (+ z direction and −z direction). It is formed so as to be vertically long. The support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide groove 25 are in contact with the support rods 20 and 21 and the positioning rod 22 at the upper end portions thereof, respectively, and restrict movement in the upward direction (+ z direction). Further, the movement of the support bars 20 and 21 and the positioning bar 22 in the + x direction and the −x direction is also restricted by the support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide groove 25. The depths of the support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide groove 25 are determined so that the support bars 20 and 21 and the positioning bar 22 are moved when the cap member 13 moves in the front direction (+ y direction) and the rear direction (−y direction). It is formed so as not to come off.

  With this configuration, the cap member 13 can move up and down (+ z direction and −z direction) with respect to the slider 12. Further, the cap member 13 is biased upward (+ z direction) by the spring member SP2, and its upward movement (+ z direction) is restricted by the support bars 20, 21 and the positioning bar 22. Accordingly, normally, the cap member 13 is in a state of being most separated in the upward direction (+ z direction) with respect to the slider 12. When the cap member 13 is pressed in the downward direction (−z direction), in response to the pressing. It moves in the downward direction (-z direction).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, a spring member SP <b> 3 is attached between the slider 12 and the right side surface of the cap member 13. The spring member SP3 urges the cap member 13 toward the slider 12 in the front right direction (the combined direction of the + x direction and the + y direction). It is biased to the front right. As described above, the movement of the cap member 13 in the left-right direction (+ x direction and −x direction) with respect to the slider 12 is regulated by the support grooves 23 and 24. Therefore, the cap member 13 is urged forward (+ y direction) with respect to the slider 12.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3 or 4, the main body case C includes a substantially trapezoidal protrusion 26 as a guide. The projecting portion 26 is formed to protrude rearward (−y direction) from the main body case C, and abuts against the positioning rod 22 of the cap member 13.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the slider 12 is at the reference position, the positioning rod 22 of the cap member 13 comes into contact with the end portion 27 of the projection portion 26. In this state, the cap member 13 is supported by the protruding portion 26 via the positioning rod 22 and its movement is restricted.

  Further, when the slider 12 moves to the right (+ x direction) from the reference position, the cap member 13 attached to the slider 12 is urged forward (+ y direction) with respect to the slider 12 by the spring member SP3. Therefore, the positioning rod 22 moves in the right front direction (the combined direction of the + x direction and the + y direction) along the inclined portion 28 of the protruding portion 26. As shown in FIG. 4, the positioning rod 22 is supported by the inclined portion 28 of the protruding portion 26. At this time, the cap member 13 is stationary in a state of moving slightly forward (+ y direction) as compared to the state shown in FIG. Such a state shown in FIG. 4 is referred to as a set position.

  With this configuration, for example, when the recording head 9 abuts on the abutting portion 29 extending from the slider 12 and presses the slider 12 in the right direction (+ x direction), the slider 12 moves in the right direction. The cap member 13 is moved to the set position with the movement in the (+ x direction). At this time, the claw portion T of the cap member 13 is moved in the forward direction (+ y direction) by the movement of the cap member 13 to the set position, and comes into contact with the recording head 9. That is, the set position is a position where the cap member 13 directly corresponds to the nozzle of the recording head 9. The reference position is a position where the cap member 13 is retracted from the path of the recording head 9 in the main scanning line direction + x direction and −x direction.

  The guide groove 25 provided in the slider 12 is formed to have a size of about 1.2 floors of the positioning rod 22 of the cap member 13. As a result, wear when the positioning rod 22 abuts against the guide groove 25 can be reduced, and the movement of the cap member 13 in the + y direction and the −y direction can be prevented from being deteriorated by this wear. It can be done.

  Next, the configuration of the drive mechanism of the slider 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 to 8 described above. 6 to 8 are side views for explaining the configuration of the drive mechanism of the slider 12. 6 to 8 are side views of the slider 12 as viewed from the -x direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the slider 12 has a shaft 32 extending in the right direction (−x direction) below the side surface 31. The shaft 32 is inserted and supported in a guide groove 34 (see FIG. 9) as guide means formed vertically in the vertical direction (+ z direction and −z direction) on the side surface 33 (see FIG. 9) of the main body case C. It has become. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the shaft 32 has a length that does not come off the guide groove 34 when the slider 12 moves in the left-right direction (+ x direction and −x direction).

  In addition, two plate portions 36 and 37 formed in a plate shape are formed on the bottom portion 35 of the slider 12, and each of the plate portions 36 and 37 has a right direction (−x direction in FIG. 5). The sliding shafts 38 and 39 and the contact shafts U1 and U2 are formed to extend.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, a cam mechanism 40 as a drive mechanism is provided in the main body case C so as to be positioned below the slider 12. The cam mechanism 40 includes a shaft portion 41, a gear 42, and cam portions 43 and 44, and a gear 42 is fixed to the shaft portion 41 at the center thereof. Further, cam portions 43 and 44 are respectively fixed to both end portions of the shaft portion 41 centered on the gear 42. Accordingly, when the gear 42 is rotated by receiving a driving force, the cam portions 43 and 44 are also rotated in the same direction. In the cam mechanism 40, both end portions of the shaft portion 41 are respectively provided with a support hole 45 (see FIG. 9) provided in the side surface of the main body case C and a support hole (not shown) provided in the main body case C. It is inserted into and is supported rotatably. Thereby, the cam mechanism 40 can rotate around the shaft portion 41 as a rotation center. In the cam mechanism 40, as shown in FIG. 5, the slide shafts 38 and 39 of the plate portions 36 and 37 are inserted into the slide grooves 46 and 47 formed in the cam portions 43 and 44, respectively. Thus, the slider 12 can be attached. At this time, the contact shafts U1 and U2 are in sliding contact with the side surface 43a of the cam portion 43 and the side surface 44a of the cam portion 44, respectively.

