JP2012086368A - Wiping method, wiping control device and liquid injection device - Google Patents

Abstract

A wiping method, a wiping control device, and a liquid ejecting apparatus capable of suppressing a wiping error of a nozzle forming surface of a liquid ejecting head by a wiping member and deterioration of the wiping member are provided.
In a recording head 22 having a nozzle forming surface 22a in which a plurality of nozzle rows 25B, 25Y, 25M, and 25C composed of a plurality of nozzle openings 24a for ejecting ink are provided, the nozzle rows in the plurality of nozzle rows intersect. It is determined which of the first nozzle row group and the second nozzle row group divided into one side and the other side of the direction is subjected to selective cleaning for discharging ink from the nozzle openings in the nozzle row group. The wiper in the direction intersecting the nozzle row so that the wiper 51 starts wiping the nozzle forming surface of the recording head from the side where the nozzle row group including the nozzle row on which the selective cleaning has been performed based on the determination result is located. And a CPU for controlling relative movement between the recording head and the recording head.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

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

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, ink jet printers are widely known as a type of liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a recording medium. This printer performs recording on a recording medium by ejecting ink (liquid) from nozzles formed in a liquid ejecting head. In such a printer, a maintenance device for maintaining the liquid ejecting head is provided in order to reduce ink ejection failure due to nozzle clogging or the like (for example, Patent Document 1).

  The maintenance device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a cap that comes into contact with a nozzle forming surface on which a nozzle opening of a liquid jet head is formed so as to surround the nozzle opening, and a suction that sucks the inside of the cap that comes into contact with the nozzle forming surface. A pump. Then, by suctioning the inside of the cap with a suction pump, so-called cleaning is performed in which a negative pressure is applied to the nozzle and bubbles and thickened ink are sucked into the cap from the nozzle and discharged.

  In addition, the maintenance device can wipe the nozzle formation surface (so-called wiping) by slidingly contacting the nozzle formation surface of the liquid jet head reciprocating in the horizontal direction (direction parallel to the nozzle formation surface). Two wipers (wiping members) are provided. Then, when wiping of the nozzle forming surface is necessary, such as after cleaning, the nozzle forming surface is wiped with the wiper while properly using two wipers depending on the moving direction (forward direction or backward direction) of the liquid jet head at that time. Thus, unnecessary ink adhering to the nozzle forming surface is removed or the meniscus of the nozzle is adjusted.

JP 2000-190512 A

  By the way, in the liquid ejecting apparatus of Patent Document 1, the wiping direction of the wiper with respect to the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head (that is, the traveling direction with respect to the nozzle forming surface of the wiper used at the time of wiping) is only one direction for each wiper. ing. For this reason, cleaning (so-called selective cleaning) is performed in which ink is selectively discharged from some of the plurality of nozzle rows formed at intervals in the wiping direction on the nozzle formation surface of the liquid ejecting head. In such cases, the following problems arise.

  That is, when performing wiping from one side of the direction intersecting the nozzle row to the other side, if cleaning is not performed in the one side nozzle row located on one side of the wiping direction among all the nozzle rows, When the wiping is started, the wiping is performed in the state where no ink is attached to the nozzle forming surface of the nozzle row on one side. As described above, when wiping (so-called empty wiping) is performed in a state where ink is not attached to the nozzle formation surface by the wiper, a wiping mistake such as destruction of the meniscus of the nozzle occurs or the wiper deteriorates. There was a risk of causing a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wiping method and a wiping control device that can suppress wiping mistakes on the nozzle formation surface of the liquid jet head and deterioration of the wiping member due to the wiping member. And a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the wiping method of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head having a nozzle forming surface in which a plurality of nozzle arrays each including a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid are provided, and the plurality of nozzle arrays. Selective cleaning for discharging the liquid from the nozzle openings in one of the first nozzle row group and the second nozzle row group divided into one side and the other side in the direction intersecting the nozzle row A wiping method in a liquid ejecting apparatus including a cleaning unit that performs wiping while wiping the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head in a direction intersecting with the nozzle row, and performing the selective cleaning. A cleaning step, and the selective cleaning in the cleaning step includes the first nozzle row group and A determination step for determining which of the second nozzle row groups has been executed, and the nozzle formation from the side where the nozzle row group for which the selective cleaning has been executed in the determination step is located. A moving step of relatively moving the wiping member and the liquid jet head in a direction intersecting the nozzle row so as to start wiping the surface.

  According to this configuration, since the liquid adheres to the vicinity of the nozzle openings of the nozzle row group including the nozzle row on which the selective cleaning has been performed, the wiping member is moved from the nozzle row group side to the liquid ejecting head. The wiping member can be wetted at the wiping start stage by moving the wiping member relative to each other in the direction intersecting with. Therefore, for the nozzle formation surface on which a plurality of nozzle rows are formed, the area of the nozzle row group on the side where the selective cleaning is not performed and the vicinity of the nozzle openings is dry is wiped with the wiping member wet. be able to. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress wiping mistakes on the nozzle forming surface of the liquid jet head due to the wiping member and deterioration of the wiping member.

