JP2021006408A - Ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a recording device in which the FPOT is shortened while maintaining the image recording quality.SOLUTION: A recording device executes decision processing (S12) of deciding an ink amount to be discharged, flushing processing (S15) in accordance with reception of a recording command from an information processing device through a communication unit (S11: recording command) and recording processing (S16-S19) of causing a conveyance unit to convey sheets and a recording head to discharge ink in accordance with the termination of the flushing processing. The recording device causes the recording head to discharge the ink in the ink amount in the α times of flushing processing when the decided ink amount is less than a first threshold, and causes the recording head to dispersedly discharge the ink in the ink amount in the β(β>α) times of flushing processing when the decided ink amount is equal to or greater than the first threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device that records an image on a sheet according to a recording command received from an information processing device through a communication network.

Conventionally, in an information processing device and a printer connected through a communication network, the time from the input of a print instruction to an external device to the ejection of the first sheet from the printer is FPOT (First Print Out Time). Efforts are being made to shorten (omitted).

As one of the methods for shortening the FPOT, it is conceivable to shorten the preparation process time. The preparatory process is a process to be executed by the printer before recording an image on the sheet, and includes, for example, a flushing process of ejecting ink to the recording head toward the ink receiving portion. As a method of shortening the flushing process time, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a flushing process in which ink is ejected while moving a carriage.

Japanese Patent No. 3587111

However, the amount of ink to be ejected in the flushing process is increased or decreased depending on the state of the printer. That is, if the amount of ink to be ejected is large, it may not be possible to eject all the ink while the carriage passes through the region facing the ink receiving portion. If the amount of ink ejected by the flushing process is insufficient, the image recording quality may deteriorate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording apparatus having a shortened FPOT while maintaining image recording quality.

(1) The inkjet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention intersects the transport direction and the region including the sheet facing region facing the sheet transported by the transport unit with the transport unit that transports the sheet in the transport direction. A carriage that moves in the main scanning direction, a recording head that is mounted on the carriage and selectively ejects ink from a plurality of nozzles arranged in the main scanning direction, and a main scanning direction from the sheet facing region. It is provided with an ink receiving unit, a communication unit, and a controller that face the recording head when the carriage is positioned at the first position deviated from the position and receive the ink ejected from the nozzle of the recording head. The controller responds to a determination process in which the recording head determines the amount of ink to be ejected to the ink receiving unit and a recording command instructing the recording of an image on the sheet from the information processing device through the communication unit. In the process of moving the carriage in the region facing the ink receiving portion, a flushing process is performed in which the ink of the ink amount determined in the determination process is ejected to each of the plurality of nozzles in the order of arrangement in the main scanning direction. In response to the completion of the flushing process, the recording process of transporting the sheet to the transport unit and ejecting ink to the recording head is executed. The controller discharges the ink of the ink amount to the recording head in the flushing process of α times according to the ink amount determined in the determination process being less than the first threshold value, and in the determination process. According to the determined ink amount being equal to or higher than the first threshold value, the ink of the ink amount is dispersed and discharged to the recording head by the flushing treatment β (β> α) times.

According to the above configuration, the number of times the carriage is moved in the region facing the ink receiving portion is increased or decreased according to the amount of ink to be ejected. As a result, the ink required to maintain the image recording quality can be reliably ejected by the flushing process. Further, since the ink is ejected while moving the carriage in the flushing process, the FPOT can be shortened as compared with the case where the flushing process is executed with the carriage stopped.

Further, in the above embodiment, when the amount of ink determined in the determination process is large, the required amount of ink is dispersed in a plurality of flushing processes. As a result, the elapsed time from the last ink ejection can be leveled between the nozzle that ejects the ink first and the nozzle that ejects the ink last. As a result, deterioration of image recording quality is further suppressed.

(2) Preferably, the inkjet recording device is mounted on the carriage and includes a sensor that detects that the sheet transported by the transport unit has reached the sheet facing region. In the final flushing process, the controller moves the carriage in a direction approaching the sheet facing region, and in response to the ink being ejected from all the nozzles in the final flushing process, the controller is moving. The first movement process of reaching the seat facing region without stopping the carriage and the cueing process of transporting the sheet to the transport unit toward the seat facing region were executed, and the carriage was transported by the cueing process. The recording process is executed according to the detection of the sheet by the sensor.

According to the above configuration, the carriage can be quickly moved to the seat facing region after the flushing process is executed, so that the FPOT can be further shortened.

(3) Preferably, in the flushing process when the ink amount determined in the determination process is less than the second threshold value, the controller moves the carriage at the first speed and determines in the determination process. In the flushing process when the amount of ink is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, the carriage is moved at a second speed slower than the first speed.

According to the above configuration, the moving speed of the carriage in the region facing the ink receiving portion is increased or decreased according to the amount of ink to be ejected. As a result, the ink required to maintain the image recording quality can be reliably ejected by the flushing process.

(4) For example, the second threshold value is smaller than the first threshold value.

(5) Preferably, when the ink amount determined in the determination process is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, the controller moves the carriage at the second speed in the flushing process, and moves the carriage in the first movement. In the process, the carriage is moved at a third speed faster than the second speed.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to both maintain the image recording quality and shorten the FPOT.

(6) Preferably, the inkjet recording device includes a power supply unit that applies a driving voltage for ejecting ink from the nozzle to the recording head. The controller boosts the drive voltage to the first voltage when the amount of ink determined in the determination process is less than the third threshold, and sets the drive voltage to the first voltage when the amount is equal to or more than the third threshold. The boosting process for boosting to a higher second voltage is executed, the flushing process is executed in response to the reception of the recording command and the completion of the boosting process, and the drive voltage is raised to the second voltage by the boosting process. When the voltage is boosted, the step-down process of lowering the drive voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage is executed in parallel with the first movement process in response to the completion of the subsequent flushing process. Then, the recording process is executed according to the completion of the first movement process and the drive voltage being the first voltage.

The amount of ink that can be ejected from the nozzle per unit time increases as the drive voltage increases. Therefore, as in the above configuration, the drive voltage is increased or decreased according to the amount of ink to be ejected. As a result, the ink required to maintain the image recording quality can be reliably ejected by the flushing process.

(7) Preferably, the inkjet recording device faces the recording head when the carriage is located at a position deviated from the sheet facing region in the main scanning direction and at a second position different from the first position. A cap that moves relative to the recording head is provided between a covering position that is in close contact with the recording head and covers the nozzle and a separation position that is separated from the recording head. In response to receiving the preceding command foretelling the transmission of the recording command from the information processing apparatus through the communication unit, the controller sets the relative positions of the recording head and the cap to the separated position from the covering position. The uncapping process to be changed and the second moving process of moving the carriage from the second position to the first position according to the distance between the cap and the recording head are referred to as the boosting process. Run in parallel.

According to the above configuration, since the drive voltage is boosted during the movement of the cap and the carriage, the preparation process is executed as compared with the case where the uncap process, the second movement process, and the boost process are executed in order. Time is reduced. In this way, the FPOT can be further shortened by executing the uncapping process, the second moving process, and the boosting process, which are the preparatory processes, at appropriate timings.

(8) Preferably, in the determination process, the controller determines a larger amount of ink as the elapsed time from executing the flushing process immediately before to receiving the preceding command is longer.

According to the above configuration, the deteriorated ink can be reliably discharged in the nozzle, so that the image recording quality can be appropriately maintained.

(9) Preferably, the controller makes the amount of ink ejected in the last flushing process among the plurality of flushing processes larger than the amount of ink ejected in the previous flushing process.

According to the above configuration, since a large amount of ink can be ejected at a timing close to the recording process in terms of time, the recording process can be executed with a small amount of deteriorated ink. That is, the image recording quality can be appropriately maintained.

(10) Preferably, the controller reduces the amount of ink ejected in the final flushing process among the plurality of flushing processes to be smaller than the amount of ink ejected in the previous flushing process, and the final flushing process. The moving speed of the carriage in the above is made faster than the moving speed of the carriage in the previous flushing process.

According to the above configuration, the next process of the flushing process can be executed quickly, so that the FPOT can be further shortened.

(11) Preferably, the controller performs the ink amount of the ink in the flushing process α times according to the ink amount determined in the determination process being less than the first threshold value and α ≧ 2. It is dispersed and discharged to the recording head.

(12) For example, the controller increases the number of times β of the flushing process as the amount of ink determined in the determination process increases.

(13) For example, when β = 3, the controller moves the carriage in the direction approaching the seat facing region in the first and third flushing processes, and in the second flushing process, the controller moves the carriage. The carriage is moved in a direction away from the seat facing region.