  Therefore, when the cam mechanism 40 rotates around the shaft 41, the cams 43 and 44 rotate, so that the slide shafts 38 and 39 slide along the slide grooves 46 and 47. At this time, the contact shafts U1 and U2 are slidably contacted and supported by the side surfaces 43a and 44a of the cam portions 43 and 44, respectively. Accordingly, the relative distance between the shaft portion 41 and the contact shafts U <b> 1 and U <b> 2 moves away or approaches as the shaft portion 41 rotates. That is, since the shaft portion 41 of the cam mechanism 40 is supported by the main body case C as described above, the slider 12 moves to the main body case C while the shaft 32 is guided by the guide groove 34 of the main body case C. On the other hand, it moves in the vertical direction (+ z direction and -z direction).

  A driving force is transmitted to the gear 42 of the cam mechanism 40 from a driving motor (not shown) that can rotate forward and backward via a driving mechanism (not shown). Thereby, for example, the positional relationship between the sliding grooves 46 and 47 of the cam portions 43 and 44 and the sliding shafts 38 and 39 is as shown in FIG. 6 (the shaft portion 41 and the contact shafts U1 and U2 When the drive motor rotates forward, the gear 42 rotates in the direction of arrow 48 (clockwise) in response to the drive force from the drive motor. The sliding shafts 38 and 39 are guided while being slid in the sliding grooves 46 and 47, and are moved to the positions shown in FIG. At this time, the contact shafts U1 and U2 slide along the side surfaces 43a and 44a of the cam portions 43 and 44 and are supported. Thus, the relative distance between the shaft portion 41 and the contact shafts U1 and U2 is the relative distance d2.

  Further, the positional relationship between the sliding grooves 46 and 47 and the sliding shafts 38 and 39 is as shown in FIG. 6 (the relative distance between the shaft portion 41 and the contact shafts U1 and U2 is the relative distance d1). When the drive motor rotates in the reverse direction, the gear 42 rotates in the direction of arrow 49 (counterclockwise) in response to the drive force from the drive motor. The sliding shafts 38 and 39 are guided while being slid in the sliding grooves 46 and 47, and are moved to the positions shown in FIG. At this time, the contact shafts U1 and U2 slide along the side surfaces 43a and 44a of the cam portions 43 and 44 and are supported. Thus, the relative distance between the shaft portion 41 and the contact shafts U1 and U2 is a relative distance d3.

  The relative relationship between these relative distances d1, d2, and d3 is relative distance d1 <relative distance d2 <relative distance d3. The state shown in FIG. 6 (relative distance d1) is a standby state, the state shown in FIG. 7 is a flushing state (relative distance d2), and the state shown in FIG. 8 (relative distance d3) is a capping state. The drive motor rotates in the forward and reverse directions according to a control signal from a control circuit (not shown) provided in the printer 1 and further stops driving, whereby each of the standby state, the flushing state, and the capping state is detected. The state can be maintained.

  The wiper member W is in the main body case C when the slider 12 is in the standby state (the state shown in FIG. 6), and the slider 12 moves to the flushing state (the state shown in FIG. 7). At this time, it moves from the main body case C in response to this, and is positioned so that the recording head 9 can come into contact therewith.

  Next, the operation of the maintenance unit 11 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a side view for explaining the standby state of the slider 12. FIG. 10 is a side view for explaining the flushing state of the slider 12. FIG. 11 is a side view for explaining the capping state of the slider 12.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the maintenance unit 11, when the slider 12 is in the standby state (relative distance d1), the slider 12 is located at the reference position as shown in FIG.

  When the printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 performs a flushing operation in which ink is ejected from the nozzles of the recording head 9 to the cap member 13, the carriage 6 is moved to the non-printing area, and the recording head 9 is moved. The abutting portion 29 of the slider 12 is brought into contact. When the recording head 9 comes into contact with the contact portion 29, the slider 12 moves to the set position as shown in FIG. 4, and accordingly, the claw portion T moves in the forward direction (+ y direction) It contacts and supports the recording head 9. The cap member 13 can directly face the recording head 9.

  At this time, the printer 1 moves the slider 12 from the standby state to the flushing state when the recording head 9 is brought into contact with the contact portion 29 of the slider 12. Along with this, the wiper member W moves from within the main body case C and moves to a position where it can contact the recording head 9. Then, when the recording head 9 passes over the wiper member W so as to contact the contact portion 29 of the slider 12, the ink attached to the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 9 is wiped off. When the slider 12 moves to the flushing state, the driving motor stops and maintains the flushing state as shown in FIG. At this time, the cap member 13 faces the recording head 9 with the gap L1 opened. The printer 1 can perform maintenance of the nozzles of the recording head 9 by performing the flushing operation in this state.

