JP2014162052A - Liquid jetting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jetting device capable of maintaining a liquid jetting property of a liquid jetting part satisfactorily while suppressing the amount of a liquid ejected for maintenance in the liquid jetting device which jets a liquid from a liquid jetting part in a heated state.SOLUTION: A printer includes: a support part capable of supporting a target; a liquid jetting head capable of jetting ink to a recording medium supported by the support part; a heating part capable of heating the target supported by the support part; and a maintenance part capable of executing maintenance for ejecting ink from the liquid jetting head. The maintenance part executes maintenance when elapsed time ET1 and ET2 become predetermined time CT1 and CT2 in a state where the heating part is heating the target, and also, in a state where the liquid jetting head is located in a facing region facing the support part.

Description

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

  Conventionally, as a kind of liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink jet printer that ejects ink from a liquid ejecting head onto a sheet or the like to print an image or the like is known. Some printers perform maintenance for discharging ink from the liquid ejecting head at regular intervals regardless of printing in order to maintain the ink ejecting characteristics of the liquid ejecting head (for example, Patent Document 1).

  That is, the printer measures the elapsed time from the previous maintenance of the liquid ejecting head, and performs maintenance of the next liquid ejecting head when the elapsed time reaches a predetermined time.

JP 2000-289229 A

  Incidentally, some printers include a heater for heating the paper in order to fix the ink ejected onto the paper. In such a printer, the ambient temperature of the liquid ejecting head changes according to the difference in the heating conditions for the heater paper. The tendency of the ink to thicken in the liquid ejecting head differs between the case where the ambient temperature of the liquid ejecting head is high and the case where the temperature is low.

  For this reason, when the heating conditions for the paper are different, if the next maintenance is performed only according to the elapsed time since the previous maintenance was performed, the following problem may occur. That is, when the ambient temperature is high and it is expected that the ink thickening proceeds in the liquid ejecting head, there is a possibility that such ink cannot be completely discharged from the liquid ejecting head. On the other hand, if the ambient temperature is low and it is expected that ink thickening will not progress much in the liquid ejecting head, more ink will be discharged than is necessary to eject such ink from the liquid ejecting head. There is a risk of being.

This situation is not limited to ink jet printers, but is generally common in liquid ejecting apparatuses that eject liquid that thickens by heat.
The present invention has been made in view of such problems. The purpose of the liquid ejecting apparatus ejecting liquid from the heated liquid ejecting section is to maintain the liquid ejecting characteristics of the liquid ejecting section satisfactorily while suppressing the amount of liquid discharged for maintenance. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus that can be used.

Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the effects thereof will be described.
A liquid ejecting apparatus that solves the above problems includes a support unit capable of supporting a target, a liquid ejecting unit capable of ejecting liquid onto the target supported by the support unit, and heating the target supported by the support unit. And a maintenance unit capable of performing maintenance for discharging the liquid from the liquid ejecting unit, wherein the maintenance unit is in a state where the heating unit heats the target and the liquid ejecting unit Maintenance is performed when the elapsed time in a state where the portion is located in the facing region facing the support portion reaches a predetermined time.

  According to the above configuration, when the elapsed time in the state where the heating unit heats the target and the liquid ejecting unit is located in the facing region facing the support unit reaches a predetermined time, the maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit is performed. Is executed. That is, when the liquid ejecting unit is heated for a predetermined time, the maintenance is performed when it is assumed that the liquid is thickened in the liquid ejecting unit. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily maintain the liquid ejecting characteristics of the liquid ejecting unit while suppressing the amount of liquid discharged for maintenance of the liquid ejecting unit.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the maintenance unit increases a total amount of the liquid to be discharged in the maintenance when the atmospheric temperature of the liquid ejecting unit is high than when the atmospheric temperature is low.

