JP2005169730A - Inkjet head wiping device and inkjet head wiping device for oriented film forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To first ensure that a positional relationship between a cleaning mobile unit and an inkjet head is not unfairly severe; the undermining of durability due to the contact between both components, generation of a foreign substance such as wear dust; and printing failure and the defective formation of an oriented film are avoided, and that such a trouble that the density of a liquid material deteriorates on account of the infiltration of a cleaning solution into the interior passing through a liquid material injection aperture of the inkjet head, is averted and a cleaning ability by virtue of negative pressure suction is further enhanced. <P>SOLUTION: In the inkjet head wiping device, the cleaning mobile unit 4 which has a vacuum nozzle 5 for generating a suction force under a negative pressure in or around a liquid material injection aperture 3 and can relatively move to the inkjet head 1 is structured so that all the constituent elements of the unit 4 are completely separated from the inkjet head 1 and kept in a non-contact state. In addition, the cleaning mobile unit 4 has a gas injection nozzle 9 for supplying a gas by injection installed in and around the liquid material injection aperture 3 in addition to the vacuum nozzle 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiping device for an inkjet head, and more specifically, suppresses adhesion of a foreign substance to a liquid material jet outlet of the inkjet head and its surroundings as much as possible, or a liquid material or a foreign substance attached to the part. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

  In recent years, when printing on paper or other print media with ink, when forming an alignment film or applying UV ink on a substrate (transparent substrate) such as a liquid crystal display, or on the substrate of an organic EL display In the case of applying a color filter, a so-called ink jet method using an ink jet head has been widely adopted. In this type of ink jet head, a liquid material ejection port for ejecting ink or a film material is opened on one end surface, and ink is ejected and supplied from the liquid material ejection port to a print medium such as paper, or A liquid film material is ejected and supplied to a transparent substrate or the like of the display.

  By the way, in this type of ink jet head, ink or film material is ejected from a liquid material ejection port having a very small opening area, so that the liquid material itself or, for example, a pigment or the like in the liquid material is solidified. In addition to adhering to the liquid material jet outlet and its surroundings, foreign matter such as dust in the outside air also adheres to the liquid material jet outlet and its surroundings. Due to this, the ejection failure of the liquid material occurs, which hinders the printing on the print medium and the formation of the alignment film.

  Therefore, in this type of ink jet head, before these problems occur, the liquid material jet outlet and / or its surroundings are used for the purpose of returning the liquid material jet function of the ink jet head to a good state at an appropriate time interval. A cleaning mobile unit is provided for cleaning the. And as this washing | cleaning movement unit, what is equipped with the negative pressure suction means for sucking and removing the solidification material and foreign material adhering to the liquid material jet nozzle and / or its periphery with the suction force by a negative pressure is known. It has become.

As an example, according to the following Patent Document 1, the vacuum hood of the cleaning and moving unit is brought into direct contact with one end surface where the material ejection port of the ink jet head (print head) opens, and not only the material ejection port but also the inside thereof. On the other hand, a technique for performing negative pressure suction through a vacuum hood is disclosed. Further, according to Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 below, a configuration is disclosed in which a vacuum nozzle is provided in the cleaning movement unit, and the vacuum nozzle itself is not in contact with one end surface where the material ejection port of the inkjet head opens. Has been.
JP 2000-190514 A JP-A-6-126972 JP-A-8-118668

  According to the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the contact portion is scratched due to the vacuum hood of the cleaning and moving unit coming into contact with the inkjet head. Cause a decline. In addition, foreign matter such as abrasion dust or abrasion dust is generated due to the contact between the two, and this foreign matter adheres to the liquid jet outlet of the ink jet head and the periphery thereof, leading to poor ejection of the liquid material and printing or alignment film. It will interfere with formation and even negative pressure suction.

  Further, according to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, the vacuum nozzle is maintained in a non-contact manner with respect to the inkjet head, but the support member that supports the vacuum nozzle is pressed against the inkjet head side by a spring. It is biased and is in contact with the ledge surface of the inkjet head. Therefore, even with this technique, the support member of the cleaning and moving unit comes into contact with the ink jet head, resulting in a decrease in durability due to scratching on the contact portion, generation of foreign matter such as wear dust, and the result. This causes problems such as poor ejection of the liquid material, poor printing, poor alignment film formation, and negative suction failure.

