JP2017177643A - Ink jet printer, ink consumption correction method, and control method for ink jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To calculate an accurate ink consumption amount in various utilization situations.SOLUTION: An ink jet printer 1 counts a number of discharged ink shots discharged from an ink jet head 12, calculates an average ink discharge amount A per one piece of label on the basis of a discharged shot number N in a prescribed period; and stores the calculated average ink discharge amount A in a storage part 54. The storage part 54 stores a correction value table 70 in which a plurality of correction values B1, B2, and B3 are associated with the average ink discharge amount A. A correction amount for one ink shot amount is selected by referring to the correction value table 70, on the basis of the average ink discharge amount A calculated from actual utilization situations. An ink consumption amount is corrected using the selected correction value, in order to calculate an ink residual amount and execute near-end notification processing, ink-end notification processing and cleaning prohibition processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, an ink consumption correction method, and a control method for an ink jet recording apparatus that perform various controls based on ink consumption by ejecting ink from an ink jet head.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet recording apparatus that includes an ink cartridge for storing ink and supplies and discharges ink from the ink cartridge to an ink jet head has been used. This type of ink jet recording apparatus cannot eject ink if the ink cartridge has insufficient ink remaining. Therefore, a process for notifying that the ink remaining amount has fallen below a predetermined amount (near end state) and a process for notifying that the ink remaining amount is insufficient (ink end state) are performed. Also, when performing cleaning that consumes a large amount of ink, whether or not cleaning is possible is determined based on the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge. If the remaining amount of ink is less than the amount necessary for cleaning, cleaning is prohibited. Process.

  The ink jet recording apparatus (printing apparatus) of Patent Document 1 measures the number of print dots (that is, the number of ink ejection shots) from print data, and indirectly measures the ink consumption based on the number of print dots to determine the remaining amount of ink. Is calculated. Further, the printing apparatus of Patent Document 1 corrects the ink consumption in consideration of the change in the ink weight of one dot depending on the ink ejection environment (temperature, humidity, drive voltage). Thereby, it is possible to correct variations in ink consumption due to the ink ejection environment.

JP 11-221932 A

  The amount of ink ejected in one shot varies depending on factors such as temperature. For example, the amount of ink ejected in one shot varies depending on the flow rate of ink flowing in the flow path in the head. The flow rate of the ink flowing through the in-head flow path becomes faster when the ink discharge amount per unit time is large. Therefore, in an operating situation where the ink discharge amount per unit time is large (that is, an operating situation where the printing duty is high) and an operating situation where the ink discharge amount per unit time is low (an operating situation where the printing duty is low), the ink amount per shot Is different. However, the ink consumption amount is not corrected in consideration of the variation in the ink amount per shot due to the ink discharge amount per unit time.

  If the variation in ink consumption due to the ink discharge amount per unit time (that is, the print duty level) is not corrected, the difference between the calculated ink consumption and the actual ink consumption may increase depending on the operation status. is there. For this reason, the near-end notification cannot be performed at an accurate timing, and there is a possibility that the replacement ink cartridge cannot be prepared at an appropriate timing. Further, there is a possibility that appropriate cleaning prohibition control cannot be performed. That is, although there is a remaining amount of ink necessary for cleaning, it is determined that the remaining amount of ink is insufficient, and cleaning may not be performed. Alternatively, cleaning is performed even though there is no remaining ink amount necessary for cleaning, and there is a possibility that ink runs short during the process, and cleaning is performed again after replacing the ink cartridge, and ink is consumed wastefully.

