Liquid ejection apparatus

Abstract

A liquid ejection apparatus including a liquid ejection head, a liquid receiver, a liquid receiver movement mechanism, and a lid body is provided. The liquid ejection head has a nozzle surface. The nozzle surface includes a nozzle opening. The liquid ejection head ejects a liquid from the nozzle surface. The liquid receiver has an opening provided in correspondence with the nozzle surface of the liquid ejection head. The liquid receiver is capable of receiving the liquid ejected as a waste liquid from the nozzle opening of the liquid ejection head through the opening of the liquid receiver. The liquid receiver movement mechanism moves the liquid receiver between a receiving position at which the opening of the liquid receiver opposes the nozzle surface of the liquid ejection head and a non-receiving position spaced from the receiving position. The lid body is arranged at the non-receiving position. The lid body contacts the liquid receiver in such a manner as to close the opening of the liquid receiver after the liquid receiver is moved to the non-receiving position by the liquid receiver movement mechanism.

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 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 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 13-13A 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; and

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

Claims

1. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: a liquid ejection head having a nozzle surface, the nozzle surface including a nozzle opening, the liquid ejection head ejecting a liquid from the nozzle surface;a liquid receiver having an opening provided in correspondence with the nozzle surface of the liquid ejection head, the liquid receiver being capable of receiving the liquid ejected as a waste liquid from the nozzle opening of the liquid ejection head through the opening of the liquid receiver;a liquid receiver movement mechanism that moves the liquid receiver between a receiving position at which the opening of the liquid receiver opposes the nozzle surface of the liquid ejection head and a non-receiving position spaced from the receiving position; anda lid body arranged at the non-receiving position, the lid body contacting the liquid receiver in such a manner as to close the opening of the liquid receiver after the liquid receiver is moved to the non-receiving position by the liquid receiver movement mechanism.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a carriage that reciprocates, the liquid ejection head being mounted in the carriage, the liquid receiver movement mechanism moving the liquid receiver in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the carriage reciprocates.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when located at the non-receiving position, the liquid receiver is held in a substantially vertical posture with the opening of the liquid receiver facing laterally.

4. 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, the posture change inducing portion changing a posture of the liquid receiver by contacting the liquid receiver that is being moved by the liquid receiver movement mechanism, wherein the posture change inducing portion changes the posture of the liquid receiver from a horizontal posture to a vertical posture when the liquid receiver moves from the receiving position to the non-receiving position, and wherein the posture change inducing portion changes the posture of the liquid receiver from the vertical posture to the horizontal posture when the liquid receiver moves from the non-receiving position to the receiving position.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid receiver accommodates a liquid absorbing material.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a suction drainage device and a liquid discharge line connected to the liquid receiver, wherein liquid drawn from the liquid receiver is discharged to the liquid discharge line through actuation of the suction drainage device.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an urging member that urges the lid body toward the liquid receiver while the lid body closes the opening of the liquid receiver in the non-receiving position.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid receiver movement mechanism further includes a drive force transmitting member that operates at a position in a horizontal direction between the receiving position and the non-receiving position through generation of a drive force; anda movable member that moves within a range in a horizontal direction between the receiving position and the non-receiving position through operation of the drive force transmitting member;

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the drive force transmission member comprises an elongated bar-like sending member, wherein the sending member is rotated about its axis by the drive force, wherein the movable member has an engagement portion that is arranged to engage with the threaded portion of the sending member, and wherein the movable member is moved along the longitudinal direction of the sending member through the engagement portion guided by the threaded portion when the sending member rotates.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, 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 that the pitch of the second threaded portion.