JP2013018276A - Liquid jetting apparatus and maintenance method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve a liquid jetting apparatus that can reduce the amount of liquid purged without being used to record, and to achieve a maintenance method thereof.SOLUTION: The liquid jetting apparatus includes: a piezoelectric element 26 for executing a jetting operation to jet ink from a nozzle opening 24; a storage unit 51 for storing the remained amount of the ink to jet corresponding to the remained amount of ink B in an ink flow passage at stopping of the jetting operation of the piezoelectric element in the middle of switching the ink in the ink flow passage from the ink B to ink A by the jetting operation of the piezoelectric element in the case where the ink to be flown into the ink flow passage 25 from an inflow port 23 is switched from the ink B to the ink A; and a control unit 50 for jetting the ink in the ink flow passage by controlling the jetting operation of the piezoelectric element based on the remained amount stored in the storage unit when the piezoelectric element resumes the jetting operation after the stopping of the jetting operation of the piezoelectric element.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus such as an ink jet printer and a maintenance method thereof.

  Conventionally, as a kind of liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink jet printer that performs recording by ejecting ink as a kind of liquid onto a medium such as paper from a nozzle opening provided in a recording head (liquid ejecting head) is widely known. ing.

  In this printer, for example, the type of ink to be supplied to the recording head may be switched depending on the type of medium to be ejected with ink (glossy paper, non-glossy paper, etc.). Specifically, an ink replacement operation is performed in which the ink before switching existing in the ink flow path in the recording head reaching the nozzle opening is replaced with the ink after switching used after switching. In this ink replacement operation, the ink before switching is mixed with the ink after switching and is ejected from the nozzle opening to the medium, or air bubbles remain in the ink after switching. It is necessary to suppress it.

  Therefore, conventionally, in such a case, as described in, for example, Patent Document 1, the ink before switching in the ink flow path is ejected from the nozzle opening to be discharged (discarded) and the ink after switching is discharged into the ink flow path. Ink was replaced by performing so-called substitution flushing (hereinafter also referred to as “substitution FL”). This replacement FL prevents ink and bubbles before switching from remaining in the ink flow path in the recording head.

JP 2011-73349 A

  By the way, in the conventional replacement FL, when the ink replacement operation is stopped for some reason, the replacement state until the stop is unknown, so that the ink replacement operation by the replacement FL is performed again from the beginning. The ink before switching existing in the ink flow path is surely replaced with the ink after switching.

  Therefore, when the replacement operation of the ink is stopped in the middle of performing the replacement FL, the replaced ink that has flowed into the ink flow path in the replacement operation of the ink until the stop is performed by the replacement FL performed again thereafter. The recording medium is ejected without being used for recording. Therefore, there is a problem that the ink after switching is wasted due to the replacement FL.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a liquid ejecting apparatus and a liquid ejecting apparatus maintenance method capable of reducing the amount of liquid discharged without being used for recording. The main purpose is to realize.

  In order to achieve the above object, the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid ejecting head in which a liquid flow path for causing the liquid to flow from an inflow port for injecting liquid to a nozzle opening for ejecting the liquid is formed, and the liquid Injection execution means for executing an injection operation for injecting the liquid from the nozzle opening, and when the liquid flowing into the liquid channel from the inlet is switched from the first liquid to the second liquid, When the ejection operation of the ejection execution unit is stopped while the liquid is being switched from the first liquid to the second liquid by the ejection operation of the ejection execution unit, Storage means for storing the remaining amount of the remaining liquid corresponding to the remaining liquid amount of the first liquid, and after the injection operation of the injection execution means is stopped, the injection execution means is again injected. When executing the operation, and controls the injection operation of the injection execution means based on the spear leaving injection quantity stored in said storage means, and a control means for ejecting the liquid in the liquid flow path.

  According to this configuration, when the ejection operation for switching the liquid in the liquid channel from the first liquid to the second liquid is stopped and then restarted, the remaining liquid of the first liquid remaining in the liquid channel at the time of the stop The liquid is ejected with a remaining ejection amount corresponding to the amount. As a result, the amount of the second liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head and discharged without being used for recording can be suppressed.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the ejecting execution unit can perform the ejecting operation in a state where power is supplied from a power source, and the ejecting operation in a state where the supply of power from the power source is interrupted. To stop.

  For example, the power supply may be turned off due to an erroneous operation of the user of the liquid ejecting apparatus, or the power from the power supply may be interrupted due to a power failure or the like. According to this configuration, in such a case, it is possible to suppress the amount of the second liquid that is discharged without being used for recording in the ejection operation that is restarted after the stop.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention, when the power is supplied from the power source, the liquid ejecting apparatus includes suction / discharge means for sucking the liquid from the nozzle opening and discharging the liquid out of the liquid flow path, and the storage means The suction / discharge unit stores the suction / discharge amount of the liquid discharged out of the liquid flow path, and the control unit calculates a difference liquid amount obtained by subtracting the suction / discharge amount from the residual injection amount stored by the storage unit. The injection operation of the injection execution unit is controlled as the remaining injection amount.

  According to this configuration, the remaining ejection amount of the liquid ejected when the liquid is switched is reduced by the amount corresponding to the suction / ejection amount of the liquid ejected by the suction / ejection process performed when the power is turned on. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the amount of the second liquid that is discharged without being used for recording.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, in the storage unit, the liquid discharged from the nozzle opening different from the nozzle opening by the suction process by the suction / discharge unit may pass through the nozzle opening. The liquid mixture mixed in the flow path is ejected from the nozzle opening to store the discharge ejection amount of the liquid that can be discharged out of the liquid flow path, and the control means stores the discharge ejection amount stored in the storage means. When it is larger than the differential liquid amount, the injection operation of the injection execution means is controlled with the discharged injection amount as the differential liquid amount.

According to this configuration, the switching from the first liquid to the second liquid in the liquid flow path can be performed by the ejection operation for discharging the mixed liquid generated in the liquid flow path after the suction and discharge.
In order to achieve the above object, a maintenance method for a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention includes: a liquid ejecting head in which a liquid flow path for causing the liquid to flow from an inflow port for injecting liquid to a nozzle opening for ejecting the liquid is formed; A liquid ejecting apparatus maintenance method comprising: an ejection executing unit that performs an ejection operation for ejecting the liquid from the nozzle opening, wherein the liquid that flows into the liquid channel from the inflow port is a first liquid When the liquid is switched from the first liquid to the second liquid by the ejection operation of the ejection execution means, the ejection operation of the ejection execution means is performed when the liquid is switched from the first liquid to the second liquid. A storage step of storing, when stopped, a remaining ejection amount of the liquid corresponding to a remaining liquid amount of the first liquid in the liquid channel at the time of the stopping When the injection execution means stops the injection operation and then executes the injection operation again, the injection execution means controls the injection operation of the injection execution means based on the stored remaining injection amount, and the liquid channel And a control step of ejecting the liquid therein.