(14) In the inkjet recording apparatus according to another embodiment of the present specification, the area including the transport unit that transports the sheet in the transport direction and the sheet facing region that faces the sheet transported by the transport unit is oriented in the transport direction. A carriage that moves in the main scanning direction intersecting with, a recording head that is mounted on the carriage and selectively ejects ink from a plurality of nozzles arranged in the main scanning direction, and the main An ink receiving portion that faces the recording head and receives ink ejected from the nozzle of the recording head when the carriage is located at a position deviated from the scanning direction and at a second position different from the first position. , A communication unit and a controller are provided. The controller responds to a determination process in which the recording head determines the amount of ink to be ejected to the ink receiving unit and a recording command instructing the recording of an image on the sheet from the information processing device through the communication unit. In the process of moving the carriage in the region facing the ink receiving portion, a flushing process is performed in which the ink of the ink amount determined in the determination process is ejected to each of the plurality of nozzles in the order of arrangement in the main scanning direction. In response to the completion of the flushing process, the recording process of transporting the sheet to the transport unit and ejecting ink to the recording head is executed. The controller moves the carriage at the first speed in the flushing process when the ink amount determined in the determination process is less than the threshold value, and the ink amount determined in the determination process is equal to or more than the threshold value. In the flushing process of the case, the carriage is moved at a second speed slower than the first speed.

According to the above configuration, the moving speed of the carriage in the region facing the ink receiving portion is increased or decreased according to the amount of ink to be ejected. As a result, the ink required to maintain the image recording quality can be reliably ejected by the flushing process.

(15) Preferably, the inkjet recording device is mounted on the carriage and includes a sensor for detecting that the sheet transported by the transport unit has reached the sheet facing region. The controller executes the first movement process of reaching the seat facing region without stopping the moving carriage in response to the ink being ejected from all the nozzles in the flushing process, and the determination is made. When the amount of ink determined in the process is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the carriage is moved at the second speed in the flushing process, and the carriage is moved at a third speed faster than the second speed in the first movement process. Move the carriage.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to both maintain the image recording quality and shorten the FPOT.

According to the present invention, the flushing process is executed while moving the carriage, and the number of flushing processes is increased or decreased according to the amount of ink to be ejected, so that the FPOT can be shortened while maintaining the image recording quality.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the multifunction device 10. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer 11. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the carriage 23 and the guide rails 43 and 44. FIG. 4A is a schematic configuration diagram of the maintenance mechanism 70, and FIG. 4B is a schematic configuration diagram of the ink receiving portion 75. 5A and 5B are schematic configuration diagrams of the switching mechanism 170, in which FIG. 5A shows a first state, FIG. 5B shows a second state, and FIG. 5C shows a third state. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the multifunction device 10. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the image recording process. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the FLS condition determination process. FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing the execution timings of the first preparatory process and the second preparatory process. 10A and 10B are views showing the positional relationship between the carriage 23 and the ink receiving portion 75. FIG. 10A shows a state in which the carriage 23 is located to the left of the ink receiving portion 75, and FIG. 10B shows a state in which the carriage 23 is located on the ink receiving portion 75. (C) indicates a state in which the carriage 23 moves to the right at the facing position, and (C) indicates a state in which the carriage 23 is located to the right of the ink receiving portion 75.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. It goes without saying that the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention. Further, in the following description, the advance from the start point to the end point of the arrow is expressed as "direction", and the traffic on the line connecting the start point and end point of the arrow is expressed as "direction". Further, the vertical direction 7 is defined based on the state in which the multifunction device 10 is usably installed (the state in FIG. 1), and the front-rear direction 8 is defined with the side where the opening 13 is provided as the front side (front). , The left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction device 10 is viewed from the front side (front side).

[Overall configuration of multifunction device 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The multifunction device 10 includes a printer 11. The multifunction device 10 is an example of an inkjet recording device. Further, the multifunction device 10 may further include a scanner or the like that reads a document and generates image data.

[Printer 11]
The printer 11 records the image represented by the image data on the sheet 12 (see FIG. 2) by ejecting the ink. That is, the printer 11 adopts a so-called inkjet recording method. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 11 includes the feeding units 15A and 15B, the feeding trays 20A and 20B, the discharge tray 21, the transport roller unit 54, the recording unit 24, and the discharge roller unit 55. It is equipped with a platen 42. The transfer roller unit 54 and the discharge roller unit 55 are examples of the transfer unit.

[Feeding trays 20A, 20B, discharge trays 21]
An opening 13 (see FIG. 1) is formed on the front surface of the printer 11. The feed trays 20A and 20B are inserted and removed in the front-rear direction 8 through the opening 13. The feed trays 20A and 20B each support a plurality of sheets 12 on which they are laminated. The discharge tray 21 supports the sheet 12 discharged by the discharge roller portion 55 through the opening 13.

[Feeding section 15A, 15B]
As shown in FIG. 2, the feeding unit 15A includes a feeding roller 25A, a feeding arm 26A, and a shaft 27A. The feeding roller 25A is rotatably supported by the tip of the feeding arm 26A. The feeding arm 26A is rotatably supported by a shaft 27A supported by a frame of the printer 11. The feeding arm 26A is rotationally urged toward the feeding tray 20A by its own weight or an elastic force generated by a spring or the like. The feeding unit 15B includes a feeding roller 25B, a feeding arm 26B, and a shaft 27B. The specific configuration of the feeding unit 15B is the same as that of the feeding unit 15A. The feeding unit 15A feeds the sheet 12 supported by the feeding tray 20A to the transport path 65 by the feeding roller 25A that rotates by transmitting the forward rotation driving force of the feeding motor 101 (see FIG. 6). .. The feeding unit 15B feeds the sheet 12 supported by the feeding tray 20A to the transport path 65 by the feeding roller 25B that rotates by transmitting the forward rotation driving force of the feeding motor 101.

[Transport path 65]
The transport path 65 refers to a space formed by the guide members 18 and 30 and the guide members 19 and 31. The guide members 18 and 30 and the guide members 19 and 31 face each other at predetermined intervals inside the printer 11. The transport path 65 is a path extending from the rear ends of the feed trays 20A and 20B to the rear side of the printer 11. Further, the transport path 65 is a path that makes a U-turn while extending from the lower side to the upper side on the rear side of the printer 11 and reaches the discharge tray 21 via the recording unit 24. The transport direction 16 of the sheet 12 in the transport path 65 is indicated by the arrow of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG.

[Conveying roller unit 54]
The transport roller unit 54 is arranged upstream of the recording unit 24 in the transport direction 16. The transfer roller unit 54 includes a transfer roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 that face each other. The transfer roller 60 is driven by a transfer motor 102 (see FIG. 6). The pinch roller 61 rotates with the rotation of the transport roller 60. The sheet 12 is sandwiched between the transfer roller 60 and the pinch roller 61 which rotate in the forward direction by transmitting the forward rotation driving force of the transfer motor 102, and is conveyed along the transfer direction 16. Further, the transfer roller 60 rotates in the reverse direction in the reverse direction to the forward rotation by transmitting the reverse driving force of the transfer motor 102.

[Discharge roller section 55]
The discharge roller unit 55 is arranged downstream of the recording unit 24 in the transport direction 16. The discharge roller portion 55 includes a discharge roller 62 and a spur 63 that face each other. The discharge roller 62 is driven by the transfer motor 102. The spur 63 rotates with the rotation of the discharge roller 62. The seat 12 is sandwiched between the discharge roller 62 and the spur 63 that rotate in the forward direction by transmitting the forward rotation driving force of the transfer motor 102, and is conveyed along the transfer direction 16.

[Resist sensor 120]
The printer 11 includes a resist sensor 120, as shown in FIG. The resist sensor 120 is installed upstream of the transport roller portion 54 in the transport direction 16. The resist sensor 120 outputs different detection signals depending on whether or not the sheet 12 is present at the installation position. The resist sensor 120 outputs a high-level signal to the controller 130 (see FIG. 6) described later, depending on the presence of the sheet 12 at the installation position. On the other hand, the resist sensor 120 outputs a low level signal to the controller 130 according to the fact that the sheet 12 does not exist at the installation position.

[Rotary Encoder 121]
As shown in FIG. 6, the printer 11 includes a rotary encoder 121 that generates a pulse signal in response to the rotation of the transfer roller 60 (in other words, the rotational drive of the transfer motor 102). The rotary encoder 121 includes an encoder disc and an optical sensor. The encoder disk rotates with the rotation of the transfer roller 60. The optical sensor reads the rotating encoder disk, generates a pulse signal, and outputs the generated pulse signal to the controller 130.

[Recording unit 24]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 24 is arranged between the transport roller portion 54 and the discharge roller portion 55 in the transport direction 16. Further, the recording unit 24 is arranged so as to face the platen 42 in the vertical direction 7. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 23, a recording head 39, an encoder sensor 38A, and a media sensor 122. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, an ink tube 32 and a flexible flat cable 33 are connected to the carriage 23. The ink tube 32 supplies the ink of the ink cartridge to the recording head 39. The flexible flat cable 33 electrically connects the control board on which the controller 130 is mounted and the recording head 39.

