IL307933A - System maintainance techniques - Google Patents

Description

SYSTEM MAINTAINANCE TECHNIQUES TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD The present invention is generally in the field of maintenance of equipment in production lines and particularly pertains to maintenance of components of printing systems.

BACKGROUND This section intends to provide background information concerning the present application, which is not necessarily prior art. Industrial printing systems are used nowadays to continuously perform print jobs on objects (e.g., containers/receptacles) during passage in one or more concatenated production lines, for maximized throughputs and efficiency. Any disruption in the continuous operation of such concatenated systems usually requires halting all production lines involved, thereby causing time and profit losses, entailing labor unemployment, until proper operation of the malfunctioning system is restored, and the production lines operation is back to full operation. Inevitably, printing systems require periodically (or intermittently) carrying out system maintenance, during which system operation is halted. For example, during operation one or more of the printhead nozzles may become clogged with ink/dust and/or become misaligned, which may impair their operation. Thus, the operation of the printing system should be periodically/intermittently stopped for print heads maintenance e.g., for cleaning and/or aligning the printheads/nozzles, identifying and replacing malfunctioning units, and suchlike. The cleaning of the printheads may include purging (e.g., forcing ink discharge bursts through the nozzles) and/or drops shooting, rinsing in a cleaning solution and/or wiping the printheads, and thereafter rubbing the nozzles with an absorbent. Some printhead maintenance solutions known from the patent literature are briefly described hereinbelow. US Patent Publication No. 2019/0105907 discloses an inkjet printing system which includes a printhead with a nozzle face having nozzles arranged along an array direction. A pressure source is configured to provide a positive or negative pressure to an ink source. A valve is fluidically connected between the ink source and the inkjet printhead. A cleaning station is configured to confront the nozzle face across a gap. The cleaning station includes a cleaning fluid dispenser for dispensing cleaning fluid onto the nozzle face. The cleaning station includes a waste fluid collector having a vacuum inlet that is displaced from the cleaning fluid dispenser in a first direction for collecting dispensed cleaning fluid. The cleaning station includes a blower that is displaced from the cleaning fluid dispenser in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The blower is configured to direct a gas stream along the nozzle face to move dispensed cleaning fluid toward the vacuum inlet. US Patent Publication No. 2012/182350 discloses a method of printing with a printing system comprising an array of print heads having a redundant print head, and a service station, includes, with the redundant print head located at the service station, printing using a remainder of the array of print heads; and positionally and functionally replacing a second print head in the array with the redundant print head while printing continues. US Patent Publication No. 2004/130591 discloses an inkjet printer which printheads have a service station movable in a direction transversely of a printhead scanning direction and comprising servicing modules for undertaking different functions, one of the modules being detachable from the rest. The detachable connection comprises a rotating hook and a fixed hook which automatically interengage and disengage. Spanish Patent Publication No. ES1240475 discloses an inkjet printer for printing with ink on a substrate, comprising: at least one inkjet printhead for inkjet to a substrate; the at least one inkjet printhead has a lower nozzle plate comprising a plurality of inkjet nozzles, a transport device for moving the substrate through the inkjet printer and under the at least one inkjet printhead, a cleaning device of the printhead for cleaning the at least one inkjet printing head, characterized in that inkjet printhead and the cleaning device of the printhead is suitable for relative movement with one another in a maintenance position. The cleaning device of the printhead comprises an upwardly directed cleaning face for directing the cleaning liquid upward in the direction of the lower nozzle plate of the inkjet printhead. US Patent Publication No. 6,193,353 discloses an inkjet printing system with a translational inkjet service module. The system includes a carriage which moves along a scan axis over a print zone, with a plurality of printheads mounted on the carriage, each printhead having an array of nozzles for applying ink to the print media in the print zone. The service module has wipers for engagement with the array of nozzles during a period when the nozzles are not applying ink to the media. A motor moves the servicing module in a linear direction orthogonal to the scan axis in order to simultaneously wipe each array of nozzles. The servicing module also provides a capper function and a priming function.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION A service platform (also referred to herein as a service wagon) for diagnosis, maintenance and/or calibration, of components of a printing system is disclosed. The service platform/wagon is configured to travel along a lane/path e.g., a closed-loop lane or path, together with one or more other platforms/wagons (also referred to herein as objects platforms or wagons) carrying objects to be treated in one or more zones along the lane/path. The one or more other wagons/platforms are configured to travel along the lane/path for application of one or more treatments to surfaces of the objects (e.g., pre-treatment, and/or cleaning, and/or printing, and/or curing, and/or inspection, and suchlike) thereby carried, together with the service platform/wagon, also traveling along the lane/path therewith, for carrying out various system inspection, diagnosis, calibration, and/or maintenance procedures, without interfering the application of the one or more treatments applied to the objects. For this purpose the service platform/wagon is equipped with various servicing units configured for carrying out various system inspection, diagnosis, calibration, and/or maintenance procedures while the service platform/wagon is moved along the lane/path together with the one or more other platforms/wagons carrying the objects i.e., without interrupting/disrupting the continuous object treatment operation of the system. For example, in possible embodiments the service platform/wagon comprises servicing units configured to inspect, calibrate, diagnose, map and/or clean/scrub object treatment components the of the system. The service platform/wagon can be accordingly configured to inspect the printhead units/components e.g., pre-treatment unit(s), and/or curing unit(s) (e.g., LED, UV), and/or sensor/imager of object inspection unit(s), and/or wipe/scrub the printhead nozzles, and continuously perform online system maintenance, diagnosis, and/or calibration tasks i.e., without stopping the operation of the printing system. This way, the service platform/wagon is moved along the lane/path to carry out inspection, diagnosis and/or maintenance services/procedures to components of the system, while all other platforms/wagons are simultaneously moved along the lane/path to apply treatment procedures to outer surface of the objects thereby carried, so the continuous operation of the system is maintained while the system's inspection, diagnosis, calibration, and/or maintenance procedures are carried out by the service platform/wagon. Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, the service platform/wagon is further configured to service one or more of the objects carrying platforms/wagons e.g., carry cables, control and/or platforms/wagons' intercommunication means, for the other wagons.