  According to this method, when the ejection operation for switching the liquid in the liquid channel from the first liquid to the second liquid is stopped and then restarted, the remaining liquid of the first liquid remaining in the liquid channel at the time of the stop Since the liquid is ejected with the remaining ejection amount corresponding to the amount, the amount of the second liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head and discharged without being used for recording can be suppressed.

  In the maintenance method of the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, when the power is supplied from the power source, the liquid ejecting apparatus includes a suction / discharge step of sucking the liquid from the nozzle opening and discharging the liquid out of the liquid flow path, The suction / discharge amount of the liquid to be discharged out of the liquid flow path in the suction / discharge step is stored, and the control step is a difference liquid amount obtained by subtracting the suction / discharge amount from the remaining discharge amount stored in the storage step. The injection operation of the injection execution means is controlled using the remaining injection amount as the remaining injection amount.

  According to this method, the remaining ejection amount of the liquid ejected when the liquid is switched is reduced by the amount corresponding to the suction / discharge amount of the liquid discharged by the suction / discharge process performed when the power is turned on. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the amount of the second liquid that is discharged without being used for recording.

  In the maintenance method of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, in the storage step, in the nozzle opening, the liquid discharged from the nozzle opening different from the nozzle opening by the suction process by the suction / discharge step passes through the nozzle opening. And storing the discharge amount of the liquid that can be discharged from the nozzle opening and discharged out of the liquid flow path, and the control step stores the discharge stored in the storage step. When the injection amount is larger than the difference liquid amount, the injection operation of the injection execution unit is controlled using the discharge injection amount as the difference liquid amount.

  According to this method, the switching from the first liquid to the second liquid in the liquid channel can be performed by the ejection operation for discharging the mixed liquid generated in the liquid channel after the suction and discharge.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration relating to ink switching provided in the printer. 6 is a flowchart illustrating ink replacement processing in the printer according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an ink stirring operation in an ink cartridge. 6 is a flowchart showing ink agitation processing. 7A and 7B are flowcharts showing processing for notifying operation of a printer.

  An embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in an ink jet printer (hereinafter also simply referred to as “printer”) which is a kind of liquid ejecting apparatus and a maintenance method thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. In order to facilitate the following description, as shown in FIG. 1, the gravity direction in the vertical direction is defined as the downward direction, and the antigravity direction is defined as the upward direction. In addition, a transport direction in which the paper P fed to the printer is transported during image formation (recording) is a forward direction, and a direction opposite to the transport direction is a backward direction. Furthermore, the direction that intersects both the vertical direction and the conveyance direction and in which the carriage 16 reciprocates, that is, the scanning direction, is referred to as the right direction and the left direction, respectively, when viewed from the front.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 11 of the present embodiment supplies or cuts off power from the power source (commercial power supply) that operates the printer 11 into the printer 11, as partly indicated by a two-dot chain line. Is provided with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 11a to which a power switch button 11b for selecting is attached. In addition, an opening for inserting a hand when the maintenance of the printer 11 (for example, replacement of the ink cartridge) is performed is formed on the upper surface of the casing 11a, and the rear end side of the opening with respect to the casing 11a is formed in the opening. A cover 11c is provided that is rotatably supported and is configured to lift the front end side.

  A support base 13 extends along the left-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction, of the frame 12 in the shape of a substantially rectangular box housed in the internal space covered by the housing 11a. A paper feed motor 14 is provided at the lower part of the rear surface of the paper. That is, the paper P is fed from the rear side onto the support table 13 by a paper feed mechanism (not shown) through the driving of the paper feed motor 14.

  A guide shaft 15 is installed above the support base 13 in the frame 12 along the left-right direction which is the longitudinal direction of the support base 13. A carriage 16 is supported on the guide shaft 15 so as to be reciprocally movable in the axial direction. Specifically, a support hole 16a penetrating the carriage 16 in the left-right direction is formed, and a guide shaft 15 is inserted into the support hole 16a.

  A driving pulley 17a and a driven pulley 17b are rotatably supported at positions in the vicinity of both ends of the guide shaft 15 on the inner surface of the rear wall of the frame 12. An output shaft of the carriage motor 18 is connected to the drive pulley 17a, and an endless timing belt 17 partially connected to the carriage 16 is wound between the drive pulley 17a and the driven pulley 17b. . When the carriage motor 18 is driven, the carriage 16 reciprocates in the left-right direction (scanning direction) while being guided by the guide shaft 15 via the timing belt 17.

  A liquid ejecting head 19 is provided on the lower surface side of the carriage 16, and ink of different types (for example, hue, saturation, brightness (density), composition, etc.) with respect to the liquid ejecting head 19 is provided on the carriage 16. A plurality (three in this embodiment) of ink cartridges 20, 21, and 30 for supplying (liquid) are detachably mounted. In this embodiment, as an example, the ink cartridge 20 contains photo black ink (hereinafter also referred to as “ink A”) suitable for printing on glossy paper, and the ink cartridge 21 contains non-glossy paper. A matte black ink (hereinafter also referred to as “ink B”) suitable for printing on the ink is contained. An ink selector 22 having a three-way valve for switching the ink flow path so that ink is selectively supplied from any one of the ink cartridges 20 and 21 to the liquid ejecting head 19 is a carriage. 16 is provided. Further, the ink cartridge 30 contains color ink having a different hue from the black ink (hereinafter also referred to as “ink C”). The ink C is supplied to the liquid ejecting head 19 without going through the ink selector 22.

  Further, in a region on the right side of the support base 13 inside the frame 12, that is, a region not used during printing (home position region), a bottomed box-shaped cap 28 and a suction pump 40 (see FIG. 2) opened upward. Etc.) is provided. That is, in the printer 11, the liquid ejecting head 19 is moved to the home position region, and the ink for disposal that is not used for recording is ejected from the liquid ejecting head 19 to the cap 28, or the capping state is performed. In step S1, the waste ink is forcibly sucked and discharged by driving the suction pump 40. In this way, the maintenance process for the liquid jet head 19 is performed.

