JP2017035791A - Liquid injection device and maintenance method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid injection device capable of wiping a liquid injection head by a clean wiping member, and a maintenance method for the liquid injection device.SOLUTION: A liquid injection device comprises: a liquid injection head 20 injecting liquid from nozzles onto a medium; a wiping member 44 having a wiping surface 43 wiping a nozzle formation surface 30 formed with the nozzles of the liquid injection head 20; a cleaning member 45 removing deposits adhering to the wiping member 44; and a moving section 64 moving at least one of the wiping member 44 and the liquid injection head 20 in a relative direction Z intersecting with the nozzle formation surface 30 and separating the wiping member 44 and the liquid injection head 20 from each other or causing the two to approach each other. The moving section 64 separates the wiping member 44 and the liquid injection head 20 from each other in a state where the wiping surface 43 of the wiping member 44 is brought into contact with the cleaning member 45, and causes the wiping member 44 and the liquid injection head 20 to approach each other in a state where the cleaning member 45 retreats from the wiping member 44.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an ink jet printer and a maintenance method for the liquid ejecting apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printer (liquid ejecting apparatus) that ejects ink (liquid) from an ejecting head (liquid ejecting head) to print an image on a print medium (medium) is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

  Some of these printers include a wiper blade (wiping member) for performing the wiping operation of the ejection head, and a wiper cleaner (cleaning member) for wiping off ink or the like (attachment) adhering to the wiper blade. . That is, the wiper cleaner removes ink adhering to the wiper blade by slidingly contacting the wiper blade when the wiper blade moves up and down to approach or separate from the ejection head.

JP 2010-221459 A

  By the way, the wiper cleaner is provided so as to always come into contact with the wiper blade when the wiper blade approaches the ejection head and when the wiper blade moves away from the ejection head. Therefore, even if the wiper cleaner removes the ink from the wiper blade, the removed ink may return to the wiper blade and adhere again. Then, if the ejection head is wiped with the wiper blade to which the ink is reattached, the ejection head may be contaminated.

  Such a problem is not limited to an inkjet printer, and is generally common in liquid ejecting apparatuses that include a wiping member that wipes the liquid ejecting head and a cleaning member that cleans the wiping member.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a liquid ejecting apparatus and a maintenance method for the liquid ejecting apparatus that can wipe the liquid ejecting head with a clean wiping member.

Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the effects thereof will be described.
A liquid ejecting apparatus that solves the above problems includes a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid from a nozzle to a medium, a wiping member having a wiping surface that wipes a nozzle forming surface on which the nozzle of the liquid ejecting head is formed, A cleaning member that removes deposits adhering to the wiping member, and at least one of the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head is moved in a direction intersecting the nozzle forming surface to separate the wiping member from the liquid ejecting head. Or a moving part to be approached, wherein the moving part separates the wiping member and the liquid jet head in a state where the wiping surface of the wiping member and the cleaning member are in contact with each other, and The wiping member and the liquid jet head are brought close to each other with the cleaning member retracted.

  According to this configuration, the wiping member and the cleaning member come into contact before the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head are separated from each other. Then, the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head are separated in a state where the wiping member and the cleaning member are in contact with each other. Therefore, for example, compared with the case where the wiping member and the cleaning member are brought into contact with each other while the wiping member and the liquid jet head are separated from each other, it is possible to improve the accuracy of removing the deposits attached to the wiping member. Furthermore, when the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head are close to each other, the cleaning member is retracted from the wiping member, so that the possibility that the cleaning member contaminates the wiping member can be reduced. Therefore, the liquid ejecting head can be wiped with a clean wiping member.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus further includes a sealing member that is movable between an open position that opens the opening of the nozzle and a sealing position that covers the opening, and the cleaning member moves the sealing member. It is preferable that the contact with the wiping member is interlocked with or retracted from the wiping member.

  According to this configuration, the state of the cleaning member is changed in conjunction with the movement of the sealing member. Therefore, for example, the structure can be simplified as compared with the case where a dedicated drive source is provided to change the state of the cleaning member.

  Preferably, the liquid ejecting apparatus further includes a carriage that can reciprocate on the medium with the liquid ejecting head mounted thereon, and the sealing member moves in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the carriage.