The service platform/wagon comprises in some embodiments a wiper/scrubber apparatus configured to remove depositions of ink and/or other particles from the printhead nozzles. The wiper/scrubber is configured in some embodiments to clean/wash printhead nozzles utilizing a fluid spraying unit and a high throughput vacuum suction wedge-shaped blade, mounted in a movable tub of the service platform/wagon. The printhead nozzles can be effectively cleaned/scrubbed by the wiper/scrubber apparatus by passage of a wiping/cleaning fluid/ stream over the printhead nozzles. This is achieved in some embodiments using the fluid spraying unit to upwardly spray the printhead nozzles, and using the vacuum suction blade for (e.g., forceful) suction of the sprayed wiping/cleaning fluid and/or ink drops ejected therefrom. One aspect of this disclosure is directed to a service providing apparatus comprising a service support platform/wagon coupled for movement over a lane/path having one or more object treatment zones, each object treatment zone comprising equipment configured to apply one or more treatment processes to surface areas of objects carried by one or more other support objects' platforms along the lane/path, and at least one service providing unit mounted on the service support platform and operable to apply one or more service procedures to the equipment of at least one of the one or more object treatment zones. The one or more service procedures can be applied to the equipment of one the object treatment zone while the service support platform is moving along a section of the lane/path within a certain object treatment zone, or while standing still (i.e., stationary) within the section of lane/path of the object treatment zones. For example, the service support platform can be used to apply one or more off-line service procedures while the system operation is halted, in between operating cycles of the system, or during system initialization. During such off-line service procedures the other support platforms (i.e., the objects' platforms) are typically not moved along the lane/path, or detached from the lane/path e.g., for maintenance/replacement, which can be exploited to conduct service procedures that are more time consuming and/or service procedures that require relatively slow movements of the service platform/wagon along the lane/path (e.g., application and/or suction of big drops of ink and/or cleaning solution, and/or detailed in-depth inspection and/or diagnosis of equipment). Otherwise, one or more service procedures are applied by the service platform/wagon to the equipment of one or more of the object treatment zones while the service platform/wagon is moved along sections of the lane/path of the objects treatment zones, to thereby apply one or more service procedures (e.g., application and/or suction of small drops of ink and/or cleaning solution, and/or quick limited inspection and/or diagnosis of equipment) while the one or more other support platforms are simultaneously moved along sections of the lane/path of other (or same) object treatment zones, without interrupting the one or more treatment processes applied to the objects thereby carried. Accordingly, during the regular system operation cycles, the service platform/wagon applies service procedures within one or more of the object treatment zones while moving along the lane/path with substantially same velocity of the other support platforms (e.g., 0.01 to 1 m/s, optionally about 0.5 m/s). The service procedures applied by the service platform/wagon can be accordingly divided into slow, or more time consuming (e.g., calibration, diagnosis, mapping), service procedures that are typically carried out off-line e.g., during system stoppage time intervals and/or in between operating cycles of the system, and quick spontaneous service procedures (e.g., nozzles washing/scrubbing) carried out during system operation while the other support platforms are moved along the lane/path and the objects thereby carried are being treated in the one or more objects treatment zones distributed along the lane/path. The at least one service providing unit is configured in some embodiments to carry out the one or more service procedures periodically or intermittently, during regular operation or off-line time intervals, for maintenance of the equipment in at least one of the objects treatment zones. The apparatus comprises in some embodiments an inspection unit configured to acquire measurement/imagery data of the equipment of at least one of the service zones for determining the one or more service procedures to be applied to the inspected equipment by said apparatus, and/or to calibrate, map, diagnose and/or determine competence of the equipment. The equipment of the at least one treatment zone can comprise one or more rows of parallelly aligned treatment units and the at least one service providing unit comprises at least one row of service providing devices e.g., each one of the service providing devices is configured to carry out the one or more service procedures to one or more treatment units in a respective column in the one or more rows of parallelly aligned treatment units. The apparatus comprises in some embodiments a control unit configured and operable to process the measurement/imagery data from the inspection unit and determine based thereon the one or more service procedures to be applied to the inspected equipment by the apparatus, and/or determine competence of the equipment in one or more of the treatment zones and issue alerts whenever replacement and/or repairs are required. An inspection unit of the service platform/wagon comprises in some embodiments one or more parallelly aligned rows of sensor/imager units, each one of the sensor/imager units is configured to acquire measurement/imagery data of at least one treatment unit in a respective column in the one or more rows of parallelly aligned treatment units. The control unit may comprise an analysis module comprising a plurality of analysis sub-units. Each one of the analysis sub-units can be configured and operable to process the imagery data from at least one sensor/imager of a respective column of sensor/imager units in the inspection unit, and generate therefrom diagnostic data indicative of status, orientation, and/or competence, of at least one treatment unit of the inspected equipment. The control unit may comprise a service module comprising a plurality of service sub-modules. Each one of the service sub-modules can be configured and operable to process the diagnostic data from a respective one of the plurality of analysis sub-units, and determine based thereon one or more service procedures to be applied to at least one treatment unit of the inspected equipment. In some embodiments the inspection unit comprises one or more movable (e.g., slidable) sensor/imager units configured to acquire measurement/imagery data of several, or of all, treatment units in a column or row of treatment units of a treatment zone. This way a single movable sensor/imager unit can be used in a service platform/wagon to inspect a row, and/or a column, or entire array of treatment units of a treatment zone. The control unit may comprise an analysis module configured and operable to process the imagery data from the one or more movable sensors/imagers, and generate therefrom diagnostic data indicative of a status of at least one treatment unit of the inspected equipment, and/or a service module configured and operable to process the diagnostic data from the analysis module, and determine based thereon one or more service procedures to be applied to at least one treatment unit of the inspected equipment. In some embodiments at least one of the servicing units of the service platform/wagon is configured to provide at least one service to at least one of the other support platform simultaneously moving along, or standing still on, the lane/path. The service platform/wagon may comprise a communication unit configured to exchange data/signals with at least one control unit of at least one of the other support platforms and/or with a central control system. The at least one service providing unit can be configured to apply the one or more service procedures to equipment of at least one of the following object treatment zones of the lane/path: an object unloading zone, and object loading zone, an object pre-treatment zone, an object print zone, a curing zone, and/or an inspection zone. Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, the at least one service providing unit comprises at least one purge bath tub unit configured to suck liquid substance purged from and/or drop-shoot from, and/or applied to, at least one treatment unit in at least one of the object treatment zones. In possible embodiments at least one service providing unit comprises at least one wiping/scrubbing unit configured to wipe and hold debris/particles from at least one of the treatment units in at least one of the object treatment zones. The at least one service providing unit can comprise at least one washing unit configured to sprinkle a cleaning solution onto at least one treatment unit in at least one of the object treatment zones, and suck at least some portion of the sprinkled cleaning solution in a bath tub structure thereof. Optionally, the apparatus comprises at least one wiping element in the at least one washing unit configured to wipe/suck residues of the cleaning solution sprinkled onto the at least one treatment unit. The at least one service providing unit may comprise at least one scrubbing unit configured to inject a stream of cleaning solution onto at least one treatment unit in at least one of the object treatment zones, and suck at least some portion of the injected cleaning solution e.g., by a vacuum blade thereof. Another aspect of this disclosure is directed to a method of servicing treatment units arranged in treatment zones distributed along a lane/path. The method comprising moving a plurality of support platforms along the lane/path, at least one of the plurality of support platforms configured to carry a plurality of objects to be treated by one or more of the treatment units, and at least another one of the plurality of support platforms comprising at least one servicing unit mounted thereon, applying one or more treatments to the objects carried by the at least one of the plurality of support platforms as it is passed through at least one of the treatment zones, and applying one or more services to at least one of the treatment units by the at least one servicing unit as the at least another one of the plurality of support platforms is passed through at least one of the treatment zones without interrupting the one or more treatments being applied to the objects carried by the at least one of the plurality of support platforms. The method can comprise applying the one or more services to the at least one of the treatment units periodically or intermittently for maintenance of the treatment units in at least one of the treatment zones e.g., during off-line or operational time intervals of the system. The method optionally comprising acquiring measurement/imagery data of the treatment units in at least one of the service zones and determining based thereon the one or more service to be applied to the inspected treatment units and/or competence of the inspected equipment/treatment units. In some embodiments the one or more services comprises washing at least one of the treatment units with a washing liquid. The applying of the one or more services may comprise wiping/sucking at least a portion of at least one of the treatment units, and/or applying one or more suctions to at least a portion of at least one of the treatment units.