  Furthermore, according to the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 3, the vacuum nozzle provided in the cleaning movement unit is not in contact with the inkjet head, but the ultrasonic liquid provided in the cleaning movement unit. The cleaning nozzle of the wiper device is in contact with the nozzle surface of the inkjet head via a cleaning liquid column (meniscus in the same document) formed at the tip, and excitation by the applied voltage is applied to the nozzle of the inkjet head through the liquid column. It is the structure transferred to the surface. In such a configuration, since it is necessary to form an appropriate liquid column between the cleaning nozzle and the inkjet head, the positional relationship between the two must be strict, and the positioning accuracy is extremely high. It is necessary to. For this reason, the structure becomes complicated, and it is necessary to make the assembly accuracy of each component high. This not only makes the assembly operation cumbersome and complicated, but also disadvantages in terms of cost.

  In addition, according to the method using the cleaning liquid as described above, the cleaning liquid enters the liquid material jet port of the ink jet head and the cleaning liquid is mixed into the liquid material, so that the concentration of the liquid material decreases. Thus, it is a great obstacle to normal printing and alignment film formation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the positional relationship between the cleaning and moving unit and the inkjet head is not unduly severely restricted, and the durability is reduced due to contact between the two. The first technical problem is to avoid the generation of foreign matters such as wear dust, printing defects, alignment film formation defects, and negative pressure suction defects. In addition, when using the wiping device, it is possible to avoid a problem that the concentration of the liquid material is reduced due to the cleaning liquid entering the liquid material jet port of the inkjet head and mixing the cleaning liquid into the liquid material. A second technical problem is to further increase the cleaning ability by pressure suction.

  A first means for solving the above technical problem is an inkjet head wiping apparatus for cleaning a liquid material jet outlet and / or the periphery thereof of an ink jet head, wherein a negative pressure is applied to the liquid material jet outlet and / or the periphery thereof. The cleaning and moving unit having a vacuum nozzle that generates suction force and movable relative to the inkjet head is configured so that all the components thereof are completely separated from the inkjet head and are kept in non-contact. It is characterized by.

  In this case, “all components” of the cleaning movement unit includes not only each component constituting the cleaning movement unit but also a liquid column of the cleaning liquid. Therefore, the fact that all the components of the cleaning and moving unit are completely separated from the inkjet head and kept in non-contact excludes the case where any component of the cleaning and moving unit is in contact with the inkjet head. In addition, the case where the cleaning moving unit and the ink jet head are in contact with each other through, for example, the liquid column of the cleaning liquid is also excluded.

  According to such a configuration, each component constituting the cleaning and moving unit does not come into contact with the ink-jet head, so that problems such as generation of scratches due to contact with the ink-jet head and deterioration in durability due to this occur. At the same time, foreign matter such as abrasion dust adheres to the liquid jet outlet of the ink jet head and its surroundings, liquid material ejection failure due to this, printing failure, alignment film formation failure, and negative pressure suction failure, etc. There will be no defects. In addition, since the cleaning moving unit and the inkjet head do not come into contact with each other through the liquid column of the cleaning liquid, it is not necessary to make the positional relationship between the two strict and the structure required for positioning is simplified. At the same time, the assembly work can be easily performed, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In addition, it is preferable that the suction force by the vacuum nozzle is set to a strength that does not affect the internal pressure of the liquid material therein through the liquid material ejection port.

  Further, a second means for solving the above technical problem is an inkjet head wiping apparatus for cleaning the liquid material jet outlet and / or the periphery thereof of the ink jet head. A cleaning movement unit having a vacuum nozzle for generating a suction force by pressure and a gas injection nozzle for supplying gas to and / or around the liquid material injection port and capable of moving relative to the inkjet head is provided. It is characterized by. Here, as the “gas”, for example, air, nitrogen, argon, or the like is used.

