JP4306785B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

  In an inkjet printer, when the nozzles on the head for flying ink are dried, the ink in the nozzles is dried and clogs, or when the ink is ejected from the nozzles When the ink scattered on the surface dries and hardens, and the solidified ink protrudes into the hole diameter of the nozzle, there is a problem that proper printing of ink droplets is prevented and normal printing cannot be performed.

  Therefore, conventionally, in order to prevent the nozzle from drying, a cap that stores, for example, a liquid made of water or the like as a moisturizing liquid is provided in the cap, and the user appropriately injects the moisturizing liquid into the storing section for drying. For example, a moisturizing member made of, for example, a sponge or a fibrous material is provided in the cap, and the moisturizing member is impregnated with a moisturizing liquid to prevent drying. Since the liquid is to be replenished, forgetting the replenishment, spilling the moisturizing liquid at the time of replenishment, or scattering, the maintenance management to prevent drying was a very troublesome and troublesome work.

  In order to eliminate this maintenance work, for example, during the maintenance of the nozzle, in order to prevent nozzle clogging, etc., the above-described operation for discharging ink from the nozzle to the cap is used, and the discharged ink is moisturized. A liquid is also developed, but it only ejects a specified amount of ink to prevent nozzle clogging, etc., and it does not eject ink according to the moisture retention state in the cap. As a result, there was a problem of drying the nozzle.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention, in an ink jet printing apparatus that performs printing by ejecting ink droplets from nozzles, maintains an appropriate moisturizing state so as not to dry the nozzles and facilitates maintenance management for preventing drying. Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of printing high-quality and high-quality image information without nozzle clogging caused by drying.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit having an ink ejection unit for printing image information output from the image information output unit; and a cap unit attached to the ink ejection unit. A cap detecting means for detecting an attaching / detaching operation of the cap means with respect to the ink discharge portion, and detecting a time when the cap means is separated from the ink discharge portion as a cap-out time; and an ink discharge time based on the cap-out time. An ink discharge time calculating means for calculating the ink discharge time, and when the cap detection means detects that the cap means is attached to the ink discharge portion, the cap means from the ink discharge portion based on the ink discharge time And a moisturizing control means for maintaining the moisturizing state by ejecting ink to the ink, and based on the ink ejection time. When ink information is ejected from the ink ejection unit to the cap unit, when a print command for image information is received from the image information output unit, the moisture retention control unit interrupts ink ejection by the ink ejection unit, and The ink discharge time calculating means is controlled to add the remaining ink discharge time to the next ink discharge time.

  As a result, even if ink replenishment is interrupted, the remaining amount of ink is replenished next time, so that an appropriate moisturizing state is maintained without running out of ink for moisturizing, and maintenance management for preventing dryness. Therefore, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus that can print high-quality and high-quality image information.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the ink discharge time by the ink discharge time calculating means is set based on the following formula.

Ink ejection time (seconds) = capout time (seconds) x ejection time coefficient + previous remaining ejection time (seconds)
As a result, the relationship between the cap-out time and the ink ejection time is kept constant, the appropriate moisturizing state can be kept constant, and maintenance management for preventing dryness is facilitated. A printing apparatus capable of printing can be provided.

  Inkjet printers maintain the moisturized state by discharging ink to the cap based on the cap-out time, so it is possible to replenish the ink appropriately according to the dry state, and also maintain and manage to prevent drying Therefore, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus and a control method for the printing apparatus that can print high-quality and high-quality image information without clogging the nozzles due to drying.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

  FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a printing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the moisturizing control of the present invention.

  The configuration of the printing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a head having a nozzle for ejecting ink droplets, 2 is a carriage on which the head 1 is mounted, 3 is a capping means, 4 is a cleaning means, 5 is a recording member, and 11 is a printing device. A housing 12 is a slide guide for the carriage 2 to reciprocate.

  The head 1 is an ink jet type printing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an ink jet printer) for printing information such as characters and images (hereinafter referred to as image information) by causing ink droplets to fly from a plurality of nozzles having extremely small holes. )) And is configured to cause ink droplets to be ejected from the nozzles by generating mechanical distortion with a piezoelectric element by a head driving circuit (not shown) or by generating bubbles with a heat source. .

