JP2015231729A - Inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inkjet printer that has a carriage to which cleaning fluid supply means for supplying cleaning fluid to a maintenance device is mounted.SOLUTION: In the inkjet printer, a carriage 2 is provided with a cleaning fluid supply unit 4 for jetting the cleaning fluid 27 and supplying the cleaning fluid 27 to a cap 24, a wipe unit and a spit unit to wash ink adhering to the cap 24, the wipe unit and the spit unit, whereby the cap 24, the wipe unit and the spit unit are kept clean and a recording head 3 can be prevented from being re-soiled by the ink from them.

Description

  The present invention relates to an inkjet printer that records an image by ejecting ink.

  2. Related Art Ink jet printers that record images by ejecting ink from an ink jet head onto a recording medium such as paper or resin film are known. Inkjet printers are required to improve performance such as high image quality, durability, and reliability. If foreign matter adheres to the nozzle surface of the inkjet head, ejection failure such as ink not being ejected may occur due to the influence. For this reason, in a general ink jet printer, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface of the ink jet head is periodically wiped with an elastic wipe blade to remove the adhering matter. In addition, in order to remove thickened ink and foreign matter in the nozzle, a mechanism is known in which the nozzle surface is sealed with a cap and the inside of the cap is made negative pressure to suck ink and foreign matter from the nozzle. The mechanism used for the maintenance of these ink jet heads may not be sufficiently maintained once the ink adheres and is fixed.

  For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-296679, a cleaning nozzle that circulates a cleaning liquid is provided and the cleaning liquid is capped from the cleaning nozzle in order to prevent a reduction in suction performance by cleaning the suction cap of the recording head. The ink in the cap is washed by being discharged to the nozzle or sucked by the cap.

JP 2007-296679 A

  In the prior art, since the cleaning head uses a head equivalent to a recording head that ejects ink, a cap is required for the cleaning head. Also, a drive circuit similar to that for ejecting ink is required. Further, since it is in close contact with the cap for the recording head that ejects ink, it is necessary to keep the nozzle surface clean, and maintenance similar to that for the recording head that ejects ink is also necessary. Since a recording head that is not used for recording must be mounted on the carriage, there are problems such as an increase in the carriage and an increase in the drive motor, and problems such as an increase in power consumption.

  In response to such a problem, the present invention provides an ink jet printer including a compact cleaning unit that supplies a cleaning liquid.

  An ink jet printer according to the present invention includes an ink jet head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink onto a recording medium, a platen that supports the recording medium, and the ink jet head mounted on the recording medium supported by the platen. A carriage that reciprocally scans, a conveyance unit that conveys the recording medium, and a detection unit that detects the position of the carriage, and ejects the ink from the inkjet head to a desired position on the recording medium. In an ink jet printer for recording an image, a spit unit mounted on the carriage and for dropping a cleaning liquid, and a spit unit disposed outside the moving direction of the carriage of the platen and receiving the ink ejected from the ink jet head And the inkjet head A cap cleaning unit that cleans the cap by reciprocating a cap that sucks the ink from the inkjet head and a roller supported by the carriage by sealing and sucking the surface on which the nozzle is disposed, and A wipe unit that wipes the surface of the inkjet head on which the nozzles are disposed with a blade, and supplies the cleaning liquid to the spit unit, the cap, and the wipe unit by the dropping unit, and the spit unit. The portion that receives ink discharged from the inkjet head is cleaned with the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid is dropped onto the cap, and the roller is reciprocated while the cleaning liquid remains in the cap. Clean the wipe unit. Characterized by cleaning the blade is immersed in the cleaning liquid stored in the tank which is disposed under the wiping unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the cleaning unit that supplies the cleaning liquid. Therefore, a space-saving and power-saving inkjet printer can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an ink jet printer. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the cleaning unit. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of supplying the cleaning liquid to the spit area. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the cleaning liquid is supplied to the wipe unit. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the ink jet printer. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the cleaning liquid supply unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a plate that prevents evaporation of the cleaning liquid.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an ink jet printer. As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment arranges the recording medium 18 horizontally, conveys the recording medium 18 from the back of the drawing in FIG. 1, ejects ink from the inkjet head 3, and records the recording medium 18. Images, characters, etc. corresponding to the recording data are recorded on the surface of the. The recording medium 18 is paper, a resin film, or the like. This paper conveyance direction is called the sub-scanning direction.

