JP2000062215A - Ink-jet recording apparatus and printing operation controlling method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the user from recognizing the waiting time by driving a waiting timer for setting a predetermined waiting time after executing a cleaning operation as well as allowing the receipt of a printing command at the same time. SOLUTION: A cleaning operation is completed by driving a carriage by a low speed mode for a finish wiping of wiping a nozzle plate of a recording head 7 at a low speed. Thereafter, timing by a waiting timer 28 is started, and at the same time, the apparatus is in the printing command waiting state of allowing the receipt of a printing command. A printing control means 20 monitors whether or not a printing command exists. Accordingly, in the case a printing command is received, the waiting timer 28 already times the predetermined waiting time so that printing can be started immediately after the passage of the predetermined time counted by the waiting timer 28. When the waiting time has passed, a signal for the idle ejection is applied to the recording head 7 for flashing so as to start printing.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet type recording apparatus for ejecting ink droplets onto a recording sheet based on print data to print an image and a printing operation control method in the apparatus, and more particularly to a recording apparatus. The present invention relates to a cleaning sequence of a mounted inkjet recording head and a control technique of a subsequent printing operation sequence.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Since the development of personal computers has made it relatively easy to perform graphic processing, there has been a demand for a recording apparatus capable of outputting a hard copy such as a color image displayed on a display with high quality. In order to meet such a demand, a recording apparatus equipped with an inkjet recording head has been provided.

This ink jet recording apparatus is used in many printings, mainly color printings, because noise during printing is relatively small and small dots can be formed with high density.

Such an ink jet type recording apparatus is
An ink jet type recording head which receives supply of ink from the ink storage means and a paper feeding means for moving the recording sheet relative to the recording head are provided, and ink is applied to the recording sheet while moving the recording head in response to a print signal. Print recording is performed by ejecting droplets to form dots.

As described above, since the ink jet type recording apparatus handles a liquid called ink, in order to prevent clogging of the recording head due to volatilization of the ink solvent, a process of forcibly sucking and discharging the ink from the recording head and printing are performed. An operation is performed in which a drive signal irrelevant to the data is supplied to eject ink droplets from the nozzle openings of the head in the non-printing area.

The forcible discharge of ink for eliminating the clogging of the recording head is usually called a cleaning operation, and when printing is resumed after a long pause of the apparatus (timer cleaning at power-on), Also, it is executed when the user presses the cleaning switch in order to eliminate the print quality defect such as print blur. This cleaning operation involves a wiping operation in which the recording head is sealed by a capping unit, a negative pressure is applied to discharge the ink, and then the nozzle plate of the head is wiped with a cleaning member made of an elastic plate such as rubber. Is.

On the other hand, the operation of applying a drive signal to the recording head to eject ink droplets is usually called a flushing operation, and the uneven meniscus near the nozzle opening of the head is recovered by wiping during the cleaning operation. Further, it is an operation that is executed at regular intervals for the purpose of preventing clogging of the nozzle openings in which a small amount of ink droplets are ejected during printing.

FIG. 10 shows a cleaning operation performed in the above-mentioned conventional recording apparatus and an operation sequence when a subsequent print command is received. That is, when the cleaning processing command is received as shown in FIG. 10, in step S51, the recording head is moved to the non-printing area side and passed over the cleaning member arranged in the portion, thereby performing the wiping operation. To execute. The wiping operation in step S51 is executed in order to improve the adhesion of the recording head to the capping device in the process of forcibly sucking the ink from the recording head by the next capping device.

Subsequently, in step S52, the recording head moves onto the capping device, is sealed by the capping device, and a relatively large amount of ink is sucked from the recording head. Then, in step S53, the air release valve arranged in a part of the capping device is opened, and the suction pump communicating with the capping device is operated, so that the ink sucked into the capping device is stored in the waste ink tank. Is discharged.

Then, in step S54, a small amount of ink is sucked into the recording head again by the capping device. This is done so that bubbles entering from the nozzle of the head are not bubbled by a small suction operation. Then, in step S55, the atmosphere release valve arranged in the capping device is opened, and the suction pump communicating with the capping device is operated,
The ink sucked into the capping device is discharged to the waste ink tank.

Further, in step S56, the recording head performs a wiping operation of passing over the cleaning member, whereby bubbles adhering to the surface of the recording head are removed by this wiping. Then step S5
In 7, the recording head again performs a small amount of ink suction operation by the capping device. This is a finishing cleaning operation, and is intended to recover the uneven meniscus in the nozzle openings of the recording head.

