JP5786416B2 - RECORDING DEVICE, RECORDING DEVICE CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus including a recording head having a plurality of nozzles, a control method for the recording apparatus, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording apparatus (printer) configured to be able to perform a nozzle check that detects ejection failure of nozzles provided in a recording head is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In this type of recording apparatus, when a discharge failure is detected in a nozzle, cleaning is performed to eliminate the discharge failure. In cleaning, the ink remaining in each nozzle is forcibly sucked to try to eliminate nozzle ejection defects.

JP 2006-198924 A

Here, the cleaning is a process involving consumption of ink. Therefore, in the case where the cleaning is executed according to the result of the nozzle check as in the above-described recording apparatus, it is desired to suppress the unnecessary cleaning and the wasteful consumption of ink by reflecting the result of the nozzle check. There is a need to do.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and when performing cleaning according to the result of the nozzle check, unnecessary cleaning is performed reflecting the result of the past nozzle check. It aims at suppressing.

The following can be applied to the present invention.
(Application example 1)
A recording head having a plurality of nozzles, a nozzle check execution unit that executes a nozzle check that detects ejection failure of the nozzles, and a nozzle check result storage unit that stores a result of the nozzle check executed by the nozzle check execution unit A cleaning execution unit that performs cleaning of the recording head, and the cleaning execution unit stores the result of executing the nozzle check by the nozzle check execution unit and the nozzle check result storage unit, A recording apparatus that determines whether or not to perform the cleaning based on at least a result of the nozzle check including a result of the nozzle check performed before power-on.
(Application example 2)
When the nozzle check execution unit executes the nozzle check and detects the ejection failure for any of the nozzles, the cleaning execution unit eliminates the ejection failure at the nozzle by performing cleaning up to a predetermined number of times. The nozzle check result storage unit stores an error relating to the ejection failure when the ejection failure in the nozzle is not eliminated even after the cleaning is performed until the predetermined number of times. A recording apparatus.
(Application example 3)
After the power is turned on, the cleaning execution unit executes the nozzle check by the nozzle check execution unit and detects the discharge failure in any of the nozzles, and the discharge check is stored in the nozzle check result storage unit. In the recording apparatus, it is determined that the cleaning is not performed when the error is stored, and the cleaning is determined when the error related to the ejection failure is not stored. .
(Application example 4)
After the power is turned on, the nozzle check execution unit performs the nozzle check, and as a result, a predetermined number of defective nozzles are detected, and the nozzle check result storage unit stores the nozzle check result before the power is turned on. From the result of the nozzle check performed, if the ejection failure occurs in the same nozzle, the cleaning execution unit determines that the cleaning is not executed.
(Application example 5)
The nozzle check result including the result of the nozzle check performed before turning on the power stored by the nozzle check result storage unit exceeds the predetermined number, and the ejection failure occurs for the number of nozzles. If it is, the cleaning execution unit determines that the cleaning is not executed.
(Application example 6)
In the case where the cleaning is performed the predetermined number of times, when the nozzle check execution unit detects the ejection failure at different nozzles for each of the nozzle checks performed in accordance with each cleaning, The nozzle check result storage unit stores that an error caused by the cleaning has occurred.
(Application example 7)
After the power is turned on, the cleaning execution unit determines that the cleaning is not performed when the nozzle check result storage unit stores that an error caused by the cleaning has occurred. A recording apparatus characterized by determining that the cleaning is to be executed when it is not stored that such an error has occurred.
(Application example 8)
A control method for a recording apparatus including a recording head having a plurality of nozzles, wherein a first nozzle check for detecting a discharge failure of the nozzle is performed, a result of the first nozzle check is stored, and the power is turned off Whether or not to perform cleaning of the nozzle based on the result of the second nozzle check and the stored result of the first nozzle check. A control method for a recording apparatus, comprising: discriminating.
(Application example 9)
A program executed by a control unit that controls each unit of a recording apparatus including a recording head having a plurality of nozzles, wherein the control unit performs a first nozzle check that detects ejection failure of the nozzle, and The result of the first nozzle check is stored, the second nozzle check is performed after the power is turned on after the power is turned off, and the result of the second nozzle check and the stored result of the first nozzle check are stored. And a program for determining whether or not to perform the cleaning of the nozzle.
(Application example 10)
A recording head having a plurality of nozzles, a nozzle check execution unit that executes a nozzle check that detects ejection failure of the nozzles, and a nozzle check result storage unit that stores a result of the nozzle check executed by the nozzle check execution unit And a cleaning execution unit that performs cleaning of the recording head, and using the predetermined event of 1 as a trigger, the nozzle check execution unit limits the predetermined number of times until ejection failure of the nozzle is no longer detected. The nozzle check is executed, and the cleaning execution unit executes the cleaning based on the result of the nozzle check by the nozzle check execution unit, while the nozzle check is performed the predetermined number of times. When the discharge failure is not resolved, the predetermined number of times is executed. According to the mode of change of the nozzle in which ejection failure is detected in the nozzle check, if ejection failure is continuously detected for a specific nozzle exceeding the allowable number, it is determined as a nozzle clogging error and allowed. When a defective discharge is detected continuously for a specific number of nozzles within the number, it is determined as a head failure error, and a defective discharge is detected for a different nozzle in the nozzle check process executed a predetermined number of times. In this case, it is determined that a cleaning error has occurred in the process related to the cleaning, and the nozzle check result storage unit stores information indicating the determination result, and the predetermined event next to the predetermined event of 1 is stored. When the nozzle check performed by the nozzle check execution unit as a trigger detects a discharge failure of the nozzle, the cleaning is executed. When the nozzle check result storage unit stores information indicating the head failure error, the nozzle check result storage unit shifts to a normal operation without performing the cleaning, and the nozzle check result storage unit stores the nozzle clogging error, or When the information indicating the cleaning error is stored, the recording apparatus shifts to a standby state without performing the cleaning.
