JP2015168080A - Liquid ejecting apparatus and maintenance method - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid ejecting apparatus and a maintenance method are provided that can prevent dirt removed from a liquid ejecting section from reattaching to the liquid ejecting section.
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a forward movement in a first movement direction + X from a first end E1 toward a second end E2, and a second movement direction -X from the second end E2 toward the first end E1. The liquid ejecting section 22 that ejects liquid onto the medium S in the liquid ejecting area Aj while alternately performing the return path movement, the support base 19 disposed in the liquid ejecting area Aj, and the first end than the support base 19 The maintenance part 20 arrange | positioned in the position close | similar to E1 and the control part 100 which controls the liquid injection part 22 are provided. A maintenance member 61 that performs maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit 22 can be attached to the support base 19, and prior to the attachment of the maintenance member 61, the control unit 100 has a second end E <b> 2 that is more than the attachment region where the maintenance member 61 is attached. The liquid ejecting unit 22 is moved in the first movement direction + X toward the start position Ps close to.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus such as a printer and a maintenance method.

  As an example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, there is an ink jet printer that performs printing by ejecting ink droplets onto a sheet while a recording head reciprocates in a main scanning direction. In addition, among these printers, a cleaning sheet having a raised structure is disposed in an area where paper is conveyed, and the recording head is cleaned by moving the recording head back and forth in the main scanning direction to contact the cleaning sheet. There is something to do (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-192737 A

  By the way, in the printer as described above, the home position of the recording head is set on the first end side in the main scanning direction, and after the forward movement from the home position toward the second end in the main scanning direction, the second position is set. There is a case where a turn is made at the end and a return movement toward the home position is performed. In this case, when the recording head comes in contact with the cleaning sheet while moving from the home position toward the second end, the recording head also comes into contact with the cleaning sheet during the backward movement toward the first end.

  As described above, when the recording head comes into contact with the cleaning sheet while reciprocating, there is a problem that the dirt transferred from the recording head to the cleaning sheet in the forward movement is attached to the recording head again during the backward movement.

  Such a problem is not limited to printers that perform printing by ejecting ink droplets, but is generally common in liquid ejecting apparatuses that have a function of maintaining a reciprocating liquid ejecting unit.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus and a maintenance method that can suppress dirt removed from the liquid ejecting unit from reattaching to the liquid ejecting unit. .

Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the effects thereof will be described.
The liquid ejecting apparatus that solves the above problems includes a forward movement in the first movement direction from the first end toward the second end in the movement region, and a return path in the second movement direction from the second end toward the first end. While alternately moving, a liquid ejecting unit that ejects liquid onto the medium in the liquid ejecting area set in the moving area, a support base disposed in the liquid ejecting area, and the support in the moving area A maintenance unit disposed closer to the first end than the base, and a control unit that controls the liquid ejecting unit, and the support base comes into contact with the liquid ejecting unit so that the liquid A maintenance member that performs maintenance of the injection unit can be mounted, and prior to mounting of the maintenance member, the control unit is closer to the second end than the mounting region where the maintenance member is mounted. Moving the liquid ejecting portion in the first direction of movement towards the.

  If the maintenance member is attached before the liquid ejecting part starts the forward movement, the maintenance member that is contaminated by the contact with the liquid ejecting part during the forward movement is brought into contact with the liquid ejecting part that moves in the backward direction to the liquid ejecting part. There is a risk of getting dirty again. In that respect, according to the above configuration, the liquid ejecting unit moves in the first movement direction toward the start position closer to the second end than the mounting region in which the maintenance member is mounted prior to mounting the maintenance member. The liquid ejecting unit does not come into contact with the maintenance member during the forward movement in the first movement direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the dirt removed from the liquid ejecting unit from reattaching to the liquid ejecting unit.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, when the maintenance member is mounted in the mounting region, the control unit moves the liquid ejecting unit from the start position in the second movement direction to pass through the mounting region. The maintenance member and the liquid ejecting unit are brought into contact with each other.

  According to this configuration, the control unit moves the liquid ejecting unit from the start position in the second movement direction when the maintenance member is mounted in the mounting region, so that the maintenance member in the mounting region and the liquid ejecting unit are in contact with each other. Thus, maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit can be performed.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, a plurality of the maintenance members can be mounted in the mounting region along the second moving direction, and the control unit moves the liquid ejecting unit in the second moving direction. The plurality of maintenance members and the liquid ejecting unit are brought into contact with each other.

  According to this configuration, the maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit can be performed by the plurality of maintenance members by mounting the plurality of maintenance members in the mounting region and moving the liquid ejecting unit in the second movement direction.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, in the mounting region, the maintenance member that is mounted closest to the first end is the first maintenance member, and is mounted closer to the second end than the first maintenance member. When the maintenance member is a second maintenance member, the control unit reciprocates the liquid ejecting unit so as to come into contact with the second maintenance member, and then moves the liquid ejecting unit in the second moving direction. And contact with the first maintenance member.

  According to this configuration, since the liquid ejecting portion reciprocates and contacts the second maintenance member a plurality of times, deposits and the like adhered to the liquid ejecting portion can be removed by the second maintenance member. Further, even when the dirt removed by the second maintenance member during the forward movement of the liquid ejecting unit is reattached to the liquid ejecting unit during the backward travel, the liquid ejecting unit subsequently moves in the second moving direction, and the first maintenance member The first maintenance member can remove the dirt that has reattached to the liquid ejecting portion.

