JPH08207293A - Printing head cleaning device in printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To clean a printing head for a long period of time by a method wherein a wiper is formed so as to be capable of being moved orthogonally to the moving direction of a carriage while the wiper is pushed against and separated from the printing head while being operated in conjunction with the reciprocating motion of the carriage. CONSTITUTION: When a carriage 4 moves forward and approaches one end of a moving route while the engaging projection 19 of the carriage 4 is collided against the other end 15b of an arm 15, the arm 15 is pivoted clockwise to lift up the end 15a of the arm 15, a wiper holder 7 is elevated through a pin 18 and the wiper 8 is pushed against a printing head 5a to clean the same through the elastic deformation of the wiper 8. The engaging projection 19 passes the upper part of the other end 15a of the arm 15 whereby the arm 15 is returned to the initial position thereof. When the carriage 4 has arrived at one end of the moving route thereof and is converted to return while the engaging projection 19 is collided against the other end 15b of the arm 15, the arm 15 is pivoted counterclockwise and the end unit 15a is lifted up, a wiper holder 7 descends through the pin 18 and the wiper 8 is separated from the printing head 5a.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning device for cleaning a print head of a printer such as an ink jet printer or a facsimile machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an example of an ink jet type printer is shown in FIG. By rotating the paper feed roller 1, the paper P inserted between the paper feed roller 1 and the pressing roller 2 is fed in the paper feed direction A from the paper feed holder, and the paper feed direction A is changed. Is reciprocally moved by a drive mechanism (not shown) along a guide rod 3 arranged along a direction orthogonal to each other. Ink is ejected onto P for printing. A wiper holder 7 is attached to the base frame 6 so as to face one end of the movement path of the carriage 4.
The wiper 8 made of an elastic synthetic resin material or the like is fixed via the above, and the print head 5a of the printing portion 5 passing therethrough is cleaned by the wiper 8.

According to the above arrangement, since the wiper 8 is fixed in position, there is an advantage that the wiper 8 can be pressed against the print head 5a with a predetermined pressing force to surely clean the print head 5a. There is a carriage 4
Since the wiper 8 is elastically deformed in the opposite direction alternately in the forward and backward movements, the fatigue is likely to be accumulated in a relatively short period of time and the elastic force is likely to decrease, and the life of the wiper 8 is short. There are drawbacks.

As a means for solving the above drawbacks, a print head cleaning device shown in FIG. 5 has been conventionally considered. This is because the wiper 8 is supported by the base frame 6 so as to be able to move up and down, and is urged upward by the spring 9 to be held at a predetermined position [the position indicated by the phantom line in FIG. When the carriage 4 moves forward in the direction and approaches the wiper 8, the interlocking mechanism (not shown) operates, and the wiper 8 descends until the carriage 4 passes [the solid line state in FIG. When reaching one end of the movement path, reversing and returning in the direction of arrow C [state (b) in the figure], the wiper 8
The print head 5a comes into contact with the print head 5a, and the wiper 8 is pressed against the print head 5a by the spring 9, and the wiper 8 is elastically deformed to clean the print head 5a [state (c) in the figure]. .

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the above conventional configuration,
Only when the carriage 4 returns, the spring 9 presses the wiper 8 against the print head 5a,
Since the wiper 8 is only elastically deformed in one direction (left side in the drawing), fatigue is less accumulated due to the elastic deformation, and the elastic force is maintained for a long period of time. However, when the wiper 8 becomes hard as the temperature drops in winter or the like, the wiper 8 pressed against the print head 5a is not elastically deformed so much. 8 is pushed down against the spring 9 and the print head 5
It may not be possible to sufficiently clean a.