  Next, the liquid ejecting head 19 and its peripheral structure will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2, including a configuration relating to switching (also referred to as “replacement”) of ink ejected from the liquid ejecting head 19.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an inflow port 23 through which the inks A and B supplied from the ink cartridges 20 and 21 are made to flow is formed on the upper surface of the liquid ejecting head 19. A downstream end of an ink supply tube 22a extending downstream is connected. An inflow port 33 through which ink C supplied from the ink cartridge 30 flows is formed, and a downstream end of an ink supply tube 30 a extending downstream from the ink cartridge 30 is connected to the inflow port 33. ing.

  A nozzle opening 24 for ejecting inks A and B and a nozzle opening 34 for ejecting ink C are formed on a nozzle forming surface 19 a which is the lower surface of the liquid ejecting head 19. Further, inside the liquid ejecting head 19, an ink flow path (liquid flow path) 25 for flowing the inks A and B from the inlet 23 to the nozzle opening 24 and an ink C from the inlet 33 to the nozzle opening 34 are flowed. An ink flow path (liquid flow path) 35 is formed.

  The ink flow path 25 includes a reservoir 25a serving as an upstream flow path and an ink chamber 25b serving as a downstream flow path in the ink flow direction. In the ink chamber 25b, the upper wall surface is formed of an elastic wall so that the internal volume thereof is variable, and the ink chamber 25b is positioned in one direction (here, the vertical direction) at a position adjacent to the upper side of the ink chamber 25b via the elastic wall. A piezoelectric element 26 that extends and contracts is provided. One end (here, the upper end) of the piezoelectric element 26 is fixed to a highly rigid portion with little vertical displacement in the liquid ejecting head 19, and the other end (here, the lower end) is in the ink chamber 25b. It is fixed to substantially the center of the upper wall surface made of an elastic wall formed so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the piezoelectric element 26 contracts and expands, the elastic wall is displaced to pressurize the ink in the ink chamber 25b, whereby the inks A and B are ejected from the nozzle opening 24. In other words, the expansion / contraction operation of the piezoelectric element 26 is also an ejection operation of the inks A and B.

  The ink flow path 35 is configured similarly to the ink flow path 25. That is, it has a reservoir 35a that becomes an upstream flow path and an ink chamber 35b that becomes a downstream flow path in the flow direction of the ink C. In the ink chamber 35b, the piezoelectric element 36 is provided at a position adjacent to the upper side of the ink chamber 35b via an elastic wall, similarly to the ink chamber 25b.

  In FIG. 2, only one nozzle opening 24 and 34 is shown for simplification of description, but actually, a plurality of nozzle openings 24 and 34 are formed in the liquid ejecting head 19. . At least a plurality of ink chambers 25b and 35b respectively corresponding to the plurality of nozzle openings 24 and 34 are provided as flow paths branched downstream from the reservoirs 25a and 35a. In addition, the piezoelectric elements 26 and 36 are provided in the plurality of ink chambers 25b and 35b, respectively, and an expansion / contraction operation (jetting operation) is performed to pressurize the inks A, B, and C in the ink chambers 25b and 35b. ing.

  In the printer 11, the waste ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting head 19 (nozzle openings 24, 34) by the expansion and contraction operation of the piezoelectric elements 26 and 36 and is discharged into the cap 28 of the maintenance device 29. Further, the maintenance device 29 functions as a suction discharge unit, and forcibly sucks and discharges the waste ink from the nozzle openings 24 and 34 by the rotational drive of the suction pump 40 with the cap 28 capped.

  Specifically, the cap 28 has a seal portion 28a made of an elastic member at an upper opening end portion, and a flexible discharge tube 41 is connected to a discharge port provided in the bottom surface portion. A tube pump is disposed as a suction pump 40 in the middle of the discharge tube 41 and is driven to rotate by a pump motor 44. Then, the cap 28 is moved upward from a position away from the liquid ejecting head 19 by an elevating mechanism (not shown) to surround the nozzle openings 24 and 34 as shown in FIG. 2, and the liquid ejecting head 19 (nozzle forming surface 19a). ), The suction pump 40 is rotated. At this time, the suction pump 40 forcibly sucks and discharges the waste ink by reverse rotation (in the direction of the solid arrow in FIG. 2) of both forward and reverse rotations. The discharged waste ink is discharged to the waste ink tank 42 through the discharge tube 41.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 11 includes a control unit (control means) 50 that performs overall control of the operating state of the printer 11. The control unit 50 is a substrate having an electric circuit composed of electronic components such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, and ASIC (specific application IC), a storage unit (storage means) 51 including the ROM and RAM, and a time measuring function. And a timer 52 having

  A PC (computer) 60 that is an external electronic device for the printer 11 is connected to the control unit 50 so that output data from the PC 60 can be input. The control unit 50 then ejects ink for printing (recording) the paper P (in this case, “recording ejection data”, hereinafter also referred to as “print data”), and the like. When the various data are input from the connected PC 60, the input data is stored in the data area in the storage unit 51.

  Further, the control unit 50 performs an ink replacement process for switching the type of ink supplied to the liquid ejecting head 19 based on a program stored in the storage unit 51, print data stored in the storage unit 51, and the like. Furthermore, a stirring process for stirring the ink stored in the ink cartridges 20, 21, and 30 and a notification process for notifying that the printer 11 is in operation are performed.

  In the printer 11, during these processes, the control unit 50 appropriately controls driving of each functional component such as the carriage motor 18, the ink selector 22, the piezoelectric element 26, and the suction pump 40 of the maintenance device 29. Specifically, the control unit 50 drives these functional components by outputting each control signal created using electric power supplied from a power source (for example, a commercial power source).

  That is, when the type of ink used in the print data stored in the storage unit 51 is different from the type of ink supplied from the ink selector 22 to the liquid ejecting head 19 at that time, the ink selector 22 controls the control unit 50. The valve is switched and driven by the control signal SS1. In addition, the piezoelectric element 26 is controlled when the ink present in the ink flow path 25 in the liquid ejecting head 19 is ejected from the nozzle opening 24 based on the ejection ink ejection data stored in the storage unit 51. Driven by the control signal SS2 from the unit 50 so as to expand and contract (inject). That is, the piezoelectric element 26 functions as an injection execution unit, and can perform an expansion / contraction operation (injection operation) when power is supplied from the power source, and can perform an expansion / contraction operation (injection) when power supply from the power source is interrupted. Operation).

  The pump motor 44 that drives the suction pump 40 is driven by a control signal SS4 from the control unit 50, and suctions the inside of the cap 28 in the capping state to force the waste ink in the liquid ejecting head 19 from the nozzle opening 24. So-called cleaning is performed.

