JP2018016039A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to prevent unnecessary matter, ink, etc. from drying and sticking to the peripheral edge of a head cap with a simple configuration, thereby preventing deterioration in print quality. A head cap (201) is detachably attached to an inkjet head (32) and covers nozzles in a state of being sealed from the outside air when attached, and a head cap (201) is attached so as to cover a portion of the head cap (201) that contacts the inkjet head (32). , packing parts 231 and 232 which are interposed between the head cap 201 and the inkjet head 32 and which maintain a sealed state by the head cap 201; , and an annular loop member 233 rotatably provided around the head cap 201 , the packing parts 231 and 232 are connected to the loop member 233 , and the motor 210 rotates the loop member 233 around the head cap 201 . As a result, the packing portions 231 and 232 are brought into contact with and separated from the head cap 201 . [Selection drawing] Fig. 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that performs printing on printing paper by discharging ink with an inkjet head.

  In general, an inkjet printing apparatus to which an inkjet method is applied prints images, characters, and the like by ejecting ink from a nozzle of an inkjet head toward printing paper based on print data such as image information and character information. In addition, since print data can be printed in color on printing paper using multicolor inks, it is widely used for home use and business use.

  In such an ink jet printing apparatus, a head cap that covers the nozzles of the ink jet head in a sealed state from the outside air is detachably attached to the ink jet head in order to prevent or clean the surface of the ink jet head. This head cap is attached to the ink jet head to prevent the unnecessary matter remaining on or adhering to the ink jet head surface and the ink thickened near the nozzle from being dried and fixed. In the cleaning process that forcibly discharges ink from the inkjet head by driving, the drainage is sucked to suppress the generation of unnecessary items on the surface of the inkjet head, or to remove unnecessary items, etc. , Nozzle clogging and the like can be prevented.

  By the way, if the ink adheres to the edge of the head cap, the sealing performance cannot be secured when the inkjet head is covered with the head cap, and the inside of the nozzle dries even in the capping state, and the sealing performance deteriorates. As a result, air leakage occurs during the suction of ink in the cleaning process, and air bubbles are mixed into the nozzle, resulting in a possibility that the print quality is deteriorated.

  Conventionally, there is a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 as a technique for preventing or eliminating the drying and sticking of unnecessary objects and ink on the periphery of the head cap. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the head cap unit is rotated and immersed in a cleaning liquid to prevent or eliminate drying and sticking of unnecessary materials and ink on the periphery of the head cap.

JP 2010-162814 A

  However, the ink jet printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is configured to rotate the entire head cap unit and immerse it in the cleaning liquid. Therefore, as the head cap unit rotates, Also, the device and mechanism for cleaning processing such as a tube for opening to the atmosphere must be rotated, and the drive mechanism for that purpose becomes complicated and large, and the mechanism and space for the tube routing are secured. There is a problem that the configuration becomes complicated and design restrictions become excessive.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and with a simple configuration, printing that can prevent drying and sticking of unnecessary materials and ink on the periphery of the head cap and preventing deterioration in print quality. An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus for an apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, a first feature of a printing apparatus according to the present invention is a printing apparatus having an inkjet head that ejects ink from a nozzle to a printing medium,
A head cap that is detachably provided on the inkjet head and covers the nozzle in a sealed state from the outside air when attached;
A packing part that is mounted so as to cover a portion of the head cap that comes into contact with the inkjet head, is interposed between the head cap and the inkjet head, and holds a sealed state by the head cap;
Driving means for contacting and separating the packing part with respect to the head cap;
It is in having.

The second feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention further comprises an annular loop member provided so as to be able to circulate around the head cap,
The packing portion is connected to the loop member,
The driving means is to bring the packing portion into contact with and away from the head cap by rotating the loop member around the head cap.

A third feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention is further provided with a cleaning tank that is installed in the vicinity of the head cap and is filled with a cleaning liquid that cleans the packing portion.
The drive means reciprocates the packing part between a mounting position with respect to the head cap and a position where the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank can be submerged.

A fourth feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention is that a plurality of the packing portions are provided,
The driving means is to alternately contact and separate the plurality of packing portions with respect to the head cap.

  A fifth feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention is that the loop member further includes a wiping portion that is in sliding contact with the inner surface of the head cap as the loop member circulates.

A sixth feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention is a flexible belt-like member in which the loop member has a width wider than the width of the head cap.
The packing portion is formed on the periphery of an opening formed through the belt-like member.

A seventh feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention is that the loop member is a chain member that can be flexibly bent,
The packing portion is connected to the chain member.

  An eighth feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention is that the printing apparatus further includes an ultrasonic wave generating unit that is provided in the cleaning tank and generates an ultrasonic wave in the cleaning liquid filled in the cleaning tank.

