JP6308154B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus including a wiper blade for cleaning an ink discharge surface of a recording head is known. The ink ejection surface is a surface on which nozzles that eject ink are provided. The ink jet recording apparatus performs wiping of ink adhering to the ink ejection surface (hereinafter, also referred to as “wiping”) by moving the wiper blade while being pressed against the ink ejection surface.

  For example, the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a wiper blade having a rib-shaped member provided at the tip. According to Patent Document 1, according to the ink jet recording apparatus, even when the ink discharge surface has a recess, the followability of the tip of the wiper blade into the recess can be ensured, and the wiping performance is maintained. It is stated that you can.

  By the way, the volatile component of the ink ejected from the recording head evaporates with time, and the viscosity increases (thickens). After the ink is ejected from the recording head, the ink that remains on the ink ejection surface and thickens (hereinafter referred to as “residual ink”) is difficult to remove by simply applying a physical force due to the movement of the wiper blade. On the other hand, a thickened ink has a property that its viscosity is lowered by mixing with a fresh ink that is not thickened (hereinafter referred to as “fresh ink”).

  Therefore, in order to cleanly remove residual ink adhering to the ink ejection surface, a method of wiping after discharging fresh ink to the ink ejection surface is employed. According to this method, the residual ink is mixed with the fresh ink before or during wiping, so that the viscosity is lowered. Therefore, the ink jet recording apparatus can cleanly remove the residual ink.

JP 2001-71513 A

  However, the wiping method using fresh ink has the following problems, for example. That is, when the residual ink adheres to a position away from the fresh ink discharge area, if the sufficient amount of fresh ink is not carried to the position where the residual ink is attached, the residual ink has a sufficient viscosity. Does not fall. Therefore, the residual ink is not removed cleanly. Consequently, there is a need for an ink jet recording apparatus that can perform wiping while transporting as much fresh ink as possible.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to increase the amount of fresh ink transported when cleaning the ink discharge surface and to remove unnecessary ink on the cleaned ink discharge surface. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that suppresses adhesion.

  An ink jet recording apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a recording head that discharges ink to a recording medium, a wiper blade for cleaning an ink discharge surface of the recording head, and a control unit. The control unit wipes the ink on the ink discharge surface to the wiper blade by moving the wiper blade against the ink discharge surface so that the wiper blade is bent and moving the wiper blade in a predetermined movement direction. Make it. The wiper blade has a protrusion that protrudes toward the predetermined movement direction. The protrusion has an ink holding surface facing the ink discharge surface with a predetermined interval in a state where the wiper blade wipes ink on the ink discharge surface. The protrusion extends along a direction that intersects the predetermined movement direction. The width along the longitudinal direction of the protrusion is not more than the width along the short side of the ink ejection surface.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent unnecessary ink from adhering to the cleaned recording head while increasing the amount of fresh ink transported when cleaning the ink ejection surface.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the head part which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention from one direction. It is a block diagram which shows the wiper part which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) It is a front view which shows the wiper blade which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (B) It is a side view which shows the wiper blade which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) It is a figure which shows the shape of the wiper blade at the time of contacting an ink discharge surface so that the wiper blade concerning embodiment of this invention may have bending. (B) It is a figure which shows the shape of the wiper blade at the time of the wiper blade which concerns on embodiment of this invention contacting an ink discharge surface, without having bending. FIG. 3A is a plan view illustrating an ink discharge surface of a recording head according to an embodiment of the invention. (B) It is a side view which shows the recording head which concerns on embodiment of this invention from the other direction. (A) It is a front view which shows the wiper blade which concerns on the 1st modification of this invention. (B) It is a side view which shows the wiper blade which concerns on the 2nd modification of this invention. (C) It is a side view which shows the wiper blade which concerns on the 3rd modification of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, all of the constituent elements described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solving means of the invention. The same code | symbol has shown the same component through several figures. In the present embodiment, the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis in the drawing are orthogonal to each other. The X axis and the Y axis are parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z axis is parallel to the vertical line.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an inkjet recording apparatus 1 according to the embodiment.