  The carriage motor 18 is driven by a control signal SS5 from the control unit 50, and for example, moves the carriage 16 so that the liquid ejecting head 19 is located at a position facing the maintenance device 29 when switching the type of ink. Further, when the carriage is moved in the scanning direction, such as when ink is agitated or when recording is performed on the paper P, the carriage motor 18 is similarly driven by a control signal SS5 from the control unit 50.

  In addition, the piezoelectric element 36 is driven by a control signal SS3 from the control unit 50, and expands and contracts when ink existing in the ink flow path 35 in the liquid ejecting head 19 is ejected from the nozzle opening 34. That is, the piezoelectric element 36 functions as an injection execution unit. The paper feed motor 14 is driven by a control signal SS6 from the control unit 50 and feeds the paper P on the support base 13.

  Further, the control unit 50 is supplied with power from a power source that is an operation source of the printer 11 including an operation signal (either a power-on or power-off signal) of the power switch button 11b attached to the housing 11a. An output signal SN1 related to the state (either supply or shut-off state) can be input. In addition, the control unit 50 receives an output signal SN2 indicating an operation state other than the power supply state in the printer 11, including a signal indicating the open / closed state of the cover 11c provided in the casing 11a of the printer 11, for example. It is possible.

  In the printer 11, the control unit 50 controls the ink switching operation, that is, the ink replacement process, based on the print data input to the control unit 50 and the output signals SN1 and SN2. Hereinafter, an operation (processing routine) associated with the ink replacement process for switching the ink ejected from the liquid ejecting head 19 will be described with reference to FIG. The ink replacement process is performed in a state where the liquid ejecting head 19 is moved to the home position region and the nozzle openings 24 and 34 are opposed to the cap 28. Further, as a premise of the process, the ink selector 22 causes the ink B (first liquid) supplied from the ink cartridge 21 to flow toward the ink supply tube 22a before the ink replacement process starts, and based on the print data, the ink B From the ink cartridge 20 to ink A (second liquid). Of course, the same applies when replacing ink A with ink B.

  As shown in the processing flow on the left side of FIG. 3, when the ink replacement process is started in the operating state of the printer 11, the control unit 50 first determines in step S <b> 11 a flag indicating that the ink replacement process is in operation. The ink replacement flag is set in a flag area provided in the storage unit 51.

  In subsequent step S <b> 12, the control unit 50 sets the total flushing (denoted as “FL”) amount necessary for ink replacement, which is ejection data of the discarded ink, as a value M. That is, the controller 50 changes the total amount of ink ejected from the nozzle openings 24 by the FL, that is, the total amount when the ink in the ink flow path 25 is completely replaced with the ink A from the state where all the ink B is the ink B. The FL amount is stored in the storage unit 51 as a value M. The value M is stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 51 corresponding to an ink flow path (in this case, the ink flow path 25) in which ink is replaced in advance, and is controlled when ink replacement processing is performed. The setting is made by the unit 50 reading from the storage unit 51 and writing to a predetermined storage area.

  Next, in step S13, the control unit 50 sets a value m obtained by dividing the value M by the value 10. In the present embodiment, when the time required for the replacement FL in the ink replacement process is long, for example, about 3 to 7 minutes, the replacement FL is performed a plurality of times (here, in consideration of an assumed stop during the ink replacement processing operation) In this case, the divided FL is divided into 10 times. Therefore, in step S14, the control unit 50 starts m number of divided FL processes as replacement FL processes. That is, the control unit 50 expands and contracts the piezoelectric element 26 a predetermined number of times by the control signal SS 2, and ejects ink (ink B) in the ink flow path 25 from the nozzle opening 24 by an m amount.

  Next, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the operation of the printer 11 is forcibly terminated in step S15. Specifically, during the m amount of divided FL processing, the control unit 50 has performed a power-off operation with the power switch button 11b based on the output signal SN1, or the power cord is disconnected from the outlet, for example. It is determined whether or not the operation has been forcibly terminated depending on whether the power supply from the power source is cut off due to a power failure or the like. Further, the control unit 50 determines, for example, based on the output signal SN2 whether the cover 11c is opened during the operation of the printer 11 and the operation is forcibly terminated.

  As a result of the determination process in step S15, if the operation is not forcibly terminated (step S15: NO), it is determined in subsequent step S16 whether or not the m amount of divided FL processes has been completed. Here, the control unit 50 detects whether or not the piezoelectric element 26 has expanded and contracted a predetermined number of times without stopping. Specifically, it is determined based on whether or not the control signal SS2 is all output from the control unit 50 without stopping. As a result of the determination, if the m amount of divided FL processing has not ended (step S16: NO), the processing of step S15 and step S16 is repeated.

  As a result of the repetition of these processes, when the m amount of divided FL processing ends (step S16: YES), the control unit 50 proceeds to step S17, and the value that is the divided FL amount from the value M that is the total FL amount. m is subtracted, and the subtracted value is newly rewritten as a value M and stored in the storage unit 51. The value M stored by this processing is a liquid amount corresponding to the remaining liquid amount of the ink B in the ink flow path, and the ink remaining in order to switch all the ink in the ink flow path 25 from the ink B to the ink A. This is the injection amount (this is referred to as “the remaining injection amount”). Accordingly, the processing step here is a storage step for storing the remaining ink ejection amount.

  Next, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the value M is a value 0 in step S18. If the value M is not a value 0, that is, if there is a remaining ejection amount of ink to be divided FL. Then, the process returns to step S14, and the m number of divided FL processes are performed again. Thus, when the determination result in step S15 is NO, the control unit 50 repeats the processing from step S14 to step S18, that is, the divided FL processing until the value M becomes 0 (step S18: YES). The ink in the ink flow path 25 is ejected to replace the ink B with the ink A. In other words, the processing steps from step S14 to step S18 performed by the control unit 50 control the ejection operation of the piezoelectric element 26 based on the stored remaining ejection amount (rewritten value M), and the ink flow path. 25 is a control step for ejecting the ink in 25.

  When the value M becomes 0 (step S18: YES), the replacement FL process is completed. In other words, the total FL amount of ink is discharged from the nozzle opening 24, and all the ink in the ink flow path 25 is replaced from the ink B to the ink A. Accordingly, the control unit 50 proceeds to step S19 to reset the in-ink replacement flag, and then ends the ink replacement processing routine.

  On the other hand, if the operation is forcibly terminated as a result of the determination processing in step S15 (step S15: YES), the ink replacement processing routine is ended (end) while the ink replacement processing is stopped halfway. Therefore, in this end state, the value M is a state in which either the value indicating the total FL amount set first or the rewritten value is stored in the storage unit 51. The ink replacement process stopped halfway is continued in the operation start time process in which the operation of the printer 11 is started (restarted). Note that when the operation is forcibly terminated and the power from the power source is cut off in the printer 11, the control unit 50 is controlled from, for example, a primary battery or a secondary battery so that the processing operation of the control unit 50 is performed. Power for processing operation is supplied to 50.

