JP2001063088A - Ink-jet recording apparatus and its restoration process method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce as much as possible a consumption of an ink solution in a restoration process and a quantity of a recycle ink solution generated. SOLUTION: A printing discharge pattern of a printing process is stored in a discharge pattern memory 22. A timer 21 is started from a printing end time point to monitor a passed time. Whether the passed time exceeds a predetermined time or not is judged. A preparatory discharge pattern is formed on the basis of the printing discharge pattern to carry out a preparatory discharging and restoration process. Whether all nozzles are to be subjected to the preparatory discharging or only non-discharge nozzles are to be subjected to the preparatory discharging can be set accordingly. A consumption of an ink solution in the restoration process and a quantity of a recycle ink solution to be generated can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus and a recovery method therefor, and more particularly, to a recovery processing technique for an ink jet recording head which sets the type of recovery processing according to the elapsed time from the end of printing. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional ink jet recording apparatus of the type in which minute ink droplets are ejected from a nozzle of an ink jet recording head onto a recording medium such as paper and characters and images are printed on the recording medium includes a nozzle. In order to prevent ejection failure of ink droplets, remove the thickened ink liquid in the nozzle and supply new ink liquid into the nozzle,
Alternatively, there has been known an apparatus which performs a recovery process of an ink jet recording head by eliminating minute bubbles mixed in an ink liquid. As a specific recovery processing method, a preliminary ejection recovery processing method in which ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles of the inkjet recording head to the recovery tub, or a method in which the ink liquid in the nozzles is forcibly pressurized by a circulation pressurization method or the like to the recovery tub There is a so-called ink pressure recovery processing method of discharging, or a suction recovery processing method of sucking ink liquid from a nozzle.

[0003] These recovery processes are usually executed repeatedly when the power of the ink jet recording apparatus is turned on or every time a predetermined time elapses. For example, when printing is performed in print job units transferred from the host device, the print job is not executed. Before execution of the processing, recovery processing such as preliminary ejection from all nozzles and ink pressurization is executed.

[0004]

However, in the above-described recovery processing, since a predetermined amount of ink droplets are preliminarily ejected from all the nozzles of the ink jet recording head and the ink is pressurized for a predetermined time, the recovery processing is used. The used ink liquid becomes a large amount of recycled ink liquid or waste ink liquid. In particular, the recycled ink liquid has a problem that not only may the viscosity increase over time, but also it takes time to suck the thickened recycled ink liquid. Therefore, there is a problem that it is necessary to minimize the generation of such a recycled ink liquid and a waste ink liquid.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus and an ink jet recording apparatus capable of minimizing the amount of recycled ink and waste ink generated during recovery processing. An object of the present invention is to provide a recovery processing method.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording head for ejecting ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles onto a recording medium. In an ink jet recording apparatus that controls the processing operation by a control unit, a time measuring unit that measures an elapsed time from the end of printing on the recording medium,
Setting means for judging whether or not the elapsed time measured by the timing means exceeds a predetermined time, and setting a mode of the recovery processing of the inkjet recording head; and a mode of the recovery processing set by the setting means. And recovery processing means for executing recovery processing based on

According to the present invention, the form of the recovery processing, that is, the form of the recovery processing such as the preliminary ejection recovery processing and the ink pressure recovery processing, is set in consideration of the elapsed time from the end of printing, and the setting is performed. The recovery processing operation can be executed according to the recovery processing mode, and if the elapsed time from the end of printing to the start of the next printing is short, useless preliminary ejection or long time of ink pressurization time Therefore, the consumption of the ink liquid used for the recovery processing and the generation amount of the recycled ink liquid can be reduced as much as possible. Here, the reference point of the start of the timing is set as the printing end point, but in some cases, the starting point of the capping operation may be set as the reference point.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is the first invention.
Wherein the control means has a print ejection pattern storage means for storing the nozzles used during a printing operation, and the preliminary ejection pattern creation means includes a print ejection pattern storage means for storing the print ejection pattern stored in the print ejection pattern storage means. A preliminary ejection pattern is created based on the pattern. According to the present invention, the preliminary ejection pattern can be created by the preliminary ejection pattern creating means based on the print ejection pattern. Therefore, if the recovery process is executed using this preliminary ejection pattern, useless preliminary ejection of ink droplets is avoided. be able to.