Similarly, in step S58, the air release valve arranged in the capping device is opened, and the suction pump communicating with the capping device is operated, so that the ink sucked into the capping device is stored in the waste ink tank. Is discharged to. Then, step S59.
At the step S5, the recording head passes over the cleaning member and the finishing wiping operation is executed.
From 1 to step S59, the substantial cleaning operation ends.

Then, in step S60, the standby timer is started, and in step S61, the waiting of a predetermined standby time (T1) is awaited. This step S
When it is determined in 61 that the predetermined waiting time has elapsed, the mode in which the print command can be accepted, that is, the print command is waited.

The waiting time (T1) is a time required for spontaneous disappearance of the ink bubbles generated in the nozzle openings of the recording head or reduction of the ink bubbles due to the cleaning action, and is usually 30 to 60 seconds. The time to leave is set. Therefore, the ink ejection operation from the recording head is stopped within this time, and the print quality can be stabilized.

In the state of waiting for the print command described above,
In step S62, it is monitored whether or not there is a print command, and when it is determined that there is a print command, step S6
In 3, the so-called blank ejection signal is applied to the recording head to perform flushing, and printing is started.

[0016]

By the way, according to the control sequence in the above-described conventional printing apparatus, after the cleaning operation is performed, the standby timer starts counting the time and the predetermined standby time (T1) is given, and then the printing is performed. It is controlled to shift to the command waiting mode. This is necessary for stabilizing the printing quality by spontaneously extinguishing the ink bubbles or reducing the ink bubbles as described above.

However, this waiting time is 30-60.
It takes a few seconds and the user who tries to start printing immediately after waiting for the end of the cleaning operation feels annoyed by the fact that printing is not started even though the print data is being sent. It is not preferable because it causes doubts.

Therefore, there is also provided a printing apparatus provided with a device for suppressing the occurrence of stress on the user by intentionally causing the apparatus to perform meaningless operation during the waiting time. However, if printing is not started immediately after the cleaning operation, this meaningless operation has an adverse effect since it only apparently lengthens the cleaning time. This is often the case in timer cleaning and the like which is automatically performed when the power is turned on.

On the other hand, in the ink cartridge for supplying the ink to the recording head, the outer case is generally made of a material such as polypropylene, and the inside of the ink cartridge is filled with a porous material to hold the ink.

The inside of this ink cartridge is degassed at the time of shipment, and the initial filling property due to the degassing (when the ink cartridge is first loaded in the recording apparatus and the head is filled with ink) The reliability of the operation of the recording apparatus) and the replacement filling property (the reliability of the operation of the recording apparatus when the ink cartridge is replaced and loaded) can be ensured.

After the ink cartridge thus degassed is loaded in the recording apparatus, the ink in the cartridge is
Since it communicates with the atmosphere through the opening provided on the upper surface, the air is gradually dissolved, and eventually the ink in the cartridge becomes saturated.

Here, while the degassing degree of the ink cartridge is ensured as in the case of replacing the ink cartridge, when the ink is sucked by the capping means, bubbles smaller than the nozzle diameter generated in the cap are generated. Is backflowed into the head channel due to the negative pressure of the ink cartridge, but this type of bubble disappears because it is smaller than the critical radius. In the case of fresh degassed ink, the bubbles can also be dissolved in the ink, so that the bubble disappearance time is actually accelerated.

However, when the inside of the ink cartridge is saturated, since the ability to dissolve the minute bubbles is small, in order to suppress the generation of bubbles or to suppress the influence of the generated bubbles, it is necessary for the bubbles to disappear. It takes a predetermined time as described above.

As described above, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, it is assumed that the inside of the cartridge is saturated, although the generation degree of the minute bubbles varies depending on the degassing degree of the ink cartridge. The cleaning sequence incorporating the uniform waiting time (T1) as described above is executed uniformly.

Therefore, there is a technical problem that a considerable amount of time is always required until the start of printing, and the throughput cannot be improved.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the first object thereof is to shift to the waiting for a print command at the same time when the above-mentioned standby timer starts counting. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus and a printing operation control method in the apparatus, which does not make a user aware of waiting time.

