TW200932545A - Printhead maintenance facility with nozzle face wiper having multiple contact blades - Google Patents

Abstract

A printhead maintenance facility for an inkjet printer that has a printhead with the nozzle face defining an array of nozzles. The printhead maintenance facility has a wiper member for wiping the nozzle face, and a maintenance drive for moving the wiper member across the array of nozzles in the nozzle face. The wiper member has a plurality of parallel blades, each of the plurality of blades being dimensioned to wipe all the nozzles in a single traverse across the nozzle face.

Description

200932545 IX. INSTRUCTIONS OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to the field of printers, and more particularly to page width inkjet [Prior Art] Applicants have developed a wide range of printers that use a page width 〇 Non-traditional reciprocating print head design. The page width design adds printing because the print head does not have to traverse across the page to deposit a column of images. The print head simply deposits ink on the media because it transports the media at high speed. These print heads have been able to print at full speed of about 1 600 dpi at a rate of about 60 pages per minute, which is the rate first achieved by conventional inkjet printers. The high resolution and high rate are mainly due to the self-cooling of the print head. Excess heat does not accumulate in the nozzle because excess heat is removed from the print head as the Q ink is low. This allows the nozzles to be closer together and the nozzle emissivity is limited only by the ink re-injection rate. Self-cooling operation Low injection energy, which corresponds to a small nozzle and a small droplet volume Another factor for low energy injection is a short nozzle hole length. Nozzle geometry (usually circular or elliptical)' and nozzle hole length The thickness of the nozzle hole configuration (e.g., nozzle plate). The long nozzle hole length has a high fluid force on the ink droplets when the ink is ejected through the nozzle. Applicant's printhead design maintains a relatively short nozzle hole length (micrometers). Printer print head rate, . The page width is not allowed to be executed before the execution rate is executed. Help to define one is to define the droplet penetration resistance is less than 5 -5- 200932545 Small nozzles are easy to block, and the paper dust or dry ink on the nozzle surface (the outer surface defining the array nozzle hole) will cause closely spaced different pigments Pigment mixing between nozzles. Wiping the nozzle face of the printhead is an effective way to remove paper dust, ink overflow, dry ink, or other contaminants. The average worker will understand that there are countless different possibilities for the wiper structure and that the compartment is not suitable for a special printer. The functional efficiency of the wiper (i.e., cleaning the print head) must weigh the cost of production, the desired operating life, size and weight constraints, and other considerations. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a printhead maintenance apparatus for an inkjet printer having a printhead having a nozzle face defining an array of nozzles, The printhead maintenance apparatus includes: a wiper member for wiping the nozzle face; a maintenance drive for moving the wiper member past the array nozzle in the nozzle face; wherein the wiper member has a plurality of parallel The wiper blade is designed to dimension each of the plurality of wipers to wipe all of the nozzles across a single traverse through the nozzle face. Since a plurality of parallel wipers are wiped past the nozzle face, a single traverse of the wiper member collects more dust and dirt. Although multiple blade designs are less compact than a single blade, each wipe is faster and more efficient. Therefore, the print head can be wiped between pages during the printing job. And any primary maintenance system that is executed before the print job can be completed in a short time -6-200932545. Preferably, the printer has a medium feed assembly for transporting a sheet-like medium substrate through the print head in a medium feed direction, and the maintenance drive moves the wiper member parallel to the medium feed Pass the nozzle face in the direction of the direction. In another preferred form, the printhead is a pagewidth printhead and the plurality of parallel wipers extend over the length of the nozzle array. Preferably, the maintenance drive is constructed to move the wiper member in an opposite direction of the media feed direction and the media feed direction. The maintenance drive is constructed in a preferred form to rotate the wiper member, the wiper member rotating about an axis extending transversely of the media feed direction. In some embodiments, the printhead maintenance apparatus further includes a tubular base having a plurality of maintenance stations mounted to the exterior of the base, wherein the wiper member is one of the maintenance stations. Preferably, the base has a seat on the outside, and the maintenance stations are mounted in the seats. In a particularly preferred form, the wiper member is a co-molded polymer element having a hard plastic base for mounting within the socket, and the plurality of parallel blades are soft elastomeric materials from which The hard plastic base extends. In some embodiments, the plurality of parallel blades extend perpendicular to the media feed direction. Optionally, the plurality of parallel blades extend at an angle to a line perpendicular to the direction of feed of the medium. [Embodiment] Printer Fluid Engineering System FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of fluid engineering 200932545 used in the printing engine described in FIGS. 2A and 2B. As previously mentioned, the print engine has the primary mechanical construction of an inkjet printer. Construct peripheral structures (such as housings, paper trays, paper trays, etc.) to make them suitable for printing on printers such as photo printers, network printers, or printers Claim. The applicant discloses a photo printer of USSN 1 1 /6 8 8 863 (our case number RRE 00 1 US ) in the common category, which is an inkjet printer using the fluid engineering system of Fig. 1. example of. The contents of the application in this common genus are incorporated herein by reference. The operation of the system and its individual components are described in detail in the case of USSN 11/8 72 719 (our case number SBF 00 9US), the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Briefly, the printer fluid engineering system has a printhead assembly 2 that supplies ink to the printhead assembly 2 via an upstream ink line 8. The waste ink is discharged to the waste ink tank 1 via the downstream ink line. For simplicity, only a single ink line is shown. In fact, the print head has multiple ink lines for full color printing. The upstream ink line 8 has a shut-off valve 10 for selectively isolating the print head assembly 2 from the pump 12 and/or the ink tank 4. The pump 12 is used to actively dispense or flood the printhead assembly 2. The pump 12 is also used to establish a negative pressure within the ink tank 4. The negative pressure is maintained by the bubble point controller 6 during printing. The print head assembly 2 is a liquid crystal polymer module 20 that supports a series of print head integrated circuits 30; the print head integrated circuits are fixed by a viscous die attach film (not shown). . The print head integrated circuit 30 has an array of ink ejecting nozzles for ejecting ink droplets to the media substrate 22 being passed. The nozzle is a microelectromechanical construction printed at true 1600 dpi (ie 1600 npi nozzle pitch) 200932545 or greater resolution. The fabrication and construction of a suitable printhead integrated circuit 30 is described in detail in US Ser. No. 11/246,687, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The liquid crystal polymer module 20 has a main channel 24 extending between an inlet 36 and an outlet 38. The main channel 24 feeds a series of thin channels 28 that extend to the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. The fine channel 28 supplies ink to the printhead integrated circuit 30 via a laser ablation hole in the die attach film. Above the main passage 24 is a series of unfilled air pockets 26. These pockets are designed to confine a bag of air during the marking of the print head. These air bags give the system some compliance to absorb and damp the high pressure points and hydraulic shock in the ink. The printer is a high speed page wide printer with a large number of nozzles that emit quickly. This printer quickly consumes ink and abruptly ends the printing job or even the end of a page, meaning that a line of ink moving toward (and past) the print head assembly 2 must stop almost instantaneously. If there is no compliance provided by the air pocket 26, the momentum of the ink will overflow the nozzle of the printhead integrated circuit 30. Furthermore, the subsequent "reflected waves" produce a strong negative pressure sufficient to remove the nozzle. Print Engine Figure 2A shows