(Application Example 11)
The recording apparatus, wherein the predetermined event is power-on.
(Application Example 12)
A method for controlling a recording apparatus having a recording head having a plurality of nozzles, and using a predetermined event as a trigger, a nozzle check is performed with a predetermined number of times as an upper limit until no defective ejection of the nozzle is detected If, on the other hand, cleaning is executed based on the result of the nozzle check and the nozzle discharge failure is not resolved even after the nozzle check is executed for the predetermined number of times, the discharge is performed in the nozzle check that has been executed the predetermined number of times. According to the mode of change of the nozzle in which a defect is detected, when a discharge defect is detected continuously for a specific nozzle that exceeds the allowable number, it is determined as a nozzle clogging error, and a specific value within the allowable number is determined. If a discharge failure is detected continuously for the nozzle, it is determined that the head has failed, and the nozzle check that has been performed the predetermined number of times is performed. When ejection failure is detected in the different nozzles in the process, it is determined that the cleaning process has an abnormality in the cleaning process, information indicating the determination result is stored, and after the predetermined event of 1 When a nozzle discharge failure is detected by the nozzle check executed using the predetermined event as a trigger, and when information indicating the head failure error is stored, the process proceeds to a normal operation without executing the cleaning. A method of controlling a recording apparatus, wherein when information indicating the nozzle clogging error or the cleaning error is stored, the recording apparatus shifts to a standby state without executing the cleaning.
(Application Example 13)
A program executed by a control unit that controls each unit of a recording apparatus including a recording head having a plurality of nozzles, and the control unit detects a discharge failure of the nozzle by using a predetermined event as a trigger. The nozzle check is executed up to a predetermined number of times until it disappears, and cleaning is executed based on the result of the nozzle check. On the other hand, even if the nozzle check is executed for the predetermined number of times, the ejection failure of the nozzle is not eliminated. In the case where a discharge failure is detected continuously for a specific nozzle that exceeds an allowable number in accordance with the mode of change of the nozzle in which the discharge failure is detected in the nozzle check that has been executed the predetermined number of times. If it is determined that the nozzle is clogged and a discharge failure is detected continuously for a specific nozzle within the allowable number, When an ejection failure is detected in the different nozzles in the nozzle check process that has been executed the predetermined number of times, it is determined that a cleaning error has occurred in the cleaning process, and the determination result Information indicating the head failure error is stored when a nozzle discharge failure is detected in the nozzle check that is executed using the predetermined event next to the predetermined event as a trigger. If the information indicating the nozzle clogging error or the cleaning error is stored, the transition to the standby state is performed without executing the cleaning. A featured program.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a recording apparatus, a recording head having a plurality of nozzles, a nozzle check execution unit that executes a nozzle check for detecting ejection defects of the plurality of nozzles, A nozzle check result storage unit that stores a result of the nozzle check executed by the nozzle check execution unit; and a cleaning execution unit that executes cleaning of the recording head. The cleaning execution unit executes the nozzle check. Based on a result of executing the nozzle check by a unit and a result of the nozzle check including at least a result of the nozzle check performed before power-on stored in the nozzle check result storage unit It is characterized by determining whether to execute.
According to this configuration, the cleaning is not performed uniformly according to the result of the nozzle check, but the result of the nozzle check performed in the past is reflected to determine whether to perform the cleaning. Therefore, it is possible not to execute the cleaning that is determined to be unnecessary from the result of the nozzle check performed at the same time, and it is possible to suppress unnecessary cleaning. In particular, when considering the result of the nozzle check performed before the power is turned on, unnecessary cleaning performed after the power is turned on can be effectively suppressed.
Here, when the result of the nozzle check does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the operation of cleaning and then performing the nozzle check is repeated, and when the result of the nozzle check satisfies the predetermined condition, the nozzle check is performed. Assume that the configuration is not executed. In this case, if the result of the nozzle check is not stored when the power is turned off, the result of the nozzle check does not remain every time the power is turned on, so the above operation is repeated again. In this case, even if cleaning has been performed in the past, it has been found that the result of the nozzle check does not satisfy the predetermined condition, but cleaning is repeatedly performed after the power is turned on. It becomes. In other words, the cleaning is performed with the same purpose and content as those performed before the power is turned off. This causes a waste of time, ink, and a shortened mechanism life associated with cleaning. And according to the said structure, such a situation can be avoided.