  Further, when capping the recording head 9 from this state, the printer 1 moves the slider 12 from the flushing state to the standby state, and further to the capping state. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, the slider 12 moves further upward (+ z direction), so that the seal member S of the cap member 13 abuts against the recording head 9, capping its nozzle forming surface, Prevent ink drying in the nozzles.

  In addition, by driving the suction pump 14 with the cap member 13 capping the recording head 9, ink, bubbles, dust, or nozzle clogging as fluid in the recording head 9 through the cap member 13 is performed. So-called cleaning is performed. Here, the cleaning will be described through the description of the configuration of the cap member 13.

  12 and 13 are diagrams showing the configuration of the cap member 13. The cap member 13 includes a cap case 133. In addition, a dividing wall 135 is provided inside the cap case 133, and the inside of the cap case 133 is divided into two. The two compartments inside the cap case 133 are both open toward the recording head, and two cap openings 135a and 135b are formed. Further, a seal member S made of an elastic material such as an elastomer is formed in a portion of the cap case 133 and the dividing wall 135 facing the recording head 9. That is, the seal member S is provided for the periphery of each of the cap openings 135a and 135b. Accordingly, in the capping state, the seal member S of the cap member 13 contacts the nozzle forming surface 91 of the recording head 9, and the cap openings 135 a and 135 b surround the nozzle opening of the nozzle forming surface 91. In this capping state, the seal member S abuts on the nozzle forming surface 91 via an annular seal abutment SA provided at the periphery of the cap openings 135a and 135b. Thus, the cap member 13 corresponds to the “cap” of the present invention, and the seal contact portion SA corresponds to the “cap contact portion” of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 13, when the cap member 13 is in contact with the nozzle forming surface 91 of the recording head 9 (capping state), there are two gaps between the nozzle forming surface 91 and the inner wall 13in of the cap member 13. Cap internal spaces 131a and 131b are formed. In addition, although absorber 13a, 13b is mounted in each cap internal space 131a, 131b, description of absorber 13a, 13b is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.

  The waste ink tank 15 is connected to the bottom of the cap case 133 through two tubes 141a and 141b communicating with the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b inside the cap case 133, respectively. The waste ink tank 15 is partitioned into two waste ink reservoirs 15a and 15b. The waste ink reservoirs 15a and 15b are connected to the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b of the cap case 133, respectively. A suction pump 14 is disposed between the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b and the waste ink tank 15.

  The suction pump 14 (cap suction means) can suck the cap inner spaces 131a and 131b and generate negative pressure in the cap inner spaces 131a and 131b. Therefore, by operating the suction pump 14 in the capping state, so-called cleaning can be performed in which ink, bubbles, dust, nozzle clogging, or the like of the nozzle surrounded by the cap member 13 is sucked. In this manner, the black ink and the color ink sucked through the cap member 13 are sent to one of the two waste ink reservoirs of the waste ink tank 15 through one of the two tubes. The reaction ink is sent to the other of the two waste ink reservoirs of the waste ink tank 15 through the other of the two tubes.

  As described above, in the printer 1 (fluid ejecting apparatus), with the cap member 13 in contact with the recording head 9 (fluid ejecting head), the nozzle is sucked by the suction pump (cap sucking means), and the ink of the nozzle, Air bubbles, dust or clogged nozzles are sucked. Specifically, in a state where the seal contact portion SA of the cap member 13 is in contact with the nozzle forming surface 91 (nozzle opening plane) of the recording head 9, it is between the nozzle forming surface 91 and the inner wall 13 in of the cap member 13. By sucking the formed cap internal spaces 131a and 131b and generating a negative pressure in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b, the ink of the nozzles and the like are removed. Incidentally, the cap member 13 contacts the nozzle forming surface 91 of the recording head 9 via the seal contact portion SA at the periphery of the cap openings 135a and 135b. Therefore, in order to generate a negative pressure sufficient to remove ink or the like in the cap internal spaces 131 a and 131 b, the seal contact portion SA needs to be in close contact with the nozzle forming surface 91.

  However, when the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b are sucked, the structure in which the seal contact portion SA is merely brought into contact with the nozzle forming surface 91 is inadequate in the close contact with the recording head 9 of the seal contact portion SA. In some cases, a defect (for example, an adhesion failure such that the seal contact portion SA does not partially adhere to the nozzle forming surface 91) may occur. In some cases, sufficient negative pressure cannot be generated in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b due to such poor adhesion. As a result, there is a possibility that problems such as inability to sufficiently remove the ink etc. of the nozzles may be caused. Therefore, a technique that enables generation of sufficient negative pressure in the cap internal space by enhancing the adhesion of the cap contact portion to the inkjet head will be described in the following embodiments.

First Embodiment FIGS. 14 and 15 are diagrams showing a configuration of a maintenance unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 15 shows the configuration of the maintenance unit 11 in the capping state. In the first embodiment, as described below, the cam portions 43 and 44 are rotated in the direction of the arrow 48 (clockwise) around the shaft portion 41 from the capping state with respect to the nozzle forming surface 91. Then, the seal contact portion SA is slid.