As shown in FIG. 3, the carriages 23 are supported by guide rails 43 and 44 extending in the left-right direction 9 at positions separated from each other in the front-rear direction 8. The carriage 23 is connected to a known belt mechanism arranged on the guide rail 44. The belt mechanism is driven by a carriage motor 103 (see FIG. 6). That is, the carriage 23 connected to the belt mechanism that moves around by driving the carriage motor 103 can reciprocate in the left-right direction 9. The left-right direction 9 is an example of the main scanning direction.

The recording head 39 is mounted on the carriage 23 as shown in FIG. A plurality of nozzles 40 are formed on the lower surface of the recording head 39 (hereinafter, referred to as "nozzle surface"). The recording head 39 ejects ink from the nozzle 40 when a vibrating element such as a piezo element is vibrated. In the process of moving the carriage 23, the recording head 39 ejects ink droplets to the sheet 12 supported by the platen 42. As a result, the image is recorded on the sheet 12.

The vibrating element is an example of an ejection energy generating element that generates energy (that is, vibration energy) for ejecting ink from a nozzle from a driving voltage applied by a power supply unit 110. However, the specific example of the discharge energy generating element is not limited to the vibrating element, and may be, for example, a heater that generates thermal energy. Then, the heater may heat the ink with the thermal energy generated from the drive voltage applied by the power supply unit 110, and eject the foamed ink from the nozzle. Further, although the recording head 39 according to the present embodiment discharges pigment ink, it may be dye ink.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the plurality of nozzles 40 are arranged in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9. A plurality of nozzles 40 (hereinafter, referred to as "nozzle row") arranged in the front-rear direction 8 eject ink of the same color. Twenty-four rows of nozzles arranged in the left-right direction 9 are formed on the nozzle surface. Then, six adjacent nozzle rows each eject ink of the same color. In the present embodiment, 6 rows of nozzles from the right end eject black ink, 6 rows of nozzles next to it eject yellow ink, 6 rows of nozzles next to it eject cyan ink, and the left end 6 rows of nozzles eject magenta ink. However, the combination of the number of nozzle rows and the color of the ink to be ejected is not limited to the above-mentioned example.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a strip-shaped encoder strip 38B extending in the left-right direction 9 is arranged on the guide rail 44. The encoder sensor 38A is mounted on the lower surface of the carriage 23 at a position facing the encoder strip 38B. In the process of moving the carriage 23, the encoder sensor 38A reads the encoder strip 38B to generate a pulse signal, and outputs the generated pulse signal to the controller 130. The encoder sensor 38A and the encoder strip 38B constitute a carriage sensor 38 (see FIG. 6).

[Media sensor 122]
As shown in FIG. 2, the media sensor 122 is mounted on the carriage 23 on the lower surface of the carriage 23 (the surface facing the platen 42). The media sensor 122 includes a light emitting unit made of a light emitting diode or the like and a light receiving unit made of an optical sensor or the like. The light emitting unit irradiates the platen 42 with the amount of light indicated by the controller 130. The light emitted from the light emitting unit is reflected by the platen 42 or the sheet 12 supported by the platen 42, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving unit. The media sensor 122 outputs a detection signal according to the amount of light received by the light receiving unit to the controller 130. For example, the media sensor 122 outputs a detection signal having a higher level to the controller 130 as the amount of received light is larger.

[Platen 42]
As shown in FIG. 2, the platen 42 is arranged between the transport roller portion 54 and the discharge roller portion 55 in the transport direction 16. The platen 42 is arranged so as to face the recording unit 24 in the vertical direction 7. The platen 42 supports the sheet 12 transported by at least one of the transport roller portion 54 and the discharge roller portion 55 from below. The light reflectance of the platen 42 in this embodiment is set lower than that of the sheet 12.

[Maintenance mechanism 70]
The printer 11 further includes a maintenance mechanism 70, as shown in FIG. The maintenance mechanism 70 maintains the recording head 39. More specifically, the maintenance mechanism 70 executes a purging operation of sucking ink and air in the nozzle 40 and foreign matter adhering to the nozzle surface. Further, the ink and air in the nozzle 40 and the foreign matter adhering to the nozzle surface are hereinafter referred to as ink and the like. The ink or the like sucked and removed by the maintenance mechanism 70 is stored in the drainage tank 74 (see FIG. 4A).

As shown in FIG. 3, the maintenance mechanism 70 is arranged at a position deviated from the sheet facing region in one (right) direction in the main scanning direction. The seat facing region refers to a region in the main scanning direction in which the seat 12 conveyed by the conveying portion and the carriage 23 can face each other. The maintenance mechanism 70 includes a cap 71, a tube 72, and a pump 73, as shown in FIG. 4 (A).

The cap 71 is made of rubber. The cap 71 is arranged at a position facing the recording head 39 of the carriage 23 when the carriage 23 is located at a second position deviating to the right in the main scanning direction from the seat facing region. The tube 72 reaches the drainage tank 74 from the cap 71 via the pump 73. The pump 73 is, for example, a rotary type tube pump. When the pump 73 is driven by the transfer motor 102, the ink or the like in the nozzle 40 is sucked through the cap 71 and the tube 72, and discharged to the drainage tank 74 through the tube 72.

The cap 71 is configured to be movable between, for example, a covering position and a separated position separated in the vertical direction 7. The cap 71 at the covering position comes into close contact with the recording head 39 of the carriage 23 at the second position and covers the nozzle surface. On the other hand, the cap 71 at the separated position is separated from the nozzle surface. The cap 71 is moved between the covering position and the separated position by an elevating mechanism (not shown) driven by the feeding motor 101. However, the specific configuration for bringing the recording head 39 and the cap 71 into contact with each other is not limited to the above-mentioned example.

As another example, the cap 71 may be moved by a link mechanism (not shown) that operates in conjunction with the movement of the carriage 23 instead of the elevating mechanism driven by the feed motor 101. The link mechanism can change its posture between a first posture in which the cap 71 is held at the covering position and a second posture in which the cap 71 is held at the separated position. Then, for example, the link mechanism is brought into contact with the carriage 23 that moves toward the second position, and the posture changes from the second posture to the first posture. On the other hand, the link mechanism is separated from the carriage 23 that moves toward the first position, and changes its posture from the first posture to the second posture.

As another example, the multifunction device 10 may include an elevating mechanism for moving the guide rails 43 and 44 in the vertical direction 7 instead of the mechanism for moving the cap 71. That is, the carriage 23 at the second position is moved up and down together with the guide rails 43 and 44 that are moved up and down by the raising and lowering mechanism. On the other hand, the cap 71 is fixed at a position facing the recording head 39 of the carriage 23 at the second position. Then, the guide rails 43, 44 and the carriage 23 are lowered to a predetermined position by the elevating mechanism, so that the nozzle surface of the recording head 39 is covered with the cap 71. Further, when the guide rails 43, 44 and the carriage 23 are raised to predetermined positions by the elevating mechanism, the recording head 39 and the cap 71 are separated from each other, and the carriage 23 can be moved in the main scanning direction.

As yet another example, the multifunction device 10 may include both an elevating mechanism for moving the cap 71 and an elevating mechanism for moving the guide rails 43 and 44. Then, the carriage 23 and the cap 71 may be moved so as to be close to each other so that the cap 71 is brought into close contact with the nozzle surface. Further, the carriage 23 and the cap 71 may be moved in a direction to separate them from each other to separate the cap 71 from the nozzle surface. That is, the above-mentioned covering position and separation position refer to relative positions of the recording head 39 and the cap 71. Then, the relative positions of the recording head 39 and the cap 71 may be changed by moving one or both of the recording head 39 and the carriage 71. In other words, the relative positions of the recording head 39 and the cap 71 may be changed by relatively moving the recording head 39 and the carriage 71.

[Cap sensor 123]
The cap sensor 123 outputs different detection signals depending on whether or not the cap 71 is in the covering position. The cap sensor 123 outputs a high level signal to the controller 130 according to the covering position of the cap 71. On the other hand, the cap sensor 123 outputs a low level signal to the controller 130 according to the position where the cap 71 is different from the covering position. When the cap 71 is moved from the covering position to the separated position, the detection signal output from the cap sensor 123 changes from a high level signal to a low level signal before the cap 71 reaches the separated position.

[Ink receiver 75]
The printer 11 further includes an ink receiving unit 75, as shown in FIG. The ink receiving portion 75 is arranged at a position deviated from the sheet facing region to the other side (left side) in the main scanning direction. More specifically, the ink receiving portion 75 is arranged at a position facing the recording head 39 of the carriage 23 when the carriage 23 is located at a first position deviating to the left in the main scanning direction from the sheet facing region. There is. The maintenance mechanism 70 and the ink receiving portion 75 may be provided on the same side in the main scanning direction from the sheet facing region. However, the first position and the second position are positions separated from each other in the main scanning direction.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the ink receiving portion 75 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape in which an opening 75A is formed on the upper surface. The width of the opening 75A in the main scanning direction is shorter than the width of the nozzle surface in the main scanning direction. Further, inside the ink receiving portion 75, guide plates 75B and 75C are provided at positions separated from each other in the left-right direction 9. The guide plates 75B and 75C are plate-shaped members that extend in the vertical direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8. Further, the guide plates 75B and 75C are provided so as to be inclined in the left-right direction 9. More specifically, the guide plates 75B and 75C are arranged inside the ink receiving portion 75 so that the left surfaces thereof face diagonally upward to the left. The guide plates 75B and 75C guide the ink discharged from the recording head 39 toward the back surface (bottom surface) of the ink receiving portion 75. However, the number of guide plates 75B and 75C is not limited to two.