the print engine 3 using the Print 匣2 type. The print engine 3 is the internal construction of the ink jet printer, so it does not include any outer casing, ink tank, or media feed and collection tray. The user raises or lowers the latch 126 to insert or remove the print head 匣2. The print engine 3 and the contacts on the print head 匣 2 form an electrical connection and are fluidly coupled by the socket 1 20, the inlet 200932545 manifold 48, and the outlet manifold 50, respectively. The medium is passed through the printing engine by the main drive roller 186 and the discharge feed roller 178. The main drive roller 186 is driven by the main drive pulley and the disc 188. The discharge feed roller 178 is driven out of the drive pulley. The discharge drive pulley main drive pulley 188 is synchronized by the medium feed belt 182. The medium feed motor 190 supplies power to the main drive pulley 188 via the belt 192. The main drive pulley 188 has an encoder disc, and the drive pulley 184 reads the encoder disc. The number of revolutions of the drive shafts 186, 178 and related information are sent to the print engine controller (PEC). A printer (not shown) is mounted to the main printed circuit board (PCB) 194 for controlling the main microprocessor of the printer. Figure 2B shows the print engine 3 after the print head has been removed, the holes 122 in each of the sockets 120. Each of the apertures 122 houses one of the nozzles 52 on the inlet manifold manifold (see Figure 5). As described above, it has any position and configuration, but is simply connected to the hollow insertion opening 124 (see Fig. 8) at the rear of the inlet coupling seat 120. The insertion opening 124 at the rear of the dispenser is connected to the waste ink tank 18 (see the waste ink outlet of the drawing. The reinforcing support surface 128 is fixed to the pressure body 1 96 of the printing engine 3. These are provided for the print head匣 Set in the print engine test point. They are also set to provide the opposite bearing surface for the load acting on 匣 2 during installation. When the manifold nozzle (described below) is the closing valve in the engine (described below) The fluid coupler 120 pushes the body of the encoder 180 and the engine that controls the speed of the sensor 180 and is used to expose the compression of the parameters in the metal shell of the tube and the outlet of the ink tank. Open the column to the inlet and outlet manifolds of 匣-10-200932545. The pressure ' of the latch 126 on the 匣 2 is also opposite to the bearing surface 128. The support surface 128 is disposed such that it is directly opposite the compressive load in the crucible 2, reducing bending and deformation within the crucible. Finally, the helper nozzle is positioned relative to the media feed path. It also protects institutions with weaker internal strength from damage. Print Head 匣 Figure 3 is a perspective view of the complete print head 匣 2. The print head cartridge 2 has a top module 44 and a removable protective cover 42. The top module 44 has a central web for constructive stiffness and is used to provide a textured gripping surface 58' to manipulate the weir during insertion and removal. The bottom of the protective cover 42 protects the print head integrated circuit (not shown) and the entire array of contacts before being installed in the printer. The cover 56 is integrally formed at the bottom and covers the ink inlet and outlet (see Figs. 5 and 5 and 5 2). Figure 4 shows the printhead assembly 2 with the protective cover 42 removed to expose the print head integrated circuit on the bottom surface and the aligned contacts 33 on the side surfaces. Throw the protective cover to recycle the waste or assemble the protective cover to the replaced print head to cover the leakage of residual ink. Figure 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of the print head assembly 2. The top cover has been removed to reveal the inlet ' manifold 48 and outlet manifold 50, and the inlet and outlet panels 46, 47 have been removed to more clearly expose the five inlet nozzles 52 and the five outlet nozzles 54. The inlet and outlet manifolds 48, 50 form a fluid connection between each individual inlet and outlet and the main channel within the liquid crystal polymer (see Figure 24). The main channel extends the length of the liquid crystal polymer and the main channel feeds a series of fine -11 - 200932545 channels on the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module. An array of air pockets 26 are formed above each of the main passages 24. As described above with respect to Figure 1, shock waves or pressure pulses in the ink are resisted by compressing air within the air pocket 26. Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the print head assembly without the inlet or outlet manifold or cap module. The primary channel 24 for each ink pigment and its associated air pockets 26 are formed in the channel module 68 and the pocket module 72, respectively. The die attach film 66 adheres to the bottom of the channel module 68. The die attach film 66 mounts the print head integrated circuit 30 to the channel module such that the thin channel on the underside of the channel module 68 passes through the small laser cut-out hole through the film and the printhead integrated circuit 30 Fluid communication. Because of the stiffness and thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid crystal polymer, both the channel module 68 and the top cover module 72 are molded from a liquid crystal polymer and the thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid crystal polymer and the thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid crystal polymer. Closely matched. It will be appreciated that a relatively long configuration, such as a pagewidth printhead, should minimize any differences in thermal expansion between the tantalum substrate of the printhead integrated circuit 30 and its support configuration. Printhead Maintenance Dial Referring to Figure 7, a cross-sectional perspective view is shown. This profile is through line 7-7 as shown in Figure 2A. The print head cartridge 2 is inserted into the print engine 3 such that the exit manifold 50 is in fluid communication with the insertion port 124, which guides the waste ink canister into the finished product of the printer (usually located on the base of the print engine) The liquid helium b polymer module 20 supports the print head integrated circuit 3 〇 next to the medium feed path 22 extending through the print engine. -12- 200932545 The printhead maintenance carousel 150 and its associated drive mechanism' are located on opposite sides of the media feed path 22. Mounting the printhead maintenance carousel 150 for rotation about the tubular drive shaft 156, the printhead maintenance carousel 150 is also configured for movement toward and away from the printhead integrated circuit 30. By raising the dial 150 toward the print head integrated circuit 30, various print head maintenance stations on the exterior of the turntable are presented to the print head. The maintenance carousel 150 is rotatably mounted on the lift structure 170 that is mounted to the lift configuration shaft 156 so that it can pivot relative to the rest of the configuration of the A print engine 3. The lift configuration 170 includes a pair of lift arm 158 (only one lift arm is shown and the other lift arm is disposed at the opposite end of the lift structure shaft 156). Each lift arm 158 has a cam engaging surface 168, such as a roller or pad of low friction material. A cam (described in detail below) is fixed to the turntable drive shaft 160 for rotation with the shaft 160. The lift arm 158 is biased into engagement with a cam on the turntable lift drive shaft 160 such that the turntable lift motor (described below) can move the turn toward and away from the print head by rotating the shaft 160. Q The rotation of the maintenance turntable 150 about the tubular shaft 166 is driven independently of the turntable lift. The turntable drive shaft 166 engages the turntable rotary motor (described below) so that it can be rotated regardless of whether it is retracted from the print head or toward the print head. As the turntable is advanced toward the printhead, the wiper blade 162 moves through the media feed path 22 to wipe the printhead integrated circuit 30. When the turntable 150 is withdrawn from the printhead, the turntable 150 is repeatedly rotated such that a wiper blade 162 engages the doctor blade 154 and the cleaning pad 152. This is also discussed in detail below. Referring now to Figure 8, sections 7-7 are shown in plan view, and the maintenance turntable lift drive is described in more detail -13-200932545. The turntable lift drive shaft 160 is shown rotated such that the lift cam 172 pushes the lift arm 158 downward by the cam engagement surface 168. The lift shaft 160 is driven by a turn-up spur gear 174 which is sequentially driven by the turn-up worm gear 176. The worm wheel 17 is fixed to the output shaft of the turntable lift motor by a key (described below). As the lift arm 158 pulls the lift structure 170 downward, the maintenance turntable 150 is withdrawn from the print head integrated circuit 30. In this position, the turntable 50 is rotated