  According to this configuration, the sealing member is moved in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the carriage. Therefore, for example, the structure can be simplified compared to the case where a dedicated drive source is provided to move the sealing member.

The liquid ejecting apparatus preferably further includes a first drive source for driving the moving unit and a second drive source for driving the cleaning member.
According to this configuration, since the first drive source for driving the moving unit and the second drive source for driving the cleaning member are provided separately, the moving unit and the cleaning member can be driven separately. it can. Therefore, the movement of at least one of the liquid ejecting head and the wiping member moved by the moving unit and the change in the state of the cleaning member can be performed separately.

  Further, a maintenance method for solving the above problems includes a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid from a nozzle to a medium, and a wiping member having a wiping surface that wipes a nozzle forming surface on which the nozzle of the liquid ejecting head is formed; A cleaning member that removes deposits adhering to the wiping member, and at least one of the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head is moved in a direction intersecting the nozzle forming surface, and the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head are moved. A liquid ejecting apparatus maintenance method comprising: a moving unit that moves apart or approaches; an approaching step of bringing the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head closer together in a state in which the cleaning member is retracted from the wiping member; A contact step of bringing the cleaning member into contact with the wiping surface; a wiping step of wiping the nozzle forming surface with the wiping member; A removing step of separating the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head while being in contact with a surface to remove deposits attached to the wiping member, and a retreating step of retracting the cleaning member from the wiping member. .

  According to this configuration, the same effects as those of the liquid ejecting apparatus can be obtained.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus. The schematic diagram of a liquid jet head and a maintenance unit. The perspective view of a maintenance unit. The perspective view of a wiping member, a cleaning member, and a sealing member. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit in which a wiping member is located in a separation position. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit of a contact process. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit of a removal process. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit in the evacuation process. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit after an evacuation process. The schematic diagram of the maintenance unit of an approach process.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 includes a frame 12 having a substantially rectangular box shape. A medium support portion 14 that supports the medium 13 extends along the longitudinal direction of the lower portion of the frame 12. A transport motor 15 for driving a transport mechanism (not shown) for transporting the medium 13 is provided at the lower back of the frame 12. That is, the medium 13 is transported in the transport direction Y by the transport mechanism while being supported by the medium support portion 14.

  Further, a guide shaft 17 is installed above the medium support portion 14 in the frame 12 along the longitudinal direction of the frame 12. The guide shaft 17 supports a carriage 18 that can reciprocate in the scanning direction X that intersects (for example, intersects with) the transport direction Y. The carriage 18 is detachably mounted with a liquid container 19 that contains liquid, and a liquid ejecting head 20 that ejects the liquid supplied from the liquid container 19 is mounted.

  A driving pulley 22 and a driven pulley 23 are supported on the wall portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the frame 12 in a rotatable state. An output shaft of a carriage motor 24 serving as a power source for reciprocating the carriage 18 is connected to the drive pulley 22. An endless timing belt 25 is hung on the driving pulley 22 and the driven pulley 23. The carriage 18 moves while being guided by the guide shaft 17 when the driving force of the carriage motor 24 is transmitted through the timing belt 25. That is, the carriage 18 is provided so as to be capable of reciprocating on the medium 13 supported by the medium support unit 14 in a state where the liquid jet head 20 is mounted.

  In the frame 12, a maintenance unit 26 for performing maintenance of the liquid supply system including the liquid ejecting head 20 is provided at one end side in the longitudinal direction. In the following description, the direction from the recording area where the carriage 18 faces the medium support unit 14 to the non-recording area facing the maintenance unit 26 is referred to as a first scanning direction X1, and the carriage 18 moves from the non-recording area to the recording area. The direction toward is the second scanning direction X2. Further, a direction that intersects (for example, orthogonally) the scanning direction X and the conveyance direction Y and is opposite to the liquid ejecting head 20 located in the non-recording area and the maintenance unit 26 is a relative direction Z.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 18 has a contact portion 28 that can contact the maintenance unit 26. The liquid ejecting head 20 provided along with the contact portion 28 in the scanning direction X has a nozzle forming surface 30 on which a plurality of nozzles 29 for ejecting liquid are formed. That is, the liquid ejecting head 20 reciprocates in the scanning direction X along with the movement of the carriage 18 and ejects liquid (for example, ink) from the nozzles 29 to the medium 13 supported by the medium support unit 14 for recording ( Print).

