Liquid jetting apparatus

Abstract

There is provided a liquid jetting apparatus including: a liquid jetting head which has a liquid jetting surface on which a plurality of nozzles are open to jet the liquid; a wiper which moves, relative to the liquid jetting surface, in a wiping direction along the liquid jetting surface, while being brought in contact with the liquid jetting surface, to wipe the liquid adhered on the liquid jetting surface; a wiper moving mechanism which moves the wiper in a direction orthogonal to the liquid jetting surface to approach to or separate from the ink jetting surface; a stopper which makes contact with the wiper which is separated from the ink jetting surface; and an impact-absorbing member which is formed in the wiper or the stopper and absorbs impact generated in a case that the wiper collides with the stopper.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A liquid jetting apparatus which jets liquid, comprising:
 a liquid jetting head which has a liquid jetting surface on which a plurality of nozzles are open to jet the liquid;   a wiper which moves, relative to the liquid jetting surface, in a wiping direction along the liquid jetting surface, while being in contact with the liquid jetting surface, to wipe the liquid adhered on the liquid jetting surface;   a wiper moving mechanism which moves the wiper in a moving direction orthogonal to the liquid jetting surface to approach to or separate from the ink-jetting surface;   a stopper which makes contact with the wiper being separated from the ink-jetting surface in the moving direction; and   an impact-absorbing member which is formed in the wiper or the stopper to absorb an impact generated by a collision between the wiper and the stopper.   
     
     
       2. The liquid jetting apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a biasing mechanism which biases the wiper toward the stopper.   
     
     
       3. The liquid jetting apparatus according to  claim 1 ;
 wherein the wiper is formed of an elastic material; and   wherein the impact-absorbing member is formed integrally with the wiper.   
     
     
       4. The liquid jetting apparatus according to  claim 3 ;
 wherein a protruding portion is formed in an end surface of the wiper to protrude from the end surface of the wiper; and   wherein the protruding portion of the wiper makes contact with the stopper as the impact-absorbing member.   
     
     
       5. The liquid jetting apparatus according  claim 4 ;
 wherein the protruding portion of the wiper has a side portion and a contact portion which is different from the side portion and which makes contact with the stopper; and   wherein the liquid jetting apparatus further comprising a regulating member which makes contact with the side portion of the protruding portion and which regulates bending of the protruding portion generated in a case that the protruding portion makes contact with the stopper.   
     
     
       6. The liquid jetting apparatus according to  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a wiper holder which holds the wiper, wherein the regulating members are formed integrally with the wiper holder.   
     
     
       7. The liquid jetting apparatus according to  claim 4 ;
 wherein the protruding portion has a contact portion which makes contact with the stopper, and a connection portion which connects the wiper with the contact portion, which has a width which is smaller than that of the contact portion, and which has a shape to be recessed with respect to the wiper and the contact portion; and   wherein the liquid jetting apparatus further comprising regulating member which is arranged to sandwich the connection portion and which regulates bending of the protruding portion generated in a case that the protruding portion makes contact with the stopper.   
     
     
       8. The liquid jetting apparatus according to  claim 7 ;
 wherein the regulating members and the connection portion are arranged to form a gap therebetween.   
     
     
       9. The liquid jetting apparatus according to  claim 8 ;
 wherein the gap is formed to have a width which is enough narrow to exert a capillary force on the liquid entered in the gap.   
     
     
       10. The liquid jetting apparatus according to  claim 3 ;
 wherein a stepped portion or a recess portion is formed to extend, in a side portion of the impact-absorbing member which is different from a contact portion of the impact-absorbing member which makes contact with the stopper, toward the contact portion; and a valley-shaped edge is formed by the stepped portion or the recess portion on the side portion of the impact-absorbing member.   
     
     
       11. The liquid jetting apparatus according to  claim 10 ;
 wherein a groove which communicates with the valley-shaped edge of the impact-absorbing member is formed in the stopper.   
     
     
       12. The liquid jetting apparatus according to  claim 3 ;
 wherein a stepped portion or a recess portion is formed to extend, in a side portion of the impact-absorbing member which is different from a contact portion making contact with the stopper, toward an end portion of the impact-absorbing member which makes contact with the stopper,   wherein a valley-shaped edge is formed by the stepped portion or the recess portion on the side portion of the impact-absorbing member,   wherein a groove which communicates with the valley-shaped edge of the impact-absorbing member is formed in the stopper, and   wherein the gap, the valley-shaped edge and the groove are communicate with each other to form a liquid passage through which the liquid adhered to the wiper flows.   
     
     
       13. The liquid jetting apparatus according to  claim 1 ;
 wherein the impact-absorbing member is formed of an elastic material; and   wherein a hole which penetrates in the wiping direction is formed in the impact-absorbing member.   
     
     
       14. A liquid jetting apparatus, comprising:
 a liquid jetting head including a liquid jetting surface;   a wiper including a front surface and a back surface opposite to the front surface in a wiping direction, the wiper being movable relative to the liquid jetting surface in the wiping direction such that the front surface contacts the liquid jetting surface to wipe liquid adhered to the liquid jetting surface;   a wiper holder holding the wiper and contacting the wiper, the wiper holder being movable with the wiper between a wiping position for wiping the liquid adhered to the liquid jetting surface and a retracted position where the wiper is separated from the liquid jetting surface;   a first surface including a first end and a second end at opposite ends of the first surface, wherein the first end and the second end are positioned relative to the wiper in both the wiping position and the retracted position along the wiping direction in an order comprising: the first end, the back surface of the wiper, the front surface of the wiper, and the second end of the first surface, the first surface being separated from a bottom end of the wiper in a downward direction orthogonal to the liquid jetting surface, and the first surface being separated from the wiper holder at both the wiping position and the retracted position;   a second surface extending from the second end of the first surface in the downward direction; and   a foam positioned further from the bottom end of the wiper in the downward direction than the first surface is from the bottom end of the wiper in the downward direction.    
     
     
       15. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first surface extends along the wiping direction.  
     
     
       16. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 14,
 wherein the second surface is offset from the wiper in the wiping direction.    
     
     
       17. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 14,
 wherein the wiper holder includes a first part facing the front surface of the wiper and a second part facing the back surface of the wiper.    
     
     
       18. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 14,
 wherein the wiper includes:
 a tip portion; 
 a bottom portion positioned in the downward direction with respect to the tip portion; and 
 a through hole positioned at a side which is nearer the bottom portion than the tip portion.  
   
     
     
       19. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:
 a carriage on which the liquid jetting head is mounted, the carriage configured to move in the wiping direction; and   a platen aligned with the wiper in the wiping direction, and   
       wherein the platen is oriented toward the back surface of the wiper.  
     
     
       20. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a wiper support plate that supports the wiper holder, and
 wherein the first surface extends from the wiper support plate in the wiping direction.    
     
     
       21. The liquid jetting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the foam is positioned further in the downward direction than at least a portion of the second surface.