  According to the above configuration, the maintenance unit determines that the amount of ink increased in viscosity in the liquid ejecting unit is higher when the ambient temperature of the liquid ejecting unit is higher than when it is low, and the total amount of liquid to be discharged in maintenance To increase. For this reason, when it is determined that the atmosphere temperature of the liquid ejecting unit is relatively high and the amount of ink thickened in the liquid ejecting unit is large, such ink can be discharged from the liquid ejecting unit.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the maintenance unit increases the amount of the liquid discharged in one maintenance when the atmospheric temperature is high than when the atmospheric temperature is low.

  According to the above configuration, the maintenance unit determines that the amount of ink increased in viscosity in the liquid ejecting unit is larger when the ambient temperature of the liquid ejecting unit is higher than when the temperature is low, and discharges in one maintenance. Increase the amount of liquid. For this reason, when it is determined that the ambient temperature of the liquid ejecting unit is relatively high and the amount of ink thickened in the liquid ejecting unit is large, such ink can be discharged from the liquid ejecting unit in a short time.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the heating unit is disposed at a position facing the support unit with a distance that allows the liquid ejecting unit to be located between the heating unit and the support unit.
According to the above configuration, for example, the surface on which the liquid of the target is ejected can be efficiently heated as compared with the case where the heating unit is provided on the side opposite to the side where the support unit supports the target.

  In the liquid ejecting apparatus, when the predetermined time is the first predetermined time and the maintenance is the first maintenance, the maintenance unit has an elapsed time in a state where the liquid ejecting unit is located in the facing region, When the second predetermined time which is shorter than the first predetermined time is reached, it is preferable to execute a second maintenance for ejecting the liquid from the liquid ejecting unit.

  According to the above configuration, apart from the first maintenance, the second maintenance for ejecting the liquid from the liquid ejecting unit is performed after the elapse of the second predetermined time shorter than the first predetermined time. According to this, compared to the case where the first maintenance is performed every first predetermined time, the liquid can be ejected in a short period and periodically, and the liquid ejecting characteristics of the liquid ejecting unit can be maintained better. can do.

FIG. 2 is a side view schematically illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer. FIG. 2 is a front view schematically illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between a head temperature and an ink discharge amount when cleaning is performed. The flowchart explaining the processing routine which a control part performs. (A), (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the effect | action of a printer.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a liquid ejecting apparatus is embodied in an ink jet printer (hereinafter also simply referred to as “printer”) will be described with reference to the drawings.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the printer 11 according to the present embodiment supplies a transport unit 20 that transports a recording medium ST, an ejecting unit 30 that ejects ink onto the transported recording medium ST, and supplies ink to the ejecting unit 30. And a supply unit 40. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer 11 includes a heating unit 50 for fixing the ink ejected on the recording medium ST, a maintenance unit 60 for maintaining the ejecting unit 30, and the printer 11. And a control unit 70 that controls each component. In the present embodiment, the recording medium ST corresponds to an example of a target, and ink (hereinafter also referred to as “colored ink”) corresponds to an example of a liquid. Examples of the recording medium ST include paper, cloth, and film. In the present embodiment, the ink ejected from the ejecting unit 30 is, for example, four colors of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transport unit 20 guides the recording medium ST when transporting the recording medium ST, a support unit 21 that supports the recording medium ST, a transport roller pair 22 for transporting the recording medium ST. And a guide plate 23. The support portion 21 extends in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction Y of the recording medium ST. Then, the transport unit 20 transports the recording medium ST in the transport direction Y along the surfaces of the support unit 21 and the guide plate 23 by rotating the transport roller pair 22 in a state where the recording medium ST is sandwiched.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the recording medium ST is conveyed in a continuous paper state by being unwound from the roll paper RS wound around the supply reel 24. Then, the recording medium ST is transported by the transport unit 20, and after the ink is ejected by the ejecting unit 30, the recording medium ST is wound around the take-up reel 25 again.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ejection unit 30 can reciprocate in the scanning direction X along the guide shaft 31 that extends along the scanning direction X orthogonal to the transport direction Y. The carriage 32 is provided. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the carriage 32 includes a liquid ejecting head 33 that ejects ink, a storage unit 35 that stores ink to be supplied to the liquid ejecting head 33, and ink that is supplied to the storage unit 35 via a flow path adapter 36. A connection tube 37 to be supplied and a heat shield cover 38 that suppresses heat transfer from the heating unit 50 to the storage unit 35 and the like are provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 32 includes a temperature detection unit 39 that can detect the ambient temperature of the liquid ejecting head 33 at a surface portion facing the support portion 21 where the liquid ejecting head 33 is provided. Yes. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the surface of the liquid ejecting head 33 that faces the support portion 21 is a nozzle forming surface 33 a on which a nozzle 34 that can eject ink is formed. In the present embodiment, the liquid ejecting head 33 corresponds to an example of a liquid ejecting unit.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the supply unit 40 includes an ink container 41 that stores ink, a supply tube 42 that draws ink from the ink container 41, and a connection unit 43 that connects the connection tube 37 and the supply tube 42. It has. The supply tube 42 can be deformed following the carriage 32 that reciprocates in the scanning direction X. Thus, the supply unit 40 can supply the ink stored in the ink storage body 41 to the liquid ejecting head 33.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the heating unit 50 includes a heater 51 and a reflecting plate 52 that generate heat. The heating unit 50 can heat the recording medium ST supported on the support unit 21 from above, as indicated by a dashed line arrow in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the heating unit 50 has a length corresponding to the support unit 21 in the scanning direction X. In addition, the heating unit 50 is disposed (upward) at a position facing the support unit 21 with a distance that allows the liquid ejecting head 33 to be positioned between the heating unit 50 and the support unit 21. Further, the heating unit 50 includes a blowing unit 53 that blows air toward the recording medium ST in order to dry the ink attached to the recording medium ST in a short time.

