Liquid ejection apparatus

Abstract

A printer including a recording head, a flushing box and a movement mechanism is disclosed. The recording head has a nozzle-forming surface in which nozzle openings are defined and ejects a liquid through the nozzle openings. The flushing box has an opening corresponding to the nozzle openings and is capable of receiving the liquid ejected from the nozzle opening as a waste liquid. The movement mechanism moves the flushing box between a receiving position at which the flushing box is capable of receiving the waste liquid and a non-receiving position at which the flushing box is incapable of receiving the waste liquid. The receiving position is a position at which the opening is closely opposed to the nozzle-forming surface, and the non-receiving position is spaced from the receiving position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention, together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing a recording head;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a maintenance unit as viewed from the front right side;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the maintenance unit as viewed from the rear left side;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the maintenance unit;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the interior of the body of the maintenance unit;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing lead screws;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the lead screw and a cylindrical portion of a movable member in a mutually engaged state;

FIG. 9A is a view schematically showing the maintenance unit when a cap member is located at a sealing position;

FIG. 9B is a view schematically showing the maintenance unit when the cap member is being raised or lowered;

FIG. 9C is a view schematically showing the maintenance unit when the cap member is held at a non-sealing position;

FIG. 10 is a view schematically showing the maintenance unit when an all-row wiper member is located at a wiping position;

FIG. 11A is a view schematically showing a main portion of the maintenance unit when a single-row wiper member is located at a wiping position;

FIG. 11B is a view schematically showing a flushing box located at a liquid receiving position;

FIG. 12A is a plan view showing the relative positions of an air exposure valve device and a pressing valve;

FIG. 12B is a front view corresponding to FIG. 12A;

FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13A-13A of FIG. 12A;

FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the pressing valve is retracted from the state of FIG. 13A;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the flushing box;

FIG. 15 is a graph representing the relationship between the rotation amount of the lead screw and the movement distances of the movable members;

FIG. 16A is a view for explaining the position of a flushing box of a modified embodiment when cleaning is performed on a recording head;

FIG. 16B is a view for explaining the position of the flushing box of the modified embodiment when flushing is performed on the recording head;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a flushing box of a modified embodiment as viewed from below;

FIG. 18A is a schematic view showing a case in which a single-row wiper is arranged at a wiping position;

FIG. 18B is a schematic view showing a case in which the flushing box is located at a liquid receiving position;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing a flushing box of another modified embodiment as viewed from below; and

FIG. 20 is a partially exploded cross-sectional view showing a cap member lidded by the flushing box of the embodiment of FIG. 19.

Claims

1. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: a liquid ejection head that has a nozzle-forming surface in which nozzle openings are defined and ejects a liquid through the nozzle openings;a liquid receiver that has an opening corresponding to the nozzle openings and is capable of receiving the liquid ejected from the nozzle opening as a waste liquid; anda movement mechanism that moves the liquid receiver between a receiving position at which the liquid receiver is capable of receiving the waste liquid and a non-receiving position at which the liquid receiver is incapable of receiving the waste liquid, wherein the receiving position is a position at which the opening is closely opposed to the nozzle-forming surface, and wherein the non-receiving position is spaced from the receiving position.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cap member movable between a contacting position at which the cap member is capable of contacting the liquid ejection head and a non-contacting position at which the cap member is incapable of contacting the liquid ejection head, the contacting position being set at a position coinciding with the receiving position, the non-contacting position being a position at which the cap member is spaced from the liquid ejection head, wherein the movement mechanism moves the liquid receiver from the non-receiving position to the receiving position after the cap member is moved from the contacting position to the non-contacting position.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the non-contacting position is set immediately below the receiving position.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when located at the receiving position, the liquid receiver caps the cap member maintained at the non-contacting position from above.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a wiper member movable between a wiping position at which the wiper member is capable of wiping off the liquid from the nozzle-forming surface and a non-wiping position at which the wiper member is incapable of wiping off the liquid, the wiping position being set at a position coinciding with the receiving position, the non-wiping position being spaced from the wiping position, wherein the movement mechanism moves the liquid receiver from the non-receiving position to the receiving position after the wiper member is moved from the wiping position to the non-wiping position.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a carriage that has the liquid ejection head and is capable of reciprocating, wherein the movement mechanism moves the liquid receiver in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the carriage reciprocates.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when located at the non-receiving position, the liquid receiver is maintained in a substantially vertical posture in which an opening of the liquid receiver is oriented laterally.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a posture change inducing portion arranged on a movement path of the liquid receiver between the receiving position and the non-receiving position, wherein the posture of the liquid receiver is changed by contacting the posture change inducing portion when the liquid receiver moves, wherein, when the liquid receiver moves from the receiving position to the non-receiving position, the posture change inducing portion changes the posture of the liquid receiver from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture, and wherein, when the liquid receiver moves from the non-receiving position to the receiving position, the posture change inducing portion changes the posture of the liquid receiver from the vertical posture to the horizontal posture.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a liquid absorber is accommodated in the opening of the liquid receiver.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a liquid drainage line connected to the liquid receiver; anda suction drainage device that draws the liquid from the liquid receiver and drains the liquid through the liquid drainage line.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movement mechanism includes a drive force transmitting member that operates at a constant position in a range between the receiving position and the non-receiving position when a drive force is generated, and a movable member that moves in the range between the receiving position and the non-receiving position through operation of the drive force transmitting member, and wherein the liquid receiver is capable of operating in association with the movable member in such a manner as to move between the receiving position and the non-receiving position in association with the movable member.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the movable member includes a cap member or a wiper member, wherein the cap member is movable between a contacting position at which the cap member is capable of contacting the liquid ejection head and a non-contacting position at which the cap member is incapable of contacting the liquid ejection head, the contacting position being set at a position coinciding with the receiving position, the non-contacting position being a position at which the cap member is spaced from the liquid ejection head, andwherein the wiper member is movable between a wiping position at which the wiper member is capable of wiping off a liquid from the nozzle-forming surface and a non-wiping position at which the wiper member is incapable of wiping off the liquid, the wiping position being set at a position coinciding with the receiving position, the non-wiping position being spaced from the wiping position.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the drive force transmitting member is a lead member that is shaped like an elongated bar and has a threaded portion formed in an outer circumferential surface of the lead member, the lead member rotating about the axis of the lead member when the drive force is generated, and wherein the movable member has an engagement portion that becomes engaged with the threaded portion, the movable member moving in the axial direction of the lead member through guiding of the engagement portion by the threaded portion when the lead member rotates.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the threaded portion has a first threaded portion and a second threaded portion, and wherein the pitch of the first threaded portion is smaller than the pitch of the second threaded portion.