TW200932543A - Rotating printhead maintenance facility with tubular chassis - Google Patents

Abstract

A maintenance facility for an inkjet printer having a pagewidth printhead and a media path for feeding sheets of media substrate in a media feed direction. The pagewidth printhead has an elongate array of nozzles extending the printing width of the media substrate and the maintenance facility has a tubular chassis mounting in the printer such that it can rotate about its longitudinal axis and a plurality of maintenance stations mounted to an exterior surface of the tubular chassis. At least one of the maintenance stations is a wiper member positioned for wiping contact with the elongate array of nozzles.

Description

200932543 « IX. INSTRUCTION DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to the field of printers, and more particularly to an ink jet printer having a pagewidth print head. [Prior Art] Wiping the nozzle face of the print head is an effective way to remove paper dust, ink overflow, Q ink, or other contaminants. However, it is difficult to wipe the page wide print head. Although there is a page width printer with a nozzle face wiper, the wiping mechanism is relatively slow and complicated. Commercially available existing page wide print heads have a plurality of print head integrated circuits spaced apart from one another in the media feed direction. It is impractical to clean all of the print head integrated circuits with a single wiper, so each print head integrated circuit is individually wiped. Furthermore, a plurality of wipers move in the transverse direction of the media feed direction in order to avoid pigment mixing between nozzles of different pigments. The nozzles of each column of each pigment extend through the column header integrated circuit, and the rows of the head integrated circuits are in the lateral direction of the medium feed direction. Wiping along the entire array of nozzles minimizes the risk of ink in one nozzle being contaminated with ink of different colors. However, when the print head integrated circuit is elongated and extends in the lateral direction of the feed direction, the wiper must travel the entire length to clean all the nozzles. In view of this, the mechanism for actuating the plurality of separate wipers for each of the print head integrated circuits is complicated, and the mechanism occupies a relatively large space and consumes a considerable amount of time during each maintenance cycle. Another problem associated with wiping a page wide print head is to control the contact force between the wiper and the nozzle face. Wiping the large section of the nozzle face laterally reduces the time required to wipe the entire print head. However, when moving past the print head, the long wiping surface must be maintained parallel to the nozzle face to maintain a uniform contact force. It can be understood that in the uneven wiping force, where the wiping force is too strong, the fine nozzle structure is impaired, and where the wiping force is too weak, it is difficult to properly clean the nozzle surface. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer having a page width print head and a feed for feeding a sheet medium substrate in a medium feed direction. a media path, the page wide printhead having an elongated array of nozzles extending across a print width of the media substrate, the maintenance apparatus comprising: a tubular base mounted within the printer such that the tubular base can be wound a longitudinal axis thereof; and a plurality of maintenance stations mounted to an outer surface of the tubular base; wherein at least one of the maintenance stations is a wiper member, the wiper member being disposed for wiping contact with the elongated array nozzle . The present invention uses a maintenance apparatus having a tubular base of constructive stiffness and rigidity to maintain a uniform contact pressure between the wiper member and the nozzle face. The tubular base also allows other maintenance stations to be presented to the printhead quickly and continuously to perform a complete maintenance job quickly. Applicants have discovered that the nozzle face can be wiped in the direction of the media feed to reduce the distance traveled by the wiper without the problem of pigment mixing. By launching the nozzle into the ink absorber or the ink collector immediately after wiping, any contaminated ink is set up before the contaminated ink can diffuse into the ink supply -6 - 200932543 line. This causes contamination in the nozzle to not contaminate the ink chamber and actuator in the worst case. Preferably, the tubular base is mounted within the printer such that the longitudinal axis of the tubular base traverses the moving medium feed direction. In another preferred form, the tubular base and the wiper member extend over the length of the elongated array nozzle. In some embodiments, the tubular base is an aluminum extruded article. In some embodiments, the tubular base has a plurality of extruded parts that are constructed to snap lock together. Preferably, the tubular base has a generally rectangular cross section. Preferably, the tubular base has a porous material received within its central recess. Preferably, each side of the tubular base has a mounting configuration for engaging a corresponding configuration on the maintenance stations. Conveniently, the mounting structures and the corresponding constructions are snap-fitted together. In some forms, the maintenance stations can be mounted to different sides of the tubular base. Preferably, the wiper member is mounted to the tubular base such that the wiper member wipes the elongated Q array nozzle in a direction parallel to the media feed direction. In a particularly preferred form, one of the maintenance stations is an ink absorber having an absorbent element for receiving the ejected ink. Preferably, the absorbent element is in fluid communication with the porous material contained within the central pocket. Preferably, the porous material is a porous hard polymer. Preferably, the page wide print head has a plurality of print head integrated circuits, each of the print head integrated circuits being aligned in a lateral direction of the medium feed direction. By mounting the printhead integrated circuit in a single line through the printhead, the elongated array of nozzles does not extend too far in a direction parallel to the media feed direction. In view of this, the stroke length of the wiper member through the print head of 200932543 is reduced, and the wiping operation is made faster, and the contact pressure on the nozzle is more easily controlled. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the wiper member is a plurality of wiper blades formed from a resilient material such that when the elongated array nozzle # is wiped, the distal edge of each wiper flexes. Preferably, the wiper blades are provided with g in a plurality of parallel columns. In a particularly preferred form, each of the plurality of rows has a series of wiper blades that are aligned in the transverse direction of the feed direction 0, and the wipers in adjacent columns are scraped The sheets are not aligned, so they are staggered relative to each other in the medium feed direction. In some embodiments, the maintenance drive is reversible such that the wiper member can wipe the elongate array nozzle in both directions during a maintenance cycle. Preferably, the maintenance drive is constructed to rotate the tubular base at a variable rate. In another preferred form, the maintenance drive is constructed to lift the lower tubular base. Preferably, one of the maintenance stations is a print head capper. In this form, the drive mechanism for lifting and lowering the tubular Q base and the drive mechanism for rotating the tubular base are independent of each other. [Embodiment] Printer Fluid Engineering System Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the fluid engineering used in the printing engine described in Figures 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 collection trays, ', etc.) to make them suitable for printing on printers such as photo printers, network printers, or soothing printers Claim. Applicant revealed in common -8- 200932543

The application for USSN 1 1/68 8863 (our case number RRE 00 1 US ) is an example of an ink jet printer using the fluid engineering system of Figure 1. The contents of the application in this common category are here:

Reference. The operation of the system and its individual components are described in detail in US Ser. No. 11/872,719, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Briefly, the printer fluid engineering system has a printhead assembly 2, and the ink tank 4 supplies ink to the printhead assembly 2 via the 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 print head assembly 2. The pump 1 2 is also used to establish a negative pressure in 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 3 are fixed by a viscous die attach film (not shown). 0. 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 that prints at a true 1600 dpi (ie, a nozzle pitch of 1600 npi) or greater resolution. The fabrication and construction of a suitable printhead integrated circuit 30 is described in detail in US Ser. No. 1 1/246,687, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The liquid crystal polymer module 20 has a main channel -9-200932543^24 extending between the inlet 36 and the 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 Q 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 ❹ 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 yoke 120, the inlet manifold 48, and the outlet manifold 50, respectively. The media sheet is fed to the print engine by the main drive roller 186 and the discharge feed roller 178. The main drive roller 86 is driven by the main drive pulley and the encoder disc 188. The discharge feed roller ι78 is driven by the drive pulley 180 - 200932543. The discharge drive pulley 180 and the gin drive drive pulley 188 are synchronized by the medium feed belt 182. The medium feed motor 190 supplies power to the main drive pulley 188 via the input drive belt 192. The main drive pulley 188 has an encoder disc and the drive pulley sensor 184 reads the encoder disc. Information on the number of revolutions and the speed of the drive shafts 186, 178 is sent to the print engine controller (PEC). A print engine controller (not shown) is mounted to the main printed circuit board (PCB) 194 and is the primary microprocessor used to control printer operation. Figure 2B shows the print engine 3 after the print head has been removed to reveal the holes 122 in each of the sockets 120. Each of the apertures 122 houses one of the nozzles 52 on the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold (see Figure 5). As noted above, the ink tank has any position and configuration, but is simply attached to the hollow insertion opening 124 (see Figure 8) at the rear of the socket 120 in the inlet coupler. The insertion port 124 at the rear of the D-coupler is connected to the waste ink outlet in the waste ink tank 18 (see Fig. 1). The Q reinforcing bearing surface 128 is fixed to the pressurized metal casing 196 of the printing engine 3. These provide reference points for setting the print head 在 within the print engine. They are also designed to provide a positive bearing surface for the compressive load acting on the crucible 2 during installation. When the manifold nozzle (described below) opens the shutoff valve (described below) in the print engine, the fluid coupler 120 pushes against the inlet and outlet manifolds of the crucible. The pressure of the latch 126 on the cymbal 2 is also positively opposite 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, this assisted nozzle is positioned relative to the medium feed path. It also protects weak institutions from -11 - 200932543 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 0 protects the print head integrated circuit (not shown) and the entire array of contacts before being mounted 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 the outlet Q 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 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 printhead assembly -12-200932543 without the inlet or outlet manifold or cap module. The main passage 24 for each ink pigment and its associated air pockets 2 ό ' are formed in the passage module 68 and the pocket module 7 2, respectively. The die attach film 60 is bonded 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 pass module 68 and the top cover module 72 are molded by a liquid crystal polymer, and the thermal expansion coefficient of the liquid crystal polymer is The coefficient of thermal expansion of the crucible closely matches. It will be appreciated that the relatively long configuration of, for example, a pagewidth printhead should minimize any difference in thermal expansion between the tantalum substrate of the printhead integrated circuit 30 and its support structure. Printhead Maintenance Dial Refer to Figure 7' for a cross-sectional perspective view. This section is through line 7-7 shown in Figure 2B. The print head cartridge 2 is inserted into the print engine 3 such that its outlet 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 crystal polymer module 20 supports the printhead integrated circuit 30 in close proximity to the media feed path 22 extending through the print engine. The printhead maintenance carousel 150 and its associated drive mechanism are located on opposite sides of the media feed path 22. The printhead maintenance carousel 150 is mounted for rotation about the tubular drive shaft 156, which is also configured to move toward and away from the printhead integrated circuit 30. By raising the turn-13-200932543 disk 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 print engine 3. The lift configuration 170 includes a pair of lift arms 158 (only one lift arm is shown and the other lift arm is disposed at the opposite end of the lift construction 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 0 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. 