  When the head 1 is a head that prints a color image, for example, the four colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are changed to dark ink and light ink, respectively. Some of them are composed of a total of eight head blocks (not shown) in order to discharge separately from nozzles (not shown) and form a higher-definition color image.

  Of course, the configuration of the head block is not limited to eight, but is set according to the specifications of the ink jet printer, the type of ink to be used, and the like. There are only M, C, and K colors, and there are single colors depending on the application.

  The carriage 2 is used to mount a head 1 for printing image information and the like on a recording member 5 such as paper, a resin film or a cloth, and to reciprocate along a slide guide 12. The drive is controlled via a carriage drive mechanism (not shown) composed of a gear, a belt, or the like as a drive source.

  In addition to the head 1, some carriages 2 are equipped with a head drive circuit, an ink tank for discharge called an intermediate tank (not shown), and the like.

  The capping means 3 is used to prevent the peripheral portion of the nozzle of the head 1 from drying out too much when the head 1 does not perform printing operation, so that the ink is solidified and ink droplets cannot be ejected from the nozzle. Although not shown in detail, it means a mechanism or device for covering the nozzle surface of the head 1 with a cap (cap). Generally, the cap contains a moisturizing liquid or ink. Sponge-like things moistened with etc. are provided.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, a capping mechanism (not shown) using a motor as a drive source when the head 1 moves to a position where a cap can be formed (hereinafter referred to as a capping position) when the head 1 does not perform a printing operation. In this case, a cap is applied to the nozzle surface side of the head 1, and when the cap is capped, a small amount of ink is ejected from the nozzle so that the sponge-like material is not dried.

  The cleaning means 4 is a nozzle that is caused by ink droplets ejected from the nozzle periphery of the head 1 (hereinafter referred to as the nozzle surface), paper dust or thread debris of the recording member 5, or dirt or dust in the atmosphere. This is intended to prevent ink droplets from flying due to clogging, and the flight direction of ink droplets from being distorted. Although not shown in detail, the surface of the nozzle is generally made of a rubber spatula. Some are equipped with a suction mechanism that eliminates clogging of the nozzle by rubbing or wiping with a sponge-like object and pressing the cap linked to the suction device against the nozzle surface forcibly sucking. The operation of cleaning the nozzle surface of the head 1 or sucking the nozzles by the cleaning means 4 is called a cleaning operation.

  When cleaning the nozzle surface (not shown) of the head 1, when the head 1 is moved by the carriage 2 to a position where the cleaning means 4 can perform a cleaning operation (hereinafter referred to as “cleaning position”) and stopped, a predetermined value is obtained. The cleaning operation is performed.

  The recording member 5 is paper, resin film or fabric for printing image information or the like, and in a large-sized printing device, a member wound in a hollow roll to which a mandrel can be inserted is used. In many cases, during printing, a predetermined length is repeatedly fed by a feeding device (not shown) according to the printing capability, and after printing, the paper is cut by a cutter or the like provided on the carriage 2 for use. Depending on the specifications of the printing apparatus, a sheet-like recording member 5 cut to a predetermined size can be used.

  The slide guide 12 serves as a guide (guide) for the carriage 2 to reciprocate accurately and linearly, and is often provided with a linear encoder or the like in order to obtain accurate movement information of the carriage 2.

  The casing 11 forms a printing device. In addition to the above-described means and members, the housing 11 is attached with various sensors and driving devices necessary for printing operations and the like, although not shown. It is for covering or covering.

  A printing operation of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  When the head 1 mounted on the carriage 2 is in a capping position (arrow A) opposite to the capping means 3 and receives a print command from a control circuit (not shown), the capping means 3 becomes a cap (not shown). Is removed from the head 1, and the carriage 2 is moved forward in the order of 2A, 2B, 2C in the left direction in the figure.