  In the present specification, the “first nozzle row group” includes the nozzle row located on the most one side in the direction intersecting the nozzle row among the plurality of nozzle rows and the nozzle row located on the most other side. There may be a case where the nozzle row group is composed of at least one nozzle row that does not include the nozzle row and is composed of one nozzle row located on the most side. On the other hand, the “second nozzle row group” includes at least one nozzle row located on the other side other than the nozzle rows included in the first nozzle row group in the direction intersecting the nozzle row among the plurality of nozzle rows. There may be a case where the nozzle row group consists of one nozzle row located on the other side.

  In the wiping method according to the aspect of the invention, the cleaning unit may include the nozzle openings of the nozzle rows included in the first nozzle row group and the nozzle openings of the nozzle rows included in the second nozzle row group in the liquid ejecting head. And a cap capable of partitioning a sealed space between the nozzle forming surface by contacting the liquid jet head so as to separately enclose and a suction means for generating a negative pressure in the sealed space, In the cleaning step, suction cleaning is performed in which the liquid is sucked and discharged from the nozzle opening by the suction means sucking the sealed space.

  According to this configuration, the liquid can be reliably attached to the vicinity of the nozzle openings of the nozzle row group that has been subjected to suction cleaning, so that the wiping member can be reliably wetted at the wiping start stage.

  In the wiping method according to the aspect of the invention, the wiping member is provided in the same number as the number of the liquid ejecting heads individually corresponding to the liquid ejecting heads, and the wiping member individually corresponds in the moving step. The liquid ejecting head is relatively movable in both the forward direction and the backward direction in a direction crossing the nozzle row.

  According to this configuration, the wiping member can be moved relative to the liquid ejecting head from the nozzle row group side on which the selective cleaning is performed without increasing the number of parts of the liquid ejecting apparatus. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the wiping mistake of the nozzle forming surface of the liquid jet head by the wiping member and the deterioration of the wiping member while suppressing the enlargement of the apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a wiping control device according to the present invention includes a plurality of nozzle rows in a liquid ejecting head having a nozzle forming surface provided with a plurality of nozzle rows each comprising a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid. The liquid is discharged from the nozzle openings in the nozzle row group on either side of the first nozzle row group and the second nozzle row group divided into one side and the other side in the direction intersecting with the nozzle row in FIG. The nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head from the side where the determination unit that determines whether the selective cleaning has been performed and the nozzle row group that includes the nozzle row that has been subjected to the selective cleaning based on the determination result of the determination unit is located Relative movement of the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head in a direction intersecting the nozzle row so that the wiping member starts wiping Comprising a movement control means for controlling, the.

  According to this configuration, the wiping of the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head by the wiping member is started from the nozzle row group side where the liquid has adhered to the vicinity of the nozzle opening after the selective cleaning is executed. Therefore, for the nozzle formation surface on which a plurality of nozzle rows are formed, the area of the nozzle row group on the side where the selective cleaning is not performed and the vicinity of the nozzle openings is dry is wiped with the wiping member wet. be able to. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress wiping mistakes on the nozzle forming surface of the liquid jet head due to the wiping member and deterioration of the wiping member.

  Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head having a nozzle forming surface in which a plurality of nozzle arrays each including a plurality of nozzle openings that eject liquid are provided, and the plurality of nozzles The liquid is discharged from the nozzle opening in one of the first nozzle row group and the second nozzle row group divided into one side and the other side in a direction intersecting the nozzle row in the row. A cleaning means for performing selective cleaning, a wiping member for wiping the nozzle forming surface by sliding and sliding relative to the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head in a direction intersecting the nozzle row, and the configuration Wiping control device.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to obtain the same operational effects as in the case of the wiping control device in the liquid ejecting apparatus.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a printer according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the recording head as viewed from below. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a main part of an electrical configuration of the printer. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a maintenance unit in a state where a recording head is located at a first position. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit in which the cleaning apparatus is performing the selective cleaning operation | movement of the 1st nozzle row group. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit in the state in which the wiping apparatus was located in the wiping position. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit in which the wiping apparatus is performing wiping operation | movement. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit in which the cleaning apparatus is performing the selective cleaning of the 2nd nozzle row group. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a maintenance unit in which a recording head is located at a second position. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit in the state in which the wiping apparatus was located in the wiping position. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit in which the wiping apparatus is performing wiping operation | movement.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in an ink jet printer (hereinafter also referred to as “printer”) which is a kind of liquid ejecting apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11. In the following description, when referring to “front-rear direction”, “up-down direction” and “left-right direction”, unless otherwise specified, “front-rear direction”, “up-down direction” and “left-right direction” indicated by arrows in each figure Direction ". In this case, the “front-rear direction” is a direction from the rear side to the front side corresponding to the conveyance direction of the recording medium, “vertical direction” is the vertical direction, and “left-right direction” is the conveyance direction of the recording medium. Corresponds to the crossing direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 11 is an ink jet serial type printer, and includes a frame 12 having a substantially rectangular box shape. A support member 13 that supports a recording sheet P, which is an example of a recording medium, at the time of recording is extended along the main scanning direction X (left and right direction in FIG. 1) in the lower part of the frame 12. On the support member 13, the paper P is fed from the rear side to the front side based on the driving of a feeding device 15 that uses a paper feeding motor 14 provided at the lower rear surface of the frame 12 as a driving source. Further, a bar-shaped guide shaft 16 parallel to the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the support member 13 is provided above the support member 13 in the frame 12. A carriage 17 is supported on the guide shaft 16 so as to be capable of reciprocating in the axial direction (the left-right direction and the main scanning direction X).