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. When the turntable is advanced toward the print head, the wiper blade 1 62 is moved through the medium feed path 22 to wipe the print head 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 to more clearly describe the maintenance dial lift drive. 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 -14-200932543. 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 dial 150 is evacuated from the print head integrated circuit 30. In this position, when the turntable 50 is rotated, 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. Doc Doctor blade The 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 doctor blade 54 is mounted in the printing engine 3 to cause the blade 154 after the blade 1 62 wipes the print head integrated circuit 3 但 but before the cleaning pad 152 is touched. Contact blade 162. When the wiper blade 162 contacts the blade 154, the wiper blade 162 is flexed into an arc to pass. Because the wiper blade 162 is an elastomeric material, as soon as it is disengaged from the blade 154, it springs back to its stationary straight shape. Quickly bounce back to its still shape' will project dust and other contaminants from the wiper blade 162 (especially from the tip). 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 scraper 154 is radially mounted -15-200932543 so that the central shaft 166 of the turntable 150 is relatively close and is farther 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 152 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 curved. . © Cleaning pad The cleaning pad 1 52 is an absorbent foam formed into an arc corresponding to the circular path of the wiper blade 1 62. When the mat 1 52 is covered with a woven material to provide a plurality of dense gathered contact points when wiping the wiper, the mat 1 52 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 152 extends the length of the wiper blade 162, and the wiper blade 162 also extends the length of the page width printhead. The page width cleaning pad 152 simultaneously cleans the entire length of the wiper blade, which reduces the time required for each wiping operation. Moreover, the length of the page wide cleaning pad inherently provides a large volume of absorbent material for holding a relatively large amount of ink. Because of the greater ink absorption capacity, it is less necessary to replace the cleaning pad 152 frequently. Capping on the Print Head Figure 9 shows the first stage of the capped print head integrated circuit 30 having a capped maintenance station 198 mounted to the maintenance carousel 150. When the lift cams 172 -16 - 200932543 are pushed down on the lift arm 158, the maintenance dial 150 is withdrawn from the print head integrated circuit 30. The maintenance carousel 150, along with the maintenance encoder disk 204, is rotated until the first carousel rotation sensor 200 and the second carousel rotation sensor 202 determine that the print head capper is facing the print head integrated circuit 30. As shown in Fig. 10, the lift shaft 160 rotates the cam 172 such that the lift arm 158 moves upward to advance the maintenance dial 150 toward the print head integrated circuit 30. The capper maintenance station 198 engages the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20 to seal the nozzles of the printhead integrated circuit 30 in a relatively humid environment. Ordinary workers will understand that this prevents (at least prolongs) the nozzle from being dry and blocked. Removing the Print Head Cover Figure 11 shows the print head integrated circuit 30 with the cover removed to prepare for printing. The lift shaft 160 is rotated so that the lift cam H2 pushes the turn arm lift arm 158 downward. The capping maintenance station 198 moves away from the liquid crystal polymer module 20 to expose the print head integrated circuit 30 to Q. Wiping the print head Fig. 12 shows the print head integrated circuit 30 being wiped by the wiper blade 162. When the capping station 198 is rotated away from the print head, the wiper blade 1 62 of the wiper member contacts the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. As the turntable 150 continues to rotate, the wiper blade is pulled through the nozzle face of the printhead integrated circuit 30 to wipe off any paper dust, dry ink, or other contaminants. The wiper blades 1 62 are formed of an elastomeric material so that they flexibly flex and bend as they are wiped through the -17-200932543 head integrated circuit. When each tip is bent, the side surface of each blade touches the nozzle. It is understood that the wide flat side surfaces of the blade are in contact with each other and the dirt is removed more efficiently. Wiper blade cleaning (cleaning) Figures 13 and 14 show the wiper blade Q being cleaned, wiped at the wiper blade 1 62. The head wiper wiper blade 162 is immediately rotated through the doctor blade 154 . It can be discussed in more detail in the title "Scraper" above. Any residual dust and dirt that is dragged by the wiper blade 162 through the blade 154 is absorbed by the absorbent; This step is shown in Figure 14. During this process, the platen maintenance station 206 is printed with the integrated circuit 30. If desired, any pigment that causes the nozzle to emit into the ink nozzle of the absorbent material is immediately purified by rotating the lift dial. The hole (not shown) drilled into the side of the inlet provides the ink absorbed by the flow material 208 between the porous material 210 in the central pocket of the absorbent material 2 0 8 166, which is drawn into the porous material 210. . In order to allow the porous material 210 to drain, there is a vacuum attachment point (not shown) to drain the waste ink. The turntable 150 is rotated with a clean wiper blade until the printing platen 