  The maintenance unit 26 includes a sealing member 31 that can move between an open position (position shown in FIG. 5) A1 that opens the opening of the nozzle 29 and a sealing position A2 that covers the opening of the nozzle 29, and a sealing member 31. And a support member 32 that supports the stop member 31. The support member 32 has a contacted portion 33 with which the contact portion 28 of the carriage 18 can contact.

  The sealing member 31 has a substantially rectangular box shape, and an inner side surface and an upper end portion are covered with a sealing member 35 having elasticity. Further, in the sealing member 31, an absorbent material 36 that can absorb liquid and a regulating member 37 that regulates deformation and lifting of the absorbent material 36 are accommodated.

  Further, the upstream end of the discharge path 38 is connected to the sealing member 31. A discharge pump 39 is provided in the middle of the discharge path 38. The discharge pump 39 depressurizes the space surrounded by the sealing member 31 and the liquid ejecting head 20 located at the sealing position A <b> 2, and forcibly discharges the liquid from the nozzle 29. The discharged liquid is stored as waste liquid in a waste liquid storage unit 40 provided on the downstream end side of the discharge path 38.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the maintenance unit 26 removes deposits attached to the wiping member 44, a wiping member 44 having a wiping surface 43 for wiping the nozzle forming surface 30, and a main body portion 42 having a substantially rectangular box shape. And a cleaning member 45. And the wiping member 44, the cleaning member 45, and the sealing member 31 are accommodated in the main-body part 42 in order from the one side of the longitudinal direction. The maintenance unit 26 is detachably attached to the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 so that the longitudinal direction of the main body 42 coincides with the scanning direction X and the short direction coincides with the transport direction Y. Accordingly, in the following description, in the bottomed box-shaped main body 42, the longitudinal direction is the scanning direction X, the short direction is the transport direction Y, the bottom side is the lower side in the relative direction Z, and the opening side is the upper side in the relative direction Z. To do.

  At least one pair (two pairs in this embodiment) of guide portions 47 is formed on both side walls of the main body portion 42 in the transport direction Y. The guide portion 47 includes a flat portion 48 formed along the scanning direction X and a slope portion 49 formed so as to cross the flat portion 48 and go obliquely upward. Further, the support member 32 that supports the sealing member 31 is formed with at least one pair (two pairs in the present embodiment) of substantially cylindrical protrusions 50 that engage with the guide portion 47.

  Further, positioning portions 51 for positioning the liquid ejecting head 20 and the sealing member 31 when the sealing member 31 is positioned at the sealing position A2 are provided at both ends in the transport direction Y of the sealing member 31. It has been.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning member 45 is formed by bending a sheet metal. That is, the cleaning member 45 has a base wall portion 54 having a notch portion 53 that is notched from below at a central portion in the transport direction Y. Further, the cleaning member 45 includes side wall portions 55 located on both sides of the base wall portion 54 in the transport direction Y, and a cleaning portion that is located on the liquid jet head 20 side (upper side) of the base wall portion 54 and cleans the wiping member 44. 56. The cleaning part 56 is formed obliquely with respect to the base wall part 54, and the tip part of the cleaning part 56 contacts the wiping surface 43 of the wiping member 44. Further, a bearing hole 59 into which a support shaft (see FIG. 5) 58 provided in the main body portion 42 is inserted is formed at a lower position in each side wall portion 55.

  The support member 32 includes an insertion portion 60 that is inserted into the notch 53 and an engagement portion 61 that can engage with the cleaning member 45. The engaging portion 61 is provided at the distal end of the insertion portion 60, and the width of the engaging portion 61 in the transport direction Y is larger than the width of the notch portion 53. Therefore, the engaging portion 61 engages with the base wall portion 54 from the side where the wiping member 44 is provided. Further, the cleaning member 45 is provided with a biasing member 62 such as a spring that biases the cleaning member 45 toward the wiping member 44.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the scanning direction X, the first interval L1 from the wiping surface 43 of the wiping member 44 to the contacted portion 33 of the support member 32 is from the side surface 20a of the liquid ejecting head 20 to the contact portion 28. Is larger than the second interval L2. Accordingly, the carriage 18 and the liquid ejecting head 20 can move without contacting the maintenance unit 26 even in the non-recording area. The side surface 20a is a surface on the side opposite to the contact portion 28 in the scanning direction X, and is a surface on the side where the wiping member 44 starts wiping.