  A driving pulley 18 and a driven pulley 19 are rotatably supported at positions corresponding to both end portions of the guide shaft 16 on the inner surface of the rear wall of the frame 12. An output shaft of a carriage motor (hereinafter also referred to as “CR motor”) 20 serving as a drive source when the carriage 17 is reciprocated is connected to the drive pulley 18, and between the pair of pulleys 18 and 19. An endless timing belt 21 partially connected to the carriage 17 is hung. Therefore, the carriage 17 is movable in the main scanning direction X (left-right direction) via the endless timing belt 21 by the driving force of the CR motor 20 while being guided by the guide shaft 16.

  A recording head 22 that is an example of a liquid ejecting head is provided on the lower surface side of the carriage 17, while a plurality of inks that store an example of liquid that is supplied to the recording head 22 are stored on the carriage 17 (this embodiment). In the embodiment, four ink cartridges 23 are detachably mounted. The recording head 22 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 24 for ejecting ink droplets of each color (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of nozzles 24 (this embodiment) extend in the sub-scanning direction Y (front-rear direction in FIG. 2) by nozzle openings 24a of the plurality of nozzles 24 on the nozzle forming surface 22a on the lower surface side of the recording head 22. In this case, four nozzle rows 25B, 25C, 25M, and 25Y are formed. That is, on the nozzle forming surface 22a, a plurality (four in this embodiment) of nozzle rows 25B, 25Y, 25M, and 25C extending along the sub-scanning direction Y are constant in the main scanning direction X (left-right direction in FIG. 2). Are formed at intervals of.

  The ink in the ink cartridge 23 is supplied from the ink cartridge 23 to the recording head 22 by driving a piezoelectric element (not shown) provided in the recording head 22. In addition, recording is performed by ejecting ink droplets onto the recording paper P supplied onto the support member 13 from a plurality of nozzle openings 24a formed on the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22. It has become.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a home position area HP where the recording paper P is not conveyed is formed on the right side of the recording area where the recording paper P is conveyed within the frame 12. In the home position area HP, a maintenance unit 26 for performing various maintenance such as cleaning of the recording head 22 is provided.

Next, the maintenance unit 26 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the maintenance unit 26 includes a cleaning device 27 that is an example of a cleaning unit that cleans the recording head 22, a wiping device 28 for wiping the nozzle forming surface 22a, and a control device 29 (FIG. 3). Reference). The cleaning device 27 is used for capping to prevent the nozzle 24 from drying, and when performing suction cleaning for discharging air bubbles and thickened ink by sucking the ink in the ink cartridge 23 from the nozzle 24. Used for. On the other hand, the wiping device 28 is used when wiping is performed for wiping the nozzle forming surface 22 a to remove deposits such as paper dust and ink, and for adjusting the meniscus of the nozzle 24.

First, the cleaning device 27 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning device 27 includes a cap member 31 having a bottomed square box shape, a first lifting mechanism 32 that can lift and lower the cap member, and a suction pump 33 that is an example of a suction unit. ing. The cap member 31 has a bottomed square box shape having a bottomed square box shape having a first cap chamber 34 a inside, and a second cap chamber 35 a wider than the first cap 34 inside. The second cap 35 is integrally formed. The first cap 34 is disposed on the left side of the second cap 35, and the upper surfaces of the first cap 34 and the second cap 35 are flush with each other.

  On the lower surface of the first cap 34, a first discharge portion 36 having a first discharge passage 36a inside is protruded downward. A base end side (upstream side) of a first discharge tube 37 made of a flexible material is connected to the first discharge portion 36, and a tip end side (downstream side) of the first discharge tube 37 is a flow path switching. Connected to valve 38. On the other hand, on the lower surface of the second cap 35, a second discharge portion 39 having a second discharge passage 39a inside is protruded downward. A base end side (upstream side) of a second discharge tube 40 made of a flexible material is connected to the second discharge portion 39, and a distal end side (downstream side) of the second discharge tube 40 is a flow path. It is connected to the switching valve 38.

