JP2010058306A - Control method for liquid discharge device, liquid discharge device, and recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control method for a liquid discharge device capable of satisfactorily executing a liquid discharge operation by cleaning a nozzle without such trouble as disturbing work, and to provide the liquid discharge device and a recorder. <P>SOLUTION: A paper roll printer 1 is provided with an inkjet head 14 having the ink nozzle for injecting ink, and a cleaning mechanism 59 for carrying out a cleaning operation (step S04-S07) for sucking the ink from the ink nozzle, and periodical cleaning for executing the cleaning operation of the ink nozzle by the cleaning mechanism 59 is carried out in every prescribed execution timing. The control method includes a closeness determination process (step S10) for determining being approached to the execution timing of the periodical cleaning, a business time determination process (step S11) for determining whether it is out of business hours, and an execution process (step S04-S07) for executing the periodical cleaning when it is determined to be out of the business time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control method of a liquid discharge apparatus having a discharge nozzle capable of discharging a liquid, a liquid discharge apparatus, and a recording apparatus.

As an apparatus including a print head having an ink nozzle capable of ejecting an ink liquid, an ink jet printer that performs desired printing on a print medium by ejecting the ink liquid from the ink nozzle can be given.
In such an ink jet printer, bubbles may accumulate inside the print head, the ink may become thickened, and dot dropout may occur due to defective ink ejection.
For this reason, printers having a cleaning mechanism for forcibly removing bubbles in ink nozzles and ink liquid with increased viscosity are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). There is one that performs cleaning based on the earlier of the time when a predetermined time has elapsed from the time or the time when printing of a predetermined amount has ended from the initial time (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-8-39833 JP-A-4-93260

By the way, if the cleaning at the predetermined time as described above is performed during work, printing is not performed due to the cleaning operation, which hinders work.
In particular, in printers that print coupons issued to customers at supermarket cashiers, etc., if a cleaning operation is performed before printing, it takes a long time to hand the coupons to the customer, which just makes the customer wait. In addition, since the time required for each customer at the cash register becomes long, the efficiency of the cash register work is reduced.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a control method of a liquid discharge apparatus, a liquid discharge apparatus, and a recording apparatus capable of cleaning a nozzle and performing a good liquid discharge operation without any trouble that hinders work. There is.

A control method of a liquid discharge apparatus according to the present invention that can solve the above-described problem includes a discharge unit having a discharge nozzle that discharges a liquid, and a cleaning mechanism that performs a cleaning operation of sucking the liquid from the discharge nozzle, A method for controlling a liquid ejection apparatus in which periodic cleaning for performing a cleaning operation of the ejection nozzle by the cleaning mechanism is performed at predetermined execution timings,
An approximate determination step of determining that the execution timing of the regular cleaning has been approached;
A business hours determination step of determining whether or not it is outside business hours when it is determined that the execution timing of the regular cleaning is approached in the approximate determination step;
And an execution step of performing the periodic cleaning when it is determined that the business hours are outside the business hours in the business time determination step.

  According to this control method, when it is determined that it is outside business hours when the execution timing of regular cleaning is approaching, regular cleaning is performed. Therefore, regular cleaning during business hours is avoided, and wasteful use within business hours is avoided. It is possible to reduce as much as possible the non-operable time that becomes a waiting time. That is, it is possible to perform a good liquid discharge process while suppressing the influence on the throughput due to the regular cleaning performed during business hours.

In addition, it is preferable that the determination outside the business hours in the business time determination step is performed based on a pause time of the discharge operation from the discharge nozzle in the discharge unit.
As described above, since it is determined that it is outside the business hours based on the suspension time of the discharge operation, it is possible to minimize the execution of the regular cleaning within the business hours.

Moreover, it is preferable to perform the determination outside the business hours in the business time determination step based on the time at the time of determination.
In this way, since it is determined that it is outside business hours based on the actual time, it is possible to minimize the execution of regular cleaning within business hours.

Moreover, it is preferable to perform the determination outside the business hours in the business hours determination step based on a preset time range.
As described above, since it is determined based on a preset time range that it is outside business hours, it is possible to reliably eliminate the execution of regular cleaning within business hours.