A second object of the present invention is to change the time measured by the standby timer in accordance with the degassing degree of the ink cartridge to improve the throughput. Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing operation control method for the apparatus.

[0028]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, which has been made to achieve the above object, ejects ink droplets from a nozzle opening onto a recording sheet in accordance with print data. An inkjet recording head for printing, a capping means for sealing the recording head and receiving a negative pressure from a suction pump,
An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a cleaning control unit that receives a cleaning operation command to perform a cleaning operation of sucking ink from a recording head by the capping unit, after performing a cleaning operation by the operation of the cleaning control unit. A print control unit is further provided which activates a standby timer for setting a predetermined standby time, and at the same time when the standby timer is activated, accepts a print command.

In this case, the print control means is configured to start the printing operation after measuring the predetermined waiting time when the standby timer receives the print command while measuring the predetermined waiting time. .

Further, the printing operation control method in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes an ink jet recording head for performing printing by ejecting ink droplets from a nozzle opening onto a recording sheet in accordance with print data.
The recording head includes a capping unit that seals the recording head and receives a negative pressure from a suction pump, and a cleaning control unit that receives a cleaning operation command and performs a cleaning operation for sucking ink from the recording head by the capping unit. A method of controlling printing operation in an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: a timer starting step of starting a waiting timer for setting a predetermined waiting time after the cleaning operation is performed by the operation of the cleaning control means; Each control step includes a print command receiving step in which the print control means allows the print command to be accepted at the same time when the print command is activated.

In this case, when the standby timer receives a print command while measuring a predetermined waiting time, a sequence is further provided for shifting to the printing operation step after measuring the predetermined waiting time.

In any of the above-mentioned ink jet type recording apparatus and the printing operation control method in the apparatus, the predetermined waiting time set by the waiting timer is set after the ink is sucked from the recording head by the capping means. It is desirable to set the time required for the disappearance of ink bubbles generated near the nozzle openings of the recording head or the reduction of ink bubbles.

Further, preferably, the predetermined standby time measured by the standby timer is changed by the standby time changing means. In this case, it is preferable that the waiting time changing unit waits by the waiting timer according to the time required for the dissolved gas amount of the ink in the ink cartridge after the ink cartridge is loaded to reach a saturated state or near the saturated state. It is designed to change the time.

More preferably, in any of the above-mentioned ink jet type recording apparatus or the printing operation control method in the apparatus, the printing control means receives the print command while the waiting timer measures a predetermined waiting time. In addition, the operation is performed without driving the recording head until the predetermined waiting time is reached after receiving the print command.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus having the above-described structure, the standby timer starts counting immediately after the end of the cleaning sequence, and at the same time, shifts to the print command acceptance mode sequence. Therefore, when the print command is received soon, the standby timer is already measuring the predetermined standby time, and the printing operation can be started immediately after the predetermined time elapses by the standby timer.

Generally, from the time when the cleaning operation is performed until the time when the printing apparatus actually starts printing, the actual work time for the user to prepare or check the recording paper, the time for the application and the printer driver to process the data. Therefore, in most cases, the waiting time is not taken into consideration, and as a result, the cleaning operation time is not felt long.

Further, the above-mentioned waiting timer is changed so as to be appropriately shortened by the waiting time changing means for measuring the time required for the dissolved gas amount of the ink in the ink cartridge to reach the saturated state or near the saturated state. Therefore, for example, it is possible to shorten the time required to start the printing operation after the power is turned on, and thus it is possible to improve the throughput.

When the printing operation is to be started before the lapse of a predetermined waiting time after the cleaning operation,
By intentionally executing the above-described operation that does not involve driving the recording head, it is possible to avoid suspicion that the device is malfunctioning.

[0039]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an ink-jet type recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a carriage. The carriage 1 is connected to a part of a timing belt 2 and driven by reciprocating rotation of a carriage motor 3, and guided by a guide member 4 so as to move in parallel to a platen 5. It is configured.

A recording head 7 for black printing is provided on the print area side (left side in FIG. 1) on the surface of the carriage 1 facing the recording paper 6, and a recording head 8 for color printing is provided on the non-print area side. Each of the recording heads 7 and 8 mounted on the carriage receives ink from the black ink cartridge 9 and the color ink cartridge 10 mounted on the carriage and ejects ink droplets onto the recording paper 6 to perform printing. Is configured.