  The ink jet printer 1 includes a transport unit that transports the recording medium 18. In addition, the inkjet head 3 and the cleaning liquid dropping means 4 are mounted, and the carriage 2 that reciprocates in the direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the recording medium 18, here the orthogonal direction, and the wipe unit 10 that wipes the inkjet head 3. A capping unit 8 that caps the inkjet head 3, and a spit unit 11 that receives ink discharged from the inkjet head 3. The moving direction of the reciprocating scanning is called a main scanning direction. The ink jet printer 1 includes control means for controlling the entire apparatus including reception of recording data and control of recording operation.

  The conveying means includes a plurality of conveying roller pairs 16 driven by a motor on a substantially flat platen 17 extended in the depth direction of the paper surface of FIG. The transport roller pair 16 includes a grid roller having a parallel rotation axis and a pinch roller that is energized by the grid roller. The recording medium 18 is conveyed while being sandwiched between the grid roller and the pinch roller. As the grid roller rotates, the recording medium 18 is conveyed from the depth direction to the near side.

  The carriage 2 is provided so as to be movable along a carriage rail 13 extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium 18 above the conveyance means, the wipe unit 10, the spit unit 11, and the capping unit 8. Yes. In addition, a motor 15 that reciprocates the carriage 2 on the carriage rail 13 so as to be capable of position control and speed control is provided. The motor 15 is connected to the endless belt 12 to which the carriage 2 is fixed, and drives the endless belt 12. A linear scale 14 is provided in parallel with the carriage rail 13. A linear sensor for detecting the scale of the linear scale 14 is provided in the carriage 2. The position of the carriage 2 can be detected, and the positions of the plurality of ink jet heads 3 and the dropping means 4 fixed to the carriage 2 can be calculated accordingly, and the control means can acquire them.

In the present embodiment, four inkjet heads 3 are provided corresponding to four color inks of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan for performing color recording.
Although details of the inkjet head 3 are not shown, a plurality of nozzles that eject ink are arranged in a row, and the supplied ink is ejected by an ejection mechanism such as a piezoelectric element. The ink jet printer 1 causes the spit unit 11 to eject ink from the nozzles outside the image forming range, and ejects thickened ink or ejects to adjust the meniscus.

  Position control and speed control of the motor 15 that drives the carriage 2 are performed in accordance with control signals from the control means. During the recording operation, the motor 15 is controlled so that the inkjet head 3 reciprocates over the recording medium 18 at a predetermined speed. Further, the motor 15 moves the inkjet head 3 to a predetermined wiping position of the wipe unit 10 during the cleaning operation. Further, when capping, it is moved onto the capping unit 8, and when spitting, it is moved onto the spit unit 11.

  The wipe unit 10 wipes and cleans the nozzle surface of the inkjet head 3 by moving the wipe blade relative to the nozzle surface of the inkjet head 3 with the inkjet head 3 moved above the wipe unit 10. To do. The capping unit 8 discharges foreign matter and thickened ink from the inkjet head 3 by sucking ink from the inkjet head 3 from the nozzles to the outside. Also, the ink is prevented from drying by capping when not in use. The schematic configuration of the capping unit 8 includes a cap, lifting means for moving the cap up and down, a suction unit for sucking the inside of the cap, and a waste ink bottle 9 for storing the sucked ink. A cap is provided for each inkjet head 3. The lifting / lowering means performs a vertical movement for selectively switching the position of the cap in the vertical direction, and includes, for example, appropriate mechanical / electromagnetic / fluid lifting / lowering means.

  The carriage 2 includes gripping means 5 for gripping a cleaning roller 6 that cleans the cap. The cleaning roller 6 that is not in use is placed on a table 7 having a recess in which the rotation shaft of the cleaning roller 6 can be placed.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the cleaning unit. In the capping unit 8, a cap 24 that seals the ink jet head 3 is disposed corresponding to the ink jet head 3. The cap 24 is disposed so that a contact portion 25 that contacts the nozzle surface of the inkjet head 3 surrounds the nozzle row. The cap 24 is provided with a spring 26 and biases the cap 24 in the direction of the nozzle surface. The carriage 2 is provided with gripping means 5 on the outer side on the dropping means 4 side. The gripping means 5 is provided with a receiving portion 28 having an elliptical opening for receiving the rotation shaft 29 of the cleaning roller 6. The receiving portion 28 is moved from the outer side to the inner side of the rotating shaft 29 with respect to the rotating shaft 29 provided so as to protrude from both ends of the cleaning roller 6, and the rotating shaft 29 is inserted into the receiving portion 28 so as to be rotatable. Grasped.