[Driving force transmission mechanism 80]
The printer 11 further includes a driving force transmission mechanism 80, as shown in FIG. The driving force transmission mechanism 80 transmits the driving force of the feed motor 101 and the transfer motor 102 to the feed rollers 25A and 25B, the transfer roller 60, the discharge roller 62, the elevating mechanism of the cap 71, and the pump 73. The driving force transmission mechanism 80 is configured by combining all or a part of a gear, a pulley, an endless annular belt, a planetary gear mechanism (pendulum gear mechanism), a one-way clutch, and the like. Further, the driving force transmission mechanism 80 includes a switching mechanism 170 (see FIG. 5) for switching the transmission destination of the driving force of the feed motor 101 and the transfer motor 102.

[Switching mechanism 170]
As shown in FIG. 3, the switching mechanism 170 is arranged at a position deviated from the sheet facing region in one of the main scanning directions. Further, the switching mechanism 170 is arranged below the guide rail 43. As shown in FIG. 5, the switching mechanism 170 includes a slide member 171 and drive gears 172 and 173, driven gears 174, 175, 176, 177, a lever 178, and a spring 179 which is an example of a biasing member. , 180 and the like. The switching mechanism 170 is configured to be switchable between a first state, a second state, and a third state.

The first state is a state in which the driving force of the feed motor 101 is transmitted to the feed roller 25A and not to the lifting mechanism of the feed roller 25B and the cap 71. The second state is a state in which the driving force of the feed motor 101 is transmitted to the feed roller 25B and not to the lifting mechanism of the feed roller 25A and the cap 71. The third state is a state in which the driving force of the feed motor 101 is transmitted to the elevating mechanism of the cap 71 and not to the feed rollers 25A and 25B. Further, the first state and the second state are states in which the driving force of the transfer motor 102 is transmitted to the transfer roller 60 and the discharge roller 62 and not to the pump 73. The second state is a state in which the driving force of the transfer motor 102 is transmitted to all of the transfer roller 60, the discharge roller 62, and the pump 73.

The slide member 171 is a substantially cylindrical member supported by a support shaft (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 5) extending in the left-right direction 9. Further, the slide member 171 is configured to be slidable in the left-right direction 9 along the support shaft. Further, the slide member 171 supports the drive gears 172 and 173 in a state in which they can rotate independently at positions shifted in the left-right direction 9 on the outer surface thereof. That is, the slide member 171 and the drive gears 172 and 173 slide together in the left-right direction 9.

The drive gear 172 rotates by transmitting the rotational driving force of the feed motor 101. The drive gear 172 meshes with one of the driven gears 174, 175, and 176. More specifically, the drive gear 172 meshes with the driven gear 174 as shown in FIG. 5A when the switching mechanism 170 is in the first state. Further, the drive gear 172 meshes with the driven gear 175 as shown in FIG. 5B when the switching mechanism 170 is in the second state. Further, the drive gear 172 meshes with the driven gear 176 as shown in FIG. 5C when the switching mechanism 170 is in the third state.

The drive gear 173 rotates by transmitting the rotational driving force of the transfer motor 102. The drive gear 173 is disengaged from the driven gear 176 as shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B) when the switching mechanism 170 is in the first state and the second state. Further, the drive gear 173 meshes with the driven gear 176 as shown in FIG. 5C when the switching mechanism 170 is in the third state.

The driven gear 174 meshes with the gear train that rotates the feed roller 25A. That is, the rotational driving force of the feed motor 101 is transmitted to the feed roller 25A by meshing the drive gear 172 and the driven gear 174. Further, the rotational driving force of the feed motor 101 is not transmitted to the feed roller 25A because the engagement between the drive gear 172 and the driven gear 174 is released.

The driven gear 175 meshes with the gear train that rotates the feed roller 25B. That is, the rotational driving force of the feed motor 101 is transmitted to the feed roller 25B by meshing the drive gear 172 and the driven gear 175. Further, the rotational driving force of the feed motor 101 is not transmitted to the feed roller 25B because the engagement between the drive gear 172 and the driven gear 175 is released.

The driven gear 176 meshes with the gear train that drives the elevating mechanism of the cap 71. That is, the rotational driving force of the feed motor 101 is transmitted to the elevating mechanism of the cap 71 by engaging the drive gear 172 and the driven gear 176. Further, the rotational driving force of the feed motor 101 is not transmitted to the elevating mechanism because the engagement between the driving gear 172 and the driven gear 176 is released.

The driven gear 177 meshes with the gear train that drives the pump 73. That is, the rotational driving force of the transport motor 102 is transmitted to the pump 73 by meshing the drive gear 173 and the driven gear 177. Further, the rotational driving force of the transport motor 102 is not transmitted to the pump 73 because the engagement between the driving gear 173 and the driven gear 177 is released. On the other hand, the rotational driving force of the transfer motor 102 is transmitted to the transfer roller 60 and the discharge roller 62 without passing through the switching mechanism 170. That is, the transfer roller 60 and the discharge roller 62 are rotated by the rotational driving force of the transfer motor 102 regardless of the state of the switching mechanism 170.

The lever 178 is supported by a support shaft at a position adjacent to the right side of the slide member 171. Further, the lever 178 slides in the left-right direction 9 along the support axis. Further, the lever 178 projects upward. Then, the tip of the lever 178 reaches a position where it can come into contact with the carriage 23 through the opening 43A provided in the guide rail 43. The lever 178 slides in the left-right direction 9 by being brought into contact with and separated from the carriage 23. Further, the switching mechanism 170 includes a plurality of locking portions for locking the lever 178. Then, the lever 178 locked to the locking portion can stay at that position even after being separated from the carriage 23.

The springs 179 and 180 are supported by a support shaft. One end (left end) of the spring 179 is in contact with the frame of the printer 11, and the other end (right end) is in contact with the left end surface of the slide member 171. That is, the spring 179 urges the slide member 171 and the lever 178 that comes into contact with the slide member 171 to the right. One end (right end) of the spring 180 is in contact with the frame of the printer 11, and the other end (left end) is in contact with the right end surface of the lever 178. That is, the spring 180 urges the lever 178 and the slide member 171 in contact with the lever 178 to the left. Further, the urging force of the spring 180 is larger than the urging force of the spring 179.

When the lever 178 is locked to the first locking portion, the switching mechanism 170 is in the first state. Then, the lever 178 pushed by the carriage 23 moving to the right moves to the right against the urging force of the spring 180, and is locked to the second locking portion located to the right of the first locking portion. Ru. As a result, the slide member 171 moves to the right following the movement of the lever 178 by the urging force of the spring 179. As a result, the switching mechanism 170 is switched from the first state shown in FIG. 5 (A) to the second state shown in FIG. 5 (B). That is, the lever 178 is brought into contact with the carriage 23 moving from the first position to the second position to switch the switching mechanism 170 from the first state to the second state.

Further, the lever 178 pushed by the carriage 23 that moves to the second position moves to the right against the urging force of the spring 180, and moves to the third locking portion located further to the right of the second locking portion. It is locked. As a result, the slide member 171 moves to the right following the movement of the lever 178 by the urging force of the spring 179. As a result, the switching mechanism 170 is switched from the first state shown in FIG. 5A or the second state shown in FIG. 5B to the third state shown in FIG. 5C. That is, the lever 178 is brought into contact with the carriage 23 that moves to the second position, and switches the switching mechanism 170 to the third state.

Further, the lever 178 pushed by the carriage 23 that moves further to the right from the second position and then separated from the carriage 23 that moves to the left is released from being locked by the third locking portion. As a result, the slide member 171 and the lever 178 are moved to the left by the urging force of the spring 180. Then, the lever 178 is locked to the first locking portion. As a result, the switching mechanism 170 is switched from the third state shown in FIG. 5C to the first state shown in FIG. 5A. That is, the lever 178 is brought into contact with and separated from the carriage 23 that moves from the second position to the first position, and switches the switching mechanism 170 from the third state to the first state.

That is, the state of the switching mechanism 170 is switched by the contact and detachment of the carriage 23 with respect to the lever 178. In other words, the transmission destination of the driving force of the feed motor 101 and the transfer motor 102 is switched by the carriage 23. The state of the switching mechanism 170 according to the present embodiment cannot be directly switched from the third state to the second state, but is switched from the third state to the first state and further from the first state to the second state as described above. Need to switch to.