2 0 6 is again placed on the print head body. A wiper blade surface forms a wiper. The nozzle face has a larger diameter of 1 6 2 . After the operation of the blade 154 as shown in Fig. 1 3, the adhesion to the cleaning pad 152 is shifted relative to the printing cam 172. The mixing is carried out on the tubular base 166 and in the body of the turntable shaft. The material inside and the porous material turntable 150 can be set to _ (see Fig. 15) opposite to the road 30 18 - ❹ 200932543. Then, as shown in Fig. 16, the turntable is directed toward the print head integrated body I to prepare for printing. The feed medium A is fed through the print head integrated circuit 30 along the medium feed path 22. In the case of full-page bleeding (full to the extreme side of the media sheet), the media substrate can be kept 206 so that it is not soiled by excessive ink spray. The absorbable material 208 is disposed in the recessed seed of the printing platen 206 for any oversprayed ink (usually about 1 on both sides of the paper leaving the surface of the contactable media substrate. At the end of the printing job or at the printer The entering the odd turntable 150 is removed from the print head integrated circuit 30 during rotation and the head capping maintenance station 1 98 is again presented to the print head. As shown in the lift shaft 160, the lift cam 158 is rotated so that the lift cam head is capped The maintenance station moves into engagement with the liquid crystal polymer module 20. Q Printhead Maintenance Dial Figure 18, 19, 20, and 21 show the isolated maintenance turn display wiper blade 1 62 and print platen 206 perspective graphic column The print head capper 1 98 and the wiper blade 1 62 are an exploded view showing the components of the maintenance carousel. Figure 2 1 is a cross-sectional view of the components after the assembly. The maintenance carousel has four print head maintenance stations. • Print the wiper member 162, and the spittoon/ink station maintenance station to its own external base assembly. Substrate sheet and b 1 eed ; Print: Hold away from the platen to understand that, within $, so that mm) is protected • before the mode, I, as shown in print 17, lift 1 5 8 will print the next Side sealing disc. Figure 1 8 is . Figure 19 is a view. Figure 20: shows the complete set of trays 206, wipe 220. Each: seat assembly mounting -19- 200932543 is around the turntable tubular shaft 166 and engages each other 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) 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 constructs the wiper blade outer base assembly 214 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 print head capper 1 9 8 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 slots 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 arcuate shaft engagement surface 234 formed on its side. The ink collector/ink extractor outer base assembly 2 1 8 has a relatively large absorbent ink collector/ink extractor member 220 that also has an arcuate shaft engaging surface 234 formed on its inner face. Similarly, the common base assembly for the print head capper 1 98 and the common base for each wiper -20-200932543 wiper blade 162 have a curved shaft engagement surface 23 4 . 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 1 98 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 2 2 shows the Q liquid crystal polymer module 20 of the print head 匣 2 adjacent to the print head maintenance dial 1 5 , which is presented to the print head integrated circuit by the print platen 206 30. 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 2 4 4 . In order to maintain the print quality, the gap between the nozzle face of the print head integrated circuit and the media surface 2 4 4 should be as close as possible to the nominal 値 defined during the blade setting. 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. -21 - 200932543 With the popularity of digital photography, the need for full-page bleeding 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. The paper guide 23 8 on the liquid crystal polymer module 0 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 medium and the print platen 206, the possibility of soiling by ink that has been sprayed across the boundary during full-scale bleeding printing is greatly reduced. Furthermore, the paper guides 23 8 on the liquid crystal polymer module 20 are disposed adjacent to the print head integrated circuit 30, accurately maintaining the gaps of the nozzles to the media surface 244 » 一些 some of the applicant's range The watch machine uses this technology to provide 0. 7 mm print gap 244. 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 3 by a flexible printed circuit board 242' mounted to the outside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. The contacts of the flexible printed circuit board 2 42 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 outline of the leadframe and the beaded bladder -22-200932543 240 covering the leadframe. This allows the printing gap 244 to be further reduced. The print platen 206 has a recessed or central recess 248 that 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 252. 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 252 by capillary action. Figure 23 shows the rotation of the turntable 150 such that the printhead dispensing station 262 is presented to the printhead integrated circuit 30. Figure 30 shows the isolated printhead station 2 72 and its construction features. The print head dispensing station has an elastomeric skirt 2 56 surrounding the contact pad 25 8 formed of a porous material. The elastomeric skirt and the insole contact pad are formed together with the rigid polymer base 260, and the rigid U polymer base 260 is securely mounted to the exit profile base 236. When the print head 匣 2 is replaced, it needs to be inked. It is well known that the priming process is wasteful because the ink is usually forced through the nozzle until any bubble has been discharged from the entire print head configuration. In order to solve this problem, a large amount of ink has been wasted during the process of removing air from a plurality of conduits extending through the printhead. In order to solve this problem, the maintenance dial 升高5 is raised so that the contact pad 258 covers the printhead integrated circuit 3 nozzle. When the nozzle array is inflated under pressure, the contact pad 258 is held against the nozzle, greatly reducing the amount of ink that is ejected through the -23-200932543 nozzle. 