  A base end side (upstream side) of a third discharge tube 41 made of a flexible material is connected to the flow path switching valve 38, and a distal end side (downstream side) of the third discharge tube 41 is discharged ink. It is inserted into a waste ink collecting container 42 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape for collecting the ink. In the waste ink collecting container 42, an ink absorbing material (not shown) for absorbing and holding the discharged ink is disposed.

  A suction pump 33 is disposed at an intermediate position (intermediate portion) of the third discharge tube 41. When the suction pump 33 is driven in the forward direction, the inside of the third discharge tube 41 is sucked by the suction pump 33 from the flow path switching valve 38 side (upstream side) toward the waste ink collection container 42 side (downstream side). . Further, when the suction pump 33 is driven in the reverse direction, the suction state in the third discharge tube 41 is canceled.

  The flow path switching valve 38 has a first state in which the inside of the third discharge tube 41 and the inside of the first discharge tube 37 communicate with each other, and a second state in which the inside of the third discharge tube 41 and the inside of the second discharge tube 40 communicate with each other. In addition, the switching operation is performed between the three states of the third discharge tube 41 and the third state in which the first discharge tube 37 and the second discharge tube 40 communicate with each other.

  The cap member 31 is brought into contact with the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 as the cap member 31 moves up and down based on the drive of the motor 32a (see FIG. 3) in the first lifting mechanism 32. It can be displaced in the direction of separation. When the motor 32 a of the first lifting mechanism 32 is driven in the forward direction, the cap member 31 is lifted to a contact position where the upper surface of the cap member 31 contacts the nozzle forming surface 22 a of the recording head 22. It has become. At this time, the first cap 34 surrounds the nozzle row 25B of the recording head 22, and the second cap 35 surrounds the nozzle row 25Y, the nozzle row 25M, and the nozzle row 25C of the recording head 22.

  That is, each of the nozzle rows 25B, 25Y, 25M, and 25C corresponds to the first cap 34 in a direction orthogonal to (crossing) the nozzle row by the cap member 31 (the horizontal direction that is the main scanning direction X in the present embodiment). One nozzle row group (nozzle row 25b) and a second nozzle row group (each nozzle row 25Y, 25M, 25C) corresponding to the second cap 35 are divided. In other words, the first nozzle row group includes the nozzle row 25B located on the most one side (the left side in the present embodiment) in the direction intersecting the nozzle row among the nozzle rows 25B, 25Y, 25M, and 25C. The nozzle row 25C located on the most other side (right side in the present embodiment) includes at least one nozzle row not included. On the other hand, the second nozzle row group is a nozzle row included in the first nozzle row group in the direction intersecting the nozzle row among the nozzle rows 25B, 25Y, 25M, and 25C (in this embodiment, the nozzle row 25B). And at least one nozzle row (in this embodiment, nozzle rows 25Y, 25M, and 25C) located on the other side (right side in this embodiment).

  The pump motor 33a (see FIG. 3) of the suction pump 33 is in the forward direction with the upper surface of the cap member 31 in contact with the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 and the flow path switching valve 38 is switched to the first state. Is driven, a negative pressure is generated in the first cap chamber 34 a via the first discharge tube 37. Thereby, suction cleaning is performed in which ink is discharged from the nozzle openings 24a of the first nozzle row group (nozzle row 25B). On the other hand, when the pump motor 33a of the suction pump 33 is driven in the forward direction with the upper surface of the cap member 31 in contact with the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 and the flow path switching valve 38 is switched to the second state, A negative pressure is generated in the second cap chamber 35 a through the second discharge tube 40. Thereby, suction cleaning is performed in which ink is discharged from each nozzle opening 24a of the second nozzle row group (each nozzle row 25Y, 25M, 25C). As described above, in the cleaning device 27, ink is discharged from the nozzle openings 24 a in either one of the first nozzle row group corresponding to the first cap 34 and the second nozzle row group corresponding to the second cap 35. Selective cleaning is performed.

  Further, when the pump motor 33a of the suction pump 33 is driven in the forward direction with the upper surface of the cap member 31 in contact with the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 and the flow path switching valve 38 is switched to the third state, A negative pressure is generated in the first cap chamber 34a and the second cap chamber 35a through the first discharge tube 37 and the second discharge tube 40. Thereby, suction cleaning (simultaneous cleaning) is performed in which ink is discharged from the nozzle openings 24a of all the nozzle rows 25B, 25Y, 25M, and 25C. When the pump motor 33a of the suction pump 33 is driven in the reverse direction, the negative pressure in the first cap chamber 34a and the second cap chamber 35a is eliminated. Thereafter, when the motor 32a of the first elevating mechanism 32 is driven in the reverse direction, the cap member 31 is lowered to a separated position separated from the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22.