  In view of these points, an object of the present invention is to propose an ink jet recording apparatus capable of increasing the calculation accuracy of ink consumption in various operating situations, a control method thereof, and an ink consumption correction method. is there.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is an ink jet recording apparatus having an ink jet head that ejects ink supplied from an ink storage unit, and counts the number of shots of ink ejected from the ink jet head. An ejection shot number calculation unit, an average ink ejection amount calculation unit that calculates an average ink ejection amount based on the number of ejection shots in a predetermined period, and the average ink ejection amount are stored, and a new average ink ejection amount is calculated. A storage unit in which the average ink discharge amount stored is updated, and a correction value is determined based on the average ink discharge amount stored in the storage unit, and the discharge shot is determined based on the determined correction value. And an ink consumption calculation unit that corrects the ink consumption calculated based on the number.

  Further, the present invention is an ink consumption correction method in an ink jet recording apparatus that supplies ink from an ink containing portion to an ink jet head, and counts the number of shots of ink ejected from the ink jet head, and An average ink discharge amount is calculated based on the number of discharge shots, the average ink discharge amount is stored in a storage unit, and when the new average ink discharge amount is calculated, the average ink discharge amount is updated, and the storage The correction value is determined based on the average ink discharge amount stored in the unit, and the ink consumption calculated based on the number of discharge shots is corrected based on the determined correction value.

  According to the present invention, the ink consumption is calculated based on the number of ink ejection shots from the inkjet head. Further, a correction value for correcting the ink consumption amount is determined based on the average ink discharge amount in a predetermined period. The average ink discharge amount in a predetermined period is a value that reflects a so-called printing duty (that is, an ink discharge amount per unit time), and a value that reflects the operation status of the ink jet recording apparatus. Therefore, the ink consumption can be corrected according to the operation status of the ink jet recording apparatus, and the calculation accuracy of the ink consumption can be improved in various operation situations. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately perform control based on the ink consumption. For example, the near-end notification can be performed at an accurate timing. In addition, since the ink end can be accurately detected, the amount of ink remaining in the used ink cartridge can be reduced. Furthermore, appropriate cleaning prohibition control can be performed.

  In the present invention, the storage unit stores a correction value table in which the average ink discharge amount is associated with each of the plurality of correction values, and the ink consumption amount calculation unit is based on the correction value table. A configuration for determining the correction value can be employed. In this way, a plurality of correction values can be easily used properly according to the operating status.

  In the present invention, the average ink discharge amount includes an ink discharge amount by flushing performed during the predetermined period, and the average ink discharge amount is different when the ink discharge amount by the flushing differs depending on the type of the flushing. It is preferable that the amount calculation unit calculates an ink discharge amount by the flushing based on the type of the flushing. In this way, the ink discharge amount by flushing is reflected in the average ink discharge amount. Therefore, the correction value can be determined to an appropriate value, and the ink consumption calculation accuracy can be increased.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the ink consumption amount calculation unit corrects the ink discharge amount by the flushing based on the type of the flushing. In this way, a highly accurate value can be used as the ink ejection amount by flushing. Therefore, the correction value can be determined to an appropriate value, and the ink consumption calculation accuracy can be increased.

  In the present invention, it is determined whether or not cleaning can be performed based on the corrected ink consumption corrected by the ink consumption calculation unit, and if the cleaning cannot be performed, the maintenance is prohibited. It is desirable to have an execution unit. In this way, it can be accurately determined whether or not cleaning can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which cleaning is not performed even though a sufficient amount of ink remains.

  In this case, when the ink consumption amount due to the cleaning varies depending on the type of cleaning, the maintenance execution unit may prohibit the cleaning that cannot be performed based on the corrected ink consumption amount. desirable. In this way, when performing a plurality of cleanings with different ink consumption amounts, only the types of cleaning that cannot be performed can be prohibited.

  Next, the present invention provides a method for controlling an ink jet recording apparatus that supplies ink from an ink containing portion to an ink jet head, wherein the corrected ink consumption is calculated by the ink consumption correction method according to claim 7, It is determined whether or not cleaning can be performed based on the corrected ink consumption.