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 holes 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 (as used for the print platen 206). As with the platen 206, the ink within the fiber element 250 is drawn into the porous material 254 in the shaped base 236 by the capillary 252. By using the print head to poke station 2 62, 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 resilient material as the skirt 25 6 . In this case, the contact pads 25 8 need to have a special surface roughness. The surface of the nozzle face of the mating print head integrated circuit 30 should be rough on a 2 to 4 micron scale, but smooth and smooth on a 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. 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 -24-200932543 of the print head integrated circuit 30, the turntable base 23 6 is raised and then rotated, so the wiper blade 268 is wiped over the nozzle face. The turntable base 23 is typically rotated such that the wiper blade 268 is wiped toward the bladder. As discussed in the Applicant's Common Archives, file number RRE0 15 US (incorporated for cross-referencing), the contours of the capsular beads can be designed to help the sputum and dirt get stuck in the wiper. The face of the piece 268. 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 23 is rotated until the printhead capper 272 is presented to the printhead integrated circuit 30. The base 236 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 in the printer such that the wiper blade 268 moves past the surface of the pad 152 as the maintenance turn-25-200932543 disk 150 rotates. 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. 0 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 2 82 . This symmetry is important because if the injection molding base 23 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 Q 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 each maintenance station itself is modified, its standard bearing ensures that the maintenance station can easily break into the existing production line with minimal equipment replacement. The maintenance station is fixed in the socket with an adhesive, 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 278 has a cylindrical configuration 280 to form a conduit, and the -26-200932543 conduit connects the fiber core pad to the porous material within the central pocket. The pull lead of each slider is radially 288 from the base 236. It is retracted longitudinally (it is understood that the core is not a fine but a truncated cone to provide the required ventilation). Polymer molding is well suited for large and low cost production. Furthermore, the construction and uniform shrinkage maintain good tolerances to maintain the maintenance of the integrated head circuit. However, other manufacturing techniques also compress shock waves or the like of polymer powders. Further, the surface treatment can help the ink flow to the capillary 2 52 and the porous material 210 within the terminal 236. In some printer design stands for connecting a vacuum source to periodically cycle from the porous material 210 to five maintenance station embodiments. Figure 34 shows an embodiment of the printhead maintenance carousel 15 Q Q different maintenance stations: printing platen 2 0 6. The print head wipes the print head capper 272, the picking station 262, and the ink collector 284. (Independently shown in Figure 33) has a relatively simple construction 2 84 that is flat to the printhead and has holes (not shown) for fluid communication of the fiber elements 250 within the plastic base. The five-station maintenance carousel 150 is equipped with an ink collector 284, which uses the main ink to purify the four-station turntable as part of the maintenance system. 'Use the print platen 206 and/or the capper to clean the ink or "spit the loop ( Spitting cycle) 219. For the outer, core-tight cylinder, the symmetrical station of the injection base of the component may be parallel to the column, for example, the hydrophilic polar flow flows into the bottom, and the bottom is constructed to discharge the ink, which has five instruments 26 6. 歹丨J ink collector 284 ... - the ink collector face is held in it to allow the printing. Figure 22-25 272 provides the second j. During the printing -27- 200932543 work period 'after the nozzle face wipe or when When inter-page spit is used, 'use a secondary discharge cycle to keep the nozzle moist. But if the print head needs to be recovered from removal of the sputum, severe pigment mixing, large size nozzles, etc., then it may be necessary The main discharge cycle - ... because this condition has exceeded the ability of the platen or capper. The ink collector 284 has a large hole or series of retaining ribs in its face 286 to hold the fiber core material 250 in the plastic This holds the fiber 0 element 250 very open to potential ink intensive spraying. One face of the fiber element 250 is pressed against the capillary 252 to increase the flow of porous material 254 into the central pocket of the base 236. The 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 dial having more than five stations is also possible. If the nozzle faces have a tendency to gather and dry the ink. It means that it is still difficult to remove by using the wiper alone. In these cases, the printer may need a station (not shown) for spraying ink solvent or other cleaning fluid onto the nozzle surface (not shown). Intrusion or attachment to the ink collector. Wiper variants Figures 35 to 46 show the different types of configurations that the wiper can use. Wipe the nozzles of the print head to interview for paper dust, spilled ink, ink, or other contaminants. An effective way. The average worker will understand that there may be countless different wiper configurations, many of which are not suitable for use with any particular printer. Functional efficiency (ie cleaning column) The print head must weigh the production cost, the desired operating life, the size and weight constraints, and other considerations. -28- 200932543. Single contact blade Figure 35 shows a single elastomer mounted in a hard plastic base 2 70 The wiper maintenance station 266 of the blade 290 extends the blade 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. A single wiper wiper is suitable for the bottom of the printer and price range. Higher throughput requires efficient manufacturing techniques and easy assembly of the printer components. This must be for the unit's operating life, or wiper cleaning Make some compromises in the rate and efficiency of the print head. 