  The inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a tray 200, a feeding roller 201, a first transport unit 205, a head unit 3, a second transport unit 212, a discharge roller 216, a wiper unit 60, a cap unit 290, And a control unit 50.

  The tray 200 stores paper P, which is a type of recording medium. The tray 200 is disposed upstream of the first transport unit 205 in the transport direction D0 of the paper P (right side in FIG. 1). A feeding roller 201 is provided at the downstream end of the tray 200 in the transport direction D0. The feeding roller 201 supplies the paper P stored in the tray 200 to the first transport unit 205 one by one.

  The first transport unit 205 places the paper P supplied from the feeding roller 201 on the first transport belt 208 and transports it in the transport direction D0 (the direction from right to left in FIG. 1). The first transport unit 205 includes a first drive roller 206, a first driven roller 207, and a first transport belt 208. The first transport belt 208 is stretched around the first drive roller 206 and the first driven roller 207. When the first drive roller 206 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), the first transport belt 208 rotates, and the paper P placed on the first transport belt 208 is transported along the transport direction D0. .

  The head unit 3 is disposed to face the first transport unit 205. The head unit 3 forms an image on the paper P by ejecting ink onto the paper P transported by the first transport unit 205. Hereinafter, the configuration of the head unit 3 and the recording head 10 included in the head unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the head unit 3 according to the embodiment.

  The head unit 3 includes a head housing 18 and a plurality of types (four types in the present embodiment) of line heads 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K. The line head 10Y is a yellow line head. The line head 10M is a magenta line head. The line head 10C is a cyan line head. The line head 10K is a black color line head.

  A plurality of types of line heads 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are held by the head housing 18. The line heads 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K are arranged in the order of the line head 10K, the line head 10C, the line head 10M, and the line head 10Y from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction D0 of the paper P. In the present embodiment, each of the line heads 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K includes three recording heads 10 that are arranged in a staggered manner along a direction orthogonal to the transport direction D0 (the X-axis direction in the present embodiment). Including. Each of the three recording heads 10 of the line head 10Y ejects yellow ink. Each of the three recording heads 10 of the line head 10M ejects magenta ink. Each of the three recording heads 10 of the line head 10C ejects cyan ink. Each of the three recording heads 10 of the line head 10K ejects black ink.

  FIG. 3 is a side view showing the recording head 10 according to the embodiment from one direction.

  The recording head 10 includes a plurality of nozzles 11, an ink inlet 13, and an ink outlet 15. The surface on which the plurality of nozzles 11 are provided in the recording head 10 is an ink ejection surface 17. The plurality of nozzles 11 are arranged, for example, at the center of the ink ejection surface 17 in the direction in which the ink ejection surface 17 extends. The nozzle 11 ejects ink for forming an image on the paper P. Further, the nozzle 11 discharges ink together with unnecessary matter in the recording head 10 in the purge process. Ink discharged or discharged by the nozzles 11 during image formation or purge processing flows into the recording head 10 via an ink inlet 13 from an ink tank (not shown). Ink in the ink tank is prevented from evaporating its volatile components. Therefore, the ink discharged or discharged from the nozzle 11 is a fresh ink (fresh ink) Nf (see FIG. 4) that is not thickened.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the ink jet recording apparatus 1 will be continued. The second transport unit 212 is disposed downstream of the first transport unit 205 in the transport direction D0 (left side in FIG. 1). The second transport unit 212 includes a second drive roller 213, a second driven roller 214, and a second transport belt 215. The second transport belt 215 is stretched around the second drive roller 213 and the second driven roller 214. When the second drive roller 213 is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown), the second transport belt 215 rotates, and the paper P placed on the second transport belt 215 is transported along the transport direction D0. .

  The paper P on which an image is formed by the head unit 3 is sent to the second transport unit 212, and the ink attached to the surface of the paper P is dried while the paper P passes through the second transport unit 212. The discharge roller 216 discharges the paper P that has been transported by the second transport unit 212 to the outside of the inkjet recording apparatus 1.

