TW200932550A - Printhead wiping protocol for inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of wiping a printhead with a nozzle face defining an array of nozzles for ejecting ink on to a media substrate fed past the printhead in a media feed direction, by providing a wiper member in the printer, moving the wiper member into the media feed path, and wiping all the nozzles in the nozzle face with a single traverse of the wiper member in a direction parallel to the media feed direction.

Description

200932550 IX. INSTRUCTIONS OF THE INVENTION [Technical field to which the invention pertains] The present invention relates to the field of printers and in particular [Prior Art] The applicant has developed a wide range of printer heads instead of conventional reciprocating printing Head design. The page width is because the print head does not have to traverse the page to reciprocate with the page width of the print head simply depositing ink on the medium as it passes through the medium. These print heads have been able to print at full line of 1 600 dpi per minute, which is not possible with this type of inkjet printer. A high print rate requires a large ink flow rate. However, it is much more complicated to place the ink along a reciprocating print head having a relatively small length throughout the length of one page of the print head. In order to extend the life of the print head, most of them are added to certain types of maintenance facilities. There is no easy way to print heads on the print head. The ink from the print head will not dry out. However, this does not remove any paper dust or other contaminants that have already been attached. The most effective and appropriate surface wipes the nozzle face to remove the particles. Wiping a row of print heads, especially page width printheads, is a time consuming step. A time-efficient pagewidth inkjet printer that uses a page width column design to increase the print speed to deposit a column of images. The speed at which the speed of 60 pages is moved at a high speed is covered by the ink jet printer, which is used only when the flow rate is high and the ink is dispensed to one, so that the nozzle is placed on the nozzle. The way to do this is to improve the print quality and print rate by wiping the nozzle face with a printer maintenance meter before printing in a column -5 - 200932550 or during printing. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of wiping a printhead having a nozzle face that defines an array of nozzles for ejecting ink into a medium that is fed through the printhead in a media feed direction On the substrate, the method comprises the steps of: providing a wiper member in the printer; moving the wiper member into the media feed path: and using the wiper member in a direction parallel to the media feed A single traverse motion in the direction of the wipes wipes all nozzles in the nozzle face. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill that the array of nozzles on a row of printheads has a length in the direction transverse to the media feed direction that is longer than the length in the direction parallel to the media feed direction. This is especially true for page width printheads. Moving the wiper member parallel to the media feed direction causes it to wipe all of the nozzles in a single traverse motion to reduce the time taken for each wiping operation. This allows the overall maintenance schedule to be speeded up and allows the nozzle to be wiped before each print job to maintain print quality. Preferably, the wiper member is rotated about an axis extending transversely to the media feed direction as the wiper member is moved into the media feed path and across the nozzle face. Preferably, the print head is a column of wide print heads and the nozzle array is elongate and extends over the print width of the media substrate sheet such that the wiper member also extends over the length of the nozzle array - 6 - 200932550. Preferably, the method further comprises moving an ink collector into the media feed path after all of the nozzles in the nozzle face have been wiped, and injecting ink from all of the nozzles into the ink collector In, wait for the steps. Preferably, the method further comprises the step of providing the ink collector to a printing plate having a contoured guiding surface for guiding the media substrate through the printing head and a A central recess having an absorbing element disposed within a central recess of the printing platen. Preferably, the printing plate is moved into the media feed path and supplied to the print head by rotating it about an axis extending about the media feed direction as the wiper member rotates. Preferably, the wiper member and the printing platen are secured to a base mounted to the printer for rotation about the axis transverse to the media feed direction. In a preferred form, a capper for covering the array of nozzles when the nozzle array of the printer is not in use is also secured to the base. Optionally, an applicator for servicing the array of nozzles when the print head is inked is also mounted to the base. Optionally, an additional ink collector is also attached to the base for use during an extended ink purge of the printhead. Optionally, the wiper member is rotated about the axis traversing the media feed direction at different rates. Optionally, the wiper member is selectively rotated in either direction of the two directions about the axis transverse to the media feed direction. In a particularly preferred form, the base is moved toward and away from the nozzle face. Preferably, the base is moved by applying equal force to the support points in the base, the support points being disposed equidistant from a longitudinal intermediate point of the wiper structure 200932550. In a particularly preferred form, the header has a plurality of print heads 1C that are end-to-end (in the direction of the media medium feed, the print heads 1C follow one of the columns) The wire of the lateral sides of the print head 1C engages the power and data of the bonds, and the wiper member is rotationally moved toward the wire bond wire. Preferably, the wire bond wire is in a sealant ball which is contoured for </a wiper member to retain paper dust or wiped from the nozzle face. Preferably, the maintenance drive has a first actuator for moving the wiper member toward and