Moreover, it is preferable to perform the determination outside the business hours in the business time determination step based on ambient brightness.
In this way, since it is determined that it is outside business hours based on ambient brightness, it is possible to minimize the execution of regular cleaning within business hours when the surroundings are bright. The brightness may be determined by detecting light and detecting illuminance.

The liquid discharge apparatus of the present invention includes a discharge unit having a discharge nozzle for discharging a liquid, a cleaning mechanism for performing a cleaning operation for sucking liquid from the discharge nozzle, a control unit for controlling the cleaning mechanism, and a time. A liquid ejecting apparatus that performs periodic cleaning that causes the cleaning mechanism to perform the cleaning operation of the ejection nozzle at every predetermined execution timing based on data from the timer. ,
The control unit determines whether it is close to the execution timing of the regular cleaning, and whether the approximate determination unit is out of business hours when it is determined that the approximate determination unit has approached the execution timing of the regular cleaning. It has a business hours judgment part to judge, and an execution part which performs the regular cleaning when it judges with business hours judgment part being out of business hours.

  According to this liquid ejecting apparatus, when it is determined that it is outside business hours when the execution timing of regular cleaning approaches, regular cleaning is performed, so that regular cleaning during business hours is avoided and waste during business hours is avoided. It is possible to reduce as much as possible the non-operable time that becomes a waiting time. That is, it is possible to perform a good liquid discharge process while suppressing the influence on the throughput due to the regular cleaning performed during business hours.

Moreover, it is preferable that the said business hours determination part performs the determination outside the said business hours based on the idle time of the discharge operation from the discharge nozzle in the said discharge part.
As described above, since it is determined that it is outside the business hours based on the suspension time of the discharge operation, it is possible to minimize the execution of the regular cleaning within the business hours.

Further, it is preferable that a clock mechanism that outputs time data is provided, and the business hours determination unit performs the determination outside the business hours based on data from the clock mechanism at a time at the time of determination.
In this way, since it is determined that it is outside business hours based on the actual time, it is possible to minimize the execution of regular cleaning within business hours.

Further, an input unit capable of inputting a time range outside business hours is provided, and the business time determination unit is configured to input the determination outside the business hours based on a time range preset by the input unit. Preferably it is done.
As described above, since it is determined based on a preset time range that it is outside business hours, it is possible to reliably eliminate the execution of regular cleaning within business hours.

Moreover, it is preferable that a light detection unit that detects ambient light is provided, and the business hours determination unit determines whether or not it is outside the business hours based on a detection signal from the light detection unit.
Thus, since ambient light is detected and it is determined that it is outside business hours based on brightness, it is possible to minimize the execution of regular cleaning within business hours when the surroundings are bright.

  A recording apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that ink droplets are ejected from any of the ejection nozzles described above and a printing process is performed on a substrate.

  According to this recording apparatus, since regular cleaning during business hours is avoided, good printing processing can be performed while suppressing the influence on throughput due to the cleaning operation being performed during business hours.

Hereinafter, an example of embodiments of a method for controlling a liquid ejection apparatus, a liquid ejection apparatus, and a recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet type roll paper printer as a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the roll paper printer shown in FIG. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the roll paper printer 1 includes a printer main body 2 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and an opening / closing lid 3 attached to the front surface of the printer main body 2. A recording paper discharge port 4 having a predetermined width is formed on the front surface of the outer case 2 a of the printer main body 2. A paper discharge guide 5 protrudes forward below the recording paper discharge port 4, and a lid opening / closing lever 6 is disposed on the side of the paper discharge guide 5. A rectangular opening 2b for inserting and removing roll paper is formed below the paper discharge guide 5 and the lid opening / closing lever 6 in the exterior case 2a. The opening 2b is sealed by the opening / closing lid 3.

  When the lid opening / closing lever 6 is operated, the opening / closing lid 3 is unlocked. When the paper discharge guide 5 is pulled forward after unlocking, as shown in FIG. 2, the opening / closing lid 3 is opened until it is almost horizontal forward with the lower end as the center. When the opening / closing lid 3 is opened, the roll paper storage unit 11 formed inside the printer is opened, and at the same time, the recording paper transport path from the roll paper storage unit 11 to the recording paper discharge port 4 is opened, and the front of the printer The roll paper can be easily replaced. In FIG. 2, the exterior portion of the opening / closing lid 3 and the lid opening / closing lever 6 are omitted.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of the roll paper printer. Inside the roll paper printer 1, a roll paper storage unit 11 is formed at the center in the width direction of the printer main body frame 10. The roll paper 12 is stored in the roll paper storage unit 11 in a horizontally placed state facing the printer width direction.