[Power supply unit 110]
As shown in FIG. 6, the multifunction device 10 has a power supply unit 110. The power supply unit 110 supplies the electric power supplied from the external power source through the power plug to each component of the multifunction device 10. More specifically, the power supply unit 110 outputs the electric power acquired from the external power source to the motors 101 to 103 and the recording head 39 as driving power (for example, 24-26V), and outputs the control power (for example, 5V) to the controller 130. ) Is output.

Further, the power supply unit 110 can switch between a drive state and a dormant state based on the power supply signal output from the controller 130. More specifically, the controller 130 switches the power supply unit 110 from the dormant state to the driving state by outputting a HIGH level power supply signal (for example, 5V). Further, the controller 30 switches the power supply unit 110 from the driving state to the dormant state by outputting a LOW level power supply signal (for example, 0V).

The drive state is a state in which drive power is output to the motors 101 to 103 and the recording head 39. In other words, the drive state is a state in which the motors 101 to 103 and the recording head 39 can operate. The dormant state is a state in which drive power is not output to the motors 101 to 103 and the recording head 39. In other words, the dormant state is a state in which the motors 101 to 103 and the recording head 39 are inoperable. On the other hand, although not shown, the power supply unit 110 outputs control power to the controller 30 and the communication unit 50 regardless of whether it is in the driving state or the dormant state.

[Controller 130]
As shown in FIG. 6, the controller 130 includes a CPU 131, a ROM 132, a RAM 133, an EEPROM 134, and an ASIC 135, which are connected by an internal bus 137. The ROM 132 stores a program or the like for the CPU 131 to control various operations. The RAM 133 is used as a storage area for temporarily recording data, signals, etc. used by the CPU 131 when executing the program, or as a work area for data processing. The EEPROM 134 stores setting information to be retained even after the power is turned off.

In the present embodiment, the EEPROM 134 stores time information indicating the time when the flushing process described later is executed immediately before (hereinafter, referred to as “FLS execution time”). The controller 130 acquires time information from the system clock (not shown) when the flushing process is executed, and stores the acquired time information in the EEPROM 134 as time information. Further, the controller 130 overwrites the already stored time information with new time information in response to the time information already stored in the EEPROM 134.

A feed motor 101, a transfer motor 102, and a carriage motor 103 are connected to the ASIC 135. The ASIC 135 generates a drive signal for rotating each motor, and outputs the generated drive signal to each motor. Each motor is driven in the forward direction or in the reverse direction according to the drive signal from the ASIC 135. Further, the controller 130 applies the driving voltage of the power supply unit 110 to the vibrating element of the recording head 39 to eject ink from the nozzle 40.

Further, a communication unit 50 is connected to the ASIC 135. The communication unit 50 is a communication interface capable of communicating with the information processing device 51. That is, the controller 130 outputs various information to the information processing device 51 through the communication unit 50, and receives various information from the information processing device 51 through the communication unit 50. The communication unit 50 may transmit and receive wireless signals according to a communication procedure according to, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance), or is an interface to which a LAN cable or a USB cable is connected. You may. In FIG. 6, the information processing device 51 is surrounded by a dotted frame to distinguish it from the components of the multifunction device 10.

Further, a resist sensor 120, a rotary encoder 121, a carriage sensor 38, a media sensor 122, and a cap sensor 123 are connected to the ASIC 135. The controller 130 detects the position of the sheet 12 based on the detection signal output from the resist sensor 120 and the pulse signal output from the rotary encoder 121. Further, the controller 130 detects the position of the carriage 23 based on the pulse signal output from the carriage sensor 38. Further, the controller 130 detects the position of the cap 71 based on the detection signal output from the cap sensor 123.

Further, the controller 130 detects the sheet 12 conveyed by the conveying unit based on the detection signal output from the media sensor 122. More specifically, the controller 130 compares the amount of change in the signal level of the detection signals adjacent in time with a predetermined threshold value. Then, the controller 130 detects that the tip of the sheet 12 has reached a position facing the media sensor 122 in the vertical direction 7 in response to the change amount of the signal level exceeding the threshold value.

[Image recording process]
Next, the image recording process of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. The multifunction device 10 starts the image recording process in response to receiving a command from the information processing device 51 through the communication unit 50. It is assumed that the carriage 23 is located at the second position, the cap 71 is located at the covering position, and the switching mechanism 170 is in the third state at the start of the image recording process. Each of the following processes may be read and executed by the CPU 131 of the program stored in the ROM 132, or may be realized by the hardware circuit mounted on the controller 130. In addition, the execution order of each process can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention.

First, although not shown, the information processing device 51 transmits a preceding command to the multifunction device 10 in response to receiving an instruction from the user to cause the multifunction device 10 to execute the image recording process, for example. The preceding command is a command that announces the transmission of the recording command described later. Next, the information processing device 51 converts the image data specified by the user into raster data in response to the transmission of the preceding command. Then, the information processing apparatus 51 transmits a recording command to the compound machine 10 in response to the generation of raster data. The recording command is a command for recording an image represented by raster data on a sheet.

The controller 130 executes the FLS condition determination process in response to receiving the preceding command from the information processing device 51 through the communication unit 50 (S11: preceding command) (S12). The FLS condition determination process is an example of a determination process for determining the execution condition of the flushing process. The details of the FLS condition determination process will be described with reference to FIG.

[FLS condition determination process]
First, the controller 130 acquires time information indicating the current time from the system clock. Then, the controller 130 calculates the difference between the FLS execution time and the current time indicated by the time information stored in the EEPROM 134 as the elapsed time T from the execution of the flushing process immediately before to the reception of the preceding command. This process is an example of a measurement process. However, the method for measuring the elapsed time T is not limited to the above-mentioned example. Then, the controller 130 compares the elapsed time T with the threshold times T ₁ , T ₂ , and T ₃ (S21 to S23). The threshold time T ₁ , T ₂ , and T ₃ are values stored in the EEPROM 134 in advance, and the threshold time T ₁ <T ₂ <T ₃ is set.

Next, the controller 130 determines the number of FLS shots to be 50, the CR speed to 60 ips, and the FLS voltage to 24 V, according to the elapsed time T being less than the threshold time T ₁ (S21: Yes). And the number of FLSs is determined to be 1 (S24 to S27). The number of FLS shots is the total number of ink droplets (that is, the amount of ink) ejected from each nozzle 40 in the flushing process. The CR speed is the moving speed of the carriage 23 in the flushing process. The FLS voltage is a drive voltage applied to the recording head in the flushing process. The number of FLS is the number of flushing processes. The number of FLS shots, the CR speed, the FLS voltage, and the number of FLSs are examples of execution conditions for the flushing process.

Further, the controller 130 determines the number of FLS shots to be 300, the CR speed to 4 ips, and the FLS voltage according to the elapsed time T being T ₁ or more and less than T ₂ (S22: Yes). Is determined to be 24V, and the number of FLSs is determined to be one (S28 to S31). Further, the controller 130 determines the number of FLS shots to 600, the CR speed to 4 ips, and the FLS voltage according to the elapsed time T being T ₂ or more and less than T ₃ (S23: Yes). Is determined to be 26V, and the number of FLSs is determined to be one (S32 to S35). Further, the controller 130 determines the number of FLS shots to be 1800, the CR speed to 4 ips, and the FLS voltage to 26 V according to the elapsed time T being T ₃ or more (S23: No). , The number of FLS is determined to be 3 (S36 to S39).

That is, as the elapsed time T is longer, the controller 130 increases the number of FLS shots, slows the CR speed, raises the FLS voltage, and increases the number of FLSs. In other words, the controller 130 slows down the CR speed, raises the FLS voltage, and increases the number of FLSs as the number of FLS shots increases. The number of FLS shots between 600 and 1800 (for example, 1000) is an example of the first threshold, and the number of FLS between 50 and 300 (for example, 100) is an example of the second threshold. Yes, the number of FLS shots between 300 and 600 shots (eg, 400 shots) is an example of the third threshold. That is, in the present embodiment, the second threshold value is smaller than the third threshold value, and the third threshold value is smaller than the first threshold value. However, the magnitude relationship between the first threshold value, the second threshold value, and the third threshold value is not limited to the above-mentioned example.

Further, CR speed = 60 ips is an example of the first speed, and CR speed = 4 ips is an example of the second speed. That is, the second speed is slower than the first speed. Further, FLS voltage = 24V is an example of the first voltage, and FLS voltage = 26V is an example of the second voltage. That is, the second voltage is higher than the first voltage. The drive voltage in the recording process described later is set to the first voltage. Further, the number of FLS times = 1 time is an example of α times, and the number of FLS times = 3 times is an example of β times. That is, α <β. However, the specific numerical values of the CR speed, the FLS voltage, and the number of FLS times are not limited to the above examples.

Returning to FIG. 7, the controller 130 executes the first preparatory process (S13). That is, the preceding command can be rephrased as a command instructing the execution of the first preparatory process. The first preparatory process is a process for bringing the printer 11 into a state in which the recording process can be executed. The "state in which the recording process can be executed" can be rephrased as, for example, a state in which an image of a predetermined quality or higher can be recorded. The first preparatory process includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, a step-up process (S41), an uncap process (S42), a second move process (S43), and a cook process (S44, S45).

