JP2004136507A - Liquid injection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make optimum cleaning after a liquid cartridge is replaced and to prevent a trouble due to wrong setting of a liquid cartridge. <P>SOLUTION: A carriage 1 with a plurality of cartridge setting parts where a plurality of kinds of liquid cartridges 7 are set to be individually replaceable, and a control means 34 for controlling a cleaning operation for a liquid injection head 12 are provided. At least one of the cartridge setting parts is a cartridge setting part for changing a liquid type where the liquid cartridge 7 which stores a different type of liquid can be suitably replaced and set. The control means 34 judges whether or not the type of liquid is changed before and after the replacement in the case where the liquid cartridge 7 is replaced at the cartridge setting part for changing the liquid type. Normal cleaning is executed when the type of liquid is not changed, and cleaning including flushing for changing the liquid type which is different from normal flushing is carried out when the type of liquid is changed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects droplets from nozzle openings formed in a liquid ejecting head.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a typical example of a conventional liquid ejecting apparatus, there is an ink jet recording apparatus provided with an ink jet recording head for image recording. Other liquid ejecting apparatuses include, for example, an apparatus having a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an electrode material (conductive paste) used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display and a surface emitting display (FED). Examples of the apparatus include an apparatus equipped with an ejection head, an apparatus equipped with a biological organic substance ejection head used for biochip production, and an apparatus equipped with a sample ejection head as a precision pipette.
[0003]
An ink jet recording apparatus, which is a typical example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, has relatively low noise at the time of printing and can form small dots at a high density, and thus is used in many printings including color printing in recent years. .
[0004]
In general, such an ink jet recording apparatus is mounted on a carriage and reciprocates in a width direction (head scanning direction) of a recording medium such as recording paper, and a head scanning the recording medium. Feeding means for moving in a direction (media feeding direction) orthogonal to the direction.
[0005]
In the ink jet recording apparatus, printing is performed by discharging ink droplets (droplets) from a recording head to a recording medium in accordance with print data. By making the recording head mounted on the carriage capable of discharging, for example, black, yellow, cyan, and magenta inks, not only text printing with black ink but also the discharge ratio of each ink can be reduced. By changing, full-color printing is possible.
[0006]
In recent years, in order to realize high image quality in a photograph image quality mode or the like, a technique of performing printing (seven-color printing) using seven colors of inks of black, yellow, dark yellow, magenta, light magenta, cyan, and light cyan is practical. Has been In addition, since conventional printing using four-color inks (four-color printing) is suitable for high-speed printing, a model that can switch between four-color printing and seven-color printing according to a user's request has been developed. Have been. In this model, a carriage on which an ink cartridge is mounted has seven cartridge mounting portions. That is, seven ink cartridges can be mounted on the carriage, and these ink cartridges can be replaced independently of each other.
[0007]
In the case of a model having only the conventional four-color printing mode, the ink cartridges mounted in one cartridge mounting section are limited to those of the same type. The mounting of the ink cartridge can be reliably prevented. The erroneous mounting prevention mechanism can be configured, for example, by changing the fitting shape of the convex portion formed on the cartridge mounting portion side and the concave portion formed on the ink cartridge side according to the type of ink.
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-218813 A (FIG. 1 etc.)
[Patent Document 2]
Patent No. 3165802 [0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when switching between the four-color printing and the seven-color printing is possible as described above, at least three of the seven cartridge mounting portions are provided with two different types of ink (for example, yellow ink and dark yellow). It is necessary to be able to mount two types of ink cartridges each containing ink. That is, even if the above-described erroneous mounting prevention mechanism is provided, it is only possible to prevent erroneous mounting of ink cartridges other than the two types of ink cartridges that can be mounted. It is not possible to cope with a situation in which an ink cartridge of ink is incorrectly mounted.
[0010]
In addition, even when the erroneous mounting prevention mechanism is formed so that two types of ink cartridges (for example, yellow and dark yellow) can be mounted on one cartridge mounting portion, the protrusions (ribs) forming the erroneous mounting prevention mechanism are provided. ), It is difficult in design to completely prevent erroneous mounting of other types of ink cartridges (for example, magenta and cyan).