  A head unit frame 13 is horizontally attached to the upper end of the printer main body frame 10 above the roll paper storage unit 11. In the head unit frame 13, an inkjet head (discharge unit) 14, a linear scale 15 and an encoder sensor 16 for detecting the position of the inkjet head 14, a carriage 17 on which the inkjet head 14 and the encoder sensor 16 are mounted, a carriage 17 A carriage guide shaft 18 for guiding the movement of the printer in the printer width direction is arranged. A carriage transport mechanism including a carriage motor 19 and a timing belt 20 for reciprocating the carriage 17 along the carriage guide shaft 18 is disposed.

  The inkjet head 14 is mounted on the carriage 17 so that the ink nozzle surface 14a faces downward. The encoder sensor 16 is disposed on the upper end surface 14 b of the inkjet head 14. The carriage guide shaft 18 is stretched horizontally in the printer width direction, and the linear scale 15 is stretched parallel to the carriage guide shaft 18 above the inkjet head 14.

  A platen 21 that extends horizontally in the width direction of the printer with a certain gap is disposed below the inkjet head 14. The printing position of the inkjet head 14 is defined by the platen 21. A tension guide 22 curved downward is attached to the rear end of the platen 21. The tension guide 22 is biased upward by a spring, and the recording paper 12 a drawn from the roll paper 12 stored in the roll paper storage unit 11 is printed in a state where a predetermined tension is applied by the tension guide 22. It is pulled out along the recording paper conveyance path passing through the position.

  On the rear side of the platen 21, a rear paper feed roller 23 is stretched horizontally in the printer width direction. A rear paper pressing roller 24 having a predetermined width is pressed against the rear paper feeding roller 23 through the recording paper 12a with a predetermined pressing force. A front paper feed roller 25 is disposed at a front end side portion of the platen 21. A front paper pressing roller 26 is pressed against the front paper feeding roller 25 from above via the recording paper 12a. The rear paper feed roller 23 and the front paper feed roller 25 are driven by a paper feed motor 27 mounted on the printer main body frame 10.

  While the carriage 17 is reciprocated along the carriage guide shaft 18, printing is performed on the surface of the portion of the recording paper 12 a that is fed from the roll paper 12 and positioned at the printing position by the ink jet head 14 mounted thereon. Done. The printing position is controlled based on the detection signal of the encoder sensor 16. After a series of line printing in the width direction of the recording paper 12a is completed, the rear paper feeding roller 23 and the front paper feeding roller 25 are rotationally driven to feed the recording paper 12a by a predetermined pitch. After this, the next line is printed. Thus, the recording paper 12a is printed by the ink jet head 14 while being intermittently sent out at a predetermined pitch. A recording paper cutting device, for example, a scissors-type recording paper cutting device 28 is disposed at the recording paper discharge port 4 from which the recording paper 12a after printing is discharged. The recording paper cutting device 28 cuts the recording paper 12a positioned between them in the width direction.

  Here, the open / close lid 3, the platen 21, the tension guide 22, the rear paper feed roller 23, and the front paper feed roller 25 are configured to open and close together with the open / close lid 3.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the head unit frame and the like.
As shown in FIG. 4, the carriage guide shaft 18 is horizontally stretched between a pair of left and right side frames 29 and 30 that define the printer width direction in the head unit frame 13. A flexible ink supply tube 32 for supplying ink is connected to the carriage 17 slidably supported on the carriage guide shaft 18. The ink supply tube 32 is connected via an ink channel (not shown). Thus, the ink cartridge 34 is connected to the cartridge mounting portion 33. The ink cartridge 34 contains a plurality of color ink packs for each color in a cartridge case, and supplies each color ink individually to the inkjet head 14 (see FIG. 3) exposed on the lower surface of the carriage 17.