It is the external appearance perspective view and sectional drawing of the inkjet printer to which this invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing of the ink supply system of an inkjet printer, and a head maintenance unit. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the control system of an inkjet printer. It is explanatory drawing of a correction value table. It is a graph which shows the change of the ink amount of 1 shot by a printing duty. 5 is a flowchart of ink consumption calculation processing and correction processing, and ink remaining amount calculation processing. It is a flowchart of a cleaning prohibition process.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an ink jet printer (ink jet recording apparatus) to which the present invention is applied, a control method thereof, and an ink consumption correction method will be described with reference to the drawings.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1A is an external perspective view of an ink jet printer, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing an internal structure thereof. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the ink supply system and the head maintenance unit 25 of the inkjet printer 1 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 1A, the inkjet printer 1 includes a rectangular parallelepiped outer case 2. In the upper part of the front surface 2a of the exterior case 2, an operation panel 3 is disposed on one side in the width direction, and a paper discharge port 4 is formed on the other side. An opening / closing lid 5 is disposed below the operation panel 3. The opening / closing lid 5 opens and closes a cartridge mounting portion 6 provided in the exterior case 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, a roll paper storage unit 11 is provided inside the outer case 2. In addition, a paper conveyance path 13 is provided in the exterior case 2 from the roll paper storage unit 11 to the paper discharge port 4 via the lower side of the inkjet head 12. The paper transport path 13 extends obliquely upward from the roll paper storage unit 11 toward the rear side of the apparatus, then curves to the front side of the apparatus, and extends to the front of the apparatus as it is to reach the paper discharge port 4. The roll paper storage unit 11 stores roll paper wound with a long recording paper. As the recording paper, for example, a label paper in which a label is attached to a long mount at regular intervals is used.

  The ink jet head 12 is mounted on the carriage 15 with the ink nozzle surface 12a on which the nozzle rows are formed facing downward. A platen unit 16 is disposed below the inkjet head 12. The platen unit 16 includes a transport mechanism 17 such as a transport belt mechanism that transports the recording paper fed from the roll paper. The transport mechanism 17 includes a transport motor 18 as a drive source. A pair of carriage guide shafts 21 extending in the direction intersecting the recording paper conveyance direction are arranged in parallel on the apparatus front side and apparatus rear side of the carriage 15. The carriage 15 is supported so as to be movable along the pair of carriage guide shafts 21. The carriage 15 scans in the direction along the carriage guide shaft 21 by the driving force of the carriage motor 19.

(Ink supply system)
As shown in FIG. 2, the ink supply system includes an ink flow path 35 that connects the ink cartridge 31 mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 6 and the inkjet head 12. The ink flow path 35 includes a cartridge mounting portion 36, a flat flow path 37, a first flexible flow path 38, and a diaphragm pump 39 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the ink supply direction from the ink cartridge 31 toward the inkjet head 12. The second flexible flow path 40 and the sub tank 41 are provided. In this example, four ink cartridges 31 (ink storage units) that store black ink, cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink, respectively, are mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 6. In addition, as the ink flow path 35, four ink flow paths for supplying black ink, cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink to the inkjet head 12 are configured. The number of ink flow paths 35 and ink cartridges 31 may be other than four.

  The cartridge mounting portion 36 includes an ink introduction needle connected to the ink supply port of the ink cartridge 31. The diaphragm pump 39 sucks ink from the ink cartridge 31 and supplies it to the sub tank 41. The sub tank 41 includes a pressure adjustment mechanism (not shown), and supplies ink in a predetermined pressure state to the inkjet head 12.

(Head maintenance unit)
The inkjet head 12 moves between a printing position P facing the platen unit 16 and a retracted position M completely removed from the platen unit 16 (see FIG. 1A). A head maintenance unit 25 is arranged below the retreat position M. As shown in FIG. 2, the head maintenance unit 25 includes a head cap 26 that faces the ink nozzle surface 12 a of the inkjet head 12 disposed at the retracted position M, and a cap moving mechanism 27 that moves the head cap 26 up and down. The cap moving mechanism 27 moves the head cap 26 to a capping position that seals the ink nozzle surface 12a and a head opening position that is separated from the ink nozzle surface 12a. The cap moving mechanism 27 includes a lift motor 28 as a drive source. The head maintenance unit 25 includes a suction pump 29 that sucks ink and the like from the inkjet head 12 via the head cap 26.