When D is turned, no maintenance station contacts the print head integrated circuit 30. However, the turntable will drive the wiper blade 162 into contact with the doctor blade 154 and the absorbent cleaning pad 152. The doctor blade 1 54 works in conjunction with the cleaning pad 1 52 to extensively clean the wiper blade 162. The cleaning pad 152 wipes the paper dust and the dried ink from the wiping contact surface of the wiper blade 162. However, small ink beads and dirt can form the tip of the blade 162 that does not contact the surface of the cleaning pad 152. In order to remove this ink and dust, the blade 1 54 is mounted in the printing engine 3 to contact the blade 154 after the blade 1 62 wipes the head integrated circuit 30 but before contacting the cleaning pad 152. 162. When the wiper blade 1 62 contacts the blade 1 54 , the wiper blade 1 62 is flexed into an arc for passage. Because the wiper blade 162 is an elastomeric material, when it is detached from the blade 154, it springs back to its stationary straight shape. Quickly bounces back to its still shape, which projects dust and other contaminants from the wiper blade 162 (especially from the tip) -14- 200932545. Conventional workers will appreciate that the wiper blade 162 will also flex when it contacts the cleaning pad 152, and will again bounce back to its resting shape once the wiper blade 162 is released from the pad. However, the blade 1 54 is radially mounted closer to the center shaft 166 of the turntable 150 and further away from the cleaning pad 152. This configuration makes it more curved when the wiper blade 162 passes, and gives more momentum to the dirt when it bounces back to a stationary shape. Since the cleaning pad 15 2 contacts the leading blade so that the trailing blade is improperly wiped past the cleaning pad 152, it is impossible to simply move the cleaning pad 152 closer to the turntable shaft 166 to make the wiper blade 162 more bending. Cleaning Pad The cleaning pad 152 is an absorbent foam that is formed into an arc corresponding to the circular path of the wiper blade 162. When the pad 152 is covered with a woven material to provide a plurality of dense gathered contact points when wiping the blade, the pad 152 is more efficiently cleaned. Therefore, the size of the thread of the woven material should be relatively small, for example less than 2 denier. Microfiber materials with a wire size of about 1 denier work particularly well. The cleaning pad 1 52 extends the length of the wiper blade 1 62 and the wiper blade 162 also extends the length of the page width print head. The page width cleaning pad 〖52 simultaneously cleans the entire length of the wiper blade, which reduces the time required for each wiping operation. Again the 'page width cleaning pad length inherently provides a large volume of absorbent material' for maintaining relative A lot of ink. Because of the greater ability to absorb ink, it is less necessary to replace the cleaning pad 1 52. -15- 198 200932545 Capped on the print head Figure 9 shows the first stage of the capped print head integrated circuit 30 with the capped maintenance station mounted to the maintenance carousel 150. When the lift cam is pushed down on the lift arm 158, the maintenance dial 150 is withdrawn from the print head stack 30. The maintenance carousel 150, along with the maintenance encoder disk 204, is determined until the first carousel rotation sensor 200 and the second carousel rotation sense 02 determine that the print head capper is facing the print head integrated circuit 30. As shown in Figure 10, the lift shaft 160 rotates the cam 172 such that the arm 158 moves upwardly to advance the maintenance dial 150 toward the print head assembly S. The capper maintenance station 198 engages the liquid crystal polymer module 20 to seal the nozzles of the printhead integrated circuit 30 in relatively humid. Ordinary workers will understand that this prevents (at least prolongs) the nozzle from drying up and blocking. Removing the cover of the print head Figure 11 shows the print head integrated circuit with the cover removed to prepare for printing. The lift shaft 160 is rotated so that the lift cam 172 pushes the turn arm up. The capping maintenance station 198 moves away from the liquid crystal polymer module 20 to expose the print head integrated circuit 30. Wiping the print head Figure 12 shows the print head stack 30 being wiped by the wiper blade 162. When the capping station 198 is rotated away from the printing head, the wiper mechanism 172 body electric rotating detector lifts up to 30. The lower side environment is exempted from 30° 158, and the body-optic-16-200932545 blade 162 contacts the liquid crystal. The underside of the polymer module 2〇. When the turntable 15 continues to rotate, the "wiper blade is pulled through the nozzle face of the printhead integrated circuit 30" to wipe off any paper dust, dried ink, or other contaminants. The wiper blades 1 62 are formed of an elastomeric material so that they elastically flex and bend as they wipe through the print head integrated circuit. When the tip end of each wiper blade is bent, the side surface of each blade forms a wiping contact with the nozzle face. It can be appreciated that the broad flat side surface of the blade has a larger 0 contact with the nozzle face and more effectively removes dirt. Wiper Blade Cleaning (Cleaning) Figures 13 and 14 show the wiper blade 162 being cleaned. As shown in Fig. 13, after the wiper blade 162 wipes the print head integrated circuit 30, the wiper blade 162 is immediately rotated through the doctor blade 154. The function of the blade 154 is discussed in more detail in the heading "Scraper" above. After the wiper blade 1 62 is pulled past the blade 1 54 , any residual dust and dirt adhering to the U blade is removed by the absorbent pad 1 52. This step is shown in Figure 14. During this process, the print platen maintenance station 206 is just opposite the print head integrated circuit 30. If desired, the turntable can be lifted by rotating the lift cam 172 so that the nozzle can be launched into the absorbent material 208. Any pigment mixed in the ink nozzle is immediately purified. A hole (not shown) that is drilled into the side of the tubular base 1 66 provides fluid communication between the absorbent material 202 and the porous material 210 within the central pocket of the turntable shaft 166. The ink absorbed by the material 208 is drawn into the porous material 210 and held by the porous material -17-200932545. In order to allow the porous material 210 to drain, the turntable 150 may have a vacuum attachment point (not shown) to drain the waste ink. The turntable 150 continues to rotate with a clean wiper blade (see Figure 15 until the print platen 206 is again positioned in the pair of printhead integrated circuits 30. Then, as shown in Figure 16, the turntable faces the print head product. The body circuit 30 is raised to prepare for printing. The media substrate sheet is fed along the medium feed path 22 through the print head integrated circuit 30. The full bleed (column to the polar side of the media sheet) is printed. In this regard, the media substrate can remain away from the pressure 206 such that it does not become soiled by over-spraying of the ink. It will be appreciated that the absorbent material 208 is disposed within the recessed portion of the printing platen 206 to any oversprayed ink. (usually about 1 mm on both sides of the paper) is held away from the surface of the contactable media substrate. At the end of the printing job or before the printer will enter the standby mode, the turntable 150 is rotated from the printhead integrated circuit 30 evacuation, so that the head capping maintenance station 1 98 is again presented to the print head. As shown in Fig. 17, the lifting shaft 160 rotates the lifting cam 158, so that the lifting cam 158 moves the column head to the maintenance station. Close mesh with the lower side of the liquid crystal polymer module 20 Printhead Maintenance Dial Figure 18, 19, 20, and 21 show the isolated maintenance dial. Figure 18 shows a perspective view of the wiper blade 162 and the print platen 206. Figure 19 shows the printhead capper 1 9 8 and a perspective view of the wiper blade 1 62. The figure is an exploded view showing the components of the maintenance carousel. Fig. 21 is a view showing the fully-set face, and the printing plate is sealed. 