Next, the wiping device 28 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the wiping device 28 includes a wiper 51 which is an example of a wiping member formed in a strip shape by an elastic member (for example, natural rubber or synthetic rubber), and a second that can move the wiper 51 up and down. Elevating mechanism 52 is provided. The wiper 51 is disposed at a position close to the cap member 31 of the cleaning device 27 in the main scanning direction X of the carriage 17 (on the left side in FIG. 4), and is erected vertically with respect to the upper surface of the wiper holder 53. ing. The wiper 51 is designed such that the width dimension in the direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction X of the carriage 17 (the front-rear direction in FIG. 4) is larger than the width dimension of the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 in the same direction. Further, the wipers 51 individually correspond to the recording heads 22 and are provided in the same number as the number of the recording heads 22 (one in this embodiment).

  Further, the wiper 51 is integrated with the wiper holder 53 by moving the wiper holder 53 up and down based on the drive of the motor 52a (see FIG. 3) in the second lifting mechanism 52, so that the nozzles of the recording head 22 are integrated. It can be displaced in the direction of contact with and away from the formation surface 22a. When the motor 52a of the second elevating mechanism 52 is driven in the forward direction, the wiper holder 53 rises to the wiping position where the tip 51a of the wiper 51 is positioned above the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22. It is like that. When the CR motor 20 is driven in a state where the wiper 51 is located at the wiping position, the leading end 51a of the wiper 51 is in the process of reciprocating the carriage 17 along the main scanning direction X (left and right direction in FIG. 4). Slidably contacts the nozzle forming surface 22a. Accordingly, wiping is performed in which the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 is wiped and cleaned by the wiper 51. Thereafter, when the motor 52a of the second elevating mechanism 52 is driven in the reverse direction, the wiper 51 is integrated with the wiper holder 53 and descends to a standby position separated from the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 22. .

Next, the electrical configuration of the printer 11 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 29 includes a CPU 61, a ROM 62, a RAM 63, and a nonvolatile memory 64. The ROM 62 stores a control program executed by the CPU 61 and the like. The RAM 63 temporarily stores calculation results of the CPU 61 and various data to be processed by executing the control program. The rewritable nonvolatile memory 64 stores a printer operation history and the like.

  The control device 29 further includes motor drive circuits 65 to 68, which are connected to the CPU 61, ROM 62, RAM 63, and nonvolatile memory 64 via the bus 71.

  Specifically, the CPU 61 drives and controls the CR motor 20 for reciprocating the carriage 17 in the main scanning direction via the motor driving circuit 65. The CPU 61 drives and controls a pump motor 33 a for driving the suction pump 33 of the cleaning device 27 via the motor drive circuit 66, and a first for raising and lowering the cap member 31 via the motor drive circuit 67. The motor 32a of the lifting mechanism 32 is driven and controlled. Further, the CPU 61 drives and controls the motor 52 a of the second lifting mechanism 52 for lifting and lowering the wiper 51 of the wiping device 28 via the motor driving circuit 68.

  Next, the operation of the printer 11 configured as described above will be described, particularly focusing on the operation when the control device 29 comprehensively controls the maintenance operation for the recording head 22. As shown in FIG. 4, before the maintenance operation is performed, the cap member 31 of the cleaning device 27 in the maintenance unit 26 is located at the separated position, and the wiper 51 of the wiping device 28 is located at the standby position. ing.

  In the printer 11, when the ink cartridge 23 is replaced, bubbles are mixed into the nozzle 24, or dots are dropped due to bubbles mixed into the nozzle 24 from the nozzle opening 24 a. In order to suppress a decrease in recording quality due to such missing dots, the printer 11 performs a maintenance operation using the maintenance unit 26. In order to suppress the amount of ink consumed during such a maintenance operation, the printer 11 performs selective cleaning for discharging ink only from the nozzle rows that require maintenance.

First, a case where selective cleaning is executed in the first nozzle row group (nozzle row 25B) will be described.
When the user selects selection cleaning of the first nozzle row group (nozzle row 25B) in the recording head 22 by an operation unit (not shown), the printer 11 receives information on the selection result from the operation unit. Entered. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, first, as a cleaning process, the control device 29 drives the CR motor to move the carriage 17 located in the recording area in the main scanning direction X toward the home position area HP. Then, the control device 29 stops the movement of the carriage 17 when the recording head 22 mounted on the carriage 17 reaches the first position facing the cap member 31 of the cleaning device 27 in the vertical direction.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the control device 29 drives the first elevating mechanism 32 to raise the cap member 31 to the contact position, thereby forming the opening edge of the cap member 31 in the nozzles of the recording head 22. The first cap chamber 34a is sealed in close contact with the surface 22a. Subsequently, the control device 29 switches the flow path switching valve 38 so as to be in the first state, and drives the suction pump 33 to discharge air from the first cap chamber 34a and thereby perform the first operation. The inside of the cap chamber 34a is depressurized. When the inside of the first cap chamber 34a is depressurized, bubbles, thickened ink, and the like are discharged together with ink from the nozzle row 25B (first nozzle row group). At this time, since the ink discharged from the nozzle row 25B (first nozzle row group) is filled in the first cap chamber 34a, the ink is formed near the nozzle openings 24a of the nozzle row 25B on the nozzle forming surface 22a. (See FIG. 6). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, the control device 29 drives the first elevating mechanism 32 to lower the cap member 31 to the separation position. At this time, the ink remaining in the first cap chamber 34a is sucked idle.