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Features shown in the drawings are meant to be illustrative of only some embodiments of the invention, unless otherwise implicitly indicated. In the drawings like reference numerals are used to indicate corresponding parts, and in which: Figs. 1A and 1B schematically illustrate a printing system according to some possible embodiments, wherein Fig. 1A is a schematic illustration of the system and Fig. 1B is a flowchart exemplifying possible maintenance procedures carried out by the service platform/wagon; Fig. 2 schematically illustrates arrangement of treatment units is one of the objects treatment zones of the printing system; Figs. 3A and Fig. 3B schematically illustrate possible embodiments of the service platform/wagon, wherein Fig. 3A shows a principal service platform/wagon configuration and Fig. 3B demonstrates a possible operation scheme of the service platform/wagon; Figs. 4A to 4D schematically illustrate servicing units according to some possible embodiments, wherein Fig. 4A exemplifies a servicing unit designed for purging material from the treatment units, Fig. 4B exemplifies a servicing unit configured to wipe and clean the treatment units, Fig. 4C exemplifies a servicing unit configured to wash and wipe the treatment units, and Fig. 4D exemplifies a servicing unit configured to scrub the treatment units; Figs. 5A to 5C schematically illustrate a service platform/wagon configured according to possible embodiments for servicing printheads, wherein Fig. 5A is a top view of the service wagon/platform, Fig. 5B is a sectional side view, and Fig. 5C demonstrates the service wagon/platform servicing a printhead treatment unit; and Figs. 6A to 6C schematically illustrate possible different configurations of the service platform/wagon according to possible embodiments, wherein Fig. 6A and 6B show a service platform/wagon configured with grippers for object treatment, and Fig. 6C shows a revolving service platform/wagon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS The present disclosure provides maintenance techniques for object processing systems, wherein a plurality of objects (e.g., bottles, tubes, cans, or suchlike) are carried by wagons/objects platforms moved along a lane/path for application of one or more treatment procedures/processes to the objects thereby carried. The lane/path can be a closed loop lane/path having one or more object treatment zones defined thereon for application of the one or more treatment processes to the objects while the wagons/support platforms carrying the objects are moved through the object treatment zones or temporally stopped therein. The system maintenance procedures are carried out in some embodiments during continuous operation of the system using a service wagon/platform configured to move along the lane/path together with the other (the objects carrying) wagons/objects platforms, and simultaneously carry out various system maintenance services, while the other platform/wagons i.e., the objects platforms, are moved along the lane/path and treatment processes are performed to surface areas of the objects thereby carried. Alternatively, or additionally, the one or more maintenance procedures are carried out by the service wagon/platform during off-line time intervals and/or in between regular operation cycles of the system. In some embodiments each platform/wagon comprises one or more rows of grippers, each gripper configured to hold a respective object and controllably rotate the object while the one or more treatment processes are being applied to external surface areas thereof. The treatment zones provided along the lane/path can be arranged to define one or more treatment paths, each treatment path configured to apply surface treatment to a stream of objects passed therealong by the wagon/objects platform carrying the grippers holding the objects. The service wagon/platform can be accordingly arranged to inspect, diagnose, and/or carry out one or more maintenance procedures to, components of each treatment path, as the service wagon/platform passes along the lane/path through the treatment zone , or standstill thereon e.g., during the off-line intervals and/or in between regular operation cycles of the system. For example, but without being limiting, the service wagon/platform can have one or more rows of sensors (e.g., imagers) arranged thereon for inspection of objects treatment components (e.g., objects pre-treatment/cleaning units, printers/printing heads/nozzles, curing units, sensors/imagers, and suchlike) of the system, as the service wagon/platform passes through the treatment zones defined along the lane/path, or standstill thereon. In other non-limiting examples, the service wagon/platform can be equipped with one or more rows of wiper/suction units configured to carry out cleaning procedures to sensors (e.g., imagers) used for object inspection in an object inspection zone of the system, and/or to wipe/suck/clean nozzles of printhead units used in a printing zone of the system. Additionally, or alternatively, the service wagon/platform can have one or more movable/slidable sensors (e.g., imagers) arranged thereon for inspection/scan of several of the objects treatment components e.g., arrange in one or more rows or/and columns, as the service wagon/platform passes through the treatment zones defined along the lane/path, or standstill thereon. One or more specific and/or alternative embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings, which are to be considered in all aspects as illustrative only and not restrictive in any manner. It shall be apparent to one skilled in the art that these embodiments may be practiced without such specific details. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features or details of an actual implementation are described at length in the specification. Elements illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, or in correct proportional relationships, which are not critical. Emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention such that persons skilled in the art will be able to make and use the maintenance techniques, once they understand the principles of the subject matter disclosed herein. This invention may be provided in other specific forms and embodiments without departing from the essential characteristics described herein. For an overview of several example features, process stages, and principles of the invention, the examples of maintenance of a printing system illustrated schematically and diagrammatically in the figures are intended in general for maintenance of any object treatment system. These printing systems are shown as one example implementation that demonstrates a number of features, processes, and principles used to carry out maintenance procedures to object treatment components of an object treatment system, but they are also useful for other applications and can be made in different variations. Therefore, this description will proceed with reference to the shown examples, but with the understanding that the invention recited in the claims below can also be implemented in myriad other ways, once the principles are understood from the descriptions, explanations, and drawings herein. All such variations, as well as any other modifications apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and useful in objects treatment applications may be suitably employed, and are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. Fig. 1A schematically illustrates a printing system 10 according to some possible embodiments utilizing a service wagon/platform Cn for carrying out maintenance procedures to various equipment/components of the system, while surface treatment processes are applied to objects 15 carried by the other platform/wagons i.e., the objects carrying platforms (also referred to herein as objects carrying wagons/platforms) C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 (where n >1 is an integer number) of the system 10 . The printing system 10 comprises a lane/path 11 having one or more object surface treatment zones, a plurality of objects' wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 configured to carry a plurality of objects 15 along the lane/path 11 for application of one or more treatment process to surface areas of the objects 15 , the service wagon/platform Cn configured for simultaneous movement along the lane/path 11 together with the objects' wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 , and carrying out one or more service/maintenance procedures to various components of the system, and one or more control systems 12 . The control system(s) 12 can have one or more processors and memories (not shown) configured and operable to execute program code configured to orchestrate operation of the system 10 for application of the treatment processes to the objects 15 , and to periodically, or intermittently/upon need, simultaneously carry out one or more service/maintenance procedures therein during regular operation cycles of the system. Alternatively, or additionally, the control system(s) 12 is configured and operable to carry out the one or more service/maintenance procedures during off-line time intervals and/or in between operation cycles of the system. Each one of the different wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn is implemented in some embodiments by a support platform 13 coupled for movement along the lane/path 11 , and thus the wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn are sometimes generally referred to herein as platforms, or movable support platforms. Each support platform 13 can thus have at least one actuator 13a (e.g., motors, such as electric motors or some portion thereof) configured to move the support platform 13 along the lane/path 11 , and at least one data/signals communication unit 13m configured to communicate data/signals e.g., over a parallel/serial data bus (e.g., SCSI, PATA/IDE, UART, USB, SATA, or suchlike) and/or wirelessly (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, or suchlike) with the control system 12 , and/or with at least one other wagon/platform Ci (where 1≤i≤ n is an integer number) of the system. The support platform 13 of each one the objects carrying wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 comprises in this non-limiting example one or more rows of rotatable grippers (e.g., mandrels) 14 , each configured to receive and hold thereon one object 15 , and controllably rotate the object 15 thereby held. In some embodiments each support platform 13 comprises one or more control units 13p , each having one or more processors and memories (shown in Fig. 3A ) configured and operable to operate the wagon/platform Ci and its components (e.g., rotate the grippers 14 , activate the actuator(s) 13a , determine position on the lane/path 11 via wagon position determining means (not shown), etc.), and the communication of data/signals between the wagon/platform Ci and the control system 12 , and/or the one or more control units 13p of the other wagons/platforms traveling on the lane/path 11 , via the communication module 13m .