  The position shown in FIG. 4 that is out of the printing area is the standby position (home position) of the carriage 17, and below the standby position and above the cartridge mounting portion 33, the inkjet head 14 of the carriage 17 (see FIG. 3). A head cap mechanism 40 used when performing the maintenance operation is arranged.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the head cap mechanism.
The head cap mechanism 40 is provided in the inkjet head 14 in order to prevent the occurrence of printing defects such as missing dots due to the generation of bubbles in each ink nozzle in the inkjet head 14, the increase in ink viscosity, or the breakdown of the ink meniscus. A cleaning operation is performed on the device.

  The head cap mechanism 40 includes a cleaning mechanism 59 for cleaning the inkjet head 14, a timer 53 for measuring time, a memory 55 including an EEPROM, a control unit 52 for starting the cleaning mechanism 59, dot missing And a dot dropout inspection unit 58 for inspecting the presence or absence of the dot.

  The cleaning mechanism 59 includes an ink suction mechanism that sucks residual ink in the ink nozzle with an ink suction pump, a wiping mechanism that wipes the tip of the ink nozzle with a wiper blade, and a flushing mechanism that discharges a small amount of ink from all ink nozzles. Is done.

The cleaning operation by the cleaning mechanism 59 is performed by operating the ink suction pump of the ink suction mechanism to remove a predetermined amount of ink from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 14 in order to eliminate problems such as clogging of the ink nozzles in the inkjet head 14. This includes a suction / discharge operation for sucking while discharging, and if necessary, a specified cleaning process such as a wiping process for wiping the tip surface of the ink nozzle is performed after the suction / discharge operation. The amount of ink sucked in the suction and discharge operation can be changed according to the degree of clogging of the ink nozzles.
Then, the control unit 52 performs periodic cleaning (TCL) in which the cleaning operation by the cleaning mechanism 59 is performed every predetermined time (for example, 720 hours) or every predetermined printing amount.

  The missing dot inspection unit 58 inspects whether or not ink droplets are normally ejected from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 14, that is, the presence or absence of missing dots, and detects the charged ink droplets ejected from the ink nozzles. The inspection is performed according to the presence or absence.

The timer 53 mainly measures an elapsed time T1 after the cleaning mechanism 59 finishes the previous periodic cleaning including a suction discharge operation with respect to the inkjet head 14, and a time after the end of the printing process. The measurement time is sequentially stored in the memory 55.
In addition, the memory 55 stores a determination threshold T used as a timing for performing periodic cleaning by the cleaning mechanism 59 in the control unit 52 or an approximate threshold Tnear used for determining that the cleaning is approaching.

  The control unit 52 determines whether or not it is out of business hours when it is determined that the approximate determination unit 61 has approached the execution timing of the regular cleaning. A business hours determination unit 62 that performs regular cleaning when the business time determination unit 62 determines that the business hours are out of business hours.

And the control part 52 determines the execution timing of regular cleaning, for example for every hour.
Next, determination control of the execution timing of regular cleaning by the control unit 52 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Based on the timer 53, for example, the control unit 52 starts determination control of the execution timing of regular cleaning every hour (step S01).
When the judgment control is started, the elapsed time T1 after the previous regular cleaning by the timer 53 is compared with the regular cleaning judgment threshold T stored in the memory 55 (step S02). The determination threshold T is an interval of a predetermined time for performing regular cleaning, and is set to 720 hours, for example.
As a result, when the elapsed time T1 is equal to or longer than T (T1 ≧ T) (step S02: Yes), the cleaning operation of steps S03 to S08 is performed.

In the cleaning operation, first, it is determined whether the printer 1 is printing or in error (step S03). If the printer 1 is not printing or in error, the inkjet head 14 is cleaned by the cleaning mechanism 59 (step S03). S04).
Thereafter, dot missing inspection is performed on the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 14 (step S05), and the presence or absence of dot missing is determined (step S06).

As a result, if there is no missing dot, the cap of the head cap mechanism 40 is brought into close contact with the inkjet head 14 to lock the ink nozzle with the cap (step S07), and the cleaning operation is terminated.
If there is a missing dot in the determination of whether or not there is a missing dot (step S06: Yes), cleaning is performed again (step S04), a missing dot inspection (step S05), a missing dot presence or absence determination (step S06) is performed, and a missing dot is detected. If not, the ink nozzle is covered with a cap (step S07), and the cleaning operation is terminated.