  Next, as a determination step, the control device 29 determines that suction cleaning has been performed in the nozzle row 25B (first nozzle row group). That is, the CPU 61 in the control device 29 discharges ink from the nozzle opening (in this case, the nozzle opening of the nozzle row 25B) 24a of one of the first nozzle row group and the second nozzle row group. It is determined which side of the nozzle row is subjected to the selective cleaning. In this regard, the CPU 61 of the control device 29 functions as a determination unit that determines the nozzle row group for which the selective cleaning has been performed.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6, as a moving process, the control device 29 maintains the recording head 22 at the first position. Subsequently, the control device 29 drives the second elevating mechanism 52 to raise the wiper holder 53 of the wiping device 28 vertically upward, so that the tip 51a of the wiper 51 slides on the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head. The wiper 51 is positioned at the sliding contact position so as to come into contact. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the control device 29 drives the CR motor 20 to move the carriage 17 positioned in the home position area HP toward the recording area in the main scanning direction X, so that the recording head 22 is moved from the first position in the direction indicated by the solid arrow A. Then, the wiper 51 performs wiping with respect to the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 by the sliding contact of the tip 51a with the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 with elastic deformation.

  At this time, the vicinity of the nozzle openings of the nozzle row 25Y, the nozzle row 25M, and the nozzle row 25C where the suction cleaning has not been performed on the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 is dry because no ink is attached thereto. However, in this case, the wiper 51 starts wiping from the nozzle row 25B side to which the ink has adhered. That is, the wiper 51 first wipes the nozzle row 25B, then the nozzle row 25Y, then the nozzle row 25M, and finally the nozzle row 25C so as to cross the nozzle openings of all the nozzle rows one after another. Wiping. For this reason, the wiper 51 has the nozzle row 25Y, the nozzle row 25M, and the nozzle row that are dried in a wet state due to the adhesion of the ink while the ink discharged from the nozzle openings 24a of the nozzle row 25B adheres to the tip 51a. Wiping each nozzle opening of 25C. In this regard, the CPU 61 of the control device 29 causes the wiper 51 to start wiping the nozzle forming surface 22a from the nozzle row group (in this case, the first nozzle row group including the nozzle row 25B) on which the selective cleaning has been performed. Furthermore, it functions as a movement control means for controlling the relative movement between the wiper 51 and the recording head 22. And the control apparatus 29 provided with such CPU61 functions as a wiping control apparatus.

  Thereafter, the control device 29 drives the second elevating mechanism 52 to lower the wiper holder 53 downward in the vertical direction, thereby moving the wiper 51 to the standby position. Then, the selective cleaning of the first nozzle row group (nozzle row 25B) of the recording head 22 is finished.

Next, a case where selective cleaning is performed in the second nozzle row group (nozzle rows 25Y, 25M, and 25C) will be described.
The printer 11 selects the control device 29 from the operation unit when the user selects selection cleaning of the second nozzle row group (nozzle rows 25Y, 25B, and 25C) in the recording head 22 in the operation unit (not shown). Information about the result is entered. Then, as in the case where selective cleaning is executed in the first nozzle row (nozzle row 25B), as shown in FIG. 4, as a cleaning process, the control device 29 drives the CR motor 20 to the recording area. The positioned carriage 17 is moved in the main scanning direction X toward the home position area HP. Then, the control device 29 stops the movement of the carriage 17 when the recording head 22 mounted on the carriage 17 reaches the first position facing the cap member 31 of the cleaning device 27 in the vertical direction.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 8, as a cleaning process, the control device 29 drives the first elevating mechanism 32 to raise the cap member 31 to the contact position, thereby recording the opening edge of the cap member 31. The second cap chamber 35a is sealed in close contact with the nozzle forming surface 22a of the head 22. Subsequently, the control device 29 switches the flow path switching valve 38 so as to be in the second state and drives the suction pump to discharge air from the second cap chamber 35a and thereby the second cap. The inside of the chamber 35a is depressurized. When the inside of the second cap chamber 35a is depressurized, bubbles are discharged together with ink from the nozzle row 25Y, the nozzle row 25M, and the nozzle row 25C. At this time, since the ink discharged from the nozzle row 25Y, the nozzle row 25M, and the nozzle row 25C is filled in the second cap chamber 35a, the nozzle row 25Y, the nozzle row 25M, and the nozzle row 25C on the nozzle forming surface 22a. Ink adheres near each nozzle opening (see FIG. 9). Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9, the control device 29 drives the first elevating mechanism 32 to lower the cap member 31 to the separation position. At this time, the ink remaining in the second cap chamber 35a is sucked idle.

