JP2012218397A - Liquid ejection device and method for controlling the liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent reduction in reliability in nozzle recovery which is caused when a nozzle material swells, in a liquid ejection device including a liquid ejection head manufactured in a dry state.SOLUTION: The liquid ejection device includes: the liquid ejection head that is mounted on the nozzle not filled with liquid and having an ejection port for ejecting liquid, to fill the nozzle with the liquid when in use; and a recovery mechanism that recovers the nozzle by ejecting the liquid from the ejection port in a recovery mode corresponding to the kind of a trigger signal. The liquid ejection device includes: a storage part that holds a plurality of ejection conditions different in liquid ejection power from the nozzle, which are set for at least one recovery mode; and a controller that starts the recovery mechanism on the ejection condition having large liquid ejection power in the plurality of ejection conditions, with the lapse of time from the start of use when the nozzle is filled with the liquid in at least one recovery mode.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus having a recovery mechanism that eliminates a liquid ejection failure, and more particularly, to a liquid ejection apparatus that includes a liquid ejection head that is manufactured in a state where a nozzle is not filled with liquid.

  As a liquid ejecting apparatus, there is a recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium by ejecting ink, such as a printer. Some printers include an inkjet head having nozzles having ejection openings for ejecting ink.

  There is a printer having a recovery mechanism in order to eliminate defective ejection of droplets from the nozzles of an inkjet head and recover the quality of an image recorded on a recording medium. The recovery mechanism includes a suction recovery mechanism that sucks the inside of the nozzle and forcibly discharges the ink from the nozzle, and a pressure recovery mechanism that pressurizes the ink inside the nozzle and forcibly discharges the ink from the discharge port. is there. The recovery mechanism may be performed in a number of different modes of operation. For example, in the case of a suction recovery mechanism, there is a manual suction mode that is performed when a user who has found a recording failure due to nozzle discharge or the like issues a recovery instruction. There is also a tank replacement suction mode that is performed when any ink tank mounted on the printer is replaced. Further, there is a timer suction mode that is periodically performed to discharge bubbles generated by air that has entered the ink flow path from the outside through a member that forms the ink flow path of the ink jet head.

  Patent Document 1 describes an ink jet recording apparatus that is shipped from a production factory with a recording head filled with a distribution ink different from the recording ink. During the first use by the user of the ink jet recording apparatus, the recovery means performs a recovery operation (load recovery mode) of the recording head. The arrival recovery mode is performed at a suction pressure higher than the suction pressure in the subsequent recovery operation (normal recovery mode). By increasing the suction pressure in the arrival recovery mode, the distribution ink in the recording head is reliably replaced with the recording ink at the start of use after unpacking the inkjet recording apparatus, and the distribution remaining in the recovery means It is said that the removal of the ink can be promoted.

  Patent Document 2 describes that an ink jet recording head in which an ink flow path is emptied is packed in a state of being attached to an ink jet recording apparatus. By storing and distributing the ink jet recording head in a so-called dry state in which ink is not filled, there is no need to suppress evaporation of the liquid in the ink flow path, and as a result, packaging and the like are simplified. It is supposed to be possible.

JP 2002-283590 A JP 2007-050528 A

  When a water-absorbing material such as an epoxy resin is used as the nozzle material constituting the nozzle of the inkjet head, the water of the water-based ink is absorbed by the epoxy resin and the nozzle material swells. As a result, the cross-sectional area of the nozzle and the area of the discharge port may be reduced. Swelling does not continue indefinitely, but is determined by the resin material, amount, nozzle structure, and the like, and can be experimentally confirmed, for example, by measuring a change in the area of the discharge port.

  As described in Patent Document 1, when the inkjet head is stored and distributed in a state of being filled with ink or the like, the nozzle material has finished swelling during storage and distribution for one to several months, and the user It is considered that the area of the discharge port is stable when the use is started.

