US-12623477-B2 - Liquid discharge apparatus and control method of liquid discharge apparatus

US12623477B2US 12623477 B2US12623477 B2US 12623477B2US-12623477-B2

Abstract

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a transport belt that transports a medium, a discharge section that discharges a liquid to the medium transported by the transport belt, a cleaning mechanism that cleans the transport belt, and a control section that controls the cleaning mechanism. The cleaning mechanism includes a web that abuts against the transport belt and wipes off the liquid on the transport belt, and a driving section that changes a wiping surface of the web that abuts against the transport belt. The control section performs a first operation of changing the wiping surface of the web that abuts against the transport belt a predetermined number of times within a cleaning period for cleaning the transport belt.

Inventors

Keisuke Niwa
Mitsuhiro Koseki

Assignees

SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20231129
Priority Date: 20221130

Claims (9)

1 . A liquid discharge apparatus comprising: a transport belt that transports a medium; a discharge section that discharges a liquid to the medium transported by the transport belt; a cleaning mechanism that cleans the transport belt; and a control section that controls the cleaning mechanism, wherein the cleaning mechanism includes a web that abuts against the transport belt and wipes off the liquid on the transport belt, and a driving section that changes a wiping surface of the web that abuts against the transport belt, and the control section performs a first operation of changing the wiping surface of the web that abuts against the transport belt a predetermined number of times within a cleaning period for cleaning the transport belt; acquires information on an amount of the liquid discharged from the discharge section toward the medium, determines the predetermined number of times based on the information, sets the predetermined number of times as a first number of times when the amount of the liquid is a first amount, and sets the predetermined number of times as a second number of times less than the first number of times when the amount of the liquid is a second amount less than the first amount.
2 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section acquires information on at least one of humidity and temperature in an apparatus main body, and determines the predetermined number of times based on the information.
3 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section acquires information on a cumulative number of sheets of the medium transported by the transport belt, determines the predetermined number of times based on the information, sets the predetermined number of times as a first number of times when the cumulative number of sheets of the medium is a first number of sheets, and sets the predetermined number of times as a second number of times less than the first number of times when the cumulative number of sheets of the medium is a second number of sheets less than the first number of sheets.
4 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section causes the transport belt to rotate at a first speed from a start of cleaning to a predetermined time, and after the predetermined time, the control section causes the transport belt to rotate at a second speed faster than the first speed.
5 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the web is an endless web.
6 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning mechanism includes a wiper which is provided upstream of the web in a rotation direction in which the transport belt rotates, abuts against the transport belt, and scrapes off the liquid on the transport belt.
7 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning mechanism includes gears that transmit power from the driving section, the web is configured to change the wiping surface by being sent by power received from the driving section via the gears, and the direction in which the web is sent coincides with a direction in which the web receives a frictional force from the transport belt that rotates in a state where the web abuts against the transport belt.
8 . The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning mechanism includes a detection section that measures a rotation amount of the driving section, and the detection section includes a plurality of detected sections provided at intervals in a peripheral direction of a disk that rotates integrally with a rotation shaft of the driving section, and a sensor that sequentially detects the plurality of detected sections.
9 . A control method of a liquid discharge apparatus including a transport belt that transports a medium, a discharge section that discharges a liquid to the medium transported by the transport belt, a web that abuts against the transport belt and wipes off the liquid on the transport belt, and a driving section that changes a wiping surface of the web that abuts against the transport belt, the method comprising: changing a wiping surface of the web that abuts against the transport belt acquiring information on an amount of the liquid discharged from the discharge section toward the medium, based on the acquired information, determining a predetermined number of times to change the wiping surface of the web within a cleaning period for cleaning the transport belt, setting the predetermined number of times as a first number of times when the amount of the liquid is a first amount, and setting the predetermined number of times as a second number of times less than the first number of times when the amount of the liquid is a second amount less than the first amount.

Description

The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2022-191581, filed Nov. 30, 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a liquid discharge apparatus including a discharge section that discharges a liquid such as ink to a medium, and a control method of the liquid discharge apparatus. 2. Related Art For example, JP-A-2005-169968 discloses a printing apparatus (an example of a liquid discharge apparatus) including a transport belt that transports a medium and a discharge section that discharges a liquid such as ink toward the medium. This recording apparatus includes a belt cleaner that removes ink adhering to the transport belt. The belt cleaner includes a cleaning blade that scrapes off the ink adhering to the belt, and a cleaning web that wipes off the ink remaining after scraping off. The cleaning web is disposed downstream of the cleaning blade in the belt rotation direction. In the recording apparatus, the cleaning web is rotationally driven by a preset amount, and the web on the belt contact surface becomes a new surface. In addition, the cleaning web is timely driven by a web drive motor to wind up the residual ink and the cleaning liquid collected on the cleaning web side. The cleaning web drive motor is driven when a cleaning web driving signal is input from a control unit, and the rotation of the cleaning web drive motor causes a roller on the winding side of the cleaning web to rotate. As a result, a predetermined amount of the web is wound up, and the contact surface with the belt becomes a new surface. As described above, a configuration is disclosed in which the web drive motor appropriately sends out the cleaning web, and thus a new web contact surface can always be sent out to the belt surface. In order to extend the life of a cleaning mechanism such as a belt cleaner, it is conceivable to increase the total length of the web, but in that case, the cleaning mechanism itself may become larger. On the other hand, when the total length of the web is shortened, the life of the web is shortened. Thus, the frequency of replacement of the web is increased, and as a result, the burden on the user or the serviceman is increased. That is, in the related art, the size of the apparatus may be increased and the frequency of replacement may be increased, and it was desired to extend the life of the web. SUMMARY According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: a transport belt that transports a medium; a discharge section that discharges a liquid to the medium transported by the transport belt; a cleaning mechanism that cleans the transport belt; and a control section that controls the cleaning mechanism, in which the cleaning mechanism includes a web that abuts against the transport belt and wipes off the liquid on the transport belt, and a driving section that changes a wiping surface of the web that abuts against the transport belt, and the control section performs a first operation of changing the wiping surface of the web that abuts against the transport belt a predetermined number of times within a cleaning period for cleaning the transport belt. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a control method of a liquid discharge apparatus including a transport belt that transports a medium, a discharge section that discharges a liquid to the medium transported by the transport belt, a web that abuts against the transport belt and wipes off the liquid on the transport belt, and a driving section that changes a wiping surface of the web that abuts against the transport belt, the method including: a first step of changing a wiping surface of the web that abuts against the transport belt, in which the first step is performed a predetermined number of times within a cleaning period for cleaning the transport belt. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic front sectional view illustrating a liquid discharge apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating a cleaning mechanism. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view illustrating the cleaning mechanism. FIG. 4 is a schematic front sectional view illustrating the cleaning mechanism when being disposed in a retracted position, and a transport belt mechanism. FIG. 5 is a schematic front sectional view illustrating the cleaning mechanism when being disposed in a cleaning position, and a transport belt mechanism. FIG. 6 is a schematic rear view illustrating a detection section in the cleaning mechanism. FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the detection section. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an electric configuration of the liquid discharge apparatus. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating first reference data. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating seco