  The maintenance method that solves the above-described problems includes an outward movement in the first movement direction from the first end to the second end in the movement area, and a backward movement in the second movement direction from the second end to the first end. The liquid ejecting unit is a maintenance method for ejecting liquid onto the medium in the liquid ejecting region set in the moving region, and moves the liquid ejecting unit in the first moving direction. A step of determining whether or not a maintenance member is attached to the liquid ejecting region, and a step of moving the liquid ejecting portion in the second movement direction when it is determined in the determination step that the maintenance member is attached. A first maintenance step that is moved to the maintenance member, and the liquid ejecting portion that is in contact with the maintenance member is located above the liquid ejecting region. And a second maintenance step of maintaining the maintenance portion that is located closer to one end.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the liquid ejecting apparatus. In addition, after the liquid ejecting unit moves in the second moving direction and performs the first maintenance by the maintenance member, the second maintenance can be performed by the maintenance unit at the moving destination, so that a plurality of maintenance can be performed efficiently. can do.

1 is a perspective view of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing an internal structure of the liquid ejecting apparatus in FIG. 1. The schematic diagram which shows the mode of the wiping of the liquid injection part by a wiper. The side view which shows the structure of a maintenance member. The top view which shows the structure of a maintenance member. (A) is a flowchart which shows the execution procedure of a maintenance process, (b) is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of the liquid injection part accompanying a maintenance process.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings.
The liquid ejecting apparatus is, for example, an ink jet printer that performs printing by ejecting ink, which is an example of liquid, onto a medium such as paper.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 prints on the casing 12, the holding unit 13 that holds the medium S, and the medium S that is fed from the holding unit 13 in the casing 12 ( And a recording unit 14 that performs recording. The medium S of the present embodiment has a sheet shape, and the holding unit 13 rotatably holds a roll body in which the sheet medium S is wound in a roll shape. Note that the medium S may be a single sheet cut to a predetermined size in advance.

  An opening / closing cover 15 that covers the opening 12a provided in the casing 12 so as to be openable and closable is disposed at a position corresponding to the conveyance path in which the medium S is conveyed in the casing 12 (for example, vertically above the conveyance path). It is attached.

  When the opening / closing cover 15 is displaced from the closed position covering the opening 12a to the open position exposing the opening 12a as shown in FIG. 1, the conveyance path of the medium S becomes visible. When the opening / closing cover 15 is opened, the medium S jammed in the transport path can be removed or the transport path can be cleaned.

  An operation unit 16 for operating the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 is provided on the outer surface of the housing unit 12. The operation unit 16 is an operation panel provided with, for example, a liquid crystal display unit and operation buttons. The user can, for example, feed the medium S from the holding unit 13 to the transport path through the operation of the operation unit 16 or rewind the medium S fed to the transport path to the holding unit 13.

  In addition, when printing by the recording part 14 is performed, it is preferable that the opening / closing cover 15 is locked so as not to open. The operation unit 16 is preferably provided with a button 16 a that is pressed when the user opens the opening / closing cover 15. Then, when the button 16a is pressed when the opening / closing cover 15 is closed, the opening / closing cover 15 may be unlocked. The button 16a may be electronically displayed on a display unit including a touch panel, for example, or may be electronically displayed on a monitor such as a personal computer connected to the liquid ejecting apparatus 11. Good.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 14 includes a carriage 21 that engages with a guide shaft 17 installed in the housing unit 12, a liquid ejecting unit 22 that is held by the carriage 21, and the carriage 21 that guides the guide shaft 17. A carriage motor 23 for movement along the axis. The liquid ejecting unit 22 includes a plurality of nozzles 24 that eject liquid as droplets toward the medium S in the liquid ejecting area Aj set in the moving area of the carriage 21. The number of nozzles 24 included in the liquid ejecting unit 22 can be arbitrarily changed.

  The carriage 21 may be provided with a medium detection unit 25 for detecting the presence or absence of the medium S in the transport path. The medium detection unit 25 can be, for example, a reflective optical sensor having an emission unit that can emit light and a light receiving unit that can receive light. In this case, the light emitting unit emits light and the light receiving unit receives light reflected by the object in the emission direction, so that the presence / absence of the object can be detected.

  For example, when the carriage motor 23 is driven to rotate in the first rotation direction, the carriage 21 moves from the first end E1 (right end in FIG. 2) to the second end E2 (left end in FIG. 2) in the movement region. The forward movement to + X (left direction in FIG. 2) is performed. Further, the carriage 21 has a second movement direction −X from the second end E2 toward the first end E1 in the movement region when the carriage motor 23 is rotationally driven in the second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction. The return path is moved in the right direction in FIG. In the present embodiment, when the first movement direction + X and the second movement direction −X are not distinguished, they are expressed as the movement direction X.

  Then, the liquid ejecting unit 22 performs the forward movement in the first movement direction + X and the backward movement in the second movement direction −X together with the carriage 21, and is set near the center of the movement area. Printing (recording) is performed by ejecting liquid onto the medium S in Aj. Note that the moving region of the liquid ejecting unit 22 includes regions Am and Ar located outside the liquid ejecting region Aj. The area Am is located closer to the first end E1 than the liquid ejecting area Aj, while the area Ar is located closer to the second end E2 than the liquid ejecting area Aj.

  In the housing unit 12, a transport mechanism 18 that transports the medium S toward the recording unit 14, a support base 19 disposed in the liquid ejection region Aj, a maintenance unit 20 disposed in the region Am, and an operation unit 16 and the control unit 100 electrically connected to the medium detection unit 25 are accommodated.