  According to the first feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention, by providing a packing portion that is interposed between the head cap and the ink jet head and covers the periphery of the head cap and maintains a sealed state, it is unnecessary at the periphery of the head cap. It is possible to prevent or eliminate drying and sticking of objects and inks, and the packing part can be replaced or cleaned by appropriately detaching the packing part from the head cap by the driving means. Since it is a mechanism that drives only the packing part, it is possible to avoid the complexity and size of the drive mechanism for that purpose, and it is not necessary to secure a mechanism or space for routing tubes etc., thus simplifying the mechanism -Unnecessary objects and ink on the periphery of the head cap can be removed while realizing space saving.

  According to the second feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention, the packing portion is connected to an annular loop member provided so as to be able to circulate around the head cap, and the loop member is circulated around the head cap. Since it is a structure, simplification and space saving of a mechanism are realizable.

  According to the third feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention, a cleaning tank for cleaning the packing part is provided, the packing part can be immersed in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank, and the maintenance work for cleaning the packing part is simplified. Can be

  According to the fourth aspect of the printing apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of packing portions are provided and alternately contacted / separated with respect to the head cap, so that another packing can be obtained while one packing portion is being cleaned. The head cap can be hermetically sealed at the portion, and the time during which the nozzle surface of the inkjet head is exposed to air can be shortened.

  According to the fifth feature of the printing apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to remove unnecessary matter and the like on the periphery of the head cap by rotating the loop member and sliding the wiping portion against the inner surface of the head cap. The head cap can be kept more clean. Since the wiping portion can be driven together with the packing portion by rotating the loop member by the driving means, the wiping portion can be brought into contact with and separated from the head cap without complicating the apparatus.

  According to the sixth aspect of the printing apparatus of the present invention, the loop member is formed on the periphery of the opening of the flexible belt-shaped member having a width wider than the width of the head cap, thereby simplifying the configuration. Can be

  According to the seventh feature of the printing apparatus of the present invention, the loop member is a flexible bendable chain member, and a packing portion is connected to the chain member, thereby improving the strength of the loop member and Simplification can be achieved.

  According to the eighth aspect of the printing apparatus of the present invention, the ultrasonic wave is generated in the cleaning tank by providing ultrasonic generating means in the cleaning tank for generating ultrasonic waves in the cleaning liquid filled in the cleaning tank. Thus, it is possible to more reliably remove unnecessary substances and the like attached to the packing portion immersed in the cleaning liquid.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the inkjet printing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the inkjet head and maintenance unit which concern on embodiment. It is the block diagram which showed the function structure of the inkjet printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows typically the structure of the maintenance unit which concerns on embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the packing part which concerns on embodiment, and a head cap, (a) is sectional drawing which shows the state which removed the packing part from the head cap, (b) is mounting | wearing a head part with a packing part. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which carried out. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically operation | movement at the time of packing part replacement | exchange and washing | cleaning of the maintenance unit which concerns on embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the example of a change of the packing part which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows the whole operation | movement of the maintenance unit which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of the cleaning process of the maintenance unit which concerns on embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the ultrasonic generation means of the maintenance unit which concerns on embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In one embodiment of the present invention, line-type image formation is provided in which a plurality of inkjet heads each having a large number of nozzles are provided, and black or color ink is ejected from each inkjet head and printing is performed on a printing sheet line by line. The apparatus will be described as an example.

(Overall configuration of inkjet printing apparatus)
The structure of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 which is one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated in detail. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating configurations of an inkjet head unit 31 and a maintenance unit 200.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet printing apparatus 1 includes a side paper feed unit 10, an internal paper feed unit 20, a printing unit 30, a paper discharge unit 40, and a reversing unit 50.

  The side paper feeding unit 10 includes a paper feeding table 11 on which the printing paper W is stacked, and a primary paper feeding unit 12 that conveys only the uppermost printing paper W from the paper feeding table 11 onto the paper feeding conveyance path FR. And a secondary paper feeding unit 14 for carrying the printing paper W conveyed by the primary paper feeding unit 12 onto the circulation conveyance path CR.

  The internal paper feed unit 20 includes a paper feed tray 21a on which the print papers W are stacked, and a primary paper feed unit 22a that transports only the uppermost print paper W from the paper feed tray 21a onto the paper feed transport path FR. The printing paper W is laminated, the primary paper supply unit 22b that conveys only the uppermost printing paper W from the paper feeding base 21b onto the paper feeding conveyance path FR, and the printing paper W. Sheet feeding table 21c, a primary sheet feeding unit 22c that conveys only the uppermost printing sheet W from the sheet feeding table 21c onto the sheet feeding conveyance path FR, and a sheet feeding table 21d on which the printing sheets W are stacked. And a primary paper feed section 22d for transporting only the uppermost printing paper W from the paper feed tray 21d onto the paper feed transport path FR.