A capping device 11 arranged in the non-printing area has the same cap member 12 for sealing the black ink recording head 7 and the cap member 13 for sealing the color ink recording head 8. It is mounted on a holder and connected to the pump unit 16 via a tube. The cap members 12 and 13 each have a size capable of sealing the nozzle opening surfaces of the recording heads 7 and 8 in one space, and seal the nozzle openings when not printing,
Further, during the discharge capacity recovery operation, that is, during the cleaning operation, negative pressure is supplied from the pump unit 16 so that the ink can be forcibly discharged from the recording heads 7 and 8.

In order to effectively discharge the ink discharged into the cap members, the cap members 12 and 13 are opened to the atmosphere V1 whose opening and closing are controlled by the movement of the carriage 1 and the driving means. It is configured to communicate with the atmosphere via V2. A cleaning member 17 made of an elastic plate such as rubber is arranged near the capping device 11.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device for controlling the operation of the recording device shown in FIG. In the control device in FIG. 2, reference numeral 20 is a print control means, which generates bitmap data based on print data from the host, and causes the head drive means 21 to generate a drive signal based on this data to thereby generate a recording head. Ink droplets are ejected from 7,8.

Reference numeral 22 is a cleaning control means,
When the power is turned on, or by the signals from the suction command detecting means 23 and the suction timer 24, the pump driving means 25 is operated based on the specified suction strength, suction time, and suction interval.
Is controlled to drive and control the suction pumps 14 and 15 that form the pump unit 16.

Reference numeral 26 is a flushing control means,
When the printing operation continues for a certain period of time and the flushing command is output from the print control unit 20 and when the suction end signal is output from the cleaning control unit 22, the print control unit 20 flushes the recording heads 7 and 8. It is moved to a position, usually a capping position, and a predetermined number of ink droplets are ejected from all the nozzle openings of the recording heads 7 and 8 in order to prevent clogging of the head and to eliminate clogging.

Further, reference numeral 28 is a standby timer, which starts time counting immediately after the cleaning control by the cleaning control means 22 is completed, and allows the printing operation to be started immediately after measuring a predetermined waiting time (T1). To control.

Further, reference numeral 27 is a waiting time changing means, which is in accordance with the time required for the dissolved gas amount of the ink in the ink cartridge after the ink cartridge is loaded to reach a saturated state or reach the saturated state. It is configured to change the waiting time by the waiting timer 28. That is, the standby time changing means 27 measures the integrated time after the cartridge replacement based on a signal such as an ink cartridge replacement obtained from the host computer, and the standby time (T1) by the standby timer 28 is appropriately set according to the integrated time. It acts to increase or decrease.

Reference numeral 29 in the drawing denotes a cleaning command switch provided on a control panel or the like (not shown) of the recording apparatus, and when the user recognizes a phenomenon such as print fading,
By operating the switch 29, the cleaning operation is executed.

Next, FIG. 3 shows the structure of the ink cartridge loaded in the recording apparatus shown in FIGS. The ink cartridge shown in FIG.
1 shows an example of a color ink cartridge 10 filled with yellow, magenta, and cyan inks. In the black ink cartridge 9 filled with black ink, its width direction dimension is shortened, and an ink pool is formed. It is different in that it is one, and the other configurations are almost the same as those of the color ink cartridge 10 described later.

The color ink cartridge 10 is basically a box-shaped ink tank 31 made of polypropylene, for example, and a foam 32Y formed of a porous member housed in the ink tank 31 and impregnated with ink.
32M and 32C, and a lid 33 that covers the upper surface of the ink tank 31.

The ink tank 31 includes 31Y, 31
The chamber is divided into three chambers M and 31C, and foams 32Y, 32M, and 32C made of a porous member such as a polyurethane foam molded in a rectangular parallelepiped shape are stored in each chamber. Each chamber is filled with yellow, magenta, and cyan color inks.

The lid 33 that covers the upper portion of the ink tank 31 is provided with three communication holes 34 for communicating with the outside for each chamber. An openable band-shaped sealing member 35 is attached to at least one communication hole 34a for each chamber of these communication holes 34, and is sealed by the member 35 until just before use and opened immediately before use. Then vent 3
It is configured to be able to perform the function of 4a.

