Liquid ejection apparatus and maintenance method for liquid ejection head

Abstract

The liquid ejection apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head having a nozzle forming surface formed with nozzles from which a first liquid is ejected; a wiping processing device which carries out a wiping process of the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejection head; and a movement device which causes relative movement between the liquid ejection head and the wiping processing device, wherein the wiping processing device includes: a wiping member which wipes the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejection head; and a second liquid supply device which supplies a second liquid which has undergone a deaeration process, to a vicinity of a contact region between the wiping member and the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejection head, on a side of forward travel of the wiping member, in the wiping process.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The nature of this invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will be explained in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a general schematic drawing of an inkjet recording apparatus relating to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the principal part of the peripheral printing region of the inkjet recording apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A to 3C are plan view perspective diagrams showing embodiments of the composition of a print head;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional views along line IV A-IV A in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional diagram showing a further mode of the structure shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is an approximate diagram showing the composition of an ink supply unit and a deaerated liquid supply unit of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram describing a wiping process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a principal block diagram showing a system composition of the inkjet recording apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a schematic drawing showing a modification of the deaerated liquid supply unit shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram describing a wiping process according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic drawing showing the composition of a deaerated liquid supply unit according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a schematic drawing showing a modification of the deaerated liquid supply unit shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram describing a wiping process according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a sequence of wiping control according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 14A to 14C are diagrams showing modifications of the blade shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a further modification of the blade shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing yet a further modification of the blade shown in FIG. 5;

FIGS. 17A and 17B are conceptual diagrams showing the approximate composition of a blade movement mechanism relating to an adaptation embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 18A and 18B are conceptual diagrams for illustrating control for switching the wiping direction; and

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a sequence of the wiping direction switching control shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B.

Claims

1. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: a liquid ejection head having a nozzle forming surface formed with nozzles from which a first liquid is ejected;a wiping processing device which carries out a wiping process of the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejection head; anda movement device which causes relative movement between the liquid ejection head and the wiping processing device,wherein the wiping processing device includes: a wiping member which wipes the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejection head; and a second liquid supply device which supplies a second liquid which has undergone a deaeration process, to a vicinity of a contact region between the wiping member and the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejection head, on a side of forward travel of the wiping member, in the wiping process.

2. The liquid ejection apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising: a recovery device which recovers the second liquid which has been supplied to the vicinity of the contact region between the wiping member and the nozzle forming surface;a deaeration device which carries out a deaeration process of the second liquid which has been recovered by the recovery device; anda liquid feeding device which sends the second liquid which has undergone the deaeration process by the deaeration device, to the second liquid supply device.

3. The liquid ejection apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising: pressure chambers which are connected to the nozzles and accommodate the first liquid that is to be ejected from the nozzles;pressurization devices which pressurize the first liquid in the pressure chambers;a drive signal application device which applies drive signals to the pressurization devices; anda control device which controls the drive signal application device in the wiping process so as to apply the drive signals to the pressurization devices, in such a manner that the first liquid in the pressure chambers is pressurized by the pressurization devices so as not to eject the first liquid from the nozzles.

4. The liquid ejection apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the wiping member has a structure in which the second liquid is supplied to the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejection head.

5. The liquid ejection apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the wiping member includes a regulation member which regulates a volume of the second liquid supplied to the vicinity of the contact region between the wiping member and the nozzle forming surface.

6. The liquid ejection apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising: a position determination device which determines a position of the wiping processing device;an ejection abnormality nozzle determination device which determines, of the nozzles, a nozzle suffering an ejection abnormality; anda control device which controls the wiping processing device and the movement device in such a manner that the wiping process is carried out by the wiping processing device with respect to the nozzle suffering the ejection abnormality determined by the ejection abnormality nozzle determination device.

7. The liquid ejection apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein: the liquid ejection head is a line head which corresponds to a width of an ejection receiving medium which receives the first liquid ejected from the liquid ejection head;the wiping member is disposed in an oblique direction forming an angle of α (where 0°<α<90°) with respect to a breadthwise direction of the liquid ejection head, in the wiping process;the movement device is capable of switching a direction of the relative movement between the liquid ejection head and the wiping processing device, between the breadthwise direction of the liquid ejection head and a lengthwise direction of the liquid ejection head; andthe control device controls the wiping processing device and the movement device in such a manner that the direction of the relative movement between the liquid ejection head and the wiping processing device is selectively switched.

8. A maintenance method for a liquid ejection head having a nozzle forming surface formed with nozzles from which a first liquid is ejected, the maintenance method including the steps of: disposing a wiping processing device including a wiping member, at a prescribed position; andcausing relative movement between the liquid ejection head and the wiping processing device in such a manner that a wiping process in which the wiping member wipes the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejection head is carried out, while a second liquid which has undergone a deaeration process is supplied to a vicinity of a contact region between the wiping member and the nozzle forming surface of the liquid ejection head.