In this way, the printing paper W is conveyed from the side paper feeding unit 10 and the internal paper feeding unit 20 to the secondary paper feeding unit 14, and further, the printing paper W is also conveyed from the reversing unit 50 described later.
Therefore, in front of the secondary paper feeding unit 14 in the transport direction, the transport path of the fed printing paper W and the path through which the paper on which one side is printed are circulated and merged are merged A point exists. Based on this merging point, the path on the paper feed mechanism side is referred to as a paper feed conveyance path FR, and the other path is referred to as a circulation conveyance path CR.

  The printing unit 30 is provided on a paper transport unit 133 that transports the print paper W on the circulation transport path CR, and an upper portion of the paper transport unit 133. C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), K An inkjet head unit 31 that holds a plurality of inkjet heads 32 arranged in a staggered manner for each (black) ink color, and a maintenance unit 200 that performs a cleaning process for the inkjet head 32 are provided.

  The ink jet head unit 31 is a member that holds an ink jet head 32 that is a recording head main body that discharges ink from a nozzle to a print medium. As shown in FIG. A nozzle surface arranged in parallel to the printing paper W on the unit 133 is provided. On this nozzle surface, a nozzle plate 33 is formed in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting certain ink droplets downward according to image data are formed. Although details of the inkjet head 32 are not shown, an ink chamber for supplying ink to each nozzle and an ejection mechanism using, for example, a piezoelectric element are provided.

  The paper transport unit 133 includes an annular platen belt 132, and the printing paper W fed by the secondary paper feed unit 14 is placed on the platen belt 132 by a suction fan 131 (described later) installed in the platen belt 132. The ink is sucked by the ink, and is printed on a line basis by the ink ejected from the inkjet head 32 while being conveyed on the conveyance path at a predetermined conveyance speed.

  The printing paper W printed by the printing unit 30 is conveyed on the circulation conveyance path CR in the housing by a conveyance roller or the like disposed on the circulation conveyance path CR. A switching mechanism 43 is provided on the circulation conveyance path CR to switch between guiding the printing paper W conveyed on the circulation conveyance path CR to the paper discharge unit 40 or recirculating it on the circulation conveyance path CR. Yes.

The switching mechanism 43 switches the printing paper W in order to guide it to one of a paper discharge unit 40 and a reversing unit 50 described later.
When a predetermined time has elapsed after printing of the printing paper W, it is necessary to remove unnecessary materials such as dry ink on the nozzle surface of the inkjet head. Therefore, a maintenance unit 200 that performs a cleaning process on the nozzle surface of the inkjet head 32 is disposed below the paper transport unit 133 for the purpose of removing unnecessary materials. During the cleaning process, the paper transport unit 133 moves in the X1 direction and the maintenance unit 200 moves in the Y1 direction, so that the maintenance unit 200 approaches the ink jet head 32 and the head cap 201 is further lifted to perform ink jetting. The head 32 is attached and a cleaning process is executed.

  The paper discharge unit 40 includes a tray-shaped paper discharge table 41 protruding from the casing of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 and a pair of paper discharge rollers 42 that guide the print paper W to the paper discharge table 41. Then, the printing paper W guided to the paper discharge unit 40 by the switching mechanism 43 is conveyed to the paper discharge table 41 by the paper discharge roller 42, and is stacked on the paper discharge table 41 with the printing surface facing down.

  The reversing unit 50 reverses the printing paper W, and the reversing unit 51 conveys the printing paper W from the circulation conveyance path CR to the reversing table 51 or conveys the printing paper W from the reversing table 51 onto the circulation conveyance path CR. And a roller 52.

  The printing paper W guided to the reversing unit 50 by the switching mechanism 43 is transported from the circulation transport path CR to the reversing table 51 by the reversing roller 52, and is transported from the reversing table 51 to the circulation transport path CR after a predetermined time. Thus, the front and back are reversed with respect to the circulation conveyance path CR. The printing paper W whose front and back are reversed is conveyed toward the printing unit 30 on the circulation conveyance path CR by a plurality of rollers such as a conveyance roller 53 provided on the circulation conveyance path CR.

(Configuration of maintenance unit 200)
Next, the configuration of the maintenance unit 200 will be described. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating the inkjet head and the maintenance unit according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the maintenance unit 200 includes a head cap 201, an atmosphere release valve 203, and an intake / exhaust pump 205 that are disposed in association with the inkjet head 32.

  Among these, at least the head cap 201 is provided for each inkjet head 32. However, the intake / exhaust pump 205 and the air release valve 203 may be configured to be provided for each of the plurality of caps 201 when the operations can be made common among the inkjet heads 32. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, an example of a configuration in which one intake / exhaust pump 205 and one atmosphere release valve 203 are provided for each inkjet head 32 will be described.