  Further, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 includes a moving unit 64 that moves the wiping member 44 in the relative direction Z, and a wiping motor 65 that is a first drive source for driving the moving unit 64. The moving unit 64 includes a first gear 66 to which the output shaft of the wiping motor 65 is connected, a second gear 67 meshed with the first gear 66, and a cam 68 connected to the second gear 67. It has. The cam 68 is formed with an annular groove 69, and the follower 70 of the wiping member 44 is engaged with the groove 69.

  Further, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 includes a control unit 72 that controls the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 in an integrated manner. That is, the control unit 72 controls the driving of the transport motor 15, the carriage motor 24, the discharge pump 39, the wiping motor 65, the ejection of liquid from the liquid ejecting head 20, and the like by outputting a control signal.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the moving unit 64 transmits the driving force of the wiping motor 65 to the cam 68 via the first gear 66 and the second gear 67. The wiping member 44 reciprocates in the relative direction Z as the cam 68 rotates. That is, the wiping member 44 descends along the relative direction Z and is located at the separation position B1 that is separated from the liquid jet head 20 shown in FIG. And the wiping member 44 is located in the approach position B2 which approached the liquid ejecting head 20 shown in FIG. In other words, the moving unit 64 moves the wiping member 44 in the relative direction Z intersecting the nozzle forming surface 30, thereby separating the liquid ejecting head 20 located in the non-recording area and the wiping member 44 in the relative direction Z. Move closer.

  The second gear 67 and the cam 68 are provided in the maintenance unit 26. Therefore, the second gear 67 meshes with the first gear 66 as the maintenance unit 26 is attached to the liquid ejecting apparatus 11.

Next, operations of the sealing member 31 and the cleaning member 45 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 7, when the carriage 18 and the support member 32 are not in contact with each other, the support member 32 is located at the standby position C1. The sealing member 31 supported by the support member 32 is located at the open position A1 that is separated from the nozzle forming surface 30 in the relative direction Z. Further, the cleaning member 45 is located at a contact position D <b> 1 where the cleaning unit 56 contacts the wiping surface 43 of the wiping member 44.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the carriage 18 moves in the first scanning direction X <b> 1 and contacts the support member 32, the support member 32 is pressed by the carriage 18. That is, the support member 32 moves in the first scanning direction X <b> 1 when the protrusion 50 is guided by the flat surface 48. Further, the cleaning member 45 rotates in a direction away from the wiping member 44 around the support shaft 58 so as to be pulled by the engaging portion 61 of the support member 32.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the carriage 18 further moves in the first scanning direction X1, the support member 32 moves in the relative direction Z so that the protrusion 50 is guided by the inclined surface portion 49 and approaches the liquid ejecting head 20. It moves and is located at the maintenance position C2. At this time, the sealing member 31 supported by the support member 32 is located at the sealing position A <b> 2 in contact with the liquid ejecting head 20. Further, the cleaning member 45 is located at the retracted position D <b> 2 retracted from the wiping member 44.

  Further, when the carriage 18 moves in the second scanning direction X2 from this state, the cleaning member 45 is rotated in the direction approaching the wiping member 44 by the urging force of the urging member 62 and moves to the contact position D1. Further, when the cleaning member 45 is rotated, the engaging portion 61 is attracted to the cleaning member 45. Therefore, the support member 32 positioned at the maintenance position C2 moves to the standby position C1. Then, as the support member 32 moves, the sealing member 31 moves to the open position A1.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the carriage 18 moves based on the driving force of the carriage motor 24, and the support member 32 is pressed by the moving carriage 18, and cleaning is performed as the pressed support member 32 moves. The member 45 rotates. Therefore, the carriage motor 24 that drives the carriage 18 functions as an example of a second drive source for driving the cleaning member 45. Further, the sealing member 31 supported by the support member 32 moves in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the carriage 18. Then, the cleaning member 45 comes into contact with or retracts from the wiping member 44 in conjunction with the movement of the sealing member 31.