  According to such a configuration, when cleaning the liquid material ejection port of the inkjet head and / or the periphery thereof, the liquid adhering to the cleaning site is ejected from the gas jet nozzle to the cleaning site. While the foreign matter such as the solidified material or dust is peeled off, the foreign matter is sucked from the cleaning portion by the vacuum nozzle. Therefore, it is possible to make the cleaning site more clean as compared with the case where foreign matters are sucked from the cleaning site only by the suction force of the vacuum nozzle. In addition, since all or almost all of the gas sucked by the vacuum nozzle can be made to be jetted from the gas jet nozzle, the problem of the vacuum nozzle sucking around dirty air, dust, etc. is avoided. Is done. In addition, there is a problem that occurs when using a cleaning liquid as in the past, that is, the cleaning liquid enters the liquid material jet port of the inkjet head and the cleaning liquid is mixed into the liquid material, so that the concentration of the liquid material decreases. The trouble of doing is effectively avoided.

  Also in the second means, it is preferable that the cleaning and moving unit having the vacuum nozzle and the gas jet nozzle is configured such that all the components are maintained in non-contact with the inkjet head.

  If it does in this way, both the operation effect by the above-mentioned 1st means and the operation effect by the 2nd means can be enjoyed.

  Moreover, in this 2nd means, it is preferable to comprise so that the gas injection port of the said gas injection nozzle may be arrange | positioned in the position deviated from the position facing the liquid material injection port of the said inkjet head.

  In this way, the gas ejection port of the gas ejection nozzle does not face the liquid material ejection port of the inkjet head, so that the gas ejected from the gas ejection port of the gas ejection nozzle is directly in the liquid state of the inkjet head. The situation of entering the inside through the material ejection port and pressing the liquid material does not occur. Thereby, problems such as an undue change in the internal pressure of the liquid material due to the liquid material inside the ink jet head receiving an inappropriate pressing force or spraying force or scattering of the liquid material to the outside can be avoided.

  By providing the inkjet head wiping apparatus having the above configuration in the inkjet head for forming the alignment film on the substrate, the alignment film forming apparatus can be configured.

  In other words, the ink jet head wiping device having the above configuration can be used for an ink jet printer that performs printing on paper, a device that applies a color filter on a substrate (transparent substrate) of an organic EL display, and the like. However, it is suitable for use in an alignment film forming apparatus for forming an alignment film on a substrate (transparent substrate) of a liquid crystal display. The liquid material used in this case has, for example, a viscosity of 5 to 16 cp and a surface tension of 30 to 40 dyn / cm.

  As described above, according to the inkjet head wiping apparatus according to the present invention, the cleaning moving unit having the vacuum nozzle is configured such that all the components are completely separated from the inkjet head and maintained in a non-contact state. In addition, any of the parts constituting the cleaning and moving unit does not cause defects such as scratches caused by contact with the inkjet head and deterioration due to this, and the liquid jet outlet of the inkjet head and its surroundings. There is no occurrence of defects such as adhesion of foreign matter such as abrasion dust, liquid material ejection failure, printing failure, alignment film formation failure, and negative pressure suction failure. In addition, since the cleaning moving unit and the inkjet head do not come into contact with each other through the liquid column of the cleaning liquid, it is not necessary to make the positional relationship between the two strict and the structure required for positioning is simplified. At the same time, the assembly work can be easily performed, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In addition, according to the inkjet head wiping apparatus according to the present invention, since the cleaning movement unit having the vacuum nozzle and the gas injection nozzle is provided, it is compared with the case where foreign matters are sucked from the cleaning portion only by the suction force of the vacuum nozzle. As a result, the cleaning part can be more surely cleaned, and the entire amount or almost the entire amount of the gas sucked by the vacuum nozzle can be made the gas injected from the gas injection nozzle. The problem that the vacuum nozzle sucks air, dust or the like is avoided. In addition, there is a problem that occurs when using a cleaning liquid as in the past, that is, the cleaning liquid enters the liquid material jet port of the inkjet head and the cleaning liquid is mixed into the liquid material, so that the concentration of the liquid material decreases. The trouble of doing is effectively avoided.