200932545 Cross-sectional view of the combined components. The maintenance carousel has four printhead maintenance stations: a print platen 206, a wiper member 162', and a spreader/ink absorber 220. Each maintenance station is mounted to its own external base assembly. The outer base assembly is mounted about the turntable tubular shaft 166 and engages one another to lock onto the shaft. At one end of the tubular shaft 166 is a turntable encoder disk 204 and a turntable spur gear 212 which is driven by a turntable rotary motor (not shown) as described below. The tubular shaft is fixed to or rotates with the spur gear. Each of the printhead maintenance stations rotates with the tubular shaft by virtue of its firm compression and clamping on the outside of the shaft. The wiper blade outer base assembly 2 14 is an aluminum extruded article (or other suitable alloy) that is constructed to securely hold the wiper blade 1 62. Similarly, other external base assemblies are metal extruded articles for securely mounting softer elastomers and/or absorbent porous materials of individual service stations. An outer base assembly for printing platen 2 16 and printhead capper 198 has a series of identical locking ears 226 along each longitudinal edge. The wiper member outer base assembly 214 and the ink collector/ink extractor outer base assembly 218 have complementary latch-type slots for receiving the locking ears 226. Each of the card slot has an ear access opening 228 that abuts the ear lock slot 230. The locking ears 226 are inserted into the ear access holes 228 adjacent the outer base assembly and then longitudinally slid relative to each other to lock them to the base tubular shaft 166. In order to improve the friction and locking engagement between each of the maintenance stations and the base plate shaft 166, each of the printhead maintenance stations is provided with an element having an arc-shaped shaft of the shape -19-200932545 on one side thereof. Engagement Surface 234 » Ink Collector/Ink Absorber External Base Assembly 218 has a relatively large absorbent ink collector/ink extractor member 220 that also has an arcuate shaft engagement surface 234 formed on its inner face. Similarly, the common base assembly for the print head capper 1 98 and the common base of each wiper blade 162 have a curved shaft engagement surface 234. The average worker will understand that using an interlocking configuration to clamp the outer base to the inner base minimizes machining and assembly time and maintains small tolerances for precise installation of the maintenance station configuration. In this case, the external base components can be combined into different configurations. Can change the wiper blade outer base assembly 2 1 4 and the ink collector/ink extractor base assembly 2 1 8 position. Similarly, the print head capper 198 and the print platen 206 can be exchanged. In this way, the maintenance stations can be combined in the best way they are installed in a special printer. Injection Molding Polymer Turntable Base Figures 22 through 28 show a printhead maintenance carousel of another embodiment. These figures are schematic sections showing only the portion of the turntable and the print head. It will be appreciated that the maintenance drive system requires a simple and straightforward modification to accommodate the turntable of this embodiment. Figure 22 shows the liquid crystal polymer module 20 adjacent the print head 匣 2 of the printhead maintenance turntable 150, which is presented to the print head integrated circuit 30 by the print platen 206. For the sake of clarity, Figure 29 shows the platen 206 in isolation. In use, a sheet-like dielectric substrate is fed along the medium feed path 22. Between the nozzle of the print head integration circuit 30 and the medium feed path 22 is a print gap 244. In order to maintain print quality, the gap 244 between the nozzle face of the printed head -20- 200932545 circuit and the media surface should be as close as possible to the nominal 値 defined during design. In commercially available printers, this gap is approximately 2 mm. However, because of the advancement of printing technology, some printers have a printing gap of about 1 mm. With the popularity of digital photography, the need for full-page bleeding printing of color images is growing. "Full Version Bleed Print" is the extreme edge printed to the media surface. This often results in some "over-spraying", in which the ejected ink is not sprayed on the edge of the media substrate and deposited on the support printing platen. Then, the ink that has been sprayed across the boundary will stain on the subsequent sheet medium. The configuration shown in Figure 22 handles these two issues. A paper guide 23 8 on the liquid crystal polymer module 20 defines a printing gap 244 during printing. However, the print platen 206 has a guide surface 246 formed on its rigid plastic base module. The leading surface 246 directs the leading edge of the sheet toward the discharge drive roller or other drive mechanism. Because of the minimum contact between the sheet media and the print platen 206, the likelihood of soiling by ink that has been sprayed across the boundary during full-scale bleeding printing is greatly reduced. Further, the paper guiding member 23 8 on the liquid crystal polymer module 20 is disposed in close proximity to the print head integrated circuit 30 to accurately maintain the gap 244 between the nozzle and the medium surface. Some printers within the applicant's scope use this technique to provide a 0.7 mm print gap 24 4 . However, by making the beads of the capsular material 240 adjacent to the print head integrated circuit 30 flat, the gap can be reduced. Power and data are transferred to the printhead integrated circuit 30 by a flexible printed circuit board 242' mounted to the exterior of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. Flexible Print Circuit -21 - 200932545 The contacts of the board 242 are electrically connected to the contacts of the print head integrated circuit 30 by a series of lead frames (not shown). To protect the leadframe, the leadframe is wrapped in an epoxy material called a bladder. Applicants have developed a variety of techniques for flattening the contour of the leadframe and the beaded bladder 240 covering the leadframe. This allows the printing gap 244 to be further reduced. The print platen 206 has a recess or central recess 24 which faces the nozzle of the printhead integrated circuit 30. Any ink that is sprayed across the boundary will be in this area of the platen 206. A recess is formed in this area away from the rest of the platen, ensuring that the media substrate is not soiled by wet, cross-border spray ink. The surface of the central pocket 248 is in fluid communication with the absorbent fibrous element 250. The fibrous element 250 and the porous material 254 in the center of the base 236 are also in fluid communication by the capillary 25 2 . The ink that has been sprayed across the boundary is drawn into the fiber member 250 and is drawn into the porous material 254 via the tube 2H by capillary action. Figure 23 shows the rotation of the turntable 150 such that the printhead station 262 is presented to the printhead integrated circuit 30. Figure 30 shows the isolated printhead station 272 and its construction features. The printhead dispensing station has an elastomeric skirt 256' surrounding the immersion contact pad 258 which is formed of a porous material. The elastomeric skirt is formed with the infusion contact pad to form a rigid polymer base 260 that is securely mounted to the exit profile base 236 along with the rigid polymer base. When the print head 匣 2 is replaced, it needs to be inked. It is well known that the beating process is wasteful because the ink is usually forced through the nozzle until the entire print head configuration has drained any bubbles. A very large amount of ink has been wasted during the removal of air from the plurality of conduits extending through the printhead-22-200932545 To address this issue, the maintenance dial 150 is raised such that the contact pad 258 covers the printhead integrated circuit 30. nozzle. When the nozzle array is inflated under pressure, the contact pads 25 8 are held against the nozzles, greatly reducing the amount of ink that is discharged through the nozzles. The porous material partially blocks the nozzle to limit the flow of ink. However, the air flow from the nozzle is subject to much less restriction, so the entire injection process is not delayed by the flow barrier created by the porous material. The elastomeric skirt 256 sealingly abuts the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 22 to draw excess ink from the underside of the contact pad 258. The flow apertures 264 formed in the rigid polymer susceptor 260 allow the ink absorbed by the pad 258 and any excess ink to flow to the absorbent fibrous element 250 (same as used by the print cylinder 206). As with the printing platen 206, the ink within the fiber element 250 is drawn into the porous material 254 in the forming base 236 by the capillary 252. By using the print head 塡 station 262, the amount of wasted ink is drastically reduced. If there is no injection station, the amount of ink wasted by each pigment is usually about 2 ml when the page is widened; if there is a station 262, the amount of ink wasted by each pigment is reduced to about 0.1 ml. The contact pad 258 need not be formed of a porous material, but instead may be formed of the same elastic material as the skirt 256. In this case, the contact pads 2 58 need to have a special surface roughness. The surface of the nozzle face of the engaging print head integrated circuit 30 should be rough on the order of 2 to 4 micrometers, but smooth and smooth on the 20 micron scale. This type of surface roughness allows air to