  Since the receiving part 28 holds the rotating shaft 29 by the elliptical opening, the rotating shaft 29 can move up and down along the ellipse. The cleaning roller 6 is a porous resin roller. The cleaning roller 6 rotates while contacting the cap 24 by moving the carriage 2. Since the rotation shaft 29 moves while contacting the upper side of the elliptical opening of the receiving portion 28, the rotation shaft 29 can be rotated while pressing the cleaning roller 6 against the cap 24. The contact portion 25 of the cap 24 is a portion that contacts the nozzle surface while being deformed, and is made of a flexible resin. The cleaning roller 6 can clean the upper surface of the cap 24 including the contact portion 25. The capping unit 8 includes a cam 19 that is rotated by a cam shaft 20. In FIG. 2, the capping unit 8 is located at the lowermost part. As the cam shaft 20 and the cam 19 rotate, the capping unit 8 moves upward and can come into contact with the nozzle surface. When the cap 24 is cleaned by the cleaning roller 6, the cam 19 is rotated to fix the capping unit 8 at a predetermined position. For example, it is located at the bottom.

  Further, when cleaning the cap 24, ink or cleaning liquid may ooze out, and the tray 21 is disposed below the cap 24, receives spilled ink, etc., and passes through the tube 56 to the waste ink bottle 9. Pour. Ink or the like flows into the tube 56 due to the inclined surface provided on the tray 21. A suction pump 23 that sucks ink from each cap 24 is connected via a tube 22. The suction pump 23 causes the sucked ink to flow into the waste ink bottle 9.

  The cleaning liquid 27 is supplied to the inside of the contact portion 25 of the cap 24 by the dripping means 4. A porous resin sheet is laid on the bottom of the cap 24. The cleaning liquid 27 is supplied and penetrates there. Since it is pressed by the cleaning roller 6, the cleaning liquid spreads over the entire upper surface of the cap 24 and the surface of the cleaning roller 6, and the cleaning liquid can be applied. Further, the upper surface of the cap 24 is cleaned by the cleaning roller 6. The excess cleaning liquid flows down to the tray 21 or is sucked from the cap 24 by the suction pump 23.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of supplying the cleaning liquid to the spit area. The carriage 2 is provided with four inkjet heads 3. The head is compatible with black, cyan, magenta, and yellow ink colors. Moreover, the dripping means 4 which discharges cleaning liquid is provided. The spit unit 11 is supported so that the spit roller 30 can rotate. The spit roller 30 rotates in the direction of the arrow by driving the rotating shaft 31 with a motor. A waste liquid tray 43 for storing waste ink is provided outside the cleaning liquid tray 44 for storing the cleaning liquid. The spit roller 30 is disposed inside the upper opening of the cleaning liquid tray 44.

  The carriage 39 indicated by the dotted line is moved to a position where the nozzle row of the inkjet head 38 indicated by the dotted line faces the spit roller 30, and the ink 40 is ejected from the nozzle. For example, ink is ejected to discharge thickened ink, to clog foreign matter, or to adjust the meniscus. The ink 37 that wants to adhere to the spit roller 30 moves in the direction of the ink blade 36 as the spit roller 30 rotates, and is transferred to the waste liquid tray 41 by the ink blade 36 and stored in the waste liquid tray 43.

  The cleaning liquid tray 44 contains a cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid tray 44 is provided with a discharge hole 45 at the position of the maximum draft 32 of the cleaning liquid, and when it exceeds this, the waste liquid tray 43 is discharged. The maximum draft 32 is a limit amount of position for the device to operate normally. The lower part of the spit roller 30 is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tray 44, and the surface is cleaned by rotating. The cleaning liquid 35 adhering to the surface of the spit roller 30 is scraped off by the cleaning liquid blade 34 and stored in the cleaning liquid tray 44. When the ink discharged to the spit roller 30 flows in the direction of the cleaning liquid blade 34, the ink is stored in the waste liquid tray 43 through the waste liquid tank 42. The inclined portion 22 receives the cleaning liquid discharged by the dripping means 4 and guides the cleaning liquid into the cleaning liquid tray 44.