Further, in the recording apparatus according to the invention, the cleaning execution unit may execute the nozzle check by the nozzle check execution unit, and when the ejection failure is detected in any of the nozzles, The operation of executing the cleaning by the cleaning execution unit is repeatedly executed up to a predetermined upper limit number of times until the ejection failure in all the nozzles is resolved, and as a result of the nozzle check by the nozzle check execution unit, If a discharge failure is not detected or if the discharge failure is eliminated for all the nozzles, the discharge failure is not resolved even if the recording operation is performed and the cleaning is performed until the predetermined upper limit is reached. In the case, it is determined that an error relating to the ejection failure has occurred, and the nozzle check result storage is performed. The result of the nozzle check is stored by the nozzle check result, and after the nozzle check by the nozzle check execution unit, the nozzle check result even if a discharge failure is detected for the nozzles within a predetermined allowable number by the nozzle check From the result of the nozzle check including the result of the nozzle check performed before turning on the power stored by the storage unit, an error that does not eliminate the ejection failure for each of the nozzles within the predetermined allowable number. If it can be determined that it has occurred, it is determined that the cleaning is not performed, and then the recording operation is performed.
Here, the predetermined allowable number is an allowable number from the viewpoint of maintaining print quality as the number of nozzles in which ejection defects have occurred. If the nozzle check performed in the past does not eliminate the defective discharge even if cleaning is performed for a specific number of nozzles within the allowable number up to the upper limit, the nozzle itself or the print head has some error. However, even if cleaning is performed, the ejection failure does not disappear, but as long as it is within the allowable number range, even if recording is performed without eliminating ejection failure, the print quality is It is assumed that it will be maintained.
Based on the above, according to the above configuration, a discharge failure that cannot be eliminated even after cleaning has occurred, and the nozzles with the discharge failure are specific nozzles within the allowable number, and therefore, cleaning is not possible. When it is possible to shift to the normal recording operation without executing the cleaning, the cleaning is not executed, and unnecessary cleaning can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to avoid repeated cleaning each time the power is turned on.

Further, in the recording apparatus according to the invention, the cleaning execution unit may include the nozzle check including a result of the nozzle check performed before the power-on, which is stored in the nozzle check result storage unit. From this result, if it can be determined that an error that does not eliminate the ejection failure occurs for the number of nozzles exceeding the predetermined allowable number, it is determined that the cleaning is not performed.
According to this configuration, when an ejection failure that cannot be eliminated by cleaning has occurred for the number of nozzles that exceeds the allowable number, cleaning is not performed and it is determined that an error has occurred. Therefore, unnecessary cleaning can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to avoid repeating the same operation every time the power is turned on.