escape from between the nozzle face and the contact pad, but only a small amount of ink escapes. -23- 200932545 Figure 24 shows the wiping station 266 of the maintenance carousel 150 presented to the print head assembly circuit 30. The wiping station is shown separately in Figure 31. The wiping station 266 is also a co-molded construction having a soft elastomer wiping blade 268 supported on a hard plastic base 270. In order to wipe the nozzle face of the print head integrated circuit 30, the turntable base 236 is raised and then rotated, so the wiper blade 268 is wiped over the nozzle face. The turntable base 236 is typically rotated such that the wiper blade 2 68 is wiped toward the bladder beads. The contours of the capsular beads can be designed to aid in the application of dust and dirt to the wiper blade 268 as discussed in the Applicant's Common Archives No. RREOUUS application (incorporated by the cross-reference). On the face. However, if it is proven to be more efficient to wipe in both directions, a maintenance drive (not shown) can be easily constructed to rotate the base 236 in both directions. Similarly, by changing the number of rotations, it is easy to change the number of times of wiping through the print head integrated circuit 30. The program maintains the drive to perform each wipe. The head capper 272, which shows the maintenance dial 150, is shown in Fig. 25 to the print head integrated circuit 30. Figure 3 2 shows the capper independently to more clearly illustrate its construction. The capper 272 has a peripheral seal 274 formed of a soft elastomeric material. The surrounding seal 274 is co-molded with its hard plastic base 276. When the printer is idle, the printhead capper 272 reduces the rate at which the nozzles are dried. The seal between the perimeter seal 274 and the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20 need not be completely airtight because the capper is being used to draw the printhead with suction. In fact, the hard plastic base 276 should include an air respirator aperture 278 so that the nozzle does not overflow with the suction caused by removing the lid of the printhead. To cover the printhead, the base 2336 is rotated until the printhead -24-200932545 capper 272 is presented to the printhead integrated circuit 30. The base 23 6 is then raised until the peripheral seal 274 engages the print head 匣2. Figure 26 shows a wiper blade cleaning pad 152 included. As described in the first embodiment above, the cleaning pad 152 is mounted within the printer such that as the maintenance dial 150 rotates, the wiper blade 268 moves past the surface of the pad 152. By providing the position of the cleaning pad 152, the base 236 must be retracted from the printhead integrated circuit 30 to allow the wiper blade 268 to contact the cleaning pad and to rotate the base 236 at a relatively high rate for a wide range of The wiper blade 268 is cleaned without any damaging contact with the printhead integrated circuit 30. Further, the cleaning pad 152 can be wetted with an intervening agent to more easily remove dirt from the wiper blade surface. Figure 27 shows the injection molding base 23 6 independently. The base is symmetrical with respect to two planes extending through the central longitudinal axis 282. This symmetry is important because if the injection-molded base 236 extending along the length of the page-width print head is asymmetrical, there is a tendency to deform and bend as it cools. Because of the symmetrical profile, when the base is cooled, its contraction is also symmetrical. The base 23 6 has four maintenance station mounting brackets 276 formed on its outer surface, all of which are identical so that they can accommodate any of the various maintenance stations 206, 266, 262, 272. In this way, each maintenance station becomes an interchangeable module and the order in which each maintenance station is presented to the print head can be changed to suit different printers. Furthermore, if the maintenance stations themselves are modified, their standard seating ensures that the maintenance station can easily break into existing production lines with minimal equipment replacement. The maintenance station is fixed in the socket with adhesive, -25- 200932545 but other methods (such as ultrasonic point welding or mechanical mutual engagement) are also suitable. As shown in Figure 28, the mold is provided with four sliders 278 and a central core 288. Each slider 2 <78 has a cylindrical configuration 280 to form a conduit that connects the fiber core pad to the porous material 219 within the central pocket. The pull lead for each slider is radially outward from the base 236, while the core 28 8 is longitudinally retracted (it is understood that the core is not a precision cylinder, A but a truncated cone to Provide the required ventilation). Injection molding of polymer components 〇 Molding is well suited for large and low cost production. Furthermore, the symmetrical construction and uniform shrinkage of the base maintains good tolerances to maintain the maintenance station extending parallel to the printhead integrated circuit. However, other manufacturing techniques are also possible, such as shock waves of compressed polymer powder or the like. Furthermore, the addition of a hydrophilic surface treatment can help the ink flow to the capillary 252 and ultimately to the porous material 210 within the base 23 6 . In some printer designs, a base is constructed for attaching a vacuum source to periodically discharge ink from the porous material 210. Five Maintenance Station Embodiments FIG. 34 shows an embodiment of a printhead maintenance carousel 150 having Five different maintenance stations: print platen 206, print head wiper 266, print head capper 272, picking station 262, and ink collector 284. The ink collector 284 (shown separately in Figure 33) has a relatively simple construction - the ink collector face 2 84 presents a flat to print head and has holes (not shown) for the fibers held in its plastic base Element 250 is in fluid communication. -26- 200932545 The five-station maintenance carousel 150 has an ink collector 284 attached to allow the printer to use the main ink purge as part of the maintenance system. The four-station turntable of Figures 22_25 uses a print platen 206 and/or a capper 272 to provide a secondary ink purge or "spitting cycle." During the printing operation, a secondary discharge cycle is used after the nozzle face is wiped or when inter-page spit is used to keep the nozzle moist. However, if the print head needs to be recovered from removal of the sputum, severe pigment mixing, large size nozzles, etc., a major discharge cycle may be required...because the condition has exceeded the capacity of the platen or capper. The ink collector 284 has a large bore or series of retaining ribs in its face 28 to retain the core material 250 in the plastic base. This keeps the fiber element 250 completely open to potential ink intensive spraying. One face of the fiber member 250 is pressed against the capillary 252 to increase the flow of the porous material 254 into the central pocket of the base 236. The five-seat base 236 is injection-molded using five sliders that are 72 degrees from each other or six sliders that are 60 degrees from each other. Similarly, a maintenance carousel with more than five stations is also possible. If the nozzle face has a tendency to gather away from the ink, it is still difficult to remove using the wiper alone. In these cases, the printer may require a station (not shown) for ejecting ink solvent or other cleaning fluid onto the nozzle face. However, this can be broken in or attached to the ink collector. Wiper Variations Figures 35 through 46 show a range of different configurations that the wiper can take. Wipe the nozzle of the printhead to interview for effective ways to remove paper dust, spill ink, dry ink, or other contaminants. The average worker will understand that there may be countless different wiper configurations, many of which are not suitable for any particular printer. Functional efficiency (ie, cleaning the print head) must weigh production costs, desired operating life, size and weight constraints, and other considerations. Single Contact Blade Figure 35 shows a wiper maintenance station 266 having a single elastomer blade 290 mounted within a hard plastic base 270 such that the blade extends perpendicular to the media feed direction. A single wiper blade extending along the length of the nozzle array is a simple wipe configuration with low production and assembly costs. In view of this, a single wiper wiper is suitable for the bottom end of the printer and price range. Higher throughput requires efficient manufacturing techniques and easy assembly of printer components. This must compromise some of the unit's operational life, or the speed and efficiency of the wiper cleaning the printhead. However, the single blade design is compact, and if the blade does not clean the nozzle surface efficiently in one traverse, the maintenance drive can simply repeat the wiping operation until the print head is clean. Multiple Contact Blades Figures 36, 43A, 43B, and 46 show a wiper maintenance