  When a cleaning position detection sensor (not shown) detects that the carriage 2 has reached the cleaning position (arrow B) facing the cleaning means 4, the control circuit stops the movement of the carriage 2, and the cleaning means 4 Clean the nozzle face.

  When the cleaning means 4 finishes the predetermined cleaning operation, the control circuit moves the carriage 2 forward again in the left direction in the figure.

  When an end face detection sensor (not shown) provided on the carriage 2 detects the side end face of the recording member 5, a predetermined margin or printing range on both sides is set based on a preset width dimension of the recording member 5. The nozzle of the head 1 discharges ink from the set print start position, starts printing based on data such as image information stored in the memory (not shown) of the control circuit, and at the set print end position. Although the printing is finished, the carriage 2 further proceeds to the second standby position (arrow D), and the second standby position detection sensor (not shown) reaches the second standby position (arrow D). When this is detected, the control circuit stops the movement of the carriage 2.

  Thereafter, the control circuit starts the backward movement of the carriage 2 in the direction of the first standby position (arrow C), and the end surface sensor provided on the carriage 2 receives the side end surface of the recording member 5 in the same manner as the forward movement of the carriage 2. Is detected, printing is started from a position that has passed through the set margin, and printing is terminated at the set print end position. The carriage 2 further proceeds to the first standby position (arrow C), and the first When the standby position detection sensor (not shown) detects that the carriage 2 has reached the first standby position (arrow C), the control circuit stops the movement of the carriage 2.

  In other words, the control circuit instructs the printing to be repeated while the carriage 2 is reciprocatingly moved within the range between the first standby position (arrow C) and the second standby position (arrow D) during printing. When printing of data such as information is completed, the nozzle surface of the head 1 is cleaned at the cleaning position (arrow B), the nozzle surface of the head 1 is capped at the capping position (arrow A), and then stopped. Command to prepare for printing of data such as information.

  The control circuit is configured to return to the printing operation after the cleaning operation is performed once when the preset cleaning time is reached even during the printing of data such as image information.

  For this reason, the cleaning time is set according to the performance and accuracy of the head, and also changes depending on whether printing is in progress or there is no data such as image information to be printed. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, when ink is continuously ejected from the nozzles of the head, a time when the predetermined performance and accuracy that are set in advance are insufficient is obtained in advance through experiments. As a predetermined time, cleaning is executed when a predetermined time has passed since the previous cleaning.

  However, the setting of the cleaning time is not limited to this, and it is only necessary to maintain the predetermined performance and accuracy of the head. Therefore, the cleaning time may be provided separately in consideration of the situation of printing or standby. However, it may be set by other methods such as the amount of data such as image information to be printed and the number of times the carriage 2 is reciprocated.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the capping position (arrow A) and the cleaning are performed from the right end in the drawing in consideration of the moving direction of the carriage 2 so that the nozzle surface of the head 1 can be easily cleaned at the first printing. Although the position (arrow B) and the movement position are set, the arrangement order may be changed in consideration of the arrangement and operation of various means of the printing apparatus, and is the reverse of the embodiment of the present invention. The carriage 2 may be moved from the left end position in the figure.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of sensors are used to detect the movement position of the carriage 2, but the number of sensors and the movement stop control method are not limited to this. The pulse drive system that controls the drive by applying the set pulse to a pulse motor or the like, detects the number of pulses detected by a linear encoder, etc., or the pulse drive system and sensor, etc. For example, speed control such as acceleration / deceleration and moving position control may be performed by using them together, and the carriage 2 may be controlled to move at a constant speed and stop at an accurate position.

  The circuit configuration of the printing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a control circuit of the printing apparatus. The control circuit 100 includes a CPU 110, an information control circuit 120, an interface (I / F) 130, an image processing circuit 140, a drive control circuit 150, a moisture retention control circuit 160, The driving control circuit 150 includes a display unit 170, an operation input unit 180, a power supply circuit 190, and the like. The drive control circuit 150 includes a head unit 151, a carriage unit 152, a feeding unit 153 that drives a recording member to a print position, a cleaning unit 154, and capping. The moisturizing control circuit 160 includes cap detection means 161 that detects the time when the cap is separated from the head (cap-out time) by controlling the driving of various means such as the means 155, and the information control circuit 120 An image information memory for storing data such as image information input from the image information output means. And a management information memory 122 for storing management information for maintaining and managing the printing apparatus. The control circuit 100 is an external information device serving as image information output means via an interface (I / F) 130. Connected to a host computer 200.