  The transport mechanism 18 includes a plurality of transport rollers 31 for transporting the medium S and a transport motor 32 that is a drive source for rotating the transport rollers 31. The support base 19 supports the medium S that has been transported to the liquid ejection area Aj by the transport mechanism 18.

  The maintenance unit 20 is disposed at a position closer to the first end E1 than the support base 19 in the movement region. The maintenance unit 20 includes a wiping unit 41 and a capping unit 51.

  The wiping unit 41 includes an elastically deformable wiper 42, a holding body 43 that holds the wiper 42, a guide rail 44 that extends in the first direction + Y that intersects both the gravity direction Z and the movement direction X, and a guide rail 44. And a wiping motor 45 which is a drive source for moving the holding body 43 along. The wiper 42 can be formed of, for example, a cloth wound around a roller or an elastic member having a plate shape. A position where the wiper 42 is provided in the movement direction X is defined as a wiping position Pw.

  The capping unit 51 includes a cap unit 52 that can move relative to the liquid ejecting unit 22, a decompression mechanism 54 that is connected to the cap unit 52 via a discharge channel 53, and a vent channel 55 connected to the cap unit 52. And an atmospheric release valve 56 connected thereto. A position where the cap portion 52 is provided in the movement direction X is defined as a home position Ph. The home position Ph is preferably set closer to the first end E1 in the movement direction X than the wiping position Pw.

  The control unit 100 is electrically connected to each component such as the carriage motor 23, the transport motor 32, the wiping motor 45, the cap unit 52, the decompression mechanism 54, and the air release valve 56. The control unit 100 controls each component based on signals output from the operation unit 16 and the medium detection unit 25. For example, the control unit 100 performs movement control of the liquid ejecting unit 22 by performing drive control of the carriage motor 23.

  A maintenance member 61 that performs maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit 22 by coming into contact with the liquid ejecting unit 22 is detachably mounted on the support base 19. In the support base 19, a region corresponding to the opening 12 a of the housing 12 (a region overlapping with the opening 12 a indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 2) is a mounting region where the maintenance member 61 can be mounted. FIG. 2 illustrates a state where a plurality (two) of maintenance members 61 are mounted in the mounting area, but the number of maintenance members 61 mounted in the mounting area can be arbitrarily changed.

  In the present embodiment, the positions at which the two maintenance members 61 are mounted are denoted as a first mounting position P1 and a second mounting position P2 in order from the first end E1. In the mounting region, the maintenance member that is mounted closest to the first end E1 is referred to as a first maintenance member 61, and the maintenance member that is mounted closer to the second end E2 than the first maintenance member is the second maintenance member. The maintenance member 61 is used. The maintenance member 61 includes a base portion 62 and a wiping member 63 fixed to one surface (for example, the upper surface) of the base portion 62. The wiping member 63 is preferably formed of an elastically deformable member, and more preferably formed of a porous material that can absorb liquid, such as a sponge.

Next, the operation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 will be described.
When there is a print instruction from the user through the operation unit 16 or the like, the control unit 100 drives the transport motor 32 for a predetermined time to transport the medium S, and drives the carriage motor 23 to move the liquid ejecting unit 22 in the moving region. The printing process of ejecting droplets onto the medium S on the support table 19 is alternately performed while reciprocating.

  When executing such a printing process, the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 at a constant speed in the liquid ejecting region Aj, while decelerating, changing direction, and accelerating the liquid ejecting unit 22 in the regions Am and Ar. That is, the regions Am and Ar are also regions for changing the direction of the liquid ejecting unit 22 that reciprocates. Note that the control unit 100 preferably performs the transport process of the medium S while the liquid ejecting unit 22 is changing the direction in the region Am or the region Ar.

  When the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 does not perform printing or when the power is turned off, the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 to the home position Ph. In addition, the control unit 100 causes the cap unit 52 to eject the liquid so that the space where the nozzle 24 is opened is closed by moving the cap unit 52 relative to the liquid ejecting unit 22 stopped at the home position Ph. Contact the part 22.

  The formation of a closed space in which the nozzle 24 is opened by the cap portion 52 is called capping. When the control unit 100 closes the atmosphere release valve 56 during capping, the space where the nozzle 24 opens is partitioned from the external space, so that drying of the nozzle 24 is suppressed. In addition, when the nozzle 24 is dried, there is a possibility of causing a droplet ejection failure due to clogging. Therefore, it can be said that the capping is one of maintenance operations for preventing the ejection failure of the liquid ejecting unit 22. The home position Ph at which the liquid ejecting unit 22 starts moving in the forward direction is preferably a position where the cap unit 52 for suppressing the drying of the nozzle 24 is provided.

  Further, when the control unit 100 drives the pressure reducing mechanism 54 with the cap unit 52 capped and the air release valve 56 closed, the closed space is depressurized and becomes negative pressure. The liquid flows out from 24. Thus, forcibly letting the liquid flow out of the nozzle 24 by negative pressure is called suction cleaning. Suction cleaning is one of the maintenance operations performed to eliminate the ejection failure when the ejection failure of the droplet occurs due to the nozzle 24 being clogged or the like.

  Further, maintenance operations that can be performed to eliminate or prevent ejection failure of the liquid ejecting unit 22 include wiping that wipes the liquid ejecting unit 22 with the wiper 42, and liquid droplets that the liquid ejecting unit 22 is directed toward the cap unit 52. There are flashing that injects. Note that after the flushing is performed, the control unit 100 performs idle suction for driving the pressure reducing mechanism 54 in a state where the capping is released, thereby discharging the liquid accumulated in the cap unit 52.