In particular, a band-shaped sealing member 3 as shown in FIG.
By adopting No. 5, it is possible to open the communication holes 34a of the respective chambers at once by pulling off the end portions thereof. In this case, it is preferable that one end of the band-shaped sealing member 35 is coupled to the packaging bag (not shown) of the cartridge 10 so that the cartridge 10 is always opened when the cartridge 10 is taken out from the packaging bag.

By opening the sealing member 35 in this manner, when the cartridge 10 is loaded in the recording apparatus, air corresponding to ink consumption is replenished in the cartridge through the opened vent hole 34a.

The other vent holes 34 are also sealed by their respective sealing members 36. These sealing members 3
5 and 36 have a water vapor permeability of a predetermined level or lower, and at least one sealing member has a gas permeability of a predetermined level or higher. This prevents the ink from leaking when the cartridge is transported,
It also acts so that the ink is deaerated again after the vacuum packaging.

Although not shown, a cylindrical ink chamber is formed in the lower bottom of each chamber 31Y, 31M, 31C, and a blind plug 37 made of an elastic member such as rubber is formed at the end of the ink chamber. Is fitted and sealed.

In the ink cartridge 10 thus constructed, the blind plug 37 is penetrated by a hollow needle (not shown) which communicates with the recording head 8 in a state where the ink cartridge 10 is loaded in the printing apparatus.
Ink is introduced from the cartridge 10 to the recording head 8.

Further, on the side surface of the ink tank 31, the front end portion thereof is a foam 32 in each chamber 31Y, 31M, 31C.
Electrodes 38 for ink end detection are embedded so as to be in contact with Y, 32M, and 32C, respectively, and are sealed by O-rings 39 for preventing ink leakage. The ink end state can be detected by measuring the electric resistance between the electrodes 38 and the hollow needle.

Next, the operation of cleaning the recording head and the operation of the print command in the standby mode in the ink jet type recording apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described based on the operation flowcharts shown in FIG. To do.

First, FIG. 4 shows the first control sequence of the cleaning operation of the recording head and the operation of the standby mode of the print command, and FIGS.
Shows each operation of the capping means controlled at this time. 5 to 8 show only the one cap member 12 of the cap members 12 and 13, the operation of the other cap member 13 is the same as the following description.

In FIG. 4, when the printing apparatus is turned on after being left for a long period of time, or when the cleaning command switch 29 is operated to enter the cleaning start mode, the recording head 7 is set to the non-printing area in step S11. Move to the side. As a result, the cleaning member 1 made of an elastic plate made of rubber or the like is arranged in the portion.
The recording head 7 passes over the upper portion of the recording head 7 and performs a wiping operation for removing dust, paper dust, and the like adhering to the nozzle plate of the recording head 7.

The wiping operation in step S11 is executed to improve the adhesion of the recording head to the capping device in the process of forcibly sucking the ink from the recording head by the next capping device.

Then, in step S12, the carriage 1 is moved to the capping position and the large amount of ink suction operation from the recording head 7 is started. That is, FIG.
The recording head 7 is sealed by the cap member 12 as shown in (a), and the cap member 12 is sealed as shown in FIG.
The suction pump 14 is driven at a high speed for a predetermined time while the atmosphere opening valve V1 communicating with the cap member 12 is closed to cause the cap member 12 to accumulate a strong negative pressure.

If left in a state where a strong negative pressure is accumulated, a large amount of ink is discharged from the recording head 7 to the cap member 12 as shown in FIG. In this way, when the predetermined time elapses and the negative pressure in the cap member 12 weakens to about atmospheric pressure due to the discharge of ink from the recording head 7,
As shown in FIG. 5D, the discharge of ink from the recording head 7 is stopped.

After the large amount of suction is completed, when the inside of the cap member 12 is returned to the atmospheric pressure, the process proceeds to step S13, and FIG.
As shown in (a), the atmosphere opening valve V1 communicating with the cap member 12 is opened, and the suction pump 14 is driven again at high speed.

Since a large amount of ink has stagnated in the cap member 12 after the end of the large-volume suction, the ink in the cap member 12 is removed by opening the atmosphere opening valve V1 as shown in FIG.
As shown in (4), the air is generated and sucked by the suction pump 14 and discharged to the waste ink tank. And FIG.
As shown in (c), the recording head 7 is released from the sealing of the cap member 12, and the atmosphere opening valve V1 is closed again.
The suction pump 14 is driven to discharge the ink remaining on the cap member 12 to the waste ink tank.