Boosting processing (S41), the driving voltage supplied to each component of the power supply unit 110 is a printer 11, a process of boosting until FLS voltage _{V F} as determined by the FLS condition determination process. Power supply unit 110 is, for example, a power supply voltage supplied from an external power source, is boosted by a regulator circuit (not shown) to the FLS voltage V _F. Boosting the power supply unit 110 means, for example, storing electric charge in a power storage element such as a capacitor (not shown). Furthermore, the regulator circuit, after the charges corresponding to the FLS voltage V _F is stored in the capacitor, the voltage for maintaining the drive voltage, is continuously applied to the storage element continues.

However, if the drive voltage is rapidly boosted, the drive voltage during boosting may become unstable. Therefore, the controller 130, for example, by feedback control, boosts the driving voltage to the check voltage V _1. Next, the controller 130 boosts the drive voltage to the check voltage V ₂ by feedback control in response to the drive voltage reaching the check voltage V ₁ . In this way, a plurality of boosting steps are repeated to gradually boost the pressure. That _{is, V 1 <V 2 <··· <} V F. As a result, fluctuations in the drive voltage during boosting are suppressed.

Incidentally, the check voltage _{V 1, V} 2, · · · is closer to the FLS voltage _{V F,} is finely set. As an example, if the FLS voltage _V F = 24V, check voltage, 20V, 22V, 23V, 23.5 V, is set to 23.75V. As another example, if the FLS voltage _V F = 26V, check voltage, 20V, 24V, 25V, 25.5V , is set to 25.75V. Then, most of the processing time of the step-up process, since the driving voltage is indicated by a feedback control from approaching the FLS voltage V _F, be either FLS voltage V _F is 24V, the 26V, execution of the boost processing There is no big difference in time.

Further, the controller 130 may execute the boosting process with the power supply unit 110 applying the drive voltage to the recording head 39. The "state in which the drive voltage is applied to the recording head 39" means that, for example, by making the switch element of the circuit from the power supply unit 110 to the recording head 39 conductive, the drive voltage during boosting causes vibration of the recording head 39. Refers to the state applied to the element. In other words, it can be expressed as a state in which ink is ejected from the nozzle 40 when the driving voltage during boosting reaches 24V. As a result, fluctuations in the drive voltage during boosting can be further suppressed for the following reasons.

First, in general, when the voltage applied to the circuit fluctuates, the rise time and fall time of the voltage waveform become longer as the resistance component in the circuit becomes larger. That is, the larger the resistance component, the smaller the change in voltage per unit time. Then, in the circuit from the power supply unit 110 to the vibration element of the recording head 39, there are resistance components such as a transistor constituting the switch element and an output unit for outputting a drive signal. Therefore, if the power supply unit 110 to the recording head 39 are combined into one circuit, the drive during boosting is performed as compared with the case where the power supply unit 110 and the recording head 39 are cut off to form a circuit of the power supply unit 110 alone. The fluctuation of the voltage can be attenuated.

Further, the control circuit of the recording head 39 having a vibrating element can be regarded as a capacitor having a predetermined capacitance. Then, this capacitor repeats charging and discharging as the applied drive voltage fluctuates. As a result, the high frequency component of the voltage fluctuation can be removed, so that the fluctuation of the drive voltage during boosting can be further attenuated.

Further, the boosting process (S41) is typically executed at the timing when the power of the multifunction device 10 is turned on or at the timing when the power supply unit 110 is switched from the dormant state to the driving state. That is, if the already driving voltage supplied power supply unit 110 has already reached the FLS voltage V _F, which may boost the process (S41) is omitted.

The uncapping process (S42) is a process of moving the cap 71 from the covering position to the separated position. That is, the controller 130 rotates the feed motor 101 by a predetermined rotation amount. Then, the rotational driving force of the feed motor 101 is transmitted to the elevating mechanism through the switching mechanism 170 in the third state, so that the cap 71 is moved from the covering position to the separated position. Further, the detection signal output from the cap sensor 123 changes from a high level signal to a low level signal before the cap 71 reaches the separated position, in other words, during the execution of the uncapping process.

The second movement process (S43) includes a process of switching the switching mechanism 170 from the third state to the first state, and a process of moving the carriage 23 separated from the cap 71 from the second position to the first position. .. That is, the controller 130 moves the carriage 23 at the second position to the right and then moves to the left toward the first position. In step S43, the controller 130 causes the carriage 23 to reach a position to the left of the ink receiving portion 75, as shown in FIG. 10 (A). Further, the controller 130 moves the carriage 23 to the left at a low speed at the start of step S43 in order to prevent the meniscus of the ink formed in the nozzle 40 of the recording head 39 from being destroyed, and then steps. The process of S43 may be executed.

The cook process (S44, S45) is a process of rotating at least one of the feed motor 101 and the transfer motor 102 in the forward and reverse directions. More specifically, the controller 130 rotates both the feed motor 101 and the transfer motor 102 in the forward and reverse directions when the switching mechanism 170 is in the third state (S44). As a result, the surface pressure between the drive gear 172 and the driven gear 176 and the surface pressure between the drive gear 173 and the driven gear 177 are released, so that the meshing of each gear is smoothly released. Further, the controller 130 rotates the feed motor 101 in the forward and reverse directions when the switching mechanism 170 is switched to the first state (S45). As a result, the drive gear 172 and the driven gear 174 can be smoothly meshed with each other. The cook process may be performed only on one of steps S44 and S45.

As shown in FIG. 9, the controller 130 starts the processes of steps S41 and S42 at the same time when the preceding command is received. That is, the controller 130 executes the processes of steps S41 and S42 in parallel. Further, the controller 130 starts steps S43 and S44 at the same time. That is, the controller 130 executes the processes of steps S43 to S45 in parallel. However, the execution timing of each step S41 to S45 is not limited to the example of FIG.

Further, the controller 130 starts the process of step S43 at the timing when the detection signal of the cap sensor 123 changes from the high level signal to the low level signal. That is, the controller 130 starts step S43 after the start of steps S41 and S42. More specifically, in step S43, the controller 130 executes the process of moving the carriage 23 to the left at a low speed and the process of moving the carriage 23 to the right from the second position in parallel with step S42. .. On the other hand, the controller 130 executes the process of moving the carriage 23 to the left toward the first position in step S43 after the end of step S42.

Typically, the boosting process has the longest execution time among the plurality of processes (S41 to S45) included in the first preparatory process. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the controller 130 executes the process of step S41 and the processes of steps S42 to S45 in parallel. In other words, the controller 130 executes each process of steps S42 to S45 at a predetermined timing during the process of step S41. In other words, each process of steps S42 to S45 is executed in parallel with the process of step S41.

Next, returning to FIG. 7, the controller 130 determines whether or not the first preparatory process has been completed in response to receiving the recording command from the information processing device 51 through the communication unit 50 (S11: recording command). (S14). That is, the reception timing of the recording command may be before the end of the first preparatory process or after the end of the first preparatory process, as shown in FIG. The controller 130 waits for the execution of subsequent processes until the first preparatory process is completed, in response to the determination that the first preparatory process has not yet been completed (S14: No).

Then, the controller 130 executes the second preparatory process (S15) in response to the determination that the first preparatory process has been completed (S14: Yes). The second preparatory process is a process that is not included in the first preparatory process among the processes for making the printer 11 capable of executing the recording process. The second preparatory process includes, for example, a flushing process (S51), a first moving process (S52), a step-down process (S53), a feeding process (S54), and a cueing process (S54), as shown in FIG. S55) and is included.

The flushing process (S51) is a process of ejecting ink to the recording head 39 toward the ink receiving unit 75 according to the execution conditions determined in the FLS condition determining process. That is, the controller 130 at step S51, in the process of moving the carriage 23 at CR speed, by applying a FLS voltage _{V F} to the vibrating element, the flushing process of ejecting FLS number of shots of ink to the recording head 39, FLS Execute as many times as you like.

First, as the first flushing process, the controller 130 moves the carriage 23 to the right from the position shown in FIG. 10A, and ejects ink from each nozzle 40 at a predetermined timing for each nozzle 40. .. During the flushing process, the carriage 23 accelerates from a stopped state to a CR speed and moves at a constant speed at the CR speed. That is, the CR speed determined by the FLS condition determination process indicates the maximum speed or the target speed of the carriage 23 in the flushing process.

The ink ejection timing is predetermined so that the ink lands at the target positions on the guide plates 75B and 75C. The discharge timing of each nozzle 40 is specified by, for example, a pulse signal output from the carriage sensor 38. In the present embodiment, for example, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 10B, ink is ejected at the first timing from the rightmost nozzle row for ejecting black ink and the rightmost nozzle row for ejecting cyan ink. Ink is ejected from the nozzle row to the left of the nozzle row to which the ink is ejected at the next timing. That is, the controller 130 discharges ink from each nozzle 40 in the order of arrangement in the main scanning direction (that is, from right to left).