  However, as described in Patent Document 2, an ink jet recording head that is stored and distributed in a dry state is loaded with ink into the nozzle (unloading suction) after unpacking by the user. The nozzle material begins to swell from the time of suction. Therefore, the flow resistance of the discharge port and the like gradually increases until the swelling is substantially stopped and the cross-sectional area of the nozzle and the area of the discharge port are stabilized.

  Discharge of bubbles generated in the flow path requires a stronger suction force as the flow resistance increases. Therefore, inkjet heads that are stored and distributed in a dry state are suitable when the nozzle swells stably. The inside of the nozzle is sucked under the specified conditions. This condition has a sufficient bubble discharging ability even when the flow resistance is the smallest, that is, for the nozzle immediately after the arrival suction. However, there is a problem that a large amount of ink is discharged as waste ink by discharging bubbles with a suction force stronger than necessary. On the other hand, if the suction recovery operation is continued immediately after arrival under conditions suitable for a relatively small flow resistance, the reliability of the recovery operation of the nozzle that has finished swelling and has reached a relatively large flow resistance is impaired. There is a problem.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection apparatus having a liquid ejection head manufactured in a dry state, and a liquid ejection apparatus capable of suppressing a decrease in reliability of a nozzle recovery operation caused by the swelling of the nozzle material, and a control method therefor Is to provide.

  The liquid ejection device according to the present invention is mounted in a state where a nozzle having an ejection port for ejecting liquid is not filled with liquid, and the nozzle is filled with liquid at the start of use, and the type of trigger signal And a recovery mechanism that recovers the nozzle by discharging liquid from the discharge port in a corresponding recovery mode, wherein the liquid discharge device is configured for at least one recovery mode, A storage unit that holds a plurality of discharge conditions with different discharge forces, and a liquid in the plurality of discharge conditions as time passes from the start of use when the nozzle is filled with liquid in the at least one recovery mode. And a control unit that operates the recovery mechanism under a discharge condition with a large discharge force.

  The control method of the liquid discharge apparatus according to the present invention includes a liquid discharge head that is mounted in a state where a nozzle having a discharge port for discharging a liquid is not filled with the liquid and is filled with the liquid at the start of use, and a trigger signal And a recovery mechanism for recovering the nozzle by discharging liquid from the discharge port in a recovery mode according to the type of the liquid discharge device, wherein the liquid discharge device is in at least one recovery mode. A plurality of discharge conditions that are different from each other and set in different discharge powers of the liquid from the nozzle, and the time from the start of use when the nozzle is filled with the liquid in the at least one recovery mode. A process of operating the recovery mechanism under a discharge condition with a large liquid discharge force among the plurality of discharge conditions as time passes.

  Further, the present invention includes a program for executing the above-described liquid ejection apparatus control method. Note that “discharge force” refers to the ability to discharge liquid from a nozzle, and is defined in this specification by the amount of liquid discharged when liquid is discharged from a nozzle in the same state in an atmosphere under the same conditions. The

  In the present invention, even if the flow resistance gradually increases due to the swelling of the nozzle, the recovery operation is performed under conditions suitable for the flow resistance at that time, and thus the reliability of the recovery operation is not impaired. Further, the amount of liquid discharged in the recovery operation does not increase more than necessary.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment. It is a perspective view of the inkjet head mounted in a printer. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the recovery mechanism provided in the printer. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a printer control system. It is the schematic which shows the discharge port and flow path which were formed in the inkjet head. It is a graph which shows the time-dependent change of the area of the discharge outlet accompanying the swelling of nozzle material. It is a figure which shows one Example of the discharge conditions prescribed | regulated by the rotation amount and rotation speed of the pump with which the recovery mechanism was equipped. It is a figure explaining the time change of discharge conditions. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the setting change of discharge conditions. It is a figure which shows the change of the suction amount obtained by the setting change of the suction recovery conditions by FIG. It is a figure which shows another Example of the suction | inhalation recovery conditions prescribed | regulated by the rotation amount and rotation speed of a pump.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an ink jet head that discharges ink as a liquid will be described as an example of the liquid discharge head, and a printer will be described as an example of the liquid discharge device. However, the present invention can be applied to a liquid discharge head that discharges any liquid other than ink and a liquid discharge apparatus that includes the liquid discharge head.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a printer according to an embodiment. The printer includes a carriage 1 on which an inkjet head 2 that ejects ink is mounted. The inkjet head 2 discharges liquid toward the recording medium and performs recording on the recording medium. The ink jet head 2 is configured to be detachable with a tank 3 for containing ink. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inkjet head 2. The ink jet head 2 includes a nozzle having a discharge port for discharging a liquid.

