JP2018099792A - Ink jet printer and ink passage cleaning method in ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

An inkjet printer that reduces the amount of cleaning liquid used when cleaning an ink path is provided. In a state where a cleaning liquid is used as a liquid, the cleaning liquid can be supplied by the liquid supply pump 101, the bypass valve is opened, and the cleaning liquid can be sucked by the suction pump 114, in advance. The first step of supplying the cleaning liquid to the liquid feeding pump 101 at a set time interval, the liquid feeding pump 101 is closed, the valve valve 204 opens the bypass path, and the suction liquid is discharged by the suction pump 114. In a state in which the suction liquid can be sucked, the cleaning liquid can be fed by the liquid feeding pump 101, the bypass valve is closed by the valve valve 204, and the washing liquid can be sucked by the suction pump 114 And a third step. [Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet printer and an ink path cleaning method in an ink jet printer. More specifically, an ink jet printer including a liquid feed pump that feeds ink toward an ink head that ejects ink to the medium by an ink jet method, and a suction pump that sucks ink from the ink head in a cleaning process or the like, and The present invention relates to an ink path cleaning method in an ink jet printer.

  In this specification, the term “media” refers to various recording media such as plain paper and various recording media such as resin materials such as PVC and polyester, and materials such as aluminum, iron, and wood. Is included.

  Further, in the present specification, the “inkjet method” means various conventionally known methods, including various continuous methods such as a binary deflection method or a continuous deflection method, and various on-demand methods such as a thermal method or a piezoelectric element method. This means a printing method using an inkjet technique using the above method.

  Further, in this specification, the term “liquid” is used generically for “ink” and “cleaning liquid”, but the ink jet printer in the present invention uses both “ink” and “cleaning liquid”. It is possible. In this specification, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the term “ink” is used in place of “liquid” in the description of the printing technique, and “liquid” is used in the explanation of the cleaning technique. The term “cleaning liquid” is used.

  Conventionally, the entire operation is controlled by a microcomputer, and ink is supplied as a liquid from an ink cartridge by a liquid supply pump toward an ink head that moves relative to the recording paper that is a medium. 2. Related Art There is known an ink jet printer in which ink is ejected from an ink jet nozzle of an ink head onto a recording paper by an ink jet method to perform printing on the recording paper.

  In such an ink jet printer, when an ink ejection failure occurs in the ink jet nozzle of the ink head, the ink head ink jet nozzle can be normally ejected so that the ink can be normally ejected from the ink head. A cleaning process is performed.

  Here, the cleaning process means the following process. That is, in a state where the ink jet nozzle surface where the ink jet nozzle opening formed in the ink head is located is capped (sealed) by the cap member, the suction pump is operated to make the ink jet nozzle surface of the ink head negative pressure. Accordingly, the ink in the ink head is forcibly sucked from the ink head side toward the cap member side.

  By the way, in the ink jet printer as described above, when ink is actually ejected from the ink head as an inspection before shipment from the factory, it is necessary to ship from the factory after cleaning the ink path through which the ink passes.

  In addition, the cleaning of the ink path is not only necessary as a pre-factory operation after the above-described ink ejection inspection, but instead of the ink that is currently in use by the user, the ink is different in color or ink having a different component This process is also necessary when using the printer, and is also necessary when the inkjet printer is not used for a long period of time.

  Such cleaning of the ink path is performed by using an ink cartridge filled with a cleaning liquid as a liquid instead of an ink cartridge filled with ink and flowing the cleaning liquid from the ink cartridge filled with the cleaning liquid into the ink path. Yes.

  However, since a large amount of cleaning liquid is required for cleaning the ink path, various proposals for an ink path cleaning method capable of reducing the amount of cleaning liquid used when cleaning the ink path are desired. .

  The prior art that the applicant of the present application knows at the time of filing a patent is as described above and is not an invention related to a known literature, so there is no prior art information to be described.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described demands of the prior art, and an object thereof is an ink jet printer capable of reducing the amount of cleaning liquid used when cleaning an ink path. And an ink path cleaning method in an ink jet printer.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention cooperates with a liquid feed pump that feeds ink toward an ink head that ejects ink to a medium by an ink jet method and a suction pump that sucks ink from the ink head. Thus, the ink path is cleaned with the cleaning liquid.