  Next, the operation start process will be described. In the printer 11, for example, when the power is turned on or when the cover 11c that has been opened accidentally is returned from the open state to the closed state, an operation start process is performed as a predetermined maintenance process. In this process, the ink replacement process is continuously performed.

  That is, as shown in the processing flow on the right side of FIG. 3, when the operation start time process is started, the control unit 50 first determines in step S21 whether or not the ink replacement flag is set. When the control unit 50 detects that the flag is not set in the flag area of the storage unit 51 (step S21: NO), the ink replacement process is completed, so that the standby state for the next ink replacement process is completed. Return to (Return).

  On the other hand, when the control unit 50 detects that the flag is set in the flag area of the storage unit 51 (step S21: YES), since the ink replacement process is stopped halfway, the process proceeds to step S22. It is determined whether abnormal cleaning (hereinafter, “cleaning” is also referred to as “CL”) is necessary.

  The abnormal CL is performed as a maintenance process for maintaining the function of ejecting ink from the liquid ejecting head when the power is turned on when the operation of the printer 11 is terminated in an abnormal state (abnormal state) where the power is turned off by forced termination. Is called. For example, when the nozzle openings 24 and 34 are open to the atmosphere without being covered by the cap 28 when the power is turned off due to forced termination, ink in a dried and thickened state is generated in the ink flow path 25. Ink with bubbles mixed in from the nozzle opening may be generated. The ink in such a state is a waste ink and needs to be forcibly discharged by cleaning, that is, abnormal CL, when the power is turned on. On the other hand, for example, when the cover 11c is accidentally opened by the user of the printer 11 and the operation of the printer 11 is stopped, the time until the cover 11c is closed by the user and the operation is restarted is short and discarded. It is assumed that little ink is generated. Therefore, in such a case, the abnormal CL is not necessary. Therefore, the control unit 50 determines here whether or not the abnormal CL is necessary based on the output signal SN1 and the output signal SN2.

  As a result of the determination, if the abnormal CL is not necessary (step S22: NO), the process proceeds to the above-described step S14, and the ink replacement process is executed again. That is, the control unit 50 executes the start processing of the m amount of divided FLs and the subsequent processing. As a result, the ink replacement process that has been stopped is continued.

  In the ink replacement process continued at this time, the value M is in a state in which either the value indicating the total FL amount set first or the rewritten value is stored in the storage unit 51. Accordingly, in the continued ink replacement process, both the value M indicating the initially set total FL amount and the rewritten value M are remaining ejection amounts. Accordingly, the processing step of step S12 also corresponds to a storage step of storing the remaining amount of ink ejected.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination is that an abnormal CL is required (step S22: YES), the routine proceeds to step S23, where the abnormal CL is executed. In the maintenance device 29, the control unit 50 causes the cap 28 to contact the liquid ejecting head 19, rotates the pump motor 44 to rotate the suction pump 40, and sucks waste ink from the nozzle openings 24 and 34. Then, the ink is discharged out of the ink flow paths 25 and 35. Therefore, this processing step is a suction / discharge step. It is assumed that the rotation direction of the pump motor 44 and the suction pump 40 in this process is the reverse direction.

  The suction ink discharge amount of the waste ink discharged in the suction discharge step is stored in advance in the storage unit 51 as an abnormal CL amount corresponding to each of the ink flow paths 25 and 35. Therefore, the control unit 50 outputs the control signal SS4 to the pump motor 44 so that the stored abnormal CL amount of ink is discharged.

  Next, in step S24, the control unit 50 subtracts the abnormal CL amount from the value M, and sets the subtracted value as a new value M. That is, the control unit 50 newly ejects a value obtained by subtracting the amount of ink sucked and discharged by the abnormal CL from the remaining ejection amount when all the ink in the ink flow path 25 is replaced from the ink B to the ink A. The amount is stored in the storage unit 51.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S25, and it is determined whether or not the new unneeded injection amount (new value M) is larger than the color mixture prevention FL amount. The control unit 50 reads the color mixture prevention FL amount stored in advance in the storage unit 51 for each of the ink flow paths 25 and 35, and compares it with a new value M (a new remaining ejection amount) for determination.

  By the way, the color mixture prevention FL amount is, for example, that the ink in the ink flow path 35 sucked and discharged from the nozzle opening 34 by the abnormal cleaning moves along the nozzle forming surface 19a and enters the ink flow path 25 from the different nozzle openings 24. The amount of liquid mixture generated near the nozzle opening 24. That is, it is the amount of mixed-color ink of the replaced ink A and ink C generated near the nozzle opening of the ink flow path 25.

  As a result of the determination in step S25, when the value M is larger than the value of the color mixture prevention FL amount (step S25: YES), the process proceeds to step S26, and the control unit 50 stores the color mixture prevention FL amount stored in the storage unit 51. Is set to this large value M. In subsequent step S <b> 27, the control unit 50 drives the piezoelectric element 26, and performs the color mixture prevention FL in which this color mixture ink is ejected from the nozzle opening 24 to the outside of the ink flow path 25.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S25 is that the value M is not greater than the value of the color mixture prevention FL amount (step S25: NO), the process proceeds to step S27, and the control unit 50 drives the piezoelectric element 26 to store the storage unit. The color mixture prevention FL is performed in which the color mixture prevention FL amount of ink (color mixture ink) having a value larger than the value M stored in 51 is ejected from the nozzle opening 24 to the outside of the ink flow path 25.

  With this color mixing prevention FL, all of the ink in the ink flow path 25 is switched from the ink B to the ink A. Note that the color mixing prevention FL is also performed in the ink flow path 35 where the ink replacement process is not performed. That is, the control unit 50 drives the piezoelectric element 36 to prevent the color mixture ink generated when the ink (ink B or ink A) discharged from the nozzle opening 24 in the ink flow path 35 flows from the nozzle opening 34. The ink is ejected from the nozzle opening 34 to the outside of the ink flow path 35 by the FL. Of course, the color mixture prevention FL amount at this time is the ink amount stored in the storage unit 51.

  In the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the control unit 50 performs a stirring process for stirring the ink stored in the ink cartridges 20, 21, and 30 in addition to the ink replacement process. That is, by stirring the inks A and B accommodated in the ink cartridges 20 and 21, respectively, the stirred ink A or ink B is supplied to the ink flow path 25 in the ink replacement process.