  The printer has a recovery mechanism 12 that forcibly discharges the liquid inside the nozzles and eliminates liquid discharge failure. FIG. 3 shows an example of the recovery mechanism 12 in the present embodiment. The recovery mechanism 12 includes a tube pump 9 and a cap 8 that sucks the inside of the nozzle from the discharge port while being in contact with the face surface of the inkjet head 2. Here, the face surface means one surface on which a discharge port is formed. The tube pump 9 and the cap 8 are connected by a flexible tube 10 having an inner diameter of 1 mm. The tube pump 9 is provided with a hollow silicone tube 11 having an inner diameter of 3 mm and a wall pressure of 1 mm. When the rotational speed and the rotational amount (rotational angle) of the pump 9 are increased, the exhaust speed and the exhaust amount of the pump 9 are increased. The ink can be discharged from the inside of the nozzle by operating the pump 9 with the cap 8 covering the ejection port of the inkjet head 2. The discharged ink passes through the tubes 10 and 11 and is stored in a waste ink storage unit that stores the waste ink.

  The recovery mechanism 12 of this embodiment has a plurality of recovery modes, and the recovery operation is executed in different types of recovery modes depending on the scene. Examples include a manual recovery mode that is performed when a user who has found a recording failure due to nozzle discharge failure, etc., a tank replacement recovery mode that is performed when the ink tank is replaced, or a timer that is periodically performed There is a recovery mode. Which recovery mode is to be executed is determined according to the type of trigger signal for starting the recovery process.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of a control system of the ink jet printer according to the present embodiment. The CPU 100 as the control unit executes printer operation control processing, data processing, and the like. A ROM 101 as a storage unit stores a program that defines the operation of the printer, and a RAM 102 is used as a work area for executing these processes. The CPU 100 controls the PG motor 104 for recovery operation by the motor driver 104A. The PG motor 104 operates the recovery mechanism 12.

  The CPU 100 may have a function of controlling the carriage motor 103 by the motor driver 103. The carriage motor 103 operates the carriage 1 on which the inkjet head 2 is mounted. Furthermore, the CPU may be configured to operate based on a command from the host device 200 such as 100 or a personal computer. Further, the CPU 100 can control the head driver 2A to generate a signal for ejecting liquid from the inkjet head.

  The ink jet head 2 of the present embodiment includes a recording element 4 in which ejection openings for ejecting cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) droplets are formed. The recording element 4 has a liquid chamber 5 for storing each ink. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of the ink flow path formed in the recording element 4. The liquid chamber 5 communicates with three types of nozzles 6L, 6M, and 6S. In each of the nozzles 6L, 6M, and 6S, discharge ports 7L, 7M, and 7S that are openings for discharging ink are formed. The liquid chamber extends long in one direction, and a nozzle 6 </ b> L and a discharge port 7 </ b> L that discharge 5 pl droplets are disposed on one side of the liquid chamber 5. On the opposite side of the liquid chamber 5, both a nozzle 6S and a discharge port 7S that discharge a 1 pl droplet and a nozzle 6M and a discharge port 7M that discharge a 2 pl droplet are arranged. Each of the three types of nozzles 6L, 6M, and 6S is arranged at 600 dpi, and 256 nozzles are provided per liquid chamber 5. In FIG. 5, the nozzle arrangement is asymmetric with respect to the liquid chamber 5. The nozzle arrangement is not limited to this, and any nozzle arrangement may be used.