The invention described in claim 3 is the same as the invention in claim 2
In the invention described in (1), the preliminary ejection pattern creating means creates a preliminary ejection pattern by inverting the final print ejection pattern. According to the present invention, since the preliminary ejection pattern is created by inverting the final print ejection pattern, the non-ejection nozzle can be accurately determined, and the recovery processing function can be improved.

[0010] Further, the invention according to claim 4 is based on claim 2.
Alternatively, in the invention described in Item 3, the preliminary ejection pattern creating unit creates a preliminary ejection pattern based on the sheet width data detected by the sheet width detecting unit. According to the present invention, a preliminary ejection pattern of ink droplets can be created according to the paper width size, so that in the case of a recording paper having a narrow paper width, useless preliminary ejection can be avoided.

The invention described in claim 5 is the first invention.
Wherein the setting means sets the ink pressurizing time for the recovery operation of the ink jet recording head based on the elapsed time measured by the time measuring means. According to the present invention, the ink pressurizing time can be arbitrarily set according to the elapsed time from the end of printing, so that when the ink pressurizing time is short, the consumption of the ink liquid used for the recovery process is reduced. The amount and the amount of recycled ink liquid generated can be reduced.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for recovering an ink jet recording apparatus, the method comprising: ejecting ink droplets from nozzles of an ink jet recording head to print on a recording medium. Measuring the elapsed time from the end of printing to the printer, determining whether the measured elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, and setting the mode of the recovery process of the inkjet recording head according to the elapsed time. And a step of executing a recovery processing operation based on the set recovery processing mode.

According to the present invention, by performing the above-described steps over time, the recovery processing can be executed in accordance with the recovery processing such as the preliminary ejection recovery processing and the ink pressure recovery processing. In the case where the elapsed time is short, unnecessary preliminary ejection and prolonged ink pressurization time can be avoided, and the amount of ink used for recovery processing and the amount of recycled ink generated can be reduced. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the sixth aspect, the form of the recovery processing is as follows:
The preliminary ejection pattern is set according to the elapsed time. According to the present invention, a preliminary ejection pattern can be set as a mode of the recovery processing.

The invention described in claim 8 is the same as the invention described in claim 7.
In the invention described in the above, the preliminary ejection pattern is a preliminary ejection pattern for ejecting ink droplets from all nozzles when the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, and the elapsed time does not exceed a predetermined time. In this case, the preliminary ejection pattern is formed based on the final print ejection pattern and is a preliminary ejection pattern in which ink droplets are ejected only from non-ejection nozzles. According to the present invention, the preliminary ejection pattern can be set according to the elapsed time. In the case where the elapsed time is short, the ink droplet is ejected only from the non-ejection nozzle, so that unnecessary preliminary ejection of the ink droplet is avoided. Can be.

[0015] The invention according to claim 9 provides the invention according to claim 8.
Wherein the preliminary ejection pattern is created by inverting the final print ejection pattern. According to the present invention, since the preliminary ejection pattern is created by inverting the final print ejection pattern, the non-ejection nozzle can be accurately determined, and the recovery processing function can be improved.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth or ninth aspect, the preliminary ejection pattern is created based on detected paper width data. . According to the present invention, since the preliminary ejection pattern is created based on the paper width data, useless preliminary ejection can be avoided in the case of a recording paper having a narrow paper width.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect of the present invention, the form of the recovery processing is to set an ink pressurizing time according to the elapsed time. is there. According to the present invention, it is possible to set the ink pressurization time as a form of the recovery processing.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a schematic perspective view and an internal configuration diagram of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes an ink jet recording apparatus, which has black (K),
Inkjet recording heads 1K, 1C for ejecting cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) inks;
1M and 1Y are provided. Each of the inkjet recording heads 1K, 1C, 1M, and 1Y is a full line type recording head in a label printer, and has a number of nozzles corresponding to the width of a recording sheet to be conveyed. As shown in FIG. 6A, this ink jet recording head has, for example, 1360 nozzles as dischargeable nozzles and 1344 nozzles as drawing areas.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a cap provided on each ink jet recording head. The cap 2 is provided as a unit corresponding to each ink jet recording head, and performs capping of the corresponding ink jet recording head. And also serves as an ink receiver at the time of preliminary ejection recovery processing, that is, at the time of flashing. Further, it is configured to be movable so that its position with respect to the inkjet recording head can be changed at the time of preliminary ejection recovery, at the time of capping, and at the time of recording. This enables printing by ejection of ink droplets from the inkjet recording head and recovery from preliminary ejection.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a recording paper conveyance system having a conveyance belt. The recording paper conveyance system 3 is provided below the ink jet recording heads 1K, 1C, 1M and 1Y,
Is conveyed directly below each transport recording head. An ink cartridge 5 storing ink to be supplied to the inkjet recording heads 1K, 1C, 1M, and 1Y is provided below the recording paper transport system 3.