  A pan (not shown) is installed below each inkjet head 32 and head cap 201. The pan has a box shape that opens upward, and includes a bottom surface substantially parallel to the nozzle surface, and serves as a tray for the leaked ink.

  The head cap 201 is a member that is detachably provided on the ink jet head 32 and covers the nozzle in a state of being sealed from the outside air in a mounted state. The head cap 201 is formed in a box shape opened upward, and covers the nozzle surface from below, thereby sealing the region of the nozzle surface including all the nozzles included in one inkjet head 32 from below. The opening end of the head cap 201 is provided with a sealing member made of an elastic body or a flexible body for forming a liquid-tight and air-tight seal by being elastically pressed by the nozzle plate 33 over the entire circumference. Yes.

  The head cap 201 is provided with cap driving means for moving up and down in order to selectively switch the vertical position of the head cap 201. The cap driving means includes, for example, appropriate mechanical, electromagnetic, and fluid raising / lowering means. The head cap 201 is moved up and down with respect to the inkjet head 32, and the head cap 201 seals the nozzle surface. The state to stop and the state to release the sealing can be switched. Note that the inkjet head 32 side may be moved up and down with respect to the head cap 201. The cap driving means for moving the head cap 201 up and down may move the head cap 201 up and down in accordance with the revolving motion of the packing parts 231 and 232, and the dirty packing parts 231 and 232 or the wiping part. When the 233a passes over the head cap, the head cap 201 may be lowered to prevent them from coming into contact with each other.

  On the lower surface of the head cap 201, an air introduction pipe 202 for opening the suction space from the head cap 201 to the atmosphere is provided. The atmosphere introduction pipe 202 has one end connected to the head cap 201 and the other end communicating with the atmosphere. An air release valve 203 is provided in the middle of the air introduction pipe 202. The atmosphere release valve 203 opens and closes the opening of the atmosphere introduction pipe 202 that communicates with the atmosphere, and can be selected between an open state and a closed state under the control of the control unit 70. When the atmosphere release valve 203 is opened, the head cap 201 is opened to the atmosphere. Although the structure of the air release valve 203 is not particularly limited, for example, an electromagnetic valve or the like can be employed.

  A connection path 204 is connected to the lower surface of the head cap 201. The connection path 204 is a pipe that supplies the cleaning liquid to the head cap 201 or discharges the waste liquid in the head cap 201 to the waste liquid tank 209.

The head cap 201 communicates with the cleaning liquid tank via the connection path 204 and also communicates with the waste liquid tank via a drainage path connected to the connection path 204.
The cleaning liquid tank is a tank that stores the cleaning liquid supplied into the head cap 201. The cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank is supplied into the head cap 201 via the connection path 204. A liquid supply path is connected to the cleaning liquid tank via a connection path 204. The liquid supply path is a pipe for supplying the cleaning liquid into the head cap 201.

  The waste liquid tank is a tank that stores the waste liquid discharged from the head cap 201. The waste liquid is discharged from the head cap 201 into the waste liquid tank via the drain path and the connection path 204. A drainage path is connected to the waste liquid tank, and this drainage path is a pipe for discharging the waste liquid stored in the head cap 201 via the connection path 204.

  In the present embodiment, the connection path 204 is connected with a liquid supply path and a liquid discharge path via a switching unit, and the liquid supply path and the liquid discharge path are selectively selected by appropriately switching the switching unit. Connected to the connection path 204. Specifically, each of the connection path 204, the liquid supply path, and the liquid discharge path has a liquid supply path and a liquid discharge path that are different from the connection path 204 from the liquid supply path or the liquid discharge path to the head cap 201. Connection points to be connected are formed and connected to each other. A switching unit is formed at this connection point.

  The suction / discharge pump 205 sends the cleaning liquid to the head cap 201 through the liquid supply path and discharges the waste liquid from the head cap 201 through the waste liquid path. A suction / discharge pump 205 is provided in the connection path 204. As the suction / discharge pump 205, a fluid pump having an appropriate configuration, such as a tube pump, can be used. In the present embodiment, the suction amount can be varied under the control of the control unit 70.

  Furthermore, the maintenance unit 200 is provided with a purge pump 35 that supplies air into the inkjet head in order to pressurize the interior of the inkjet head and discharge ink from the nozzles. The discharge of ink from the inkjet head by the pressure of the purge pump 35 is called a purge operation. When the ink is discharged from the inkjet head by this purge operation, the ink is stored inside the head cap 201, and the nozzle is immersed in the stored ink.