  That is, an ink jet printer according to the present invention includes a liquid supply source that supplies liquid, a liquid feed pump that sucks the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source from the suction port, and feeds the liquid from the discharge port, and the liquid feed pump. An ink path to which an ink head that discharges the liquid fed from an ink jet nozzle by an ink jet method and a suction pump that sucks the liquid from the ink jet nozzle are connected; the suction port side of the liquid feed pump; A bypass path that connects a discharge port side and constitutes a bypass circuit that bypasses the liquid feed pump, a valve valve that opens or closes the bypass path, the liquid feed pump, the suction pump, and the valve valve; Control means for controlling the operation of the liquid, the control means is capable of feeding the liquid by the liquid feed pump, and the valve Opens the bypass path and allows the cleaning liquid to be sucked by the suction pump, supplies the liquid from the liquid supply source to the liquid feeding pump at a preset time interval, and then The liquid feed pump is closed, the valve valve opens the bypass path, and the cleaning liquid can be sucked by the suction pump, and then the cleaning liquid can be sent by the liquid pump. In addition, the valve valve closes the bypass path and is controlled so that the cleaning liquid can be sucked by the suction pump.

  The ink jet printer according to the present invention is the ink jet printer according to the present invention, wherein the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source is a cleaning liquid.

  The ink jet printer according to the present invention is the ink jet printer according to the present invention, wherein the capacity of the cleaning liquid fed by the liquid feeding pump and the capacity of the cleaning liquid sucked by the suction pump are substantially matched. .

  The ink jet printer according to the present invention is the ink jet printer according to the present invention, wherein the suction force of the suction pump is larger than that of the liquid feed pump.

  The ink path cleaning method in the ink jet printer according to the present invention includes a liquid feed pump for feeding the liquid sucked from the suction port from the discharge port, and the liquid fed from the liquid feed pump by an ink jet method from the ink jet nozzle. An ink path to which an ink head for discharging, a suction pump for sucking the liquid from the ink jet nozzle is connected, and the suction port side and the discharge port side of the liquid feed pump are connected to each other, and the liquid feed pump In an ink path cleaning method in an ink jet printer having a bypass path that configures a bypass route that bypasses and a valve valve that opens or closes the bypass path, the cleaning liquid is used as the liquid, and the cleaning liquid is fed by the liquid feed pump. And the valve valve opens the bypass path, In a state in which the cleaning liquid can be sucked by the suction pump, a first step of supplying the cleaning liquid to the liquid feeding pump at a preset time interval, closing the liquid feeding pump, and A second step in which the valve valve opens the bypass passage and the cleaning liquid can be sucked by the suction pump; the cleaning liquid can be fed by the liquid feeding pump; and the valve And a third step of closing the bypass passage and allowing the cleaning liquid to be sucked by the suction pump.

  An ink path cleaning method for an ink jet printer according to the present invention is the ink path cleaning method for an ink jet printer according to the present invention described above, wherein the capacity of the cleaning liquid fed by the liquid feeding pump and the cleaning liquid sucked by the suction pump are reduced. The capacity is approximately the same.

  The ink path cleaning method in the ink jet printer according to the present invention is such that the suction force of the suction pump is larger than the liquid feeding force of the liquid pump in the ink path cleaning method in the ink jet printer according to the present invention described above. It is a thing.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has an excellent effect that it is possible to reduce the amount of the cleaning liquid used when cleaning the ink path.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of an ink jet printer according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an ink path through which ink passes from the ink cartridge to the waste tank in the ink jet printer shown in FIG. FIGS. 3A, 3 </ b> B, 3 </ b> C, 3 </ b> D, 3 </ b> E, 3 </ b> F, 3 </ b> G, and 3 </ b> H are operation explanatory diagrams illustrating a processing procedure for cleaning the ink path illustrated in FIG. 2.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of an ink jet printer and an ink path cleaning method in the ink jet printer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a schematic configuration showing an example of an embodiment of an ink jet printer according to the present invention.