  In particular, in the nozzles 6S and 6M that eject ink of 1 pl to 2 pl, bubbles (bubbles) that cause ejection failure occur at locations where the flow of ink from the nozzles 6S and 6M changes, specifically at the ejection ports 7S and 7M. Often stays directly underneath. From this, it is estimated that the change in the flow resistance due to the areas of the discharge ports 7S and 7M occupies a large part from the viewpoint of the reliability of the recovery operation.

  The inkjet head 2 is manufactured in a dry state and is mounted on the carriage 1 of the printer. In this state, the printer is packed and distributed. When the user starts use, that is, when the printer is unpacked and the ink tank 3 is set on the inkjet head 2 and the printer is turned on, the printer starts the arrival suction operation. In the arrival suction operation, the inside of the nozzles 6S, 6M, and 6L is forcibly sucked by the recovery mechanism 12, and ink is filled into the liquid chamber 5 and the nozzles. The ink may be a water-based ink mainly composed of a dye and water.

  The nozzle material constituting the nozzles 6S, 6M, 6L and the discharge ports 7S, 7M, 7L may be obtained by curing a photosensitive epoxy resin containing bisphenol A after patterning and absorbing ink immediately after the ink is filled. And start swelling. The material constituting the nozzles 6S, 6M, 6L and the discharge ports 7S, 7M, 7L is not particularly limited, but any material that can easily swell by absorbing the liquid filled in the nozzles can be used. The effect by invention can be exhibited highly.

  FIG. 6 shows a change in the area of the discharge port 7 </ b> L when the inkjet head 2 is maintained at around 25 ° C. starting from the start of arrival suction. As the nozzle material swells, the discharge port 7L decreases with time. The area of the discharge port 7M for 2pl and the discharge port 7S for 1pl also changes qualitatively in the same manner. From this result, the nozzle material of the ink jet head 2 of this embodiment is finished to swell in about 4 weeks from the time when the ink is first filled, and the area of the discharge port after that hardly changes and the flow resistance is also stable. I understand.

  In the present embodiment, the condition of the recovery operation by the recovery mechanism 12 is changed according to the degree of swelling or the degree of decrease in the area of the discharge port. Specifically, in the printer, discharge conditions A to C shown in FIG. 7 are prepared as liquid discharge conditions when the inside of the nozzle is recovered by suction. The discharge conditions A to C are held in the ROM 101 as storage means. The discharge condition defines the liquid discharge force from the nozzle by the recovery mechanism 12. In the present embodiment, the discharge conditions A to C are defined by the rotation amount of the tube pump 9. FIG. 7 shows the condition A with the smallest rotation amount of the pump 9 as a reference (100%). Under conditions A to C, the rotation speed of the tube pump 9 is the same, but the rotation amount of the tube pump 9 is different. The suction amount of the liquid discharged from the same nozzle in the same atmosphere increases in the order of condition A, condition B, and condition C. That is, the liquid discharge force is in the order of condition A, condition B, and condition C. It can be paraphrased to become stronger.

  In one specific recovery mode, for example, the manual recovery mode, the three types of discharge conditions A to C are selected according to the elapsed time from the start of arrival suction as shown in FIG. For this purpose, the printer has time calculation means for calculating an elapsed time since the arrival suction. The switching of the discharge conditions A to C is changed in the order of condition A, condition B, and condition C when, for example, one week, two weeks, and four weeks have elapsed, based on the time calculated by the time calculation means. That is, when the recovery operation is started at a certain time, the control unit 100 controls the recovery mechanism 12 so that the discharge operation is performed under the discharge conditions A to C corresponding to the time. Since the flow resistance increases with the change in the area of the discharge ports 7S, 7M, and 7L, the conditions A, B, and C that are sequentially switched need to have a larger liquid discharge force in this order.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of changing the conditions of the suction operation. In the present embodiment, the manufactured inkjet head 2 is shipped in a state where the nozzles are not filled with ink. At the time of shipment, the condition for the recovery operation in the manual recovery mode is set to the discharge condition A.