  In this way, in the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the ejection unit 30 ejects the ink supplied from the supply unit 40 to the recording medium ST that the conveyance unit 20 has conveyed from the upstream side. Then, after the recording medium ST on which the ink has been ejected is heated by the heating unit 50 to fix the ink, the transport unit 20 transports the recording medium ST to the downstream side, and a series of printing operations ends.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the maintenance unit 60 includes a flushing box 61 that can receive ink ejected from the liquid ejecting head 33, and a cap unit 62 that can abut on the nozzle forming surface 33 a of the liquid ejecting head 33. And. The flushing box 61 is formed in a bottomed box shape. The cap unit 62 includes a cap 63 that can contact the nozzle forming surface 33 a of the liquid ejecting head 33 and a suction pump 64 that can suck the inside of the cap 63.

  And the maintenance part 60 comprised in this way makes it possible to perform the maintenance of the following two types of liquid jet heads 33 for every fixed period. First, the maintenance unit 60 executes “flushing” in which ink is ejected from the liquid ejecting head 33 to the flushing box 61 in order to suppress the viscosity increase of the ink in the liquid ejecting head 33. Further, the maintenance unit 60 performs “cleaning” for bringing the cap unit 62 into contact with the liquid ejecting head 33 and forcibly sucking ink from the liquid ejecting head 33 for the same purpose as the flushing. In this respect, in this embodiment, cleaning corresponds to an example of first maintenance, and flushing corresponds to an example of second maintenance. Here, the amount of ink discharged by cleaning is larger than the amount of ink discharged by flushing. For example, the maintenance execution interval may be set to 3 seconds for the flushing execution and 30 minutes for the cleaning execution.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a region where the carriage 32 faces the support portion 21 is referred to as a facing region OF, and a region where the carriage 32 faces the maintenance unit 60 is also referred to as a non-facing region UOF. Note that the non-facing region UOF is also a maintenance region for the liquid ejecting head 33.

  Moreover, the colored ink of this embodiment does not substantially contain glycerin having a boiling point of 290 ° C. under 1 atm. If the colored ink substantially contains glycerin, the drying property of the ink is greatly reduced. As a result, in various recording media, particularly recording media with non-ink-absorbing properties or low-absorbing properties, not only unevenness of image density but also ink fixing properties cannot be obtained. Furthermore, it is preferable that substantially no alkyl polyols (excluding the above-mentioned glycerin) having a boiling point of 280 ° C. or higher at 1 atm.