  The wiper unit 60 and the cap unit 290 are disposed below the second transport unit 212. The wiper unit 60 uses the wiper blade 20 to wipe off the ink attached to the ink ejection surface 17 of the recording head 10 (wiping). Wiping off the ink adhering to the ink ejection surface 17 means that the ink ejection surface 17 is cleaned. The cap unit 290 is attached to the ink ejection surface 17 of the recording head 10 when the recording head 10 is not used for a certain period of time. Thereby, drying of the ink in the recording head 10 is prevented. The configuration of the wiper unit 60 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The control unit 50 controls the overall operation of the inkjet recording apparatus 1. The control unit 50 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The memory stores various computer programs executed by the CPU. The function of the control unit 50 is realized by the CPU executing various computer programs stored in the memory.

  For example, the control unit 50 causes the wiper unit 60 to wipe the ink ejection surface 17. Specifically, the control unit 50 presses the wiper blade 20 against the ink discharge surface 17 to move the wiper blade 20 in a predetermined movement direction, thereby wiping the ink on the ink discharge surface 17 to the wiper blade 20. Make it. The control unit 50 lowers the first transport unit 205 before causing the wiper unit 60 to wipe the ink ejection surface 17. Then, the control unit 50 horizontally moves the wiper unit 60 so as to be positioned at a standby position below the head unit 3 (a position between the head unit 3 and the first transport unit 205).

  For example, the control unit 50 lowers the first transport unit 205 before capping the ink ejection surface 17 of the recording head 10. Thereafter, the control unit 50 horizontally moves the cap unit 290 to be positioned below the head unit 3. Then, the control unit 50 moves the cap unit 290 upward and attaches it to the ink ejection surface 17 of the recording head 10.

  FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the wiper unit 60 according to the embodiment.

  The wiper unit 60 includes the wiper blade 20 and the moving mechanism 30. In FIG. 4, only one wiper blade 20 is shown for convenience of explanation, but actually, the wiper unit 60 includes a plurality of wiper blades 20 corresponding to the plurality of recording heads 10, respectively. One wiper blade 20 of the plurality of wiper blades 20 wipes the ink ejection surface 17 of the corresponding recording head 10. The configuration of the wiper blade 20 will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The moving mechanism 30 moves the wiper blade 20 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 50. In the present embodiment, the moving mechanism 30 can move the wiper blade 20 in the wiping direction D1, the ascending direction D3, and the descending direction D4. The wiping direction D1 is a direction along the X axis, that is, a direction in which the ink discharge surface 17 extends. The ascending direction D3 and the descending direction D4 opposite to the ascending direction D3 are directions along the Z axis.

  For example, when the wiper blade 20 causes the ink ejection surface 17 to be wiped, the control unit 50 first lowers the first transport unit 205. Then, the control unit 50 horizontally moves the wiper unit 60 so as to be positioned at a standby position below the head unit 3 (a position between the head unit 3 and the first transport unit 205). Next, the recording head 10 is purged, and the fresh ink Nf is discharged onto the ink ejection surface 17. Thereafter, the control unit 50 controls the moving mechanism 30 to move the wiper blade 20 in the upward direction D3 so that the wiper blade 20 is pressed against the ink ejection surface 17. Then, the control unit 50 controls the moving mechanism 30 to move the wiper blade 20 in the wiping direction D1 as a predetermined moving direction while pressing the wiper blade 20 against the ink discharge surface 17. As a result, the ink on the ink ejection surface 17, that is, the residual ink Nv (first ink) and the fresh ink Nf (second ink) are wiped off by the wiper blade 20. Unnecessary materials (for example, dust and dirt) adhering to the ink ejection surface 17 are also wiped off by the wiper blade 20.