Next, in step S14, the cleaning control means 22 moves the recording head 7 to the capping position again, and in order to repair the damage to the meniscus or the like at the nozzle opening due to the large-amount suction described above, the cleaning controller 22 first moves the recording head 7 to the capping position. The first small amount suction operation is executed. That is, as shown in FIG. 7A, the recording head 7 is sealed by the cap member 12, and as shown in FIG. 7B, the suction pump in a state in which the atmosphere opening valve V1 communicating with the cap member 12 is closed. 14 is driven at a low speed for a predetermined time to cause the cap member 12 to store a weak negative pressure.

If the weak negative pressure accumulated in the cap member 12 is applied to the recording head 7 and left as it is, as shown in FIG.
Ink is discharged from the recording head 7 to the cap member 12 as shown in FIG. Then, when the negative pressure of the cap member 12 is reduced to about atmospheric pressure, the discharge of ink from the recording head 7 is stopped as shown in FIG.

Then, in step S15, the atmosphere release valve V1 is opened. Since only a small amount of ink remains in the cap member 12 after the small amount suction operation, no bubbles are generated even when the atmosphere opening valve V1 is opened as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, in this state, the suction pump 14 is driven at a low speed to seal the recording head 7, and the stagnant ink is sucked into the cap member 12 without bubbling to the waste tank. Discharge.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8C, the recording head 7 is released from the sealing of the cap member 12, and the suction pump 14 is driven to move the ink remaining in the cap member 12 to the waste ink tank. Let it drain.

Next, in step S16, the cleaning control means 22 moves the recording head 7 to the operating position of the cleaning member 17, and wipes the nozzle plate of the recording head 7 in the low speed mode. As a result, the ink layer adhering to the nozzle plate is wiped by the ink droplets generated when the ink is sucked.

Subsequently, in step S17, the cleaning control means 22 moves the recording head 7 to the capping position again and executes the second small amount suction operation from the recording head 7.

That is, the recording head 7 is sealed by the cap member 12 as shown in FIG. 7A, and the atmosphere opening valve V1 communicating with the cap member 12 is closed as shown in FIG. 7B. Then, the suction pump 14 is driven at a low speed for a predetermined time to accumulate a weak negative pressure in the cap member 12.

As a result, a small amount of ink is discharged from the recording head 7 into the cap member 12 by the weak negative pressure accumulated in the cap member 12, as shown in FIG. Then, when the negative pressure of the cap member 12 is reduced to about atmospheric pressure, the discharge of ink from the recording head 7 is stopped as shown in FIG.

Then, in step S18, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), the atmosphere release valve V1 is opened, and
As shown in (b), the suction pump 14 is driven at a low speed to suck the stagnant ink in the cap member 12 without bubbling and discharge it to the waste tank. Then, as shown in FIG. 8C, the recording head 7 is released from the sealing of the cap member 12, and the suction pump 14 is driven to discharge the ink remaining in the cap member 12 to the waste ink tank.

Subsequently, in step S19, finish wiping is performed in which the carriage is driven in the low speed mode and the nozzle plate of the recording head 7 is wiped at low speed.
The cleaning operation is completed by the above sequence.

In step S20 immediately after finishing wiping shown in step S19, the waiting timer 2
The time counting by 8 is started, and at the same time, it waits for a print command that allows the acceptance of the print command.

The print control means 20 executes step S21.
In step S22, when it is determined that there is a print command, a predetermined wait time (T1) by the wait timer 28 is monitored.
Is determined. When it is determined in step S22 that the predetermined waiting time has elapsed, a signal for so-called blank ejection is applied to the recording head to perform flushing in step S23, and printing is started.

According to the control sequence described above, immediately after the finishing wiping operation in step S19, the time counting of the waiting timer 28 is started, and the print command waiting state is immediately entered. Therefore, when the print command is received soon, the standby timer 28 is already measuring the predetermined standby time, and the printing operation can be started immediately after the lapse of the predetermined time (T1) by the standby timer.

The above-described control sequence shows a normal control sequence performed when, for example, two or more days have passed since the ink cartridge was newly replaced and the degree of deaeration in the ink cartridge has decreased. There is.

That is, within, for example, about two days after replacement with a new ink cartridge, minute bubbles that flow back into the recording head after the cleaning operation are early because the degree of degassing of ink in the ink cartridge is relatively high. However, there is no inconvenience that the print quality is deteriorated and the print quality is deteriorated. In other words, in such a state where the degree of deaeration in the ink cartridge is high, there is no problem that the print quality is deteriorated even if the standby time (T1) by the standby timer is shortened.