  And if the washing | cleaning movement unit which has a vacuum nozzle and a gas injection nozzle is comprised so that all the components may be maintained in non-contact with an inkjet head, it will enjoy each effect by said 2 invention at once. be able to.

  Further, if the gas injection port of the gas injection nozzle is arranged at a position deviated from the position facing the liquid material injection port of the inkjet head, the gas injected from the gas injection port of the gas injection nozzle is directly Since the liquid material inside the ink jet head receives an improper pressing force or spraying force because the liquid material inside the ink jet head does not enter the inside through the liquid material jet port of the ink jet head and presses the liquid material is not generated. Problems such as an inappropriate change in internal pressure or scattering of liquid material to the outside are avoided.

  If the alignment film forming apparatus is configured by providing the inkjet head wiping apparatus described above in an inkjet head for forming an alignment film on a substrate, for example, a high-quality alignment is provided on a transparent substrate of a liquid crystal display device. A film can be formed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1A is a schematic front view showing an inkjet head wiping apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic side view showing the inkjet head wiping apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the inkjet head wiping device according to the first embodiment is longitudinally arranged at a predetermined pitch on one end surface of the inkjet head (print head) 1, that is, the nozzle surface 2. A cleaning movement unit 4 is provided for cleaning the liquid material ejection ports 3 and / or the periphery of the ejection nozzles arranged in a plurality in the horizontal direction 1 (a). In FIGS. 1A and 1B, for convenience, each liquid material ejection port 3 (ejection nozzle) is protruded from one end surface 2 of the inkjet head 1. However, these liquid material ejection ports 3 are In the embodiment, it opens to one end surface 2 of the inkjet head 1 and does not protrude from the one end surface 2 (the same applies to the following second to fifth embodiments). However, the present invention does not exclude the case where these liquid material ejection ports 3 protrude from the one end surface 2 of the inkjet head 1.

  The washing / moving unit 4 has a vacuum nozzle 5 and is configured to move in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow X, that is, in the arrangement direction of the liquid material ejection ports 3. All the components including the vacuum nozzle 5 of the cleaning and moving unit 4 are configured to be completely separated from the inkjet head 1 and maintained in a non-contact state when used. In this case, the separation dimension S between the one end surface 2 of the inkjet head 1 and the cleaning movement unit 4 is in the range of 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm, preferably in the range of 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm. Is generally set to 0.5 mm (the same applies to the second to fifth embodiments below). The vacuum nozzle 5 is communicated with a negative pressure source (not shown) via a suction passage 6. Inside the vacuum nozzle 5 and the suction passage 6, suction air is supplied in the directions indicated by arrows A 1 and A 2. It is configured to flow.

  The suction port 7 of the vacuum nozzle 5 is short in the vertical direction, and in the horizontal direction, that is, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction in the plane facing the one end surface 2 of the inkjet head 1 (left and right in FIG. 1B). In the direction). That is, in this embodiment, the longitudinal dimension of the suction port 7 of the vacuum nozzle 5 is in the range of 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm, preferably in the range of 0.3 mm to 0.7 mm. In this embodiment, The length of the suction port 7 is the same as that in this case in the second to fifth embodiments as well, and the lateral direction of the one end surface 2 of the inkjet head 1 is set to 0.5 mm. It is the same or substantially the same as the lateral dimension. Therefore, the cleaning operation can be performed on the entire region of the one end surface 2 of the inkjet head 1 only by moving the vacuum nozzle 5 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow X.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, a baffle portion 8 is formed at the intermediate position in the lateral direction of the suction port 7 of the vacuum nozzle 5 so that the liquid material jet ports 3 of the inkjet head 1 do not directly face each other. Has been. That is, when the cleaning moving unit 4 moves in the vertical direction X, the baffle 8 of the vacuum nozzle 5 and the liquid material jet 3 of the inkjet head 1 are maintained facing each other. Therefore, a suction force by a negative pressure does not directly act on the liquid material ejection port 3 of the ink jet head 1 from the suction port 7 of the vacuum nozzle 5, so that the suction force by the vacuum nozzle 5 is reduced. Consideration has been made so as to avoid unduly affecting the internal pressure of the liquid material inside the liquid material jet nozzle 3 and preventing air from entering the liquid material jet nozzle due to this. Yes. In addition, if the suction force by the vacuum nozzle 5 is set to a strength that does not affect the internal pressure of the liquid material inside the liquid material ejection port 3, the baffle 8 is not provided. Also good.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the first embodiment, the one end surface 2 of the ink jet head 1, that is, the liquid material ejection port 3 and the foreign material such as solidified material of the film material adhering to the periphery thereof, dust, and the like are washed away. The negative pressure acting from the vacuum nozzle 5 of the moving unit 4 is sucked into the vacuum nozzle 5 to perform a cleaning operation. Then, the cleaning moving unit 4 performs such an operation while moving in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow X, thereby cleaning the entire area or substantially the entire area of the one end surface (nozzle surface) 2 of the inkjet head 1. Done.