  Here, the residual ink Nv is ink that has been thickened by being discharged from the recording head 10 and then remaining on the ink discharge surface 17, and the ink discharge surface can be obtained only by applying physical force due to the movement of the wiper blade 20. 17 is difficult to remove. On the other hand, the residual ink Nv is mixed with the fresh ink Nf that has not been thickened, so that the viscosity thereof decreases. Accordingly, the ink jet recording apparatus 1 causes the fresh ink Nf to adhere to the ink ejection surface 17 by discharging it to the ink ejection surface 17. Thereafter, when the inkjet recording apparatus 1 performs wiping, the residual ink Nv can be mixed with the fresh ink Nf, the viscosity of the residual ink Nv can be lowered, and the residual ink Nv can be removed neatly.

  Next, the configuration of the wiper blade 20 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

  FIG. 5A is a front view showing the wiper blade 20. FIG. 5B is a side view showing the wiper blade 20. FIG. 6A shows the wiper blade 20 that is pressed against the ink discharge surface so as to be bent. FIG. 6B shows the wiper blade 20 in contact with the ink ejection surface 17 without bending.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the wiper blade 20 has, for example, a flat plate shape, and the upper end (end on the side pressed against the ink discharge surface 17) is flat. The front-rear direction when the wiper blade 20 is viewed from the front is the direction along the X axis, that is, the wiping direction. The direction in which the front surface 20A (conveying surface) of the wiper blade 20 extends is orthogonal to the wiping direction. The wiping direction is along the longitudinal direction of the ink discharge surface 17, and the direction orthogonal to the wiping direction is along the short direction of the ink discharge surface 17.

  The wiper blade 20 has elasticity. The wiper blade 20 is made of, for example, an elastic member, specifically, synthetic rubber or synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 6A, the wiper blade 20 is pressed against the ink discharge surface 17 so that the wiper blade 20 is bent in a state where the ink on the ink discharge surface 17 is wiped off. Hereinafter, the state in which the wiper blade 20 wipes off the ink on the ink ejection surface 17 is referred to as “wiping state”.

  The front surface 20A of the wiper blade 20 is a surface that carries ink on the ink ejection surface 17 when the wiper blade 20 moves in the wiping direction D1. In the present embodiment, the wiper blade 20 has, on the front surface 20A, a protruding portion (hereinafter referred to as “front protruding portion”) 21A that protrudes in the wiping direction D1. The front protrusion 21A is formed integrally with the wiper blade 20, for example. The front protruding portion 21 </ b> A extends along the short direction of the ink discharge surface 17.

  The front protruding portion 21A has a front ink holding surface 22A (ink holding surface) and a front ink releasing surface 24A (ink releasing surface). The front ink holding surface 22A is inclined at a predetermined angle (for example, 45 degrees) with respect to the front surface 20A and connected to the front surface 20A. The front ink holding surface 22A faces the ink ejection surface 17 with a predetermined interval H1 in a wiped state. The predetermined interval H1 may be the same in the entire area of the front ink holding surface 22A, or may be different in a plurality of regions on the front ink holding surface 22A. In the present embodiment, the predetermined interval H1 is substantially the same over the entire area of the front ink holding surface 22A, that is, the ink ejection surface 17 and the front ink holding surface 22A are substantially parallel in the wiping state.

  With the above configuration, in the wiping state, the front ink holding surface 22A, a region 17A of the ink ejection surface 17 facing the front ink holding surface 22A (hereinafter referred to as “front facing region”), and a partial region 23A of the front surface 20A As a result, a pocket for accommodating the ink on the ink ejection surface 17, particularly the fresh ink Nf, is formed. Here, the partial area 23 </ b> A of the front surface 20 </ b> A is an area from the connection position of the front surface 20 </ b> A to the front ink holding surface 22 </ b> A to the position in contact with the ink ejection surface 17. As a result, the wiper blade 20 can carry more fresh ink Nf when wiping in the wiping direction D1 than when the front ink holding surface 22A is not provided. The wiper blade 20 can carry more fresh ink Nf as the area of the front ink holding surface 22A is larger.

