Liquid ejection apparatus and maintenance method of liquid ejection head

Abstract

A liquid ejection apparatus includes a plurality of liquid ejection heads, a plurality of elastic wiper blades for rubbing the nozzle formed surfaces of the liquid ejection heads, a blade cleaner for removing liquid adhered to the wiper blade, a cleaning unit for removing liquid adhered to the wiper blades, a wiper blade moving unit for respectively and independently moving the plurality of wiper blades between a rubbing position and a retreating position, and a control unit that controls the wiper blade moving unit so that the cleaning unit can make the blade cleaner and the moved wiper blades rub with each other. Herein, it is possible to maintain cleaning performance, preventing contamination of a wiper blade caused by liquid splashed from a neighboring wiper blade.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the inner structure of an inkjet printer, which is an example of a liquid ejection apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a base table;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a maintenance section;

FIG. 5 a is a diagram showing a state where a wiper blade is oscillated to a rubbing position;

FIG. 5 b is a diagram showing a state where the wiper blade is oscillated to a retreating position;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control structure related to maintenance; and

FIGS. 7 a to 10b are diagrams showing wiping operation.

Claims

1. A liquid ejection apparatus, comprising: a plurality of liquid ejection heads each of which ejects a liquid droplet from a nozzle;a plurality of elastic wiper blades each of which contacts a nozzle formed surface of the corresponding liquid ejection head and moves in substantially parallel and relatively to the nozzle formed surface of the liquid ejection head so as to rub the nozzle formed surface;a blade cleaner for removing liquid adhered to the wiper blades;a cleaning unit for removing liquid adhered to the wiper blades by relatively moving the wiper blades and blade cleaner to be rubbed with each other;a wiper blade moving unit for respectively and independently moving the plurality of wiper blades between a rubbing position where the wiper blades can rub the nozzle formed surfaces of the respective liquid ejection heads and a retreating position where the wiper blades do not contact the respective liquid ejection heads; anda control unit that controls the wiper blade moving unit such that, after the control unit has moved a wiper blade selecting from the plurality of wiper blades to the rubbing position and rubbed the nozzle formed surface of the corresponding liquid ejection head with the wiper blade, the control unit moves at least one other wiper blade in addition to the selected wiper blade, to the rubbing position so that the cleaning unit can make the blade cleaner and the moved wiper blades rub with each other.

2. The liquid ejection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wiper blade moving unit comprises: first moving units for moving the respective wiper blades to the rubbing position; andsecond moving units for moving the respective wiper blades to the retreating position;and wherein the second moving units independently move the respective wiper blades to the retreating position when wiping is not performed with the respective wiper blades.

3. The liquid ejection apparatus of claim 2, wherein each first moving unit comprises a solenoid;wherein each second moving unit comprises a tension spring;and wherein current is not applied to the solenoid when wiping is not performed so that a pulling force of the tension spring sets the wiper blade at the retreating position.

4. The liquid ejection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wiper blade moving unit inclines the plurality of wiper blades so as to move the wiper blades from the rubbing position to the retreating position where the wiper blades do not contact the liquid ejection heads.

5. The liquid ejection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wiper blade moving unit comprises a restricting unit that restricts the wiper blades to incline in the same direction as the direction of rubbing the respective nozzle formed surfaces when the wiper moving unit is to move the wiper blades to the retreating position, and restricts the wiper blades to incline in a direction opposite to the direction of rubbing the respective nozzle formed surfaces when the nozzle formed surfaces are to be rubbed with the wiper blades.

6. The liquid ejection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit relatively and reciprocally moves the wiper blades and blade cleaner.

7. The liquid ejection apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit moves at least one wiper blade neighboring the selected wiper blade in addition to the selected wiper blade, to the rubbing position.

8. A maintenance method of liquid ejection heads of a liquid ejection apparatus having a plurality of liquid ejection heads, a plurality of corresponding elastic wiper blades, and a wiper cleaner for cleaning the wiper blades, comprising the steps of: moving a first wiper blade of which a corresponding liquid ejection head having ejected a liquid droplet from a nozzle with a selection from the plurality of wiper blades, from a retreating position where the wiper blades do not contact nozzle formed surfaces of the corresponding liquid ejection heads to a rubbing position where the wiper blades can rub the nozzle formed surfaces, thereby making the first wiper blade contact the nozzle formed surface, and moving the first wiper blade in substantially parallel and relatively to the nozzle formed surface so as to rub the nozzle formed surface with the first wiper blade;independently moving at least one wiper blade other than the first selected wiper blade of the plurality of wiper blades from the retreating position to the rubbing position, after the rubbing of the nozzle formed surface of the liquid ejection head with the first selected wiper blade; andremoving liquid adhered to the wiper blades having been moved to the rubbing position, by relatively moving the wiper blades and the blade cleaner to be rubbed with each other.

9. The maintenance method of liquid ejection heads of claim 8, wherein the liquid ejection apparatus includes first moving units for moving the respective wiper blades to the rubbing position and second moving units for moving the respective wiper blades to the retreating position;and wherein the second moving units independently move the respective wiper blades to the retreating position when wiping is not performed with the respective wiping blades.

10. The maintenance method of liquid ejection heads of claim 9, wherein each first moving unit includes a solenoid, and each second moving unit includes a tension spring;and wherein current is not applied to the solenoid when wiping is not performed so that a pulling force of the tension spring sets the wiper blade at the retreating position.

11. The maintenance method of liquid ejection heads of claim 8, wherein the wiper blade moving unit inclines the plurality of wiper blades so at to move the wiper blades from the rubbing position to the retreating position where the wiper blades do not contact the liquid ejection heads.

12. The maintenance method of liquid ejection heads of claim 8, wherein the method restricts the wiper blades to incline in the same direction as the direction of rubbing the respective nozzle formed surfaces when the wiper blades are to be moved to the retreating position, and restricts the wiper blades to incline in a direction opposite to the direction of rubbing the respective nozzle formed surfaces when the nozzle formed surfaces are to be rubbed with the wiper blades.

13. The maintenance method of liquid ejection heads of claim 8, wherein the wiper blades and the blade cleaner are moved relatively and reciprocally.

14. The maintenance method of liquid ejection heads of claim 8, wherein at least one wiper blade neighboring the selected first wiper blade is moved to the rubbing position in the independently moving step.