  And since all the parts constituting the cleaning and moving unit 4 are completely non-contact with the ink-jet head 1, the occurrence of scratches due to the contact of these parts and the decrease in durability due to this, etc. Will not occur. In addition, foreign material such as abrasion dust adheres to the liquid material ejection port 3 of the ink jet head 1 and its surroundings, and ejection of the liquid material due to this, poor printing, poor alignment film formation, negative pressure suction failure, etc. No longer occurs. In addition, since the situation that the cleaning moving unit 4 and the inkjet head 1 are in contact with each other via the liquid column of the cleaning liquid does not occur, the positional relationship between the two does not need to be strict and the structure required for positioning is simplified. As a result, the assembly work can be easily performed.

  FIG. 2A is a schematic front view showing an inkjet head wiping apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a schematic side view showing the inkjet head wiping apparatus. In the description of the inkjet head wiping device according to the second embodiment based on FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the same reference numerals are used for the same constituent elements as those in the first embodiment, and the details thereof are used. The detailed explanation is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), this inkjet head wiping device can move vertically without contact with one end surface 2 of the inkjet head 1 on which the liquid material ejection port 3 is formed. The cleaning and moving unit 4 has a gas injection nozzle 9 for supplying a gas such as air or nitrogen to the one end face 2 of the inkjet head 1 in addition to the vacuum nozzle 5. The gas injection region by the gas injection nozzle 9 and the suction region by the vacuum nozzle 5 on the one end surface 2 of the ink jet head 1 substantially coincide with each other. Specifically, the gas injection region includes the entire suction region.

  The suction port 7 of the vacuum nozzle 5 is formed in a slit shape that is short in the vertical direction and long in the horizontal direction, and the gas injection port 10 of the gas injection nozzle 9 is similarly short in the vertical direction and horizontal. In addition, two gas injection ports 10 are formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction around a single suction port 7. These two gas ejection ports 10 are isolated from the suction port 7 and, like the baffle 8 of the suction port 7, each liquid ejection port 10 has a liquid state at the intermediate position in the horizontal direction. A baffle portion 8 is formed to prevent the material ejection port 3 and the gas ejection port 10 from directly facing each other. That is, the gas is not directly supplied from the gas injection port 10 to the liquid material injection port 3 of the ink jet head 1, so that the gas supplied from the gas injection port 10 is the liquid material. Consideration is made so as to avoid unduly affecting the internal pressure of the liquid material inside the jet outlet 3 or scattering the liquid material.