away from the nozzle face, and a second actuating the wiper member about an extension extending across the media feed direction, The first actuator and the second actuator are independently operable, the second actuator being configured to selectively change the rate at which the wiper is rotated about the axis extending across the media feed direction @ Both the actuator and the second actuator have an encoder disk motor that provides feedback to an engine controller within the inkjet printer. Preferably, the second actuator is reversed such that the member can be rotated in both directions. In a more preferred form, the first actuator is configured to apply a moving power seat at a first support point at one end of the wiper member and is configured to be adjacent to the other end of the wiper member The fulcrum applies an equal amount of moving force to the base, the first support second support point being equidistantly spaced from the longitudinal intermediate point of the wiper member nd) is received from (wire makes it sealed in helping to contaminate it) The wiper is used for axis rotation. Preferably, the member is wound. The first electric print is printed adjacent to the second fulcrum to the bottom. In the preferred form of -8 - 200932550, the page has a wide print head. Having a plurality of print heads aligned end to end across the media, the printheads 1C accepting wire bonds from one of the sides along the prints g The power of the wire is rotated such that it moves toward the grounding wire, the wire bonding wire is sealed within a sealing bead, and the bead is contoured to help the wiper member remain wiped Paper dust or Preferably, the wiper member has a plurality of elastic blade media substrates. Preferably, the elastic blades are arranged to extend over the width of the media substrate in each column. The wipers in one of the columns of the parallel rows are arranged such that the wipers in an adjacent row of the parallel rows are aligned. A particularly good wiper in each parallel row is spaced from the adjacent wiper. The opening allows for independent movement of adjacent blades. Preferably, the step of moving the base is performed by an installed maintenance drive having an actuator for directing the wiper member toward and away from the A nozzle-second actuator is used to rotate the wiper member about an axis extending the feed direction, the first actuator operating independently of the second. Preferably, the second actuator is constructed Varying the rate at which the wiper member rotates about the media feed side of the extension. The first actuator and the second actuator are two motor discs of the encoder motor, the encoder discs providing back 1C, they Transposed to the direction of the stomach I c Preferably, the sealing flux extends from the nozzle face in the form of parallel rows of the media, in the form of a bit in the form, a gap, which has a first in the printer The surface movement, and the axis that is selectively redirected across the media actuator are all provided with a print engine controller fed into the ink jet -9-200932550 printer. Preferably The two actuators are reversible such that the wiper member can be rotated in both directions. Preferably, the method further includes providing a means for removing paper dust and other contaminants from the wiper member. The step of absorbing the pad in the printer. Preferably, the method further comprises the step of providing a blade within the printer such that the blade extends across the media feed direction, wherein during use, the maintenance drive will The wiper member moves over the nozzle face, then traverses the absorbent pad and then passes the blade to flex the elastic blade for passage through the blade and when the elastic blade is disengaged from the blade The blade will spring back to its still shape to throw contaminants away from its surface. [Embodiment] Printer Fluid Engineering System Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the fluid engineering Q 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, feeder trays, paper collection trays, ', etc.) to make them suitable for printing on printers such as photo printers, network printers, or Soviet printers Claim. The applicant discloses a photo printer of USSN 1 1 / 6 8 8 863 (our case number RRE G01US) in the common family, which is an example of an ink jet printer using the fluid engineering system of FIG. . The contents of the co-pending application are incorporated herein by reference. The operation of the system and its individual components are described in detail in USSN 11 /8 72719 (our case number SBF G09US), its contents -10-

200932550 is hereby incorporated by reference. Briefly, the 'printer fluid engineering system has a print head combination. The ink tank 4 supplies ink to the print head 糸i via the upstream ink line 8. The waste ink is discharged to the waste ink tank 1 via the downstream ink line. Therefore, only a single ink line is displayed. In fact, the print head has a water line for full color printing. The upstream ink line 8 has a shut-off valve 1 I. The print head assembly 2 is selectively used with the pump 丨 2 and/or the ink tank 4 for the active or full (fl〇〇d) print head combination. The body 12 is also used to establish a negative pressure within the ink tank 4. The borrower 6 maintains a negative pressure during printing. The print head assembly 2 is a liquid crystal polymer module 20, and its print head integrated circuit 30; a viscous die attach film (the print head integrated circuit 30 is undetermined). An ink jet nozzle of the integrated circuit 30 for ejecting ink droplets to pass through the plate 22. The nozzle is a microelectromechanical construction printed at a true resolution of 1600 dpi (i.e., 1600 npi) or greater. 11 /2 46687 The manufacture and construction of the integrated head integrated circuit 30 is detailed in our case number (MNN 001US), the contents of which are incorporated by reference. The liquid crystal polymer module 20 has a main passage 24 extending at the inlet 36 and the outlet 38. The main channel 24 feeds a series of thin channels 28 extending to the lower side of the liquid crystal module 20. The fine channels 28 supply ink to the print head integrated circuit 3 via the laser cut-off holes of the die attaching g. Above the main channel 24 is a series of unfilled air recesses designed to confine a pocket of empty body 2 during the marking of the print head 2, 1 fit 2 simplifies the 'multiple ink cartridges, for Isolation. 