  Here, “substantially free” in the present specification means not to contain more than the amount that fully exhibits the significance of addition. Speaking quantitatively, it is preferable that glycerin does not contain 1.0 mass% or more with respect to the total mass (100 mass%) of the colored ink, and more preferably does not contain 0.5 mass% or more. It is more preferable not to contain 0.1% by mass or more, even more preferable not to contain 0.05% by mass or more, particularly preferable not to contain 0.01% by mass or more, and not to contain 0.001% by mass or more. Most preferred.

  By the way, in the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the heating unit 50 (heater 51) generates heat for the purpose of heating the recording medium ST after ink is ejected, and accordingly, the head temperature HT of the liquid ejecting head 33 increases. Will be. For this reason, the ink in the liquid ejecting head 33 and the storage unit 35 may be heated to increase the viscosity, and flushing and cleaning are periodically performed to discharge such ink. On the other hand, the set temperature of the heating unit 50 is changed according to the type of the recording medium ST and the ink ejection conditions. If the set temperature of the heating unit 50 is changed, the head temperature HT of the liquid ejecting head 33 is also changed, and the viscosity increasing tendency of the ink stored in the liquid ejecting head 33 and the storing unit 35 is also changed. For this reason, in the printer 11 of the present embodiment, the cleaning strength is changed according to the head temperature HT when performing the cleaning. In the present embodiment, the head temperature HT corresponds to an example of the ambient temperature of the liquid jet head 33.

Next, the relationship between the head temperature HT and the ink discharge amount ID discharged by one cleaning when the printer 11 of the present embodiment performs cleaning will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the ink discharge amount ID (ID1, ID2, ID3) by cleaning is selected in three stages according to the head temperature HT (HT1, HT2, HT3). That is, the ink discharge amount ID1 in cleaning when the head temperature HT1 is relatively low is smaller than the ink discharge amounts ID2 and ID3 in cleaning when the head temperatures HT2 and HT3 are higher than that. Further, the ink discharge amount ID3 in the cleaning when the head temperature HT3 is relatively high is larger than the ink discharge amounts ID1 and ID2 in the cleaning when the head temperatures HT1 and HT2 are lower than that.

Next, a processing routine executed by the control unit 70 when the printer 11 prints on the recording medium ST will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, in this processing routine, the control unit 70 activates the heater 51 of the heating unit 50 in order to heat the recording medium ST on which the ink has been ejected (step S11). Subsequently, when the heater 51 reaches a preset temperature and becomes stable, the control unit 70 initializes the first elapsed time ET1 and the second elapsed time ET2 to “0 (zero)” (step S12). ). Here, the first elapsed time ET1 is a variable referred to when executing the cleaning, and the second elapsed time ET2 is a variable referred to when executing the flushing.

  Then, the control unit 70 starts a printing process in parallel with this processing routine based on a printing command for the printer 11 (step S13). Specifically, the control unit 70 controls the ink ejection timing of the liquid ejection head 33 and the position of the carriage 32 to eject ink onto the recording medium ST conveyed by the conveyance unit 20.

  Subsequently, the control unit 70 adds “1” to each of the first elapsed time ET1 and the second elapsed time ET2 (step S14). Here, “1” to be added means a cycle time in this processing routine. Therefore, by multiplying the first elapsed time ET1 and the second elapsed time ET2 by the time required for one cycle time, the actual time corresponding to each elapsed time ET1, ET2 is obtained. The first elapsed time ET1 and the second elapsed time ET2 are variables for measuring the elapsed time when the heating unit 50 is in a heated state and the liquid ejecting head 33 is positioned in the facing region OF. Therefore, for example, when this step S14 is executed, if the position of the liquid ejecting head 33 is in the facing area OF, the first elapsed time ET1 and the second elapsed time ET2 may be added.

  And the control part 70 determines whether the present 1st elapsed time ET1 is more than 1st predetermined time CT1 (step S15). More precisely, in step S15, the control unit 70 determines whether or not the product of the current first elapsed time ET1 and the time required for one cycle time is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time CT1. Here, the first predetermined time CT1 is a period from the start of the printing process to the execution of the first cleaning, or the period from the previous cleaning to the execution of the next cleaning. Minutes. If the first elapsed time ET1 is less than the first predetermined time CT1 (step S15: NO), the control unit 70 proceeds to step S19 described later.