In view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, it is an object of the present invention to provide a print head cleaning device in a printing device which can reliably clean the print head for a long period of time.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 feeds a sheet from a sheet feeding holder by rotationally driving a sheet feeding roller, and
By reciprocally moving the carriage in a direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction, the printing unit attached to the carriage prints on the paper, and the wiper is provided by a wiper provided opposite one end of the moving path of the carriage. In the printing device configured to clean the print head of the printing unit passing above, the wiper is configured to be movable in a direction orthogonal to a moving direction of a carriage, and the wiper is interlocked with forward movement of the carriage. A wiper actuating mechanism is provided which pushes the wiper against the print head and separates the wiper from the print head in conjunction with the return movement of the carriage.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the wiper actuating mechanism includes a substantially L-shaped arm pivotably supported at a central portion thereof, the arm and a base frame. And a spring that holds one end of the arm in a horizontal state and the other end of the arm in a standing state, and the one end of the arm is connected to the wiper to move the carriage forward. The wiper is pulled up and pressed against the print head by pushing down the other end of the arm against the spring.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, a pin is provided so as to project from a side surface of a wiper holder that supports the wiper, and one end of the arm is movably engaged with the pin. It is characterized in that long grooves are formed.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the carriage is reciprocally moved along a moving path orthogonal to the paper feeding direction, so that the print head of the printing unit attached to the carriage prints on the paper. When the carriage moves forward and approaches one end of the moving path, the wiper operating mechanism interlocks with the wiper and presses the wiper against the print head of the printing unit to clean the print head. When it reaches one end of the print head, reverses, and moves back, the wiper operating mechanism interlocks with it to separate the wiper from the print head.

In this case, the wiper is pressed against the print head in conjunction with the forward movement of the carriage, and is not pressed against the print head when it is returned, and is only elastically deformed in one direction. Compared to the case where the wiper is pressed against the print head and elastically deformed in both left and right directions as in the conventional example shown in Fig. 4, deterioration due to accumulated fatigue is less likely to occur, and the life of the wiper is greatly increased. Can be extended to. Further, even when the wiper becomes hard due to a decrease in temperature in winter, etc., the wiper is reliably pressed against the print head by the wiper operating mechanism, so that the print head can be sufficiently cleaned.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the wiper actuating mechanism is stretched between a substantially L-shaped arm pivotably supported at the center and an arm and the base frame. The arm has a spring that holds one end of the arm in a horizontal state and the other end in an upright state.The structure is simple, the manufacturing cost is low, and the wiper is linked with the forward movement of the carriage. The wiper can be reliably pressed against the print head, and the wiper can be reliably separated from the print head in conjunction with the return movement of the carriage.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the pin is provided on the side surface of the wiper holder supporting the wiper, and the one end of the arm is formed with the long groove movably engaged with the pin. Therefore, the wiper can be reliably pressed against and separated from the print head in association with the swing of the arm.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an inkjet type printer including a print head cleaning device 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The print head cleaning device 11 faces one end of a moving path of a carriage 4. The wiper 8 mounted on the wiper holder 7 supported by the support frame 12 on the base frame 6 so as to be vertically movable along the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the carriage 4, and the reciprocating movement of the carriage 4 are interlocked with each other. And a wiper actuating mechanism 13 that operates.

The wiper actuating mechanism 13 has a substantially L-shaped arm 15 whose central portion is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 14 so as to be swingable.
And a spring 16 stretched between the arm 15 and the engaging piece 6a of the base frame 6 to hold one end 15a of the arm 15 in a horizontal state and the other end 15b in an upright state. The long groove 17 formed in the one end 15a of the arm 15 is engaged with the pin 18 projecting from the side surface of the wiper holder 7, and is opposed to the other end 15b of the arm 15 to engage with the carriage 4. 19 is integrally projected.

In the above structure, by rotating the paper feed roller 1, the paper P inserted between the paper feed roller 1 and the pressing roller 2 is fed from the paper feed holder in the paper feed direction A and is fed. A carriage 4 is provided along a guide rod 3 arranged along a direction orthogonal to the paper direction A.
Is reciprocated by a drive mechanism (not shown), whereby ink can be ejected from the print head 5a of the printing unit 5 attached to the carriage 4 onto the paper P for printing.

During the above-described printing period, as shown in FIG. 2A, the carriage 4 moves forward in the direction of arrow B and approaches one end of the movement path, and as shown in FIG.
When the engaging projection 19 of the above hits the other end 15b of the arm 15, the arm 15 rotates clockwise around the pivot shaft 14 against the spring 16 and the one end 15a of the arm 15 is pulled up. Then, the wiper holder 7 rises via the pin 18, the wiper 8 is pressed against the print head 5a and elastically deforms, and the print head 5a is cleaned by the wiper 8, and as shown in FIG. Engaging protrusion 19
By passing over the other end 15b of the arm 15,
The arm 15 is returned to its original position by the spring 16.