  The predetermined interval H1 is, for example, an interval at which ink existing in the front facing region 17A, in particular fresh ink Nf, can contact the front ink holding surface 22A. In other words, the predetermined interval H1 is a limit height at which the first liquid column of the fresh ink Nf formed by the surface tension is not separated into the front facing region 17A side and the front ink holding surface 22A side (hereinafter referred to as “limit”). It is an interval not exceeding (height). The first liquid column is a liquid column formed between the front facing region 17A and the front ink holding surface 22A in the wiped state.

  Here, the larger the predetermined interval H1, the greater the amount of fresh ink Nf transported by the wiper blade 20. On the other hand, when the predetermined interval H1 exceeds the first limit height, it becomes difficult to obtain the effect of providing the front ink holding surface 22A, that is, the effect of increasing the transport amount of the fresh ink Nf. Therefore, the predetermined interval H1 is preferably set to an interval close to the limit height. The limit height varies depending on the material of the fresh ink Nf.

  Further, the front ink holding surface 22A is connected to the front surface 20A at a position separated from the upper end of the wiper blade 20 by a length L. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6B, the front ink holding surface 22A is freshly conveyed to the wiper blade 20 while the wiper blade 20 is in contact with the ink discharge surface 17 without being bent. The ink Nf is disposed at a position where the fresh ink Nf on the front ink holding surface 22A and the fresh ink Nf on the ink ejection surface 17 are separated. In the present embodiment, the fresh ink Nf on the front ink holding surface 22A is separated from the ink on the ink ejection surface 17 by a predetermined interval H2. Therefore, the length L is a limit length (hereinafter referred to as “limit length”) in which the second liquid column of the fresh ink Nf formed by the surface tension is separated into the ink discharge surface 17 side and the front ink holding surface 22A side. It is set to exceed “ The limit length varies depending on the material of the fresh ink Nf. The second liquid column is a liquid column formed between the ink discharge surface 17 and the front ink holding surface 22A in a state where the wiper blade 20 is in contact with the ink discharge surface 17 without being bent.

  Thereby, when the wiper blade 20 is lowered in the descending direction D4, the upper end of the wiper blade 20 is compared with the case where the second liquid column is not separated into the ink ejection surface 17 side and the front ink holding surface 22A side. Ink can be prevented from adhering to the ink. Therefore, when the wiper blade 20 is raised again in the ascending direction D3 and pressed against the ink ejection surface 17 of the recording head 10, it is possible to prevent unnecessary ink from adhering to the recording head 10.

  Here, the second liquid column is easily separated as the length L exceeds the limit length. On the other hand, when the length L exceeds the limit length and further increases, the predetermined interval H1 exceeds the limit height. That is, when the length L exceeds the limit length and further increases, the first liquid column is separated into the front facing region 17A side and the front ink holding surface 22A side. From the above, the length L is set so that the predetermined interval H1 does not exceed the limit height while exceeding the limit length.

  The front ink release surface 24A is inclined at a predetermined angle (for example, 45 degrees) with respect to the front surface 20A, and is connected to the front ink holding surface 22A (the end portion on the protruding side of the front ink holding surface 22A) and the front surface 20A. By providing the front ink release surface 24A, the ink deposited on the front ink holding surface 22A is likely to flow down to the lower side of the wiper blade 20 along the front ink release surface 24A after wiping is completed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the problem that ink is deposited and fixed on the front ink holding surface 22A.

  FIG. 7A shows the ink ejection surface 17. The ink discharge surface 17 is rectangular. On the ink ejection surface 17, a plurality of nozzle formation regions 12 are formed in a staggered pattern along the longitudinal direction of the ink ejection surface 17. In the present embodiment, each of the plurality of nozzle formation regions 12 has a trapezoidal shape. The plurality of nozzles 11 are provided in each of the plurality of nozzle formation regions 12 in the ink ejection surface 17. The width W3 of the wiper blade 20 along the short direction of the ink discharge surface 17 is larger than the width W2 along the short direction of the ink discharge surface 17. Further, the width W3 of the wiper blade 20 is larger than the width W1 from one end to the other end of the plurality of nozzle formation regions 12 along the short direction of the ink discharge surface 17. Further, the width W2 of the ink ejection surface 17 is larger than the width W1 of the plurality of nozzle formation regions 12. The front protrusion 21 </ b> A of the wiper blade 20 extends along the direction intersecting the wiping direction D <b> 1 of the wiper blade 20, that is, along the short side direction of the ink discharge surface 17. In the present embodiment, the front protrusion 21 </ b> A extends along a direction orthogonal to the wiping direction D <b> 1 of the wiper blade 20.