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 (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 Figures 4 3 A and 4 3 B have smaller and shorter wipers -29-200932543 3 00, all of which are mounted together with a common elastomeric base 298 'the elastic 2 98 fixed To the hard plastic base 270 ° This is a substantially more compliant configuration with a relatively large surface area in each wipe contacting the nozzle face. However, the larger the blade and the stronger the blade wear, the faster the rate of damage. Since the multiple parallel blades rubbed over the nozzle face, the wiper once traversed to collect more dust and dirt. Although a multi-blade has a smaller blade, each wipe is faster and more efficient. During the printing process, the print head can be wiped between pages; the initial maintenance performed before the print job Matters, a single skewed blade in a short period of time Figure 37 shows a wiper maintenance station 270 having a single wiper mounted on a hard plastic base 270 such that the wiper 302 is skewed relative to the wiper. It will be appreciated that the wiping direction is perpendicular to the extension of the plastic base 2 70. A single wiper blade is a simple configuration with low production and assembly costs. Further, the nozzle face is only in contact with the segment of the blade by mounting the blade to be skewed in the wiping direction at any time during which the wiper member traverses. Since only one section contacts the nozzle face, the wiper is creased or crimped for inconsistent contact pressure along its entire length. The sufficient contact pressure between the wiper blade and all of the nozzle faces must be precisely aligned with the wiper. It is completely parallel to the nozzle face. This allows for manufacturing tolerances so that larger quantities of low cost production techniques can be used. The distance that must be traveled to increase the wiper member is to clean the print head as a body pedestal, and the ratio of the thin and soft parts is single. Because it is wiped in the area of the sheet 302, it will not cause a problem in the rubbing of one area. This is true, and it is not lenient. This must be a compromise -30-200932543. 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 27A. 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 of each wiper 104 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 300 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 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. Nozzle Face Wiper with Multiple Skew Blades In Figure 39, the wiper maintenance station 266 has a series of individual wipers 3 08 ' mounted within the hard plastic base 270 such that the wipers are inclined in the wiping direction. Each of the blades 308 is disposed such that the lateral extent (χ) of each blade (relative to the wiping direction -31 - 200932543) and the lateral extent (γ) of its adjacent blade overlap (ζ). By mounting the wiper blade to be skewed in the wiping direction, the nozzle face is only in contact with a section of the blade at any time during the traversal of the wiper member. 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. As described above, it is inefficient to wipe the nozzle surface of the 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. Using a wiping surface that has been divided into individual contact pads of array 310, -32-200932543 allows each pad to move relative to an adjacent pad, so that inconsistent contact forces 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, 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, there is more contact between the wiper and the nozzle face for better dirt removal. This improves any problems caused by inconsistent contact pressures, but in each wiping operation, the wiper blade is required to travel a longer stroke. As noted above, inaccurate movement of the wiper surface relative to the nozzle face is a source of insufficient contact pressure. Zeng -33- 200932543 The length of the wiper stroke is not conducive to pocket design. A wiper blade having a zigzag (Z-shape) or a sinusoidal shape is used to wipe the nozzle face with a plurality of wiper segments inclined in the medium feed direction. This configuration also results in a stroke length of the wiper member relative to the printhead that is small enough to remain accurate and compact. Single wiper blade having a non-linear contact surface φ Figure 42 shows a wiper maintenance station 266 having two linear sections at an angle to each other and mounted on the hard plastic base 270 obliquely to the wiping direction. As previously mentioned, wiping the nozzle face of a page wide print head with a single long contact surface can result in insufficient or no contact pressure in certain areas. Having the blade angled relative to the wiping direction and the printhead nozzle face means that only a portion of the wiper blade contacts the nozzle face at any time during the wiping operation. This makes the contact pressure more uniform, but in each wiping operation, the wiper blade needs to travel longer. As described above, the inaccurate movement of the wiper surface relative to the nozzle Q surface is a source of insufficient contact pressure. Increasing the length of the wiper stroke only increases the risk of this inaccuracy. By using a wiping surface having an angular or curved shape, the wiper section inclined in the direction of the medium feed is wiped over most of the nozzle face while reducing the stroke length of the wiper member relative to the printhead. A general worker will appreciate that 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. -34- 200932543 Fiber Mat Figure 45 shows a printhead wiper maintenance station 266 having a fiber mat 320 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. Combined wiper maintenance station It will be appreciated 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 Figures 47 through 50 show the media feed drive and printhead maintenance drive in more detail. Figure 48 shows the printhead maintenance carousel 150 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 reveals that the paper discharge guide 32 is guided to the discharge driving roller 178. On the other side of the wiper blade 162, on the other side of the -35-200932543, 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 lifting 0-axis shaft 160 is fixed to the turntable lift spur gear 174 by a key. The spur gear 174 engages the worm gear 176 and the turntable lift motor 324 drives the worm gear 176. The turntable lift rotation sensor 334 provides feedback to a print engine controller (not shown) that 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 engaging rolls can be surfaces of low friction materials, such as high density polyethylene (HDPE)). Since the cams Q 172 are identical and are also mounted to the turntable lift shaft 160, 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 carousel 1 50 removed. This figure provides a clear view of the turntable spur gear 174, its adjacent lift cam 172, and the corresponding turntable lift arm 158. 