station 266 having a plurality of parallel blades. In Figure 36, two identical parallel wipers 292 extend perpendicular to the media feed direction. Two blades 292 are separately mounted to the hard plastic base 270 to operate independently. In Fig. 46, the respective blades are not the same. The first and second blades (294 and 296, respectively) have different widths (-28-200932545 or different cross-sectional profiles) and durometers (hardness and viscoelasticity). Each wiper can be optimized to remove a particular type of dirt. However, the blades are separately mounted in the hard plastic base 270 for independent operation. In contrast, the plurality of wiper elements of FIGS. 43A and 43B have smaller and shorter wipers 300 that are all mounted with a common elastomeric base 298 that is secured to the hard plastic base 270. . This is a substantially more compliant configuration with a relatively large surface area in each wipe that contacts the nozzle face. However, the thin and soft blade has a larger and more robust blade that wears out at a faster rate. ❹ Since multiple parallel wipers are wiped across the nozzle face, a single traverse of the wiper member collects more dust and dirt. Although the design of multiple wipers is less compact than a single wiper, each wipe is faster and more efficient. Therefore, during the printing job, the print head can be wiped between pages; and the initial maintenance items performed before the print job are completed in a short time. Single Skew Scraper q Figure 37 shows a wiper maintenance station 270 having a single wiper blade 302 mounted on a hard plastic base 2 70 such that the wiper blade 302 is skewed relative to the wiping direction. It will be appreciated that the wiping direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the plastic base 270. A single wiper blade is a simple wipe configuration with low production and assembly costs. Further, the nozzle face is only in contact with one section of the blade at any time during which the wiper member is traversed by mounting the blade in a skewed direction. Since only one section contacts the nozzle face, the wiper does not become smashed or curled due to inconsistent contact pressure along its entire length. This is true -29- 200932545 sufficient contact pressure between the wiper blade and all nozzle faces without the need to precisely align the wiper so that it is completely parallel to the nozzle face. This allows for loose manufacturing tolerances so that larger quantities of low cost production techniques can be used. This must be a compromise between increasing the distance the wiper member must travel to clean the print head. Increase this distance and therefore the time required for each wipe job. But reducing manufacturing costs is more important than these potential shortcomings. Separate Contact Blade Figure 38 shows a wiper maintenance station 266 having two segmented wipers 304 mounted within a hard plastic base 270. Each individual wiper section 306 constitutes a complete wiper blade 304 mounted within a hard plastic base 270 for independent movement relative to one another. The individual wiper segments 306 in each wiper blade 304 are arranged to be out of alignment with respect to the wiping direction. In this manner, the nozzles that are not wiped by the first wiper 34 in the gap between the two wiper segments 306 are wiped by the wiper segments 306 in the second wiper 304. It is inefficient to wipe the nozzle face of the page wide print head with a single long wiper. Inconsistent contact pressure between the wiper blade and the nozzle face can cause the blade to bend or curl along certain sections of its length. The contact pressure in these sections may be insufficient or there may be no contact between the wiper and the nozzle face. A wiper blade that is divided into individual wiper segments can solve this problem. Each segment can move relative to its adjacent segment so that any inconsistency in contact forces does not cause bending or curling of other segments of the blade. In this way, the contact pressure is maintained on the nozzle face and the nozzle face is clean. -30- 200932545 Nozzle Face Wiper with Multiple Skew Blades In Figure 39, the wiper maintenance station 266 has a series of individual blades 308' mounted within a hard plastic base 270 such that the blades are inclined to wipe direction. Each of the blades 308 is disposed such that the lateral extent (X) of each blade (relative to the wiping direction) and the lateral extent (γ) of its adjacent blade have some overlap (Z). At any time during the traversal of the wiper member, the nozzle face is only in contact with a section of the wiper blade by mounting the wiper blade in a skewed direction. Since only one section contacts the nozzle face, the wiper does not wrinkle or curl due to inconsistent contact pressure along its entire length. This ensures sufficient contact pressure between the wiper blade and the entire nozzle face without the need to align the wiper so that it is precisely parallel to the nozzle face. This allows for loose manufacturing tolerances so that larger quantities of low cost production techniques can be used. A single skewed blade achieves this, but increases the distance that the wiper member must travel to clean the printhead, thus increasing the time required for each wipe. In view of this, the present invention uses a series of adjacent skewed blades, each of which wipes a corresponding portion of the array of nozzles. In some applications, multiple wipers involve higher manufacturing costs than a single wiper, but pocket design and faster work are more important than these potential drawbacks. Wiper with Array Pad In Figures 40 and 44, the wiper maintenance station 266 uses the array of contact pads 310, rather than any blade configuration. The individual pads 3 1 2 can be individually mounted into a set of short cylindrical elastomeric materials within the hard plastic base 2 70, or a cylindrical soft fiber brush similar to that commonly used in the cleaning of wafers. -31 - 200932545 As mentioned above, it is inefficient to wipe the nozzle surface of a page wide print head with a single long contact surface. Inconsistent contact pressure between the wiping surface and the nozzle face can result in insufficient or no contact pressure in certain areas. The use of a wiping surface that has been divided into individual contact pads of array 310 allows each pad to move relative to the adjacent pad, so that inconsistent contact forces can change its amount, causing each pad to compress and deform individually. The relative high pressure of a pad does not require the transmission of compressive forces to cause adjacent pads. In this way, the uniform contact pressure is maintained on the nozzle face, and the nozzle face is more efficiently cleaned. Sinusoidal Scraper In the wiping maintenance station 266 shown in Figure 41, a single wiper blade 314 is mounted into the hard plastic base 270 such that the wiper follows the sinusoidal path. As previously mentioned, wiping the nozzle face of a page wide print head with a single long contact surface would be inefficient. Inconsistent contact pressure between the wiping surface and the nozzle face can result in insufficient or no contact pressure in certain areas. One of the reasons for the change in contact pressure is the inaccurate movement of the wiper surface relative to the nozzle face. If the support structure for the wiping surface is not completely parallel to the nozzle face throughout the length of the wiping operation, the area of low contact pressure may not be properly cleaned. As explained in the obliquely mounted blade, the above problem can be avoided by setting the position of the wiper blade to be inclined with respect to the feed wiping direction and the print head nozzle face. In this way, only a portion of the wiper blade contacts the nozzle face at any time during the wiping operation. In addition, the small angle between the wiper and the wiping direction improves the cleaning and efficiency of the wipe. When the wiper moves obliquely over the nozzle face, more contact points between the wiper and the nozzle face -32- 200932545 for better dirt removal. This improves any problems caused by the contact pressure, but the wiper blade travels a longer stroke for each wipe. As described above, the inaccurate movement of the wiper surface is insufficient for the contact pressure plus the length of the wiper stroke, which is disadvantageous for the pocket design. Using a wiper having a zigzag (zigzag) or sinusoidal shape The plurality of wiper segments wiping the nozzles obliquely to the media feed direction also maintains the stroke length of the wiper member relative to the printhead, maintaining accuracy and pocket size. Single Wiper with Non-Linear Contact Surface Figure 42 shows a wiping maintenance station 266 having two linear angles and being skewed in the wiping direction mounted on a hard plastic base as previously described, wiping the page width column with a single long contact surface The print head can cause insufficient or no contact pressure in certain areas. The angle between the wiping direction and