  The head cap 26 opens upward. A plurality of nozzle rows are arranged on the ink nozzle surface 12 a of the inkjet head 12. When the inkjet head 12 is in the retracted position M, the inkjet head 12 faces the head cap 26 and capping the ink nozzle surface 12a. An ink absorbing material is disposed inside the head cap 26 and connected to a waste ink tank (not shown) via a suction channel.

  Flushing is an operation of ejecting ink from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 12 into the head cap 26. When flushing is performed, ink that may increase viscosity and clog the ink nozzles can be removed from the ink nozzles. Cleaning is an operation in which the suction pump 29 is driven in a state where the nozzle surface is capped by the head cap 26 to suck ink in the ink nozzles. When the cleaning is performed, the thickened ink can be removed from the ink nozzle, and even when the ink is clogged so that the ink cannot be ejected, the ink in the ink nozzle can be sucked and removed. Therefore, the clogged state can be eliminated.

  Ink discharged from the inkjet head 12 is held in the ink absorbing material in the head cap 26. The nozzle row capped by the head cap 26 is moisturized by moisture contained in the ink held by the ink absorbing material. This reduces the risk that the ink in the ink nozzles will thicken. Considering that the ink in the head cap 26 dries while the head cap 26 is away from the inkjet head 12, an operation of ejecting ink from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 12 into the head cap 26 is performed as appropriate. Is called.

  In the retracted position M, the head cap 26 can seal the nozzle row formed on the ink nozzle surface 12a. Accordingly, at the retreat position M, the nozzle row is flushed and cleaned.

(Control system)
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a control system of the ink jet printer 1. The control unit 50 of the inkjet printer 1 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The function of the control unit 50 is realized by the CPU reading and executing the firmware stored in the ROM. The control unit 50 can communicate with the computer 60 via the communication unit 51 and receives print data and commands transmitted from the computer 60. The control unit 50 includes a print control unit 52, a maintenance execution unit 53, a storage unit 54, a discharge shot number calculation unit 55, an average ink discharge amount calculation unit 56, an ink consumption amount calculation unit 57, and a near-end notification unit. 58.

  The print control unit 52 controls the inkjet head 12, the transport motor 18, the carriage motor 19 and the like based on the received print data to perform printing on the recording paper. The maintenance execution unit 53 performs flushing and cleaning by controlling the elevating motor 28, the suction pump 29, and the inkjet head 12 at various preset timings. Further, when an input for instructing execution of cleaning is made from an operation unit (not shown) provided in the inkjet printer 1, the maintenance execution unit 53 executes cleaning based on the input signal. In addition, the maintenance execution unit 53 performs a cleaning prohibition process for prohibiting the execution of cleaning when the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 31 is less than the amount of ink necessary for cleaning.

  The ink consumption calculation unit 57 calculates the ink consumption by printing, flushing, and cleaning, and corrects the calculated ink consumption based on a correction value that will be described later. The ink consumption calculation unit 57 calculates the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 31 based on the corrected ink consumption and the capacity of the ink cartridge 31. In the present embodiment, four types of ink, black ink, cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink, are ejected, so that the number of ink cartridges 31 corresponding to the number of ink types is mounted on the inkjet printer 1. The ink consumption is calculated and corrected for each type of ink. A method for calculating and correcting the ink consumption will be described later.

  The storage unit 54 stores various data used for controlling the ink jet printer 1. That is, the storage unit 54 stores an ink amount Q for one shot and an ink consumption amount Q2 per cleaning. The ink amount Q for one shot is the amount of ink ejected in one ejection operation performed under a predetermined condition. The storage unit 54 stores a predetermined near-end threshold value.