  In the maintenance unit 11 of the first embodiment, the cap member 13 includes support bars 20 and 21 and a positioning bar 22, while the slider 12 corresponds to the support bars 20 and 21 and the positioning bar 22 and supports grooves 23 and 24 and a positioning bar. A groove 25 is formed. The support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide groove 25 insert and support the support bars 20 and 21 and the positioning bar 22, respectively. Accordingly, the cap member 13 moves relative to the slider 12 while being guided by the support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide groove 25 formed in the slider 12. As described above, the first embodiment and the above-described basic configuration are common in that the movement of the cap member is performed while being guided by the support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide groove 25. However, the cap member 13 in the basic configuration is guided only in the z direction (vertical direction), whereas the cap member 13 in the first embodiment is guided in the z direction (vertical direction) and the x direction (lateral direction). It is different in point.

  In the first embodiment, the shapes of the support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide groove 25 are similar to each other. The operations of the support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide groove 25 and the support bars 20 and 21 and the positioning bar 22 inserted and supported in the support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide groove 25 are the same as each other. Therefore, in the following description, mainly the operation of the guide groove 25 and the positioning rod 22 inserted and supported in the guide groove will be mainly explained, and the support grooves 23 and 24 and the support grooves 23 and 24 are inserted and supported. Description of the operation with the support rods 20 and 21 is omitted.

  16 and 17 are explanatory diagrams of the configuration and operation of the guide groove and the positioning rod. The guide groove 25 includes a vertical guide portion LG parallel to the z direction, and a horizontal guide portion TG connected to the vertical guide portion LG from the downstream side in the −z direction. The lateral guide portion TG extends in the z direction and at the same time in the x direction. More specifically, in the zx plane, the lateral guide portion edges TG1 and TG2 at both ends in the x direction of the lateral guide portion TG are inclined with respect to the z direction. Therefore, when the positioning rod 22 moves in the −z direction from the state of FIG. 16, the positioning rod 22 contacts the lateral guide portion edge TG1 of the guide groove 25 and is guided in the direction DR1 by the lateral guide portion edge TG1. . Here, the direction DR1 is parallel to the lateral guide portion edge TG1 and is a downward direction in FIG. On the other hand, when the positioning rod 22 moves in the + z direction from the state of FIG. 17, the positioning rod 22 contacts the lateral guide portion edge TG2 of the guide groove 25 and is guided in the direction DR2 by the lateral guide portion edge TG2. Here, the direction DR2 is parallel to the lateral guide portion edge TG2 and upward in FIG.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the maintenance unit in the first embodiment. The respective columns from “Step A1” to “Step A4” in the same figure indicate the states of “cam portions 43 and 44”, “positioning rods, etc.” and “cap member” in each step. The support rods 20 and 21 and the positioning rod 22 are collectively referred to as positioning rods and the like. Further, the support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide groove are collectively referred to as a guide groove or the like.

  Here, the process from the standby state shown in the column “Step A1” to the capping state shown in the column “Step A2” when the cam portions 43 and 44 rotate in the direction 49 (counterclockwise) is considered. . First, in the standby state, the relative distance between the contact shafts U1 and U2 and the shaft portion 41 is the relative distance d1. Further, the positioning rods 20, 21, 22 are in contact with the upper ends of the guide grooves 23, 24, 25 in the + z direction. The cap member 13 is separated from the nozzle forming surface 91.

  When the cam portions 43 and 44 start to rotate in the direction 49 (counterclockwise) from the standby state shown in the column “Step A1”, the relative distance between the contact shafts U1 and U2 and the shaft portion 41 increases. Therefore, the slider 12 moves in the + z direction as the cam portions 43 and 44 rotate. Further, the cap member 13 connected to the slider 12 from the downstream side in the + z direction via the spring member SP2 also moves in the + z direction as the slider 12 moves in the + z direction. Further, a nozzle forming surface 91 is disposed downstream of the cap member 13 in the + z direction. Therefore, during the rotation of the cam portions 43 and 44, the cap member 13 comes into contact with the nozzle forming surface 91 and stops moving in the + z direction. On the other hand, the slider 12 continues to move in the + z direction even after the cap member 13 contacts the nozzle forming surface 91. That is, the cap member 13 moves relative to the slider 12 as the cam portions 43 and 44 rotate after contacting the nozzle forming surface 91. As the cap member 13 moves relative to the slider 12, the spring member SP2 contracts.

  As described above, the movement of the cap member 13 relative to the slider 12 is executed while being guided by the support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide grooves of the guide grooves 25. Therefore, after the cap member 13 is brought into contact with the nozzle forming surface 91, the positioning rods 20, 21, 22 of the cap member 13 are guided by the longitudinal guide portions LG of the guide grooves 23, 24, 25, and the -z direction. Move to. During this time, the cap member 13 itself does not move while in contact with the nozzle forming surface 91. Then, the relative distance between the contact shafts U1, U2 and the shaft portion 41 becomes the relative distance d3, and the cap member 13 caps the nozzle opening of the nozzle forming surface 91 (step A2, cap contact process). At this time, the guide grooves 23, 24, and 25 are located at the −z direction end of the vertical guide portion LG, in other words, at the boundary between the vertical guide portion LG and the horizontal guide portion TG. In the capping state, the cap member 13 is urged against the nozzle forming surface 91 with a force corresponding to the amount of contraction of the spring member SP2 accompanying the movement of the cap member 13 relative to the slider 12.