  The ink jet printer 10 includes a fixed base member 14 that is supported by a base member 12 and is disposed extending in the main scanning direction. Side members 16L and 16R are disposed on the left and right ends of the base member 14, and a side unit 18 is disposed on the side member 16R side.

  The inkjet printer 10 includes a central wall 20 that connects the left and right side members 16L and 16R, and a guide rail 22 is disposed on the wall surface of the central wall 20 so as to extend in the main scanning direction.

  Reference numeral 24 is a wire arranged in parallel with the wall surface of the central wall 20 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction. The carriage 26 is fixedly disposed on the wire 24 and is slidably mounted on the guide rail 22. An ink head 30 is mounted on the carriage 26 so as to face a recording paper 28 that is a medium positioned on the base member 14.

  The overall operation of the ink jet printer 10 is controlled by the microcomputer 34.

  In the inkjet printer 10, the recording paper 28 is used as a medium as described above. The recording paper 28 is supplied onto the base member 14 by a paper feeding device (not shown), has a predetermined length in the main scanning direction as the width direction, and is a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, that is, recording. It is conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the paper 28. The direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, that is, the conveyance direction of the recording paper 28 and the longitudinal direction of the recording paper 28 are referred to as “sub-scanning direction”.

  In the inkjet printer 10, printing is performed on the recording paper 28 under the control of the microcomputer 34.

  That is, when the wire 24 is moved by winding the wire 24 according to the control of the microcomputer 34, the carriage 26 reciprocates in the forward direction in the main scanning direction and the return direction (return direction) as the wire 24 moves. Moving. As a result, the ink head 30 mounted on the carriage 26 is integrally formed on the recording paper 28 supplied onto the base member 14 by the paper feeding device in the forward direction (forward path) and the return direction (return path) in the main scanning direction. The reciprocating movement is performed, and printing is performed on the recording paper 28.

  In the ink jet printer 10, a waste liquid tank 42 is disposed on the base member 14, and an ink path 100 through which ink passes from the ink cartridge 36 detachably disposed on the side unit 18 to the waste liquid tank ink 42. Formed (see FIG. 2).

  The ink jet printer 10 is provided with a cap device 38 for capping the ink jet nozzle surface 30 a where an ink jet nozzle opening formed in the ink head 30 is located.

  Reference numeral 40 denotes an operation panel provided with an operator for controlling the operation of the inkjet printer 10 by an operator. The operation panel 40 is provided with a display device 40 a for displaying the operation state of the inkjet printer 10.

  Here, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an ink path 100 through which ink from the ink cartridge 36 to the waste liquid tank 42 passes in the inkjet printer 10 shown in FIG.

  The ink path 100 shown in FIG. 2 is connected so that one end portion 102a communicates with the ink cartridge 36, and the other end portion 102b is connected so as to communicate with the ink head 30. An ink supply tube 102 is provided.

  The ink cartridge 36 stores ink to be supplied to the ink head 30, and a sensor (not shown) that detects the capacity of the ink stored in the ink cartridge 36 is provided.

  The ink stored in the ink cartridge 36 is supplied to the ink head 30, and the ink supplied to the ink head 30 is ejected from the opening of the ink head nozzle arranged on the inkjet nozzle surface 30a.

  Further, between one end 102a and the other end 102b of the ink supply tube 102, ink in the ink supply tube 102 is sucked from the suction port and pressurized from the discharge port to the ink head 30 to be fed. A liquid feed pump (pressurizing pump) 101 is connected. As the liquid feed pump 101, for example, a conventionally known liquid pump such as a tube pump or a trochoid pump can be used. Tube pumps and trochoid pumps feed ink by pressurizing ink by rotating rollers and gears in the pump. The liquid feed pump 101 is operated by rotating the rollers and gears in the pump under the control of the microcomputer 34 to draw ink from the suction port and feed ink from the discharge port, Stopping the rotation of the rollers and gears and stopping the operation to shut off (closed) the ink flow, and stopping the rotation of the rollers and gears in the pump It is possible to select a state in which the distribution of the product is permitted (opened).