丨 2. Pump ί by bubble [series: out) solid: There are array I media base f nozzle sections. The USSN is suitable for the description. • This is the extension of the polymer; the hole in the film is 26 〇. These -11 - 200932550 air bags give the system some compliance to absorb and dampen high points and hydraulic shock. The printer is a high speed page wide printer with a large number of nozzles. This printer quickly consumes the ink print job or even the end of a page, meaning that a line of ink moving toward the print head assembly 2 must have almost no compliance provided by the air pocket 26, then the ink The nozzle of the integrated circuit 30. Furthermore, the subsequent "sufficient to remove the strong negative pressure of the nozzle. Print engine Figure 2A shows the use of the print 匣 2 type of print 1 engine 3 is the internal structure of the inkjet printer, so it does not include The body, the ink tank, or the media feed and collection tray. The user will either drop or insert the print head 匣 2. The contacts on the print engine 匣 2 are electrically connected and are respectively supported by The g Q manifold 48 is fluidly coupled to the outlet manifold 50. The main drive roller 186 and the discharge feed roller 187 are supplied to the print engine. The main drive roller 186 is driven by the main drive. Driven by 188. The discharge feed roller 178 is driven by the discharge drive β. The discharge drive main drive pulley 188 is synchronized by the medium feed belt 182. The medium feed motor 190 case belt 192 supplies power to the main drive pulley 188. The drive pulley 188 has an encoder disc, and the drive side 184 reads the encoder disc. The drive shafts 186, 178 are pressurized at a pressure in the water, and suddenly stop (and pass) to stop. If the amount will overflow the array Wave will produce Ε 3.歹丨J 印' any external shell latch 126 rises 3 and print heads [120, inlet: media sheet feed s wheel and encoder pulley 1 800 belt wheel 1 8 0 and 丨 driven by input [pulley The -12-200932550 related information of the sensor f-number and rate is sent to the print engine controller (PEC). A printer (not shown) is mounted to the main printed circuit board (PCB) 1 94 The main microprocessor used to control printer operation. 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 port 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 column The print heads are set at the print engine test point. They are also set to provide the opposite bearing surface for the load acting on the 匣 2 during installation. When the manifold nozzle (described below) is used to close the valve in the engine (below) The fluid coupler 120 pushes the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold. The pressure of the latch 126 on the crucible 2 is opposite to the support surface 128. The support surface 128 is provided to direct the compressive load in the phase 2, which reduces the enthalpy. Bending and deformation inside. Finally, the aid nozzle is positioned relative to the medium feed path. It is also protected from damage by a weaker mechanism. Print head Figure 3 is a perspective view of the complete print head 匣2. The print head dome module 44 and the removable protective cover 42. The top module 44 has a middle engine control and is coupled with a reference in the metal shell of the exposed tube and the ink tank. Open the column against the 匣 is also the opposite of 匣, this gang is strong 2 has a central web -13 - 200932550 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 prior to installation 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). 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 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, the shock wave or pressure pulse in the ink is blocked by the air in the compressed 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 6 6 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 14-200932550 through the film. The print integrated circuit 30 is in 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 by 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, for example, the relatively long configuration of the pagewidth printhead should minimize any differences in thermal expansion between the tantalum substrate of the printhead integrated circuit 30 and its support structure. 〇 Printhead Maintenance Dial Referring to Figure 7, a cross-sectional perspective view is shown. This profile is through line 7-7 shown in Figure 2A. 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 the immediate vicinity of the medium feed path 22 extending through the print engine. The 0 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' which is mounted to the lift configuration shaft 丨 56 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 structure -15-200932550 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. The rotation of the maintenance turntable 150 about the tubular shaft 166 is independent of the turntable ^ lift drive. 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 162 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. 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, when the turntable 50 is rotated, no maintenance station contacts the print head integrated circuit 30. However, the turntable will have a -16-200932550 movable wiper blade 162 that contacts the doctor blade 154 and the absorbent cleaning pad 152. The doctor blade 146 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, as soon as it is disengaged from the blade 154, it springs back to its stationary straight shape. Quickly bounces back to its still shape, projecting 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 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 152 contacts the leading blade so that the trailing blade is improperly wiped past the cleaning pad 1 52, it is impossible to simply move the cleaning pad 52 closer to the turntable -17-200932550 shaft 166 to make the wiper The blade 162 is more curved. 