  When there is a recovery operation instruction S1, the control unit 100 refers to the elapsed time since the arrival suction, and the time is a first predetermined value that is set in advance based on the change in the area of the discharge port, FIG. In the example shown, it is determined whether or not it is one week or more (step S2). If the time is less than the first predetermined value, the recovery operation is started (step S6). If the time is equal to or greater than the first predetermined value, it is determined whether or not the second predetermined value is preset based on the change in the area of the discharge port, which is four weeks or more in the example shown in FIG. 9 (step S3). . If the time is less than the second predetermined value, the discharge condition B is set (step S4), and then the recovery operation is started. If the time is equal to or greater than the second predetermined value, the discharge condition C is set (step S4), and then the recovery operation is started. The ROM 101 of the printer preferably holds a program that causes the printer to execute the processing shown in FIG.

  FIG. 10 shows the liquid discharge amount (suction amount) that is actually discharged when the recovery operation is performed in the manual recovery mode by changing the discharge conditions with the inkjet head 2 that has passed one week, two weeks, and four weeks after the arrival suction. ). In FIG. 10, the suction amount according to the discharge condition A immediately after the arrival suction is shown as a reference (100%). According to the present embodiment, the change in the suction amount is made by sequentially connecting the points a, b, c, d, and e in the figure, and changes with time in the order of the arrows in the figure. Therefore, the change in the suction amount is small compared with the case where the first suction condition C is fixed from the arrival suction to the fourth week, and it can be seen that the amount of ink discharged is small in the method of this embodiment. If the discharge condition A is fixed, the ink discharge failure may not be improved by one discharge operation in the fourth week when the flow resistance increases. This is presumably because the liquid discharging force of the recovery mechanism 12 was insufficient. In the control method of the present embodiment, since the discharge condition with a strong liquid discharge force is changed before the discharge failure cannot be eliminated, it is possible to suppress a decrease in reliability of the nozzle recovery operation. In this way, the amount of discharged ink can be reduced while maintaining recovery reliability.

  The discharge conditions A to C are not limited to the conditions shown in FIG. FIG. 11 shows another example of the discharge conditions A to C. As shown in FIG. 11, a discharge condition that increases both the rotation speed and the rotation amount may be used. FIG. 11 shows an example of discharge conditions based on the rotation amount and rotation speed of the pump from the time of arrival to one week later as a reference (100%). If the recovery mechanism 12 is a pump, the liquid discharging force by the recovery mechanism 12 is determined based on the rotation amount and rotation speed of the pump, and increases as the rotation amount and rotation speed increase. These conditions are preferably set as appropriate according to the change in the flow resistance of the discharge port accompanying the swelling of the nozzle material. In addition, the discharge conditions are not limited to those shown in FIGS. 7 and 11 as long as the discharge power of the liquid increases with time. In the above-described example, the example in which the operation setting is switched twice from the arrival to the fourth week has been described. However, the operation setting may be switched once or three times or more.

  The ROM 101 serving as a storage unit holds a table in which discharge conditions predetermined for each time zone and the time zones are assigned so that the discharge power according to the degree of swelling of the nozzle material is obtained. It is preferable. Thus, the CPU 100 can operate the recovery mechanism under the discharge condition assigned to the time zone including the time to start the recovery operation, based on the flowchart shown in FIG. Such a table can be prepared in advance by filling the nozzles manufactured in a dry state with ink and measuring in advance how the area of the ejection port changes with time. In addition, you may produce said table not only by measuring the area of a discharge outlet but by measuring the physical quantity which can measure the degree of swelling.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the recovery operation is performed by suction inside the nozzle has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be easily applied to an ink pressurization type ink jet head by changing the pressurizing condition when pressurizing the liquid in the nozzle according to the change in the area of the discharge port. Is possible. That is, a pressurization condition (discharge condition) may be set so that the discharge force when the liquid is forcibly discharged over time is increased, and the recovery operation is performed under the pressurization condition. As an example of the ink pressurization method, there is a method in which a piezoelectric element is used as a part of a member constituting the nozzle and ink is pushed out by an electric signal.