  In addition, as described above, the ink jet printer 10 is provided with the cap device 38 for capping around the ink jet nozzles formed on the ink jet nozzle surface 30a of the ink head 30.

  The cap device 38 includes a cap member 112 that seals an ink jet nozzle opening formed on the ink jet nozzle surface 30a of the ink head 30, and a suction pump 114 that can suck ink in the ink path 100. Has been.

  The suction pump 114 supplies negative pressure to the cap member 112 that seals the ink jet nozzle opening formed on the ink jet nozzle surface 30 a of the ink head 30, and sucks ink in the ink supply path 100. As the suction pump 114, it is possible to use various types of conventionally known structures such as a vacuum pump. Under the control of the microcomputer 34, the suction pump 114 can select a state in which the suction is performed to suck ink and a state in which the suction is stopped by stopping the operation.

  Reference numeral 116 denotes a waste liquid tube. One end 116 a is connected to communicate with the cap member 112, and the other end 116 b is connected to communicate with the waste liquid tank 42. The above-described suction pump 114 is provided between one end 116a and the other end 116b of the waste liquid tube 116.

  The ink jet printer 10 is a motor controlled by the microcomputer 34 so that the positional relationship between the cap member 112 and the ink head 30 can be changed relative to the capping position, the idle suction position, and the in-cap flushing position. (Not shown), the carriage 26 and the cap device 38 are relatively moved. The capping position is a positional relationship in a state where the cap member 112 completely seals the ink jet nozzle opening formed on the ink jet nozzle surface 30 a of the ink head 30. FIG. 2 shows a state where the positional relationship between the cap member 112 and the ink head 30 is in the capping position. The idle suction position is the positional relationship between the cap member 112 and the ink jet nozzle formed on the ink jet nozzle surface 30a of the ink head 30 when the ink accumulated in the cap member 112 is sucked by the suction pump 114, that is, a minute position. This is a positional relationship between the cap member 112 having a gap and the inkjet nozzle surface 30a. The in-cap flushing position is a position where ink is ejected from the ink jet nozzles of the ink head 30 toward the cap member 112 for cleaning the ink jet nozzles of the ink head 30, and a larger gap is formed than the idle suction position. The positional relationship between the cap member 112 and the inkjet nozzle surface 30a.

  In the ink path 100 of the ink jet printer 10, when the liquid feed pump 101 pressurizes and feeds the ink, the liquid feed pump 101 is bypassed in order to alleviate pressure fluctuations applied to the ink. A bypass route 200 constituting a detour is provided. The bypass path 200 is connected by a connecting portion 203a so that one end portion 202a communicates between the ink cartridge 36 of the ink supply tube 102 and the liquid feed pump 101, and the other end portion 202b is supplied with ink. A bypass tube 202 connected by a connecting portion 203 b is provided so as to communicate between the liquid feed pump 101 of the tube 102 and the ink head 30.

  Here, the connecting portion 203a is positioned at the suction port for sucking ink of the liquid feeding pump 101, and the connecting portion 203b is positioned at the discharge port side of the liquid feeding pump 101 for discharging ink. That is, one end 202 a of the bypass tube 202 is connected to the suction port side of the liquid feed pump 101 in the ink supply tube 102, and the other end 202 b of the bypass tube 202 is connected to the liquid feed pump 101 of the ink supply tube 102. Are connected at the discharge port. As a result, an ink path from the ink cartridge 36 that bypasses without passing through the liquid feed pump 101 to the waste liquid tank 42 is formed.

  A valve valve 204 is provided between one end 202 a and the other end 202 b of the bypass tube 202. The valve valve 204 is constituted by a solenoid valve, for example. Under the control of the microcomputer 34, the valve valve 204 is opened to allow the ink flow in the bypass path 200 by opening the valve valve 204, and the ink flow in the bypass path 200 is prohibited by closing the valve valve 204. The closed state can be selected.

  In the above configuration, in the ink jet printer 10, the ink supplied from the ink cartridge 36 is fed to the ink head 30 by the liquid feed pump 101, and from the ink jet nozzles of the ink head 30, as in a conventionally known ink jet printer. Printing is performed by ejecting ink onto the recording paper 28 by the ink jet method.