  An outline of the ink agitation process will be described with reference to FIG. 4 before describing its operation (processing routine). As shown in FIG. 4, the ink cartridge 20 (ink cartridges 21, 30) is divided into an area KR in which the stirring plate 81 is provided and an area KN in which the stirring plate 81 is not provided. ing. In the region KR, the stirring plate 81 moves in the ink cartridge as the carriage 16 moves in the scanning direction (reciprocating movement). On the other hand, when the ink cartridge 20 (ink cartridges 21 and 30) is mounted on the carriage 16, for example, a supply needle (not shown) is inserted into the region KN, and is supplied to the liquid ejecting head 19 via the ink supply tube 22a. Ink is supplied.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the ink A accommodated in the ink cartridge 20 that is the ink after switching is an ink in which pigment particles that are solute components are diffused into a solvent component. Therefore, as shown on the left side of FIG. 4, for example, when a new ink cartridge 20 is mounted on the carriage 16 or when the ink cartridge 20 has been stopped for a long time, pigment particles are illustrated in the ink cartridge 20. 4 is sinking as indicated by a white ellipse. Therefore, in the printer 11, the carriage 16 is moved back and forth to the state shown on the right side of FIG.

  That is, in the region KR, the stirring plate 81 moves and the ink is stirred. As a result, the pigment particles are dispersed, and the density of the pigment particles in the solvent, that is, the ink concentration is made uniform. On the other hand, in the region KN where the supply needle is inserted, the pressure fluctuation needs to be suppressed so that the ink is stably supplied to the liquid ejecting head 19, and therefore the stirring plate 81 is not provided and the region KN is not provided. It is a stirring area. Accordingly, in the region KN, which is the non-stirring region, the pigment particles remain in a settled state where they are not stirred. Incidentally, this area KN contains approximately 0.5 g of ink.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control unit 50 performs a jetting operation that discharges the ink amount corresponding to the region KN by the FL, that is, the stirring FL, in order to discharge the settled ink from the ink cartridge. In other words, the agitation FL is performed with the amount of FL for discharging the settled ink from the ink cartridge (the amount of FL for sedimentation discharge). When the agitation FL is carried out, the ink amount of the agitation FL is adjusted according to the amount of ink discharged by the periodic cleaning performed as a maintenance process in the printer 11 and the cleaning process by manual cleaning.

  The regular cleaning (denoted as “TCL”) is a regular maintenance (for example, every predetermined elapsed time) of waste ink such as ink thickened near the nozzle opening 24 in the ink flow path 25. This is a cleaning process in which the apparatus 29 sucks and discharges. Manual cleaning (denoted as “MCL”) is a cleaning process performed by an input signal input from the operation button by the user of the printer 11. Note that the ink amount of the waste ink that is sucked and discharged in TCL and MCL, that is, the consumed ink amount, is stored in the storage unit 51 in advance.

  Hereinafter, the action (processing routine) associated with the stirring process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the present embodiment, the stirring process is started when the power is turned on or when the ink cartridge 20 is replaced with a new ink cartridge 20 while the printer 11 is operating.

  As shown in FIG. 5, for example, when the ink cartridge 20 is replaced and the stirring process is started, first, in step S31, the control unit 50 outputs a control signal SS5 to the carriage motor 18 to reciprocate the carriage 16. In subsequent step S32, it is determined whether or not there is a print command. Here, the control unit 50 determines whether or not print data is input from the PC 60.

  The processing in step S32 is repeated until print data is input (step S32: NO). When print data is input (step S32: YES), it is determined in step S33 whether TCL is necessary. Here, the timer 52 measures the elapsed time since the last TCL. Therefore, the control unit 50 makes a determination based on the measurement time of the timer 52, and determines that TCL is necessary when the measurement time has elapsed (step S33: YES). To implement.

  After performing TCL, the process proceeds to step S35 to determine whether or not MCL has been performed. The control unit 50 determines whether or not the MCL is performed based on an input signal from the operation button. In the present embodiment, the MCL process is performed separately from the processing routine of the stirring process.

  If the result of determination is that MCL has been performed (step S35: YES), in the subsequent step S36, the control unit 50 reads out the ink amounts consumed by the TCL and MCL stored in the storage unit 51, respectively. The added ink amount is stored in the storage unit 51 as the ink amount consumed by CL. On the other hand, if the result of determination is that MCL has not been performed (step S35: NO), in the subsequent step S37, the control unit 50 reads out the ink amount consumed by the TCL stored in the storage unit 51, and this is performed. Is stored in the storage unit 51 as the amount of ink consumed by CL.

  Returning to step S33, as a result of the determination by the control unit 50 based on the measurement time of the timer 52, if the measurement time has not passed the predetermined time, it is determined that TCL is not necessary (step S33: NO), and step S38. To determine whether or not the MCL has been performed. The control unit 50 determines whether or not the MCL is performed based on an input signal from the operation button.

  As a result of the determination, if MCL is performed (step S38: YES), the process proceeds to step S39, and the control unit 50 reads out the ink amount consumed by the MCL stored in the storage unit 51, and uses this as CL. The amount of ink consumed is stored in the storage unit 51. On the other hand, if MCL is not performed as a result of the determination (step S35: NO), the process proceeds to step S40, and the control unit 50 stores the ink amount consumed by CL as “0” in the storage unit 51.

  Subsequent to the processes of steps S36, S37, S39, and S40, the control unit 50 executes step S41. That is, the control unit 50 obtains a value LM obtained by subtracting the “ink amount consumed by CL” stored in the storage unit 51 from the “FL amount for sinking and discharging”, and stores the obtained value LM in the storage unit 51. To do.

  Next, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the value LM is greater than 0 in the subsequent step S42. As a result of the determination, if the value LM is not greater than 0 (step S42: NO), all the ink in which pigment particles have settled in the region KN according to the amount of ink consumed in CL has been ejected from the region KN. The stirring process routine is terminated and the process returns to the standby state. Thereafter, the printing process is started.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination, if the value LM is larger than 0 (step S42: YES), the process proceeds to step S43, and the stirring FL is performed with the ink amount of this value LM. That is, the controller 50 outputs the control signal SS2 to the piezoelectric element 26 because the ink in which the pigment particles have settled still remains in the region KN with the ink amount of the value LM after the consumption of the ink amount at CL. The ejection operation (stirring FL) is performed, and the remaining settled ink is discharged from the ink cartridge. Since all of the ink in which the pigment particles have settled in the region KN is discharged from the region KN by the stirring FL, the stirring processing routine is ended and the process returns to the standby state. Of course, the process of step S42 is performed before the start of printing, and then the printing process is started.