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 view of Figure 50. -36- 200932543 » View. A turntable rotary motor 3 26 is mounted to the side of the turntable lift configuration 170. The stepper motor sensor 328 provides feedback on the rate and rotation of the motor 326 to the print engine controller (PEC). The turntable rotary motor 326 drives the idler 332, which is driven in the turntable lift configuration 17 Reduction gear on the side (not shown). The reduction gear bite the spur gear 212' with a key to mount the 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 0 engine controller' so the printer has A wide range of maintenance procedures are available. 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 in both directions. And 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. Similarly, the rate at which the wiper blade 162 moves through the doctor blade 154 can be faster than the rate 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 respective 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. -37- 200932543 The invention is described herein by way of example only. The average worker can easily recognize many changes and modifications that are not divorced 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; Figure 2A is a perspective view of the print head cartridge of the present invention mounted on the printer of the printer; Figure 2A shows the print engine without the print head cartridge to expose the inlet and outlet ink couplers; A perspective view of the complete print head cartridge is shown; FIG. 4 shows the print head cartridge of FIG. 3 with the protective cover removed; FIG. 5 is a partial exploded Q view of the print head assembly of the print head cartridge of FIG. Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the print head assembly without the inlet or outlet of the tube or cap module; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the print engine taken from line 7-7 of Figure 2: Figure 8 is taken A cross-sectional view of the print engine from line 7-7 of Figure 2 shows the maintenance dial pulling the wiper blade through the scraper; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the maintenance dial pulling the wiper blade through the absorbent pad; Figure 1 Is to display the lift maintenance carousel to make the capper maintenance station cover the column -38- 2009325 43 is a cross-sectional view showing the lowering of the maintenance dial to remove the head of the print head; FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the nozzle surface of the wiper wiping head; FIG. Returning to its cross-sectional view of the starting position shown in Figure 8, wherein the wiper blade has been pulled through the blade to explode the dirt in the tip region; Figure 14 shows the wiper blade has been pulled through the absorbent cleaning A cross-sectional view of the pad; Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotation of the maintenance carousel to present the print head capper to the print head; Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the lift maintenance dial to present the print platen to the print head Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the manner in which the lifter is rotated to seal the printhead integrated circuit; Figure 18 is a perspective view of the isolated maintenance turntable; Figure 19 is another perspective view of the isolated maintenance turntable, showing 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 is printed Figure 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance turntable of the second embodiment, and the head-39-200932543 print head station engages the print head; Figure 24 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance turntable 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 print © ^: 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 FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing press holder maintenance station in isolation; FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view showing the print head capper maintenance station in an isolated manner; Figure 31 is a cross-sectional view showing the wiper blade maintenance station in isolation; Q Figure 32 is a cross-sectional view showing the print head dispensing station in isolation; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the ink absorption station in isolation; Figure 34 is a third embodiment Example maintenance dial Cross-sectional view; FIG. 35 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the wiper member; FIG. 36 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the wiper member of the embodiment; FIG. 37 is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of the wiper member;. Figure 38 is a schematic view of the wiper member 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; -40-200932543 Figure 41 is the seventh Figure 42 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the eighth embodiment; Figures 43A and 43B are schematic views of the wiper member of the ninth embodiment; and Figure 44 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the tenth embodiment; Figure 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 sectional perspective view of the print engine, and is not printed for the maintenance turntable Figure 48 is a perspective view showing the independent drive assembly used in the print engine; Figure 49 is an exploded perspective view of the independent drive assembly shown in Figure 48; and Figure 50 is an enlarged view of the left end of the exploded perspective view shown in Figure 49. . [Main component symbol description] 2 : Print head assembly (print head 匣) 3 : Print engine 4 : Ink tank 6 : Regulator 8 : Upstream ink line 1 0 : Close valve 12 : Pump 1 6 : Downstream ink Line 1 8 : Waste ink tank 20 : Liquid crystal polymer module - 41 - 200932543 22 : Media substrate (medium feed path) 24 : Main channel 26 : Pocket 28 : Thin channel 3 0 : Print head integrated circuit 3 3: Contact 36: Inlet ❹ 42: Protective cover 44: Top module (top cover) 46: Entrance coaming 47: Outlet coaming plate 4 8: Inlet manifold 50: Outlet manifold 52: Inlet nozzle Q 54: Outlet nozzle 5 6 : cover 58 : clamping surface 66 : die attach film 68 _ · channel module 72 : cavity module 120 : socket (fluid coupler) 122 : 孑L 124 : insertion port - 42 - 200932543 126 : Latch 1 2 8 : Reinforced bearing surface 1 5 0 : Print head maintenance turntable 152 : Cleaning pad 1 5 4 : Scraper 156: Tubular drive shaft (lifting