  Next, with respect to the cleaning process of the ink path 100, which is a feature of the present invention, executed by the microcomputer 34, FIGS. 3 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) Will be described with reference to FIG. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, 3F, 3G, and 3H, arrows indicate the direction in which the cleaning liquid flows.

  The cleaning process of the ink path 100 is executed under the control of the microcomputer 34 when the operator operates and instructs an operator (not shown) provided on the operation panel 40. The operator instructs the start of the cleaning process of the ink path 100 when the ink path 100 is cleaned at the time of shipment from the factory or when it is desired to change the color or component of the ink to be used.

  When the cleaning process of the ink path 100 is executed, it is assumed that the ink cartridge 36 in which the cleaning liquid is stored in advance is installed as the ink cartridge 36. Further, in the cleaning process of the ink path 100, a cleaning liquid having a preset capacity (for example, 10 cc or more) is caused to flow through the ink path 100 about three times with a preset time interval. By flowing the cleaning liquid through the ink path 100 with a time interval in this way, an air layer is formed between the cleaning liquid layer and the cleaning liquid layer in the ink path 100. By forming an air layer between the cleaning liquid layer and the cleaning liquid layer, effective cleaning can be performed while reducing the amount of cleaning liquid used when cleaning the ink path 100 including the bypass path 200.

  In addition, with respect to the process of flowing the cleaning liquid at a preset time interval in the ink path 100, the opening and closing of a valve valve (not shown) provided in the ink cartridge 36 is controlled by the control of the microcomputer 34. Can be realized by the following. Alternatively, it may be realized by providing a valve valve between the ink cartridge 36 and the liquid feed pump 101 in the ink supply tube 102 and controlling the opening and closing of the valve valve by the microcomputer 34.

  In the cleaning process of the ink path 100, as shown in FIG. 3A, the positional relationship between the cap member 112 and the ink head 30 is set to the capping position, and the cleaning liquid is discharged from the ink cartridge 36 in order to form the first cleaning liquid layer. When 10 cc is supplied, the cleaning liquid layer L <b> 1 is formed in the ink supply tube 102. At this time, under the control of the microcomputer 34, the liquid feed pump 101 is rotated and operated to pressurize the cleaning liquid so that the liquid can be fed to the ink head 30, and the valve valve 204 is opened and suctioned. The pump 114 is operated so that the cleaning liquid can be sucked from the ink head 30. Here, the liquid feed force of the liquid feed pump 101 and the suction force of the suction pump 114 are set so that the capacity of the cleaning liquid fed by the liquid feed pump 101 substantially matches the capacity of the cleaning liquid sucked by the suction pump 114. It is preferable. Since the ink head 30 serving as a resistance when sucking the cleaning liquid is present in the vicinity of the suction pump 114, it is preferable to set the suction force of the suction pump 114 to be larger than the liquid supply force of the liquid feed pump 101. .

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, 10 cc of the cleaning liquid is supplied from the ink cartridge 36 at a preset time interval to form the cleaning liquid layer L <b> 2 in the ink supply tube 102. At this time, the operating states of the liquid feed pump 101, the valve valve 204, and the suction pump 114 are the same as those shown in FIG. An air layer A1 is formed between the cleaning liquid layer L1 and the cleaning liquid layer L2.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3C, 10 cc of the cleaning liquid is supplied from the ink cartridge 36 at a preset time interval to form the cleaning liquid layer L <b> 3 in the ink supply tube 102. As a result, the cleaning liquid is caused to flow through the ink path 100 about three times with a time interval. At this time, the operating states of the liquid feed pump 101, the valve valve 204, and the suction pump 114 are the same as those shown in FIG. An air layer A2 is formed between the cleaning liquid layer L2 and the cleaning liquid layer L3. The cleaning liquid layer L1 pressurized and fed by the liquid feed pump 101 and sucked by the suction pump 114 is supplied to the ink head at the connection portion 203b by the liquid feed force by the liquid feed pump 101 and the suction force by the suction pump 114. The cleaning liquid layer L1-1 flowing toward the 30 side and the cleaning liquid layer L1-2 flowing toward the bypass path 200 are separated.