the nozzle surface of the print head means that at any time of wiping, only a part of the wiper blade contacts the nozzle to obtain a more uniform contact pressure, but in each wiping operation, the rubbing needs to be longer. stroke. As noted above, inaccurate motion of the surface of the wiper is a source of insufficient contact pressure. Increasing the length of the process only increases the risk of this inaccuracy. By using a wiping surface having an angular or curved shape, the wiper section of the medium feed direction wipes most of the nozzles to reduce the stroke length of the wiper member relative to the printhead. In the general inconsistency, the surface of the surface is required. Add a scraper to the surface. This configuration is small enough to segment each other 270. Nozzle surface, the blade is facing the surface during operation. This wiper blade can be tilted for the nozzle wiper row, as will be appreciated by the worker -33- 200932545, the contact blade can have a shallow V or U shape. Furthermore, if the leading edge of the blade 318 is the intersection of two straight segments (or curved segments of a u-shaped blade), the Applicant has found that the blade has less wear because of the initial contact with the nozzle face. Points provide extra support. Fiber Mat Figure 45 shows a printhead wiper maintenance station 266 having a fiber mat 320a mounted to a hard plastic base 270. The fiber mat 320 is particularly effective for wiping the nozzle face. The pad presents a plurality of points in contact with the nozzle face such that the fibers mechanically engage the solid soil and absorb fluid contaminants such as ink overflow by capillary action. However, once the fiber mat has cleaned the nozzle face, it is difficult to remove dirt from the fiber mat. After many wiping operations, the fiber mat is filled with a lot of dirt and the nozzle face is no longer effectively cleaned. However, in the case of a printer with a short working life or a printer that allows the replacement of the wiper, the fiber mat provides the most efficient wiper.组合 Combined wiper maintenance station It is understood that some print head designs are most efficiently cleaned by the combination of the wipe configurations described above. For example, a single blade combines a series of skewed blades or a series of parallel blades with fiber mats therebetween. The combined wiper maintenance station can be derived by selecting a particular wiper structure based on individual strengths and strengths. Printhead Maintenance Facility Drive System -34- 200932545 Figures 47 through 50 show the media feed drive and printhead maintenance drive in more detail. Figure 48 shows the printhead maintenance carousel 15〇 and the drive system independently. The maintenance dial 150 is shown as being presented by a wiper blade 162 to a print head (not shown). The perspective view shown in Fig. 48 shows that the paper discharge guide 322 is guided to the discharge driving roller 178. On the other side of the wiper blade 162, the main drive roller shaft 186 is shown extending from the main drive roller pulley 330. This pulley is driven by a main drive roller belt 192 which engages the medium feed motor 190. The medium feed drive belt 182 synchronizes the rotation of the main drive roller 186 and the discharge roller 178. The exploded perspective view of Figure 49 shows the individual components in more detail. In particular, this perspective map best illustrates the balanced turntable lift mechanism. The turntable lift drive shaft 160 extends between two identical turntable lift cams. One end of the turntable lift shaft 160 is keyed to the turntable lift spur gear 174. The spur gear 174 engages the worm gear 176 and the turntable lift motor 324 drives the worm gear 176. The turntable lift rotary sensor 3 34 provides feedback to the print engine controller (not shown) which can determine the position of the turntable from the print head by the angular displacement of the cam 172. The turntable lift cam 172 contacts the individual turntable lift arms 158 by camming rollers 168 (it is understood that the 'cam meshing rolls can be surfaces of low friction material' such as high density polyethylene (HdpE)). Since the cams 172 are identical and are also mounted to the turntable lift shaft 16A, the displacement of the turntable lift arm 158 is also the same. Figure 47 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Figure 2A, with the print head 匣 2 and the print head maintenance dial 丨 5 移除 removed. This figure provides a clear view of the turntable spur gear 174, its adjacent lift cam 172, and the turntable lift arm 158 corresponding to *35 - 200932545. Because each lift arm 158 is equidistant from the midpoint of the turntable 150, the turntable lift drive is fully balanced and symmetrical when the turntable is raised and lowered. This is used to maintain the longitudinal direction of the various print head maintenance stations parallel to the print head integrated circuit. The best map solution for the rotary drive of the turntable is shown in the enlarged partial decomposition view of Fig. 50. A turntable rotary motor 326 is mounted to the side of the turntable lift configuration 170. Stepper motor sensor 328 provides feedback to the print engine controller (PEC) regarding the rate and rotation of motor 326. The turntable rotary motor 326 drives an idler gear 332 that drives a reduction gear (not shown) on the cover side of the turntable lift configuration 170. The reduction gear engages the turntable spur gear 212 to mount the turntable spur gear 212 to the turntable base for rotation. Because the turntable rotation and turntable lift are controlled by separate independent drives, and each drive is powered by a stepper motor that provides feedback on the motor speed and rotation to the print engine controller, the printer has a wide range Maintenance procedures are available for selection. The turntable motor 326 can be driven in either of two directions and at a variable rate so that the nozzle face can be wiped in either direction, and the wiper blade can be placed against the absorbent pad 152 in both directions. Being cleaned. This can be particularly useful if paper dust and other contaminants pass to the nozzle face and mechanically engage the surface irregularities on the nozzle face. Wiping in the opposite direction often removes such mechanical engagement. It is also useful to reduce the rate of the wiper blade 162 when the wiper blade 162 is in contact with the nozzle face and then increase the rate of the wiper blade as it exits the nozzle face. When the wiper blade and the nozzle face are initially in contact, it does slow down the rate and then increases the rate when wiping. -36- 200932545 Similarly, the rate at which the wiper blade 1 62 moves through the doctor blade 154 can be faster than the speed at which the wiper blade moves past the cleaning pad 152. The wiper blade 162 can be wiped in any direction in both directions and in any of the directions. Furthermore, the order in which the maintenance stations are presented to the print head can be easily programmed into the print engine controller and/or left to the user for discretion. The invention is described herein by way of example only. The average worker can easily recognize many changes and modifications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the broad invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a printer fluid engineering system; Is a perspective view of the print head cartridge of the present invention mounted on the printer of the printer; Figure 2B shows the print engine without the print head cartridge to expose the inlet and outlet ink couplers; Figure 3 is a complete Figure 4 shows a printhead of Figure 3 with the protective cover removed; Figure 5 is a partial exploded perspective view of the printhead assembly of the printhead of Figure 3; Figure 6 An exploded perspective view of a printhead assembly having no inlet or outlet for its tube or cap module; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the print engine taken from line 7-7 of Figure 2A; -37- 200932545 Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of the print engine taken from line 7-7 of Figure 2A, showing the maintenance dial holding the wiper blade through the scraper; Η 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the maintenance dial pulling the wiper blade through the absorbent pad; Figure 10 Is a section showing the lift maintenance dial so that the capper maintenance station covers the print head Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the lowering of the maintenance dial to remove the cover of the print head, Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the nozzle face of the wiper wiping head; Figure 13 is a view showing the maintenance dial turned back to Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of the starting position where the wiper blade has been pulled through the blade to bounce off dirt in the tip region; Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the wiper blade has been pulled through the absorbent pad; 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotation of the maintenance dial to present the print head capper to the print head; FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the lift maintenance dial to present the print platen to the print head; Figure 18 is a perspective view of the isolated maintenance carousel; Figure 19 is another perspective view of the isolated maintenance carousel showing the carousel drive spur gear; 38- 200932545 Figure 20 is an exploded perspective view of the isolated maintenance carousel; Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view through the intermediate point of the length of the carousel; Figure 22 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment, the maintenance carousel exhibits printing pressure Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment, and the print head filing station engages the print head; Figure 24 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment, and The wiper blade engages the print head; FIG. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance turntable of the second embodiment, and the ink collector is presented to the print head; FIG. 26 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance turntable of the second embodiment, and When the wiper blade is cleaned on the absorbent pad, the print platen is presented to the print head; Figure 27 is a cross-sectional view of the injection molded core used in the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment; Figure 28 is from the second embodiment Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing press holder maintenance station in isolation; Figure 30 is a cross-sectional view showing the print head capper maintenance station in isolation; 31 is a cross-sectional view showing the wiper blade maintenance station in isolation; FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional view showing the print head dispensing station in isolation; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the ink absorption station in isolation; FIG. 34 is a third embodiment maintenance Schematic cross-sectional view of the turntable; 35 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the first embodiment; -39- 200932545 Figure 36 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the second embodiment; Figure 37 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the third embodiment; Figure 38 is a wipe of the fourth embodiment Figure 39 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the fifth embodiment; Figure 40 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the sixth embodiment; Figure 41 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the seventh embodiment; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 43 is a schematic view of a wiper member of a ninth embodiment: FIG. 44 is a schematic view of a wiper member of a tenth embodiment; and FIG. 45 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the eleventh embodiment. Figure 46 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the twelfth embodiment; Figure 47 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the print engine, and is not printed for the maintenance turntable; Figure 4 is an independent drive assembly for the print engine Fig. 49 is an exploded perspective view of the independent drive assembly shown in Fig. 48; and Fig. 50 is an enlarged view of the left end of the exploded perspective view shown in Fig. 49. [Main component symbol description] 2 : Print head assembly (print head 匣) 3 : Print engine 4 : Ink tank 6 : Regulator 8 : Upstream ink line -40 - 200932545 1 〇: Close valve 12 : Pump 1 6: downstream ink line 1 8 : waste ink tank

20: Liquid crystal polymer module 22: medium substrate (medium feed path) 24: main channel 26: recess 2 8: fine channel 3 0: print head integrated circuit 3 3 : contact 36: inlet 3 8 _ ·Exit 42: Protective cover 44: Top module (top cover) 46: Inlet shroud 47: Outlet coaming 48: Inlet manifold 50: Outlet manifold 52: Inlet nozzle 54: Outlet nozzle 56: Cover 5 8 : Clamping surface 66: die attach film -41 - 200932545 68 : channel module 72: pocket module 120: socket (fluid coupler) 122 : 孑L 124 : insertion port 126 : latch 1 2 8 : Reinforcement bearing surface 150: Printhead maintenance turntable 152: Cleaning pad 1 5 4: Scraper 156: Tubular drive shaft (lifting construction shaft) 158: (Cam) Lifting arm 160: Turntable drive shaft (lifting Lifting shaft) 162: wiper blade 166: turntable drive shaft (central shaft; tubular base) 168: cam engagement surface (roller) 170: (turntable) lifting structure 172: (turntable) lifting cam 174: Turntable lifting spur gear 176: Turntable lifting worm gear 1 7 8 : Discharge feed roller (drive shaft) 1 8 0 : Discharge drive pulley 182: medium feed belt 184: drive leather Wheel sensor-42- 200932545 186: Main drive roller (shaft) 188: Encoder disc (main drive pulley) 190: Medium feed motor 192: Input drive belt 194: Main printed circuit board 196: Compressed metal case Body 198: Print head capper (capped maintenance station) 200: First turntable rotation sensor 202: Second turntable rotation sensor 2 04: Maintenance encoder disc (rotary encoder disc) 206: Print Platen Maintenance Station 2 0 8 : Absorbent Material 2 1 0 : Porous Material 212 : Turntable Spur Gear 2 1 4 : Wiper Blade External Base Assembly 2 1 8 : Dust Collector / Ink Absorber External Base Assembly 2 1 9 : Porous material 220: Absorbent ink collector/ink extractor member 226: Locking lug 228: Hole 230: Ear lock groove 23 6: Base 236: Injection molding base (turntable base) 23 8 : Paper guide - 43- 200932545 240: bladder (material) 242: flexible printed circuit board 244: printing gap 246: guiding surface 248: central pocket 25 0: (absorbent) fiber element 252: capillary

2 5 4 : porous material 256 : elastomer skirt 25 8 : contact pad 260 : base 262 : print head station; 264 : flow hole 266 : wipe station (wiper maintenance station) 26 8 : ( Elastomer) Wiper blade 270: Hard plastic base 272: Print head capper 274: Peripheral seal 276: Hard plastic base (maintenance station mounting bracket) 278: Air respirator hole (slider) 2 8 0: columnar structure 2 8 2 : center longitudinal axis 284 : ink collector 286 : face -44 - 200932545 288 : central core 290 : blade 292 : blade 294 : first blade 296 : second blade 2 9 8 : Elastomer base 300: blade

3 02 : Blade 3 04 : Segmented blade 3 0 6 : Blade section 3 0 8 : Blade 310 : Contact pad 3 12 : Pad 3 1 4 : Single blade 3 1 8 : Blade 3 20 : Fiber mat 3 22 : Paper discharge guide 324 : Turntable lift motor 326 : Turntable rotary motor 3 28 : Stepper motor sensor 330 : Main drive roller pulley 3 3 2 : Idler 3 3 4 : Turntable lift rotation Sensor-45-

Claims (1)

200932545 X. Patent Application Range 1. A printhead maintenance apparatus for an inkjet printer having a printhead having a nozzle face defining an array of nozzles, The printhead maintenance apparatus includes: a wiper member for wiping the nozzle face; and a maintenance drive for moving the wiper member through the array nozzle in the nozzle face; wherein the wiper member has a plurality Parallel wipers are designed to dimension each of the plurality of wipers to wipe all of the nozzles across a single traverse through the nozzle face. 2. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the printer has a medium feed assembly for transporting a sheet medium in a medium feed direction. The substrate passes through the printhead and the maintenance drive moves the wiper member through the nozzle face in a direction parallel to the media feed direction. 3. The print head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer according to claim 2, wherein the print head is a page width print head, and the plurality of parallel wipers extend in a length of the nozzle array . 4. The 歹IJ head maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer according to claim 2, wherein the maintenance driving device is constructed to be in a direction opposite to the medium feeding direction and the medium feeding direction. The wiper maintenance device for an ink jet printer according to claim 2, wherein the maintenance drive device is constructed to rotate the wiper-46 - 200932545 member 'the wiper 擒The piece rotates about an axis extending in the transverse direction of the media feed direction. 6. The printhead maintenance apparatus for an inkjet printer according to the first aspect of the invention, further comprising a tubular base having a plurality of maintenance stations, the plurality of maintenance stations being mounted to the exterior of the base, wherein the The wiper member is one of these maintenance stations. 7. $ 卩 $ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 8 Μ Φ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The plurality of parallel blades in the socket are soft elastomeric materials that extend from the hard plastic base. 9. A printhead maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer as described in claim 2, wherein the plurality of parallel wipers extend perpendicular to the medium feed direction. 1 0. The printhead maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer according to the scope of claim 2, wherein the plurality of parallel blades extend at an angle to a line perpendicular to the medium feed direction. -47-