  The near-end notification unit 58 determines whether or not the ink remaining amount in the ink cartridge 31 is less than the near-end threshold value stored in the storage unit 54. Then, a near-end notification is executed when the remaining amount of ink falls below the near-end threshold. The near-end notification is, for example, a process of turning on a warning lamp provided on the operation panel 3 or a process of displaying a warning on a liquid crystal display screen provided on the operation panel 3.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the correction value table 70. The storage unit 54 stores a correction value table 70 used for correcting the ink consumption. The correction value table 70 is a table in which the range of the average ink discharge amount A calculated by the average ink discharge amount calculation unit 56 is associated with each of the plurality of correction values B1, B2, and B3. The correction value table 70 is created by evaluating a change in ink discharge amount due to a print duty (see FIG. 5) before shipment of the inkjet printer 1 and is stored in the storage unit 54. The average ink discharge amount A is an average value of the ink discharge amount in a predetermined period. A method for calculating the average ink discharge amount A will be described later. In the example of FIG. 4, A ≦ A1 is associated with the correction value B1, A1 <A <A2 is associated with the correction value B2, and A2 ≦ A is associated with the correction value B3. The correction values B1, B2, and B3 are values indicating the ink amount of one shot, and for example, a weight ratio or an increase / decrease amount with respect to a predetermined reference amount (an ink amount Q of one shot stored in the storage unit 54) is used. be able to.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing the change in the amount of ink per shot depending on the print duty. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the ink discharge amount per unit time (that is, the print duty), and the vertical axis represents the ink discharge amount for one shot. In FIG. 5, BK, C, M, and Y indicate data of black ink, cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink, respectively. The correction value table 70 in FIG. 4 is created for each ink type based on the graph in FIG. For example, when the print duty values (values on the horizontal axis) corresponding to the average ink discharge amounts A1 and A2 are D1 and D2, as shown in FIG. 5, the black ink ink corresponding to the print duties D1 and D2 Discharge amounts (values on the vertical axis) BK1 and BK2 are obtained. Therefore, the correction value table 70 for black ink can be created based on BK1 and BK2. For example, the correction value B1 can be set to an ink amount smaller than BK1, the correction value B2 can be set to an ink amount between BK1 and BK2, and the correction value B3 can be set to an ink amount larger than BK2.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart of ink consumption calculation processing and correction processing, and ink remaining amount calculation processing. First, in step S <b> 11, the ejection shot number calculation unit 55 counts the number of ink ejection shots ejected from the inkjet head 12 for each type of ink. For example, the ejection shot number calculation unit 55 stores the ejection shot number in a storage element mounted on the substrate provided in the ink cartridge 31 and updates the ejection shot number every time ink is ejected. When the ink cartridge 31 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 6, information can be read from and written to the storage elements on the substrate provided in the ink cartridge 31. In this embodiment, since four types of ink are ejected, the number of ejection shots is stored in the storage element provided in the corresponding ink cartridge 31 for each of the four types of ink.

  In step S11, the ejection shot number calculation unit 55 counts the number of ink ejection shots ejected during printing and the number of ink ejection shots ejected during flushing. The number of ink ejection shots ejected during flushing is predetermined for each type of flushing. The ejection shot number calculation unit 55 adds the number of ejection shots corresponding to the type of flushing to be performed to the count value. The types of flushing include, for example, two types of first flushing and second flushing in which the number of ejection shots is different from the first flushing. The first flushing is, for example, low frequency flushing, and the second flushing is, for example, high frequency flushing. Similarly, when performing three or more types of flushing, the number of ejection shots corresponding to the type of flushing is counted.