  In the above example, the manual recovery mode has been described. However, the above-described change of the discharge conditions A to C may be performed in at least one specific recovery mode. It is more preferable to change the discharge condition by executing the process shown in FIG. 9 for each recovery mode. In the manual recovery mode, the pump suction operation is performed once under the discharge conditions specified at that time. In the tank replacement suction mode, the pump suction operation is performed twice under the discharge conditions specified at that time. Depending on the situation, the recovery action may be different.

  The ink tank used in the printer may have any configuration, but an ink tank with a negative pressure generating member storage chamber and an ink storage chamber (see Japanese Patent No. 29951818) should be used. Is also possible. The negative pressure generating member accommodating chamber accommodates a negative pressure generating member that absorbs and holds ink, and has an air communication hole that communicates with the atmosphere and an opening that communicates with the nozzles of the inkjet head. The negative pressure generating member storage chamber and the ink storage chamber are adjacent to each other and communicate with each other at the bottom communication portion. The negative pressure generating member storage chamber and the ink storage chamber are partitioned by a partition wall except for the communication portion. The ink storage chamber is hermetically sealed except for this communication portion. The ink in the ink storage chamber reaches the nozzles of the inkjet head through the negative pressure generation member storage chamber and the opening of the negative pressure generation member storage chamber.

  Such a side-by-side ink tank may cause a so-called “out of ink” in which ink is not supplied from the ink tank to the nozzles of the inkjet head, particularly in a low temperature environment (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-349730). One of the causes is that an air passage (air path) is formed inside the negative pressure generating member by sucking a large amount of ink whose flow resistance is increased by thickening ink with a strong discharge force. . Therefore, immediately after the arrival suction operation, if a strong suction operation is performed in a low temperature environment, for example, the recovery operation is performed under the condition C shown in FIGS. 7 and 11, excessive ink is discharged from the side-by-side ink tank and the ink runs out. There is a risk of causing.

  In order to cope with this problem, it is preferable to control the discharge conditions A to C of the recovery mechanism 12 according to a change in the area of the ejection port so that excessive suction is not performed from the ink tank. As indicated by points c and e in FIG. 10, the ink suction amount temporarily increases at the timing when the discharge conditions are switched, but at this time, the suction amount (discharge amount) is set in advance so that an air path is not formed. It is preferable that the control be performed so as to be equal to or less than a predetermined value. As a result, even at the point c where the suction amount becomes maximum, the recovery operation can be executed so as not to cause the ink to run out.

  Instead of setting the discharge conditions shown in FIG. 9, the discharge conditions may be set by the following procedure. T (0), T (1), T (2)..., T (i)... Are times when a predetermined time has elapsed since time T (0) at the time of arrival suction. However, i is an integer. M (i) is a discharge condition that defines the discharge force at time T (i). Then, a table in which the values of T (i) and M (i) are assigned in advance through an experiment is created.

  Specifically, the target ink discharge amount to be targeted for each recovery mode is determined in advance. For example, in the manual recovery mode, the discharge condition M (0) is set so that the ink discharge amount becomes the target discharge amount when the manual recovery operation is performed with the area of the discharge port corresponding to the time T (0) at the time of arrival suction. Is set in advance.

  At the next time T (1), the recovery operation is executed under the previous discharge condition M (0) or a discharge condition with a higher discharge force, and the amount of liquid discharged from the nozzle is measured. If a swellable material is used as the nozzle material and the ink jet head is in a dry state at the time of distribution, the amount of liquid discharged is lower than when the ink is filled in the nozzle due to an increase in flow resistance. Therefore, the rotation speed or the rotation amount of the pump 9 is increased, and the liquid discharge force by the recovery mechanism 12 is increased to search for a discharge condition for obtaining a substantially target discharge amount. If the ink discharge amount falls within, for example, ± 0.5% of the target discharge amount, it can be recognized that the target discharge amount has been obtained. The discharge condition thus obtained is set to M (1).

  The above operation is repeated every time a fixed time elapses. At time T (i + 1), if liquid is discharged under the discharge condition M (i) at the previous time T (i), if the same discharge amount as the previous time T (i) is obtained, the previous time It can be considered that the flow resistance due to swelling is stable at time T (i). Therefore, it is not necessary to create a table at subsequent times. In this way, a table to which time zones and discharge conditions are assigned is set in advance.