Further, when the number of FLS times = 1 time, ink droplets of the number of FLS shots are ejected from each nozzle 40 in one flushing process. On the other hand, when the number of FLS times = 3 times, ink droplets 1/3 of the number of FLS shots are ejected from each nozzle 40 in one flushing process. More specifically, the controller 130 ejects ink (number of FLS shots / number of FLS counts) to each nozzle 40 in one flushing process. That is, when the controller 130 executes the flushing process a plurality of times in step S51, the controller 130 disperses the ink droplets of the number of FLS shots by the plurality of flushing processes and ejects them to each nozzle 40.

Next, when the number of FLS times = 3 times, the controller 130 stops the carriage 23 at the position shown in FIG. 10C after ejecting ink from all the nozzles 40 in the first flushing process. Then, as the second flushing process, the controller 130 moves the carriage 23 to the left from the position shown in FIG. 10C, and ejects ink from each nozzle 40 at a predetermined timing for each nozzle 40. .. That is, the first flushing process and the second flushing process differ in the moving direction of the carriage 23 (leftward) and the order in which ink is ejected to each nozzle 40 (that is, from left to right).

Further, the controller 130 executes the same process as the first flushing process as the third flushing process in response to the completion of the second flushing process. That is, regardless of the number of FLS determined in the FLS condition determination process, the controller 130 moves the carriage 23 in the direction approaching the seat facing region (that is, to the right) in the final flushing process.

The controller 130 may further execute the non-discharge flushing process before the first flushing process. The non-ejection flushing process is a process of vibrating the vibrating element to the extent that ink is not ejected from the nozzle 40. The non-discharge flushing process may be executed at an arbitrary timing after the step-up process is completed. That is, the non-discharge flushing process may be started before receiving the recording command. Further, the execution time of the non-discharge flushing process may be longer, for example, as the elapsed time T is longer. This makes it easier for ink to be ejected from the nozzle 40 in the flushing process.

The first movement process (S52) is a process of moving the carriage 23 to the detection position. The detection position is a position through which the sheets 12 of all sizes (for example, A4, B4, L version, etc.) that the feed trays 20A and 20B can support pass through in the sheet facing region. When the center of the sheet 12 in the main scanning direction is supported by the feed trays 20A and 20B in a positioned state, the detection position may be the center of the sheet facing region in the main scanning direction.

The controller 130 responds to the ink ejected from all the nozzles 40 in the first flushing process when the number of FLS times = 1 or in the third flushing process when the number of FLS times = 3 times. The moving carriage 23 is brought to the detection position without stopping. As an example, when the flushing process is executed at a CR speed of 60 ips, the controller 130 executes the first movement process without changing the speed of the carriage 23. As another example, when the flushing process is executed at a CR speed of 4 ips, the controller 130 accelerates the carriage 23 to 24 ips and executes the first movement process. CR speed = 24 ips is an example of the third speed. However, the specific example of the third speed is not limited to the above-mentioned example, and may be the same as the first speed (60 ips), for example.

The step-down process (S53) is a process of stepping down the drive voltage from the second voltage to the first voltage. That is, when the drive voltage is boosted to the second voltage in step S41, the controller 130 executes the step-down process. On the other hand, when the drive voltage is boosted to the first voltage in step S41, the controller 130 skips the execution of the step-down process. The controller 130 causes the regulator circuit to stop applying a voltage to the power storage element. As a result, the electric charge stored in the power storage element is naturally discharged. Then, the controller 130 continuously applies a voltage for maintaining the drive voltage to the first voltage to the regulator circuit with respect to the storage element in response to the charge stored in the storage element reaching the first voltage. Apply.

The feeding process (S54) is a process of feeding the sheet 12 supported by the feeding tray 20A to the feeding section 15A to a position where it reaches the transport roller section 54. This feeding process is executed when the recording command indicates the feeding tray 20A as the feeding source of the sheet 12. The controller 130 rotates the feed motor 101 in the normal direction, and after the detection signal of the resist sensor 120 changes from the low level signal to the high level signal, the controller 130 further rotates in the normal direction by a predetermined rotation amount. Then, the rotational driving force of the feed motor 101 is transmitted to the feed roller 25A through the switching mechanism 170 in the first state, so that the sheet supported by the feed tray 20A is fed to the transport path 65.

In the cueing process (S55), the area where the image is first recorded on the sheet 12 that has reached the transport roller unit 54 by the feeding process (hereinafter, may be referred to as “recording area”) is the recording head. This is a process of transporting the transport unit in the transport direction 16 to a position where it can face 39. The first recording area on the sheet 12 is indicated by the recording command. The controller 130 detects the tip of the sheet 12 by the media sensor 122 by rotating the transfer motor 102 in the normal direction, and further presses the transfer roller unit 54 until the first recording area indicated by the recording command faces the recording head 39. The reached sheet 12 is conveyed to the conveying unit.

It should be noted that each process (S51 to S55) included in the second preparatory process can be started only after at least a part of the plurality of processes included in the first preparatory process is completed. The flushing process can be started only after the boosting process, the uncapping process, and the second moving process are completed, and can be started even if the cooking process is not completed. On the other hand, the feeding process can be started only after the cook process is completed, and can be started even if the step-up process and the second moving process are not completed. Further, the first movement process can be started only after the flushing process is completed. Further, the cueing process can be started only after the feeding process and the first moving process are completed.

That is, the controller 130 starts the flushing process in response to the reception of the recording command and the completion of the boosting process, the uncapping process, and the second moving process (S11: recording command & S14: Yes). Then, the controller 130 starts the first movement process and the step-down process in response to the completion of the flushing process. That is, the controller 130 executes the first movement process and the step-down process in parallel. Further, the controller 130 starts the feeding process in response to the reception of the recording command and the completion of the cooking process (S11: recording command & S14: Yes). Then, the controller 130 starts the cueing process in response to the completion of the feeding process and the first moving process.

Although not shown, when the recording command indicates the feeding tray 20B as the feeding source of the sheet 12, the controller 130 changes the switching mechanism 170 from the first state to the second state according to the completion of the flushing process. Switch to. That is, the controller 130 further moves the carriage 23, which is moving by the flushing process, to the right, and locks the lever 178 locked to the first locking portion to the second locking portion. Then, the controller 130 moves the carriage 23 to the detection position in response to switching the switching mechanism 170 to the second state. Further, the controller 130 starts a feeding process of feeding the sheet 12 supported by the feeding tray 20B in response to switching the switching mechanism 170 to the second state.

Returning to FIG. 7 again, the controller 130 executes the recording process according to the received recording command in response to the completion of all the processes included in the second preparatory process (S16 to S19). The recording process includes, for example, a discharge process (S16) and a transfer process (S18) that are alternately executed, and a discharge process (S19). The ejection process (S16) is a process of ejecting ink to the recording head 39 with respect to the recording area of the sheet 12 facing the recording head 39. The transport process (S18) is a process of transporting the sheet 12 to the transport unit by a predetermined transport width along the transport direction 16. The discharge process (S19) is a process of causing the discharge roller portion 55 to discharge the sheet 12 on which the image is recorded to the discharge tray 21.

That is, the controller 130 moves the carriage 23 from one end to the other end of the sheet facing region, and ejects ink droplets to the recording head 39 at the timing indicated by the recording command (S16). Next, the controller 130 puts the sheet 12 in the transport unit until the position where the next recording area faces the recording head 39, depending on the presence of the image to be recorded in the next recording area (S17: No). Transport (S18). The controller 130 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S16 to S18 until an image is recorded in all the recording areas (S17: No). The controller 130 causes the discharge roller unit 55 to discharge the sheet 12 to the discharge tray 21 (S19) in response to recording an image in all the recording areas (S17: Yes).

Although not shown, the controller 130 moves the carriage 23 to the second position and moves the switching mechanism 170 to the third position according to the elapse of a predetermined time after the recording process (S16 to S19) is completed. The state is changed and the cap 71 is moved to the covering position. Further, the controller 130 switches the power supply unit 110 from the driving state to the dormant state in accordance with the elapse of a predetermined time after moving the cap 71 to the covering position, and executes so-called discharge flushing. Discharge flushing is a process of stopping the application of a voltage to the power storage element to the regulator circuit and applying a drive voltage to vibrate the vibrating element. As a result, the electric charge stored in the power storage element is instantly released. Further, even if the ink is ejected from the nozzle 40 due to the vibration of the vibrating element, the ink lands in the cap 71, so that contamination of the sheet facing region can be suppressed.