  The operating states of the liquid feed pump 101, the valve valve 204, and the suction pump 114 are kept the same as in the case shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 3D, as with the cleaning liquid layer L1, the cleaning liquid layer L2-1 that flows toward the ink head 30 and the cleaning liquid layer L2- that flows toward the bypass path 200 are also connected to the cleaning liquid layer L1. 2 and separated. Further, the cleaning liquid layer L <b> 1-1 flowing toward the ink head 30 side is sucked by the suction pump 114 and stored in the waste liquid tank 42. On the other hand, the cleaning liquid layer L1-2 flowing to the bypass path 200 side passes through the valve valve 204 and flows to the connection portion 203a.

  If the operating states of the liquid feed pump 101, the valve valve 204, and the suction pump 114 are kept the same as shown in FIG. 3A, the cleaning liquid layer L3 is connected in the same manner as the cleaning liquid layer L1 and the cleaning liquid layer L2. In the section 203b, the cleaning liquid layer L3-1 flowing toward the ink head 30 and the cleaning liquid layer L3-2 flowing toward the bypass path 200 are separated. As shown in FIG. 3E, the cleaning liquid layer L1-1, the cleaning liquid layer L2-1, and the cleaning liquid layer L3-1 flowing toward the ink head 30 are sucked by the suction pump 114 and stored in the waste liquid tank 42. Is done. On the other hand, the cleaning liquid layer L1-2, the cleaning liquid layer L2-2, and the cleaning liquid layer L3-2 that flow toward the bypass path 200 pass through the valve valve 204 and flow to the connection portion 203a.

  When the cleaning liquid layer L1-2, the cleaning liquid layer L2-2, and the cleaning liquid layer L3-2 that flow toward the bypass path 200 pass through the bypass path 200 and reach the connection section 203-b again, the ink head in the connection section 203b. The cleaning liquid layer L1-1 flowing to the 30th side, the cleaning liquid layer L2-1, the cleaning liquid layer L3-1, and the cleaning liquid layer L1-2 flowing to the bypass path 200 side, the cleaning liquid layer L2-2, and the cleaning liquid layer L3-2 are separated.

  That is, under the control of the microcomputer 34, the liquid feeding pump 101 is operated and rotated to pressurize the cleaning liquid so that the liquid can be fed to the ink head 30, the valve valve 204 is opened, and the suction pump As long as the cleaning liquid can be sucked from the ink head 30 by operating 114, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the ink at the connection portion 203 b by the cooperation of the liquid feeding force by the liquid feeding pump 101 and the suction force by the suction pump 114. The cleaning liquid layer flowing toward the head 30 and the cleaning liquid layer flowing toward the bypass path 200 are separated and continue to flow. That is, the cleaning liquid flowing to the ink head 30 side is sucked by the suction pump 114 and stored in the waste liquid tank 42, and the cleaning liquid flowing to the bypass path 200 side is fed by the liquid feed pump 101 through the bypass path 200.

  As described above, the cleaning liquid layer and the air layer repeatedly move in the bypass path 200, so that the cleaning of the bypass path 200 where the cleaning liquid does not easily flow can be performed reliably and efficiently. Further, at least three cleaning liquid layers and two air layers also flow in the ink path 100 excluding the bypass path 200, so that the ink path 100 can be reliably and efficiently cleaned.

  Then, when a preset time has elapsed, a process of discharging the cleaning liquid layer remaining in the ink path 100 to the waste liquid tank 42 is performed.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3 (f), under the control of the microcomputer 34, the operation of the liquid feeding pump 101 is stopped by stopping the rotation, and the cleaning liquid layer is prohibited from passing through the liquid feeding pump 101. To do. On the other hand, the valve valve 204 is opened, and the suction pump 114 is operated so that the cleaning liquid layer can be sucked from the ink head 30. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid layer remaining in the bypass path 200 is sucked by the suction pump 114 and stored in the waste liquid tank 42.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3G, under the control of the microcomputer 34, the liquid feeding pump 101 is operated and rotated to pressurize the cleaning liquid so that the liquid can be fed to the ink head 30. On the other hand, the valve valve 204 is closed and the suction pump 114 is operated so that the cleaning liquid can be sucked from the ink head 30. This process may be performed when a preset time has elapsed after the process shown in FIG. With this process, the cleaning liquid remaining in the ink supply tube 102, the liquid feed pump 101, the ink head 30, and the cap member 112 is sucked by the suction pump 114 and stored in the waste liquid tank 42.