  In this case, the gas injection nozzle 9 having two gas injection ports 10 at its tip communicates with a gas pressure source (not shown) through one supply passage 11 and two gas injections in the gas injection nozzle 9. Each of the ejection passages leading to the mouth 10 is inclined so as to gradually approach the phase as it moves to the inkjet head 1 side. And inside the gas injection nozzle 9 and the inside of the supply channel | path 11, it is comprised so that gas may flow in the direction shown by arrow B1, B2. Note that the gas flow path from the supply passage 11 to the gas injection port 10 and the suction air flow path from the suction port 7 to the suction passage 6 are completely isolated. In addition, the vertical dimension of each gas injection port 10 is longer than the vertical dimension of the suction port 7, whereas the horizontal dimension of each gas injection port 10 and the horizontal direction of the suction port 7. The dimensions are the same or substantially the same.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the second embodiment, one end surface 2 of the inkjet head 1, that is, the liquid material ejection port 3 and the foreign matter such as solidified material of the film material adhering to the periphery thereof, dust, and the like are washed away. While the exfoliation of these foreign matters is promoted by the gas injected from the gas injection nozzle 9 of the moving unit 4, the foreign matters are sucked into the vacuum nozzle 5 by the negative pressure acting from the vacuum nozzle 5. Then, the cleaning moving unit 4 performs the above operation while moving in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow X, thereby cleaning the entire area or substantially the entire area of the one end surface (nozzle surface) 2 of the inkjet head 1. Done. In this case, only the gas ejected from the gas ejection nozzle 9 or substantially only the gas and foreign matter etc. can be sucked into the vacuum nozzle 5, so that the surrounding dirty air, dust, etc. are removed from the vacuum nozzle 5. Inhalation into the inside can be prevented. Other functions and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 3A is a schematic front view showing an inkjet head wiping apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a schematic side view showing the inkjet head wiping apparatus. In the description of the inkjet head wiping device according to the third embodiment based on FIGS. 3A and 3B, the same reference numerals are used for the same constituent elements as those in the first embodiment, and the details thereof are used. The detailed explanation is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the inkjet head wiping device is configured such that the cleaning movement unit 4 moves in the lateral direction as indicated by the arrow Y, and the cleaning movement is related to this. The vertical dimension of the unit 4 is substantially the same as or slightly longer than the vertical dimension of the inkjet head 1. The suction port 7 of the vacuum nozzle 5 provided in the cleaning moving unit 4 has a lateral direction on the short side and a longitudinal direction substantially the same as the arrangement region of all the liquid material ejection ports 3 of the inkjet head 1. Alternatively, it is formed in a slit shape slightly longer than that. The suction port 7 is not formed with a baffle.

  Therefore, the detailed configuration of the cleaning and moving unit 4 of the third embodiment is as follows. For the side view shown in FIG. 3B, the “vertical direction” and “lateral direction” in the front view shown in FIG. 3 is the same as that described above, and for the front view shown in FIG. 3 (a), “vertical direction” and “lateral direction” in the side view shown in FIG. This is the same as the above description (excluding the description of the baffle unit 8) in the case of mutual conversion.

  According to the configuration of the third embodiment, foreign substances such as solidified film material and dust adhering to the one end surface 2 (liquid material ejection port 3 and its surroundings) of the inkjet head 1 are removed from the cleaning movement unit 4. The vacuum nozzle 5 is sucked into the vacuum nozzle 5 by a negative pressure acting on it, and a cleaning operation is performed. And this washing | cleaning movement unit 4 is carrying out such an operation | movement, and is moving to the horizontal direction shown by the arrow Y, By this, the washing | cleaning of the whole area of the one end surface (nozzle surface) 2 of the inkjet head 1 is carried out. Done.

  In this case, at the time when the suction port 7 of the vacuum nozzle 5 and the liquid material jet port 3 of the inkjet head 1 face each other while the cleaning moving unit 4 is moving in the lateral direction indicated by the arrow Y, the vacuum nozzle 5 Suction is temporarily stopped. Thereby, the suction force due to the negative pressure does not directly act on the liquid material ejection port 3 of the inkjet head 1 from the suction port 7 of the vacuum nozzle 5, and the suction force by the vacuum nozzle 5 is applied to the liquid material ejection port. An improper influence is exerted on the internal pressure of the liquid material in the outlet 3 through the outlet 3, and air is prevented from being mixed into the liquid material jet nozzle due to this. In addition, if the suction force by the vacuum nozzle 5 is set to a strength that does not affect the internal pressure of the liquid material inside the liquid material ejection port 3, it is not necessary to perform the temporary stop. Good. Other functions and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 4A is a schematic front view showing an inkjet head wiping apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a schematic side view showing the inkjet head wiping apparatus. In the description of the inkjet head wiping apparatus according to the fourth embodiment based on FIGS. 4A and 4B, the same reference numerals are used for the same constituent elements as those in the second embodiment, and the details thereof are used. The detailed explanation is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), this inkjet head wiping device is also configured so that the cleaning movement unit 4 moves in the lateral direction as shown by the arrow Y, and the cleaning movement is related to this. The vertical dimension of the unit 4 is substantially the same as or slightly longer than the vertical dimension of the inkjet head 1. The suction port 7 of the vacuum nozzle 5 provided in the cleaning moving unit 4 has a lateral direction on the short side and a longitudinal direction substantially the same as the arrangement region of all the liquid material ejection ports 3 of the inkjet head 1. Or it is formed in the slit shape made into the long side slightly longer than it. The suction port 7 is not formed with a baffle.