  Further, when waste ink, cleaning liquid, etc. stored in the waste liquid tray 43 exceeds the draft 47, it is necessary to discard this waste liquid, and a notification is given. This is the limit amount for safely using the spit unit 11.

  The ink blade 36 is a sheet made of a resin such as rubber or silicon, and the tip abuts on the surface of the spit roller 30 to wipe off the liquid adhering to the surface. Waste ink or the like is guided to the waste liquid tray 43 so as not to enter the cleaning liquid tray 44. That is, the ink blade 36 scrapes off the liquid adhering to the surface so that the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tray 44 is not soiled.

  Further, the cleaning liquid blade 34 is a sheet made of a resin such as rubber or silicon, and the tip abuts on the surface of the spit roller 30 to wipe off the liquid adhering to the surface. The cleaning liquid or the like is guided to the cleaning liquid tray 44. That is, the liquid adhering to the surface is scraped by the cleaning liquid blade 35 to keep the surface of the spit roller 30 clean.

  Even if ink is ejected to the spit roller 30, it is scraped off, so that it is possible to prevent ink from accumulating on the surface. If accumulated, the lump of ink deposited on the nozzle surface comes into contact, causing problems such as ejection failure.

  The carriage 2 is moved to a position where the nozzle of the dropping unit 4 faces the inclined portion 22, and the cleaning liquid is discharged from the dropping unit 4. The cleaning liquid tray 44 includes a liquid amount detection sensor 46 that detects the amount of the cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid is replenished from the dropping means 4 based on the liquid volume detected by the liquid volume detection sensor 46. Replenish so that the cleaning liquid is maintained at a predetermined amount. For example, when detecting the state of the draft 33 such that the spit roller 30 is not immersed, the dripping means 4 replenishes the cleaning liquid up to the maximum draft 32 amount.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the cleaning liquid is supplied to the wipe unit. By wiping the nozzle surface of the inkjet head 3 mounted on the carriage 2 with a wipe blade 49 made of a resin such as rubber or silicon, foreign matter, ink, and cleaning liquid adhering to the surface can be cleaned. The wipe blade 49 is fixed to the rotating belt 48. The rotating belt 48 moves in parallel to the nozzle surface at a portion facing the nozzle surface of the inkjet head 3. The rotating belt 48 is driven by a motor to rotate. The wipe blade 49 is moved along the nozzle surface of the inkjet head 3 and wiped. A cleaning tank 51 is provided below the rotating belt 48 and contains a cleaning liquid. The liquid amount of the cleaning liquid is detected by the liquid amount detection sensor 52. A slope portion 53 is provided in a part of the cleaning tank 51, receives the cleaning liquid 55 supplied from the dripping means 4, and guides it into the cleaning tank 51. Based on the detection result of the liquid amount detection sensor 52, the cleaning liquid is supplied and controlled to maintain an appropriate cleaning liquid amount 54.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the ink jet printer. The control unit 60 is a control unit including a CPU that executes processing operations such as calculation, control, determination, and setting. The control means 60 operates according to a control program stored in the ROM 61. The RAM 62 is used as a work area for temporary storage of data, processing by the control means 60, and the like. The carriage movement motor drive circuit 63 operates under the control of the control means 60 and drives the motor 15 that moves the carriage 2.

  The carriage position detection sensor 64 is a linear sensor that detects the scale of the linear scale 14. It is mounted on the carriage 2. Based on this sensor output, the position of the carriage 2 is calculated and acquired. The head drive circuit 65 is controlled by the control means 60. The inkjet head 3 is operated via the head drive circuit 65. When a plurality of inkjet heads 3 are mounted, the control unit 60 and the head drive circuit 65 can drive each inkjet head 3 individually. The head drive circuit 65 generates ink ejection timing or non-ejection timing for each inkjet head 3 based on information input from the control means 60 and drives the inkjet head 3. When ink ejection is performed, an ON waveform is generated. When ink ejection is not performed, an OFF waveform is generated and transferred to each inkjet head 3. The ejection timing is calculated according to the position of the carriage 2.

  The cleaning droplet lower motor driving circuit 66 operates under the control of the control means 60. The dropping means 4 drives a motor for dropping the cleaning liquid. The dropping means 4 is provided with a tube pump and drives a motor that drives the tube pump. When the motor is rotated forward, the cleaning liquid is discharged, and when stopped, it stops. For example, a step motor is used as the motor. The amount of the cleaning liquid dripped can be controlled by the rotation amount and the rotation speed of the step motor.