  The wiping is executed in order to wipe off foreign matter such as mist generated by jetting droplets or dust or paper dust scattered by transporting the medium S on the opening surface 22a. In some cases, it may be executed to wipe off the liquid adhering to the opening surface 22a after the suction cleaning. The flushing may be executed to discharge minute bubbles or foreign matters mixed in the vicinity of the nozzle 24, or may be executed to adjust the meniscus of the liquid formed in the nozzle 24.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the wiper 42 is disposed at a position where the tip of the liquid ejecting unit 22 stopped at the wiping position Pw overlaps in the gravity direction Z. When the control unit 100 drives the wiping motor 45 to rotate in the first rotational direction, the wiper 42 contacts the opening surface 22a of the liquid ejecting unit 22 where the nozzle 24 opens while moving in the first direction + Y together with the holding body 43. To do. Then, foreign matters such as liquid, dust, and paper powder attached to the opening surface 22a are scraped off by the wiper 42 that is in sliding contact with the opening surface 22a while being elastically deformed.

  When the wiper 42 moves in the first direction + Y and moves away from the liquid ejecting unit 22, the wiping is finished. When the wiping is completed, after the liquid ejecting unit 22 has moved from the wiping position Pw, the control unit 100 drives the wiping motor 45 to rotate in the second rotation direction that is opposite to the first rotation direction. Then, the wiper 42 moves in the second direction −Y and returns to the original position. When wiping is performed, the wiper 42 may push foreign substances such as bubbles into the nozzle 24 or disturb the meniscus of the nozzle 24 in some cases. For this reason, after wiping is performed, it is preferable to perform flushing to discharge foreign matter from the nozzle 24 and to adjust the meniscus.

  By the way, at the time of wiping, the tip of the wiper 42 that moves in the first direction + Y comes into contact with the side surface 22b that intersects the opening surface 22a of the liquid ejecting unit 22, so that the wiper 42 was scraped from the opening surface 22a during the previous wiping. Foreign matter or the like may adhere to the side surface 22b. As described above, when the liquid ejecting unit 22 is contaminated due to foreign matter adhering to the side surface 22b, the maintenance member 61 is mounted on the support base 19, and the maintenance (wiping off) of the liquid ejecting unit 22 by the maintenance member 61 is performed. Cleaning).

  The maintenance by the maintenance member 61 is performed when dirt (foreign matter) adhering to the wiper 42 at the previous wiping reattaches to the opening surface 22a at the next wiping or when dirt that cannot be removed by the wiper 42 is opened. It can also be carried out to remove these stains when remaining on the surface 22a.

  In the present embodiment, the maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit 22 using the maintenance member 61 that is detachably attached to the support base 19 is referred to as a first maintenance. On the other hand, maintenance such as capping, suction cleaning, flushing or wiping performed in the maintenance unit 20 fixedly arranged in the area Am is referred to as second maintenance.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the wiping member 63 of the maintenance member 61 has a first cleaning part 63a whose movement direction X is the longitudinal direction when the wiping member 63 is attached to the attachment region, and the first cleaning part 63a to the first cleaning part 63a. It is preferable to include a plurality of (four in this embodiment) second cleaning parts 63b extending in one direction + Y. The first cleaning unit 63a is disposed so as to come into contact with the side surface 22b of the liquid ejecting unit 22 when the liquid ejecting unit 22 passes through the mounting region. In addition, the second cleaning unit 63b is disposed so as to come into contact with the opening surface 22a of the liquid ejecting unit 22 when the liquid ejecting unit 22 passes through the mounting region. When a plurality of second cleaning parts 63b are arranged, it is preferable to arrange the second cleaning parts 63b with a gap in the movement direction X.

  In the case where the wiper 42 shown in FIG. 3 moves in the second direction −Y and performs the wiping while contacting the liquid ejecting unit 22, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4, the side surface of the liquid ejecting unit 22. You may add the 3rd cleaning part 63c for cleaning the side surface on the opposite side to 22b to the wiping member 63. FIG.

Next, the first maintenance by the maintenance member 61 will be described.
When performing the first maintenance, first, in order to mount the maintenance member 61 on the support base 19, the user presses the button 16 a provided on the operation unit 16 to release the lock of the opening / closing cover 15.

  The control unit 100 detects whether the medium S is on the support base 19 by moving the carriage 21 and performing detection by the medium detection unit 25 before releasing the lock of the opening / closing cover 15. It is preferable. When it is detected that the medium S is present on the support base 19, the medium S may be rewound onto the holding unit 13. Further, it is preferable that the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 to a position that does not overlap the mounting region of the support base 19 before unlocking the opening / closing cover 15.

  When the lock of the opening / closing cover 15 is released, the user opens the opening / closing cover 15 and mounts the maintenance member 61 in the mounting area of the support base 19 (that is, the area accessible by the opening operation of the opening / closing cover 15). . When the user completes the mounting of the one or more maintenance members 61 and closes the opening / closing cover 15, the control unit 100 locks the opening / closing cover 15.

  Thereafter, the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 in the movement direction X to bring the liquid ejecting unit 22 into contact with the maintenance member 61. Further, when the first maintenance by the maintenance member 61 is completed by contacting the liquid ejecting unit 22, the liquid ejecting unit 22 is moved to the home position Ph.