In such a configuration, the recording paper transport system 3
When the recording paper 4 is conveyed, the black ink is ejected from the inkjet recording head 1K when the reference position of the recording paper 4 reaches just below the black (K) inkjet recording head 1K. Then, similarly, when the recording paper 4 reaches the reference position in the order of the ink jet recording heads 1C, 1M, and 1Y, ink of each color is ejected, and as a result, a color image is formed.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the construction of an ink jet recording head according to the present invention. In the drawing, reference numeral 16 denotes nozzles each partitioned by a nozzle wall 13, and the nozzles 16 each have a corresponding heat generation. A body (heater) 14 is provided. The heating element 14 is used for the silicon substrate 11
Is formed in the same manner as the semiconductor manufacturing process, and when a predetermined electric energy is applied by a head drive circuit described later, bubbles are generated in the ink in the nozzle by heat, and It is configured to eject ink droplets. Reference numeral 15 denotes a common liquid chamber for supplying ink to each of the nozzles 16.
Indicates a top plate.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a control circuit for the preliminary ejection recovery process in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 20 denotes a main control. The main control 20 includes a timer 21 for measuring an elapsed time from the end of printing of characters and images on a recording medium such as paper or a label, and a printing control. Discharge pattern storage memory 22 for storing the print discharge pattern at the time
And Further, the main control 20 determines whether or not the elapsed time measured by the timer 21 exceeds a predetermined time, and sets a mode of a recovery process of the ink jet recording head, and a setting function of the set recovery process. A recovery processing function for performing a recovery process based on the mode is provided. Note that, here, the reference point for starting the timing is from the end of printing, but may be from the start of the capping operation in some cases.

Reference numeral 23 denotes a paper width detection sensor, for example,
A signal for detecting the paper width is output to the main control 20 in order to create an ejection pattern having a width corresponding to the paper width in the label printer. Reference numeral 24 denotes a recovery mechanism provided with a recovery tub and the like. Reference numeral 25 denotes a preliminary ejection pattern creation circuit which creates a preliminary ejection pattern by inverting the final print ejection pattern. Reference numeral 26 denotes a head drive circuit which drives the inkjet recording heads 27K, 27C, 27M, and 27Y according to the preliminary ejection pattern created by the preliminary ejection pattern creation circuit 25 during the recovery process.

According to the embodiment configured as described above, of a plurality of continuous print jobs, the preliminary discharge recovery process is executed before the printing of the first print job is performed, and the print discharge pattern of this print process is discharged. It is stored in the pattern storage memory 22. Next, the timer 21 is activated from the end of printing, and the elapsed time is monitored. It is determined whether or not the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, a preliminary ejection pattern is created based on the print ejection pattern, and a pattern of the preliminary ejection operation in the preliminary ejection recovery process is set. Thereafter, similarly, the print ejection pattern at the end of the previous print process is stored, the timer 21 is reset, the timer 21 is monitored in the recovery process before the execution of the next print job, and the preliminary ejection process operation is repeated.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining one embodiment of the preliminary discharge recovery processing operation of the present invention. This preliminary discharge recovery processing is for creating a preliminary discharge pattern based on a print discharge pattern. It is started before the execution of the print job starts.

First, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the printing end time counted by the timer 21 has elapsed (S1). If it is determined that the time has elapsed, a preliminary ejection pattern for all nozzles is created (S4). ), A preliminary ejection process is started (S5). If it is determined in S1 that the time is not over, the ejection pattern storage memory 22
The print ejection pattern is read out (S2), and the preliminary ejection pattern is inverted by the preliminary ejection pattern creation circuit 25 to create a preliminary ejection pattern as shown in FIG. 6B (S3). Start processing (S
5). In FIG. 6B, black circles indicate discharge nozzles,
White circles indicate non-ejection nozzles, and semi-black circles indicate preliminary ejection nozzles.