In this case, even when the wiper 8 becomes hard due to a decrease in temperature in the winter, the wiper 8 will be hard.
Is reliably pressed against the print head by the wiper operating mechanism 13, the print head can be sufficiently cleaned, and the drawbacks of the conventional example shown in FIG. 5 can be eliminated.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the carriage 4 reaches one end of the movement path, reverses and returns in the direction of arrow C, and as shown in FIG. 3 (b), engages. When the protrusion 19 hits the other end 15b of the arm 15, the arm 15 rotates counterclockwise around the pivot shaft 14 against the spring 16, and the one end 15a of the arm 15 is pulled down. Since the wiper holder 7 descends via the pin 18 and the wiper 8 is separated from the print head 5a, the wiper 8 is not elastically deformed by the print head 5a.
As shown in FIG. 2, the engagement protrusion 19 passes over the other end 15 b of the arm 15 so that the arm 15 is moved toward the spring 1.
Return to the original position by 6. After that, the same operation is repeated during the printing period to clean the print head 5a.

In this case, the wiper 8 is pressed against the print head 5a in conjunction with the forward movement of the carriage 4 and is not pressed against the print head 5a when it is moved back, and is simply elastically deformed in one direction. Therefore, as compared with the conventional example shown in FIG. 4, the wiper 8 is pressed against the print head 5a in conjunction with the reciprocation of the carriage 4 and elastically deformed in both the left and right directions, resulting in deterioration due to accumulated fatigue. It is difficult and the life of the wiper 8 can be greatly extended.

In the above embodiment, the case where the carriage 4 is moved in the direction of the arrow B is the forward movement, and the case where it is moved in the direction of the arrow C is the backward movement. However, the print head cleaning device 11 is attached in the opposite direction. As a result, the case of moving the carriage 4 in the direction of arrow C is defined as forward movement,
The case where the print head 5a is moved in the direction may be set as the backward movement, and the print head 5a may be cleaned by the wiper 8 only when the forward movement in the arrow C direction is performed.

[0022]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the wiper is pressed against the print head in conjunction with the forward movement of the carriage and is elastically deformed in one direction. Therefore, the life of the wiper is greatly increased. It can be postponed. Further, even when the wiper becomes hard due to a decrease in temperature in winter, etc., the wiper is reliably pressed against the print head by the wiper operating mechanism, so that the print head can be sufficiently cleaned.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the wiper actuating mechanism has a substantially L-shaped arm and a spring as main components, and the structure is simple, the manufacturing cost is low, and the forward movement of the carriage is performed. The wiper can be surely pressed against the print head in conjunction with, and the wiper can be reliably separated from the print head in conjunction with the return movement of the carriage.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the pin is provided on the side surface of the wiper holder that supports the wiper, and the one end of the arm is formed with the long groove that is movably engaged with the pin. Therefore, the wiper can be reliably pressed against and separated from the print head in association with the swing of the arm.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an inkjet type printing apparatus including a print head cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A to 2C are schematic explanatory views for explaining the operation of the print head cleaning device when the carriage of the printing device moves forward.

FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C are schematic explanatory views for explaining the operation of the print head cleaning device when the carriage of the printing device moves back.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a conventional example.

5A to 5C are schematic explanatory views showing another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Paper Feed Roller 4 Carriage 5 Printing Section 5a Printing Head 6 Base Frame 7 Wiper Holder 8 Wiper 13 Wiper Actuating Mechanism 15 Arm 15a One End of Arm 15b The Other End of Arm 16 Spring 17 Long Groove 18 Pin A Paper Feed P Paper

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A printing unit attached to the carriage by rotating the paper feed roller to feed the paper from the paper feed holder and reciprocally moving the carriage in a direction orthogonal to the paper feed direction. In a printing device configured to print on the paper and clean a print head of the printing unit passing over the wiper by a wiper provided at one end of a moving path of the carriage, the wiper is configured to move the carriage. A wiper operation that is configured to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the direction, presses the wiper against the print head in conjunction with the forward movement of the carriage, and separates the wiper from the print head in conjunction with the return movement of the carriage. A print head cleaning device in a printing device, wherein a mechanism is provided. 2. The wiper actuating mechanism is stretched between a substantially L-shaped arm having a central portion pivotally supported so as to be swingable, and the arm and a base frame, and one end of the arm is horizontal. In the state, having a spring that holds the other end in the standing state,
One end of the arm is connected to the wiper, and the forward carriage moves the other end of the arm downward against a spring so that the wiper is pulled up and pressed against the print head. The print head cleaning device in the printing device according to claim 1. 3. A wiper holder supporting the wiper is provided with a pin on a side surface thereof, and a long groove movably engaged with the pin is formed at one end of the arm. A print head cleaning device in the printing device described.