[Action and effect of this embodiment]
In order to maintain the image recording quality in the recording process, it is necessary to increase the amount of ink to be ejected in the next flushing process as the elapsed time T from the immediately preceding flushing process becomes longer. Therefore, as in the above embodiment, the longer the elapsed time T (in other words, the larger the number of FLS shots), the slower the CR speed, the higher the FLS voltage, and the higher the number of FLSs. As a result, the ink required to maintain the image recording quality can be reliably ejected by the flushing process. Further, since the ink is ejected while moving the carriage 23 in the flushing process, the FPOT can be shortened as compared with the case where the flushing process is executed with the carriage 23 stopped.

Here, by slowing down the CR speed, the amount of ink that can be ejected from each nozzle 40 increases in one flushing process. Further, in the final flushing process, the moving carriage 23 is moved to the detection position without stopping. Further, when the flushing process is executed at a CR speed of 4 ips, the speed is increased to a CR speed of 24 ips and the first movement process is executed. As a result, the execution time of the second preparatory process can be further shortened.

Further, by increasing the FLS voltage, the ink ejection interval from each nozzle 40 can be shortened, or large ink droplets can be ejected. Further, when the number of FLS shots is small, the step-down processing can be skipped by executing the flushing processing at the first voltage (24V) which is the driving voltage at the time of recording processing. As a result, the execution time of the second preparatory process can be shortened.

Further, by increasing the number of FLSs, the required amount of ink can be dispersed in a plurality of flushing treatments. As a result, the elapsed time from the last ink ejection can be leveled between the nozzle 40 that ejects the ink first and the nozzle 40 that ejects the ink last. As a result, deterioration of image recording quality is further suppressed. Further, when the flushing process is executed a plurality of times in step S51, the amount of ink ejected in each flushing process does not have to be uniform.

As an example, the controller 130 may make the amount of ink ejected in the final flushing process larger than the amount of ink ejected in the previous flushing process. As a result, a large amount of ink can be ejected at a timing close to the recording process in terms of time, so that the recording process can be executed with a small amount of deteriorated ink. That is, the image recording quality can be appropriately maintained.

As another example, the controller 130 may eject less ink in the final flushing process than the amount of ink ejected in the previous flushing process. Further, the controller 130 may make the moving speed of the carriage in the final flushing process faster than the moving speed of the carriage in the previous flushing process. As a result, the next process of the flushing process (that is, the first move process) can be executed quickly, so that the FPOT can be further shortened.

Further, the combination of the number of FLS times is not limited to α = 1 and β = 3, and may be, for example, α = 2 and β = 4. The first flushing process in this case may be executed by the carriage 23 moving to the left in the second moving process. That is, the controller 130 may end the boosting process and the non-discharge flushing during the execution of the second movement process, and execute the first flushing process at the timing when the carriage 23 reaches a predetermined position. Further, in the flushing process when α ≧ 2, the controller 130 may disperse the amount of ink determined in the FLS condition determination process and eject it to the recording head 39.

Further, the number of FLS β may be variable depending on the elapsed time T or the number of FLS shots. For example, in the FLS condition determination process, the controller 130 determines the number of FLS shots to be 1800 and sets the number of FLS shots β to 3 (or 3 times) according to the elapsed time T being T ₃ or more and less than T ₄ . 4 times). On the other hand, the controller 130 determines the number of FLS shots to be 2400 and the number of FLS shots β to 5 times (or 6 times) according to the elapsed time T being T ₄ or more. It should be noted that T ₃ <T ₄ . That is, the controller 130 may increase the value of β as the elapsed time T becomes longer or the number of FLS shots increases.

Further, when the power supply unit 110 in a state where the drive voltage is applied to the recording head 39 is boosted, the fluctuation of the drive voltage at the time of boosting is suppressed. Thus, the drive voltage to reduce the number of boosting steps can be prevented from exceeding the FLS voltage V _F. As a result, the execution time of the boosting process is shortened, so that the execution time of the entire first preparatory process is shortened. Furthermore, since the possibility of driving voltage ink is ejected from the recording head 39 beyond the FLS voltage V _F is reduced, running in parallel boost processing and the second movement process, the sheet facing region Ink ejection error is suppressed. As another example of the boost processing, the controller 130 may execute the boost processing by shutting off the switch element of the circuit from the power supply unit 110 to the recording head 39.

Further, in the step-down process according to the above embodiment, the drive voltage is stepped down by the natural discharge of the power storage element. Therefore, even if the step-down process and the first movement process are executed in parallel, ink is erroneously ejected to the sheet facing region. It can be suppressed. The specific example of the step-down process is not limited to the above-mentioned example, and the drive voltage may be stepped down by discharge flushing as in the case of switching the power supply unit 110 from the drive state to the dormant state.

In the above embodiment, as the number of FLS shots increases, the CR speed is changed first, the FLS voltage is changed next, and the number of FLS is changed last among the plurality of execution conditions of the flushing process. Although an example has been described, the order of changing the execution conditions of the flushing process is not limited to the above example. Further, the number of FLS shots is not limited to being increased or decreased depending on the elapsed time T, and may be increased or decreased depending on other parameters. For example, the image quality of the recording process (eg, “fine”, “draft”) may be specified to the user through an operation panel (not shown). Then, the controller 130 may have a larger number of FLS shots when the high image quality "fine" is specified than when the low image quality "draft" is specified.

Further, the controller 130 may change only a part of the CR speed, the FLS voltage, and the number of FLS times, and set the other part to a fixed value. For example, the width of the ink receiving portion 75 in the main scanning direction may be larger than the width of the nozzle surface in the main scanning direction. Then, the controller 130 may execute the flushing process with the carriage 23 stopped at a position facing the ink receiving portion 75. In this case, the controller 130 may fix the CR speed = 0 and the number of FLS times = 1 and change only the FLS voltage according to the elapsed time T or the number of FLS shots.

Further, according to the above embodiment, since the drive voltage is boosted while the cap 71 and the carriage 23 are moving, it is compared with the case where the uncapping process, the second moving process, and the boosting process are executed in order. Therefore, the execution time of the first preparatory process is shortened. In this way, the FPOT can be further shortened by executing the uncapping process, the second moving process, and the boosting process included in the first preparatory process at appropriate timings.

Further, according to the above embodiment, since the first preparatory process is executed with the preceding command as a trigger, the FPOT can be shortened as compared with the case where the first preparatory process is executed after receiving the recording command. it can. Further, in the first preparation process, the uncapping process, the second movement process, and the cook process are executed in parallel with the boosting process, so that the first preparation process is compared with the case where each process is executed in order. The execution time of the process can be shortened.

On the other hand, according to the above embodiment, since the flushing process is executed after receiving the recording command, the waiting time from the end of the flushing process to the start of the recording process can be shortened. That is, it is possible to suppress deterioration of image recording quality due to drying of the ink in the nozzle. By executing the first preparatory process and the second preparatory process at appropriate timings in this way, the FPOT can be shortened and the deterioration of the image recording quality can be suppressed.

10 ... Multifunction device 11 ... Printer 23 ... Carriage 39 ... Recording head 40 ... Nozzle 50 ... Communication unit 54 ... Transport roller unit 55 ... Discharge roller unit 71 ...・ Cap 75 ・ ・ ・ Ink receiving part 110 ・ ・ ・ Power supply part 122 ・ ・ ・ Media sensor 130 ・ ・ ・ Controller

Claims (2)

A transport unit that transports the sheet in the transport direction,
A carriage that moves the area including the sheet facing region facing the sheet conveyed by the conveying unit in the main scanning direction intersecting the conveying direction.
A recording head mounted on the carriage and selectively ejecting ink from a plurality of nozzles arranged in the main scanning direction,
When the carriage is located at a position deviated from the sheet facing region in the main scanning direction and at a second position different from the first position, the carriage faces the recording head and is discharged from the nozzle of the recording head. Ink receiving part that receives ink and
With the communication department
An inkjet recording device equipped with a controller.
The above controller
A determination process in which the recording head determines the amount of ink to be ejected to the ink receiving unit, and
In the process of moving the carriage in the area facing the ink receiving unit in response to receiving a recording command, which is an instruction to record an image on the sheet, from the information processing device through the communication unit, the determination process is performed. A flushing process in which the ink of the ink amount is ejected to each of the plurality of nozzles in the order of arrangement in the main scanning direction.
In response to the completion of the flushing process, a recording process of transporting the sheet to the transport unit and ejecting ink to the recording head is executed.
The above controller
In the flushing process when the amount of ink determined in the determination process is less than the threshold value, the carriage is moved at the first speed.
An inkjet recording device that moves the carriage at a second speed slower than the first speed in the flushing process when the amount of ink determined in the determination process is equal to or greater than the threshold value. The inkjet recording device is mounted on the carriage and includes a sensor for detecting that the sheet transported by the transport unit has reached the sheet facing region.
The above controller
In response to the ink being ejected from all the nozzles in the flushing process, the first movement process of reaching the sheet facing region without stopping the moving carriage is executed.
When the amount of ink determined by the determination process is equal to or greater than the threshold value,
In the flushing process, the carriage is moved at the second speed.
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 14, wherein in the first movement process, the carriage is moved at a third speed faster than the second speed.

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