  Next, in step S12, the average ink discharge amount calculation unit 56 calculates the average ink discharge amount A for each ink type based on the number N of discharge shots in a predetermined period. The predetermined period is set to 120 hours, for example, but may be a period different from 120 hours. The ejection shot number N in the predetermined period is obtained from the ejection shot number counted by the ejection shot number calculation unit 55. For example, the number of ejection shots stored in the storage element provided in the ink cartridge 31 is read every predetermined period, and the number increased during the predetermined period is obtained. In this embodiment, the average ink discharge amount A per label is calculated. The average ink discharge amount A per label is, for example, based on the ink amount Q of one shot stored in the storage unit 54, the number N of discharge shots in a predetermined period, and the number of labels R printed in a predetermined period. = (N × Q) / R is calculated. The average ink discharge amount calculation unit 56 calculates the average ink discharge amount A every predetermined period during the operation period of the inkjet printer 1.

  In step S <b> 13, the calculated average ink discharge amount A is stored in the storage unit 54. When a new average ink discharge amount A is calculated, the average ink discharge amount A stored in the storage unit 54 is updated to the newly calculated average ink discharge amount A.

  In steps S14 to S16, the ink consumption calculation unit 57 performs an ink consumption calculation process and a correction process for each of the four types of ink. The processes in steps S14 to S16 are performed at a predetermined timing. For example, it is performed every time a print job is executed. First, in step S14, the ink consumption calculation unit 57 calculates the ink consumption based on the number of ejection shots. For example, the ink discharge amount N1 × Q by printing and flushing is calculated based on the number N1 of discharge shots stored in the storage element provided in the ink cartridge 31 and the ink amount Q of one shot. Further, based on the number N2 of cleanings and the ink consumption Q2 per cleaning, the ink consumption N2 × Q2 due to cleaning is calculated. Thereby, the ink consumption amount (N1 × Q) + (N2 × Q2) consumed from the ink cartridge 31 is calculated.

  Next, in step S <b> 15, the ink consumption amount calculation unit 57 refers to the correction value table 70 stored in the storage unit 54 and selects from among a plurality of correction values B <b> 1, B <b> 2, B <b> 3 set in the correction value table 70. The correction value associated with the average ink discharge amount A stored in the storage unit 54 is selected. As a result, the correction value is determined based on the average ink discharge amount A and the correction value table 70.

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 16, the ink consumption amount calculation unit 57 corrects the ink consumption amount calculated in step S <b> 14 using the determined correction value. For example, when the correction value B1 determined in step S15 is a weight ratio with respect to the ink amount Q of one shot, among the ink consumption calculated in step S14, the ink discharge amount N1 × Q due to printing and flushing is set to N1 × Correction to Q × B1. Thereby, the corrected ink consumption amount (N1 × Q × B1) + (N2 × Q2) is calculated. When the correction value B1 is an increase amount with respect to the ink amount Q for one shot, the ink discharge amount N1 × Q by printing and flushing may be corrected to N1 × (Q + B1).

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 17, the ink consumption amount calculation unit 57 determines the remaining ink amount in the ink cartridge 31 based on the corrected ink consumption amount (N1 × Q × B1) + (N2 × Q2) and the capacity of the ink cartridge 31. Calculate the amount. The remaining ink amount calculated in step S17 is used for various processes. That is, the near-end notification unit 58 determines whether or not the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge 31 is below the near-end threshold value stored in the storage unit 54, and notifies the near-end notification when the remaining ink amount is below the near-end threshold value. carry out. Further, when the remaining amount of ink falls below the amount necessary for ink ejection, an ink end notification is performed. Further, the maintenance execution unit 53 performs a cleaning prohibition process based on the remaining ink amount.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the cleaning prohibition process. The maintenance execution unit 53 performs step S21 before cleaning. In step S21, it is determined whether or not the ink remaining amount calculated in step S17 is equal to or greater than the ink consumption Q2 per cleaning. If the remaining amount of ink is equal to or greater than the ink consumption Q2 (step S21: Yes), the process proceeds to step S22 and cleaning is performed. On the other hand, when the ink remaining amount is smaller than the ink consumption amount Q2 (step S21: No), the cleaning cannot be performed, so the process proceeds to step S23, and the cleaning is prohibited.