  When the second cleaning unit 63b comes into contact with the opening surface 22a of the liquid ejecting unit 22 in the first maintenance, the maintenance member 61 pushes foreign matters such as bubbles into the nozzle 24, or the meniscus in the nozzle 24 is disturbed. There are times when it falls. For this reason, after the first maintenance is performed, it is preferable to perform second maintenance including flushing to discharge foreign matter from the nozzle 24 and to prepare the meniscus.

  By the way, when the printing process is not performed, the liquid ejecting unit 22 is stopped at the home position Ph provided on the first end E1 side of the moving region. That is, when the printing process, the first maintenance process, and the like are finished, the liquid ejecting unit 22 returns to the home position Ph and waits in a capped state in order to suppress drying of the nozzle 24.

  Here, for the first maintenance, when the liquid ejecting portion 22 at the home position Ph comes into contact with the maintenance member 61 at the liquid ejecting area Aj and returns to the home position Ph, first, the first moving direction + X After moving in the forward direction and passing through the mounting area, the direction is changed to return in the second movement direction -X and pass through the mounting area again. Then, when the liquid ejecting unit 22 moves in the backward direction, the wiping member 63 with the dirt wiped from the liquid ejecting unit 22 in the forward traveling is brought into contact with the dirt. There is a risk of it.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, prior to the installation of the maintenance member 61, the control unit 100 ejects the liquid toward the start position Ps (see FIG. 2) closer to the second end E2 than the mounting region where the maintenance member 61 is mounted. The unit 22 is moved in the first movement direction + X. As shown in FIG. 2, the start position Ps can be set, for example, in an area Ar that is closer to the second end E2 than the liquid ejection area Aj.

  When the maintenance member 61 is attached to the attachment region, the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 from the start position Ps in the second movement direction −X to pass through the attachment region, thereby maintaining the maintenance member 61. And the liquid ejecting unit 22 are brought into contact with each other.

  In this way, by making the number of times that the liquid ejecting unit 22 contacts the maintenance member 61 only once, contamination of the liquid ejecting unit 22 is avoided. However, when the dirt adheres to the liquid ejecting unit 22, the dirt may not be sufficiently removed by one contact with the maintenance member 61.

  When there is such a possibility, it is preferable to mount a plurality of maintenance members 61 along the movement direction X in the mounting region. Then, the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 from the start position Ps in the second movement direction −X, so that the liquid ejecting unit 22 comes into contact with the plurality of maintenance members 61. It is possible to remove the dirt by wiping the liquid ejecting portion 22 a plurality of times even once.

  Further, when the first maintenance member 61 and the second maintenance member 61 are mounted in the mounting region, the liquid ejecting unit 22 is moved back and forth so that the control unit 100 comes into contact with the second maintenance member 61, and then the liquid ejection The part 22 may be moved in the second movement direction −X and brought into contact with the first maintenance member 61.

  In this way, the second maintenance member 61 and the liquid ejecting unit 22 are brought into contact with each other a plurality of times to remove dirt adhered to the liquid ejecting unit 22 and the first maintenance member 61 is used to finish and wipe the liquid ejecting unit 22. can do. That is, even if the second maintenance member 61 comes into contact with the liquid ejecting unit 22 a plurality of times and the dirt again adheres to the liquid ejecting unit 22, the dirt can be wiped off by the first maintenance member 61.

  When three or more maintenance members 61 are mounted in the mounting region, the first maintenance member 61 that is closest to the home position Ph and the liquid ejecting unit 22 can be contacted once. The number of times of contact between the plurality of maintenance members 61 located closer to the second end E2 than the one maintenance member 61 and the liquid ejecting unit 22 may be arbitrarily changed.

  For example, the three maintenance members 61 mounted in the mounting region are referred to as a first maintenance member 61, a second maintenance member 61, and a third maintenance member 61, respectively, in order from the first end E1. Then, after the liquid ejecting section 22 has moved in the second movement direction −X from the start position Ps and once contacted with the third maintenance member 61 located closest to the start position Ps, the second maintenance member is moved back and forth. 61 may be contacted a plurality of times, and finally moved in the second moving direction −X to contact the first maintenance member 61 once.

  In this case, most of the dirt adhering to the liquid ejecting unit 22 adheres to the third maintenance member 61 that comes into contact first, and therefore, if the third maintenance member 61 is contacted a plurality of times, the liquid ejecting unit 22 is again contaminated. Easy to adhere. For this reason, if the number of times of contact with the third maintenance member 61 located closest to the start position Ps is set to one, it is possible to suppress the reattachment of dirt to the liquid ejecting unit 22. Then, after removing most of the dirt with the third maintenance member 61, the dirt fixed by the multiple wiping by the second maintenance member 61 is firmly removed, and finally the dirt reattached with the first maintenance member 61 is wiped off. be able to.

  In addition, after cleaning of the liquid ejecting unit 22 by the maintenance member 61 is completed and the liquid ejecting unit 22 returns to the home position Ph, it is preferable to notify the user to remove the maintenance member 61 from the support base 19. . When the user presses the button 16a in response to the notification, the lock of the opening / closing cover 15 is released, so that the user can open the opening / closing cover 15 and remove the maintenance member 61 from the support base 19.

  When the user removes the maintenance member 61 and closes the opening / closing cover 15, the control unit 100 locks the opening / closing cover 15. Thereafter, the liquid ejecting unit 22 may be moved so as to pass through the mounting region, and the presence or absence of the maintenance member 61 may be detected by the medium detecting unit 25.