structure shaft) 158 : (cam) lift Arm 160: turntable drive shaft (lifting shaft) 162: wiper blade 166: turntable drive shaft (central shaft; tubular base) 1 6 8 : cam engagement surface (roller) 170 : (turntable) lifting structure 172: (turntable) lifting cam 174: turntable lifting spur gear 176: turntable lifting worm wheel 178: discharge feed roller (drive shaft) 1 8 0 : discharge drive pulley 1 8 2 : Media feed belt 184: Drive pulley sensor 186: Main drive roller (shaft) 188: Encoder disc (main drive pulley) 1 9 0 : Medium feed motor 192: Input drive belt 194: Main printed circuit board - 43- 200932543 196: Pressurized metal housing 1 98: Print head capper (capped maintenance station) 200: First turntable rotation sensor 202: Second turntable rotation sensor 2 04 = Maintenance encoder disc (Carousel 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 : Collector / Ink Absorber External Base Assembly 2 1 9 : Porous Material 220 : Absorbent Ink Collector / Ink Absorber Member 226 : Locking Ear 228 : Hole 230 : Ear Locking Groove 236 : Base 236 : Injection Molding Base ( Turntable Base) 23 8 : Paper guide 240 : bladder (material) 242 : flexible printed circuit board 244 : printing gap 24 6: Guide surface 248: center pocket - 44 - 200932543 250 : 252 : 254 : 256 : 2 5 8 : 260 : 262 : 264 : 266 : 2 68 : 270 : 272 : 274 : 276 : 278 : 〇 280 : 2 82 : 284 : 286 : 288 : 290 : 292 : 294 : 296 :

(Absorbing) Fiber Element Capillary Porous Material Elastomer Skirt Note Contact Pad Base Print Head Tip Station Flow Hole Wipe Station (Wiper Maintenance Station) (Elastomer) Wiper Blade Hard Plastic Base Print Head Sealing hard plastic base around the capper (maintenance station mounting socket) Air breathing device hole (slider) Column structure center longitudinal axis ink collector face central core blade scraper first blade second blade 45- 200932543 2 9 8 : Elastomer base 300 : Blade 302 : Blade 3 04 : Segmented blade 3 0 6 : Blade section

3 0 8 : blade 3 10 : contact pad 3 1 2 : pad 3 1 4 : single blade 3 1 8 : blade 320 : fiber pad 3 22 : paper discharge guide 324 : turntable lift motor 326 : turntable rotation Motor 3 28 : Stepper motor sensor 3 3 0 : Main drive roller pulley 3 3 2 : Idler 3 34 : Turntable lift rotary sensor -46-

Claims (1)

200932543 X. Patent Application Scope 1 A maintenance device for an inkjet printer having a page width print head and a medium path for feeding a sheet medium substrate in a medium feed direction The page wide print head has an elongated array nozzle. The array nozzle extends over the print width of the media substrate. The maintenance device comprises: a tubular base mounted in the printer so that the tubular base can be longitudinally The long axis rotates; and the 0 plurality of maintenance stations are mounted to the outer surface of the tubular base; wherein at least one of the maintenance stations is a wiper member that is disposed for wiping contact with the elongated array nozzle. 2. The maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the tubular base is mounted in the printer such that a longitudinal axis of the tubular base traverses the medium feed direction. 3. The maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer as described in claim 1 wherein the tubular base and the wiper member extend over the length of the elongated array nozzle Q. 4. The maintenance device for an ink jet printer as described in the first paragraph of the patent application, wherein the tubular base is an aluminum extruded product. 5. The maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the tubular base has a plurality of extruded parts that are constructed to slidably engage each other. 6. The maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the tubular base has a substantially rectangular cross section. 7. The apparatus for maintenance of an ink jet printer as described in claim 1 of the invention, wherein the tubular base has a material housed in a central recess thereof. 8. The maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer of claim 6, wherein each side of the tubular base has a mounting configuration' for engaging a corresponding configuration on the maintenance stations. 9. The maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer according to claim 8, wherein the mounting structures are slidably engaged with the corresponding structures. Q10. The maintenance device for an inkjet printer according to item 8 of the patent application, wherein the maintenance stations can be mounted to different sides of the tubular base. 11. As described in claim 1 A maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer, wherein the wiper member is mounted to a tubular base such that the wiper member wipes the elongated array nozzle in a direction parallel to the media feed direction. 12. The maintenance device for an ink jet printer according to claim 11, wherein one of the maintenance stations is an ink absorber having an absorbing member for accommodating the ejected ink . 13. The maintenance device for an ink jet printer according to claim 12, wherein the absorbent member is in fluid communication with the porous material housed in the central pocket. 14. The maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer according to claim 13, wherein the porous material is a porous hard polymer. 15. The maintenance device for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the page wide print head has a plurality of print head integrated circuits, the -48-200932543 and the like print head integrated circuit Each of them is aligned in the lateral direction of the media feed direction. The maintenance device for an inkjet printer according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the wiper member is a plurality of wiper blades formed of an elastic material, so when the long array nozzle is wiped, The distal edge of each blade is deflected. 17. The maintenance device for an ink jet printer according to claim 16, wherein the wiper blades are disposed in a plurality of parallel rows. 18. The maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer according to claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of columns has a series of wiper blades in which the wiper blades are oriented The horizontal alignment of the wiper blades in adjacent columns is offset relative to one another in the media feed direction. 19. The maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance drive is reversible, so the wiper member can wipe the elongated array nozzle in two directions. 20. The maintenance apparatus for an ink jet printer of claim 1, wherein the maintenance drive is constructed to rotate the tubular base at a variable rate. -49-