[0011]
When the wrong ink cartridge is once mounted in the cartridge mounting section, the ink supply needle provided in the cartridge mounting section is inserted into the ink supply port of the ink cartridge, and the ink in the ink cartridge flows out to the recording head. Resulting in. For this reason, even if the wrong ink cartridge is once installed and then replaced with the correct ink cartridge, the wrong type of ink remains in the ink flow path of the recording head. Occurs, and the color of the ink does not become the original ink color, and the color reproducibility as an image deteriorates. This is hardly affected when the ink is changed from a light color to a dark color, but is easily affected when the ink is changed from a dark color to a light color. Therefore, it is necessary to sufficiently discharge the residual ink due to erroneous mounting of the ink cartridge to the outside of the ink flow path by the cleaning operation.
[0012]
However, the ink suction from the nozzle opening of the recording head, which is performed in the cleaning operation, cannot be suctioned independently for each color depending on the model, and ink of all colors is simultaneously suctioned. Unnecessarily large amounts of ink are sucked unnecessarily not only into the cartridge but also into the ink cartridge that has been correctly mounted from the beginning, causing a problem of wasteful consumption of ink.
[0013]
Further, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus of only the four-color printing mode, the erroneous mounting of the ink cartridge is prevented beforehand by the erroneous mounting preventing mechanism, so that a mechanism for detecting the erroneous mounting of the ink cartridge is not necessarily required. Was. However, as described above, in a model capable of switching between the four-color printing mode and the seven-color printing mode, it may not be possible to prevent erroneous mounting of the ink cartridge beforehand. There is a possibility that the user will not notice that the ink is sucked by a normal cleaning operation performed after the ink cartridge is replaced. In this case, the wrong type of ink fills not only the area around the ink supply needle but also the entire ink flow path of the recording head. At this point, even if the user notices the wrong mounting and replaces the ink cartridge with the correct ink cartridge, it is necessary to suction a large amount of ink to discharge the ink filled in the entire ink passage of the recording head. In a model that cannot perform suction, a large amount of ink that is not related to erroneous mounting is wastefully consumed.
[0014]
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and has as its object the purpose of replacing a different type of liquid cartridge with the same cartridge mounting portion by appropriately replacing the liquid cartridge. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus which can optimize cleaning of the liquid cartridge and prevent inconvenience due to erroneous mounting of the liquid cartridge.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head that causes a pressure change in a liquid in a pressure chamber communicating with a nozzle opening to eject droplets from the nozzle opening, and a plurality of types of liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head. A carriage having a plurality of cartridge mounting portions in which a plurality of independently replaceable liquid cartridges for storing liquids are stored, and cleaning control means for controlling a cleaning operation of the liquid ejecting head including flushing. At least one of the plurality of cartridge mounting portions is a liquid type changing cartridge mounting portion configured to appropriately replace and mount at least two types of the liquid cartridges respectively containing different types of liquids. The cleaning control means is provided at the front of the liquid type changing cartridge mounting portion. When the liquid cartridge is replaced, it is determined whether or not the type of liquid stored in the liquid cartridge before and after the replacement of the liquid cartridge has changed.If the type of liquid does not change, normal cleaning is performed. When the type of liquid is changed, cleaning including a liquid type changing flushing different from the flushing performed in the normal cleaning is performed.
[0016]
Further, preferably, the plurality of types of liquids are liquids having different colors from each other, and the cleaning control unit is configured to switch from a dark liquid to a dark liquid as compared with a case where the liquid cartridge is exchanged from a light liquid to a dark liquid. The flushing for changing the liquid type is performed so that the number of ejected droplets is larger when the liquid cartridge is replaced with a lighter liquid.
[0017]
Further, preferably, the liquid cartridge contains a dye ink or a pigment ink, and the cleaning control means changes the pigment ink to the dye ink more than when the liquid cartridge is exchanged from the dye ink to the pigment ink. The flushing for changing the liquid type is performed so that the number of ejected droplets is larger when the liquid cartridge is replaced.