  By performing the processes shown in FIGS. 3A to 3G, the entire area in the ink path 100 including the bypass path 200 can be cleaned as shown in FIG. 3H. The cleaning liquid does not remain in the ink path 100 including the bypass path 200.

  When a preset time has elapsed in the state shown in FIG. 3 (e), the cleaning liquid remaining from the bypass path 200 is removed as shown in FIG. It is possible to efficiently remove the cleaning liquid that has moved from time to time. That is, on the contrary, if the cleaning liquid is first extracted from the liquid feeding pump 101 side and then the liquid feeding pump 101 is closed, the cleaning liquid on the bypass path 200 side flows again to the liquid feeding pump 101 side. This is because the cleaning liquid remains in the ink path 100 including the bypass path 200.

  As described above, according to the ink jet printer 10, the inside of the ink path 100 including the bypass path 200 can be reliably and efficiently cleaned, and therefore used when cleaning the ink path 100 including the bypass path 200. The amount of cleaning liquid to be reduced can be reduced. For this reason, the time required for cleaning can also be reduced.

  That is, by performing the ink path cleaning process described above, the ink path 100 including the bypass path 200 can be cleaned very cleanly with a small amount of cleaning liquid. That is, according to the cleaning process of the ink path, the cleaning efficiency in the ink path 100 including the bypass path 200 is improved, and an excellent cleaning effect can be obtained with a small amount of cleaning liquid as the entire cleaning process.

  In particular, by performing the ink path cleaning process described above, it is possible to reliably and efficiently clean the bypass path 200 where the cleaning liquid does not flow easily.

  The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented in various other forms. That is, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, the above-described embodiment may be modified as shown in the following (1) to (5).

  (1) In the above-described embodiment, specific numerical values are shown in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention. However, these numerical values are merely examples, and are appropriately determined according to design conditions and the like. Of course, it may be changed.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the tube pump and the trochoid pump are exemplified as the liquid feed pump 101, but it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to these. The liquid feed pump 101 allows the ink (cleaning liquid) to be fed, the ink (cleaning liquid) to be blocked (closed), and the ink (cleaning liquid) to be allowed (open). Conventionally known various devices can be used as long as they can be selected.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, the vacuum pump is exemplified as the suction pump 114. However, it is needless to say that the suction pump 114 is not limited thereto. As the suction pump 114, various conventionally known devices can be used as long as they can suck ink (cleaning liquid).

  (4) In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the ink path three times with a time interval, and the three cleaning liquid layers and the two air layers are provided. Of course, it is not a thing. For example, the cleaning liquid may be supplied twice to the ink path with a time interval, and one air layer may be provided between the two cleaning liquid layers, or the cleaning liquid may be supplied with a time interval. The ink path may be supplied four times or more, and an air layer may be provided between the respective cleaning liquid layers. As the cleaning liquid layer and the air layer increase, the consumption of the cleaning liquid increases, but the cleaning effect is improved. Therefore, the number of times of supplying the cleaning liquid to the ink path 100 may be determined as appropriate according to design conditions and the like.

  (5) You may make it combine suitably the embodiment shown above and the modification shown in said (1) thru | or (4).