  The first liquid amount detection unit 67 operates under the control of the control unit 60. The first liquid level detection unit 67 includes a liquid level detection sensor 46 and outputs the detection result of the liquid level detection sensor 46 to the control unit 60. The first liquid amount detection means 67 detects the amount of cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning liquid tray 44. As for the amount to be detected, the minimum amount of cleaning liquid to be stored and a sufficient amount to be stored are detected. For example, the amount can be detected by floating a float and detecting its position with a sensor. The control means 60 can acquire information on the liquid amount. It is necessary to wet the surface of the spit roller 30 with the cleaning liquid and rinse the dirt. Therefore, it is preferable that about half of the lower end side of the spit roller 30 is immersed in the cleaning liquid. Since the cleaning liquid tray 44 has the discharge hole 45, the position of the lower end of the discharge hole 45 is the maximum amount that can be accommodated. For example, a sufficient amount to be stored is an amount equal to or less than the maximum amount, and is an amount that the spit roller 30 is immersed in the cleaning liquid by about one third. If the center of rotation is immersed, there is a risk that a problem will occur in the rotation mechanism. If the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tray 44 is insufficient in the first liquid amount detection means 67, the control means 60 moves the carriage 2 to a predetermined position and replenishes the cleaning liquid by the dropping means 4.

  The second liquid amount detection unit 68 operates under the control of the control unit 60. The second liquid level detection unit 68 includes a liquid level detection sensor 52, and outputs the detection result of the liquid level detection sensor 52 to the control unit 60. The second liquid amount detection unit 68 detects the amount of the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank 51. As the amount to be detected, at least the minimum amount and the maximum amount of the cleaning liquid to be stored are detected. For example, the amount can be detected by floating a float and detecting its position with a sensor. The control means 60 can acquire information on the liquid amount. It is necessary to rinse the surface of the wipe blade 49 with the cleaning liquid. Therefore, it is preferable that about half of the wipe blade 49 is immersed in the cleaning liquid from the tip side. If the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank 51 is insufficient in the second liquid amount detection means 68, the control means 60 moves the carriage 2 to a predetermined position, that is, a position where the nozzle of the dropping means 4 faces the inclined portion 22, The cleaning liquid is replenished by the dripping means 4.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the cleaning liquid supply unit. An example of a tube pump is shown. A flexible tube 74 is disposed along the inner wall 79 in a housing 70 having a semicircular inner wall 79. A nozzle 72 for discharging the cleaning liquid is provided at the tip of one side of the tube 74. The inner diameter of the tip 73 of the nozzle 72 gradually decreases toward the tip. The other end of the tube 74 is provided with a connecting portion 71 that connects to a tank in which the cleaning liquid is stored. A rotor 75 that rotates about a rotation shaft 76 is provided in the housing 70. The rotating shaft 76 also coincides with the center of the semicircular inner wall 79. A roller 77 that sandwiches and presses the tube 74 with the inner wall 79 is connected to the rotor 75 via the arm 80. Also, an arm 81 and a roller 82 are provided on the side facing this. The roller 77 is rotatably supported on the arm 80. The tube 74 is pressed by the roller 77, and the pressed portion 78 of the tube 74 is crushed to close the tube 74. The roller 82 side is similarly pressed to close the tube 74. When the rotor 75 rotates, the rollers 77 and 82 also move. By moving while handling the tube 74, the cleaning liquid in the tube 74 is moved from the connecting portion 71 side to the nozzle 72, and the cleaning liquid is discharged from the nozzle 72. To do. Further, the tube 75 can be kept closed by stopping the rotor 75 at the positions of the rollers 83 and 84 indicated by dotted lines.