  Next, as a determination step, the control device 29 determines that suction cleaning has been performed in the nozzle row 25Y, the nozzle row 25M, and the nozzle row 25C. Then, as a moving process, as shown in FIG. 9, the control device 29 drives the CR motor 20 to move the carriage 17 positioned in the home position area HP in the main scanning direction X toward the recording area. As a result, the recording head 22 is moved from the first position in the direction indicated by the solid arrow B. Then, when the recording head 22 mounted on the carriage 17 comes close to the wiper 51 of the wiping device 28 and reaches the second position that is closer to the recording area (left side in FIG. 9) than the wiper 51. Then, the movement of the carriage 17 is stopped.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10, the control device 29 drives the second elevating mechanism 52 to raise the wiper holder 53 of the wiping device 28 vertically upward, so that the tip 51a of the wiper 51 is moved to the recording head. The wiper 51 is positioned at the sliding contact position so as to be in sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface 22a. As shown in FIG. 11, the control device 29 drives the CR motor 20 to move the carriage 17 positioned on the recording area side toward the home position area HP in the main scanning direction X, thereby recording. The head 22 is moved in the direction indicated by the solid arrow C from the second position. That is, in the moving process, the recording head 22 moves in both the forward direction and the backward direction with respect to the wiper 51. Then, the wiper 51 performs wiping with respect to the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 by the sliding contact of the tip 51a with the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 with elastic deformation.

  At this time, the vicinity of the nozzle openings 24a of the nozzle row 25B where the suction cleaning has not been performed on the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 is dry because no ink is attached. However, in this case, the wiper 51 starts wiping from the nozzle row 25C to which ink has adhered. That is, the wiper 51 first wipes the nozzle row 25C, then the nozzle row 25M, then the nozzle row 25Y, and finally the nozzle row 25B so as to cross the nozzle openings of all the nozzle rows one after another. Wiping. Therefore, the wiper 51 has a nozzle row in which the ink discharged from the nozzle openings of the nozzle row 25C, the nozzle row 25M, and the nozzle row 25Y adheres to the tip 51a, and is dried in a wet state due to the ink attachment. Wiping the nozzle opening 24a of 25B.

  Thereafter, the control device 29 drives the second elevating mechanism 52 to lower the wiper holder 53 downward in the vertical direction, thereby moving the wiper 51 to the standby position. Then, the selective cleaning of the second nozzle row group (nozzle rows 25Y, 25M, and 25C) of the recording head 22 is finished.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since ink adheres to the vicinity of the nozzle openings 24a of the nozzle row group including the nozzle rows (25b, 25Y, 25M, 25c) on which the selective cleaning has been performed, the nozzles on which such selective cleaning has been performed By moving the wiper 51 relative to the recording head 22 in the direction intersecting the nozzle row from the row group side, the wiper 51 can be wetted at the wiping start stage. Therefore, the nozzle formation surface 22a on which a plurality of nozzle rows (25b, 25Y, 25M, 25c) is formed is not subjected to selective cleaning and is the region of the nozzle row group on the side where the vicinity of the nozzle openings 24a is dry. Also, the wiper 51 can be wiped in a wet state. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the wiping mistake of the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 by the wiper 51 and the deterioration of the wiper 51.

  (2) Since the suction cleaning is executed in the cleaning process, the ink can be reliably attached to the vicinity of the nozzle openings of the nozzle row group for which the suction cleaning has been executed, so that the wiper 51 is reliably wetted at the wiping start stage. Can do.

  (3) In the moving step, the recording head 22 reciprocates so as to move relative to the number of wipers 51 provided by the same number (one in this embodiment) as the number of the recording heads 22 installed. Therefore, the wiper 51 can be moved relative to the recording head 22 from the nozzle row group side where the selective cleaning is performed without increasing the number of parts of the printer 11. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the wiping mistake of the nozzle forming surface 22a of the recording head 22 by the wiper 51 and the deterioration of the wiper 51 while suppressing the enlargement of the printer 11.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
The wiper 51 is not limited to one that can use both plate-like surfaces for wiping, but may be one that uses only one side for wiping. However, in that case, it is desirable that the wiper 51 itself can perform wiping corresponding to the reciprocating movement of the recording head 22, such as rotating 180 degrees.

  The nozzle forming surface 22a is not only wiped by the movement of the recording head 22, but the nozzle forming surface 22a is wiped by, for example, the wiper 51 moving along the main scanning direction X. May be.