In the recording apparatus according to the invention, the cleaning execution unit may be different for each of the nozzle checks performed in accordance with each cleaning when the cleaning is performed for the predetermined upper limit number of times. When the ejection failure is detected in the nozzle, it is determined that an error due to the cleaning has occurred, and the fact is stored in the nozzle check result storage unit.
Here, when an error has occurred in cleaning, it is assumed that when cleaning is performed a plurality of times, the error is detected for different nozzles in each cleaning.
Based on this, according to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately detect that an error due to cleaning has occurred. Further, it is possible to avoid repeating the same operation every time the power is turned on.

Further, in the recording apparatus according to the invention, the cleaning execution unit may detect a discharge failure for the nozzles within a predetermined allowable number by the nozzle check after the nozzle check by the nozzle check execution unit. Even when the nozzle check result storage unit stores a result indicating that an error caused by the cleaning has occurred as a result of the nozzle check, it is determined that the cleaning is not performed. It is characterized by doing.
Here, when an error caused by cleaning has occurred, there is a problem with the cleaning itself, and it is assumed that the ejection failure cannot be drastically eliminated unless the cleaning error is eliminated.
And according to the said structure, since cleaning is prevented in the condition where the error has generate | occur | produced in the cleaning, unnecessary cleaning can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to avoid repeating the same operation every time the power is turned on.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a method for controlling a recording apparatus including a recording head having a plurality of nozzles, and performs a nozzle check of the recording head and stores a result of the nozzle check. In addition, after the nozzle check is executed, the recording head cleaning is performed based on the result of the nozzle check and the stored result of the nozzle check including the result of the nozzle check performed before power-on. It is characterized by determining whether to execute.
According to this control method, instead of performing cleaning uniformly according to the result of the nozzle check, in order to determine whether to perform cleaning after reflecting the result of the nozzle check performed in the past, It is possible to not perform cleaning that is determined to be unnecessary from the result of the nozzle check performed in the past, and it is possible to suppress unnecessary cleaning.
In particular, when considering the result of the nozzle check performed before the power is turned on, unnecessary cleaning performed after the power is turned on can be effectively suppressed. In other words, when cleaning is performed for the same purpose before turning on the power, and the ejection failure is not eliminated by this cleaning, it is possible to prevent unnecessary cleaning from being performed for the same purpose after turning on the power. .

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a program executed by a control unit that controls a recording apparatus including a recording head having a plurality of nozzles and a storage unit, and the control unit includes a plurality of control units. A nozzle check execution unit that performs a nozzle check that detects ejection failure of the nozzle, a nozzle check result storage unit that stores a result of the nozzle check performed by the nozzle check execution unit in the storage unit, and a recording head When the nozzle check is executed by the nozzle check execution unit, the nozzle check result storage unit includes a result of the nozzle check and a result of the nozzle check stored before power-on. And the result of the nozzle check stored in the storage unit by the cleaning A cleaning execution unit to determine whether to execute the function as an characterized.
If this program is executed, the cleaning is not performed uniformly according to the result of the nozzle check, but the result of the nozzle check performed in the past is reflected to determine whether or not the cleaning is performed. It is possible to not perform cleaning that is determined to be unnecessary from the result of the nozzle check performed in the past, and it is possible to suppress unnecessary cleaning.
In particular, when considering the result of the nozzle check performed before the power is turned on, unnecessary cleaning performed after the power is turned on can be effectively suppressed. In other words, when cleaning is performed for the same purpose before turning on the power, and the ejection failure is not eliminated by this cleaning, it is possible to prevent unnecessary cleaning from being performed for the same purpose after turning on the power. .

  According to the present invention, when cleaning is performed according to the result of the nozzle check, it is possible to prevent unnecessary cleaning from being performed by reflecting the result of the nozzle check.

The block diagram of an inkjet printer and a host computer. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the conventional inkjet printer. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of an inkjet printer. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of an inkjet printer. It is a figure for demonstrating various errors.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an inkjet printer 1 (recording apparatus) and a host computer 2 that controls the inkjet printer 1.
The ink jet printer 1 is an ink jet printer that includes an ink jet head 11 (recording head) and ejects ink from nozzles formed on the ink jet head 11 to form dots on a recording medium. Check processing can be executed.