  Furthermore, in the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the control unit 50 performs an operation notification process that notifies that the printer 11 is operating, using a functional component such as the suction pump 40, for example. In addition, the functional component used at this time is controlled by the control unit 50 so as to perform an operation different from the operation when normally used in the printer 11.

  A processing routine performed by the control unit 50 as an example of the operation notification process will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b). Note that the processing routine shown in FIG. 6A is executed along with a replacement FL process (here, a divided FL process) in the ink replacement process as an example of the FL process. Further, the processing routine shown in FIG. 6B is an operation different from the replacement FL processing, and is an operation that does not involve the movement of the carriage 16 that is difficult for the user to notice when the printer 11 is operating (for example, a standby operation). It is executed with it.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, when the operation notifying process is started with the start of the replacement FL process, the control unit 50 rotates the pump motor 44 in the normal rotation and the replacement FL in step S51. Processing (processing in step S14 in FIG. 3) is performed. As described above, when the suction pump 40 is similarly driven in the reverse rotation by the reverse rotation of the pump motor 44, the normal suction operation is performed. Therefore, the control unit 50 causes the pump motor 44 to rotate forward so that the operation different from the operation that is normally used in the printer 11, that is, the suction pump 40 rotates normally (see the direction of the broken line arrow in FIG. 2). As a result, the normal rotation sound of the suction pump 40 is generated in the printer 11, and the user recognizes that the printer 11 is in operation. Note that the suction pump 40 is in a release state in which the pump function does not work when the pump motor 44 is rotated forward, so that the operation of the printer 11 is not affected.

  In subsequent step S52, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the required amount of ink has been ejected in the replacement FL process. Here, the control part 50 determines by whether the result of the process determination in step S16 is YES.

  As a result of the determination, if the required amount of ink is not ejected (step S52: NO), the process of step S51 is repeated. When the necessary amount of ink is ejected (step S52: YES), this operation notification processing routine is terminated. To return to the standby state.

Next, the processing routine shown in FIG. 6B will be described for other operation notification processing.
As shown in FIG. 6B, for example, when the operation notification process is started as the printer 11 enters the standby operation, the control unit 50 rotates the pump motor 44 in the normal rotation in step S55. . The control unit 50 performs an operation different from that normally used in the printer 11, that is, causes the pump motor 44 to rotate forward for a predetermined time. As a result, the normal rotation sound of the suction pump 40 is generated in the printer 11, and the user recognizes that the printer 11 is in operation. Incidentally, the control part 50 rotates the pump motor 44 for 0.5 second here.

  Next, the control part 50 stops rotation of a pump motor in step S56. Here, the control unit 50 stops the pump motor 44 for a predetermined time. As a result, the rotation sound of the suction pump 40 does not occur in the printer 11 for a predetermined time. Incidentally, the control part 50 stops the pump motor 44 for 1 second.

  In subsequent step S57, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the operation that does not involve carriage movement is completed. Here, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the carriage motor 18 is rotationally driven.

  As a result of the determination, if the carriage motor 18 is not driven and the operation that does not involve the movement of the carriage 16 is not completed (step S57: NO), the processing of step S55 and step S56 is repeated. Accordingly, by this repeated processing, the rotation sound of the suction pump 40 is emitted at 1.5 seconds intervals in the printer 11. When the carriage motor 18 is driven and the operation that does not involve carriage movement is completed (step S57: YES), the operation notification processing routine is terminated and the process returns to the standby state.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) When the ink replacement process for switching the ink in the ink flow path 25 from the ink B to the ink A is resumed after being stopped halfway, the amount of ink B remaining in the ink flow path 25 at the time of the stop Ink is ejected with a remaining ejection amount corresponding to the corresponding liquid amount. As a result, it is possible to suppress the amount of ink A ejected from the liquid ejecting head 19 and discharged without being used for recording.

  (2) For example, the power switch button 11b of the apparatus may be turned off by an erroneous operation of the user of the printer 11, or the power supply may be cut off due to a power line being disconnected from the outlet or a power failure. In such a case, it is possible to suppress the amount of ink A that is discharged without being used for recording in the ink replacement process that is restarted after stopping.

  (3) The remaining ejection amount of the ink ejected when the ink is switched is suppressed to a small amount by the amount of the ink that is ejected by the suction / ejection processing performed when the power is turned on. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the amount of ink A that is discharged without being used for recording.

(4) Switching from ink B to ink A in the ink flow path 25 can be performed by the color mixture prevention FL process for discharging the mixed liquid generated in the ink flow path 25 after the suction and discharge.
(5) By the stirring process, for example, the ink replacement process can be performed in a state where the deviation of the ink density is suppressed in the replaced ink (ink A in this case) in the ink flow path 25. Further, by adjusting the ink amount of the stirring FL based on the ink amount discharged by the cleaning process by the regular cleaning and the manual cleaning, it is possible to reduce the amount of ink discharged and wasted during the stirring FL.

  (6) The operation notification process allows the user to recognize that, for example, the replacement FL is in progress (in the split FL) in the ink replacement process. For example, the user erroneously operates the power switch button 11b to It is possible to prevent the replacement FL operation from being stopped halfway.

In the above embodiment, the following modifications may be made.
In the determination process of step S21 in the above embodiment (see FIG. 3), when the ink replacement flag is set (YES), the process may proceed to process step S14. That is, the ink replacement process may be performed without performing the abnormal cleaning for the ink flow path 25 in which the ink replacement process is being performed. For example, when the cap 28 has a structure that covers the nozzle opening 24 and the nozzle opening 34 separately, such a processing method can be employed.

  -In above-mentioned embodiment, you may make it transfer to process step S27, without performing process step S24-S26 after process step S23. In other words, after performing abnormal cleaning, the color mixture prevention FL process may be performed. In this way, although the amount of liquid discharged from the replaced ink A is generated, the mixed liquid can be reliably ejected and discharged.

  In the embodiment described above, the operation of the printer 11 may be notified by causing the control unit 50 to perform a normal operation when the functional component is normally used. For example, when the printer 11 has an off-carriage mode in which the ink cartridges 20, 21, and 30 are not mounted on the carriage 16, the inks A, B, and C stored in the ink cartridges 20, 21, and 30 are pressurized. A pressure pump for supplying the liquid jet head is provided. Therefore, the operation of the printer 11 may be notified by operating this pressure pump normally. Even if the pressure pump is normally operated in this operation notification, the pressurized state of the ink cartridges 20, 21, and 30 is maintained, and the supply of the inks A, B, and C to the liquid ejecting head is not affected. ing.