  The CPU 110 includes control information storage means (not shown) for storing control information such as sequences corresponding to programs such as various print modes and various control modes stored in advance, and the entire control circuit 100 is based on the control information. To control.

  Various printing modes include monochrome mode, color image mode, high-definition mode for image rendering, standard mode, simplified mode that does not print halftone colors, and unidirectional printing mode that allows you to select the printing direction. And a reciprocating printing mode, and an editing mode is also provided for changing the layout of an image to be printed or entering characters.

  The information control circuit 120 controls the input / output of various information such as image information with an external information device and information for controlling the operation of the printing apparatus and the flow of various information inside the printing apparatus quickly and smoothly. In this circuit, an external information device as image information output means under the control of the CPU 110, for example, an image information memory 121 for inputting and storing data such as image information input from the host computer 200 in a timely manner, and what kind of printing device is used A management information memory 122 or the like for storing management information relating to the operation such as when and at what timing the information amount printing operation is performed is provided.

  The image processing circuit 140 converts data such as image information input from the host computer 200 or the like via the information control circuit 120 and stored in the image information memory 121 into print data suitable for the printing apparatus, and the drive control circuit 150. In conjunction with the printing, the head means 151 performs printing.

  The printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention basically prints data such as image information read from the host computer 200, but allows simple editing to realize optimum printing. For example, in the edit mode, data such as image information is converted so as to adapt to various print modes selected by the operation input unit 180 or the like, and image enlargement such as layout adjustment for printing is performed. When image processing such as gradation correction accompanying image reduction, image data complementation or simple error diffusion is performed, and when there is a simple addition or deletion of characters, the image stored in the image information memory 121 Data such as characters is added to or deleted from data such as information so that the printing apparatus can perform printing.

  The drive control circuit 150 drives and controls various means such as the head means 151, the carriage means 152, the feeding means 153, the cleaning means 154, and the capping means 155, and performs cleaning and capping in order to perform the printing operation normally. The maintenance operation to be performed and the printing operation to perform printing based on data such as image information from the image processing circuit 140 are operated based on a sequence according to a program set in advance by a command from the CPU 110.

  The moisturizing control circuit 160 is a circuit that controls to maintain the moisturizing state by ejecting ink to the cap that covers the nozzle peripheral part of the head so that the nozzles and the nozzle peripheral part of the ink ejecting part of the head are not dried. When the cap detection unit 161 detects that the cap is separated from the head and detects the time when the cap is separated from the head as the cap-out time, ink is ejected based on the cap-out time information from the cap detection unit 161. Based on the ink discharge time when the cap detection unit 161 detects that the cap is mounted on the ink discharge portion, or the function as the ink discharge time calculation unit for calculating the ink discharge time and the intermittent ink discharge time. The head means 151 is operated via the drive control circuit 150 and the head nozzle By ejecting ink and a function as a moisture retaining control means for maintaining the moisturizing state the cap.

  In particular, when it is determined that the ink discharge time calculated based on the cap-out time exceeds the preset maximum discharge time that can be discharged at one time, the bubble generated when ink is discharged to the cap does not sink and overflow. In addition, in consideration of the time for which the moisturizing material is impregnated with the ink when the cap is provided with a moisturizing material, the ink intermittent ejection time for intermittent ink ejection is calculated. Control is performed so that ink is ejected based on the intermittent ink ejection time.

  In addition, when ink is ejected from the cap, for example, when a print command for image information is received from the host computer 200, ink ejection from the head unit 151 is performed via the drive control circuit 150 in order to prioritize the printing operation. At the same time, the remaining ink ejection time is added to the next ink ejection time.