Next, the operation when the wiping member 44 maintains the liquid jet head 20 will be described.
Now, as shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that the support member 32 is located at the maintenance position C2 as an initial state. That is, the sealing member 31 is located at the sealing position A2, and the cleaning member 45 is located at the retracted position D2. In this state, the control unit 72 drives the discharge pump 39 to perform suction cleaning for forcibly discharging the liquid from the nozzle 29. In addition, liquid may adhere to the nozzle forming surface 30 with suction cleaning. Therefore, the control unit 72 performs wiping for causing the wiping member 44 to wipe off a deposit such as a liquid adhering to the nozzle forming surface 30.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the controller 72 drives the wiping motor 65 to move the wiping member 44 to the approach position B2. At this time, the support member 32 is located at the maintenance position C2, and the cleaning member 45 is located at the retracted position D2. That is, the control unit 72 drives the wiping motor 65 with the cleaning member 45 retracted from the wiping member 44 to bring the wiping member 44 and the liquid ejecting head 20 closer in the relative direction Z (approach process).

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 72 drives the carriage motor 24 to move the carriage 18 in the second scanning direction X2. Since the first interval L1 is larger than the second interval L2, the support member 32 returns to the standby position C1 before the liquid ejecting head 20 and the wiping member 44 come into contact with each other. Therefore, the cleaning member 45 returns to the contact position D1 before the wiping member 44 starts wiping the liquid ejecting head 20. That is, the control unit 72 drives the carriage motor 24 to move the carriage 18 in the second scanning direction X2, so that the cleaning member is placed on the wiping surface 43 before the wiping surface 43 and the nozzle forming surface 30 come into contact with each other. 45 is brought into contact (contact process).

  Further, when the carriage 18 moves in the second scanning direction X2, the liquid ejecting head 20 moves relative to the wiping member 44 located at the approach position B2. At this time, the liquid ejecting head 20 moves while bringing the nozzle forming surface 30 and the wiping surface 43 of the wiping member 44 into sliding contact. Accordingly, the controller 72 wipes the nozzle forming surface 30 with the wiping member 44 by driving the carriage motor 24 and moving the carriage 18 in the second scanning direction X2 (wiping step). At this time, the cleaning member 45 is located at the contact position D <b> 1 and is in contact with the wiping surface 43.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the liquid ejecting head 20 moves to a position where it passes through the wiping member 44, the controller 72 stops driving the carriage motor 24. Further, the control unit 72 drives the wiping motor 65 to move the wiping member 44 located at the approach position B2 to the separation position B1. At this time, the cleaning member 45 is located at the contact position D1, and the cleaning unit 56 and the wiping surface 43 are in contact with each other. Therefore, as the wiping member 44 moves from the approach position B2 to the separation position B1, the wiping member 44 and the cleaning member 45 come into sliding contact. That is, the controller 72 drives the wiping motor 65 so that the wiping member 44 and the liquid ejecting head 20 are separated from each other in a state where the cleaning member 45 is in contact with the wiping surface 43, and the adhered matter adhered to the wiping member 44 is removed. Remove (removal step).

  As shown in FIG. 8, the controller 72 drives the carriage motor 24 to move the carriage 18 in the first scanning direction X1. Then, the contact portion 28 and the contacted portion 33 are in contact with each other, and the support member 32 is pressed by the carriage 18 to move in the first scanning direction X1.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the support member 32 moves to the maintenance position C2, the sealing member 31 is positioned at the sealing position A2, and the cleaning member 45 is positioned at the retracted position D2. Therefore, the controller 72 retracts the cleaning member 45 from the wiping member 44 by driving the carriage motor 24 and moving the carriage 18 in the first scanning direction X1 (retraction step).