[0018]
Preferably, the cleaning control means determines whether or not the plurality of liquid cartridges mounted on the carriage satisfy a predetermined combination, and issues an error signal if not satisfied.
[0019]
Preferably, the cleaning control means is configured such that when the liquid cartridge containing the wrong type of liquid different from the expected type is once mounted, the liquid cartridge is replaced with the liquid cartridge containing the correct type of liquid. And the case where the liquid cartridge containing the correct type of liquid is mounted from the beginning, the content of the flushing is changed.
[0020]
Preferably, the cleaning control means is configured such that when the liquid cartridge containing the wrong type of liquid different from the expected type is once mounted, the liquid cartridge is replaced with the liquid cartridge containing the correct type of liquid. In the flushing performed, the number of droplets discharged in the flushing performed when the correct type of liquid is yellow ink is the number of droplets discharged in the flushing performed when the correct type of liquid is not yellow ink. Control to be more than
[0021]
Preferably, the plurality of types of liquids are liquids having different colors from each other and include at least a yellow liquid and a dark yellow liquid, and the cleaning control unit replaces the liquid cartridge from dark yellow liquid to yellow liquid. In such a case, the flushing for changing the liquid type is controlled so that the number of ejected droplets is maximized.
[0022]
Preferably, the carriage has seven of the cartridge mounting portions, and black, yellow, dark yellow, and magenta types of liquids contained in the seven liquid cartridges mounted on the seven cartridge mounting portions. , Light magenta, cyan, and light cyan, and a combination of black, a pair of yellow, a pair of magenta, and a pair of cyan inks.
[0023]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an ink jet recording apparatus as an embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0024]
In the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, each of the pressure generating elements provided corresponding to each of the pressure chambers communicating with each of the plurality of nozzle openings causes a pressure change in the ink in each of the pressure chambers, thereby causing each of the nozzle openings to change. An ink jet recording head (a type of liquid ejecting head) for ejecting ink droplets (droplets) from the ink jet head. As the pressure generating element, for example, a piezoelectric vibrator can be used.
[0025]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a carriage. The carriage 1 is guided by a guide member 4 via a timing belt 3 driven by a carriage motor 2, and is reciprocated in the axial direction of a platen 5. I have. The platen 5 supports the recording paper 6 (a type of recording medium) from its back surface and regulates the position of the recording paper 6 with respect to the recording head 12.
[0026]
The recording head 12 is mounted on the side of the carriage 1 facing the recording paper 6. An ink cartridge (a type of liquid cartridge) 7 for supplying ink to the recording head 12 is detachably mounted on the carriage 1.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 12 is formed with a plurality of nozzle openings 14 and a plurality of pressure chambers 15 communicating therewith. Ink droplets can be ejected.
[0028]
The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a four-color print mode using four color inks of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, and seven colors of black, cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, and dark yellow. And a seven-color printing mode using the same ink. The four-color printing mode is suitable for high-speed printing, and the seven-color printing mode is suitable for high-quality printing of photographs and the like. Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, the pigment ink and the dye ink can be appropriately selected and used.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 1 is formed with seven cartridge mounting portions 8a to 8g, and these cartridge mounting portions 8a to 8g are mounted with seven ink cartridges 7a to 7g, respectively. . FIG. 2 shows the mounting state of the ink cartridges 7a to 7g in the seven-color printing mode.
[0030]
The three cartridge mounting portions 8a to 8c among the seven cartridge mounting portions 8a to 8g are liquid type changing cartridge mounting portions configured to be able to mount two types of ink cartridges by appropriately replacing them. . Specifically, a yellow ink cartridge and a dark yellow ink cartridge can be appropriately replaced and mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 8a. Similarly, magenta and light magenta ink cartridges can be mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 8b. 8c, the cyan and light cyan ink cartridges can be appropriately replaced and mounted. On the other hand, the other four cartridge mounting portions 8d to 8g are configured such that only one type of ink cartridge 7d to 8g can be mounted.
[0031]
A cap member 13 is disposed at a home position (right side in FIG. 1), which is a non-printing area of the ink jet recording apparatus. The cap member 13 moves the recording head 12 mounted on the carriage 1 to the home position. Sometimes, the recording head 12 is configured to be pressed against the nozzle forming surface to form a closed space between the recording head 12 and the nozzle forming surface. Further, below the cap member 13, a suction pump 10 for applying a negative pressure to the sealed space formed by the cap member 13 and sucking ink is arranged.
[0032]
In the vicinity of the printing area side of the cap member 13, a wiping means 11 provided with an elastic plate such as rubber is disposed so as to be able to advance and retreat in a horizontal direction, for example, with respect to the movement locus of the recording head 12. When reciprocating to the member 13 side, the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 12 can be wiped as necessary.
[0033]
The ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment further includes a medium feeding mechanism that intermittently conveys the recording paper 6 on which printing (recording) is performed by the recording head 12 in a medium feeding direction orthogonal to the head scanning direction. I have.
[0034]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control circuit and the like for controlling a cleaning operation in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, one end of a tube 10 a constituting the suction pump 10 as a negative pressure generating means is connected to the cap member 13, and the other end is connected to the waste liquid tank 20. The ink waste liquid discharged into the internal space of the cap member 13 can be discarded to the waste liquid tank 20 via the suction pump 10.
[0035]
Reference numeral 30 in FIG. 3 denotes a host computer, on which a printer driver 31 is mounted. Then, on the utility of the printer driver 31, a known paper size, selection of a print mode, font and other data, a print command, and the like are input using an input device and a display.
[0036]
Then, print data is sent from the printer driver 31 to the print control unit 32, and the print control unit 32 generates bitmap data based on the received print data, and the head drive unit 33 generates the bitmap data based on the bitmap data. It is configured to generate a drive signal to cause the recording head 12 to eject ink.
[0037]
The head driving unit 33 outputs a driving signal for flushing to the recording head 12 in response to a flushing command signal from a flushing control unit 36 constituting a part of the cleaning control unit 34 in addition to a drive signal based on print data. It is also configured to
[0038]
The cleaning control unit 34 further includes an ink cartridge determination unit 35 and an ink suction control unit 37. The ink cartridge judging means 35 is configured to detect the ink cartridges 7a to 7g mounted on the cartridge mounting sections 8a to 8g based on information read from information storage means (ROM or the like) mounted on each of the ink cartridges 7a to 7g. (Color, pigment / dye, etc.) is determined. Further, the ink suction control means 37 controls the driving of the suction pump 10 when performing ink suction as a cleaning operation.
[0039]
Next, a method of cleaning the recording head 12 by the cleaning control unit 34 will be described.
[0040]
FIG. 4 shows a control sequence for cleaning the recording head 12 by the cleaning control means 34 when the ink cartridge (I / C) is replaced. When the ink cartridge 7 is replaced (step 1), the data relating to the ink cartridge 7 is read from the information storage means of the ink cartridge 7 by the ink cartridge determination means 35. This data includes information on the color of the ink contained in the ink cartridge 7 and the pigment / dye. Then, it is determined whether data has been read from all of the seven ink cartridges 7a to 7g (step 3).
[0041]
When the data reading from the seven ink cartridges 7a to 7g is completed, the combination (ink set) of the seven ink cartridges 7a to 7g mounted on the carriage 1 is then compared with a predetermined combination. It is determined whether it is correct (step 4). Specifically, the combination of the seven ink cartridges 7a to 7g is a combination of black corresponding to the four-color print mode, a pair of cyan, a pair of magenta, and a pair of yellow, or a black corresponding to the seven-color print mode. It is determined whether or not any of the combinations of cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, and dark yellow is applicable.
[0042]
If the ink set is correct, it is determined whether the current ink set is the same as the stored ink set (step 5). If the two are different, it indicates that the color has been replaced with another color. A replacement cleaning (CL) flag is set (step 6).
[0043]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step 4 that the ink set is incorrect, an ink set error is issued to urge the user to replace the ink set, and the ink set flag is set (step 7). A replacement cleaning (CL) flag is set (step 8). The ink set flag is a flag that is stored when an incorrect combination of inks is inserted.
[0044]
Subsequent to step 5, step 6, or step 8, it is determined whether or not the expected correct type of ink cartridges 7a to 7g are mounted in each of the cartridge mounting portions 8a to 8g (step 9). If so, it is determined whether the erroneously mounted ink cartridge is a yellow ink cartridge (step 10), and if it is a yellow ink, a yellow (Y) replacement flag is set (step 11).
[0045]
Subsequent to step 9, step 10, or step 11, the content of the replacement cleaning to be performed in accordance with the replacement of the ink cartridge is determined (step 12), and the cleaning operation is performed based on the determination result (step 13).
[0046]
FIG. 5 shows the conditions for determining the exchange cleaning in step 12. The cleaning conditions are roughly classified into normal replacement cleaning (replacement CL1) and replacement cleaning (replacement CL1 to 3). The normal replacement cleaning (replacement CL1) is cleaning of normal contents performed when the ink type is the same before and after replacement of the ink cartridge 7. On the other hand, replacement cleaning is cleaning that is performed when the type of ink is changed when the ink cartridge 7 is replaced, and is cleaning that includes a liquid type changing flushing that is different from flushing that is performed in normal replacement cleaning. .
[0047]
The cleaning performed after the replacement of the ink cartridge 7 is performed by suctioning the ink from the nozzle opening 14 of the recording head 12 by the ink suction control unit 37 using the capping unit 13 and the suction pump 10, followed by cleaning. Flushing in which droplets are ejected from the nozzle openings 14 by the flushing control means 36. Flushing is to drive the recording head 12 to discharge droplets from the nozzle openings 14, and thus can be performed, for example, for each type of ink.
[0048]
FIG. 6 shows the magnitude of the number of ejected droplets of flushing in various replacement cleanings when performing ink change between four colors and seven colors. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the number of ejected droplets of flushing is higher when the ink cartridge is replaced from the dark ink to the light ink than when the ink cartridge 7 is replaced from the light ink to the dark ink. There are many. More specifically, the number of droplets discharged during flushing when dark yellow is changed to yellow is the largest, followed by magenta to light magenta and cyan to light cyan. In the exchange of other colors, the number of discharged droplets of flushing is small.
[0049]
FIG. 7 shows the number of ejected droplets of flushing in cleaning performed when the dye ink and the pigment ink are exchanged. This example shows a case where the combination of the seven-color dye ink and the combination of the four-color pigment and the three-color dye are changed. As can be seen from FIG. 7, the number of discharged droplets of the flushing when the pigment ink is replaced with the dye ink is larger than that in the case of the reverse replacement pattern.
[0050]
FIG. 8 shows a case where the ink cartridge is replaced without changing the print mode in the four-color printing mode. In the case where the yellow ink cartridge is to be replaced with the yellow ink cartridge, the dark yellow ink cartridge is erroneously replaced. Is shown, and similarly, light cyan is mistakenly attached. In the case of this example, since the wrong ink has flowed out to the recording head side from the incorrectly mounted ink cartridge, the normal flushing number does not hold. Therefore, when an incorrect combination is set as described above, it is stored as a flag, and as for the flushing number after replacement, it is not known what has been replaced, so the unknown flushing number shown in FIG. select.
[0051]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the type of ink before and after the replacement of the ink cartridge 7 is determined, the presence or absence of erroneous mounting is determined, and the content of cleaning after replacement is selected based on the determination results. Therefore, even if the different types of ink cartridges can be appropriately replaced with the same cartridge mounting portion and can be mounted, the cleaning contents after the replacement can be optimized and the ink cartridges can be erroneously mounted. Inconvenience can be prevented.
[0052]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the type of liquid before and after the replacement of the liquid cartridge is determined, the presence or absence of erroneous mounting is determined, and the content of cleaning after replacement is selected based on the determination results. Therefore, even if different types of liquid cartridges can be appropriately replaced and mounted in the same cartridge mounting section, the contents of cleaning after replacement can be optimized, and the inconvenience due to incorrect mounting of the liquid cartridges can be reduced. Can be prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus as one embodiment of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a recording head, a carriage, and an ink cartridge of the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control circuit and the like for controlling a print head cleaning operation in the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a print head cleaning control sequence in the ink jet printing apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing replacement cleaning determination conditions in a method of cleaning a print head in the ink jet printing apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the number of droplets discharged by flushing in various types of replacement cleaning when ink change is performed in four colors and seven colors in the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the number of droplets discharged by flushing in cleaning performed when the dye ink and the pigment ink are exchanged in the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 illustrates a case where the ink cartridge is replaced without changing the print mode in the four-color printing mode and a wrong ink cartridge is mounted in the ink jet recording apparatus illustrated in FIG. Figure for.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 carriage 6 recording paper (recording medium)
7, 7a to 7g Ink cartridges 8a to 8g Cartridge mounting section 10 Suction pump 12 Ink jet recording head (liquid jet head)
13 Cap member 14 Nozzle opening 15 Pressure chamber 30 Host computer 31 Printer driver 32 Printing control means 33 Head driving means 34 Cleaning control means 35 Ink cartridge determination means 36 Flushing control means 37 Ink suction control means

Claims (8)

A liquid ejecting head that causes pressure fluctuation in the liquid in the pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle opening to discharge droplets from the nozzle opening,
A carriage formed with a plurality of cartridge mounting portions for mounting a plurality of independently exchangeable liquid cartridges storing a plurality of types of liquids supplied to the liquid ejecting head,
Cleaning control means for controlling a cleaning operation of the liquid ejecting head including flushing,
At least one of the plurality of cartridge mounting portions is a liquid type changing cartridge mounting portion configured to be able to appropriately replace and mount at least two types of the liquid cartridges respectively containing different types of liquids. ,
The cleaning control means, when the liquid cartridge is replaced in the liquid type changing cartridge mounting portion, determines whether the type of liquid stored in them before and after the replacement of the liquid cartridge has changed, When the type of liquid does not change, perform normal cleaning, and when the type of liquid changes, perform cleaning including a liquid type changing flushing different from the flushing performed in the normal cleaning. A liquid ejecting apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The plurality of types of liquids are liquids having different colors from each other,
The cleaning control means may determine that the number of droplet ejections is greater when the liquid cartridge is changed from a dark liquid to a light liquid than when the liquid cartridge is changed from a light liquid to a dark liquid. 2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid type changing flushing is performed so as to increase the number of liquids. The liquid cartridge contains a dye ink or a pigment ink,
The cleaning control means is configured such that the number of droplets discharged is larger when the liquid cartridge is changed from pigment ink to dye ink than when the liquid cartridge is changed from dye ink to pigment ink. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid type changing flushing is performed. The cleaning control unit determines whether or not the plurality of liquid cartridges mounted on the carriage satisfy a predetermined combination, and issues an error signal if not satisfied. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The cleaning control unit may be configured such that when the liquid cartridge containing the wrong type of liquid different from the expected type is once mounted and then replaced with the liquid cartridge containing the correct type of liquid, The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the flushing content is changed between when the liquid cartridge containing the liquid is mounted from the beginning. The cleaning control unit is configured to perform flushing that is performed when the liquid cartridge containing the wrong type of liquid different from the expected type is once mounted and then replaced with the liquid cartridge containing the correct type of liquid. In the above, the number of droplets discharged in the flushing performed when the correct type of liquid is yellow ink is larger than the number of droplets discharged in the flushing performed when the correct type of liquid is other than yellow ink. 6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control is performed in the following manner. The plurality of types of liquids are liquids different in color from each other and include at least a yellow liquid and a dark yellow liquid,
The cleaning control unit controls the liquid type changing flushing so that the number of droplets discharged when the liquid cartridge is changed from dark yellow liquid to yellow liquid is maximized. 7. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6. The carriage has seven cartridge mounting portions, and the types of liquids contained in the seven liquid cartridges mounted on the seven cartridge mounting portions are black, yellow, dark yellow, magenta, light magenta, and cyan. And a combination of seven types of light cyan ink and a combination of black, a pair of yellow, a pair of magenta, and a pair of cyan inks. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1.

Images