  The present invention is suitable for use in an ink jet printer that performs predetermined printing by discharging ink from an ink head by an ink jet method.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Inkjet printer, 12 base member, 14 base member, 16L side member, 16R side member, 18 side unit, 20 center wall, 22 guide rail, 24 wire, 26 carriage, 28 recording paper, 30 ink head, 30a inkjet nozzle surface, 34 microcomputer (control means), 36 ink cartridge (liquid supply source), 38 cap device, 40 operation panel, 40a display device, 42 waste liquid tank, 100 ink path, 101 liquid feed pump (pressure pump) ), 102 Ink supply tube, 102a end, 102b end, 112 cap member, 114 suction pump, 116 waste liquid tube, 116a end, 116b end, 200 bypass path, 202 bypass tube, 202a end, 20 2b end portion, 203a connecting portion, 203b connecting portion, 204 valve valve, L1 cleaning liquid layer, L1-1 cleaning liquid layer flowing to the ink head side, L1-2 cleaning liquid layer flowing to the bypass path side, L2 cleaning liquid layer, L2-1 ink Cleaning liquid layer flowing to the head side, L2-2 Cleaning liquid layer flowing to the bypass path side, L3 cleaning liquid layer, L3-1 Cleaning liquid layer flowing to the ink head side, L3-2 Cleaning liquid layer flowing to the bypass path side, A1 air layer, A2 air layer

Claims (7)

A liquid supply source for supplying a liquid; a liquid feed pump for sucking the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source through the suction port and feeding the liquid from the discharge port; and the liquid jet pump for feeding the liquid fed from the liquid feed pump An ink path that is connected to an ink head that is ejected by an inkjet method and a suction pump that sucks the liquid from the inkjet nozzle;
A bypass path that connects the suction port side and the discharge port side of the liquid feed pump to form a detour that bypasses the liquid feed pump;
A valve valve for opening or closing the bypass path;
Control means for controlling the operation of the liquid feed pump, the suction pump, and the valve valve;
The control means includes
The liquid can be fed by the liquid feed pump, the valve valve can open the bypass path, and the cleaning liquid can be sucked by the suction pump, and the liquid is opened at a preset time interval. Supplying the liquid to the liquid delivery pump from a supply source;
The liquid feed pump is closed, the valve valve opens the bypass path, and the cleaning liquid can be sucked by the suction pump.
An inkjet printer characterized in that the cleaning liquid can be fed by the liquid feeding pump, the valve valve closes the bypass path, and the cleaning liquid can be sucked by the suction pump. . The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein
An ink jet printer, wherein the liquid supplied from the liquid supply source is a cleaning liquid. The inkjet printer according to claim 1 or 2,
The ink jet printer, wherein a capacity of the cleaning liquid fed by the liquid feeding pump substantially coincides with a capacity of the cleaning liquid sucked by the suction pump. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein
An ink jet printer, wherein the suction force of the suction pump is larger than the liquid feed force of the liquid feed pump. A liquid feed pump that feeds liquid sucked from the suction port from the discharge port, an ink head that ejects the liquid sent from the liquid feed pump from an ink jet nozzle by an ink jet method, and the liquid that is sucked from the ink jet nozzle An ink path to which a suction pump is connected;
A bypass path that connects the suction port side and the discharge port side of the liquid feed pump to form a detour that bypasses the liquid feed pump;
In an ink path cleaning method in an ink jet printer having a valve valve for opening or closing the bypass path,
In a state where the cleaning liquid is used as the liquid, the cleaning liquid can be supplied by the liquid supply pump, the valve valve opens the bypass path, and the cleaning liquid can be sucked by the suction pump in advance. A first step of supplying the cleaning liquid to the liquid delivery pump at a set time interval;
A second step of closing the liquid feed pump, allowing the valve valve to open the bypass path, and enabling the suction of the cleaning liquid by the suction pump;
A third step of allowing the cleaning liquid to be fed by the liquid feeding pump, the valve valve closing the bypass path, and allowing the cleaning liquid to be sucked by the suction pump. An ink path cleaning method in an inkjet printer. In the ink path cleaning method in the inkjet printer according to claim 5,
An ink path cleaning method in an ink jet printer, wherein the volume of the cleaning liquid fed by the liquid feeding pump substantially coincides with the volume of the cleaning liquid sucked by the suction pump. In the ink path cleaning method in the inkjet printer according to claim 5,
An ink path cleaning method in an ink jet printer, wherein the suction force of the suction pump is greater than the liquid feed force of the liquid feed pump.