  FIG. 7B shows the side surface of the recording head 10 from the other direction. In FIG. 7B, the wiper blade 20 is in contact with the ink ejection surface 17 without being bent. The width L2 along the longitudinal direction of the front protrusion 21A of the wiper blade 20 is larger than the width W1 of the plurality of nozzle formation regions 12. Further, the width L2 of the front protrusion 21A is equal to or smaller than the width W2 along the short side direction of the ink discharge surface 17. Further, the width L2 of the front protrusion 21A is smaller than the width W3 of the wiper blade. For example, the width L2 of the front protrusion 21A is greater than 20 mm and not greater than 24 mm. The fresh ink Nf conveyed by the wiper blade 20 is spread and spread along the width L2 of the front protrusion 21A.

  According to the present embodiment, the fresh ink Nf carried by the wiper blade 20 is spread from one end of the width L2 along the longitudinal direction of the front protrusion 21A to the other end. Accordingly, the fresh ink Nf transported by the wiper blade 20 is spread to a size larger than the width W1 of the nozzle formation region 12 and less than the width W2 of the ink ejection surface 17. As a result, the fresh ink Nf is prevented from adhering to the side surface of the recording head 10. As a result, unnecessary ink is prevented from adhering to the recording head 10.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, according to the present embodiment, the recording head after being cleaned while increasing the transport amount of the fresh ink Nf when cleaning the ink discharge surface 17. 10 prevents unnecessary ink from adhering. Specifically, it is as follows.

  The front ink holding surface 22A faces the ink ejection surface 17 with a predetermined interval H1 in a state where the wiper blade 20 wipes off the ink on the ink ejection surface 17. Accordingly, the wiper blade 20 can carry more fresh ink Nf than when the front ink holding surface 22A is not provided. In addition, the front ink holding surface 22A is in a state where the wiper blade 20 is in contact with the ink ejection surface 17 without being bent, and the fresh ink Nf on the front ink holding surface 22A and the fresh ink Nf on the ink ejection surface 17 And are arranged at positions where they are separated. Therefore, when the wiper blade 20 cleans the ink discharge surface 17 and moves away from the ink discharge surface 17, the ink is prevented from adhering to the upper end of the wiper blade 20. As a result, when the wiper blade 20 is again pressed against the ink discharge surface 17 for cleaning, it is possible to suppress the ink adhering to the upper end of the wiper blade 20 from adhering to the ink discharge surface 17. That is, it is possible to suppress unnecessary ink from adhering to the recording head 10.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the wiper blade 20 has the front protruding portion 21A having the front ink holding surface 22A on the front surface 20A. Accordingly, the transport amount of the fresh ink Nf when the wiper blade 20 cleans the ink discharge surface 17 is increased. As a result, even when the residual ink Nv adheres to a position away from the fresh ink Nf discharge area (the central portion where the plurality of nozzles 11 are disposed), a sufficient amount of the fresh ink Nf is applied to the residual ink Nv. The ink can be transported to the adhesion position, and the residual ink Nv can be removed cleanly with its viscosity lowered.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the width L2 along the longitudinal direction of the front protrusion 21A is equal to or less than the width W2 along the short direction of the ink ejection surface 17 of the recording head 10. Accordingly, the fresh ink Nf conveyed to the wiper blade 20 is spread and spreads to a length equal to or less than the width W2 of the ink ejection surface 17. As a result, the fresh ink Nf is prevented from adhering to the side surface of the recording head 10 when the wiper blade 20 is pressed against the ink ejection surface 17 for cleaning. As a result, it is possible to suppress unnecessary ink from adhering to the recording head 10.