  In addition to the vacuum nozzle 5, the cleaning / moving unit 4 has a gas injection nozzle 9 for supplying a gas such as air or nitrogen to the one end surface 2 of the inkjet head 1. The gas injection region by the gas injection nozzle 9 and the suction region by the vacuum nozzle 5 on the one end surface 2 of the ink jet head 1 substantially coincide with each other. Specifically, the gas injection region includes the entire suction region. The gas injection port 10 of the gas injection nozzle 9 is formed in a slit shape that is short in the horizontal direction and long in the vertical direction, and has two gas injection ports on both sides in the horizontal direction around the single suction port 7. 10 is formed. It should be noted that no disturbing portion is formed in the suction port 7 of the vacuum nozzle 5.

  And the detailed structure of the washing | cleaning movement unit 4 of this 4th Embodiment is "vertical direction" and "lateral direction" in the front view shown to Fig.2 (a) about the side view shown in FIG.4 (b). 4 is the same as described above, and for the front view shown in FIG. 4 (a), “vertical direction” and “lateral direction” in the side view shown in FIG. This is the same as the above description (excluding the description of the baffle unit 8) in the case of mutual conversion.

  According to the configuration of the fourth embodiment, one end surface 2 of the ink jet head 1, that is, the liquid material ejection port 3 and foreign matters such as solidified film material and dust adhering to the periphery of the liquid are discharged from the cleaning moving unit 4. While the exfoliation of these foreign matters and the like is promoted by the gas injected from the injection nozzle 9, the foreign matters and the like are sucked into the vacuum nozzle 5 by the negative pressure acting from the vacuum nozzle 5. Then, the cleaning moving unit 4 performs the above operation while moving in the lateral direction indicated by the arrow Y, thereby cleaning the entire area or substantially the entire area of the one end surface (nozzle surface) 2 of the inkjet head 1. Done.

  In this case, while the cleaning movement unit 4 is moving in the lateral direction indicated by the arrow Y, the suction port 7 of the vacuum nozzle 5, the gas injection port 10 of the gas injection nozzle 9, and the liquid material injection port 3 of the inkjet head 1. At the time of facing, suction by the vacuum nozzle 5 and injection by the gas injection nozzle 9 are temporarily stopped. The advantages of this are as already described for the vacuum nozzle 5, but for the gas injection nozzle 9, gas is directly supplied from the gas injection port 10 to the liquid material injection port 3 of the inkjet head 1. By not being performed, it is possible to avoid that the gas injected and supplied from the gas injection port 10 has an undue influence on the internal pressure of the liquid material inside the liquid material injection port 3 or the liquid material is scattered. . In addition, if the suction force by the vacuum nozzle 5 is set to a strength that does not affect the internal pressure of the liquid material inside the liquid material ejection port 3, the suction of the vacuum nozzle 5 is as described above. There is no need to temporarily stop. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the second embodiment described above.