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Before the wiping member 44 and the liquid jet head 20 are separated from each other, the wiping member 44 and the cleaning member 45 come into contact with each other. Then, the wiping member 44 and the liquid ejecting head 20 are separated in a state where the wiping member 44 and the cleaning member 45 are in contact with each other. Therefore, for example, compared with the case where the wiping member 44 and the cleaning member 45 are brought into contact while the wiping member 44 and the liquid jet head 20 are separated from each other, it is possible to improve the accuracy of removing the deposits attached to the wiping member 44. Furthermore, when the wiping member 44 and the liquid ejecting head 20 are close to each other, the cleaning member 45 is retracted from the wiping member 44, so that the possibility that the cleaning member 45 contaminates the wiping member 44 can be reduced. . Therefore, the liquid ejecting head 20 can be wiped with the clean wiping member 44.

  (2) The state of the cleaning member 45 is changed in conjunction with the movement of the sealing member 31. Therefore, for example, the structure can be simplified as compared with the case where a dedicated drive source is provided to change the state of the cleaning member 45.

  (3) The sealing member 31 is moved in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the carriage 18. Therefore, for example, the structure can be simplified as compared with the case where a dedicated drive source is provided to move the sealing member 31.

  (4) Since the wiping motor 65 for driving the moving unit 64 and the carriage motor 24 for driving the cleaning member 45 are provided separately, the moving unit 64 and the cleaning member 45 can be driven separately. Therefore, the movement of the wiping member 44 moved by the moving unit 64 and the change of the state of the cleaning member 45 can be performed separately.

  (5) When the wiping member 44 wipes the nozzle forming surface 30, the cleaning member 45 is located at the contact position D1 and is in contact with the wiping member 44. Therefore, deposits such as liquid adhering to the nozzle forming surface 30 are wiped off by the wiping member 44 and can be received by the cleaning member 45 even if they are transferred from the wiping member 44. In other words, by keeping the cleaning member 45 and the wiping member 44 in contact with each other, it is possible to reduce the possibility of deposits entering the gravity direction (downward) side of the cleaning member 45. Therefore, the cleaning effect of the cleaning member 45 can be improved as compared with the case where the wiping member 44 wipes the nozzle forming surface 30 in a state where the cleaning member 45 is retracted from the wiping member 44.

  (6) By making the maintenance unit 26 detachable from the liquid ejecting apparatus 11, the maintenance unit 26 can be easily replaced. Further, by removing the maintenance unit 26 from the liquid ejecting apparatus 11, it is possible to easily replace or clean the parts.

  (7) The cleaning part 56 of the cleaning member 45 located at the contact position D <b> 1 contacts the wiping surface 43 obliquely. Therefore, the deposits cleaned by the cleaning unit 56 move away from the wiping member 44 as it travels down the cleaning unit 56. Therefore, the possibility that the wiping member 44 is contaminated by the deposits cleaned by the cleaning member 45 can be reduced.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the above embodiment, an absorbent material may be provided at a position in contact with the cleaning member 45 located at the retracted position D2. That is, for example, an absorbent material may be provided along the cleaning portion 56 of the cleaning member 45 located at the retracted position D2. By providing the absorbing material, the adhering material adhering to the cleaning member 45 as the wiping member 44 is cleaned can be absorbed by the absorbing material. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the deposits are scattered and the surroundings are stained.

In the above embodiment, a receiving portion that receives the deposits that have fallen down the cleaning member 45 may be provided at a position below the cleaning member 45.
In the above embodiment, a vibration device that applies vibration to the cleaning member 45 may be provided. The vibration device may directly vibrate the cleaning member 45 or may vibrate the cleaning member 45 via the main body 42. Alternatively, the cleaning member 45 may be vibrated by moving the carriage 18 in the first scanning direction X1 and the second scanning direction X2. And the movement of the deposit | attachment adhering to the cleaning member 45 can be accelerated | stimulated by vibrating the cleaning member 45. FIG.