As seen in Fig. 1A , the one or more rows of grippers can be arranged such that a longitudinal axis of the objects 15 is substantially parallel to the axis of translation/movement of the wagon/platform Ci carrying objects 15 . Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, each support platform 13 comprises at least two rows of the grippers 14 arranged thereon such that the objects 15 carried by one of the at least two rows of the grippers 14 are oriented in a direction opposite to the direction in which the objects 15 carried by the other one of the at least two rows of the grippers 14 are oriented. In such embodiments, each pair of adjacently located grippers 15 belonging to different rows of the at least two rows of the grippers 14 can be mechanically coupled to the same actuator/motor (not shown) for simultaneous rotation of each pair of the adjacently located grippers 15 at the same direction and angular velocity. The wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn , grippers/mandrels 14 , lane/path 11 , control system 12 , and/or the various object treatment zones of the printing system 10 can be implemented according to embodiments disclosed in International Patent Publication Nos. WO 2014/076704, WO 2015/177599, WO 2018/092143, of the same Applicant hereof, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. In this specific and non-limiting example the lane/path 11 of the printing system 10 is a closed-loop lane/path (e.g., having a circular, semi-circular, or elliptical shape with curved and/or substantially straight sections), but other lane/path configurations can be similarly used. In some embodiments the lane/path 11 comprising the following object treatment zones: • an object loading zone ( Loader ) 11r comprising equipment (not shown) configured to load a plurality of objects 15 onto grippers 14 of the objects carrying wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 ; • an object pre-treatment zone 11t comprising equipment (not shown) configured to apply one or more pre-treatment (e.g., corona, flame, plasma, and/or ultraviolet - UV, or suchlike) processes to surface areas of the objects 15 carried by the objects' wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 ; • a printing zone ( Print ) 11p configured to print predetermined patterns on surface areas of the objects 15 carried by the objects' wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 ; • a curing ( Cure ) zone 11c comprising equipment (not shown e.g., infrared heating, light emitting diodes – LEDs, and/or UV, or suchlike) configured for curing/drying patterns printed on the objects 15 carried by the objects' wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 ; • an object inspection ( Inspect ) zone 11i comprising inspection equipment/sensors (not shown e.g., imagers) configured to inspect the objects 15and/or the patterns printed on the objects 15 carried by the objects' wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 ; • and an object unloading ( Unloader ) zone 11u comprising equipment (not shown) configured to remove objects 15 carried by objects' wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 . The objects loader 11r and unload 11u zones can be implemented using any of the embodiments disclosed in International Patent Application Nos. WO 2019/159179 and WO 2021/028904, of the same Applicant hereof, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. In possible embodiments the lane/path is an open lane/path (not shown e.g., a straight/linear lane/path) having an object loading zone at/near one end of the lane/path, an object unloading zone at/near another end of the lane/path, and one or more treatment zones between the objects loading and unloading zones. The objects and service wagons/platforms can be thus configured to travel back and forth along the lane/path for loading and/or unloading the objects, and/or applying one or more surface treatments to the loaded objects, and/or applying one or more inspection/maintenance procedures to the components of the object treatment zones. Fig. 1A demonstrates an objects' wagon/platform C1 passing through the objects unload zone 11u of the lane/path 11 after removal of objects from its grippers 14 , an objects' wagon C2 passing through the objects loading zone 11r of the lane/path 11 for loading objects 15 onto its one or more rows of grippers 14 , an objects' wagon/platform C3 leaving the objects loading zone 11r and entering the objects pre-treatment zone 11t of the lane/path 11 with objects 15 loaded onto its one or more rows of grippers 14 , an objects' wagon C4 passing through the objects pre-treatment zone 11t of the lane/path 11 in which one or more pre-treatment processes are applied to the objects 15 carried by the one or more rows of grippers 14 of the objects' wagon/platform C4 , an objects' wagon/platform C5 passing through the objects printing zone 11p of the lane/path 11 wherein predetermined patterns are printed to surface areas of the objects 15 carried by the one or more rows of grippers 14 of the objects' wagon/platform C5 , objects' wagons/platforms C6 and C7 moving along the lane/path 11 after passage through the objects printing zone 11p and towards the objects curing zone 11c for curing the predetermined patterns printed onto surface areas of the objects 15 carried by their one or more rows of grippers 14 , and an objects' wagon/platform Cn-1 entering the objects curing zone 11c of the lane/path 11 for curing the predetermined patterns printed onto surface areas of the objects 15 carried by its one or more rows of grippers 14 .