  In the first embodiment, the sliding operation of sliding the seal abutting portion SA on the nozzle forming surface 91 in order to ensure the close contact of the seal abutting portion SA with the nozzle forming surface 91 in the capping state. Execute. Specifically, it is as follows.

  In the sliding operation, the cam portions 43 and 44 are further rotated in the direction 49 (counterclockwise) from the capping state shown in the “Step A2” column to the state shown in the “Step A3” column, The cam portions 43 and 44 are rotated in the direction 48 (clockwise) from the state shown in the column “A3” to the capping state shown in the column “step A4”.

  In the first embodiment, the side surfaces of the cam portions 43 and 44 increase in distance from the shaft portion 41 as they move toward the upstream side in the direction 49 from the contact position of the contact shafts U1 and U2 in the capping state. It is configured. Accordingly, when the cam portions 43 and 44 start to rotate in the direction 49 from the capping state, the relative distance between the contact shafts U1 and U2 and the shaft portion 41 increases. Therefore, the slider 12 moves in the + z direction as the cam portions 43 and 44 rotate. At this time, since the cap member 13 is in contact with the nozzle forming surface 91, the movement of the cap member 13 in the + z direction is restricted. As a result, the cap member 13 moves relative to the slider 12 while being guided by the support grooves 23 and 24 and the guide grooves of the guide groove 25. By the way, in the capping state, the positioning rods 20, 21, and 22 of the cap member 13 are located at the boundary between the vertical guide portion LG and the horizontal guide portion TG. Therefore, in the sliding operation, the positioning rods 20, 21, 22 of the cap member 13 are guided by the lateral guide portions TG of the guide grooves 23, 24, 25 and move in the −z direction.

  As described above, the positioning rods 20, 21, and 22 are guided by the lateral guide portion TG, and the cam portions 43 and 44 are moved until the relative distance between the contact shafts U1 and U2 and the shaft portion 41 becomes the relative distance d4. Rotate in direction 49. Accordingly, the positioning rods 20, 21, and 22 move from the capping state by Δz in the −z direction and by Δx in the −x direction with respect to the slider 12. Here, the relative distance d4 is larger than the relative distance d3. In response to the movement of the positioning rods 20, 21, 22 in the −x direction, the cap member 13 remains in contact with the nozzle formation surface 91 via the seal contact portion SA. It moves by Δ13 in the −x direction with respect to 91. That is, the seal contact portion SA is slid with respect to the nozzle forming surface 91. Since the cap member 13 is already in contact with the nozzle forming surface 91 in the capping state, the cap member 13 does not move in the + z direction during the sliding operation.

  In the sliding operation, the cam portions 43 and 44 are further rotated in the direction 48 (clockwise) from the state shown in the “step A3” column to the capping state shown in the “step A4” column. As a result, from the state shown in “Step A3”, the positioning rods 20, 21, and 22 move relative to the slider 12 by Δz in the + z direction and by Δx in the + x direction. Then, in response to the movement of the positioning rods 20, 21, 22 in the + x direction, the cap member 13 remains in contact with the nozzle formation surface 91 via the seal contact portion SA. Moves by Δ13 in the + x direction. That is, the seal contact portion SA is slid with respect to the nozzle forming surface 91. In the first embodiment, after the sliding operation (cap sliding process) in Step A3 and Step A4, the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b are sucked by the suction pump 14 and negatively applied to the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b. Pressure is generated (cap suction process).

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the slider 12, the positioning rods 20, 21, 22 inserted into the guide grooves 23, 24, 25 of the slider 12, and the cam mechanism 40 as a drive mechanism are included in the present invention. Functioning as “cap separating and contacting means” and “cap sliding means”.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, nozzle formation is performed by reciprocating the cap member 13 in the x direction parallel to the nozzle formation surface 91 in a state where the cap member 13 is in contact with the nozzle formation surface 91 of the recording head 9. The seal contact portion SA is slid with respect to the surface 91. That is, in the first embodiment, not only the seal contact portion SA of the cap member 13 is brought into contact with the nozzle forming surface 91 but also the seal contact portion SA is slid with respect to the nozzle forming surface 91. Therefore, in a state where the seal contact portion SA is only in contact with the nozzle formation surface 91, the adhesion of the seal contact portion SA to the nozzle formation surface 91 is not good and an adhesion failure occurs. Even in such a case, sliding the seal contact portion SA with respect to the nozzle forming surface 91 can alleviate the poor adhesion and improve the adhesion of the seal contact portion SA to the nozzle forming surface 91. It becomes possible. Therefore, it is possible to generate a sufficient negative pressure in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b, and it is possible to efficiently remove nozzle ink, bubbles, dust, nozzle clogging, and the like.

  Moreover, in 1st Embodiment, the suction pump 14 has started the suction | inhalation of cap internal space 131a, 131b after sliding operation | movement of the seal | sticker contact part SA, and is suitable. That is, before the sliding operation of the seal abutting portion SA is performed, poor adhesion of the cap member 13 has occurred. For example, a gap is partially formed between the seal abutting portion and the nozzle forming surface 91 of the recording head 9. May have occurred. Therefore, when the suction of the cap inner spaces 131a and 131b is started before the sliding operation is performed, air is mixed into the cap inner spaces 131a and 131b through the gap between the seal contact portion SA and the nozzle forming surface 91. And it may be difficult to generate a negative pressure in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b.