  In this way, when the medium detection unit 25 detects the light reflected by the maintenance member 61, it is possible to detect that the maintenance member 61 is forgotten and notify the user accordingly. In the case where the maintenance member 61 is detected by the medium detection unit 25, the medium detection unit 25 may be disposed at a position that does not come into contact with the maintenance member 61 when the carriage 21 moves. In addition, a reflection portion having a light reflectance different from that of the medium S and the support base 19 is provided on the base portion 62 of the maintenance member 61, and the medium detection unit 25 emits light toward the reflection portion. It is good to leave.

  Alternatively, when the moving liquid ejecting unit 22 comes into contact with the maintenance member 61, the load on the carriage motor 23 is increased. Therefore, a change in the driving load of the carriage motor 23 when the liquid ejecting unit 22 moves is detected, and the maintenance member is detected. The presence or absence of 61 may be detected.

  Next, a maintenance process executed by the control unit 100 when performing the second maintenance by the maintenance unit 20 after mounting the two maintenance members 61 in the mounting region and performing the first maintenance will be described.

  First, in order to mount the maintenance member 61 on the support base 19, when the user presses the button 16a provided on the operation unit 16, the control unit 100 starts the process shown in FIG.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 home toward the start position Ps closer to the second end E2 than the liquid ejecting region Aj as step S11. Move from the position Ph in the first movement direction + X (movement process).

  After the movement of the liquid ejecting unit 22 to the start position Ps is completed, the control unit 100 preferably releases the lock of the opening / closing cover 15 and notifies the user that the maintenance member 61 should be mounted in the mounting region. . In this way, the user can open the opening / closing cover 15 and attach the maintenance member 61 to the support base 19 exposed through the opening 12a.

  In addition, when the installation of the maintenance member 61 is completed, the control unit 100 preferably notifies the user to instruct the start of the first maintenance after closing the opening / closing cover 15. In this way, the user can instruct the start of the first maintenance at an appropriate timing by operating the operation unit 16 or the like according to the notification.

  As step S12, the control unit 100 determines whether or not there is an instruction from the user to start the first maintenance (determination step). For example, when the control unit 100 determines that there is a start instruction through the operation of the operation unit 16 (step S12 = Yes), the control unit 100 proceeds to step S13. On the other hand, when the control unit 100 determines in step S12 that there is no start instruction (step S12 = No), the determination in step S12 is repeated. That is, if the user instructs the start of the first maintenance when the installation of the maintenance member 61 is completed, the liquid ejection region Aj is determined by determining whether or not there is an instruction to start the first maintenance. It can be determined whether or not the maintenance member 61 is attached.

  In step S13, the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 from the start position Ps to the second turning position R1 set between the first mounting position P1 and the second mounting position P2 in the movement direction X. Move in the moving direction -X. At this time, the liquid ejecting unit 22 contacts the second maintenance member 61 through the first mounting position P1.

  Subsequently, as step S <b> 14, the control unit 100 reciprocates the liquid ejecting unit 22 so as to come into contact with the second maintenance member 61. For example, the forward movement to the second folding position R2 between the second folding position R2 set between the start position Ps and the second mounting position P2 in the movement direction X and the first folding position R1, The return path movement to the first return position R1 is alternately performed once or a plurality of times.

  Next, as Step S <b> 15, the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 in the second movement direction −X from the first folding position R <b> 1 toward the home position Ph. At this time, the liquid ejecting portion 22 passes through the first mounting position P1 and contacts the first maintenance member 61 (first maintenance step). Since the last return path movement from the second folding position R2 to the first folding position R1 in step S14 and the movement from the first folding position R1 to the home position Ph in step S15 have the same movement direction, The liquid ejecting unit 22 may be continuously moved from the second folding position R2 to the home position Ph.

  In step S16, the control unit 100 performs capping by the cap unit 52 and closes the air release valve 56, and then drives the decompression mechanism 54 for a predetermined time to execute suction cleaning. Further, the control unit 100 stops the driving of the decompression mechanism 54 and then opens the atmosphere release valve 56 to release the closed space where the nozzle 24 is opened to the atmosphere. Thereafter, the control unit 100 moves the cap unit 52 in a direction away from the liquid ejecting unit 22 to release capping.

  Furthermore, as step S17, the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 from the home position Ph to the wiping position Pw. In step S18, the control unit 100 drives the wiping motor 45 to wipe the liquid ejecting unit 22 at the wiping position Pw with the wiper 42.

  When the wiping is completed, in step S19, the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 from the wiping position Pw to the home position Ph. In step S20, the control unit 100 executes flushing for ejecting liquid droplets from the liquid ejecting unit 22 toward the cap unit 52 (second maintenance step), and ends the process.

  As described above, after performing the first maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit 22 by the maintenance member 61 in steps S13 to S15, the second maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit 22 by the maintenance unit 20 is performed in steps S16 to S20. Note that steps S16 to S19 may be omitted and only flushing may be performed as the second maintenance, or step S16 may be omitted and wiping and flushing may be performed as the second maintenance.

  Note that it is preferable that the control unit 100 perform capping by the cap unit 52 when the process (for example, printing process) accompanying the movement of the liquid ejecting unit 22 is not performed after the flushing. In addition, after the first maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit 22 by the maintenance member 61, suction cleaning, wiping, and flushing may be omitted, and capping may be performed as the second maintenance.