The cleaning process is a process for preventing ink from remaining in the nozzles (not shown) of the ink jet head 11 from increasing in viscosity with time and causing ejection failure due to this. This is a process for forcibly sucking ink remaining in the ink. Further, the cleaning process may include a combination including wiping for wiping the surface of the nozzle with a wiper, flushing for ejecting ink from the nozzle, and suction.
The ink jet printer 1 includes a mechanism that applies a negative pressure to the nozzles of the ink jet head 11 and sucks out ink remaining in the nozzles, and a cleaning process is executed by the mechanism.

The nozzle check process is a process for detecting whether or not ink ejection failure has occurred for each nozzle provided in the inkjet head 11.
The nozzle check process is performed as follows, for example.
That is, first, the inkjet head 11 is transported to a predetermined position. In the predetermined position, a conductive material is disposed in a region where ink is ejected and landed from the inkjet head 11, and a state of a current flowing through the conductive material or a change in charge can be detected. In the vicinity of one nozzle of the inkjet head 11, an electrode for charging the ejected ink is disposed.
Then, an ink droplet charged by an electrode is discharged from one nozzle of the inkjet head 11 to a region where the conductive material is disposed, and a state of a current flowing through the conductive material or a change in the charge is detected by the charge of the landed ink. Then, based on the detected current or charge state, it is determined whether or not an assumed amount of ink has been ejected in an assumed manner, and an ink ejection failure occurs in the one nozzle. Detect whether or not. In a single nozzle check process, all nozzles provided in the inkjet head 11 are sequentially performed to detect whether or not a discharge failure has occurred.
In addition, whether or not ejection failure has occurred in one nozzle by ejecting ink from one nozzle to the recording medium for nozzle check and optically reading dots formed on the recording medium with a scanner or the like. You may make it discriminate | determine. That is, the nozzle check may be performed using any method as long as a nozzle ejection failure can be detected for each nozzle.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet printer 1 includes a control unit 23, a print engine 24, a display unit 25, an input unit 29, an interface 26, and a storage unit 27.
The control unit 23 centrally controls each unit of the inkjet printer 1, and includes a CPU as a calculation execution unit and a ROM that nonvolatilely stores firmware executed by the CPU in a computer-readable manner. A RAM that temporarily stores a program executed by the CPU, data related to the program, and other peripheral circuits are provided.
The print engine 24 monitors the detection values of various sensors under the control of the control unit 23, and in addition to the inkjet head 11 described above, a conveyance motor for driving a conveyance roller for conveying a recording medium, and the inkjet head 11 By operating a carriage drive motor that drives a carriage for scanning in the main scanning direction, dots corresponding to the image are formed on the recording medium.
The print engine 24 includes various mechanisms (for example, a pump for applying a negative pressure to the nozzles of the inkjet head 11) for executing the cleaning process, and executes the cleaning process under the control of the control unit 23.
The print engine 24 includes various mechanisms (for example, a sensor that detects the state of the current flowing through the conductive material) for executing the nozzle check process, and the nozzles are controlled under the control of the nozzle check execution unit 40 of the control unit 23. Execute the check process.
The display unit 25 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, and displays various types of information on the display panel under the control of the control unit 23. The input unit 29 is connected to various operation switches provided in the inkjet printer 1, detects an operation on the operation switch, and outputs it to the control unit 23.
The interface 26 performs communication based on a predetermined standard with the host computer 2 under the control of the control unit 23.
The storage unit 27 includes an EEPROM, a hard disk, and the like, and stores various data in a rewritable manner.

As shown in FIG. 1, the host computer 2 includes a host-side control unit 36 that centrally controls each unit of the host computer 2, a host-side display unit 37 that displays various types of information on a display panel, and various input devices. A host-side input unit 38 that detects an operation on the host-side control unit 36 and outputs the data to the host-side control unit 36, a host-side storage unit 39 that stores various data in a rewritable manner, the inkjet printer 1, and processes related to various communications A host-side communication interface 35.
A printer driver for controlling the inkjet printer 1 is installed in the host computer 2, and when recording an image on a recording medium, the host-side control unit 36 reads and executes the printer driver, thereby A control command for executing various operations related to image recording is generated and output to the inkjet printer 1.
The control unit 23 of the inkjet printer 1 controls the print engine 24 based on the input control command and executes various operations related to recording.

