Nozzle surface cleaning apparatus and method, and inkjet recording apparatus

A nozzle surface cleaning apparatus which cleans a nozzle surface of an inkjet head, the apparatus comprising:

• a wiping device which performs a wiping operation on the nozzle surface with a wiping member having permeability;
• a wetting device which wets the nozzle surface before the wiping operation;
• an observation device which observes a soiled state of the wiping member having been used in the wiping operation;
• a judgment device which makes a judgment on appropriateness of a setting of the wiping operation on a basis of the soiled state observed by the observation device;
• and
• a setting correction device which corrects the setting of the wiping operation in accordance with the judgment made by the judgment device, wherein:
• the wiping member includes a web;
• the wiping device includes a web drive device which causes the web to travel in a web travelling direction along a web travelling path, and a pressing roller about which the web is wrapped;
• the wiping device performs the wiping operation by pressing the travelling web against the nozzle surface by means of the pressing roller while the wiping device moves relatively along the nozzle surface;
• the observation device observes, as the soiled state, a soiled density distribution on the web in a direction perpendicular to the web travelling direction;
• and
• the judgment device makes a judgment on appropriateness of a pressing position of the web against the nozzle surface on a basis of the soiled density distribution observed by the observation device.