Conventionally, in this type of preliminary ejection recovery processing, a recovery processing by a predetermined amount of preliminary ejection is performed for each print job.
Regardless of the elapsed time until the start of the execution of the next print job, the preliminary ejection recovery processing by all nozzle ejections is always performed before printing, but the present invention takes account of the elapsed time as described above. In addition, since the preliminary ejection pattern is created based on the print ejection pattern and the preliminary ejection recovery processing operation is performed by the partial nozzle ejection, the consumption of the ink liquid used for the preliminary ejection and the generation amount of the recycled ink liquid are reduced. be able to.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining another embodiment of the preliminary ejection recovery processing operation in the present invention.
The preliminary ejection recovery process in this embodiment is to create a preliminary ejection pattern based on a print ejection pattern and paper width data, and is started before the start of execution of each print job.

First, the paper width data detected by the paper width detection sensor 23 is read (S11).
It is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the printing end time measured by the time is over (S12). If it is determined that the time is over, a preliminary ejection pattern for all nozzles is created (S15), and the ejection is adjusted to the paper width. A pattern is created (S16), and a preliminary ejection process is started (S17).
If it is determined in S12 that the time is not over, the final print ejection pattern is read out from the ejection pattern storage memory 22 (S13), and the preliminary print ejection pattern is generated by the preliminary ejection pattern creation circuit 25 as shown in FIG. Are reversed to create a preliminary ejection pattern for the non-ejection nozzles (S14), and further create a preliminary ejection pattern corresponding to the paper width (S16), and start the preliminary ejection process (S17).

As described above, in the present invention, the preliminary ejection recovery process is executed based on the print ejection pattern and the paper width data. Therefore, when the paper width is narrow, the consumption amount of the ink liquid used for the preliminary ejection and the amount of the recycled ink liquid are reduced. The amount of generation can be reduced.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of the ink pressurization recovery processing operation of the present invention. The recovery processing in this embodiment is to arbitrarily set the ink pressurization time. It is started before execution starts.

First, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the printing end time counted by the timer 21 to the recovery processing start time has elapsed (S21). If it is determined that the time is over, the ink pressurizing time is reduced. The maximum time is set (S22), and the ink pressure recovery process is started (S2).
4). If it is determined in S21 that the time is not over, the corresponding ink pressurizing time is set based on the time measured by the timer 21 (S23), and the ink pressurizing recovery process is started (S24).

Conventionally, this kind of preliminary ejection recovery processing is performed by applying ink pressure to the ink jet recording head for a certain period of time for each print job and discharging ink to a recovery tub, and until the next print job execution is started. Although the ink pressure recovery process was always performed before printing without considering the elapsed time, the present invention executes the ink pressure recovery process according to the elapsed time as described above. In the case where the ink pressurization time is short, the amount of the ink liquid used at the time of the ink pressurization recovery or the discharged recycled ink liquid can be reduced.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the case where the recovery process by the ink pressurization is performed by the pressurizing time has been described.
It is also possible to create an ink pressurization pattern according to the elapsed time and pressurize all nozzles or partial nozzles. It is also possible to apply to a recovery process by suction.

[0038]

As described above, according to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the control means measures the elapsed time from the end of printing on the recording medium, and the elapsed time measured by the time measuring means. Setting means for judging whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed, and setting a recovery processing mode of the ink jet recording head; and recovery processing means for executing the recovery processing based on the recovery processing mode set by the setting means. The recovery processing mode, that is, the recovery processing mode such as the preliminary ejection recovery processing and the ink pressurization recovery processing is set in consideration of the elapsed time from the end of printing, and the set recovery processing is performed. The recovery process can be executed in accordance with the embodiment. In particular, when the elapsed time from the end of printing is short, useless preliminary ejection and prolonged ink pressurization time can be avoided, and the consumption and recycling of ink used for recovery processing can be avoided. The amount of ink liquid generated can be reduced as much as possible.

Further, the control means has a print discharge pattern storing means for storing the nozzles used during the printing operation, and the preliminary discharge pattern creating means is based on the print discharge pattern stored in the print discharge pattern storing means. Since the preliminary ejection pattern is created by performing the recovery process using this preliminary ejection pattern, it is possible to avoid unnecessary preliminary ejection of ink droplets.

