# US 8,770,713 B2 · Nozzle surface cleaning apparatus and method, and inkjet recording apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,770,713 B2 - Document ID: US8770713B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/359,764 - Filed: 2012-01-27 - Published: 2012-08-02 - Granted: 2014-07-08 - Earliest claimed: 2011-01-28 - Assignees: FUJIFILM Corporation - Applicants: Tadashi Kyoso - Inventors: Tadashi Kyoso - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8770713B2 ## CPC - B41J 2/16535: {using wiping constructions (B41J2/16552 takes precedence)} - B41J 2/16552: {using cleaning fluids} - B41J 2002/1655: {with wiping surface parallel with nozzle plate and mounted on reels, e.g. cleaning ribbon cassettes} - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ## Abstract A nozzle surface cleaning apparatus cleans a nozzle surface of an inkjet head. The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus includes: a wiping device which performs a wiping operation on the nozzle surface with a wiping member having permeability; an observation device which observes a soiled state of the wiping member having been used in the wiping operation; and 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 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. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the setting correction device corrects the pressing position in accordance with the judgment made by the judgment device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the judgment device further makes at least one of: a judgment on appropriateness of parallelism of the web with respect to the nozzle surface; a judgment on appropriateness of a pressing force of the web against the nozzle surface; a judgment on appropriateness of a nozzle meniscus position in the inkjet head; a judgment on presence of a kink in the web; and a judgment on appropriateness of a wetting amount of the nozzle surface, on a basis of the soiled density distribution observed by the observation device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the observation device further observes, as the soiled state, a soiled region length on the web in the web travelling direction; the judgment device further makes at least one of: a judgment on appropriateness of parallelism of the web with respect to the nozzle surface; a judgment on appropriateness of a pressing force of the web against the nozzle surface; a judgment on appropriateness of a nozzle meniscus position in the inkjet head; a judgment on presence of a kink in the web; and a judgment on appropriateness of a wetting amount of the nozzle surface, on a basis of the soiled density distribution observed by the observation device; and the judgment device further makes a judgment on appropriateness of at least one of a travelling speed of the web and a relative movement speed of the wiping device with respect to the nozzle surface on a basis of the soiled region length observed by the observation device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the setting correction device corrects the setting of the wiping operation during the wiping operation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the judgment device has a plurality of judgment standards for the judgment; and the judgment device makes the judgment while switching the judgment standards in accordance with at least one of: a number of sheets which have been printed with the inkjet head; and a duration in which the inkjet head has been used. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the judgment device further makes a judgment on appropriateness of parallelism of the web with respect to the nozzle surface on a basis of the soiled density distribution observed by the observation device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the setting correction device corrects inclination of the pressing roller with respect to the nozzle surface in accordance with the judgment made by the judgment device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the judgment device further makes a judgment on appropriateness of a pressing force of the web against the nozzle surface on a basis of the soiled density distribution observed by the observation device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the setting correction device corrects the pressing force of the web against the nozzle surface applied by the pressing roller in accordance with the judgment made by the judgment device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the judgment device further makes a judgment on appropriateness of a nozzle meniscus position in the inkjet head on a basis of the soiled density distribution observed by the observation device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the setting correction device corrects the nozzle meniscus position in accordance with the judgment made by the judgment device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the judgment device further makes a judgment on presence of a kink in the web on a basis of the soiled density distribution observed by the observation device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the setting correction device corrects at least one of the kink in the web and a tension of the web in accordance with the judgment made by the judgment device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the judgment device further makes a judgment on appropriateness of a wetting amount of the nozzle surface on a basis of the soiled density distribution observed by the observation device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the setting correction device corrects the wetting amount of the nozzle surface in accordance with the judgment made by the judgment device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the observation device further observes, as the soiled state, a soiled region length on the web in the web travelling direction; and the judgment device further makes a judgment on appropriateness of at least one of a travelling speed of the web and a relative movement speed of the wiping device with respect to the nozzle surface on a basis of the soiled region length observed by the observation device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the setting correction device corrects the at least one of the travelling speed of the web and the relative movement speed of the wiping device in accordance with the judgment made by the judgment device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the inkjet head is constituted of a plurality of head modules joined together; the observation device observes the soiled state of the wiping member for each of the head modules; and the judgment device makes the judgment on the appropriateness of the setting of the wiping operation for each of the head modules on the basis of the soiled state observed for each of the head modules by the observation device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 19, wherein the setting correction device corrects the setting of the wiping operation for each of the head modules in accordance with the judgment made for each of the head modules by the judgment device. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the observation device includes: an imaging device which captures an image of the wiping member having been used in the wiping operation; and an analyzation device which analyzes the image captured by the imaging device to determine the soiled state of the wiping member. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 21, wherein: the imaging device includes a line scanner which is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the web travelling direction. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 22, wherein the line scanner is integrally attached to the wiping device. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising: a conveyance device which conveys a medium; the nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1; and the inkjet head which records an image by ejecting and depositing ink droplets onto the medium conveyed by the conveyance device. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising: a conveyance device which conveys a medium along a medium conveyance path; and a plurality of head units each of which includes: the nozzle surface cleaning apparatus as defined in claim 1; and the inkjet head which is arranged along the medium conveyance path and records an image by ejecting and depositing ink droplets onto the medium conveyed by the conveyance device, wherein in each of the head units, the judgment device in the nozzle surface cleaning apparatus has a judgment standard for the judgment specifically for the corresponding inkjet head. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 25, wherein: the conveyance device includes a drum, the medium being held on a circumferential surface of the drum and being conveyed by rotation of the drum; and the inkjet head in each of the head units is arranged around the drum in such a manner that the nozzle surface faces the circumferential surface of the drum. ### Claim 27 A method of cleaning a nozzle surface of an inkjet head, comprising the steps of: wetting the nozzle surface; after the wetting step, performing a wiping operation on the nozzle surface with a wiping member having permeability; observing a soiled state of the wiping member having been used in the wiping operation; making a judgment on appropriateness of a setting of the wiping operation on a basis of the soiled state observed in the observing step; and correcting the setting of the wiping operation in accordance with the judgment made in the step of making the judgment, wherein: the wiping member includes a web; the step of performing the wiping operation includes: the step of driving the web by causing the web wrapped about a pressing roller to travel in a web travelling direction along a web travelling path; and the step of 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 observing step includes the step of observing, as the soiled state, a soiled density distribution on the web in a direction perpendicular to the web travelling direction; and the step of making the judgment includes the step of making a judgment on appropriateness of a pressing position of the web against the nozzle surface on a basis of the soiled density distribution observed in the observing step. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The method as defined in claim 27, wherein the step of correcting the setting of the wiping operation includes the step of correcting the pressing position in accordance with the judgment.