The reason is as follows. That is,
When the outer case of the ink cartridge is made of a material such as polypropylene as shown in FIG. 3, it usually takes about 3 days at room temperature for the ink in the cartridge to reach full saturation.
After that, it takes about 30 to 60 seconds for the bubbles of the same size as the nozzle opening diameter to disappear. Therefore, the waiting time (T1) needs to be set to a time comparable to this. However, if the degree of degassing is 75% or less of the saturation as the amount of dissolved air, it can be dissolved quickly without waiting time, and no defects occur after cleaning.
75% of saturation is reached in about 2 days at room temperature, so after 2 days, the waiting time is 30-60 seconds (T1).
Is controlled to be provided.

Therefore, it is desirable to set the waiting time (T1) by the ratio, that is, as a function of the elapsed time, based on the elapsed time for 3 days after the cartridge is loaded.

FIG. 9 is provided with the standby time changing means which utilizes such characteristics and operates according to the time required for the dissolved gas amount of the ink in the ink cartridge to reach the saturated state or near the saturated state. 2 shows a second control sequence.

That is, the series of cleaning control sequences of steps S31 to S39 shown in FIG. 9 is the same as the series of cleaning control sequences of steps S11 to S19 shown in FIG. In addition, steps S41 to S44 shown in FIG.
Is the same as step S20 to step S23 shown in FIG. Therefore, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 4 in the sequence shown in FIG.
The difference is that the operation of setting the waiting time (T1) by the waiting time changing means is added in step S40.

That is, the standby time changing means 27 measures the cumulative time from the time of ink cartridge replacement, and the standby time (T
It is modified so as to shorten 1) appropriately.

For example, within a range of, for example, about 2 days from the time of exchanging the ink cartridge, the standby time (T1) is gradually and proportionally increased from 0 second as described above, and, for example, 2 days or more have passed since the ink cartridge was replaced. In this case, the standby time (T1) is set to a fixed time of about 30 to 60 seconds which is a normal time. In addition, the standby time (T1) may be set to 0 seconds within a predetermined time range from the time when the ink cartridge is replaced.

Further, the setting of the waiting time (T1) performed by the waiting time changing means 27 can take various forms as follows. For example, it has been confirmed that bubbling differs depending on the type of ink due to the components such as dye and surfactant in the ink. That is, in the case where there are two heads dedicated to black ink and color print heads for yellow, magenta, and cyan, and respective dedicated caps are provided, the black ink has less foaming, Backflow of air bubbles tends to be small. Therefore, even in the same cleaning sequence, black causes less defective cleaning.
Therefore, during the replacement of the black ink cartridge, the standby time (T1) can be shortened for a longer period of time.

Further, when the caps have different sizes, there is a large amount of foaming during large-volume suction in the larger cap, so that backflow of bubbles from the nozzle openings is large. In contrast, the smaller cap has less foaming. Therefore, for example, the waiting time (T1) may be variable according to the size of the cap of the capping means.

Further, in the case of an ink jet recording apparatus having two heads and a cap corresponding to the two heads, in a recording head having a large number of nozzles, bubbles bubbled in the cap frequently flow back to the nozzle openings. On the contrary, in a recording head having a small number of nozzles, backflow of bubbles is small. Therefore, depending on the number of nozzles of the recording head that sucks ink by the capping means, the waiting time (T1)
The cleaning sequence can be optimized in the same manner by arranging that the setting can be changed.

In the control sequence shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, a predetermined time (T1) by the standby timer is set.
It is preferable to operate the device without waiting for ink ejection from the recording head during the waiting time (S22, S43) until the device appears to be functioning normally.
In addition to meaningless driving of the carriage, paper feed motor, etc., this device also performs paper feeding operation, paper cueing operation, movement of the carriage to the flushing position, etc., because printing information has already been given. You can

[0093]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the ink jet recording apparatus and the printing operation control method for the same according to the present invention, the standby timer is started at the same time as the cleaning operation is finished, and at the same time, the waiting for the print command is waited. When the print command arrives, the predetermined waiting time has already passed, or the waiting time has been counted. Therefore, the probability of imposing an unnecessary waiting time on the user can be reduced.