  Note that the formula for calculating the ink discharge time (ink discharge time (seconds) = cap-out time (seconds) × discharge time coefficient + last remaining discharge time (seconds)) is calculated based on the cap-out time. For example, in the embodiment of the present invention, α = 1/360 (ink ejection frequency = 5 kHz) is set as the ejection time coefficient (α). For example, the maximum discharge time (for example, 3 seconds) that can be discharged at one time that is stored in a moisture retention information memory (not shown) provided in the moisture retention control circuit 160, for example, and the remaining ink ejection. Information such as time can also be stored in the moisturizing information memory. Of course, the discharge time coefficient (α) and the preset maximum discharge time that can be discharged at one time are set according to the specifications and performance of the printing apparatus, and are not limited thereto.

  In addition, regarding the cap attachment / detachment operation detection with respect to the head by the cap detection means 161, a cap attachment / detachment detection sensor is provided on the cap provided on the capping means 155 or a member related to the cap attachment / detachment operation to detect the attachment / detachment operation. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, for example, when waiting for the printing operation, the head unit 151 moves to the capping position and the drive control circuit 150 operates the capping unit 155. The cap detection means 161 inputs command information for attaching / detaching the cap, for example, a cap removal command instructing to remove the cap-attaching sill cap that instructs the head to attach the cap. Detachment detection is performed, and the key is synchronized with this command. -Up is so that by measuring the time you are away from the head to detect the cap-out time.

  The display unit 170 is configured as, for example, a liquid crystal display device, and a screen display for mode selection that allows the CPU 110 to select various modes and check the execution status when various modes are selected, and image information to be printed in the edit mode. Edit, display layout change, edit screen display that can confirm addition or deletion of characters, etc., or clock display that displays the clock while the printer is operating, etc. Yes.

  The operation input unit 180 includes, for example, a keyboard and a mouse, and can select various modes, change the layout of images and the like in the edit mode, and add or delete characters. The information and data input by the operation input unit 180 are determined by the information control circuit 120 and transmitted to the CPU 110, the image processing circuit 140, the image information memory 121, and the like.

  When the power supply circuit 190 is turned on by a power switch (not shown), the power supply activation circuit (not shown) provided in the power supply circuit 190 activates the control circuit 100 and the like to enable printing operation by various means. In the case where the power is shut off by a power switch or a command from the CPU 110, the CPU 110 operates various means at preset positions and terminates all the operations, and then a power shut-off circuit (see FIG. (Not shown) is activated, and all power supplies are cut off.

  The operation of the circuit relating to the moisture retention control will be described.

  The moisturizing control is stored in the CPU 110 as an operation of a part of the maintenance program or as an independent moisturizing control program, and the moisturizing control is performed according to this program.

  In order to print image information, when a capping removal command is issued from the head to the capping unit 155 from the CPU 110 via the drive control circuit 150, the capping unit 155 is activated to remove the cap from the head provided in the head unit 151. At the same time, the removal operation is performed, and the cap removal command is also input to the cap detection means 161, and detection of the cap-out time, that is, measurement of the cap-out time is started.

  The head with the cap removed causes the ink to fly from the nozzle to the recording member such as paper in conjunction with the image information from the image processing circuit 140 and the operation of the carriage means 152 and the feeding means 153 by the drive control circuit 150. Perform printing.

  After the printing is finished, the carriage unit 152 is operated by the command of the drive control circuit 150 and the head unit 151 returns to the initial position (capping position), and the capping unit 155 mounts the cap on the head by the cap installation command of the drive control circuit 150. At the same time, a cap attachment command is input to the cap detection means 161, the measurement of the cap-out time is completed, and the cap-out time is detected.

  The moisturizing control circuit 160 obtains the ink ejection time by a calculation formula based on the cap-out time detected by the cap detection means 161, and determines whether or not the calculated ink ejection time is within one longest ejection time.