  In the above embodiment, the control unit 72 may perform wiping a plurality of times. That is, after the nozzle forming surface 30 is wiped and the wiping member 44 is moved to the separation position B1, the liquid ejecting head 20 may be returned to the first scanning direction X1 to wipe the nozzle forming surface 30 again. Specifically, for example, the control unit 72 may perform the approach process, the contact process, the wiping process, and the removal process again after performing the retreat process. Thereby, the liquid adhering to the sealing member 35 of the sealing member 31 is copied to the nozzle forming surface 30, and further, the sealing member 31 can be cleaned by wiping the nozzle forming surface 30. Further, after the removing step, the liquid ejecting head 20 is moved in the first scanning direction X1 and returned to the position where the wiping member 44 shown in FIG. 8 is passed, and the wiping member 44 is positioned at the approach position B2 and the liquid ejecting is performed. Wiping may be performed by moving the head 20 in the second scanning direction X2.

  In the above embodiment, after the wiping process, the control unit 72 may perform recording on the medium 13 by moving the carriage 18 to the recording area without stopping the driving of the carriage motor 24. Then, the control unit 72 may perform a removal process during recording and perform a saving process after recording.

  In the above embodiment, the cleaning member 45 may be provided so as to be able to contact or retract with the wiping member 44 by sliding in the scanning direction X. Alternatively, a part of the support member 32 may be used as a cleaning unit, and the cleaning unit and the wiping member 44 may be brought into contact with or retracted as the support member 32 moves.

  In the above embodiment, the wiping member 44 and the cleaning member 45 may be moved by the wiping motor 65. That is, the moving unit 64 and the cleaning member 45 may be driven by the same drive source.

  In the above embodiment, a moving mechanism that moves the sealing member 31 between the open position A1 and the sealing position A2 may be provided, and the contact portion 28 and the contacted portion 33 may not be provided. That is, the sealing member 31 may be individually movable without being interlocked with the reciprocating movement of the carriage 18.

  In the above embodiment, the carriage 18 may not be provided. For example, a liquid ejecting head 20 may be provided across the width direction of the medium 13 that intersects the transport direction Y, and a so-called line-type liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto the transported medium 13 may be used. The wiping member 44 may move in the width direction or the conveyance direction Y to wipe the nozzle forming surface 30.

  In the above embodiment, the sealing member 31 may not be provided. Further, the drive source for moving the cleaning member 45 and the drive source for moving the carriage 18 may be separated. For example, the cleaning member 45 may be moved by a driving source such as a solenoid. Further, the nozzle forming surface 30 may be wiped by the wiping member 44 in a state where the cleaning member 45 is positioned at the retracted position D2.

  In the above embodiment, a moving unit that moves the liquid ejecting head 20 in the relative direction Z to separate or approach the wiping member 44 and the liquid ejecting head 20 may be provided. As an example of the moving unit, a cam mechanism that raises and lowers the guide shaft 17 may be used. The carriage 18 and the liquid ejecting head 20 may be moved in the relative direction Z by moving the guide shaft 17 up and down. Note that when the liquid ejecting head 20 is moved in the relative direction Z, the moving unit 64 for moving the wiping member 44 may not be provided.

  In the above embodiment, a moving mechanism for moving the cleaning member 45 may be provided. That is, the cleaning of the wiping surface 43 may be performed by moving the cleaning member 45 at a timing when the wiping member 44 and the liquid jet head 20 are separated from each other.

  In the above embodiment, the cleaning member 45 may be provided on the liquid ejecting head 20 or the carriage 18 on which the liquid ejecting head 20 is mounted. That is, in a state where the wiping member 44 and the cleaning member 45 are in contact, at least one of the wiping member 44 and the liquid ejecting head 20 is moved in the relative direction Z, and the wiping member 44 and the liquid ejecting head 20 are separated. Then, the wiping member 44 and the liquid ejecting head 20 can be separated while the cleaning member 45 is cleaning the wiping member 44.

  In the above embodiment, the medium 13 may be paper, resin, metal, cloth, ceramic, rubber, natural material (such as wood or stone), or a composite thereof. The thickness of the medium may be a plate, sheet, film, foil, or the like. Furthermore, the shape of the medium may be an arbitrary shape such as a rectangle or a circle. That is, for example, a composite film of paper and resin (resin-impregnated paper, resin-coated paper, etc.), a composite film of resin and metal (laminate film), woven fabric, non-woven fabric, disk, circuit board, and the like may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges liquid other than ink. Note that the state of the liquid ejected as a minute amount of liquid droplets from the liquid ejecting apparatus includes a granular shape, a tear shape, and a thread-like shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected from 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 ). Further, not only a liquid as one state of a substance but also a substance in which particles of a functional material made of a solid such as a pigment or a metal particle are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent is included. Typical 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. There is a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting the liquid. Further, it may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid as a sample that is used as a precision pipette, a printing apparatus, a micro dispenser, 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. May be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects the liquid onto the substrate. Further, it may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali in order to etch a substrate or the like.