  Therefore, from the viewpoint of more reliably generating negative pressure, it is preferable to start suction of the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b after the sliding operation of the seal contact portion SA. In such a configuration, the sliding operation of the seal contact portion SA is already completed at the start of suction of the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b, and the occurrence of poor adhesion of the seal contact portion SA is suppressed. ing. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the situation in which air is mixed into the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b through the gap between the seal contact portion SA and the nozzle forming surface 91 as described above. Because.

  Further, as shown in steps A2 to A4 of FIG. 18, in the first embodiment, when the seal contact portion SA is slid with respect to the recording head 9, the cap member 13 is reciprocated. That is, in the reciprocating operation, the cap member 13 moves in a predetermined direction from the position at which sliding starts (sliding start position) and returns to the sliding start position again. Accordingly, the positional relationship between the recording head 9 and the seal contact portion SA is the same before and after sliding of the seal contact portion SA. Therefore, when designing a fluid ejecting apparatus such as the printer 1, it is not necessary to consider the difference in the positional relationship between the recording head 9 and the seal contact portion SA before and after the seal contact portion SA slides, and the design is facilitated. -Simplification is achieved and the above invention is suitable.

Second Embodiment FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a configuration for performing a suction operation in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 20 is a flowchart of operations executed in the second embodiment of the present invention. In the following description of the second embodiment, portions different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and common portions will be denoted by corresponding reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. In the second embodiment, valves BBa and BBb are provided between the cap member 13 and the suction pump 14. That is, the valve BBa is provided between the cap internal space 131a and the suction pump 14, and the valve BBb is provided between the cap internal space 131b and the suction pump 14. Furthermore, a pressure gauge PMa is provided between the valve BBa and the suction pump 14, and a pressure gauge PMb is provided between the valve BBb and the suction pump 14. That is, the pressure gauge PMa monitors the pressure in the cap internal space 131a when the valve BBa is open, and the pressure gauge PMb monitors the pressure in the cap internal space 131b when the valve BBb is open. Then, the suction operation control circuit 142 controls the suction pump 14, the valves BBa and BBb, and the pressure gauges PMa and PMb to execute the suction operation.

  The flow shown in FIG. 20 will be described. In step A11, the cap member 13 is brought into contact with the nozzle forming surface 91 of the recording head 9 via the seal contact portion SA. In step A12, a sliding operation is executed, and the seal contact portion SA is slid on the recording head 9. Such sliding operation is the same as the operation from step A2 to step A4 in FIG. In step A13, the suction pump 14 is started and the valves BBa and BBb are opened. As a result, the cap internal spaces 131 a and 131 b are sucked by the suction pump 14.

  In the second embodiment, as described above, the pressures in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b are monitored by the pressure gauges PMa and PMb. Then, when a predetermined time t1 has elapsed from the start of suction by the suction pump 14, it is determined whether or not a negative pressure Pth greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure is generated in each of the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b (step A14). That is, it is determined whether a pressure lower than the pressure obtained by subtracting the negative pressure Pth from the atmospheric pressure is generated in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b. If it is determined that either one of the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b does not generate a negative pressure higher than a predetermined value (when determined “NO” in step A14), the process proceeds to step A15 and slides again. Perform the action. Further, when negative pressure exceeding a predetermined value is generated in both of the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b, the suction operation is further continued for a predetermined time, and then the suction operation is terminated.

  Thus, in the second embodiment, in step A12, not only the seal contact portion SA of the cap member 13 is brought into contact with the nozzle forming surface 91, but also the seal contact portion SA is slid against the nozzle forming surface 91. Move. Therefore, in a state where the seal contact portion SA is only in contact with the nozzle formation surface 91, the adhesion of the seal contact portion SA to the nozzle formation surface 91 is not good and an adhesion failure occurs. Even in such a case, sliding the seal contact portion SA with respect to the nozzle forming surface 91 can alleviate the poor adhesion and improve the adhesion of the seal contact portion SA to the nozzle forming surface 91. It becomes possible. Therefore, it is possible to generate a sufficient negative pressure in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b, and it is possible to efficiently remove nozzle ink, bubbles, dust, nozzle clogging, and the like.

  Further, in the second embodiment, the pressures in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b are monitored by the pressure gauges PMa and PMb during the suction operation by the suction pump 14 (step A14). That is, the second embodiment is configured to detect whether or not sufficient negative pressure is generated in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b by providing the pressure gauges PMa and PMb. And when it is judged that the negative pressure more than predetermined has not generate | occur | produced, a sliding operation is performed again (step A15). Therefore, even if the contact failure of the seal contact portion SA is not sufficiently eliminated by a single sliding operation, the steps A14 and A15 are executed, so that the seal contact portion SA of the cap member 13 It is possible to more reliably suppress poor adhesion with the nozzle forming surface 91 of the recording head 9, which is preferable.

Third Embodiment FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a configuration for performing a suction operation in a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 22 is a flowchart of operations executed in the third embodiment of the present invention. In the following description of the third embodiment, portions different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and common portions will be denoted by corresponding reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. In the third embodiment, four cap members 13 (1) to 13 (4) are provided on the nozzle forming surface 91 of the recording head 9. In addition, the structure of each cap member 13 (1) -13 (4) has the structure similar to the cap member 13 mentioned above using FIG.