As also seen in Fig. 1A , the printing system 10 further comprises a service wagon/platform Cn carrying one or more servicing units D1 , D2 ,…, Dm (wherein m >0 is an integer number), configured to provide various services (e.g., maintenance procedures) to the equipment used in the different objects treatment zones of the lane/path 11 , and/or to at least one other/objects carrying wagons/platform C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 , while moving along the lane/path 11 . The service wagon/platform Cn is shown leaving the objects inspection zone 11i and entering the objects unloading zone 11u of the lane/path 11 , and it is configured to move along the lane/path 11 and also pass through the other object treatment zones i.e., the objects loading zone 11r , the objects pre-treatment zone 11t , the objects printing zone 11p , the objects curing zone 11c , and the objects inspection zone 11i , and provide various inspection/maintenance services by its one or more servicing units D1 , D2 ,…, Dm , to the equipment used in at least some, or all, of the treatment zones located along the lane/path 11 . It is noted that the order of the platforms/wagons can be changed to locate the service wagon/platform Cn before one of the objects' wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 , after one of the objects' wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 , or in any other suitable location between the objects' wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 . Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, the system 10 further comprises a waste container 18 disposed adjacent to a section of the lane/path 11 for discharge of fluids (e.g., ink, washing solution) from the service wagon/platform Cn thereinto. The service wagon/platform Cn comprises in some embodiments a waste conduit in fluid communication with one or more waste tanks (e.g., separator tanks 54s/55s in Figs. 5A to 5C ) of the service wagon/platform Cn for discharging the fluids therefrom. A controllable valve unit 18v is used in some embodiments to discharge the waste fluids whenever the service wagon/platform Cn is passing near the waste container 18 . Fig. 1B is a flowchart schematically illustrating optional service provision schemes 17 by the service platform/wagon Cn as it passes through (or standstill in) the different object treatment zones of the lane/path 11 . The services are provided after determining in step s0 the exact location of the service platform/wagon Cn on the lane/path 11 . The exact location of the service wagon/platform Cn along the lane/path 11 can be determined by one or more encoders (not shown) provided on the service wagon/platform Cn . Based on the exact location of the service wagon/platform Cn steps s1 to s6 are used to determine if the service wagon/platform Cn is entering (or standstill in) any of the object treatment zones of the lane/path 11 , and accordingly which services are thereby applicable in the specific object treatment zone in which the service wagon/platform Cn is passing (or standstill).

In step s1 it is determined that the service wagon/platform Cn is entering (or standstill in) the objects printing zone ( 11p ), and if any services should be thereby provided as it is located/passes therein/therethrough. If it is determined that servicing (e.g., inspection and/or maintenance) of the printing zone is required, then in step s11 the regular printing mode of operation of the printhead units ( 31 in Fig. 3A ) can be halted for the provision of the required services by the service platform/wagon Cn . In possible embodiments the regular printing mode of the of the printing zone is stopped whenever the service wagon/platform Cn enters of the printing zone ( 11p ), regardless of whether it should be serviced by the service wagon/platform Cn or not. Alternatively, the mode of the printhead units can be changed into an ink purging mode, or into a dot shooting mode, if it is determined that the services to be provided includes ink purging and/or drop shooting procedures. Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, before providing any service, in step s12 the printhead units are inspected by one or more sensor (e.g., imager) units ( Ikin Fig. 3B ) of the service wagon/platform Cn to determine how to service the printhead units of the printing zone ( 11p ). The measurement (e.g., imagery) data obtained in step s12 can be processed and analysed in step s13 by the control unit ( 13p ) of the service wagon/platform ( Cn ) and/or the control system ( 12 ) of the printing system ( 10 ) to determine in step s14 which services are required to guarantee proper continuous operation of the printhead units (e.g., cleaning, purging, drop shooting, wetting, wiping, alignment, calibration, etc.). The printhead units can be then accordingly serviced in step s15 while the service wagon/platform Cn is passing through/located in the object printing zone ( 11p ) and/or during one or more consecutive passages thereof therethrough. In step s2 it is determined that the service wagon/platform Cn is entering (or standstill in) the objects curing zone ( 11c ), and if any services should be thereby provided while it is located/passes therein/therethrough. If it is determined that servicing of the curing zone is required, then in step s21 the regular operation of the curing units is halted for the provision of the required services by the service wagon/platform Cn . In possible embodiments the regular operation of the curing units is stopped whenever the service wagon/platform Cn enters curing zone ( 11c ), regardless of whether it should be serviced by the service wagon/platform Cn or not. Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, before providing any service, in step s22 the curing units are inspected by the one or more sensors (e.g., imager) units of the service wagon/platform Cn to determine how to service the curing units of the curing zone ( 11c ). The measurement (e.g., imagery) data obtained in step s22 can be processed and analysed in step s23 by the control unit ( 13p ) of the service wagon/platform ( Cn ) and/or the control system ( 12 ) of the printing system ( 10 ) to determine in step s24 which services are required to guarantee proper continuous operation of the curing units (e.g., cleaning, alignment and/or calibration, of curing elements, such as light emitting diodes - LEDs and/or ultra violet - UV bulb). The curing units can be then accordingly serviced in step s25 while the service wagon/platform Cn is passing through/located in the object curing zone ( 11c ) and/or during one or more consecutive passages thereof therethrough. In step s3 it is determined that the service wagon/platform Cn is entering (or standstill in) the objects inspection zone ( 11i ), and if any services should be thereby provided while it is located/passes therein/therethrough. If it is determined that servicing of the inspection zone is required, then in step s31 the regular operation of the sensor (e.g., imager) units can be halted for the provision of the required services by the service wagon/platform Cn . In possible embodiments the regular operation of the objects inspection zone ( 11i ) is stopped whenever the service wagon/platform Cn enters the objects inspection zone ( 11i ), regardless of whether it should be serviced by the service wagon/platform Cn or not. Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, before providing any service, in step s32 the sensor (e.g., imager) units are inspected by the one or more sensor (e.g., imager) units of the service wagon/platform Cn to determine how to service the sensor (e.g., imager) units of the inspection zone ( 11i ). The measurement (e.g., imagery) data obtained in step s32 can be processed and analysed in step s33 by the control unit ( 13p ) of the service wagon/platform ( Cn ) and/or the control system ( 12 ) of the printing system ( 10 ) to determine in step s34 which services are required to guarantee proper continuous operation of the sensor (e.g., imager) units (e.g., cleaning imaging lens, sensor/image alignment and/ calibration, etc.). The sensor (e.g., imager) units can be then accordingly serviced in step s35 while the service wagon/platform Cn is passing through/located in the object inspection zone ( 11i ) and/or during one or more consecutive passages thereof therethrough. In step s4 it is determined that the service wagon/platform Cn is entering (or standstill in) the objects unloading zone ( 11u ), and if any services should be thereby provided while it is located/passes therein/therethrough. If it is determined that servicing of the objects unloading zone is required, then in step s41 the regular operation of the unloading equipment can be halted for the provision of the required services by the service wagon/platform Cn . In possible embodiments the regular operation of the objects unload zone ( 11u ) is stopped whenever the service wagon/platform Cn enters the objects unload zone ( 11u ), regardless of whether it should be serviced by the service wagon/platform Cn or not.

Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, before providing any service, in step s42 the unloading equipment is inspected by the one or more sensor (e.g., imager) units of the service wagon/platform Cn to determine how to service the unloading equipment of the object unloading zone ( 11u ). The measurement (e.g., imagery) data obtained in step s42 can be processed and analysed in step s43 by the control unit ( 13p ) of the service wagon/platform ( Cn ) and/or the control system ( 12 ) of the printing system ( 10 ) to determine in step s44 which services are required to guarantee proper continuous operation of the unload equipment (e.g., cleaning, alignment and/or calibration, etc.). The unloading equipment can be then accordingly serviced in step s45 while the service wagon/platform Cn is passing through/located in the object unloading zone ( 11u ) and/or during one or more consecutive passages thereof therethrough. In step s5 it is determined that the service wagon/platform Cn is entering (or standstill in) the objects loading zone ( 11r ), and if any services should be thereby provided while it is located/passes therein/therethrough. If it is determined that servicing of the objects loading zone is required, then in step s51 the regular operation of the loading equipment can be halted for the provision of the required services by the service platform/wagon Cn . In possible embodiments the regular operation of the loading equipment is stopped whenever the service wagon/platform Cn enters the objects loading zone ( 11r ), regardless of whether it should be serviced by the service wagon/platform Cn or not. Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, before providing any service, in step s52 the loading equipment is inspected by the one or more sensor (e.g., imager) units of the service wagon/platform Cn to determine how to service the loading equipment of the object loading zone ( 11r ). The measurement (e.g., imagery) data obtained in step s52 can be processed and analysed in step s53 by the control unit ( 13p ) of the service wagon/platform ( Cn ) and/or the control system ( 12 ) of the printing system ( 10 ) to determine in step s54 which services are required to guarantee proper continuous operation of the loading equipment (e.g., cleaning, alignment and/or calibration, etc.). The loading equipment can be then accordingly serviced in step s55 while the service wagon/platform Cn is passing through/located in the object loading zone ( 11r ) and/or during one or more consecutive passages thereof therethrough. In step s6 it is determined that the service wagon/platform Cn is entering (or standstill in) the objects pre-treatment zone ( 11p ), and if any services should be thereby provided while it is located/passes therein/therethrough. If it is determined that servicing of the objects pre-treatment zone is required, then in step s61 the regular operation of the pre-treatment equipment can be halted for the provision of the required services by the service wagon/platform Cn . In possible embodiments the regular operation of the pre-treatment equipment is stopped whenever the service wagon/platform Cn enters the objects pre-treatment zone ( 11p ), regardless of whether it should be serviced by the service wagon/platform Cn or not. Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, before providing any service, in step s62 the pre-treatment equipment is inspected by the one or more sensor (e.g., imager) units of the service wagon/platform Cn to determine how to service the pre-treatment equipment of the object pre-treatment zone ( 11p ). The measurement (e.g., imagery) data obtained in step s62 can be processed and analysed in step s63 by the control unit ( 13p ) of the service wagon ( Cn ) and/or the control system ( 12 ) of the printing system ( 10 ) to determine in step s64 which services are required to guarantee proper continuous operation of the loading equipment (e.g., cleaning, alignment and/or calibration, etc.). The pre-treatment equipment can be then accordingly serviced in step s65 while the service wagon/platform Cn is passing through/located in the object pre-treatment zone ( 11p ) and/or during one or more consecutive passages thereof therethrough. The control unit ( 13p ) and/or the control system ( 12 ) of the printing system ( 10 ) can be configured to issue alerts (not shown) if it determines incompetence of equipment and/or components thereof in any of the treatment zones from the analysis of the measurement data obtained in step s12 , and/or s22 , and/or s32 , and/or s42 , and/or s52 , and/or s62 . Fig. 2 schematically illustrates arrangement of treatment units (also referred to herein as treatment equipment or pre-treatment equipment) TU in an object treatment zone TZ on the lane/path 11 , according to some possible embodiments. The treatment zone TZ can be an implementation of any one of the object treatment zones 11u , 11r , 11t , 11p , 11c , 11i , of the printing system 10 . Also seen, in Fig. 2 there is an objects carrying wagon/platform Ci having one or more parallel and substantially aligned rows of grippers 14 arranged on the support platform 13 of the wagon substantially parallel to the lane/path 11 i.e., parallel to the direction of movement/translation of the objects' wagon/platform Ci . Each of the grippers 14 of the objects' wagon/platform Ci may hold and controllably rotate a respective object 15 e.g., a hollow cylindrical object, such as a bottle, can, tube, or suchlike, for application of one or more treatment processes in the object treatment zone TZ , as the objects' wagon/platform Ci is passed through, or haled in, the treatment zone TZ . The object treatment zone TZ comprises one or more rows of treatment units (e.g., object loading units, pre-treatment units, printhead units, curing units, sensor/imager units, object unloading units) TU , each configured to apply a certain treatment process to surface areas of the objects 15 moved by the support platform 13 into the treatment zone TZ , or inspect the objects 15 , or load/unload the objects 15 to/from the one or more rows of grippers 14 arranged on the support platform 13 . Accordingly, in this configuration each column U1 , U2 ,…, Uk , of the objects 15 of the platform/wagon Ci is treated, or inspected, or loaded/unloaded, by a respective column Ui (where 1≤i≤ k is an integer) of the treatment units TU of the treatment zone TZ . Fig. 3A is a block diagram schematically illustrating a principal configuration of the service wagon/platform Cn according to some possible embodiments. As described hereinabove, the service wagon/platform Cn comprises a plurality of servicing units D1 , D2 ,…, Dm , and one or more control units 21 . The control unit(s) 21 of the service wagon/platform Cn and the control unit(s) 13p of the objects carrying wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 are configured differently because the service wagon/platform Cn is not equipped with controllably rotatable grippers 14 , and because it needs to exchange data/signal with, and operate its, servicing/maintenance system 22 comprising the servicing units D1 , D2 ,…, Dm e.g., by carrying out the flowchart 17 of Fig. 1B . The control unit(s) 21 of the service wagon/platform Cn comprises one or more processors 21p and memory devices 21m configured and operable to execute computer instructions code for operating the service wagon/platform Cn and its servicing/maintenance system 22 . The control unit(s) 21 comprises an analysis module 21a configured and operable to receive and process measurement (e.g., imagery) data acquired by an inspection unit D1 of the servicing/maintenance system 22 , diagnose the equipment ( TU s) inspected by the inspection unit D1 , and generate respective diagnosis data indicative thereof. The diagnosis data generated by the analysis module 21a is processed by a service/maintenance module 21s of the control unit(s) 21 to thereby determine one or services (e.g., calibration, aligning, clog/debris removal) to be provided by the other servicing units D2 ,…, Dm of the servicing/maintenance system 22 , and/or incompetence of the inspected equipment and/or components thereof. The control unit(s) 21 of the service wagon/platform Cn can have a communication interface module ( I/F ) 21f configured and operable to manage the data/signals communication with the servicing/maintenance system 22 e.g., over a serial/parallel data bus (e.g., SCSI, PATA/IDE, UART, USB, SATA, or suchlike) and/or wirelessly (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee, or suchlike), and/or with the control system(s) 12 , and/or with the objects carrying wagons/platforms C1 , C2 ,…, Cn-1 via the communication units 13m of the wagons/platforms. Fig. 3A further exemplifies use of a movable sensor/imager Ii in the servicing unit D1 for inspection of a treatment units ( TU ) of the treatment zone ( TZ ). In this non-limiting example the sensor/imager Ii is configured to move along a transverse axis and acquires imagery/measurement data/signals of the inspected equipment, but of course other motion axes thereof can be similarly used. Fig. 3B is a block diagram schematically illustrating the operation of the service wagon/platform Cn according to some possible embodiments. As shown, the inspection unit D1 comprises one or more rows of sensor (e.g., imager) units I1 , I2 ,… Ik , arranged such that each column of sensor units Ii (1≤i≤ k ) is configured to acquire imagery data from a respective column Ui (where 1≤i≤ k ) of the treatment units TU of the treatment zone TZ being thereby inspected, as the service wagon/platform Cn is moved along the treatment zone TZ . The imagery data acquired by each column of sensor units Ii can be stored in a respective memory container Mi of the memory devices 21m for analysis by a respective analysis sub-module Ai of the analysis module 21a . After the sensor (e.g., imagery) data is processed and analysed by the analysis sub-module Ai , respective diagnosis data is generated accordingly for determining by the sub-modules vi of the service/maintenance module 21s the service/maintenance procedures to be applied by at least one of the other servicing units D2 ,…, Dm to the column Ui of the treatment units TU . The control unit(s) 21 can then schedule the activation of each of the servicing units D2 ,…, Dm required to carry out the service/maintenance procedures as determine by the sub-modules vi of the service/maintenance module 21s . Fig. 4A schematically illustrates a servicing unit Di (where 2≤i≤ m ) configured for purging of fluid material from the treatment units TU . The servicing unit Di comprises one or more rows of tub units B1 , B2 ,…, Bk . Each tub unit Bj (where 1≤j≤ k is an integer number) comprises a fluid tub 34 configured to receive and hold fluid material 33 discharged from a treatment unit (e.g., printing head/nozzle) TU in a respective column Uj of treatment units in an object treatment zone while the service wagon/platform passes therethrough. The tub servicing units Bj are particularly useful for the servicing (e.g., purging and/or drop shooting) of the nozzles 31z of the printhead units 31 of the printing zone ( 11p ) of the printing system ( 10 ). The analysis module ( 21a ) may be configured to determine that purging and drop shooting service procedures are required whenever the measurement (e.g., imagery) data from the inspection unit D1 indicates that such procedures are required. Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, the purging is performed each passage-cycle (e.g., each passage of the service wagon/platform treatment zone ( TZ ) through the printing zone ( 11p )) e.g., based on platform/wagon location on the lane/path 11 . Alternatively, in possible embodiments the purging is performed after a certain predefined number of passage-cycles of the service wagon/platform Cn through the treatment zone ( TZ ). It is noted that the analysis module ( 21a ) can determine based on the measurement (e.g., imagery) data from the inspection unit D1 that a single treatment unit TU should be serviced in a certain row or column of treatment units TU , and the service module 21s can accordingly decide to service one or more treatment units TU s in a certain row and/or column, or the entire row and/or column of treatment unit TU s in which the treatment unit TU to be serviced resides. Fig. 4B schematically illustrates a servicing unit Di (where 2≤i≤ m ) configured for wiping/cleaning the treatment units TU . In this example the servicing unit Di comprises one or more rows of wiping units W1 , W2 ,…, Wk . Each wiping unit Wj (where 1≤j≤ k ) comprises one or more wiping elements 34 installed in, or above, a fluid tub 34 configured to receive and hold debris/particles 36 wiped by the wiper element(s) 34 from the treatment unit TU in a respective column Uj of treatment units in an object treatment zone TZ , while the service wagon/platform Cn passes therethrough. The wiping servicing units Wj are exemplified here wiping the nozzles 31z of the printhead units 31 of the printing zone ( 11p ), but they can be similarly used for cleaning dust/particles from other types of equipment (e.g., sensing surfaces, imaging lenses, ) provided in the object treatment zones TZ s of the printing system ( 10 ) e.g., the sensors/imagers of the inspection zone ( 11i ), pre-treatment units of the pre-treatment zone 11t , curing units of the curing zone 11c , or suchlike. The analysis module ( 21a ) may be configured to determine that wiping service procedures are required whenever the measurement (e.g., imagery) data from the inspection unit D1 is indicative of accumulation of debris/particles 36 on the serviced treatment equipment. Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, the wiping service procedures are performed periodically, or intermittently based on the measurement data from the inspection unit D1 . Fig. 4C schematically illustrates a servicing unit Di (where 2≤i≤ m ) configured for washing the treatment units TU s with a cleaning solution 33 . In this non-limiting example the servicing unit Di comprises one or more rows of washing units H1 , H2 ,…, Hk . As seen, each washing unit Hj (1≤j≤ k ) comprises a sprinkle device 32 installed in, or above, a fluid tub 34 configured to receive and hold the cleaning solution 33 discharged from the sprinkle device 32 onto the treatment unit TU of a respective column Uj of treatment units in an object treatment zone TZ , while the service wagon/platform Cn passes therethrough. The washing unit Hj can further comprise one or more wiper elements 34 configured to wipe and dry the surface of the treatment unit TU onto which the cleaning solution 33 is discharged from the sprinkle device 32 . The washing units Hj are exemplified in washing the nozzles 31z of the printhead units 31 of the printing zone ( 11p ), but they can be similarly used for washing other types of equipment provided in the object treatment zones TZ s of the printing system ( 10 ) e.g., the sensor (e.g., imager) units of the inspection zone ( 11i ), pre-treatment units of the pre-treatment zone 11t , curing units of the curing zone 11c . The analysis module ( 21a ) may be configured to determine that washing service procedures are required whenever the measurement (e.g., imagery) data from the inspection unit D1 indicative of accumulation of debris/particles 36 on the serviced treatment equipment. Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, the wiping service procedures are performed periodically, or intermittently based on the measurement data from the inspection unit D1 . Fig. 4D schematically illustrates a servicing unit Di (where 2≤i≤ m ) configured to scrub the treatment units TU s with a cleaning solution 33 discharged onto the treatment unit TU and sucked therefrom. In this non-limiting example the servicing unit Di comprises one or more rows of scrubbing units V1 , V2 ,…, Vk . As seen, each scrubbing unit Vj (1≤j≤ k ) comprises a sprinkle device 32 and a (e.g., high throughput) vacuum suction wedge-shaped blade 35 , which are installed in, or above, a fluid tub 34 configured to receive and hold at least some portion of the cleaning solution 33 discharged from the sprinkle device 32 onto the treatment unit TU of a respective column Uj of treatment units in an object treatment zone TZ , while the service wagon/platform Cn passes therethrough. The scrubbing unit Vj is configured to direct a stream of cleaning solution 33 onto a specific location on the treatment unit TU located above the vacuum wedge-shaped blade 35 , to thereby effectively scrub the serviced surface of the treatment unit TU as the cleaning solution is (e.g., forcefully) injected thereover and (e.g., forcefully) suctioned by the vacuum blade 35 . The scrubbing units Vj are exemplified here scrubbing the nozzles 31z of the printhead units 31 of the printing zone ( 11p ), which can be used to remove clogs/debris depositions from within the nozzles (due to the vacuum suction) and/or their external surroundings. Of course, the scrubbing units Vj can be similarly used to scrub other types of equipment provided in the object treatment zones of the printing system ( 10 ) e.g., the sensor (e.g., imager units of the inspection zone ( 11i ), pre-treatment units of the pre-treatment zone 11t , curing units of the curing zone 11c ). The analysis module ( 21a ) can be configured to determine that scrubbing service procedures are required whenever the measurement (e.g., imagery) data from the inspection unit D1 is indicative of accumulation of debris/particles 36 on the serviced treatment equipment.