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 (d e n i e ). Microfiber materials with a wire size of about 1 Danny 的 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 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. ❹ Capped on the print head Figure 9 shows the first stage of the capped print head integrated circuit 30 with the capped maintenance station 198 mounted to the maintenance carousel 150. When the lift cam 1 72 is 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 -18-200932550 arm 158 is moved 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 such that the lift cam 172 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. 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 printhead, the wiper blade 162 of the wiper member contacts the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. When 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 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 and the nozzle face form a wiping contact. It can be understood that the wide flat side surface of the blade has a large contact with the nozzle face, and the dirt is more effectively removed. -19- 200932550 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 blade is removed by the absorbent pad 1 5 2 . 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 1 7 2 so that the nozzle can be launched into the absorbent material 202. 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 208 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 tantalum material 210. In order to allow the porous material 210 to drain, the turntable 150 may be provided with 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 opposite the printhead integrated circuit 30. Then, as shown in Fig. 16, the turntable is raised toward the print head integrated circuit 30 to prepare for printing. The medium substrate sheet is fed along the medium feed path 22 and passed through the print head integrated circuit 30. In the case of full bleed (printed to the extreme side of the media sheet), the media substrate can remain away from the platen 2 06' so that it does not become soiled by excessive ink spray. It will be appreciated that -20-200932550 absorbent material 208 is disposed within the recessed portion of printing platen 206 so that any oversprayed ink (typically about 1 mm on both sides of the paper) is retained away from the contactable media substrate. s surface. At the end of the printing job or before the printer will enter the standby mode, the turntable 1 50 is withdrawn from the printhead integrated circuit 30 during rotation, so that the printhead capping maintenance station 1 98 is again rendered to print head. As shown in Fig. 17, the lift shaft 160 rotates the lift cam 158 such that the lift cam 158 moves the print head capping maintenance station into engagement with the lower side seal 液晶 of the liquid crystal polymer module 20. Printhead Maintenance Dial Figure 1 8, 19, 20, and 2 1 show the isolated maintenance dial. Figure 18 is a perspective view showing the wiper blade 162 and the print platen 206. Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the print head capper 198 and the wiper blade 162. Figure 20 is an exploded view showing the components of the maintenance carousel. Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view showing the components after the complete group Q is combined. 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 2〇4 and a turntable spur gear 212'. The turntable spur gear 212 is driven by a turntable rotary motor (not shown) described below. The tubular shaft is fixed to or rotates with the spur gear. Each printhead maintenance station is rotated with the tubular shaft by -21 - 200932550 by its solid compression clamp on the outside of the shaft. The wiper blade outer base assembly 214 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. The outer base assembly for printing platen 2 16 and print head capper 1 98 has a series of identical locking ears 22 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 arcuate shaft engagement surface 234 formed on one side thereof. 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 198 and the common pedestal 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 -22- 200932550 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 should be understood that the maintenance drive system requires a simple and straightforward modification to accommodate the turntable of this embodiment. Figure 2 2 shows the liquid crystal polymer module 20 of the print head 匣 2 adjacent to the print head maintenance dial 150, which is presented to the print head integrated circuit 3 by the print platen 206. 0. For the sake of clarity, Figure 29 shows the print platen 06 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 print head Q 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 is sprayed across the boundary -23- 200932550 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 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 30 by a flexible printed circuit board 242' mounted to the exterior 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 printhead integrated circuit 30 by a row 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 240 covering the leadframe. This allows the printing gap 244 to be further reduced. The print platen 206 has a recess or central recess 248 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. Medium -24- 200932550 The surface of the heart 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 element 25 0 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 272 and its construction features. The printhead dispensing station has an elastomeric skirt 256 around the 塾2 58, which is formed of a porous material. The elastomeric skirt is formed with the injection 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 260. 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. A very large amount of ink has been wasted during the removal of air from the plurality of conduits extending through the printhead. To solve this problem, the maintenance dial 150 is raised such that the contact pads 25 cover 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. A flow aperture 264 formed in the rigid poly-25-200932550 composite pedestal 260 allows the ink absorbed by the pad 258 and any excess ink to flow to the absorbent fibrous element 250 (and the user of the print platen 206) the same). 