  Further, in the maintenance unit 200 of the present embodiment, the packing portions 231 and 232 that are attached so as to cover the portion of the head cap 201 that comes into contact with the inkjet head 32, and the packing portions 231 and 232 are in contact with the head cap 201. A motor 210 to be separated and a cleaning tank 200a for cleaning the packing portions 231 and 232 are provided.

  The packing portions 231 and 232 are members that are mounted so as to cover a portion of the head cap 201 that comes into contact with the inkjet head 32, are interposed between the head cap 201 and the inkjet head 32, and are members that maintain a sealed state by the head cap 201. In the present embodiment, two packing parts 231 and 232 are provided so as to form a pair of upper and lower sides.

  These packing parts 231 and 232 are formed of, for example, a rubber material such as nitrile rubber, fluorine rubber, urethane rubber, silicon rubber, or a synthetic resin material such as fluorine resin, polyethylene, or polyester. It is an annular member having a through-hole 230d that is fitted and penetrated through the front and back. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the head cap 201 is centered on a sealing groove 201 d that has an outer edge portion that fits the planar shape of the inkjet head 32 so as to be fitted and sealed with the inkjet head 32. It has an annular groove 201c and an outer wall 201a so as to surround the inner wall 201b that defines the sealing groove 201d. The packing portion 231 has an annular fitting groove 230c that matches the planar shape of the peripheral portion of the inner wall portion 201b so as to be fitted to the peripheral portion of the inner wall portion 201b of the head cap 201. The pair of packing portions 231 and 232 are arranged to face each other with the surface on which the fitting groove 230c is formed inside, and when the head cap 201 is fitted, the surface on which the fitting groove 230c is formed faces downward. The head cap 201 is mounted so as to face the inner wall 201b.

  The pair of packing portions 231 and 232 are connected to an annular loop member 233 provided to be able to circulate around the head cap 201, and are disposed to face each other at an opposite position of the annular loop member 233. In this embodiment, the loop member 233 is a belt member integrally formed with the packing portions 231 and 232, and, like the packing portions 231 and 232, a rubber-based material such as nitrile rubber, fluorine rubber, urethane rubber silicon rubber, or the like. It is made of a material, or a synthetic resin material such as a fluororesin, polyethylene, or polyester. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the loop member has a shape in which the center portions in the longitudinal direction of the packing portions 231 and 232 are connected to each other as a single annular member. This loop member is rotated about the Z axis in FIG. 4 in a vertical plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the head cap 201 (the direction indicated by Z1-Z2 in FIG. 4) by the motor 210.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a wiping portion 233 a that protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the loop member 233 toward the annular inner side and is in sliding contact with the inner surface of the head cap 201 is provided. Yes. By wrapping the loop member 233, the wiping portion 233a is also circulated together with the packing portions 231 and 232, and is brought into and out of contact with the head cap 201. In this embodiment, the wiping portion 233a is integrally formed with the loop member, and like the packing portions 231, 232, rubber-based materials such as nitrile rubber, fluoro rubber, urethane rubber silicon rubber, fluororesin, It is made of synthetic resin materials such as polyethylene and polyester. In addition, as a material of this wiping part 233a, a nonwoven fabric etc. can also be used other than rubber | gum and a synthetic resin.

  The cleaning tank 200a is disposed below the head cap 201 in the vicinity of the head cap 201, and the cleaning tank 200a is filled with a cleaning liquid L1 for cleaning the packing portions 231 and 232. The cleaning tank 200a has a depth that allows the packing parts 231 and 232 to be submerged. When the packing parts 231 and 232 are submerged in the cleaning tank 200a, the fitting is directed upward. The cleaning liquid L1 is filled to the extent that the upper surface of the groove 230c is immersed.

  In addition, about this washing tank 200a, you may provide the drive device which moves up and down, maintaining horizontal. Accordingly, for example, the packing parts 231 and 232 may be smoothly submerged in the cleaning liquid L1 by moving up and down according to the circumference of the packing parts 231 and 232. Ultrasonic wave generation means 220 as shown in FIG. 10 may be provided in the cleaning tank 200a. The ultrasonic generator 220 is an apparatus that generates ultrasonic waves in the cleaning liquid L1 filled in the cleaning tank 200a. For example, the ultrasonic generator 220 drives an ultrasonic generator that is a piezoelectric element to generate ultrasonic waves. The dirt of the packing parts 231 and 232 is peeled off by vibration or cavitation.

  The motor 210 is a driving means for bringing the packing parts 231 and 232 into and out of contact with the head cap 201. In this embodiment, the packing parts 231 and 232 are rotated by rotating the loop member 233 around the head cap 201. The head cap 201 is alternately brought into contact with and separated from the head cap 201. Specifically, the motor 210 circulates the loop member 233, so that the packing parts 231 and 232 are positioned between the upper mounting position with respect to the head cap 201 and the lower position where the cleaning liquid L1 in the cleaning tank 200a can be submerged. Reciprocate. At this time, since the wiping portion is provided in the loop member 233, the wiping portion 233a is also brought into contact with and separated from the head cap 201 together with the packing portions 231 and 232 when the motor 210 circulates the loop member 233. It becomes.