  In the above embodiment, the printer 11 may include a plurality of ink cartridges containing other types of color inks in addition to the ink cartridge 30 containing the ink C. In addition, the ink to be switched in the ink flow path 25 is not limited to the ink A and the ink B, and may be switched between two or more types of ink including the ink C, for example.

In the above embodiment, the power source is not necessarily limited to a commercial power source. For example, a primary battery such as a dry battery or a secondary battery such as a rechargeable battery may be used.
In the above embodiment, the number of divided FL processes is not limited to 10 and may be multiple times other than 10. Further, the amount of ink ejected in each divided FL may not be the same amount. For example, the amount of ink ejected in each division FL may be set so that the amount of ink ejected gradually increases from the first division FL to the last division FL. In this way, by the last divided FL having the longest elapsed time from the start of the replacement FL process, the thickened ink that increases in accordance with the elapsed time in the ink flow path 25 is ejected by the ink having the largest liquid amount. It can be expected to be discharged from the ink flow path 25.

  In the above-described embodiment, the ink selector 22 may be configured by another flow path switching mechanism such as one having an open / close valve that individually opens and closes each branch flow path in addition to the three-way valve.

  -In above-mentioned embodiment, the injection execution means does not necessarily need to be formed with the electrostrictive piezoelectric material. Any other configuration that can increase and decrease the internal volume of the ink chamber 25b (35b) can be employed as the ejection execution means. For example, the ejection execution means may be configured using a heating element that generates heat in response to the control signal SS2 (SS3). That is, the internal volume of the ink chamber 25b (35b) can be increased and decreased by bubbles generated by heat generation.

  In the above embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus is embodied in the ink jet printer 11, but may be embodied in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges liquid other than ink. The present invention can be used for various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a liquid ejecting head that ejects a minute amount of liquid droplets. In addition, a droplet means the state of the liquid discharged from the said liquid ejecting apparatus, and shall also include what pulls a tail in granular shape, tear shape, and thread shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ) And a liquid as one state of a substance, as well as a material in which particles of a functional material made of a solid such as a pigment or metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. Further, representative examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot melt inks. As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a color material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, a color filter, or the like in a dispersed or dissolved state. There is a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting. Alternatively, it may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic material used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid that is used as a precision pipette and a sample, a printing apparatus, a micro dispenser, or the like. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as an acid or an alkali to etch the substrate may be employed. The present invention can be applied to any one of these liquid ejecting apparatuses.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Printer as a liquid ejecting apparatus, 19 ... Liquid ejecting head, 23, 33 ... Inlet, 24, 34 ... Nozzle opening, 26, 36 ... Piezoelectric element as ejecting execution means, 50 ... Control part as control means, 51. Storage unit as storage means.

Claims (7)

A liquid ejecting head in which a liquid flow path for allowing the liquid to flow from an inlet for injecting the liquid to a nozzle opening for ejecting the liquid is formed;
Injection execution means for executing an injection operation for injecting the liquid from the nozzle opening;
In the case where the liquid flowing into the liquid channel from the inlet is switched from the first liquid to the second liquid, the liquid in the liquid channel is removed from the first liquid by the ejection operation of the ejection execution unit. When the ejection operation of the ejection execution means is stopped while switching to the second liquid, the remaining ejection of the liquid corresponding to the remaining amount of the first liquid in the liquid channel at the time of the suspension Storage means for storing the quantity;
After the injection operation of the injection execution unit is stopped, when the injection execution unit executes the injection operation again, the injection operation of the injection execution unit is controlled based on the remaining injection amount stored in the storage unit, Control means for ejecting the liquid in the liquid flow path;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,
The liquid ejecting means is capable of executing the ejection operation when power is supplied from a power source, and stops the ejection operation when the supply of power from the power source is interrupted. Injection device. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2,
When the electric power is supplied from the power source, the apparatus includes a suction discharge unit that sucks the liquid from the nozzle opening and discharges the liquid out of the liquid flow path.
The storage means stores the suction / discharge amount of the liquid that the suction / discharge means discharges outside the liquid flow path,
The control means controls the injection operation of the injection execution means by using a residual liquid amount obtained by subtracting the suction / discharge amount from the remaining injection amount stored in the storage means as the residual injection amount. Liquid ejector. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3,
In the nozzle opening, the storage means is a liquid mixture in which the liquid discharged from the nozzle opening different from the nozzle opening by the suction processing by the suction discharge means is mixed into the liquid flow path through the nozzle opening. Storing a discharge ejection amount of the liquid that can be ejected from the nozzle opening and discharged out of the liquid flow path;
The control means controls the injection operation of the injection execution means using the discharge injection amount as the difference liquid amount when the discharge injection amount stored in the storage means is larger than the difference liquid amount. A liquid ejecting apparatus. A liquid ejecting head in which a liquid flow path for flowing the liquid from an inflow port through which the liquid flows into the nozzle opening for ejecting the liquid is formed; and an injection executing unit for performing an ejecting operation for ejecting the liquid from the nozzle opening; A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
When the liquid flowing into the liquid channel from the inlet is switched from the first liquid to the second liquid,
When the ejection operation of the ejection execution unit is stopped while the liquid in the liquid channel is switched from the first liquid to the second liquid by the ejection operation of the ejection execution unit, A storage step of storing a remaining ejection amount of the liquid corresponding to a remaining liquid amount of the first liquid in the liquid channel;
When the injection operation means performs the injection operation again after stopping the injection operation, the injection operation of the injection execution means is controlled based on the stored remaining injection amount, and the liquid flow path A control step of ejecting the liquid;
A maintenance method for a liquid ejecting apparatus. In the maintenance method of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5,
A suction discharge step of sucking the liquid from the nozzle opening and discharging it out of the liquid flow path when power is supplied from a power source;
The storing step stores a suction / discharge amount of the liquid discharged out of the liquid channel in the suction / discharge step,
The control step controls the injection operation of the injection execution means using the difference liquid amount obtained by subtracting the suction / discharge amount from the remaining injection amount stored in the storage step as the remaining injection amount. Maintenance method of liquid ejecting apparatus. The maintenance method of the liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 6,
In the storage step, the liquid mixture discharged from the nozzle opening different from the nozzle opening by the suction processing in the suction discharge step in the nozzle opening is mixed into the liquid channel through the nozzle opening. Storing a discharge ejection amount of the liquid that can be ejected from the nozzle opening and discharged out of the liquid flow path;
In the control step, when the discharge injection amount stored in the storage step is larger than the differential liquid amount, the control unit controls the injection operation of the injection execution unit using the discharge injection amount as the differential liquid amount. A maintenance method for the liquid ejecting apparatus.

Images