  On the other hand, when the first elapsed time ET1 is equal to or longer than the first predetermined time CT1 (step S15: YES), the control unit 70 acquires the head temperature HT based on the output signal of the temperature detection unit 39 (step S16). Subsequently, the control unit 70 causes the liquid jet head 33 to be cleaned (step S17). It should be noted that the ink discharge amount ID when this cleaning is executed is determined according to the graph shown in FIG. That is, when the head temperature HT acquired in step S16 is a relatively low head temperature HT1, it is estimated that the ink with increased viscosity is a relatively small amount and the ink discharge amount ID is relatively small. The discharge amount ID1 is determined. On the other hand, when the head temperature HT acquired in step S16 is the relatively high head temperature HT3, it is estimated that the ink having increased viscosity is relatively large and the ink discharge amount ID is relatively large. The discharge amount ID3 is determined. Thus, in step S <b> 17, cleaning is executed to discharge the ink discharge amount ID determined according to the head temperature HT from the liquid ejecting head 33. Subsequently, the control unit 70 initializes the first elapsed time ET1 to “0 (zero)” (step S18).

  And the control part 70 determines whether the present 2nd elapsed time ET2 is more than 2nd predetermined time CT2 (step S19). More precisely, in step S19, the control unit 70 determines whether or not the product of the current second elapsed time ET2 and the time required for one cycle time is equal to or greater than the second predetermined time CT2. Here, the second predetermined time CT2 is a period from the start of the printing process to the execution of the first flushing, or a period from the execution of the previous flushing to the execution of the next flushing. Seconds. The second predetermined time CT2 is set shorter than the first predetermined time CT1. If the second elapsed time ET2 is less than the second predetermined time CT2 (step S19: NO), the control unit 70 proceeds to step S22 described later.

  On the other hand, when the second elapsed time ET2 is equal to or longer than the second predetermined time CT2 (step S19: YES), the control unit 70 causes the liquid ejecting head 33 to perform flushing (step S20). Then, after the flushing is executed, the control unit 70 initializes the second elapsed time ET2 to “0 (zero)” (step S21).

  Then, the control unit 70 determines whether or not the printing process is finished (step S22). When the printing process is continued (step S22: NO), the control unit 70 performs the process in the previous step S14. Migrate to On the other hand, when the printing process is completed (step S22: YES), the control unit 70 determines whether or not there is a new next printing instruction after the carriage 32 is moved to the non-facing area UOF ( Step S23). When there is a next print instruction (step S23: NO), the control unit 70 shifts the process to step S13. On the other hand, if there is no next print instruction (step S23: YES), has the controller 70 determined that the printing has been completed in step S22 (step S22: YES), has the elapsed time equal to or greater than the heat retention time KT? It is determined whether or not (step S24). When the elapsed time from the printing end point (step S22: YES) is equal to or longer than the heat retention time KT (step S24: YES), the control unit 70 ends the process. On the other hand, when the elapsed time from the printing end point (step S22: YES) is less than the heat retention time KT (step S24: NO), the control unit 70 shifts the process to step S23. Steps S23 and S24 are processes for maintaining the heating state by the heater 51 of the heating unit 50 and waiting for the next printing to be instructed relatively soon after the end of printing. Therefore, the heat retention time KT may be 10 minutes as an example. Further, maintenance such as flushing may be performed during standby time of the heat retention time KT.