Next, the operation of the liquid ejecting apparatus 11 configured as described above will be described.
When the liquid ejecting portion 22 moves in the moving direction X and contacts the maintenance member 61, the first cleaning portion 63a wipes the side surface 22b and the second cleaning portion 63b wipes the opening surface 22a.

  At this time, the first cleaning portion 63a and the second cleaning portion 63b are slidably contacted with the side surface 22b and the opening surface 22a, respectively, while being elastically deformed, so that the dirt attached to the side surface 22b and the opening surface 22a is scraped off. Further, when the liquid adheres to the side surface 22b and the opening surface 22a, the first cleaning unit 63a and the second cleaning unit 63b absorb the liquid adhering to the liquid ejecting unit 22.

  In addition, by disposing a plurality of second cleaning parts 63b with a gap in the movement direction X, it is possible to wipe the liquid ejecting part 22 with a plurality of second cleaning parts 63b. In particular, when the opening surface 22a is cleaned by the second cleaning portion 63b, the corner portion where the upper surface and the side surface intersect each other has a higher cleaning ability than the upper surface portion of the second cleaning portion 63b. In that respect, if a plurality of second cleaning parts 63b are provided, the number of times that the liquid ejecting part 22 contacts the corner part of the second cleaning part 63b increases, so that dirt can be more efficiently removed.

  In this way, in addition to wiping the liquid ejecting unit 22 in the first direction + Y with the wiper 42, by wiping the liquid ejecting unit 22 in the moving direction X intersecting the first direction + Y with the maintenance member 61, more Many foreign substances can be removed from the liquid ejecting unit 22.

  Note that the liquid ejecting unit 22 first comes into contact with the wiping member 63 when the liquid ejecting unit 22 moves in the second movement direction −X, and therefore, the wiping member 63 is closer to the wiping member 63 than the side surface on the first end E1 side. More dirt adheres to the side surface on the second end E2 side. For example, in the case of wiping with the second maintenance member 61, when the liquid ejecting unit 22 makes a first contact with the second maintenance member 61 while moving in the second movement direction −X in step S <b> 13, Most of the adhered dirt adheres to the side surface of the wiping member 63 constituting the second maintenance member 61 on the second end E2 side.

  Therefore, when the liquid ejecting unit 22 moves forward in the first movement direction + X in step S14 and passes the side surface on the second end E2 side of the wiping member 63, the dirt adhering to the same side surface adheres to the liquid ejecting unit 22. It's easy to do. In particular, the liquid component adhering to the liquid ejecting unit 22 is absorbed by the wiping member 63, but solid components contained in dirt such as a solute component and dust of thickened ink tend to remain on the side surface of the wiping member 63. For this reason, when the liquid ejecting unit 22 passes the side surface of the wiping member 63 on the second end E2 side a plurality of times, the dirt easily adheres to the liquid ejecting unit 22 again.

  In this regard, the liquid ejecting unit 22 that has contacted the second maintenance member 61 a plurality of times in step S14 contacts the first maintenance member 61 only once while moving in the second movement direction −X in the subsequent step S15, and the home position. Since it returns to Ph, the dirt which reattached to the liquid injection part 22 in the 2nd mounting position P2 can be wiped off with the unused 1st maintenance member 61. FIG.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the maintenance member 61 is mounted before the liquid ejecting unit 22 starts the forward movement, the maintenance member 61 that has become dirty due to contact with the liquid ejecting unit 22 during the forward movement is moved to the liquid ejecting unit 22 that moves backward. There is a possibility that the liquid ejecting unit 22 may be contaminated again by contact. In that regard, according to the above-described embodiment, the liquid ejecting unit 22 moves first toward the start position Ps closer to the second end E2 than the mounting region in which the maintenance member 61 is mounted prior to mounting the maintenance member 61. Since the forward movement is performed in the direction + X, the liquid ejecting unit 22 does not contact the maintenance member 61 during the forward movement in the first movement direction + X. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the dirt removed from the liquid ejecting unit 22 from reattaching to the liquid ejecting unit 22.

  (2) Since the control unit 100 moves the liquid ejecting unit 22 in the second movement direction −X from the start position Ps when the maintenance member 61 is mounted in the mounting region, the control unit 100 and the maintenance member 61 in the mounting region The liquid ejecting unit 22 can be maintained by contacting the unit 22.

  (3) By mounting the plurality of maintenance members 61 in the mounting region and moving the liquid ejecting unit 22 in the second movement direction −X, the maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit 22 can be performed by the plurality of maintenance members 61.

  (4) Since the liquid ejecting portion 22 reciprocates and contacts the second maintenance member 61 a plurality of times, the deposits and the like adhered to the liquid ejecting portion 22 can be removed by the second maintenance member 61. Even when the dirt removed by the second maintenance member 61 during the forward movement of the liquid ejecting unit 22 is reattached to the liquid ejecting unit 22 during the backward travel, the liquid ejecting unit 22 subsequently moves in the second movement direction −X. Then, by contacting the first maintenance member 61, the dirt reattached to the liquid ejecting unit 22 can be removed by the first maintenance member 61.