Further, since the preliminary ejection pattern creating means creates the preliminary ejection pattern by inverting the final print ejection pattern, the non-ejection nozzles can be accurately determined, and the recovery processing function can be improved.

Further, since the preliminary ejection pattern creating means creates a preliminary ejection pattern based on the paper width data detected by the paper width detecting means, it is possible to avoid unnecessary preliminary ejection in the case of a recording paper having a narrow paper width. it can.

Further, the setting means sets the ink pressurizing time for the recovery operation of the ink jet recording head on the basis of the elapsed time measured by the time measuring means. Ink consumption and generation of recycled ink can be reduced.

Further, according to the recovery processing method of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the step of measuring the elapsed time from the end of printing on the recording medium, and determining whether the counted elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time. Determining
Since the method includes a step of setting the mode of the recovery process of the inkjet recording head according to the elapsed time, and a step of executing the recovery process based on the set mode of the recovery process, each of the above steps is processed over time. By doing so, the recovery process can be executed according to the recovery process such as the preliminary ejection recovery process and the ink pressure recovery process.
If the elapsed time after printing is short,
Unnecessary preliminary ejection and prolonged ink pressurization time can be avoided, and the consumption of the ink liquid used for the recovery processing and the generation of the recycled ink liquid can be reduced as much as possible.

Furthermore, since the preliminary ejection pattern can be set according to the elapsed time, when the elapsed time is short,
Since the ink droplets are ejected only from the non-ejection nozzles, unnecessary preliminary ejection of the ink droplets can be avoided, and the state of the ejected ink can be constantly maintained to maintain the print quality.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a schematic perspective view and an internal configuration diagram of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an inkjet recording head according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a control circuit for a preliminary ejection recovery process in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining one embodiment of a preliminary ejection recovery processing operation of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining another embodiment of the preliminary ejection recovery processing operation in the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an inkjet recording head according to the present invention and a diagram showing an example of an ejection pattern.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment of an ink pressure recovery processing operation of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 20 main control 21 timer 22 ejection pattern storage memory 23 paper width detection sensor 24 recovery mechanism 25 preliminary ejection pattern creation circuit 26 head drive circuit 27K, 27C, 27M, 27Y recording head

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording apparatus for controlling a recovery processing operation of an ink jet recording head for discharging ink droplets from a plurality of nozzles onto a recording medium by a control means, wherein the control means starts printing from the end of printing on the recording medium. Timer means for measuring the elapsed time of the recording means, setting means for determining whether or not the elapsed time measured by the clock means exceeds a predetermined time, and setting a mode of the recovery processing of the ink jet recording head; An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a recovery processing unit that executes a recovery processing operation based on the recovery processing mode set by the setting unit. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a print ejection pattern storage unit that stores the nozzles used during a printing operation, and the preliminary ejection pattern creating unit includes a print ejection pattern stored in the print ejection pattern storage unit. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a preliminary ejection pattern is created based on the following. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said preliminary ejection pattern creating means creates a preliminary ejection pattern by inverting a final print ejection pattern. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said preliminary ejection pattern creating means creates a preliminary ejection pattern based on paper width data detected by paper width detecting means. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting means sets an ink pressurizing time for a recovery operation of the ink jet recording head based on the elapsed time measured by the time measuring means. Ink jet recording device. 6. A recovery processing method for an ink jet recording apparatus that discharges ink droplets from nozzles of an ink jet recording head and prints on a recording medium, wherein a time elapsed from the end of printing on the recording medium is counted;
Determining whether or not the counted elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time; setting an ink jet recording head recovery processing mode according to the elapsed time; and performing recovery based on the set recovery processing mode Performing a processing operation. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the recovery process is a preliminary ejection pattern set according to the elapsed time. 8. The preliminary ejection pattern is a preliminary ejection pattern for ejecting ink droplets from all nozzles when the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, and when the elapsed time does not exceed the predetermined time. 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the preliminary ejection pattern is a preliminary ejection pattern created based on the final print ejection pattern and ejecting ink droplets only from non-ejection nozzles. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the preliminary ejection pattern is created by inverting the final printing ejection pattern. 10. The recovery processing method for an ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the preliminary ejection pattern is created based on detected paper width data. 11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the mode of the recovery processing is to set an ink pressurization time according to the elapsed time.