Liquid discharge apparatus and image forming apparatus

• US 10,457,052 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Tsubaki, Kengo
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Juanita D
• Application Number:
  US16/109,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20190077158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16535 using wiping constructions B41J2/16552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16538 with brushes or wiper blades perpendicular to the nozzle plate
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16547 the wipers and caps or spittoons being on the same movable support
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/1655 with wiping surface parallel with nozzle plate and mounted on reels, e.g. cleaning ribbon cassettes
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2025/008 comprising a plurality of print heads placed around a drum
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/304 Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface

Abstract

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a plurality of head arrays each including a plurality of liquid discharge heads to discharge a liquid from nozzles onto a medium, a drum to rotate and convey the medium to a position facing the plurality of head arrays, and a wiper to wipe the plurality of liquid discharge heads. The plurality of head arrays is inclined at different angles, and the wiper includes a plurality of wiping surfaces to wipe nozzle surfaces of the plurality of liquid discharge heads of the plurality of head arrays, respectively, the nozzles are formed on the nozzle surfaces, and the plurality of wiping surfaces is inclined at the different angles in accordance with the plurality of head arrays, respectively.

Claims

1. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:

a plurality of head arrays each including a plurality of liquid discharge heads to discharge a liquid from nozzles onto a medium;

a drum to rotate and convey the medium to a position facing the plurality of head arrays; and

a wiper to wipe the plurality of liquid discharge heads;

wherein each of the plurality of head arrays includes at least two lines of the plurality of liquid discharge heads spaced over a circumferential portion of the drum, and the plurality of liquid discharge heads are inclined at different angles in each of the two lines, and

the wiper includes a web having a width to cover the two lines of the plurality of liquid discharge heads, and the web includes a plurality of wiping surfaces

inclined at the different angles in accordance with the two lines of the plurality of liquid discharge heads.

2. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiper includes:

a pressing mechanism to press the web against the nozzle surfaces of the plurality of liquid discharge heads of the plurality of head arrays inclined at the different angles.

3. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the web includes nonwoven fabric.

4. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first driver to drive the wiper to move in an axial direction of the drum between a discharge position and a non-discharge position, the wiper being disposed between the plurality of head arrays and the drum at the non-discharge position and disposed offset from the drum in the axial direction at the discharge position; and

a second driver to drive the plurality of head arrays to move in a direction approaching to the drum at the discharge position and in a direction separating from the drum at the non-discharge position.

5. An image forming apparatus comprising:

the liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 to discharge the liquid from the plurality of liquid discharge heads onto the medium to form the image on the medium conveyed by the drum;

a sheet feed tray to feed the medium to the drum; and

a sheet ejection tray to receive the medium conveyed by the drum.

6. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of liquid discharge heads are inclined at different angles in each of the two lines to face a center of the drum.

7. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:

a plurality of head arrays each including a plurality of liquid discharge heads to discharge a liquid from nozzles onto a medium;

a drum to rotate and convey the medium to a position facing the plurality of head arrays; and

a wiper including a web to wipe nozzle surfaces of the plurality of liquid discharge heads, wherein each of the plurality of head arrays includes at least two lines of the plurality of liquid discharge heads spaced over a circumferential portion of the drum, and the plurality of liquid discharge heads are inclined at different angles in each of the two lines, and, the nozzles being formed on the nozzle surfaces, the web having a width to cover the two lines of the plurality of liquid discharge heads, and

the wiper includes a moving mechanism to move the web from a first position facing one of the two lines of the plurality of liquid discharge heads to a second position facing another one of the two lines of the plurality of liquid discharge heads inclined at a different angle.

8. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the moving mechanism includes an arc-shaped guide portion to guide the web in an arc manner between the first position and the second position.

9. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the moving mechanism includes a linear guiding portion to linearly guide the web between the first position and the second position.

10. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the web includes nonwoven fabric.

11. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a first driver to drive the wiper to move in an axial direction of the drum between a discharge position and a non-discharge position, the wiper being disposed between the plurality of head arrays and the drum at the non-discharge position and disposed offset from the drum in the axial direction at the discharge position; and

a second driver to drive the plurality of head arrays to move in a direction approaching to the drum at the discharge position and in a direction separating from the drum at the non-discharge position.

12. An image forming apparatus comprising:

the liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 7 to discharge the liquid from the plurality of liquid discharge heads onto the medium to form the image on the medium conveyed by the drum;

a sheet feed tray to feed the medium to the drum; and

a sheet ejection tray to receive the medium conveyed by the drum.

13. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of liquid discharge heads are inclined at different angles in each of the two lines to face a center of the drum.