  (5) After the liquid ejecting unit 22 moves in the second moving direction −X and performs the first maintenance by the maintenance member 61, the second maintenance can be performed by the maintenance unit 20 at the moving destination. Maintenance can be performed efficiently.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment like the modification shown below.
-The cap part 52 arrange | positioned in the home position Ph does not necessarily need to be connected to the decompression mechanism 54. For example, a sealing cap part (a cap part provided to suppress drying of the nozzle 24) that is not connected to the decompression mechanism 54, and a suction cap part (a cap part for performing suction cleaning) connected to the decompression mechanism 54 It is good also considering the position where a sealing cap part is provided as the home position Ph. In this case, in the moving region of the liquid ejecting portion 22, the sealing cap portion is disposed at a position closer to the first end E1 than the liquid ejecting region Aj, while being closer to the second end E2 than the liquid ejecting region Aj. A suction cap portion may be provided at the position. Alternatively, the maintenance unit 20 may not include the sealing cap unit and the pressure reducing mechanism 54.

  When this configuration is adopted, it is preferable to arrange a flushing box that can receive the liquid ejected by the liquid ejecting unit 22 at a position closer to the first end E1 than the liquid ejecting region Aj. In this way, after performing the first maintenance in which the liquid ejecting unit 22 moves in the second moving direction −X and contacts the maintenance member 61, the flushing for ejecting droplets to the flushing box is performed in the second maintenance. As can be done. As described above, the components included in the maintenance unit 20 are not necessarily limited to the configurations or combinations described in the above embodiment, and at least the components (such as a sealing cap unit) disposed at the home position Ph of the liquid ejecting unit 22. It only has to be included.

  The support table 19 may not be a plate-shaped table that supports the medium S. For example, in the case where a plurality of support protrusions that support the medium S and a plurality of receiving recesses that receive liquid droplets protruding from the medium S are alternately arranged in the movement direction X in the liquid ejecting area Aj. Alternatively, a member that forms the receiving recess may be used as a support base for mounting the maintenance member 61. Alternatively, a support base for mounting the maintenance member 61 may be provided separately from the support base for supporting the medium S.

  In the area Ar, a flushing box may be arranged at a position corresponding to the start position Ps of the liquid ejecting unit 22. In this way, when the time that the liquid ejecting unit 22 is waiting at the start position Ps for mounting the maintenance member 61 by the user is long, the flushing box is not moved from the start position Ps. Flushing can be performed. By performing flushing in this way, clogging due to drying of the nozzle 24 can be suppressed even when the liquid ejecting unit 22 stands by without being capped.

  -The shape and material of the wiping member 63 can be changed arbitrarily. For example, the wiping member 63 may not be provided with the first cleaning part 63a for wiping the side surface 22b, and may be formed in a plate shape or a sheet shape having a surface that can come into contact with the opening surface 22a, a brush, a nonwoven fabric, or a cloth. The wiping member 63 may be configured by, for example.

  The solution ejected by the liquid ejecting unit 22 is not limited to ink, and may be, for example, a liquid material in which functional material particles are dispersed or mixed in a liquid. For example, the liquid ejecting unit 22 ejects a liquid material that contains materials such as electrode materials and color materials (pixel materials) used for manufacturing liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, and surface-emitting displays in a dispersed or dissolved state. You may make it the structure to carry out.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Liquid injection apparatus, 19 ... Support stand, 20 ... Maintenance part, 22 ... Liquid injection part, 61 ... Maintenance member, 100 ... Control part, S ... Medium, + X ... 1st moving direction, -X ... 2nd moving direction , Aj ... liquid ejection region, E1 ... first end, E2 ... second end, Ps ... start position.

Claims (5)

The movement is performed while alternately performing forward movement in the first movement direction from the first end toward the second end in the movement region and return movement in the second movement direction from the second end toward the first end. A liquid ejecting unit that ejects liquid onto a medium in a liquid ejecting region set in the region;
A support base disposed in the liquid ejection region;
A maintenance unit disposed at a position closer to the first end than the support base in the moving region;
A control unit for controlling the liquid ejecting unit;
With
A maintenance member that performs maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit by contacting the liquid ejecting unit can be attached to the support base.
Prior to mounting the maintenance member, the control unit moves the liquid ejecting unit in the first movement direction toward a start position closer to the second end than a mounting region in which the maintenance member is mounted. A liquid ejecting apparatus.   When the maintenance member is attached to the attachment region, the control unit moves the liquid ejecting unit from the start position in the second movement direction so as to pass through the attachment region. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejecting unit is brought into contact with the liquid ejecting unit. A plurality of the maintenance members can be attached to the attachment region along the second movement direction,
3. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit brings the plurality of maintenance members into contact with the liquid ejecting unit by moving the liquid ejecting unit in the second movement direction. 4. Liquid ejector. In the mounting region, the maintenance member mounted at a position closest to the first end is a first maintenance member, and the maintenance member mounted at a position closer to the second end than the first maintenance member is a first maintenance member. 2 As a maintenance member,
The control unit moves the liquid ejecting unit back and forth so as to come into contact with the second maintenance member, and then moves the liquid ejecting unit in the second moving direction so as to contact the first maintenance member. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3. The movement is performed while alternately performing forward movement in the first movement direction from the first end toward the second end in the movement region and return movement in the second movement direction from the second end toward the first end. A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting unit that ejects liquid onto a medium in a liquid ejecting region set in the region,
A moving step of moving the liquid ejecting portion in the first moving direction;
A determination step of determining whether a maintenance member is attached to the liquid ejection region;
A first maintenance step of moving the liquid ejecting portion in the second movement direction to contact the maintenance member when it is determined that the maintenance member is mounted in the determination step;
A second maintenance step of maintaining the liquid ejecting portion in contact with the maintenance member by a maintenance portion disposed at a position closer to the first end than the liquid ejecting region;
A maintenance method comprising: