JP2009073021A - Leak inspecting method for liquid jetting device and liquid jetting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a leak inspecting method for a liquid jetting device capable, in particular, of reducing the amount of the leaking liquid at the initial time of leakage, and provide the liquid jetting device. <P>SOLUTION: The leak inspecting method for the liquid jetting device is to jet the liquid accommodated in a liquid container upon sending it out toward a liquid jetting head 15 by the use of the pressurizing force of a gas pressurized by a pump P. Within the prescribed time of the pump being driven set previously in accordance with the liquid amount in the contained 18, discrimination is made whether the pressure of the gas pressurized by the pump P has attained the preset pressure value, and if attained, determination is passed that no leakage is generated, and if otherwise, a leak generation is determined. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a leakage inspection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus and a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) is widely known as a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target. In such a printer, in the case of a printer of a type (so-called off-carriage type) in which the ink cartridge is mounted in a cartridge holder at a position different from the carriage on the printer, a printer is provided with a pressure pump that generates pressurized air, The pressure pump and the ink cartridge are connected by an air supply tube. In other words, all of the plurality of ink cartridges mounted on the cartridge holder corresponding to the number of ink colors used in the printer are pressurized through an air supply tube extending from the pressure pump device. Each air is supplied. Then, in accordance with the pump operation of the pressure pump device, the pressurized air is sent to the air chambers in the ink cartridges via the air supply tube, and the ink packs accommodated in the air chambers are pressurized to be crushed. Thus, ink is sent from the ink cartridge to the recording head via the ink supply tube.

In such a printer, when an air leak occurs, the pressurizing force of the pressurized air in the air chamber of the ink cartridge is insufficient, and it is difficult to smoothly feed ink from the ink cartridge. Therefore, there is a method for inspecting the occurrence of leak in the air flow path (hereinafter referred to as air leak) depending on whether or not the pressure sensor is turned on within a certain time (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2007-21955 A

By the way, when an error is output in the above method, there is a possibility that a leak occurs in the ink flow path in addition to the air leak.
However, the above prior art considers only the detection of air leak, and has not been able to sufficiently cope with ink leak in the ink flow path. When an ink leak occurs in the ink flow path, particularly when the ink in the ink cartridge is nearly full, the ink leaks onto the floor, which may cause serious damage.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a leak inspection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus and a liquid ejecting apparatus that can reduce the amount of liquid that is leaked particularly when a leak occurs. The purpose is that.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a leak inspection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention sends a liquid contained in a liquid container to a liquid ejecting head using a pressure of gas pressurized by an operation of a pump. A method for inspecting a leak of a liquid ejecting apparatus to be ejected in advance, wherein the pressure of the gas pressurized by the pump is preset within a predetermined pump driving time that is preset according to the amount of liquid in the liquid container. It is determined whether or not a predetermined pressure is reached, and when the predetermined pressure is reached, it is determined that no leak has occurred, and when the predetermined pressure is not reached, it is determined that a leak has occurred. It is characterized by that.

  If there is a leak in the flow path through which the liquid flows in the liquid ejecting head, the liquid leaks, or if there is a leak in the supply path for supplying the gas, a liquid ejection failure is caused. When such a leak occurs, the gas pressurized by the pump does not reach a predetermined pressure. According to the present invention, it is possible to easily determine the leak based on the pressure of the gas boosted by the pump. In addition, since the pump drive time is set according to the amount of liquid in the liquid container, the amount of liquid leaked from the flow path when a leak occurs can be reduced by driving the pump more than necessary. .

In the leak inspection method for the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the predetermined pressure is set lower than a pressure when the liquid is ejected from the liquid ejecting head.
The amount of liquid that leaks due to leakage increases according to the volume of gas fed from the pump until the predetermined pressure is reached.
Therefore, if the present invention is adopted, the amount of liquid leaking due to leakage can be reduced by setting the predetermined pressure low to reduce the volume of gas sent from the pump until the predetermined pressure is reached.

In the leak inspection method for the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable to stop driving the pump when it is determined that a leak has occurred.
According to this configuration, for example, when the liquid is leaking from the liquid ejecting head due to a leak, the amount of liquid leakage can be suppressed.

  According to the method for inspecting a leak of a liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, the leak of the liquid ejecting apparatus in which the liquid accommodated in the liquid accommodating body is sent to the liquid ejecting head side and ejected using the pressure of the gas pressurized by the operation of the pump. Comparing the volume of the gas corresponding to the amount of liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head with the capacity of the gas used during liquid ejection calculated from the driving time of the pump, When these capacitances are substantially equal, it is determined that no leakage has occurred, and when these capacitances are different, it is determined that leakage has occurred.

When a leak occurs in the liquid ejecting head, a difference occurs between the liquid capacity assumed from the pump driving time and the gas capacity corresponding to the actually ejected liquid.
Therefore, if the present invention is adopted, it is possible to easily and reliably determine the leak based on the volume of the gas used for the liquid ejection. In particular, when a leak has occurred in the flow path, it is possible to suppress problems due to the leak by reducing the amount of liquid leakage.

In the leak inspection method for the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable to stop driving the pump when it is determined that a leak has occurred.
According to this configuration, for example, when the liquid is leaking from the liquid ejecting head due to a leak, the amount of liquid leakage can be suppressed.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid container that contains a liquid and a pump that applies pressure to the liquid, and the liquid is liquidized using the pressure of the gas pressurized by the operation of the pump. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects and ejects the liquid to an ejection head, the pressure detecting means for detecting the pressure of the gas pressurized by the pump, and the pump set in advance according to the amount of liquid in the liquid container It is determined whether or not the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means has reached a predetermined pressure set in advance during the driving for a predetermined time. When the predetermined pressure is reached, no leak occurs. And leak determining means for determining that a leak has occurred when the predetermined pressure is not reached.

  If there is a leak in the flow path through which the liquid flows in the liquid ejecting head, the liquid leaks, or if there is a leak in the supply path for supplying the gas, a liquid ejection failure is caused. When such a leak occurs, the gas pressurized by the pump does not reach a predetermined pressure. Therefore, if the present invention is adopted, it is possible to easily and reliably determine the leak by detecting the pressure of the gas boosted by the pump by the pressure detecting means. In addition, since the pump drive time is set according to the amount of liquid in the liquid container, the amount of liquid leaked from the flow path when a leak occurs can be reduced by driving the pump more than necessary. .

  The liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid container that contains a liquid and a pump that applies pressure to the liquid, and the liquid is liquidized using the pressure of the gas pressurized by the operation of the pump. A liquid ejecting apparatus that delivers and ejects liquid to an ejecting head, wherein the gas used during liquid ejecting is based on the volume of the gas corresponding to the amount of liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head and the driving time of the pump A leakage determination means for determining that no leak has occurred when these capacities are substantially equal, and determining that a leak has occurred when these capacities are different. Features.

When a leak occurs in the liquid ejecting head, a difference occurs between the liquid capacity assumed from the pump driving time and the gas capacity corresponding to the actually ejected liquid.
Therefore, if the present invention is adopted, the capacity of the gas used for the liquid ejection is calculated by the capacity calculation unit and compared, so that the leakage can be easily and reliably determined. In particular, when a leak has occurred in the flow path, it is possible to suppress problems due to the leak by reducing the amount of liquid leakage.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In the drawings used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed in order to make each member a recognizable size.

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 10 as a liquid ejecting apparatus in the present embodiment includes a main body case 11 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A platen 12 is installed in the lower part of the main body case 11 along the longitudinal direction thereof. The platen 12 is a support table that supports paper as a target, and the paper fed mechanism discharges the paper fed from the paper feed tray from the paper discharge tray (not shown) to the outside of the main body case 11. It has become.
Further, a guide shaft 13 is installed above the platen 12 in the main body case 11, and a carriage 14 is movably inserted and supported on the guide shaft 13. A carriage motor provided in the main body case 11 is connected to the carriage 14 via a timing belt (not shown) that is hung on a pair of pulleys. Accordingly, the carriage 14 can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the printer 10 via the timing belt by driving the carriage motor while being guided by the guide shaft 13.

  A recording head 15 as a liquid ejecting head is provided on the lower surface of the carriage 14. A plurality of ejection nozzles (not shown) are formed on the lower surface side of the recording head 15, and the recording head 15 is driven and controlled by piezoelectric elements (not shown) provided to individually correspond to the nozzles. Thus, ink (liquid) is ejected from each nozzle toward the paper that has reached the bottom of the recording head 15. A sub tank 16 (also referred to as a valve unit) is mounted on the carriage 14 to supply ink (liquid) with a predetermined pressure to the recording head 15.

  On the other hand, a cartridge holder 17 is fixedly arranged at a position outside the moving space area of the carriage 14 in the main body case 11. The cartridge holder 17 has a plurality (four) of ink cartridges (liquids) corresponding to the number of ink colors (for example, four in this embodiment) used in the printer 10 (for example, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan). A container 18 is detachably mounted.

  As described above, the printer 10 of this embodiment is not a so-called on-carriage type printer in which the ink cartridge 18 is mounted on the carriage 14, but the ink cartridge 18 is placed in the cartridge holder 17 at a position different from the carriage 14 on the printer 10. It is configured as a so-called off-carriage type printer 10 to be mounted. Each ink cartridge 18 contains an ink pack (not shown) filled with ink (accommodating liquid).

  Each ink cartridge 18 and each sub tank 16 are connected via an ink supply tube 19 and a flow path forming body 20 for each ink color to which they correspond. In the main body case 11, a pressurizing pump P that discharges pressurized air (pressurized gas) by operating the pump is disposed near the cartridge holder 17. Then, the ink pack in the ink cartridge 18 to which the pressurized air is fed from the pressure pump P through the air supply tube (pressurized gas supply path) 21 (see FIG. 2) is deformed so as to be crushed. The ink contained in the ink pack is pumped to the corresponding sub tank 16 via the flow path forming body 20 and the ink supply tube 19.

  The flow path forming body 20 includes an attachment portion 20a formed on a substantially rectangular flat plate, and an extension portion 20b extending from the upper end portion of the attachment portion 20a to a central position in the main body case 11. . Four ink flow paths (not shown) corresponding to the number of installed ink cartridges 18 are formed in the attachment portion 20a and the extension portion 20b, and the proximal end of the ink supply tube 19 is provided at the distal end portion of the extension portion 20b. Are connected. Similarly, four ink flow paths (not shown) are formed in the ink supply tube 19 and communicate with the respective ink flow paths formed in the flow path forming body 20.

  The tip of the ink supply tube 19 is connected to the sub tank 16 on the carriage 14 through a connection member (not shown) in which four ink flow paths (not shown) are formed. Therefore, at the time of printing, the ink in the ink cartridge 18 is recorded from each ink flow path of the flow path forming body 20 via each ink flow path of the ink supply tube 19, each ink flow path of the connection member, and each sub tank 16. The ink is supplied to the corresponding ejection nozzles of the head 15.

  In the main body case 11, a cleaning mechanism 22 is provided at a position below the carriage 14 to discharge and discharge the thickened ink from the ejection nozzles of the recording head 15 as waste liquid. Further, a display panel 23 as an output unit capable of displaying various information such as abnormality information is provided at a position near the rear of the upper right end portion of the main body case 11.

  Next, the configuration of the ink pressure supply system 24 in the printer 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the pressure pump P and each ink cartridge 18 are connected via an air supply tube 21. The air supply tube 21 has a branch path 21a that is branched from the middle into four branches 21a corresponding to the number of the ink cartridges 18, and the upstream end is connected to the pressure pump P from the middle. It is set as the path 21b. A pressure sensor 25 as a pressure detecting means is interposed in the middle of the single flow path 21b. This pressure sensor 25 is used for the pressurized air discharged into the air supply tube 21 as the pressure pump P is operated. Pressure is detected.

  On the other hand, each branch passage 21 a of the air supply tube 21 is individually connected to the corresponding ink cartridge 18. Each ink cartridge 18 is provided with an ink remaining amount detecting chip 100 that can grasp the amount of ink present in the ink pack. From each ink cartridge 18 (18B, 18M, 18C, 18Y), a flow path forming body 20 and an ink supply tube 19 are extended to the recording head 15 of the carriage 14 as an ink flow path. The ink can be supplied to 15.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the printer 10 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 10 is provided with a control unit 26. The control unit 26 is electrically connected to the pressure sensor 25, the display panel 23, the pressure pump P, and the ink remaining amount detection chip 100 described above. The control unit (leak determination unit) 26 includes a CPU 27, and a ROM 28 and a RAM (storage unit) 29 are connected to the CPU 27. A counter 30 is connected to the CPU 27.

  The ROM 28 stores various processing programs such as a leak check routine described later, in addition to an ejection control program for controlling ink ejection during printing. The RAM 29 stores various information that can be appropriately rewritten during the operation of the printer 10. For example, each ink cartridge 18 (18B, 18M, 18C, 18Y) sent from the ink remaining amount detection chip 100 is stored in the RAM 29. Information regarding each ink amount existing in the ink puncture is stored as appropriate. The CPU 27 changes and controls the counter value of the counter 30 and the display content of the display panel 23 as necessary, and controls the driving of the pressurizing pump P based on the detection signal input from the pressure sensor 25. ing.

  Next, FIG. 4 shows a leak inspection method in the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention based on the execution form of the leak check routine executed at the time of the leak inspection among the various processing programs executed by the CPU 27 of the control unit 26. This will be described with reference to the flowchart shown. Note that the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to a leak test performed when the recording head 15 is initially pressurized. The initial pressurization is a situation where the ink pack is not pressurized (under atmospheric pressure), for example, when the printer 10 is turned on. In the leak check routine shown below, a case where ink leak is mainly inspected will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the leak inspection is an air leak inspection for inspecting whether or not the pressurized air (air) discharged from the pressure pump P is reliably supplied to each ink cartridge 18 without leaking. The ink supplied from the ink pack of the ink cartridge 18 by the pressurized air pressurized by the pressure pump P is reliably supplied without leaking (ink leakage) in the ink flow path until reaching the recording head 15. And whether or not it is done. In addition, the ink flow path means that each ink flow path of the flow path forming body 20, each ink flow path of the ink supply tube 19, and each of the connection member that passes between the ink cartridge 18 and each ejection nozzle of the recording head 15. It includes an ink flow path and a region through which ink flows, such as each sub tank 16.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, the ink remaining amount of each ink cartridge 18 is checked (step S1). The CPU 27 grasps the ink remaining amount in the ink pack of each ink cartridge 18 based on the ink remaining amount detection chip 100. Next, in order to pressurize the ink pack, the CPU 27 calculates an air capacity corresponding to a flow path of air sent into the ink cartridge 18 via the air supply tube 21 when ink is ejected (step S2). Next, the driving time of the pressure pump P is set according to the ink amount and air capacity of each ink cartridge 18 obtained in steps S1 and S2 (step S3).

Hereinafter, the driving time of the pressure pump P at the time of leak inspection will be described.
In the present embodiment, the predetermined driving time of the pressure pump P is set according to the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 18.
First, a description will be given of a case where the driving time of the pressure pump P required to reach the predetermined pressure of the pressurized air when the ink in each ink cartridge 18 is full is described. Here, the predetermined pressure is a pressure at the time when the ink pack is pressurized with pressurized air by the pressure pump P and ink is ejected. In the present embodiment, the predetermined pressure, that is, the pressure of the pressurized air at the time of leak inspection is set to 10 KPa as a gauge pressure. This pressure corresponds to the pressure of pressurized air when ink is ejected in a general off-carriage type printer. Here, the gauge pressure of 0 KPa is an absolute pressure of 101.3 KPa (in the following description, it is about 100 KPa for simplicity), and specifically corresponds to atmospheric pressure.

  The capacity of each ink cartridge 18 is 100 cc (that is, 100 cc / color × 4 colors (Y, M, C, BK)), and the flow path of pressurized air other than the ink cartridge 18 (in the air supply tube 21). (Corresponding to the volume) was 100 cc. The discharge capacity Vs of the pressure pump P is 1 cc / s under atmospheric pressure.

In the following description, Boyle's law (P ₁ V ₁ = P ₂ V ₂ ) is used. P1 and V1 indicate the pressure and volume of air before pressurization, that is, the state quantity of air delivered by the pressurization pump P. P2 and V2 indicate the pressure and volume of the air after pressurization, that is, the state quantity of air that is pressurized by the pressure pump P and used for ink discharge.

  When the equation is developed for the volume V1 of the air before pressurization, V1 = P2 / P1 × V2. Further, if the air volume fed from the pressurizing pump P until reaching the predetermined pressure is ΔV, ΔV = V1−V2. If V1 is substituted here, ΔV = (P2 / P1 × V2) −V2 = (P2 / P1-1) × V2.

As described above, the pressure P2 of the pressurized air at the time of leak inspection is 110 KPa in absolute pressure, and the air pressure P1 in the initial state is 100 KPa (atmospheric pressure) in absolute pressure. When the ink is full, the air in the air supply tube 21 is pressurized, so the pressurized air amount V ₀ is 100 cc. The amount of pressurized air V ₀ corresponds to the pressure of air after pressurization, P2.

  When these values are substituted and arranged, ΔV = (110 / 100−1) × 100, and therefore, the air volume ΔV delivered from the pressurizing pump P at the time of leak inspection is 10 cc. Since the driving time T in the pressure pump P can be defined by T = ΔV / Vs, T = 10/1 = 10 seconds is obtained. Therefore, when the ink is full, the predetermined driving time of the pressure pump P is calculated as 10 seconds.

A case where the driving time of the pressure pump P when the pressure of the pressurized air is made to reach a predetermined pressure when the ink in each ink cartridge 18 is in the color state will be described.
When the ink is empty, it is necessary to pressurize the air in each ink pack 18 in addition to the air in the air supply tube 21. The capacity of each ink cartridge 18 is 100 cc × 4, for a total of 400 cc. The air capacity in the air supply tube 21 is 100 cc. Accordingly, the total amount of pressurized air V ₀ is 500 cc.

Hereinafter, similarly, Boyle's law is used to calculate the air volume ΔV that is sent until the predetermined pressure is reached. In this description, the pressurized air amount V ₀ is 500 cc. When these values are substituted and arranged, ΔV = (110 / 100-1) × 500, and the air volume ΔV = 50 cc delivered from the pressurizing pump P at the time of leak inspection. Since the driving time T in the pressure pump P can be defined by T = ΔV / Vs, T = 50/1 = 50 seconds is obtained. Therefore, when the ink is in the color state, the predetermined driving time of the pressure pump P is calculated as 50 seconds.

  The driving time of the pressure pump P described above is an example, and changes according to the remaining amount of ink in the ink pack. In the present invention, since the ink remaining amount detection chip 100 provided in each ink cartridge 18 allows the CPU 17 to grasp the ink remaining amount for each ink pack, the total amount of air to be pressurized in the ink cartridge 18 can be easily grasped. can do. Therefore, a reliable leak inspection can be performed even when the amount of ink used differs for each color of the printer 10.

  In this way, after setting the predetermined driving time of the pressure pump P, whether or not the pressure of the air pressurized by the pressure pump P has reached the predetermined pressure (10 KPa) within the predetermined driving time. Is checked for leak (steps S4 and S5). At the time of the leak check, the pressure sensor 25 detects the pressure value Pa of the pressurized air and inputs detection signals indicating the detected pressure value Pa to the CPU 27 one by one.

  By the way, when the ink leak does not occur in the printer 10, the pressurized air reaches the predetermined pressure when the pressure pump P is driven for the predetermined driving time. On the other hand, when the ink leak occurs in the printer 10, the pressurizing force by the pressurizing pump P cannot be used efficiently, so that the pressurized air cannot reach the predetermined pressure within the above-described predetermined driving time.

  In the flowchart according to the present embodiment, when the predetermined pressure is reached within the predetermined driving time, the control unit 26 determines that no leak has occurred (YES determination), and notifies the display panel 23 that no leak has occurred. Display and enable printing operation (steps S6 and S7). This completes the leak inspection.

  On the other hand, if the predetermined pressure is not reached within the predetermined time, the control unit 26 determines that a leak has occurred (NO determination), and the CPU 27 outputs an error signal (step S8). Then, the CPU 27 performs a pressure reducing operation by opening a valve (not shown) provided between the pressure sensor 25 and the air supply tube 21 (step S9). This prevents ink from leaking due to leakage. Then, for example, an error is displayed indicating that a leak has occurred on the display panel 23. This completes the leak inspection.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the pressure of the pressurized air pressurized by the pressure pump P is preset within a predetermined pump driving time that is preset according to the amount of ink in the ink cartridge 18. By determining whether or not the pressure has been reached, whether or not a leak has occurred in the printer 10 is determined. In this way, it is possible to easily determine the leak based on the pressure of the air boosted by the pressurizing pump P. Since the driving time of the pressure pump P is set according to the amount of ink in the ink cartridge 18, the amount of ink leaked when a leak occurs can be reduced by driving the pressure pump P more than necessary. it can.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where ink leak is detected as a leak test has been described. However, air leak can also be detected in the same manner. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the pressure (10 KPa) at the time of ink ejection in a general off-carriage type printer is set as the predetermined pressure at the time of leak inspection, but the predetermined pressure is set lower than the pressure at the time of ink ejection. Is desirable.

  The reason will be described below. In this description, when the pressurized air does not reach the predetermined pressure until the pressure pump P is driven only for a predetermined time in which the ink in the ink cartridge 18 is in a color state, that is, an ink leak occurs in the ink flow path. The case where it is doing is demonstrated.

  Here, the amount of ink that leaks is sent from the pressure pump P so that the ink reaches a predetermined pressure in the color state and from the pressure pump P so that the ink reaches the predetermined pressure when the ink is full. It can be defined by the difference (ΔV1−ΔV2) from the air capacity ΔV2. Note that the volume of air fed from the pressurizing pump P until reaching the predetermined pressure can be calculated from the equation: ΔV = (P2 / P1-1) × V2.

  When the predetermined pressure is set to 10 KPa, as described above, the air capacity ΔV1 when the ink is full is 10 cc, and the air capacity ΔV2 when the ink is in the empty state is 50 cc. Therefore, when the predetermined pressure is set to 10 KPa, 50 cc-10 cc = 40 cc of ink leaks while the pressure pump P is driven for a predetermined time.

  On the other hand, when the pressure is set lower than the pressure at the time of ink ejection (for example, 1 KPa), ΔV1 = ((100 + 1) / 100-1) × 500 = 5 cc, and ΔV2 = ((100 + 1) / 100-1) × 100 = 1 cc. It becomes. Therefore, when the predetermined pressure is set to 1 KPa (when set lower than the pressure at the time of ink ejection), 5 cc-1 cc = 4 cc of ink leaks.

  As described above, the amount of ink leaking due to leakage increases in accordance with the volume of air sent from the pressure pump P until the predetermined pressure is reached. Therefore, the amount of ink leaked when a leak occurs can be further reduced by making the predetermined pressure of the pressurized air pressurized by the pressure pump P set at the time of leak inspection smaller than the pressure at the time of ink ejection.

(Other embodiments)
Next, other embodiments according to the printer will be described. The printer 10 according to the present embodiment is different from the various processing programs executed by the CPU 27 of the control unit 26 only in the execution form of the leak check routine executed in the leak inspection, and the other configurations are the same. . Therefore, in the following description, a leak test performed during a printing operation for ejecting ink will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5, by driving the pressure pump P, the ink pack is crushed, the ink is ejected and a predetermined pattern is printed, and then the printing is finished (steps S11 and S12). Here, the CPU 27 calculates the ink amount used for printing based on the image data printed on the paper surface and sets it as the ink usage amount Vp (step S13).

  Subsequently, the CPU 27 calculates an air volume Vt corresponding to the ink usage amount Vp. Specifically, since the pressure of the pressurized air at the time of ink ejection is 110 KPa (absolute pressure) as described above, Vt = Vp × 110/10. Here, assuming that the total driving time of the pressure pump P from the start of printing to the end of printing is Tpd, the air volume Vpd sent from the pump can be expressed as Vpd = Tpd × Vs. Thus, the air capacity Vpd is calculated (step S15).

  By the way, when an air leak or an ink leak occurs in the printer, there is a difference between the volume of pressurized air assumed from the driving time of the pump and the volume of pressurized air corresponding to the actually ejected ink. . On the other hand, when there is no ink leak in the printer 10, these capacities substantially coincide.

In the flowchart according to the present embodiment, when these capacities are substantially equal (that is, Vpd≈Vt) (YES determination), the control unit 26 determines that no leak has occurred (step S16). Thereby, the leak inspection is completed, and the process proceeds to the next printing operation (step S17).
On the other hand, when these air volumes are different (NO determination), the control unit 26 determines that a leak has occurred, and the CPU 27 outputs an error signal (step S18). Specifically, when the air volume Vpd sent from the pressure pump P is larger than the air volume Vt corresponding to the ejected ink amount (Vt << Vpd), ink leakage occurs in the ink flow path. .

  And CPU27 performs pressure reduction operation | movement by opening the valve | bulb (not shown) provided between the pressure sensor 25 and the air supply tube 21 (step S19). Then, for example, an error is displayed on the display panel 23 to indicate that an ink leak or an air leak has occurred (step S20). This completes the leak inspection.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily and surely determine the leak by calculating and comparing the volume of the ejected ink by the control unit 26. In addition, for example, it is possible to avoid using the printer 10 that is determined to cause ink leakage for the next printing, and it is possible to reduce the amount of ink leaked as a result.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer. It is a figure which shows the structure of an ink pressurization supply system. It is a figure which shows the electric constitution of a printer. It is a flowchart figure corresponding to the leak test | inspection performed at the time of initial pressurization. It is a flowchart figure corresponding to the leak test | inspection performed at the time of printing operation.

Explanation of symbols

P: pressurizing pump (pump), 10: printer (liquid ejecting apparatus), 15: recording head (liquid ejecting head), 18: ink cartridge (liquid container), 25: pressure sensor 25 (pressure detecting means), 26 ... Control unit (pressure detection means)

Claims (7)

A leakage inspection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus that sends out and ejects a liquid contained in a liquid container to a liquid ejecting head side using a pressure of gas pressurized by an operation of a pump,
Determining whether or not the pressure of the gas pressurized by the pump has reached a predetermined pressure within a predetermined pump driving time set in advance according to the amount of liquid in the liquid container; A leak inspection method in a liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein when a predetermined pressure is reached, it is determined that no leak has occurred, and when the predetermined pressure is not reached, it is determined that a leak has occurred.   2. The leak inspection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined pressure is set lower than a pressure when the liquid is ejected from the liquid ejecting head.   The method for inspecting a leak of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pump is stopped when it is determined that a leak has occurred. A leakage inspection method for a liquid ejecting apparatus that sends out and ejects a liquid contained in a liquid container to a liquid ejecting head side using a pressure of gas pressurized by an operation of a pump,
The volume of the gas corresponding to the amount of liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head is compared with the capacity of the gas used at the time of liquid ejection calculated from the driving time of the pump, and these capacities are substantially equal. In this case, it is determined that no leak has occurred, and if these capacities are different, it is determined that a leak has occurred.   The method for inspecting a leak of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when it is determined that a leak has occurred, the driving of the pump is stopped. A liquid container that contains liquid and a pump that applies pressure to the liquid, and uses the pressure of the gas pressurized by the operation of the pump to send the liquid to a liquid ejecting head and eject the liquid; A liquid ejecting apparatus,
Pressure detecting means for detecting the pressure of the gas pressurized by the pump;
It is determined whether or not the pressure detected by the pressure detecting means has reached a predetermined pressure while the pump is driven for a predetermined time set in advance according to the amount of liquid in the liquid container. And a leak determination means that determines that no leak has occurred when the predetermined pressure is reached, and determines that a leak has occurred when the predetermined pressure is not reached. Liquid ejector. A liquid container that contains liquid and a pump that applies pressure to the liquid, and uses the pressure of the gas pressurized by the operation of the pump to send the liquid to a liquid ejecting head and eject the liquid; A liquid ejecting apparatus,
When the volume of the gas corresponding to the amount of liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head is compared with the capacity of the gas used during liquid ejection based on the drive time of the pump, and these volumes are substantially equal A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a leak determining unit that determines that no leak has occurred and determines that a leak has occurred when these capacities differ.

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