Cleaning of a surface in a printing device

• US 11,014,124 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Issued: 05/25/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Indigo B.V. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HP Indigo B.V. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Feygelman, Alex, Arenson, Mordechai, Levintant, Oran, Maman, Roy, Iu, Kai-Kong, Petachia Halely, Shunit, Rahamim, Shai
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US15/574,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20180161821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,127 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/10 characterised by the type of cleaning tool
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/20 Cleaning of moving articles, e.g. of moving webs or of objects on a conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/30 by movement of cleaning members over a surface
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 2230/01 Cleaning with steam
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/00 Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam B08B9/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/022 Cleaning travelling work B08B3/042 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 5/02 Cleaning by the force of jets, e.g. blowing-out cavities airguns or nozzles per se B05B1/005
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/17 Cleaning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0017 Application of ink-fixing material, e.g. mordant, precipitating agent, on the substrate prior to printing, e.g. by ink-jet printing, coating or spraying
• CPC Class Codes: B41P 2235/20 Wiping devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41P 2235/26 Spraying devices

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to cleaning a surface in a printing device, wherein a guiding member directs a stream of cleaning fluid towards the surface; and at least one barrier unit to confine the stream of cleaning fluid to a portion of the surface, wherein the at least one barrier unit guides air to provide at least one air curtain confining said stream of cleaning fluid to the portion of the surface.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cleaning an advancing surface in a printing device, comprising:

a continuously recirculating cleaning belt having a perimeter;

a cleaning press roller to bring the cleaning belt in contact with the surface;

a cleaning drive roller to continuously recirculate the cleaning belt;

a guiding member interiorly located within the perimeter of the cleaning belt to direct a stream of cleaning fluid towards the cleaning press roller at an opposite side of the cleaning press roller to a side at which the cleaning press roller is to bring the cleaning belt in contact with the surface; and

a barrier unit to confine the stream of cleaning fluid to a portion of the surface;

wherein the barrier unit guides air to provide an air curtain confining the stream of cleaning fluid to the portion of the surface.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the barrier unit is a first barrier unit, and the apparatus further comprises a second barrier unit, the first and second barrier units guiding air along a defined path to define a cleaning area on the surface.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first and second barrier units guide the air using an aerodynamic Coanda effect.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the stream of the cleaning fluid includes a steam flow.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface is the surface of a roller used to transfer a primer to a print media in an In-Line-Primer.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the surface is a first portion, the apparatus further comprising:

a chamber having a wall incident to a second portion of the surface,

wherein the barrier unit is inset and separate from the wall of the chamber and incident to a third portion of the surface, the barrier unit to confine the stream of cleaning fluid to the first portion of the surface,

wherein the surface comprises a fourth portion between the second and third portions at which the surface is exposed between an end of the wall at which the wall is closest to the surface and the barrier unit along an outwardly direction from the barrier unit towards the wall and parallel to the surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cleaning drive roller is configured to continuously recirculate the cleaning belt at a speed less than a speed at which the surface is advanced in the printing device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the surface is a roller surface advancing at a rotational speed,

and wherein the speed at which the cleaning drive roller is configured to continuously recirculate the cleaning belt is a linear speed less than the rotational speed at which the roller surface is advanced in the printing device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cleaning press roller is to stretch the cleaning belt where the cleaning belt is brought in contact with the surface.

10. An apparatus for cleaning a roller surface in a printing device, comprising:

a chamber having walls defining an open side facing the roller surface;

a continuously recirculating cleaning belt having a perimeter and arranged inside the chamber;

a cleaning press roller to bring the cleaning belt in contact with a contact area of the roller surface;

a cleaning drive roller to continuously recirculate the cleaning belt;

a manifold interiorly located within the perimeter of the cleaning belt to guide a stream of cleaning fluid towards the cleaning press roller at an opposite side of the cleaning press roller to a side at which the cleaning press roller is to bring the cleaning belt in contact with the roller surface;

a plurality of barrier units inset and separate from the walls of the chamber to guide air along the roller surface towards the contact area, to prevent the stream of cleaning fluid from exiting the chamber at the roller surface, wherein the barrier units guide the air by having the air follow surfaces of the barrier units using an aerodynamic Coanda effect, and wherein the contact area is positioned between the barrier units, a portion of the roller surface exposed between ends of the walls at which the walls are closest to the roller surface and the barrier units along an outwardly direction from the barrier units towards the walls and parallel to the roller surface; and

an outlet formed in a wall of the chamber to exhaust the stream of cleaning fluid from the chamber.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the barrier units each comprise a curved air guide surface.

12. A method of cleaning a surface in a printing device, comprising:

continuously recirculating a cleaning belt via a cleaning drive roller, the cleaning belt having a perimeter;

bringing the cleaning belt in contact with a contact area of the surface;

guiding a stream of cleaning fluid towards the cleaning press roller at an opposite side of the cleaning press roller to a side at which the cleaning press roller is to bring the cleaning belt in contact with the surface, via a guiding member interiorly located within the perimeter of the cleaning belt; and

confining the stream of cleaning fluid to a portion of the surface using a barrier unit, wherein the stream is confined to a portion of the surface by having the barrier unit guide air to provide an air curtain.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the barrier unit guides the air along a defined path towards the contact area using an aerodynamic Coanda effect.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the barrier unit is a first barrier unit, and the apparatus further comprises a second barrier unit, the first and second barrier units guiding air along a defined path to define a cleaning area on the surface.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the stream of cleaning fluid comprises a steam flow that is guided to the surface to heat primer residue on the surface beyond a glass temperature associated with the primer residue.