  FIG. 5A is a schematic plan view showing an inkjet head wiping apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5B is a schematic front view showing the inkjet head wiping apparatus, and FIG. It is a schematic side view which shows the inkjet head wiping apparatus. The fifth embodiment relates to a large printer or a large alignment film forming apparatus in which a plurality of inkjet heads 1 are arranged in a staggered pattern in the vertical direction. In the description of the inkjet head wiping device according to the fifth embodiment based on FIGS. 5 (a), (b), and (c), the same reference numerals are used for the same constituent elements as those in the first embodiment. Detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the inkjet head wiping apparatus includes a cleaning movement unit 4 that can move in the vertical direction as indicated by an arrow X, and the vacuum nozzle 5 provided in the cleaning movement unit 4. About the front view form, it is the same as the content already demonstrated based on the front view of Fig.1 (a). In the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5C, the cleaning movement unit 4 is disposed so as to straddle the two rows of inkjet heads 1, and the cleaning movement unit 4 includes The two vacuum nozzles 5 are provided in parallel with the two-row arrangement of the inkjet heads 1. In this case, the two vacuum nozzles 5 are joined to one suction passage 6 and then communicated with a negative pressure source (not shown). The configuration of the suction ports 7 of the individual vacuum nozzles 5 and the relative relationship between these and the inkjet heads 1 for each column are the same as those in the first embodiment described above.

  According to the configuration of the fifth embodiment, all the inkjet heads can be obtained simply by moving the single cleaning movement unit 4 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow X with respect to the plurality of inkjet heads 1 arranged in two rows. It is possible to perform cleaning by negative pressure suction on one end surface 2 of 1 at a time. Note that in this case, two vacuums are used because locations where the cleaning moving unit 4 and the inkjet head 1 do not face each other appear alternately while the single cleaning moving unit 4 is moved in the vertical direction X. It is preferable to temporarily stop the suction by the nozzles 5 alternately. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

  In addition, in this 5th Embodiment, it was set as the structure which provides only two vacuum nozzles 5 in parallel in the washing | cleaning movement unit 4, However, The vacuum nozzle 5 and the gas injection nozzle 9 are utilized using the structure shown in FIG. Two sets may be provided in parallel. Then, each of the plurality of inkjet heads 1 arranged in a staggered pattern in two rows may be configured to be cleaned by separately disposing the cleaning moving unit 4 shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. .

FIG. 1A is a schematic front view showing an inkjet head wiping apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a schematic side view showing the inkjet head wiping apparatus. FIG. 2A is a schematic front view showing an inkjet head wiping apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a schematic side view showing the inkjet head wiping apparatus. FIG. 3A is a schematic front view showing an inkjet head wiping apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a schematic side view showing the inkjet head wiping apparatus. FIG. 4A is a schematic front view showing an inkjet head wiping apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a schematic side view showing the inkjet head wiping apparatus. FIG. 5A is a schematic plan view showing an inkjet head wiping apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5B is a schematic front view showing the inkjet head wiping apparatus, and FIG. It is a schematic side view which shows the inkjet head wiping apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

1 Inkjet head 2 One end surface (nozzle surface)
3 Liquid material jet 4 Cleaning and moving unit 5 Vacuum nozzle 7 Suction port 9 Gas jet nozzle
10 Gas injection port

Claims (5)

In an inkjet head wiping apparatus for cleaning a liquid material jetting port of an inkjet head and / or its periphery,
A cleaning / moving unit having a vacuum nozzle that generates a suction force due to negative pressure around the liquid material ejection port and / or its periphery, and all the components of the cleaning / moving unit being completely movable from the inkjet head. An ink-jet head wiping apparatus characterized by being configured to be separated and maintained in a non-contact state. In an inkjet head wiping apparatus for cleaning a liquid material jetting port of an inkjet head and / or its periphery,
A vacuum nozzle that generates a suction force due to negative pressure around the liquid material jet outlet and / or its periphery, and a gas jet nozzle that jets gas to the liquid material jet outlet and / or its periphery, and for the inkjet head An inkjet head wiping apparatus comprising a cleaning movement unit that is relatively movable.   The inkjet head wiping apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning and moving unit having the vacuum nozzle and the gas jet nozzle is configured such that all the components thereof are maintained in contact with the inkjet head.   The inkjet head wiping device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the gas ejection port of the gas ejection nozzle is arranged at a position deviated from a position facing the liquid material ejection port of the inkjet head. .   An inkjet head wiping apparatus for an alignment film forming apparatus, wherein the inkjet head wiping apparatus according to claim 1 is provided in an inkjet head for forming an alignment film on a substrate.

Images