  Valves BBa (1) to BB (4) and BBb (1) to BB (4) are provided between the cap members 13 (1) to 13 (4) and the suction pump 14, respectively. That is, the valves BBa (1) to BBa (4) are provided between the cap internal space 131a and the suction pump 14 of each of the cap members 13 (1) to 13 (4), and the cap members 13 (1) to 13 ( 4) Valves BBb (1) to BBb (4) are provided between each cap internal space 131b and the suction pump 14. Further, a pressure gauge PMa is provided between the valves BBa (1) to BBa (4) and the suction pump 14, and a pressure gauge PMb is provided between the valves BBb (1) to BB (4) and the suction pump 14. Is provided. That is, in the state where the valve BBa (N) is opened, the pressure gauge PMa monitors the pressure in the cap internal space 131a of the cap member 13 (N), and in the state where the valve BBb (N) is opened, the pressure gauge PMb is The pressure in the cap internal space 131b of the cap member 13 (N) is monitored. The suction operation control circuit 142 controls the suction pump 14, the valves BBa (1) to (4), the valves BBb (1) to BBb (4), and the pressure gauges PMa and PMb.

  Here, each of the cap members 13 (1) to 13 (4) arranged in order from the left in FIG. 21 is referred to as a first cap member 13 (1) to a fourth cap member 13 (4). It was. Further, when referred to as the Nth cap member, it means the Nth cap member 13 (N) from the left in FIG. Further, the valves BBa (N) and BBb (N) corresponding to the Nth cap member 13 (N) are referred to as Nth valves BBa (N) and BBb (N).

  The flow shown in FIG. 22 will be described. In step A21, all the cap members 13 (1) to 13 (4) are brought into contact with the nozzle forming surface 91 of the recording head 9 via the respective seal contact portions SA. In step A22, a sliding operation is performed on each of the cap members 13 (1) to 13 (4), and the seal contact portions SA of the cap members 13 (1) to 13 (4) are the recording heads. 9 is slid. Such sliding operation is the same as the operation from step A2 to step A4 in FIG. Then, the suction pump 14 is started to be driven (step A23), and 1 is substituted for the value N (step A24). Then, the Nth valves BBa (N) and BBb (N) are opened (step A25). As a result, the cap internal spaces 131 a and 131 b of the Nth cap member 13 (N) are sucked by the suction pump 14.

  In the third embodiment, the pressures in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b of the Nth cap member 13 (N) are monitored by the pressure gauges PMa and PMb. Then, when a predetermined time t1 has elapsed from the start of suction by the suction pump 14, it is determined whether or not a negative pressure Pth greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure is generated in each of the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b of the Nth cap member 13 (N). (Step A26). That is, it is determined whether a pressure lower than the pressure obtained by subtracting the negative pressure Pth from the atmospheric pressure is generated in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b. If it is determined that either one of the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b does not generate a negative pressure higher than a predetermined value (when determined “NO” in step A26), the process proceeds to step A27, where the Nth The sliding operation is performed again on the cap member 13 (N). By executing steps A26 and A27 in this way, it is possible to suppress poor adhesion of the Nth cap member 13 (N).

  If “YES” is determined in the step A26, the process proceeds to a step A28 to determine whether or not all the valves BBa and BBb are opened. If all the valves BBa and BBb are not opened, the value N is incremented (step A29), and the process proceeds to step A25. That is, the operations in steps A25 to A28 are repeated until all the valves BBa and BBb are opened. Thereby, it becomes possible to suppress adhesion failure about all the cap members 13 (1) to 13 (4).

  Thus, in the third embodiment, in step A22, not only the seal contact portions SA of the cap members 13 (1) to (4) are brought into contact with the nozzle formation surface 91 but also with respect to the nozzle formation surface 91. The seal contact portion SA is slid. Accordingly, in the state where the seal contact portion SA is merely in contact with the nozzle formation surface 91 for the cap members 13 (1) to 13 (4), the adhesion of the seal contact portion SA to the nozzle formation surface 91 is low. Even if it is not good and poor adhesion occurs, the seal contact portion SA is slid with respect to the nozzle forming surface 91 to alleviate the poor contact and the nozzle of the seal contact portion SA. The adhesion to the forming surface 91 can be improved. Accordingly, it is possible to generate a sufficient negative pressure in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b of the cap members 13 (1) to 13 (4), and nozzle ink, bubbles, dust, nozzle clogging, and the like. Can be efficiently removed.

  Further, in the third embodiment, the pressures in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b are monitored by the pressure gauges PMa and PMb during the suction operation by the suction pump 14 (step A26). That is, the third embodiment is configured to detect whether or not sufficient negative pressure is generated in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b by providing the pressure gauges PMa and PMb. And when it is judged that the negative pressure more than predetermined has not generate | occur | produced, a sliding operation is performed again (step A27). Therefore, even if a sufficient negative pressure is not generated by a single sliding operation, the seal contact portions SA of the cap members 13 (1) to 13 (4) and the seal contact portions SA can be obtained by executing steps A26 and A27. It is possible to more reliably suppress poor adhesion with the nozzle forming surface 91 of the recording head 9, which is preferable.