The (e.g., ink) purging mechanism is operated in possible embodiments by applying air pressure/hydraulic pressure configured for streaming a certain amount of fluid (e.g., ink) media through the nozzles 31z , while the drop shooting can be operated by applying regular printing operation i.e., ink drop shooting, via the nozzles 31z . Optionally, but in some embodiments preferably, the purging operation performed by the service wagon/platform Ci followed by washing (with flash fluid/solvent), which can be followed by the drop shooting operation, performed within the same passage-cycle or over several passage-cycles. The washing operation performed by the service wagon/platform Ci can include swapping the printing nozzles with water surface tension and concurrent suction of the washing fluid drops, followed by concurrent soft suction, as described hereinbelow. Fig. 5A schematically illustrates a service wagon/platform Cn configured for servicing printheads of the printing zone ( 11p ) according to possible embodiments. In this non-limiting example the service wagon/platform Cn comprises a plurality of servicing columns Q1 , Q2 ,…, Qk , each configured for servicing a respective column of treatment units ( 31 in Fig. 5C ), which in this example are printhead units having a plurality of nozzles ( 31z ). Each servicing column Qj (where 1≤j≤ k is an integer number) comprises a purging (e.g., rod) collector element 51 , a spout arrangement 52 , a washing tray 54 , a suction arrangement 55 , and print-drop (e.g., rod) collector element 56 . With reference to Fig 5C , when service wagon/platform Cn is servicing the printhead units one or more of the nozzles 31z can be operated with relative high pressure to perform ink-purging 31g onto the purging collector element 51 , which is configured to receive the purged ink 31g and prevent the purged ink from hitting other components of the service wagon/platform Cn . A purge tub 51t arranged underneath the purging collector element s 51 is configured to collect the purged fluids dripping from the purging collector elements 51 and direct the same into collecting tank e.g., the separator tanks 54s/55s . After passing the purging collector element 51 beneath the nozzle 31z , the ink-purging 31g thereby performed is stopped, and a washing procedure can be thereafter commenced. As exemplified in Figs. 5B and 5C , a fluid-opening 52p of the spout arrangement 52 is slightly elevated with respect to the purging collector element 51 (e.g., to form a gap between fluid-opening 52p of the spout arrangement 52 and the extremity of the nozzle 31z ) to form a fluid drop/fountain 52r of a washing liquid configured to contact and wash the nozzles 31z of the printhead unit TU . The washing liquid of can be streamed to each one the fluid-openings 52p from a supply conduit 52i via a respective controllable valve assembly 52v . Optionally, and in some embodiments preferably, the spout arrangements 52 are configured for angular motion by rotating rod 52d , for shifting them between an active state in which their fluid-openings 52p are facing (upwardly) the nozzles 31z and the controllable valve assemblies 52v are opened to stream washing liquid therethrough to form the fluid drops/fountains 52r for washing the nozzles 31z , and an inactive state in which their fluid-openings 52p are angularly retracted away from the nozzles 31z and the controllable valve assemblies 52v are closed to prevent any flow of the washing liquid therethrough. The control unit ( 21 ) can be according configured to change the state of the spout arrangements 52 into the active state whenever the service wagon/platform Cn enters the printing zone ( 11p ), and maintain the spout arrangements 52 in the inactive states when the service wagon/platform Cn is out of the printing zone ( 11p ). In some embodiments the controllable valve assemblies 52v are implemented utilizing the angular motion by rotating rod 52d (e.g., by rotating fluid apertures of a supply conduit to fluidly communicate with respective inlets of the spout arrangements 52 in the active state). The washing tray 54 comprises a fluid collecting cavity 54d configured to receive and hold the washing liquid dripping from the washed nozzles 31z . The suction arrangement 55 comprises one or more suction openings distrusted along a suction path defined between the fluid collecting cavity 54d and the print-drop collector element 56 . The one or more suction openings distrusted along the suction path can be configured to apply different fluid suction strengths along the suction path e.g., having an ascending or descending order of different fluid suction strengths, configured to draw washing liquids, debris and/or other particles accumulated in/on the washed nozzles 31z . In this non-limiting example, a rough suction opening 54u of the suction arrangement 55 is located at the end of the fluid collecting cavity 54d for application of rough suction to the washed nozzles 31z and drawing the washing liquids, debris and/or other particles therefrom. A soft suction opening 55u of the suction arrangement 55 is spaced-apart in some embodiments from the rough suction opening 54u for application of gentle suction to the openings of the nozzles and removal or residual washing liquids, debris/clogs and/or other particles therefrom. Each of the different suction openings distrusted along the suction path can be operated via a respective expansion chamber fluidly communicated with a vacuum pump for evenly distributing vacuum pressure among the rough suction openings 54u of the servicing columns Qj . In this non-limiting example the rough suction opening 54u is in fluid communication with the expansion chamber 54c configured to receive vacuum pressure generated by the vacuum pump 54p via the separator tank 54s fluidly communicated therewith. Similarly, the soft suction opening 55u is in fluid communication with the expansion chamber 55c configured to receive vacuum pressure generated by the vacuum pump 55p via the separator tank 55s fluidly communicated therewith. As exemplified in Fig. 5C , after passed along the suction path, the nozzles 31z are operated in a drop shooting mode for discharging droplets 31d onto the print-drop collector element 56 , which is configured to receive the droplets 31d and prevent the discharged ink droplets from hitting other components of the service wagon/platform Cn . A droplet tub 56t arranged underneath the print-drop collector element 56 is configured to collect the discharged fluids dripping from the print-drop collector element 56 and direct the same into collecting tank e.g., the separator tanks 54s/55s . After passing the print-drop collector element 56 beneath the last nozzle 31z of the printheads, the droplets 31d discharging thereby performed is stopped, and the service wagon/platform Cn can then leave the print zone ( 11p ). Figs. 6A and 6B show hybrid platforms/wagons Ck configured with both grippers 14 for the treatment of object 15 thereby carried, and with one or more servicing units D1 , D2 ,…, Dm , for servicing treatment units ( TU ) of treatment zones ( TZ ) located alone the lane/path 11 . Accordingly, the hybrid platform/wagon Ck can be used both for treating the objects 15 placed on the grippers 14 , and simultaneously, or separately/consecutively, inspecting, diagnosing, calibrating, cleaning/scrubbing the treatment units ( TU ). Fig. 6A exemplifies providing the servicing units D1 , D2 ,…, Dm , between two or more rows grippers 14 , which can be differently but similarly implemented to provide the servicing units D1 , D2 ,…, Dm , before of after the rows grippers 14 . Fig. 6B exemplifies a different donfiguration wherein on or more of the servicing units D1 , D2 ,…, Dm , installed inside one or more of the rows grippers 14 . Fig. 6C demonstrates another possible implementation utilizing a service wagon/platform Cn in a revolving treatment system 66 comprising a plurality of treatment (e.g., pre-treatment, and/or cleaning, and/or printing, and/or curing, and/or inspection, and suchlike) stations 66t distributed over a circumferential edge of a (e.g., stationary or revolving) circular support 66 . The objects 63 to be treated by the revolving treatment system 66 can be introduced thereto, and/or removed therefrom, with one or more serial conveyor systems 62 . The revolving treatment system 66 comprises a plurality of object supports 61b , each configured to receive a single object 63 , configured to move along a circular lane/path 11 of object revolving apparatus 61 and continuously or intermittently rotate ( 63r ) the objects in front of the treatment stations 66t for treating the objects therein. Objects 63 arriving on a serial conveyor system 62 are transferred at the loading area 62n to the object supports 61b , and transferred back to a serial conveyor system 62 at the unloading 62u area, after completing at least one treatment cycle in the system 66 . The system 66 comprises at least one servicing support Cn carrying one or more servicing units D1 , D2 ,…, Dm , for servicing treatment stations 66t . The one or more servicing units D1 , D2 ,…, Dm , can be configured to inspect, calibrate, diagnose, map and/or clean/scrub object treatment components, of the treatment stations 66t , as described with respect to any of the embodiments disclosed herein. Terms such as top/bottom, front/back, right/left, lower/upper, horizontal/vertical, above/below, up/down, and similar adjectives/derivatives thereof (e.g., horizontally, downwardly, upwardly, etc.) in relation to orientation of the system and its components refer to the manner in which the illustrations under discussion are positioned on the paper, not as any limitation to the orientations in which the apparatus can be used in actual applications i.e., these terms are used herein for convenience of description and they do not require that the disclosed system/units be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. It should also be understood that throughout this disclosure, where a process or method is shown or described, the steps of the method may be performed in any order or simultaneously, unless it is clear from the context that one step depends on another being performed first. It is also noted that terms such as first/one, second/other,... etc. may be used to refer to specific elements disclosed herein without limiting, but rather to distinguish between the disclosed elements. Functions of the system described hereinabove may be controlled through instructions executed by a computer-based control system which may be located on one of the wagons/platforms Ci (e.g., the service wagon/platform Cn ), or in any other suitable location in the system 10 , or external thereto. A control system/unit suitable for use with embodiments described hereinabove may include, for example, one or more processors connected to a communication bus, one or more volatile memories (e.g., random access memory – RAM) or non-volatile memories (e.g., Flash memory). A secondary memory (e.g., a hard disk drive, a removable storage drive, and/or removable memory chip such as an EPROM, PROM or Flash memory) may be used for storing data, computer programs or other instructions, to be loaded into the computer system. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present application may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a "circuit," "module" or "system." Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon. As described hereinabove and shown in the associated accompanied figures, the present invention provides servicing/maintenance techniques for object treatment systems and related methods. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited thereto, since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. As will be appreciated by the skilled person, the invention can be carried out in a great variety of ways, employing more than one technique from those described above, all without exceeding the scope of the claims.

