Inkjet head maintenance device and inkjet head maintenance method
AssigneeToray Engineering Co., Ltd.
InventorsYoshiyuki Kitamura, Satoshi Tomoeda, Kazuyuki Shishino
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inkjet head maintenance device includes a base, a liquid supplier and a liquid collector. The base has an upper face disposed closely opposite a nozzle face of an inkjet head to form a liquid reservoir space during maintenance of the inkjet head. The base includes a liquid supply hole and a liquid collection hole that open to the upper face. The liquid supplier is configured to supply liquid from the liquid supply hole to the liquid reservoir space. The liquid collector is configured to collect the liquid in the liquid reservoir space from the liquid collection hole.
Claims15
An inkjet head maintenance device, comprising:
- a base with an upper face disposed closely opposite a nozzle face of an inkjet head to form a liquid reservoir space during maintenance of the inkjet head, the base including a liquid supply hole and a liquid collection hole that open to the upper face;
- a liquid supplier configured to supply liquid from the liquid supply hole to the liquid reservoir space to clean the nozzle face of the inkjet head with the liquid held in the liquid reservoir space;
- and
- a liquid collector configured to collect the liquid in the liquid reservoir space from the liquid collection hole,
- the base including a liquid collection accelerator configured to accelerate collection of the liquid.
An inkjet head maintenance device, comprising:
- a base with an upper face disposed closely opposite a nozzle face of an inkjet head to form a liquid reservoir space during maintenance of the inkjet head, the base including a liquid supply hole and a liquid collection hole that open to the upper face;
- a liquid supplier configured to supply liquid from the liquid supply hole to the liquid reservoir space to clean the nozzle face of the inkjet head with the liquid held in the liquid reservoir space;
- a liquid collector configured to collect the liquid in the liquid reservoir space from the liquid collection hole;
- and
- a leaked liquid receptacle configured to collect the liquid that leaks out from the liquid reservoir space.
An inkjet head maintenance device, comprising:
- a base with an upper face disposed closely opposite a nozzle face of an inkjet head to form a liquid reservoir space during maintenance of the inkjet head, the base including a liquid supply hole and a liquid collection hole that open to the upper face;
- a liquid supplier configured to supply liquid from the liquid supply hole to the liquid reservoir space to clean the nozzle face of the inkjet head with the liquid held in the liquid reservoir space;
- a liquid collector configured to collect the liquid in the liquid reservoir space from the liquid collection hole;
- and
- a heater configured to heat the upper face of the base.
An inkjet head maintenance method, in which an inkjet head maintenance device including
- a base with an upper face disposed closely opposite a nozzle face of an inkjet head to form a liquid reservoir space during maintenance of the inkjet head, the base including a liquid supply hole and a liquid collection hole that open to the upper face,
- a liquid supplier configured to supply liquid from the liquid supply hole to the liquid reservoir space to clean the nozzle face of the inkjet head with the liquid held in the liquid reservoir space, and
- a liquid collector configured to collect the livid in the liquid reservoir space from the liquid collection hole, is used, the method comprising:
- supplying a protective liquid for protecting the nozzle face of the inkjet head from the liquid supply hole, and holding the protective liquid in the liquid reservoir space;
- and
- collecting the protective liquid after a certain amount of time has passed after holding the protective liquid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.