  Before the wiping is performed, the wiper 51 is not limited to the position where the wiper 51 is positioned on the nozzle row side where the selective cleaning is performed by moving the recording head 22, for example, the wiper 51 moves along the main scanning direction X, etc. The wiper 51 itself may be located on the nozzle side where the selective cleaning has been executed by moving.

The number of wipers 51 is not the same as that of the recording heads 22 and may be more or less than the recording heads 22.
The selective cleaning performed in the cleaning process is not limited to suction cleaning, and may be, for example, pressure cleaning.

  In the embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus is embodied in a so-called full-line type printer in which the recording head 22 has an overall shape corresponding to the length in the width direction of the recording paper P in the direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the recording paper P. May be. However, in that case, it is desirable that the wiper 51 slides with respect to the nozzle forming surface 22 a of the recording head 22.

  In the embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus is embodied in the ink jet printer 11, but a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or ejects liquid other than ink may be employed, and a minute amount of liquid droplets is ejected. The present invention can be applied to various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a liquid ejecting head to be used. In addition, a droplet means the state of the liquid discharged from the said liquid ejecting apparatus, and shall also include what pulls a tail in granular shape, tear shape, and thread shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ) And a liquid as one state of a substance, as well as a material in which particles of a functional material made of a solid such as a pigment or metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. Further, representative examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot melt inks. As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a color material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, or a color filter in a dispersed or dissolved form. It may be a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a bio-organic material used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting a liquid as a sample used as a precision pipette, a textile printing apparatus, a microdispenser, or the like. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as an acid or an alkali to etch the substrate may be employed. The present invention can be applied to any one of these liquid ejecting apparatuses.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Printer which is an example of liquid ejecting apparatus, 22 ... Recording head which is an example of liquid ejecting head, 22a ... Nozzle formation surface, 24a ... Nozzle opening, 25B, 25Y, 25M, 25C ... Nozzle row, 27 ... Cleaning means Cleaning device as an example, 29... Control device as an example of wiping control device, 33... Suction pump as an example of suction means, 51... Wiper as an example of wiping member, 61. A CPU.

Claims (5)

A liquid ejecting head having a nozzle forming surface provided with a plurality of nozzle rows each composed of a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid, and a plurality of nozzle rows divided into one side and the other side in a direction intersecting with the nozzle rows. Cleaning means for performing selective cleaning for discharging the liquid from the nozzle openings in one of the first nozzle row group and the second nozzle row group, and the nozzle forming surface in the liquid ejecting head A wiping method in a liquid ejecting apparatus having a wiping member for wiping while sliding in a direction intersecting the nozzle row,
A cleaning step of performing the selective cleaning;
A determination step for determining in which nozzle row group of the first nozzle row group and the second nozzle row group the selective cleaning is performed in the cleaning step;
In a direction intersecting the nozzle row with the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head so as to start wiping the nozzle forming surface from the side where the nozzle row group determined to have been subjected to the selective cleaning in the determination step. A wiping method comprising: a moving step for relative movement. The cleaning unit separately surrounds the nozzle openings of the nozzle rows included in the first nozzle row group and the nozzle openings of the nozzle rows included in the second nozzle row group in the liquid ejecting head. A cap capable of partitioning and forming a sealed space with the nozzle forming surface by contacting the liquid ejecting head; and suction means for generating a negative pressure in the sealed space;
2. The wiping method according to claim 1, wherein in the cleaning step, suction cleaning is performed in which the liquid is sucked and discharged from the nozzle opening when the suction unit sucks the sealed space. The wiping members are provided in the same number as the number of the liquid ejecting heads individually corresponding to the liquid ejecting heads, and in the moving step, the wiping members are associated with the liquid ejecting heads individually associated with the liquid ejecting heads. The wiping method according to claim 1, wherein the wiping method is capable of relative movement in both the forward direction and the backward direction in a direction intersecting the nozzle row. In a liquid ejecting head having a nozzle forming surface provided with a plurality of nozzle rows each having a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid, the plurality of nozzle rows are divided into one side and the other side in a direction intersecting with the nozzle rows. Determining means for determining whether selective cleaning for discharging the liquid from the nozzle openings in the nozzle row group on which side of the first nozzle row group and the second nozzle row group is performed;
The nozzle so that the wiping member starts wiping the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head from the side where the nozzle row group including the nozzle row on which the selective cleaning has been performed is located based on the determination result of the determination unit. A wiping control device comprising: a movement control unit that controls a relative movement between the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head in a direction intersecting with the row. A liquid ejecting head having a nozzle forming surface provided with a plurality of nozzle rows each composed of a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid;
From the nozzle openings in any one of the first nozzle row group and the second nozzle row group divided into one side and the other side in the direction intersecting with the nozzle row in the plurality of nozzle rows. Cleaning means for performing selective cleaning for discharging the liquid;
A wiping member for wiping the nozzle forming surface by sliding contact with the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejecting head while relatively moving in a direction intersecting the nozzle row;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: the wiping control apparatus according to claim 4.

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