(Functional configuration of inkjet printing apparatus 1)
Next, the functional configuration of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the inkjet printing apparatus 1 includes an external interface unit 71, a unit driving unit 139, a paper transport unit 133, a maintenance unit 200, a printing unit 30, an operation unit 60, and a control unit 70. It has. Among these configurations, the paper transport unit 133, the maintenance unit 200, and the printing unit 30 have been described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

The unit driving unit 139 drives the paper transport unit 133 and the maintenance unit 200 based on an instruction from the control unit 70.
The external interface unit 71 is an interface device for connecting to the terminal 100 via the network 9 and supplies, for example, print data transmitted from the terminal 100 to the control unit 70. The measuring unit 72 is a device that measures time.

  The operation unit 60 includes a display / input panel (not shown), a start key for starting reading and printing, a stop key for stopping reading and printing, and a numeric keypad for inputting the number of prints (whichever And an operation signal based on a user operation is supplied to the control unit 70.

  The display / input panel of the operation unit 60 includes a pressure-sensitive or electrostatic transparent touch panel disposed on the front surface and a liquid crystal display panel disposed on the back surface of the touch panel for displaying various display screens (none of which are shown). ). The user touches the surface of the touch panel directly with his / her finger while looking at the display screen of the liquid crystal display panel, and sets a standby time for automatically starting the cleaning process and a button for executing the cleaning process. In order to prevent the ink jet head from drying, the paper transport unit 133 is automatically moved to the standby position, and further, the standby position movement setting time for moving the maintenance unit 200 to the maintenance position, and the cleaning setting for executing the cleaning process. Various buttons such as a setting button for setting time can be pressed.

  The control unit 70 performs central control of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 and controls the side paper feed unit 10, the internal paper feed unit 20, the printing unit 30, the paper discharge unit 40, and the reversing unit 50. Moreover, the control part 70 is provided with the drive control part 70a and the washing | cleaning control part 70b on the function.

  If the maintenance preparation is not completed when the cleaning process is executed, the drive control unit 70a moves the paper transport unit 133 to the standby position and moves the maintenance unit 200 to the maintenance position. In addition, when the cleaning process is completed, the drive control unit 70a moves the maintenance unit 200 to the standby position and moves the paper transport unit 133 to the printing position.

  The cleaning control unit 70b performs the cap cleaning process by switching the liquid feeding direction by the suction / discharge pump 205 to the head cap direction or the waste liquid direction according to the selection of the path by the switching unit, and performs drive control of the packing units 231 and 232. .

  As the cap cleaning process, the cleaning control unit 70 b causes the suction / discharge pump 205 to send the cleaning liquid toward the head cap 201 while the switching unit of the connection path 204 connects the liquid supply path to the head cap 201. In this cap cleaning process, an amount of cleaning liquid overflowing from the upper surface of the head cap 201 is sent out.

  Further, the cleaning control unit 70 b causes the suction / discharge pump 205 to send the waste liquid toward the waste liquid tank 209 while the connection path 204 switching unit connects the drain path to the head cap 201. In addition, the cleaning control unit 70b controls the start and stop of delivery of the suction / exhaust pump 205 according to the delivered flow rate. In this embodiment, the drive time of the suction / exhaust pump 205 is measured by the measuring unit 72, and the start and stop of delivery of the suction / exhaust pump 205 are controlled by the measurement time.

(Operation during maintenance processing)
Next, the operation | movement at the time of the maintenance process of the inkjet printing apparatus 1 provided with the above structure is demonstrated.
(1) Overall processing First, overall processing during maintenance processing will be described. FIG. 78 is a flowchart showing an overall processing procedure of maintenance processing in the inkjet printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the control unit 70 determines whether or not a maintenance process is requested (step S101). The request for the maintenance process can be performed manually by a user who is supplied with an operation signal for requesting the execution of the cleaning process from the operation unit 60, or can be automatically performed. In the case of being automatic, it includes the elapse of a predetermined time, printing a predetermined number of times, or detection of a dirt sensor.

If it is determined that the maintenance process is not requested ("N" in S101), the process waits until an operation signal requesting the execution of the cleaning process is supplied.
When an operation signal requesting execution of the maintenance process is input, the drive control unit 70a of the control unit 70 moves the paper transport unit 133 to the standby position (step S102). Specifically, the drive control unit 70a controls the unit drive unit 139 so as to move the paper transport unit 133 in the X1 direction shown in FIG.