When a print start command is given before the predetermined waiting time is reached, the apparatus is operated in a range that does not involve ink ejection from the recording head.
It is possible to avoid suspicion that the device is malfunctioning.

Further, since the waiting time can be further shortened by providing the waiting time changing means which operates in accordance with the replacement of the ink cartridge, for example, the printing apparatus is turned on to immediately print. When it is attempted to execute, the throughput can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit in the recording apparatus shown in FIG.

3 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of an ink cartridge loaded in the recording apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a first operation sequence when a cleaning operation performed by the control circuit shown in FIG. 2 and a print command following the cleaning operation are received.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a state inside the cap member in the first half of the mass suction step.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state inside the cap member in the latter half of the mass suction step.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a state inside the cap member in the first half of the small amount suction step.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state inside the cap member in the latter half of the small amount suction step.

9 is a flowchart showing a second operation sequence when a cleaning operation performed by the control circuit shown in FIG. 2 and a print command following the cleaning operation are received.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence when a cleaning operation performed in a conventional recording apparatus and a print command following the cleaning operation are received.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 carriage 4 Guide member 5 Platen 6 recording paper 7,8 recording head 9,10 ink cartridge 12, 13 Cap member 14,15 suction pump 17 Cleaning member 20 Print control means 21 Head drive means 22 Cleaning control means 25 Pump drive means 26 Flushing control means 27 Standby time changing means 28 Standby timer V1, V2 atmosphere release valve

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Shigenori Fukasawa             Seiko, 3-3-3 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture             -In Epson Corporation F-term (reference) 2C056 EA14 EA17 EB25 EB33 EB38                       EC02 EC07 EC23 EC36 EC37                       EC57 FA10 JA13 JC06

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet type recording head for performing printing by ejecting ink droplets from a nozzle opening onto a recording sheet in accordance with print data, and a negative pressure from a suction pump for sealing the recording head. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a capping unit for receiving a cleaning operation; and a cleaning control unit for executing a cleaning operation for sucking ink from a recording head by the capping unit in response to a cleaning operation command. After the cleaning operation is performed, a standby timer for setting a predetermined standby time is activated, and at the same time when the standby timer is activated, print control means for permitting acceptance of a print command is further provided. Inkjet recording device. 2. The print control means is configured to start a printing operation after measuring a predetermined waiting time when a print command is received while the waiting timer measures a predetermined waiting time. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 3. An ink jet type recording head for performing printing by ejecting ink droplets from a nozzle opening onto a recording sheet corresponding to print data, and a negative pressure from a suction pump for sealing said recording head. A printing operation control method in an inkjet recording apparatus, comprising: a capping means for receiving the cleaning operation; and a cleaning control means for executing a cleaning operation for sucking ink from the recording head by the capping means in response to a cleaning operation command, A timer starting step of starting a waiting timer for setting a predetermined waiting time after execution of the cleaning operation by the operation of the cleaning control means, and printing in which the printing control means allows reception of a print command at the same time as the starting of the waiting timer. Equipped with each control step including command acceptance step Printing operation control method in an ink jet recording apparatus characterized by the. 4. When the standby timer receives a print command while measuring a predetermined standby time, the standby timer further comprises a sequence for shifting to the printing operation step after measuring the predetermined standby time. A printing operation control method in the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3. 5. The predetermined standby time set by the standby timer is such that after the ink is sucked from the recording head by the capping means, the ink bubbles generated near the nozzle openings of the recording head disappear or the ink bubbles shrink. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3 or claim 4
A method for controlling a printing operation in the inkjet recording apparatus described in claim 1. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, or the claim 3 or claim 3, wherein the predetermined standby time measured by the standby timer is changed by a standby time changing means. 5. A printing operation control method in the ink jet recording apparatus according to 4. 7. The waiting time changing means waits by the waiting timer according to a time required for the dissolved gas amount of ink in the ink cartridge after the ink cartridge is loaded to reach a saturated state or near the saturated state. 7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the time is changed, or the printing operation control method in the ink jet recording apparatus. 8. The print control means, when a print command is received while the standby timer measures a predetermined standby time, drives the recording head from the reception of the print command until the predetermined standby time is reached. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, or a printing operation control method in the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the operation is performed without the above. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus or the printing operation control method in the ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning operation executed by the cleaning control means is automatic cleaning at power-on.