  When discharging the cleaning liquid, the rotor 75 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. When stopping the discharge of the cleaning liquid, the rotor 75 is moved by rotating the roller 77 to the position of the roller 83, for example. Leakage from the nozzle 72 can be prevented by moving the cleaning liquid in the nozzle 72 in the returning direction and lowering the pressure applied to the cleaning liquid. Since the inside of the distal end portion 73 is narrowed for a while, leakage can be prevented more effectively. The control means 60 controls the motor for driving the tube pump by controlling the cleaning droplet lowering motor driving circuit 66.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a plate that prevents evaporation of the cleaning liquid. It is a cross section parallel to the liquid level at the position of the maximum draft 32 of the cleaning liquid tray 44. Plates 85 that suppress the evaporation of the cleaning liquid are floated on both sides of the spit roller 30 of the cleaning liquid tray 44. A plurality of through holes 86 are formed in the plate 85. A through hole 86 is opened so that the cleaning liquid falling from above does not accumulate on the plate 85 so that the cleaning liquid flows into the cleaning liquid tray 44. The plate 85 is made of plastic. Further, as it approaches the through-hole 86 of the plate 85, it is inclined toward the back surface side. The cleaning liquid that has fallen on the plate 85 enters the through hole 86 along this slope. Further, the ribs 87 prevent the plate 85 from coming into contact with the spit roller 30. The liquid level fluctuates due to the rotation of the rotating shaft 31 and the rotation of the spit roller 30 or the replenishment of the cleaning liquid. However, since the plate 85 is floated, the fluctuation can be suppressed, and the liquid amount detection sensor The detection accuracy of 46 is also improved. Moreover, although demonstrated using the spit unit 11, evaporation of a cleaning liquid can be suppressed also in the washing tank 51 of the wipe unit 10 by floating the same 2nd board which is different in shape. Moreover, it is preferable to provide a rib so as not to contact the wipe blade.

  The present invention can be used for a printer having a cap for sealing an inkjet head.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer 2 Carriage 3 Inkjet head 4 Dropping means 5 Grip means 6 Cleaning roller 7 units 8 Capping unit 10 Wipe unit 11 Spit unit 12 Endless belt 13 Carriage rail 14 Linear scale 15 Motor 16 Conveying roller pair 17 Platen 18 Recording medium 70 Housing Body 72 Nozzle 74 Tube 75 Rotor 77 Roller 79 Inner wall

Claims (6)

An inkjet head comprising a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink onto a recording medium;
A platen that supports the recording medium;
A carriage mounted with the inkjet head and reciprocally scanning the recording medium supported by the platen;
Conveying means for conveying the recording medium;
Detecting means for detecting the position of the carriage;
In an inkjet printer that records an image by ejecting the ink from the inkjet head to a desired position on the recording medium,
Dropping means mounted on the carriage and for dropping a cleaning liquid;
A spit unit disposed outside the platen in the movement direction of the carriage and receiving the ink ejected from the inkjet head;
Cap cleaning for cleaning the cap by reciprocating a cap that sucks the ink from the inkjet head and a roller supported by the carriage by sealing and sucking the surface of the inkjet head where the nozzles are arranged Unit,
A wipe unit for wiping the surface of the inkjet head on which the nozzle is disposed with a blade;
Have
The dripping means supplies the cleaning liquid to the spit unit, the cap, and the wipe unit,
Cleaning the portion of the spit unit that receives ink ejected from the inkjet head with the cleaning liquid;
The cleaning liquid is dropped onto the cap, and the roller is moved back and forth to clean the cleaning liquid remaining in the cap.
An ink jet printer, wherein the blade of the wipe unit is cleaned by immersing it in the cleaning liquid stored in a tank disposed below the wipe unit.   The inkjet printer according to claim 1, wherein the dropping unit is driven by a step motor, and the amount of the cleaning liquid to be dropped is determined based on the number of rotations of the step motor.   The dripping means has a tube pump that moves the cleaning liquid inside by holding the tube between an arcuate wall and a rotating rotor and handling it, and there are two or more rotors, and the rotor is driven by the step motor. The inkjet printer according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning liquid is discharged by driving in a normal direction, and the discharge of the cleaning liquid is stopped by stopping. The dripping means has a nozzle for discharging the cleaning liquid, and the nozzle is formed so as to be gradually thinner toward the tip,
3. When stopping the discharge of the cleaning liquid from the dripping means, after stopping the step motor, the step motor is reversed by a predetermined amount, and then the step motor is stopped. The inkjet printer according to claim 3.   The spit unit stores the cleaning liquid, a tray in which a part of the roller is immersed in the stored cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid stored in the tray, floating on the cleaning liquid stored in the tray 5. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, further comprising: a first plate that reduces an area in contact with the outside air and suppresses evaporation.   The wipe unit stores the cleaning liquid, floats on the cleaning tank in which a part of the blade is immersed in the stored cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid stored in the cleaning tank, and is stored in the cleaning tank 6. The inkjet printer according to claim 1, further comprising a second plate that reduces an area where the cleaning liquid is in contact with the outside air and suppresses evaporation. 6.

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