If it is determined in step S03 that the printer 1 is printing or in error, the TCL hold flag is set (step S08), and the cleaning execution timing determination control ends.
Then, the control unit 52 executes a cleaning operation (steps S04 to S07) after the printing is completed or the error is canceled.

Next, a case where the elapsed time T1 is less than T by comparing the elapsed time T1 after cleaning with the determination threshold value T for regular cleaning (step S02: No) will be described.
First, the control unit 52 determines whether the printer 1 is in error (step S09), and if it is in error, ends the cleaning execution timing determination control.
If it is determined that there is no error in this determination (step S09: No), the approximate determination unit 61 compares the elapsed time T1 after cleaning with the approximate threshold Tnear stored in the memory 55 (approximate determination step: step). S10).
Here, the approximate threshold Tnear is, for example, a time 14 hours before the determination threshold T, and is 706 (720-14) hours when the determination threshold T is 720 hours.

As a result, when the elapsed time T1 is less than the approximate threshold Tnear, the cleaning execution timing determination control ends.
When the elapsed time T1 is equal to or greater than the approximate threshold value Tnear (T1 ≧ Tnear), the business hours determination unit 62 determines whether or not the pause time during which printing is not performed is four hours or more (business hours determination step: Step S11) If the pause time is less than 4 hours, the cleaning execution timing determination control is terminated.
If it is determined in this determination that the pause time is 4 hours or longer (step S11: Yes), it is determined that it is outside business hours, and the execution unit 63 executes a cleaning operation (execution steps: steps S04 to S07). .

Here, the printing process is not performed outside the business hours with respect to the business hours in which the printing process is frequently performed. Therefore, if the suspension time of the printing process is 4 hours or more, there is a high possibility that it is outside business hours. For this reason, in the present embodiment, it is determined that it is out of business hours when the suspension time of the printing process is 4 hours or more.
Therefore, by performing determination control of the execution timing of the above-described regular cleaning, the regular cleaning is performed outside business hours.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the execution timing of the periodic cleaning approaches, if it is determined that it is outside the business hours, the regular cleaning is performed, so the execution of the regular cleaning within the business hours is avoided, It is possible to reduce as much as possible the unavailable time, which is a wasteful waiting time during business hours. That is, it is possible to perform a good printing process while suppressing the influence on the throughput due to regular cleaning performed during business hours.
In particular, since it is determined that it is outside business hours based on the suspension time of the printing process in the inkjet head 14, it is possible to minimize the execution of regular cleaning within the business hours.

  In the above embodiment, when the elapsed time T1 is equal to or greater than the approximate threshold Tnear (T1 ≧ Tnear), it is determined whether or not the pause time during which printing is not performed is equal to or greater than 4 hours (step S11). Although it is determined whether or not it is out of time, the present invention is not limited to the determination based on the downtime.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the clock mechanism 64 is provided in the head cap mechanism 40 and the elapsed time T1 is equal to or greater than the approximate threshold value Tnear (T1 ≧ Tnear), the time of the clock mechanism 64 is a time outside business hours. (For example, PM 9: 00 to AM 7:00), the cleaning operation may be performed. In this way, since it can be determined that it is outside business hours based on the actual time, it is possible to minimize the execution of regular cleaning within business hours.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, an input unit 65 may be provided, and the input unit 65 may allow a user to input a time range outside business hours in advance.
In this way, since it is determined that it is outside business hours based on a preset time range, it is possible to reliably eliminate the execution of regular cleaning within business hours.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, a light sensor (light detection unit) 66 for detecting light is provided in the head cap mechanism 40, and the elapsed time T1 is equal to or greater than the approximate threshold Tnear (T1 ≧ Tnear). Periodic cleaning may be performed when the illuminance of the light detected at is below a specified value. If it does in this way, regular cleaning can be performed outside the business hours when indoor lighting is turned off.
In this way, since it is possible to determine that it is outside business hours based on the ambient brightness, it is possible to minimize the execution of regular cleaning within business hours when the surroundings are bright.