(Function and effect)
As described above, in the ink jet printer 1 of the present embodiment, the ink consumption is calculated based on the number of ejection shots of the ink ejected from the ink jet head 12. Further, a correction value for correcting the ink consumption amount is determined based on the average ink discharge amount A in a predetermined period. The average ink discharge amount A is a value that reflects the ink discharge amount per unit time (that is, the print duty) and is a value that reflects the operation status of the inkjet printer 1. Therefore, the ink consumption can be corrected according to the operating status of the inkjet printer 1, and the ink consumption can be accurately calculated in various operating statuses. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately perform control based on the ink consumption.

  That is, in this embodiment, near-end notification and ink-end notification can be performed at accurate timing. Thereby, the user can prepare a replacement cartridge at an appropriate time. In addition, since the ink end can be accurately determined, the remaining ink amount of the used ink cartridge can be reduced. Further, since it can be accurately determined whether or not cleaning can be performed, appropriate cleaning inhibition control can be performed. That is, it is possible to avoid a situation where cleaning is not performed even though a sufficient amount of ink remains. Alternatively, it is possible to avoid unnecessary consumption of ink by performing cleaning after replacement of the ink cartridge and performing cleaning even though the remaining amount of ink necessary for cleaning does not remain. .

  In this embodiment, the correction value table 70 is stored in the storage unit 54, and the correction value is determined with reference to the correction value table 70. In the correction value table 70, the average ink discharge amount A is associated with each of the plurality of correction values B1, B2, and B3. By using such a correction value table 70, a plurality of correction values can be easily used according to the operating status of the inkjet printer 1.

  In this embodiment, as the average ink discharge amount A, an average value of ink discharge amounts including the ink discharge amount by flushing performed during a predetermined period is calculated. Further, the difference in ink discharge amount (number of discharge shots) depending on the type of flushing is reflected in the average ink discharge amount A. Therefore, the correction value can be determined to an appropriate value, and the ink consumption calculation accuracy can be increased.

  In this embodiment, the ink remaining amount is calculated based on the corrected ink consumption, it is determined whether cleaning can be performed based on the ink remaining amount, and when the ink remaining amount is lower than the cleaning ink consumption Q2. It is determined that cleaning cannot be performed, and cleaning is prohibited. In this way, it can be accurately determined whether or not cleaning can be performed.

(Modification)
(1) The present invention can also be applied to an inkjet printer 1 that performs a plurality of types of cleaning with different ink consumptions. For example, the present invention can be applied when performing a plurality of types of cleaning with different suction times. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to cleaning that sucks a part of a nozzle row and cleaning that sucks all nozzles. In this case, the maintenance execution unit 53 determines that it is impossible to perform cleaning of a type in which the ink consumption exceeds the ink remaining amount among a plurality of types of cleaning, and prohibits the execution. For example, a table in which the type of cleaning and the ink consumption amount are associated is stored in the storage unit 54, the table is referred to based on the calculated remaining ink amount, and cleaning in which the ink consumption amount is larger than the remaining ink amount is performed. Select and prohibit its implementation. In this way, only types of cleaning that cannot be performed can be prohibited.