  Next, the wiper blade 20 according to each of the first modification, the second modification, and the third modification of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, differences between the wiper blade 20 according to the embodiment and the wiper blade 20 according to each of the first to third modifications will be described.

  First, a first modification of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8A shows an example of the wiper blade 20 according to the first modification. A groove (hereinafter referred to as “front groove”) 25 </ b> A is formed in the front protrusion 21 </ b> A of the wiper blade 20 according to the first modification. The front groove 25 </ b> A extends along a direction that intersects the short direction of the ink discharge surface 17. In this modification, the front groove 25 </ b> A extends in the direction in which the front protrusion 21 </ b> A extends, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the short direction of the ink discharge surface 17. However, the front groove 25A only needs to extend along the direction intersecting the short direction of the ink discharge surface 17, and does not have to be orthogonal to the direction in which the front protrusion 21A extends.

  According to the first modification, the front protrusion 21A is provided with a front groove 25A. Therefore, the ink deposited on the front ink holding surface 22A is likely to flow down to the lower side of the wiper blade 20 through the front groove 25A after wiping is completed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a problem that ink is deposited and fixed on the front ink holding surface 22A.

  Next, a second modification of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8B shows an example of the wiper blade 20 according to the second modification. The wiper blade 20 according to the second modification has a rear protruding portion 21B that protrudes in the direction opposite to the wiping direction D1 on the rear surface 20B. The wiper blade 20 according to the second modification carries ink on the ink ejection surface 17 when the wiper blade 20 moves in the direction opposite to the wiping direction D1. The rear ink holding surface 22B has a configuration similar to that of the front ink holding surface 22A and has the same effect. In addition, the rear ink release surface 24B has the same configuration as that of the front ink release surface 24A and has the same effect.

  According to the second modification, the wiper blade 20 has a rear protruding portion 21B that protrudes in a direction opposite to the wiping direction D1. Accordingly, the wiper blade 20 can clean the ink ejection surface 17 in the direction opposite to the wiping direction D1. As a result, the ink ejection surface 17 can be cleaned more effectively than when the wiper blade 20 wipes in one direction.

  Next, a third modification of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8C shows an example of the wiper blade 20 according to the third modification. The front ink escape surface 24A of the wiper blade 20 according to the third modification is connected substantially perpendicularly to the front surface 20A. Therefore, the member forming the front protrusion 21A is smaller than the case where the front ink release surface 24A is connected to the front surface 20A so as to have a predetermined angle. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the wiper blade 20 can be suppressed. Similarly, when the wiper blade 20 has the rear protrusion 21B, the rear ink release surface 24B is connected substantially perpendicularly to the rear surface 20B.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof (for example, (1) to (4) shown below) )). In order to facilitate understanding, the drawings schematically show each component as a main component, and the thickness, length, number, and the like of each component shown in the drawings are different from the actual for convenience of drawing. . Moreover, the shape, dimension, etc. of each component shown by said embodiment are an example, Comprising: It does not specifically limit, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate substantially from the effect of this invention.

  (1) As described with reference to FIG. 6A, the ink ejection surface 17 and the ink holding surface (the front ink holding surface 22A or the rear ink holding surface 22B) are substantially parallel. For example, the ink holding surface may be slightly inclined with respect to the ink discharge surface 17.

  (2) As described with reference to FIG. 1, the recording medium is the paper P. However, the recording medium is not limited to this, and other media on which an image is formed by the recording head 10, for example, an envelope or a fabric. There may be.

  (3) As described with reference to FIG. 8A, a single front groove 25A is formed in the front protrusion 21A. However, a plurality of front grooves 25A may be formed in the front protrusion 21A.