The liquid ejection device according to the present invention includes a color material ejection head, an organic EL display, and an FED (surface emitting display) used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, including the ink jet printer exemplified in the above embodiment. ) And other electrode material discharge heads, bioorganic discharge heads used in biochip manufacturing, etc., liquid discharge devices using liquid discharge heads that discharge liquids, sample discharge devices as precision pipettes, etc. it can.
The concept of liquid includes gel-like, highly viscous, and solid mixed with a solvent, and the concept of ink includes water-based ink and oil-based ink.

1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet type roll paper printer that is a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a state where the opening / closing lid of the printer of FIG. 1 is fully opened. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the printer of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer of FIG. 1 with a cover removed. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a head cap mechanism in the printer shown in FIG. 1. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control method in the printer illustrated in FIG. 1. It is a block diagram of the head cap mechanism in other embodiments. It is a block diagram of the head cap mechanism in other embodiments. It is a block diagram of the head cap mechanism in other embodiments.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer (liquid ejection apparatus, recording device), 14 ... Inkjet head (ejection part), 52 ... Control part, 53 ... Timer, 55 ... Memory, 59 ... Cleaning mechanism, 61 ... Approximate judgment part, 62 ... Business hours judgment , 63 ... execution unit, 64 ... clock mechanism, 65 ... input unit, 66 ... optical sensor (light detection unit).

Claims (11)

A discharge unit having a discharge nozzle for discharging a liquid; and a cleaning mechanism for performing a cleaning operation for sucking the liquid from the discharge nozzle. Periodic cleaning for performing the cleaning operation of the discharge nozzle by the cleaning mechanism is performed at a predetermined execution timing. A method of controlling the liquid ejection apparatus performed in
An approximate determination step of determining that the execution timing of the regular cleaning has been approached;
A business hours determination step of determining whether or not it is outside business hours when it is determined that the execution timing of the regular cleaning is approached in the approximate determination step;
An execution step of performing the periodic cleaning when it is determined that the business hours are outside the business hours in the business hours determination step. A control method for a liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1,
A control method for a liquid discharge apparatus, wherein the determination outside the business hours in the business time determination step is performed based on a pause time of a discharge operation from a discharge nozzle in the discharge unit. A control method for a liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1,
A control method for a liquid ejection apparatus, wherein the determination outside the business hours in the business hours determination step is performed based on a time at the time of determination. A control method for a liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1,
A control method for a liquid ejection apparatus, wherein the determination outside the business hours in the business hours determination step is performed based on a preset time range. A control method for a liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1,
A control method for a liquid ejection apparatus, wherein the determination outside the business hours in the business hours determination step is performed based on ambient brightness. A control unit including a discharge unit having a discharge nozzle for discharging liquid, a cleaning mechanism for performing a cleaning operation for sucking liquid from the discharge nozzle, a control unit for controlling the cleaning mechanism, and a timer for measuring time; Is a liquid ejecting apparatus that performs periodic cleaning for executing the cleaning operation of the ejection nozzle by the cleaning mechanism at predetermined execution timings based on data from the timer,
The control unit determines whether it is close to the execution timing of the regular cleaning, and whether the approximate determination unit is out of business hours when it is determined that the approximate determination unit has approached the execution timing of the regular cleaning. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a business hours determination unit for determining; and an execution unit that performs the periodic cleaning when the business time determination unit determines that the business hours are out of business hours. The liquid ejection device according to claim 6,
The method for controlling a liquid ejection apparatus, wherein the business hours determination unit performs the determination outside the business hours based on a pause time of a discharge operation from the discharge nozzle in the discharge unit. The liquid ejection device according to claim 6,
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising a clock mechanism that outputs time data, wherein the business hours determination unit performs a determination outside the business hours based on data from the clock mechanism at a time at the time of determination. . The liquid ejection device according to claim 6,
An input unit capable of inputting a time range outside business hours is provided, and the business time determination unit performs the determination outside the business hours based on a time range input in advance by the input unit. A liquid ejection apparatus characterized by the above. The liquid ejection device according to claim 6,
A liquid having a light detection unit that detects ambient light, wherein the business hours determination unit determines whether or not it is outside the business hours based on a detection signal from the light detection unit. Discharge device.   11. A recording apparatus that discharges ink droplets from the discharge nozzle according to claim 6 to perform a printing process on a printing material.

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