Next, the operation of the printer 11 of this embodiment will be described.
In the printer 11 of the present embodiment, when printing on the recording medium ST, the recording medium ST is transported to the support section 21 by the transport section 20 after the heating section 50 has been heated to the set temperature. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, printing is performed by ejecting ink toward the recording medium ST while the carriage 32 reciprocates along the scanning direction X on the facing area OF. When the elapsed time (second elapsed time ET2) from the start of printing reaches a predetermined time (second predetermined period CT2), the printing operation is temporarily interrupted and flushing is executed.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, when performing the flushing, the carriage 32 moves to the non-facing region UOF so that the nozzle forming surface 33 a of the liquid jet head 33 faces the flushing box 61. Then, ink is ejected from the nozzle 34 of the liquid ejecting head 33 toward the flushing box 61. In flushing, ink may be ejected from nozzles that have not ejected ink for a while, or ink may be ejected from all nozzles. When the execution of flushing is completed, the printing operation of the recording medium ST is resumed. On the other hand, when the elapsed time (first elapsed time ET1) from the start of printing reaches a predetermined time (first predetermined period CT1), the printing operation is temporarily interrupted and cleaning is executed.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, when cleaning is performed, the carriage 32 moves to the non-facing region UOF so that the nozzle forming surface 33 a of the liquid ejecting head 33 faces the cap unit 62. The cap unit 62 discharges (sucks) ink that is assumed to be thickened by the liquid ejecting head 33 and the storage unit 35 through the nozzles of the liquid ejecting head 33. When the cleaning is finished, the printing operation of the recording medium ST is resumed.

  When the next flushing is executed, the elapsed time ET2 from the previous flushing is used as a reference, not the elapsed time ET2 from the printing start time. When the next cleaning is executed, the elapsed time ET1 from the previous cleaning is used as a reference, not the elapsed time ET1 from the printing start time.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Elapsed times ET1 and ET2 in a state where the heating unit 50 heats the recording medium ST and the liquid ejecting head 33 is located in the facing area OF facing the support unit 21 become predetermined times CT1 and CT2. In this case, maintenance of the liquid ejecting head 33 is executed. That is, maintenance (cleaning and flushing) is performed when the liquid ejecting head 33 is heated for a predetermined time CT1 and CT2 and it is assumed that the viscosity of the ink has increased in the liquid ejecting head 33. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the liquid ejecting characteristics of the liquid ejecting head 33 favorably while suppressing the amount of ink discharged for maintenance of the liquid ejecting head 33.

  (2) The maintenance unit 60 determines that the amount of ink increased in viscosity within the liquid ejecting head 33 is greater when the head temperature HT of the liquid ejecting head 33 is higher than when the head temperature HT is low, and the ink is discharged in maintenance. Increase the total amount of. For this reason, when it is determined that the head temperature HT of the liquid ejecting head 33 is relatively high and the amount of ink thickened in the liquid ejecting head 33 is large, such ink can be discharged from the liquid ejecting head. On the other hand, when the head temperature HT of the liquid ejecting head 33 is relatively low and it is determined that the amount of ink thickened in the liquid ejecting head 33 is small, the ink is ejected while suppressing the ink discharge amount. It can be discharged from the head.

  (3) When the head temperature HT of the liquid ejecting head 33 is high, the maintenance unit 60 determines that the amount of ink increased in viscosity in the liquid ejecting head 33 is larger than that when the head temperature HT is low. Increase the amount of ink discharged. For this reason, when it is determined that the head temperature HT of the liquid ejecting head 33 is relatively high and the amount of ink thickened in the liquid ejecting head 33 is large, such ink is discharged from the liquid ejecting head 33 in a short time. be able to. On the other hand, when the head temperature HT of the liquid ejecting head 33 is relatively low and it is determined that the amount of ink thickened in the liquid ejecting head 33 is small, the ink is discharged for a short time while suppressing the amount of ink discharged. The liquid ejecting head 33 can be discharged.