(2) In the above embodiment, the difference in ink consumption due to the type of flushing is reflected in the average ink ejection amount A by counting the number of ejection shots that differ depending on the type of flushing. When performing a plurality of types of flushing with different values, it is possible to correct the ejection amount of one shot according to the type of flushing. For example, a table in which the type of flushing and a correction value (for example, a weight ratio or an increase / decrease amount with respect to a reference one-shot ink amount Q) are associated is stored in the storage unit 54, and the flushing is performed with reference to this table. The ink discharge amount may be corrected based on the type of the ink. In this way, the difference in ink consumption depending on the type of flushing can be reflected in the average ink discharge amount A. Therefore, the accuracy of the average ink discharge amount A can be increased, and an appropriate correction value can be selected. Therefore, it is possible to improve the calculation accuracy of the ink consumption.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inkjet printer (inkjet recording apparatus), 2 ... Exterior case, 2a ... Front surface, 3 ... Operation panel, 4 ... Discharge port, 5 ... Opening / closing lid, 6 ... Cartridge mounting part, 11 ... Roll paper storage part, 12 ... Inkjet head, 12a ... ink nozzle surface, 13 ... paper transport path, 15 ... carriage, 16 ... platen unit, 17 ... transport mechanism, 18 ... transport motor, 19 ... carriage motor, 21 ... carriage guide shaft, 25 ... head maintenance unit , 26 ... head cap, 27 ... cap moving mechanism, 28 ... elevating motor, 29 ... suction pump, 31 ... ink cartridge (ink storage section), 35 ... ink flow path, 36 ... cartridge mounting section, 37 ... flat flow path, 38 ... Flexible flow path, 39 ... Diaphragm pump, 40 ... Flexible flow path, 41 ... Sub tank DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 ... Control part, 51 ... Communication part, 52 ... Print control part, 53 ... Maintenance execution part, 54 ... Memory | storage part, 55 ... Discharge shot number calculation part, 56 ... Average ink discharge amount calculation part, 57 ... Ink consumption calculation , 58 ... Near-end notification part, 60 ... Computer, 70 ... Correction value table, A, A1, A2 ... Average ink discharge amount, B1, B2, B3 ... Correction value, M ... Retraction position, P ... Printing position.

Claims (8)

An ink jet recording apparatus having an ink jet head for discharging ink supplied from an ink container,
A discharge shot number calculating section for counting the number of discharge shots of ink discharged from the inkjet head;
An average ink discharge amount calculation unit for calculating an average ink discharge amount based on the number of discharge shots in a predetermined period;
A storage unit that stores the average ink discharge amount and updates the average ink discharge amount to be stored when a new average ink discharge amount is calculated;
An ink consumption calculation unit that determines a correction value based on the average ink discharge amount stored in the storage unit, and corrects an ink consumption calculated based on the number of ejection shots based on the determined correction value; And an ink jet recording apparatus. The storage unit stores a correction value table in which the average ink discharge amount is associated with each of the plurality of correction values,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink consumption calculation unit determines the correction value based on the correction value table. The average ink discharge amount includes an ink discharge amount by flushing performed during the predetermined period,
When the amount of ink discharged by the flushing varies depending on the type of flushing,
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the average ink discharge amount calculation unit calculates an ink discharge amount by the flushing based on the type of the flushing.   The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ink consumption amount calculation unit corrects an ink discharge amount by the flushing based on the type of the flushing.   A maintenance execution unit that determines whether cleaning can be performed based on the corrected ink consumption corrected by the ink consumption calculation unit and prohibits the cleaning when the cleaning cannot be performed. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet recording apparatus is an ink jet recording apparatus. When the amount of ink consumed by the cleaning varies depending on the type of cleaning,
6. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the maintenance execution unit prohibits the cleaning that cannot be performed based on the corrected ink consumption. An ink consumption correction method in an ink jet recording apparatus for supplying ink from an ink containing portion to an ink jet head,
Count the number of ejection shots of ink ejected from the inkjet head,
An average ink discharge amount is calculated based on the number of discharge shots in a predetermined period,
The average ink discharge amount is stored in a storage unit, and when the new average ink discharge amount is calculated, the average ink discharge amount is updated,
A correction value is determined based on the average ink discharge amount stored in the storage unit, and an ink consumption amount calculated based on the number of discharge shots is corrected based on the determined correction value. Consumption correction method. A control method for an ink jet recording apparatus for supplying ink from an ink containing portion to an ink jet head,
A corrected ink consumption is calculated by the ink consumption correction method according to claim 7,
A control method for an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: determining whether cleaning can be performed based on the corrected ink consumption.

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