  (4) As described with reference to FIG. 8A, the front groove 25 </ b> A is formed in the front protrusion 21 </ b> A. However, when the wiper blade 20 has the rear protrusion 21B, a rear groove may also be formed in the rear protrusion 21B.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet recording device 10 Recording head 17 Ink discharge surface 20 Wiper blade 20A Front surface 20B Rear surface 21A Front side protruding part 21B Rear side protruding part 22A Front side ink holding surface 22B Rear side ink holding surface 24A Front side ink releasing surface 24B Back side ink releasing surface 50 Control unit D1 Wiping direction P Paper

Claims (6)

A recording head for discharging ink onto a recording medium;
A wiper blade for cleaning the ink discharge surface of the recording head;
A control unit that causes the wiper blade to wipe the ink on the ink ejection surface by pressing the wiper blade against the ink ejection surface and moving the wiper blade in a predetermined movement direction so that the wiper blade has bending;
With
The wiper blade has a front protrusion that protrudes toward the predetermined movement direction,
The front protrusion has a front ink holding surface facing the ink discharge surface with a predetermined interval in a state where the wiper blade wipes off the ink on the ink discharge surface,
The front protrusion extends along a direction intersecting the predetermined movement direction,
Width along the longitudinal direction of the front protrusion, Ri width der less along the widthwise direction of the ink ejection surface,
The longitudinal direction of the front protrusion is the direction intersecting the predetermined movement direction,
The longitudinal direction of the front protrusion is the same direction as the short direction of the ink ejection surface,
The wiper blade has a front carrying surface that is a surface that carries ink on the ink ejection surface;
The front protrusion is provided on the front carrying surface,
In addition to the front ink holding surface, the front projecting portion has a front ink release surface that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the front transport surface and connected to the front ink holding surface and the front transport surface.
The front protrusion is formed integrally with the wiper blade,
The front protrusion is formed with a front groove extending along the direction intersecting the short direction of the ink discharge surface,
The wiper blade further has a rear protrusion that protrudes in a direction opposite to the predetermined moving direction,
The wiper blade carries ink on the ink ejection surface when the wiper blade moves in a direction opposite to the predetermined moving direction,
The rear protrusion has a rear ink holding surface facing the ink discharge surface with the predetermined interval in a state where the wiper blade wipes ink on the ink discharge surface,
The rear protrusion extends along a direction intersecting the predetermined movement direction,
The width along the longitudinal direction of the rear protrusion is not more than the width along the short direction of the ink ejection surface,
The longitudinal direction of the rear protrusion is the direction that intersects the predetermined movement direction,
The longitudinal direction of the rear protrusion is the same direction as the short direction of the ink ejection surface,
The wiper blade further includes a rear carrying surface that is a surface that carries ink on the ink ejection surface;
The rear protrusion is provided on the rear transport surface,
In addition to the rear ink holding surface, the rear protrusion is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the rear conveying surface and connected to the rear ink holding surface and the rear conveying surface. Has a surface,
The rear protrusion is formed integrally with the wiper blade;
The inkjet recording apparatus , wherein a rear groove extending along the direction intersecting the short side direction of the ink discharge surface is formed in the rear protrusion . The ink on the ink ejection surface includes a first ink that is thickened and a second ink that is not thickened;
2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the recording head to discharge the second ink to the ink discharge surface, and then causes the wiper blade to wipe ink on the ink discharge surface. Inkjet recording device.   3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink holding surface is substantially parallel to the ink discharge surface in a state where the wiper blade is pressed against the ink discharge surface. Wherein the predetermined interval is ink on the region opposed to the front ink holding surface of said ink discharge surface, the front ink Ri interval der that may contact with the holding surface, the liquid column of fresh ink to be formed by the surface tension Indicates an interval that does not exceed a limit height that is not separated between the opposing region side and the front ink holding surface side,
4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid column is a liquid column formed between the facing region and the front ink holding surface in a wiped state . 5.   The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiper blade has elasticity. The ink ejection surface is formed with a nozzle formation region in which nozzles for ejecting ink are opened.
The width along the longitudinal direction of the front protrusion, said width is greater than that along the lengthwise direction of the front-side extending portion of the nozzle area, as claimed in any one of claims 5 Inkjet recording device.

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