  Next, the drive control unit 70a of the control unit 70 moves the maintenance unit 200 to the maintenance position (step S103). Specifically, the drive control unit 70a controls the unit drive unit 139 to move the maintenance unit 200 in the Y1 direction illustrated in FIG. As a result, the maintenance unit 200 approaches the ink jet head 32, and the head cap 201 is further raised by the drive system (not shown) and attached to the ink jet head 32. At this time, either the packing part 231 or 232 is attached to the head cap 201, and either the packing part 231 or 232 is interposed between the head cap 201 and the inkjet head 32.

  In this state, the cleaning control unit 70b executes a cleaning process for the head cap 201 (S104). Thereafter, the drive control unit 70a lowers the head cap 201 to release the sealed state with respect to the inkjet head 32, and controls the unit drive unit 139 to move the maintenance unit 200 in the Y2 direction shown in FIG. Then, it is separated from the inkjet head 32 (S105). Thereafter, the cleaning control unit 70b replaces the packing units 231 and 232 (S106).

(2) Cleaning Process Next, the cleaning process in step S104 included in the above-described maintenance process will be described. FIG. 89 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the cleaning process according to the present embodiment.
In the cleaning process, the cleaning control unit 70b drives the switching unit of the connection path 204 to connect the drainage path to the head cap 201 (S201). Next, the cleaning control unit 70b switches the liquid feeding direction by the suction / discharge pump 205 to the waste liquid direction (S202).

  Then, the cleaning control unit 70b performs a normal cleaning operation (S203). The normal cleaning operation includes a suction operation, an empty suction operation, a wipe operation, and a spit operation. The suction operation is an operation in which the air release valve 203 is closed and the suction / discharge pump 205 is driven to forcibly discharge ink from the inkjet head. The idle suction operation is an operation of operating the intake / exhaust pump 205 in the low speed mode with the atmosphere release valve 203 opened. The wiping operation is an operation in which a wiping means (not shown) is brought into sliding contact with the nozzle surface of the inkjet head 32. The spit operation is a preliminary discharge operation that discharges ink and removes thickened ink or the like from the nozzles.

(3) Packing part replacement | exchange operation | movement Next, the packing part replacement | exchange operation | movement in step S106 contained in the maintenance process mentioned above is demonstrated. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating the operation of the maintenance unit according to the embodiment when the packing unit is replaced.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, in step S <b> 105, the inkjet head 32 is lifted to release the sealed state of the inkjet head by capping via the packing portion 231. Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the loop member 233 is rotated by the motor 210, and the packing portion 231 located above is moved toward the cleaning tank 200a, while being immersed in the cleaning tank 200a. The sunk packing part 232 is moved toward the head cap 201 side.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 6C, the wiping portion 233a approaches the head cap 201 as the loop member 233 rotates, and passes through the head cap 201 as shown in FIG. The wiping portion 233a is brought into sliding contact with the inner surface of the head cap 201 to wipe the edge portion in the cap.

  Thereafter, when the sensor detects that the packing portion 232 has reached the head cap 201, the motor 210 is stopped. When capping or cleaning is performed, when the head cap 201 is raised, the peripheral edge of the cap reaches the inkjet head 32 while pushing up either the packing portion 231 or 232, and the head cap 201 is moved to the inkjet head. By being pressed against 32, the fitting groove 230c of either the packing part 231 or 232 is fitted to the peripheral part of the head cap 201 and is firmly attached.

(Example of change)
The above description of the embodiment is an example of the present invention. For this reason, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made according to the design and the like as long as they do not depart from the technical idea of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, two packing portions 231 and 232 are provided to form a pair of upper and lower parts, and the loop member 233 is rotated about the Z axis. For example, as shown in FIG. In addition, four packing portions are provided to form a pair of upper, lower, left and right pairs, and are rotated around the X axis in a vertical plane orthogonal to the width direction of the packing portions 231 and 232 (X1-X2 in the drawing). You may do it. In this case, a pair of upper and lower packing parts (for example, 231 and 232) are rotated 180 ° each time and used alternately, and only a set of packing parts 231 and 232 are used alternately and continuously for a certain period. After the elapse of time, the loop member 233 is rotated by 90 °, and the remaining packing portions 234 and 235 are alternately and continuously used. As a result, the deterioration of the packing portion over time can be moderated, the frequency of replacement of the packing portion can be reduced, and the burden of maintenance work can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the loop member has a string shape that is narrower than the width of the packing portion. However, for example, the loop member may have a width wider than the width of the head cap 201 as shown in FIG. The flexible belt-like member 240 may be used, and the packing portions 231 and 232 may be formed at the periphery of the opening 241 formed through the belt-like member 240. A groove is formed on the periphery of the opening 241 so as to cover the periphery of the head cap 201.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the single loop member 233 is formed. However, as shown in FIGS. 7C and 7D, for example, a pair of members that connect the both ends of the packing portions 231 and 232, respectively. You may comprise. As this member, as shown in FIG.7 (c), a loop member is comprised with the chain member 236 which can be bent flexibly, and each packing part 231 and 232 can be connected to the chain member 236 in the both ends. it can. Moreover, as this pair of loop members, as shown in FIG.7 (d), you may drive a belt member with a pulley.