  When it is determined that the longest discharge time is not exceeded, the head unit 151 is operated via the drive control circuit 150 according to the calculated ink discharge time, and the ink for moisturizing is discharged from the nozzle of the head. When it is determined that it exceeds, the cap detection means 161 calculates the intermittent ink discharge time for intermittent discharge. When the intermittent ink discharge time is calculated, the head means 151 is operated via the drive control circuit 150, and the head Ink for moisturizing is intermittently ejected from the nozzles.

  When a print command is received from the host computer 200 while ink for moisturizing is being ejected, an ink ejection interruption command is issued to the moisturizing control circuit 160 via the CPU 110, and the moisturizing control circuit 160 responds to this command. Correspondingly, the head means 151 is operated via the drive control circuit 150 to interrupt the ink ejection and calculate the remaining ink ejection time. For example, the moisture retention information memory (see FIG. The remaining ink discharge time is stored in (not shown) and added when the next ink discharge time is calculated.

  In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, the timing of replenishing ink is performed every time the head returns to the capping position. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and ink replenishment is performed during maintenance as part of the maintenance. Alternatively, it may be performed at an independent cycle in consideration of the environment such as the installation location of the printing apparatus.

  In this way, the moisturizing control circuit 160 receives the command from the CPU 110 and cooperates with the cap detection unit 161, the drive control circuit 150, and the like to control the moisturizing state so that the nozzle is not always dried. is doing.

  A calculation formula for obtaining the ink ejection time for moisturizing is set as follows.

Ink ejection time (seconds) = capout time (seconds) x ejection time coefficient + previous remaining ejection time (seconds)
In other words, the calculation formula for obtaining the ink ejection time is set based on the time when the cap is separated from the head, that is, the cap-out time. Since the ink is sealed when the cap covers the head, it hardly dries, but it becomes easier to dry when the cap is separated from the head, and the longer the time it is, the more it dries. When refilling the ink, it is necessary to replenish in consideration of the cap-out time, and moreover, the amount of ink that can be stored in the cap and how much ink per unit time, for example, from the nozzle of the head per second Calculations and experiments on how much ink can be discharged or how long the ink will dry out on average And or more required, it will set the detailed conditions.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, for the sake of simplicity, the detailed specifications and performance of the printing apparatus are omitted, but in setting various conditions, the ink that can be stored in the cap of the printing apparatus used in the experiment In consideration of the amount of ink and the condition that the ink replenishment time does not become too long, the ink ejection time by the head is set to 3 seconds as the longest ejection time, and intermittent When the ink is replenished, the time interval is set so that the bubble generated when the ink is discharged into the cap does not overflow and the moisturizing material is impregnated with the moisturizing material. Taking into account the time required for this, we decided to leave an interval of at least 3 seconds.

  In addition, considering the above conditions, the general environment in which the printing apparatus performs printing is considered in consideration that the printing apparatus is basically a system that performs maintenance once every about 20 minutes. As a result of obtaining an average drying amount below, it has been found that it is sufficient to discharge ink for about 3 seconds in order to replenish the ink that dries during the printing operation for about 20 minutes, so the discharge time coefficient (α) Is set to α = 1/360 (ink ejection frequency = 5 kHz).

  Although there is a slight margin in the amount of cap storage, to ensure that it does not overflow, if a fraction of the second or less in the ink discharge time is calculated, it is rounded down to the second. Decided to simplify the control.

  Of course, it is preferable to set these various conditions according to the environment in which the printing apparatus is installed and the specifications and performance of the printing apparatus, as described above, and is not limited to this. Needless to say.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the ink ejection in the moisture retention control will be described.

  FIGS. (A) to (D) are diagrams showing various modes of ink ejection in a time chart, SP is ink ejection start timing, ST is ink ejection interruption timing by printing command, and the convex portion is hatched. The portion indicates the ink discharge execution unit, and the concave portion indicates the ink discharge pause portion. The dotted line portion schematically shows the remaining ink discharge portion and the addition portion in the next ink discharge.

  (A) The figure shows the case where the cap-out time is 18 minutes and the ink discharge time is 3 seconds according to the calculation formula.

  In this case, the maximum discharge time for one time is set within 3 seconds, but since the ink discharge time is also 3 seconds, ink discharge for moisture retention is completed once.