Claims (23)

1. - 28 -

2. CLAIMS:1. A service providing apparatus comprising: a service platform configured for movement along a path having one or more object treatment zones, each object treatment zone comprising equipment configured to apply one or more treatment processes to surface areas of objects carried by one or more objects' platforms along said path; and at least one service providing unit mounted on said service support platform and operable to apply one or more service procedures to the equipment of at least one of said one or more object treatment zones while said support platform is located within said at least one treatment zone, to thereby apply the one or more service procedures while said one or more objects' platforms are located along said path. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the at least one service providing unit is configured to carry out the one or more service procedures periodically or intermittently for maintenance of the equipment in at least one of the objects treatment zones.

3. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims comprising an inspection unit configured to acquire measurement/imagery data of the equipment of at least one of said service zones for diagnosing the inspected equipment.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 configured for determining the one or more service procedures to be applied to the inspected equipment by said apparatus based on acquired measurement/imagery data.

5. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the equipment of the at least one treatment zone comprises one or more rows of parallelly aligned treatment units and the at least one service providing unit comprises at least one row of service providing devices, each one of said service providing devices is configured to carry out the one or more service procedures to one or more treatment units in a respective column in the one or more rows of parallelly aligned treatment units.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 comprising a control unit configured and operable to process the measurement/imagery data from the inspection unit and determine based thereon the one or more service procedures to be applied to the inspected equipment by said apparatus.

7. The device according to claim 6 wherein the inspection unit comprises one or more parallelly aligned rows of sensor/imager units, each one of said sensor/imager units is configured to acquire measurement/imagery data of at least one treatment unit in a respective column in the one or more rows of parallelly aligned treatment units. - 29 -

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the control unit comprises an analysis module comprising a plurality of analysis sub-units, each one of said analysis sub-units configured and operable to process the imagery data from at least one sensor/imager of a respective column of sensor/imager units in the inspection unit, and generate therefrom diagnostic data indicative of a status of at least one treatment unit of the inspected equipment.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the control unit comprises a service module comprising a plurality of service sub-modules, each one of said service sub-modules configured and operable to process the diagnostic data from a respective one of the plurality of analysis sub-units, and determine based thereon one or more service procedures to be applied to at least one treatment unit of the inspected equipment and/or competence of said equipment.

10. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the one or more servicing units are configured to provide at least one service to at least one of the objects' platform simultaneously moving along the path.

11. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a communication unit configured to exchange data/signal with at least one control unit of at least one of the objects' platforms and/or with a central control system.

12. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one service providing unit is configured to apply the one or more service procedures to equipment of at least one of the following object treatment zones: an object unloading zone, and object loading zone, an object pre-treatment zone, an object print zone, a curing zone, and/or an inspection zone.

13. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one service providing unit comprises at least one tub unit configured to receive and hold liquid substance purged and/or dot-shoot from at least one treatment unit in at least one of the object treatment zones.

14. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one service providing unit comprises at least one wiping unit configured to wipe and hold debris/particles from at least one of the treatment units in at least one of the object treatment zones.

15. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one service providing unit comprises at least one washing unit configured to sprinkle a cleaning solution onto at least one treatment unit in at least one of the object treatment zones, and receive and hold at least some portion of the sprinkled cleaning solution in a tub structure thereof. - 30 -

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 comprising at least one wiping element in the at least one washing unit configured to wipe residues of the cleaning solution sprinkled onto the at least one treatment unit.

17. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one service providing unit comprises at least one scrubbing unit configured to inject a stream of cleaning solution onto at least one treatment unit in at least one of the object treatment zones, and suction of at least some portion of the injected cleaning solution by a vacuum blade thereof.

18. A method of servicing treatment units arranged in treatment zones distributed along a path, the method comprising: moving a plurality of support platforms along said path, at least one of said plurality of support platforms configured to carry a plurality of objects to be treated by one or more of said treatment units, and at least another one of said plurality of support platforms comprising at least one servicing unit mounted thereon; applying one or more treatments to the objects carried by said at least one of said plurality of support platforms as it is passed through at least one of the treatment zones, and applying one or more services to at least one of the treatment units by said at least one servicing unit as said at least another one of said plurality of support platforms is passed through at least one of the treatment zones without interrupting the one or more treatments being applied to the objects carried by said at least one of said plurality of support platforms.

19. The method of claim 18 comprising applying the one or more services to the at least one of the treatment units periodically or intermittently for maintenance of the treatment units in at least one of the treatment zones.

20. The method of claim 18 or 19 comprising acquiring measurement/imagery data of the treatment units in at least one of said service zones and determining based thereon the one or more services to be applied to the inspected treatment units.

21. The method of any one of claims 18 to 20 wherein the applying of the one or more services comprises washing at least one of the treatment units with a washing liquid.

22. The method of any one of claims 18 to 21 wherein the applying of the one or more services comprises wiping at least a portion of at least one of the treatment units.

23. The method of any one of claims 18 to 22 wherein the applying of the one or more services comprises applying one or more suctions to at least a portion of at least one of the treatment units.