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 to note the station 2 6 2, the amount of wasted ink is drastically reduced. If there is no betting station, the amount of ink that is wasted by each type of 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. Up 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 256. In this case, the contact pad 258 needs 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. Q 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 26 8 supported on a hard plastic base 270. In order to wipe the nozzle face of the printhead integrated circuit 30, the turntable base 236 is raised and then rotated, so that the wiper blade 268 is wiped over the nozzle face. The turntable base 236 is typically rotated such that the wiper blade 26 8 is wiped toward the bladder beads. As discussed in the application for the file number RRE0 15 US (incorporated for cross-referencing) in the Applicant's common genus, the contours of the capsular beads can be designed to help the dust and dirt get stuck in the wipe-26 - 200932550 The surface of the wiper blade 268. However, if it is demonstrated that wiping is more efficient in both directions, the 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 driver to perform each wipe. The head capper 272 showing the maintenance dial 150 is shown in Fig. 25 to the print head integrated circuit 30. Fig. 32 shows the capper '' independently to exemplify its configuration. The capper 2 72 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 surrounding seal 2 74 and the underside of the liquid crystal polymer module 20 does not need to be completely air impermeable because the capper is being used to suck the print head 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. In order to cover the print head 'rotating base 2 36 until the print head capper 2 72 is presented to the print head integrated circuit 30. The base 236 is then raised until the surrounding 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 dial 15 is rotated. 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 chassis 236 at a relatively high rate for extensive cleaning. The wiper blade 268 is in no damaging contact with the printhead integrated circuit 30. Further, -27-200932550, the cleaning pad 1 52 can be wetted with an surfactant 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 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 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 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 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, but a truncated cone to provide Required ventilation). Injection molding of polymer components is well suited for large and low cost production. Furthermore, the symmetry of the base -28-200932550 construction and uniform shrinkage maintains good tolerances' to extend the maintenance head integrated circuit. But other manufacturing techniques compress the shock wave of the polymer powder or the like. Furthermore, the surface treatment can help the ink flow to the capillary 252 and the porous material 210 within the seat 23 6 . In some printers, a vacuum is provided to connect the vacuum source to cycle from the porous material 210 to five maintenance stations. Figure 34 shows a different maintenance station for the printhead maintenance carousel 150: 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) in which the fiber elements 250 within the plastic base are in fluid communication. ❹ Five station maintenance turntable 150 is equipped with an ink collector 284, which uses the main ink to clean the four-station turntable as part of the maintenance system. 'Use the print platen 206 and/or the capper to clean the ink or the discharge cycle. (spitting cycle) During work, after wiping the nozzle surface or when spit is spit between pages, 'use a secondary discharge cycle to keep the nozzles from printing, removing the pigment, mixing the mouth, and drying the mouth. Respond' may require the main spitting condition to exceed the pressure plate or capper. The station may be parallel to the column, for example, the hydrophilic polar flow to the bottom, constructing the bottom to discharge the ink, which has five instruments 266, Column ink collector 284 --- the ink collector face is supplied and held to allow printing. Figure 2 2-25 272 provides the second. Printed (inter-page wet. But as large size spray ring - because the -29-200932550 ink collector 284 has a large hole or series of retaining ribs in its face 286 to hold the fiber core material 250 Within the plastic pedestal, this maintains the fiber 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 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 dial having more than five stations is also possible. The tendency of the ink' means that it is still difficult to remove using the wiper alone. In these cases, the printer may require a station (not shown) for spraying ink solvent or other cleaning fluid onto the nozzle face. This can be incorporated into or attached to the ink collector wiper. Figures 35 through 46 show a range of different configurations that the wiper can use. The wiper wipes the nozzle of the printhead to remove paper dust, spill ink, dry ink, orAn effective way of 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 be weighed against production. Cost, desired operational life, size and weight constraints, and other considerations. Single Contact Blade Figure 35 shows a wiper maintenance station with a single elastic -30-200932550 body blade 290 mounted in a hard plastic base 270 266, 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 of the printer and price range. Higher throughput requires efficient manufacturing techniques and easy assembly of the printer components. This must be done for the unit's operating life, or the speed and efficiency of the wiper cleaning the print head. Some compromises are compromised. But the single blade design is pocket-sized, and if the blade does not clean the nozzle surface efficiently in one pass, then The maintenance drive can simply repeat the wiping operation until the print head is clean. The plurality of contact blade views 36, 43A, 43B, and 46 show the wiper maintenance station 266 having a plurality of parallel blades. In Figure 36, two The same parallel blade 292 extends perpendicular to the media feed direction. The two blades 292 are separately mounted to the hard plastic base 270 for independent operation. In Fig. 46, the blades are not identical. The second wipers (294 and 296, respectively) have different widths (or different cross-sectional profiles) and hardness gauges (hardness and viscoelasticity). Each wiper can be optimized to remove special types of dirt. However, each