  FIG. 5B shows a case where the cap-out time is 30 minutes and the ink discharge time according to the calculation formula is 5 seconds.

  In this case, since the longest discharge time of one time is set within 3 seconds, intermittent discharge is performed. After discharging ink for 3 seconds, it is paused for 3 seconds and then discharged for 2 seconds. It is what I do.

  FIG. 5C shows a case where a cap command is 30 minutes and the ink discharge time according to the calculation formula is 5 seconds, but a print command is issued during the ink discharge.

  In this case, the ink discharge is the same as the condition shown in FIG. (B), but the ink discharge is interrupted because the print command is received during the last 2 seconds of ink discharge, and the remaining 1 second of ink is discharged. Therefore, the ink discharge time is calculated by adding this one second at the next ink discharge.

  (D) The figure shows the next ink ejection of (C), the cap-out time is 30 minutes, the conditions are the same as in (B), and the ink ejection time according to the calculation formula is 5 seconds. However, it is necessary to add the remaining 1 second of the previous ink ejection time, and as a result, the ink ejection time is 6 seconds.

  In this case, since the longest discharge time of one time is set within 3 seconds, intermittent discharge is performed, and after discharging ink for 3 seconds, it pauses for 3 seconds, and then discharges ink for 3 seconds. It is what I do.

  In this way, by replenishing the ink deficient in the previous time appropriately at the next ink replenishment, the ink nozzle is not deficient and the nozzle portion of the head is not dried.

  As described above, the ink discharge time is calculated based on the cap-out time, and an appropriate amount of ink is discharged to the cap. If the cap-out time is long, the ink discharge time is also increased, and one longest discharge is performed. If the time is exceeded, take care of the time for the ink to impregnate the moisturizing material provided on the cap so as not to sink and overflow the bubbles generated when the ink is ejected to the cap. By using intermittent ejection, the ink does not inadvertently overflow from the cap, so the surroundings of the printing device will not be soiled, and even if ink ejection is interrupted by the print command, the next time The remaining ink ejection amount is added to prevent the ink for dampening from running out. Maintenance is easy without the user forgetting to replenish the moisturizing liquid, the appropriate moisturizing state is always maintained, and clogging due to drying of the nozzle and the surrounding area of the nozzle and ink flight are not hindered. High-quality and high-quality image information can be printed.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the host computer has been described as the image output means that is an external information device. However, the image information may be input by connecting to a server connected to the Internet. It goes without saying that image information can be input by connecting to a computer or a scanner.

1 is an overall schematic view of a printing apparatus of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the moisture retention control of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Head 2 Carriage 3 Capping means 4 Cleaning means 5 Recording member 11 Case 12 Slide guide 100 Control circuit 110 CPU
120 Information Control Circuit 130 Interface (I / F)
140 Image processing circuit 150 Drive control circuit 160 Moisturizing control circuit 170 Display means 180 Operation input means 190 Power supply circuit 200 Host computer

Claims (2)

In a printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit having an ink ejection unit for printing image information output from the image information output unit; and a cap unit mounted on the ink ejection unit, the ink ejection unit of the cap unit A cap detection unit that detects a time during which the cap unit is separated from the ink discharge unit as a cap-out time, and an ink discharge time calculation unit that calculates an ink discharge time based on the cap-out time. When the cap detection unit detects that the cap unit is mounted on the ink discharge unit, the ink is discharged from the ink discharge unit to the cap unit based on the ink discharge time, and the moisturizing state is set. And a moisturizing control means for maintaining the ink discharge unit based on the ink discharge time. When the image information output command is received from the image information output means while ink is being ejected to the cap means, the moisturizing control means interrupts the ink ejection by the ink ejection section and sets the remaining ink ejection time. A printing apparatus, wherein the ink discharge time calculating means is controlled to add to the next ink discharge time. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink discharge time by the ink discharge time calculation unit is set based on the following expression.
Ink ejection time (seconds) = capout time (seconds) x ejection time coefficient + previous remaining ejection time (seconds)

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