  When the user starts using the printer, the control unit 100 determines each discharge condition in which the target suction amount is obtained at times T (1), T (2),. The operation of the recovery mechanism 12 is controlled so that M (1), M (2),... M (i).

  This method can be suitably applied to a printer equipped with an inkjet head that cannot directly measure the degree of nozzle swelling, for example, the change in the area of the ejection port. As such an ink jet head, for example, a configuration in which an orifice plate made of a material that does not substantially absorb water such as polyimide is bonded to a nozzle material that is patterned with a resin that absorbs water such as an epoxy resin. The orifice plate constitutes one surface on which the discharge port is formed. If the orifice plate is made of a material that does not supply water, the area of the discharge port hardly changes. Even in this case, appropriate discharge conditions can be assigned for each time period by actually discharging the liquid and setting the discharge conditions as described above at each time.

1 Printer 2 Inkjet head 6 Nozzle 7 Discharge port 9 Tube pump

Claims (9)

A nozzle having a discharge port for discharging a liquid is mounted in a state where the liquid is not filled, and the liquid discharge head is filled with the liquid at the start of use, and the discharge port in a recovery mode according to the type of trigger signal A liquid ejection device having a recovery mechanism for discharging the liquid from the nozzle and recovering the nozzle,
A storage unit configured to store at least one discharge condition set for at least one recovery mode and having different discharge forces of liquid from the nozzle;
In the at least one recovery mode, the recovery mechanism is operated under a discharge condition with a large liquid discharge force among the plurality of discharge conditions as time elapses from the start of use when the nozzle is filled with liquid. A liquid ejecting apparatus. The storage unit holds a plurality of discharge conditions that are set for each of the plurality of recovery modes and that have different liquid discharge forces from the nozzles,
For each of the plurality of recovery modes, the control unit operates the recovery mechanism under a discharge condition with a large liquid discharge force as time passes from the start of use when the nozzle is filled with liquid. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejection device is controlled.   The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the nozzle material constituting the nozzle is made of a material that swells by absorbing the liquid filled in the nozzle. The storage unit holds a table in which a predetermined time zone and the discharge conditions are assigned in advance so that the discharge force according to the degree of swelling of the nozzle material is obtained.
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit operates the recovery mechanism under the discharge condition assigned to a time zone including a time when the recovery operation is started. A nozzle having a discharge port for discharging a liquid is mounted in a state where the liquid is not filled, and the liquid discharge head is filled with the liquid at the start of use, and the discharge port in a recovery mode according to the type of trigger signal And a recovery mechanism for recovering the nozzle by discharging the liquid from the liquid ejection device,
The liquid ejection device holds in advance a plurality of discharge conditions set for at least one recovery mode and having different liquid discharge forces from the nozzle,
In the at least one recovery mode, the recovery mechanism is operated under a discharge condition having a large liquid discharge force among the plurality of discharge conditions as time elapses from the start of use when the nozzle is filled with liquid. A method for controlling a liquid ejection apparatus having the above. The liquid ejection device holds a plurality of discharge conditions set for each of the plurality of recovery modes, and the liquid discharge force from the nozzles is different.
For each of the plurality of recovery modes, a step of controlling the recovery mechanism to operate under a discharge condition with a large liquid discharge force as time elapses from the start of use when the nozzle is filled with liquid. The control method of the liquid discharge apparatus of Claim 5 which has.   The method for controlling a liquid ejection device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the nozzle material constituting the nozzle is made of a material that swells by absorbing the liquid filled in the nozzle. The liquid discharge device holds a table in which a predetermined time zone and the discharge conditions are assigned in advance so that the discharge force according to the degree of swelling of the nozzle material is obtained.
The method of controlling a liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a step of operating the recovery mechanism under the discharge condition assigned to a time zone including a time when the recovery operation is started.   The program which performs the control method of the liquid discharge apparatus of any one of Claim 5 to 8.

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