(Action / Effect)
According to the present embodiment, the packing portions 231 and 232 are interposed between the head cap 201 and the inkjet head 32, and cover the periphery of the head cap 201 to maintain a sealed state. It is possible to prevent or eliminate drying and sticking of objects and inks. Further, the packing parts 231 and 232 can be exchanged or cleaned by appropriately detaching the packing parts 231 and 232 from the head cap 201 by the motor 210. Thus, in this embodiment, since it is a mechanism which drives only the packing parts 231 and 232, it can avoid that the drive mechanism for that is complicated and enlarged, and also a mechanism and space for routing a tube etc. Therefore, it is possible to remove unnecessary matters, ink, and the like on the periphery of the head cap 201 while realizing simplification and space saving of the mechanism.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the cleaning tank 200a for cleaning the packing parts 231 and 232 is provided, the packing parts 231 and 232 can be submerged in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank, and maintenance work for cleaning the packing part is performed. It can be simplified. At this time, since a plurality of packing portions are provided and are alternately brought into contact with and separated from the head cap 201, the head cap is sealed with the other packing portion 232 even while one packing portion 231 is being cleaned. The time for which the nozzle surface of the inkjet head 32 is exposed to air can be shortened.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, by bringing the wiping portion 233a into sliding contact with the inner surface of the head cap 201, it is possible to remove unnecessary matters on the periphery of the head cap 201 and to keep the head cap 201 more clean. it can. The wiping portion 233a can be driven together with the packing portions 231 and 232 by the loop member 233 being circulated by the motor 210. Therefore, the wiping portion 233a can be moved to the head without specially adding a mechanism for driving the wiping portion 233a. The cap 201 can be contacted and separated.

L1 ... Cleaning Liquid 1 ... Inkjet Printing Device 9 ... Network 10 ... Side Feeder 20 ... Internal Feeder 30 ... Printing Unit 31 ... Inkjet Head Unit 32 ... Inkjet Head 40 ... Paper Discharge Unit 50 ... Reversing Unit 60 ... Operation Unit 70 ... Control part 70a ... Driving control part 70b ... Cleaning control part 71 ... External interface part 72 ... Measurement part 100 ... Terminal 131 ... Suction fan 132 ... Platen belt 133 ... Paper transport unit 139 ... Unit driving part 200 ... Maintenance unit 200a ... Cleaning Tank 201 ... Head cap 201a ... Outer wall part 201b ... Inner wall part 201c ... Annular groove 201d ... Sealing groove part 202 ... Air introduction pipe 203 ... Air release valve 204 ... Connection path 205 ... Suction / discharge pump 209 ... Waste liquid tank 210 ... Motor 220 ... Over Sound wave generation hand Step 230c ... Fitting groove 230d ... Through hole 231, 232, 234, 235 ... Packing part 233 ... Loop member 233a ... Wiping part 236 ... Chain member 240 ... Belt-like member 241 ... Opening

Claims (8)

A printing apparatus having an inkjet head for discharging ink from a nozzle to a printing medium,
A head cap that is detachably provided on the inkjet head and covers the nozzle in a sealed state from the outside air when attached;
A packing part that is mounted so as to cover a portion of the head cap that comes into contact with the inkjet head, is interposed between the head cap and the inkjet head, and holds a sealed state by the head cap;
Driving means for contacting and separating the packing part with respect to the head cap;
A printing apparatus comprising: An annular loop member provided so as to be rotatable around the head cap;
The packing portion is connected to the loop member,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit causes the packing member to contact and separate from the head cap by rotating the loop member around the head cap. A cleaning tank installed near the head cap and filled with a cleaning liquid for cleaning the packing part;
The said drive means makes the said packing part reciprocate between the mounting position with respect to the said head cap, and the position which can be immersed in the said washing | cleaning liquid in the said washing tank, The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Printing device. A plurality of the packing portions are provided,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit causes the plurality of packing portions to alternately contact and separate from the head cap. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a wiping portion that slides on the inner surface of the inkjet head head cap when the loop member circulates around the loop member. The loop member is a flexible belt-like member having a width wider than the width of the head cap,
The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the packing portion is formed on a peripheral edge of an opening formed through the belt-shaped member. The loop member is a chain member that can be flexibly bent,
The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the packing portion is connected to the chain member.   The printing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an ultrasonic wave generation unit that is provided in the cleaning tank and generates ultrasonic waves in the cleaning liquid filled in the cleaning tank.

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