blade is separately mounted in the hard plastic base 210 for independent operation. In contrast, the plurality of blade members of FIGS. 4 3 A and 4 3 B have smaller and shorter blades 3 00, all of which are mounted with a common elastomeric base 29 8 , which is fixed by the elastomer base 2 98 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. -31 - 200932550 Since the multiple parallel wipers wipe the nozzle face, the wiper will converge more dust and dirt. Although the multi-blade setting is less pocket-sized, each wiping operation is faster and more efficient. During the printing job, the print head can be wiped between pages: initial maintenance performed before printing work Matters, a single skewed blade A in a short period of time Figure 37 shows a wiper maintenance station 270 having a single scraper mounted on a hard plastic base 2 70 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 27 0 . A single wiper blade is a simple configuration with low production and assembly costs. Further, by mounting the blade in a skewed direction to the wiping direction, the nozzle face is only in contact with the segment of the blade at any time during which the wiper member traverses. Since only one section contacts the nozzle face, the wiper Q is creased or crimped for inconsistent contact pressure along its entire length. The contact pressure between the wiper blade and the entire nozzle face must be precisely aligned with the wiper. Make it completely parallel to the nozzle face. This allows for manufacturing tolerances so that larger quantities of low cost production techniques can be used. It is a compromise to increase the distance that the wiper member must travel to clean the print head. Increasing this distance and therefore the time required for each wiping operation reduces manufacturing costs more than these potential drawbacks. The single-hand ratio of the individual contact blades 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. However, -32- 200932550 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 34. 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. Nozzle face wiper having a plurality of skewed blades In Fig. 39, the wiper maintenance station 266 has a series of individual blades 3 0 8 mounted in a hard plastic base 210 so 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). 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 scraper -33-200932550 piece 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 nozzle array. 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 31 may be individually assembled into a set of short cylindrical elastomeric materials in the hard plastic base 270, or a cylindrical soft fiber brush similar to the one 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. The use of a wiping surface that has been divided into individual contact pads of the array 310 allows each pad to move relative to the 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. -34- 200932550 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 explanation of the skewed mounting blade, the above problem can be avoided by setting the position of the wiper blade to be inclined with respect to the feeding wiping direction and the head of the printing head. 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. Increasing the length of the wiper stroke is not conducive to pocket design. Using a wiper blade having a zigzag or sinusoidal shape, the nozzle face is wiped with a plurality of wiper segments that are inclined in the direction of the media feed. This configuration also allows the stroke length of the wiper member relative to the printhead to be small enough to remain accurate -35-200932550 and pocket. Single Wiper with Non-Linear Contact Surface Figure 42 shows a wiping maintenance station 266 having two linear sections at an angle to each other and mounted on the hard plastic base 270 in a skewed 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 noted above, inaccurate movement of the wiper surface relative to the nozzle face 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. Fiber Mat Figure 45 shows a printhead wiper maintenance station 266 having a fiber mat 320 mounted to a hard plastic base 270. Fiber mat 3 2 0 is used to wipe the nozzle face -36- 200932550 is particularly effective. The pad presents a plurality of points in contact with the nozzle face, mechanically engaging the solid dirt' and sucking, for example, ink dirt by capillary action. However, once the fiber mat has cleaned the nozzle face, the fiber mat removes dirt. After many wiping operations, there is a lot of dirt and the nozzle face is no longer effectively cleaned. However, printers with short operating life or fiber mats that allow replacement of the wiper provide the most efficient wiper. Combined Wiper Maintenance Station It will be appreciated that the design of the print head with the above-described wiping construction will be most efficiently cleaned. For example, a single wiper blade, or a series of parallels with fiber mats in between, select a particular wiper assembly wiper maintenance station based on individual advantages and strengths. Q Printhead Maintenance Facility Drive System Figures 47 through 50 show the media feed drive and drive in more detail. Figure 48 shows the printhead maintenance carousel 1 5 0 independently. The maintenance dial 150 is shown with a wiper blade 162 (not shown). The perspective view shown in Fig. 48 shows that the paper row is guided to the discharge driving roller 178. The main drive roller shaft 186 of the wiper blade 162 is driven by the main drive roller belt 192 from the main drive roller pulley 330, and the main drive roller belt] is fed to the motor 190. The medium feed drive belt 182 allows the main drive to drive the fiber to overflow and the like, so that it is difficult to fill the fiber mat from the fiber mat, and it is desirable to combine a series of scrapers. By means, it can be inferred that the print head maintenance and drive system is presented to the print i-guide 3 2 2 on the other side, the extension. This belt: 9 meshing medium moving roller 1 8 6 and -37- 200932550 the rotation of the discharge roller 178 is synchronized. 