  A1 ... Open position, A2 ... Sealing position, B1 ... Separation position, B2 ... Close position, C1 ... Standby position, C2 ... Maintenance position, D1 ... Contact position, D2 ... Retraction position, L1 ... First interval, L2 ... Second interval, X ... scanning direction, X1 ... first scanning direction, X2 ... second scanning direction, Y ... conveying direction, Z ... relative direction, 11 ... liquid ejecting device, 12 ... frame, 13 ... medium, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Medium support part, 15 ... Conveyance motor, 17 ... Guide shaft, 18 ... Carriage, 19 ... Liquid container, 20 ... Liquid ejecting head, 20a ... Side surface, 22 ... Drive pulley, 23 ... Driven pulley, 24 ... Carriage motor (Example of second drive source), 25 ... Timing belt, 26 ... Maintenance unit, 28 ... Contact part, 29 ... Nozzle, 30 ... Nozzle forming surface, 31 ... Sealing member, 32 ... Supporting member, 33 ... Covered Contact part 35 ... Sealing member, 36 ... Absorbing material, 37 ... Restriction member, 38 ... Discharge path, 39 ... Discharge pump, 40 ... Waste liquid container, 42 ... Main body, 43 ... Wiping surface, 44 ... Wiping member, 45 ... Cleaning member , 47 ... Guide part, 48 ... Plane part, 49 ... Slope part, 50 ... Projection part, 51 ... Positioning part, 53 ... Notch part, 54 ... Base wall part, 55 ... Side wall part, 56 ... Cleaning part, 58 ... Support shaft, 59 ... bearing hole, 60 ... insertion part, 61 ... engagement part, 62 ... urging member, 64 ... moving part, 65 ... wiping motor (an example of a first drive source), 66 ... first gear 67 ... second gear, 68 ... cam, 69 ... groove, 70 ... follower, 72 ... control unit.

Claims (5)

A liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid from a nozzle to a medium;
A wiping member having a wiping surface for wiping the nozzle forming surface on which the nozzles of the liquid jet head are formed;
A cleaning member for removing deposits adhering to the wiping member;
A moving unit that moves at least one of the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head in a direction intersecting the nozzle forming surface to separate or approach the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head;
With
The moving unit is
Separating the wiping member and the liquid jet head in a state where the wiping surface of the wiping member is in contact with the cleaning member;
The liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head are brought close to each other in a state where the cleaning member is retracted from the wiping member. A sealing member that is movable between an open position that opens the opening of the nozzle and a sealing position that covers the opening;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member contacts or retreats from the wiping member in conjunction with movement of the sealing member. A carriage capable of reciprocating on the medium with the liquid ejecting head mounted thereon;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sealing member moves in conjunction with a reciprocating movement of the carriage. A first drive source for driving the moving unit;
A second drive source for driving the cleaning member;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid from a nozzle to a medium;
A wiping member having a wiping surface for wiping the nozzle forming surface on which the nozzles of the liquid jet head are formed;
A cleaning member for removing deposits adhering to the wiping member;
A moving unit that moves at least one of the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head in a direction intersecting the nozzle forming surface to separate or approach the wiping member and the liquid ejecting head;
A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
An approaching step of bringing the wiping member and the liquid jet head closer together in a state where the cleaning member is retracted from the wiping member;
A contact step of bringing the cleaning member into contact with the wiping surface;
A wiping step of wiping the nozzle forming surface with the wiping member;
A removing step of removing the adhering matter adhered to the wiping member by separating the wiping member and the liquid jet head in a state where the cleaning member is in contact with the wiping surface;
A retracting step of retracting the cleaning member from the wiping member;
The maintenance method characterized by including.