Others The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the sliding operation of the seal abutting portion SA on the nozzle forming surface 91 is performed by reciprocating the cap member 13 in a direction parallel to the nozzle forming surface 91. However, the execution mode of the sliding operation is not limited to this. For example, in the state where the cap member 13 seal contact portion SA is in contact with the nozzle formation surface 91, the cap is centered on the rotation axis perpendicular to the nozzle formation surface 91. A sliding operation may be performed by rotating the member 13. That is, by causing the seal contact portion SA of the cap member 13 to slide on the nozzle forming surface 91, the occurrence of poor adhesion of the seal contact portion SA can be suppressed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the sliding operation of the seal contact portion SA on the nozzle forming surface 91 is performed by reciprocating the cap member 13 in a direction parallel to the nozzle forming surface 91. At this time, the reciprocating movement may be executed a plurality of times. This is because it is possible to improve the adhesion of the seal contact portion SA to the recording head 9 more effectively by performing the reciprocating movement of the cap member 13 a plurality of times.

  Furthermore, the application target of the present invention is not limited to the printer 1 but can be applied to a fluid ejecting apparatus such as a display manufacturing apparatus, an electrode manufacturing apparatus, a chip manufacturing apparatus, and a micropipette. In other words, the present invention can be applied to all apparatuses that perform the cleaning of the nozzles by bringing the cap member 13 into close contact with the recording head 9 and generating negative pressure in the cap internal spaces 131a and 131b.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an outline of a printer as a fluid ejecting apparatus. The perspective view showing the outline of a maintenance unit. The top view for demonstrating the structure of a maintenance unit. The top view for demonstrating the structure of a maintenance unit. The perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the drive mechanism of a slider. The side view for demonstrating the structure of the drive mechanism of a slider. The side view for demonstrating the structure of the drive mechanism of a slider. The side view for demonstrating the structure of the drive mechanism of a slider. The side view for demonstrating the standby state of a slider. The side view for demonstrating the flushing state of a slider. The side view for demonstrating the capping state of a slider. The figure which shows the structure of a cap member. The figure which shows the structure of a cap member. The figure which shows the structure of the maintenance unit in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the maintenance unit in 1st Embodiment. Explanatory drawing of a structure and operation | movement of a guide groove and a positioning rod. Explanatory drawing of a structure and operation | movement of a guide groove and a positioning rod. The figure which shows operation | movement of the maintenance unit in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the structure which performs suction operation in 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart of the operation | movement performed by 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the structure which performs suction | inhalation operation | movement in 3rd Embodiment. The flowchart of the operation | movement performed in 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer (fluid ejecting apparatus), 9 ... Recording head (fluid ejecting head), 91 ... Nozzle formation surface (nozzle opening plane), 12 ... Slider (cap separation contact means, cap sliding means), 13 ... Cap member (Cap), 135a, 135b ... cap opening, 14 ... suction pump (cap suction means), 20,21 ... support bar (cap separation / contact means, cap sliding means), 22 ... positioning rod (cap separation / contact means) , Cap sliding means), 23, 24 ... support groove, 25 ... guide groove, 40 ... cam mechanism (cap separation contact means, cap sliding means), SA ... seal contact part (cap contact part)

Claims (5)

A fluid ejection head that ejects fluid from a nozzle opening of the nozzle;
A cap opening that opens toward the fluid ejecting head; and an annular cap abutting portion provided at a peripheral edge of the cap opening. The cap abutting portion is separated from the fluid ejecting head and the fluid ejecting head includes the cap abutting portion. A cap that is provided so as to be freely contactable via the cap, and the cap opening surrounds the nozzle opening by contact of the cap contact portion with the fluid ejecting head;
Cap separating and contacting means for moving the cap to separate and contact the cap with respect to the fluid ejecting head;
Cap sliding means for sliding the cap abutting portion relative to the fluid ejecting head in a state where the cap is in contact with the fluid ejecting head;
A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: a cap suction unit configured to suck a cap internal space formed between the fluid ejecting head and an inner wall of the cap in a state where the cap is in contact with the fluid ejecting head. apparatus.   The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cap suction unit starts suction of the inner space of the cap after the sliding operation of the cap contact portion by the cap sliding unit. The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fluid ejecting head has a nozzle opening plane, and the nozzle opening opens at the nozzle opening plane.
With the cap in contact with the fluid ejecting head, the cap contact portion contacts the nozzle opening plane,
The cap sliding means is a fluid ejecting apparatus that causes the cap abutting portion to slide relative to the fluid ejecting head by reciprocating the cap in a direction parallel to the nozzle opening plane.   The fluid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cap sliding means performs the reciprocating movement of the cap a plurality of times. A fluid comprising: a fluid ejecting head that ejects fluid from a nozzle opening of a nozzle; a cap having a cap opening that opens toward the fluid ejecting head; and an annular cap abutting portion provided at a peripheral edge of the cap opening. A control method for an injection device,
A cap contact step of bringing the cap contact portion of the cap into contact with the fluid ejecting head and surrounding the nozzle opening with the cap opening;
A cap sliding step of sliding the cap abutting portion with respect to the fluid ejecting head in a state where the cap is in contact with the fluid ejecting head;
A fluid ejection comprising: a cap suction step for sucking a cap internal space formed between the fluid ejection head and an inner wall of the cap in a state where the cap is in contact with the fluid ejection head. Control method of the device.

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