(4) For example, compared with the case where the heating unit 50 is provided on the side opposite to the side where the support unit 21 supports the recording medium ST, the surface of the recording medium ST on which the ink is ejected can be efficiently heated.
(5) In addition to cleaning, flushing for ejecting ink from the liquid ejecting head 33 is executed after the elapse of a second predetermined time CT2 shorter than the first predetermined time CT1. According to this, it becomes possible to eject ink periodically for a short period of time as compared with the case where cleaning is performed every first predetermined time CT1, and the liquid ejecting characteristics of the liquid ejecting head 33 are more favorably maintained. be able to.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
When the amount of ink ejected by the liquid ejecting head 33 is large after the previous cleaning, the total amount of ink discharged in the next cleaning may be smaller than when the amount of ink is small. . This is because the amount of ink ejected from the liquid ejecting head 33 due to printing or flushing between the previous cleaning and the next cleaning is heated in the liquid ejecting head 33 for a long period of time. This is because it is estimated that the amount of ink in a state is small and the amount of ink that needs to be discharged is small. Therefore, the liquid ejecting characteristics of the liquid ejecting head 33 can be favorably maintained while suppressing the amount of ink discharged for cleaning.

  When performing maintenance (cleaning and flushing), the ink discharge amount per maintenance may be constant according to the head temperature HT. In this case, it is desirable to change the first predetermined time CT1 and the second predetermined time CT2 in accordance with the head temperature HT.

  Specifically, when the head temperature HT of the liquid ejecting head 33 is high, the first predetermined time CT1 related to cleaning and the second predetermined time CT2 related to flushing are set shorter than when the head temperature HT is low. Also good. According to this, for example, when it is determined that the head temperature HT of the liquid ejecting head 33 is relatively high and the amount of ink thickened in the liquid ejecting head 33 is large, the liquid ejecting head is used in a small amount. 33 can be discharged.

  When printing the recording medium ST having a width shorter than the width of the support portion 21 in the scanning direction X (width direction), the reciprocating range of the carriage 32 in the scanning direction X is reduced to the width of the recording medium ST. It is good also as the width dimension of the support part 21. When the reciprocating range of the carriage 32 is up to the width of the recording medium ST, the throughput for printing can be improved. On the other hand, when the reciprocating range of the carriage 32 is set to the width dimension of the support portion 21 regardless of the width dimension of the recording medium ST, the recording is performed while the area of the facing area OF that does not face the recording medium ST is moved. The ink ejected onto the medium ST can be fixed.

  Further, when the reciprocating range of the carriage 32 is up to the width dimension of the support portion 21 regardless of the width dimension of the recording medium ST and the heat conductivity of the support portion 21 is high, the temperature becomes high. There is a possibility that the head temperature HT is likely to rise due to heat radiation from the support portion 21 to the liquid jet head 33. Therefore, under the above conditions, the predetermined times CT1 and CT2 may be shortened or the ink discharge amount ID for cleaning may be increased according to the width dimension of the recording medium ST.

The ink ejection amount at the time of executing flushing may be changed according to the head temperature HT as shown in FIG.
In steps S23 and S24 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, when waiting for the next new print instruction, the output of the heater 51 of the heating unit 50 may be adjusted to be maintained at a temperature lower than the set temperature. . According to this, power consumption accompanying the heat generation of the heater 51 can be reduced.

  The head temperature HT detected by the temperature detector 39 may not be used as the ambient temperature. For example, the set temperature or the actual temperature of the heater 51 of the heating unit 50 may be used, or a temperature detected by another temperature detection unit provided in the casing of the printer 11 may be used.

  The second predetermined time CT2 may be a time required for the carriage 32 to reciprocate the counter area OF any number of times. As an example, it may be the time required for the carriage 32 to reciprocate twice in the counter area OF.

  When the cleaning is performed, the ink discharge amount ID in cleaning may be set to two stages, may be set to four stages or more, or may be set to no stage (continuous) according to the head temperature HT. Good.

The flushing and cleaning may be performed for each nozzle that ejects a plurality of colors of ink provided in the printer 11 or may be performed for each nozzle.
When the head temperature HT, which is an example of the ambient temperature, is a low temperature (for example, the temperature CT1 or lower), the ink discharge amount ID at the time of performing the cleaning according to the head temperature HT may be set to “0 (zero)”. .

Only one of the maintenance of cleaning as an example of the first maintenance and flushing as an example of the second maintenance may be performed.
-The heating part 50 may be arrange | positioned at the lower side used as the perpendicular direction side of the support part 21, and may be incorporated in the support part 21. FIG.