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 3 4 provides feedback to the print engine controller (not shown) which can determine the displacement 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 172 are identical and are also mounted to the turntable lift shaft 160, the displacement of the turntable lift arms 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 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 3 28 provides feedback on the rate and rotation of motor 326 to the print engine controller (PEC). The turntable rotary motor 326 drives a -38-200932550 idler 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 keyly 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 rotary motor 3 26 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 1 in both directions 52 was 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 1 62 when the wiper blade 1 62 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 squeegee 154 can be faster than 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 [0009] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which FIG. Figure 2A is a perspective view of the print head cartridge of the present invention mounted on a printer of the printer: ❹ Figure 2B shows a print engine without a print head cartridge to expose the inlet and outlet ink affinity; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the complete print head cartridge of the present invention; Figure 4 shows the print head cartridge of Figure 3 with the protective cover removed; Figure 5 is a portion of the print head assembly of the print head of Figure 3 Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the print head assembly without the inlet or outlet of the tube or cap module; Q Figure 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the print engine taken from line 7-7 of Figure 2A; Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the printing engine taken from line 7-7 of Figure 2A, showing the maintenance dial pulling the wiper blade through the doctor blade; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the maintenance dial pulling the wiper blade through the absorbent cleaning pad Figure 1 〇 shows the lift maintenance dial to cover the stamper maintenance station Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the lowering of the maintenance dial to remove the cover of the print head; -40- 200932550 Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle face of the wiper wiping head of the print head, Figure 13, Figure 13 Is a cross-sectional view showing the maintenance dial turning back to its starting position shown in Figure 8, where the wiper blade has been pulled through the blade to bounce off the dirt in the tip region; Figure 14 shows the wiper blade has been Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the rotation of the maintenance dial to present the print head capper to the print head; Figure 16 is a view showing the lift maintenance dial to present the print platen to the column Figure 1 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 view of the isolated maintenance turntable 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 Figure 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the maintenance turntable of the second embodiment, and the print head dispensing 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; -41 - 200932550 Figure 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; Figure 26 is a schematic view of the maintenance turntable of the second embodiment a cross-sectional view, 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; A schematic cross-sectional view of the injection molding die is removed from the new portion of the maintenance carousel of the second embodiment; FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view showing the printing plate maintenance station in isolation; FIG. 30 is an isolated display of the print head capper maintenance Figure 31 is a cross-sectional view of the wiper blade maintenance station; Figure 3 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the printhead station in isolation; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the ink absorption station in isolation; Figure 34 is a third embodiment of the maintenance transfer Figure 35 is a schematic view of the wiper member of the first embodiment; 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 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; 8 is a schematic view of a wiper member of a ninth embodiment; -42- 200932550; FIG. 44 is a schematic view of a wiper member of a tenth embodiment; FIG. 45 is an 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 no print is provided for the maintenance turntable; Figure 48 is a view showing the print engine A perspective view of the independent drive assembly; 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. t Main component symbol description] 2: Print head assembly (print head 匣) 3 : Print engine 4: Ink tank 6: Regulator® 8: Upstream ink line 1 〇: Close valve 12: Pump 16: Downstream Ink line 1 8 : Waste ink tank 20 : Liquid crystal polymer module 2 2 : Media substrate (medium feed path) 24 : Main channel 26 : Pocket - 43 - 200932550 2 8 : Fine channel 3 0 : Print head product Body circuit 3 3 : contact 36 : inlet 3 8 : outlet 42 : protective cover 44 : top module (top cover ) 46 : inlet shroud 47 : outlet shroud 48 : inlet manifold 50 : outlet manifold 52 : inlet Mouth 54: outlet nozzle 56: cover 58: clamping surface 66: die attach film 68: channel module 72: pocket module 120: socket (fluid coupler) 122: hole 1 24: insertion port 126 ··Latch 1 2 8 : Reinforced bearing surface 1 5 0 : Print head maintenance turntable -44 200932550 152 : Cleaning pad 1 5 4 : Scraper 156: Tubular drive shaft (lifting structure shaft) 158 : (cam) lift Lift arm 160: turntable drive shaft (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 wheel 178: discharge feed roller (drive shaft) 180: discharge drive pulley 182: medium feed belt 184: Drive pulley sensor 1 8 6 : Main drive roller (shaft) 188: Encoder disc (main drive pulley) 1 9 0 : Media feed motor 192: Input drive belt 194: Main printed circuit board 1 96 : Pressurized metal housing 1 98 : Print head capper (capped maintenance station) 200 : First turntable rotation sensor -45- 200932550 202 : Second turntable rotation sensor 204: Maintain encoder disc (turntable Encoder disc) 206 : Print platen maintenance station 2 0 8 : Absorbent material 2 1 0 : Porous material 2 1 2 : 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 23 0 : 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: guiding