Ink other than the above colored ink may be used.
-Printing may be performed without heating the recording medium ST. In this case, cleaning may not be performed.

  In the above embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges liquid other than ink. Note that the state of the liquid ejected as a minute amount of liquid droplets from the liquid ejecting apparatus includes a granular shape, a tear shape, and a thread-like shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected from 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 ). Further, not only a liquid as one state of a substance but also a substance in which particles of a functional material made of a solid such as a pigment or a metal particle are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent is included. Typical 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, or a color filter in a dispersed or dissolved form. There is a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting the liquid. Further, it may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid as a sample that is used as a precision pipette, 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. May be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects the liquid onto the substrate. Further, it may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali in order to etch a substrate or the like.

Next, the technical idea that can be grasped from the above embodiment and another embodiment will be added below.
(A) In the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is preferable that the maintenance unit shortens the predetermined time when the atmospheric temperature of the liquid ejecting unit is high than when the atmospheric temperature is low.

  According to the above configuration, the maintenance unit determines that the amount of ink increased in viscosity in the liquid ejecting unit is greater when the ambient temperature of the liquid ejecting unit is higher than when the temperature is low, and determines the maintenance interval. To shorten. For this reason, when it is determined that the ambient temperature of the liquid ejecting section is relatively high and the amount of ink thickened in the liquid ejecting section is large, such ink can be discharged from the liquid ejecting section on a small scale.

  (B) In the liquid ejecting apparatus, the maintenance unit has a larger amount of liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting unit than the case where the amount of liquid is small after the first maintenance is performed last time. It is preferable to reduce the total amount of the liquid to be discharged in the next first maintenance.

  According to the above configuration, when the amount of liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting unit is large after the previous first maintenance is performed, the total amount of liquid to be discharged in the next first maintenance is reduced. This is because when the amount of liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting unit is large between the previous first maintenance and the subsequent first maintenance, the liquid heated for a long time in the liquid ejecting unit. This is because it is estimated that the amount of liquid that needs to be discharged is small. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily maintain the liquid ejecting characteristics of the liquid ejecting unit while suppressing the amount of liquid discharged for the first maintenance.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Printer (an example of liquid ejecting apparatus), 21 ... Support part, 33 ... Liquid ejecting head (an example of liquid ejecting part), 50 ... Heating part, HT (HT1, HT2, HT3) ... Head temperature (an example of atmospheric temperature) ), 60... Maintenance section, 61... Flushing box, 62... Cap unit, ST... Recording medium (an example of a target), OF ... opposed area, UOF ... non-opposed area, ET 1 ... first elapsed time, ET 2 ... second elapsed. Time, CT1 (CT): first predetermined time (predetermined time), CT2 (CT): second predetermined time (predetermined time).

Claims (5)

A support capable of supporting the target;
A liquid ejecting section capable of ejecting liquid onto the target supported by the support section;
A heating unit capable of heating the target supported by the support unit;
A maintenance unit capable of performing maintenance for discharging the liquid from the liquid ejecting unit,
The maintenance unit performs maintenance when the elapsed time in the state in which the heating unit heats the target and the liquid ejecting unit is located in a facing region facing the support unit reaches a predetermined time. A liquid ejecting apparatus.   The said maintenance part increases the total amount of the said liquid discharged | emitted in the said maintenance when the atmospheric temperature of the said liquid injection part is high compared with the case where the same atmospheric temperature is low. Liquid ejector.   3. The liquid according to claim 2, wherein the maintenance unit increases the amount of the liquid to be discharged in one maintenance when the ambient temperature is high than when the ambient temperature is low. Injection device.   The said heating part is arrange | positioned in the position which opposes this support part in the distance which can position the said liquid injection part between the said support parts. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of the above. When the predetermined time is the first predetermined time and the maintenance is the first maintenance,
The maintenance unit ejects the liquid from the liquid ejecting unit when an elapsed time in a state where the liquid ejecting unit is located in the facing region becomes a second predetermined time shorter than the first predetermined time. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein second maintenance is performed.