surface 248: central recess 25 0 : (absorbent) fiber element 25 2 : capillary 2 5 4 : porous material - 46 - 200932550 2 5 6 : elastomer skirt 2 5 8 : contact pad 260 : base Block 262: Print head 塡 station 2 6 4 : Flow hole 266: Wipe station (wiper maintenance station) 268 : (Elastomer) wiper blade 270: Hard plastic base 〇 272: Print head capper 2 7 4 : Surrounding seal 276: Hard plastic base (maintenance station mounting bracket) 27 8 : Air breathing apparatus hole (slider) 280 : Columnar structure 2 8 2 : Center longitudinal axis 284 : Ink collector ❹ 286 : face 2 8 8 : central core 290 : blade 292 : blade 294 : first blade 296 : second blade 2 9 8 : elastomer base 3 0 〇: blade 302 : blade - 47- 200932550 3 04 : Segmented blade 3 0 6 : Blade section 308 : Blade 310 : Contact pad 3 1 2 : Pad 3 1 4 : Single blade 3 1 8 : Blade 320 : Fiber pad 322 : Paper Discharge guide 324: turntable lift motor 326: turntable rotary motor 328: stepper motor sensor 330: main drive roller pulley 3 3 2: idler 3 34: turntable lift rotary sensor -48-

Claims (1)

200932550 X. Patent Application No. 1. A method of wiping a print head having a nozzle face defining an array of nozzles for ejecting ink onto a media substrate fed through the print head in a media feed direction In the method, the method comprises the steps of: providing a wiper member in the printer; moving the wiper member into the media feed path; and using the wiper member in a direction parallel to the media feed direction A single traverse movement in the direction wipes all nozzles in the nozzle face. 2. The method of wiping a printhead of claim 1, wherein the wiper member traverses the medium about an extension as the wiper member is moved into the media feed path and across the nozzle face The axis of the feed direction is rotated. 3. The method of wiping a print head of claim 1, wherein the print head is a one-page wide print head and the nozzle array is elongated and extends over a print width of the media substrate sheet, The wiper member is also extended over the length of the nozzle array. 4. The method of wiping a print head of claim 1, further comprising moving an ink collector into the media feed path after all of the nozzles in the nozzle face have been wiped, and Ink from all the nozzles is injected into the ink collector, and so on. 5. The method of wiping a printhead of claim 4, further comprising the step of providing the ink collector to a row of platens having a contoured guide surface for guiding The media substrate sheet passes through the print head and a central recess, the ink collector having an absorbing element that is disposed -49-200932550 in the central recess of the print platen. 6. The method of wiping a print head of claim 5, wherein the printing platen is moved into rotation by rotating it about an axis extending through the media feed direction of the wiper member. The medium feed path is provided to the print head. 7. The method of wiping a print head according to claim 6, wherein the wiper member and the printing platen are fixed to a base mounted to the printer for surrounding the traverse The method of wiping the print head of the first aspect of the invention is the method of wiping the print head of claim 1, further comprising the step of covering the nozzle array when the nozzle array of the printer is not in use. 9. The method of wiping a print head of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a squeegee to the print head when the printer is removed in a standby mode, the squirt It is configured to serve the array of nozzles while injecting the printhead with ink. The method of wiping a print head of claim 1, further comprising the step of rotating the wiper member about an axis transverse to the media feed direction at different rates. 1 1. The method of wiping a print head of claim 1, further comprising selectively rotating the wiper member about the axis transverse to the media feed direction in either of two directions A step of. 1 2 - The method of wiping a print head according to claim 1, further comprising the step of selectively moving the base toward and away from the nozzle surface - 50-200932550 1 3 as claimed in claim 1 The force of moving the base toward and away from the nozzle surface to the support point in the base is actually disposed at a longitudinal intermediate point of the wiper member. 14. In the rubbing of the first item of the patent application, the page The wide print head has a plurality of print heads 1C end to end) aligned to receive power from a line of wire bonds along the print head 1C that is rotated across the media head 1C to cause it to move Towards the wire bonding 1 5 . The wire bonding wire is sealed in a wipe as claimed in claim 14 , and a sealant ball is contoured to help the wiper member wipe off paper dust or other contaminants . 1 6. The wiper member has a plurality of elastic blade stretches as in the rubbing of claim 1 of the patent application. 1 7. In the wipe of claim 16 of the patent application, the elastic blades are arranged in parallel rows over the width of each material. 1 8 . The method of applying a blade in the parallel column to the wiper in an adjacent column of the parallel rows to align the print head, The steps are applied by the application and the support points are equidistant. a method of wiping the print heads, which are end-to-end (feeding direction, data of one of the lateral sides of the printed 1C, and the wiper is constructed. The method of wiping the print head, the beads thereof Internally, the encapsulant ball retains a method of wiping the print head from the nozzle face, and the method of extending the print head of the media substrate has a row extending over the media base wiper head The method of disposing them in the absence of the position of -51 - 200932550 19. The method of wiping the print head according to claim 17 wherein the blade in each parallel row is spaced apart from the adjacent blade. a gap that allows for independent movement of adjacent blades. 20. The method of wiping a print head of claim 14, wherein the step of moving the base is performed by a maintenance drive having a first actuator for moving the wiper member toward and away from the nozzle face, and a second actuator for rotating the wiper member about an axis extending across the media feed direction, the first And the second actuator Operate independently. -52-