  By the way, in the conventional inkjet printer 1 before applying the present invention, when the nozzle check process described above is executed, the following operation is performed.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart partially showing the operation of the conventional ink jet printer 1.
In the following operations, the functions of the nozzle check execution unit 40 and the cleaning execution unit 41 are realized by the cooperation of hardware and software, such as the firmware being read and executed by the CPU.
First, in step SA1, the nozzle check execution unit 40 of the control unit 23 controls the print engine 24 to execute nozzle check processing. The nozzle check process in step SA1 is executed by the nozzle check execution unit 40 triggered by the power supply of the ink jet printer 1 being turned on, and when an error relating to recording occurs in the ink jet printer 1 such as an ejection failure. In addition, it is executed automatically or by the nozzle check execution unit 40 based on an explicit instruction from the user.
As described above, in the nozzle check process, it is determined whether or not ejection failure has occurred for all the nozzles provided in the inkjet head 11.
Next, the cleaning execution unit 41 of the control unit 23 determines whether or not the cleaning process needs to be executed as a result of the nozzle check process (step SA2). In step SA2, if there is even one nozzle in which a discharge failure is detected as a result of the nozzle check process, it is determined that the cleaning process needs to be executed to eliminate the discharge failure. If no nozzle is detected, it is determined that there is no need to execute the cleaning process.

When it is determined in step SA2 that it is not necessary to execute the cleaning process (step SA2: NO), the control unit 23 rewrites the variable ACL, which is a variable, to “0” (step SA3), and performs normal operation (recording). (Operation SA4). The variable ACL is a variable defined on the program and conceptually represents a variable for storing the number of times the cleaning process has been executed in consideration of convenience of explanation. The default value of the variable ACL is “0”.
On the other hand, when it is determined in step SA2 that the cleaning process needs to be executed (step SA2: YES), the control unit 23 executes the cleaning process within the upper limit number J1 (four times in the present embodiment). Is determined (step SA5). Here, when the nozzle check is executed by the nozzle check execution unit 40 and the ejection check is detected for any of the nozzles, the conventional inkjet printer 1 performs the cleaning process by the cleaning execution unit 41. The upper limit number of times J1 is set as the upper limit until the ejection failure at all the nozzles is resolved, and when the ejection failure is not detected or the ejection failure at all the nozzles is resolved, the configuration shifts to the normal operation. In step SA5, it is determined whether or not the number of times the cleaning process has been performed exceeds the upper limit number J1. Note that the configuration in which the cleaning process is performed until the ejection failure is resolved with the upper limit number J1 as the upper limit is the same not only for the conventional inkjet printer 1 but also for the inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 2, it is determined whether or not the value of the variable ACL that stores the number of times the cleaning process has been performed is less than “4” that is the upper limit number of times J1. In addition, when the number of times of executing the cleaning process is less than 4, “YES” is determined, and when the number of times of executing the cleaning process is 4, it is determined as “NO”.

When the number of executions of the cleaning process is less than the upper limit number J1 (step SA5: YES), the cleaning execution unit 41 executes the cleaning process (step SA6), increments the value of the variable ACL (step SA7), and the processing procedure To step SA1.
On the other hand, when the number of times the cleaning process has been performed becomes the upper limit number J1 (step SA5: NO), in other words, even if the cleaning process has been executed four times (upper limit number J1) When a discharge failure is detected in the nozzle, the conventional cleaning execution unit 41 has made an error as a discharge failure that does not recover. In the present invention, steps SA8, SA9, and SA10 are added to further specify the cause of the error. If it is determined that the ejection failure does not recover, the process proceeds to step SA8.
In step SA <b> 8, the cleaning execution unit 41 continuously detects a discharge failure for the same one or a plurality of nozzles and does not detect a discharge failure for the other nozzles. It is determined whether or not.
In each cleaning process, when the same one or a plurality of specific nozzles are continuously detected as being defective each time a nozzle check is performed, and when no other nozzles are detected as being defective (step SA8: YES) The cleaning execution unit 41 determines that a head failure error has occurred in which a specific nozzle has an ejection failure (step SA9), controls the display unit 25, and displays that fact on the display panel. In this case, the normal operation is not performed and a standby state is entered.
On the other hand, when a discharge failure is detected, but the same one or more specific nozzles are not in a situation where a discharge failure is continuously detected every time the nozzle is checked, that is, every time the nozzle is checked. When a different nozzle is detected as a defective discharge (step SA8: NO), the cleaning execution unit 41 does not have a specific nozzle that is defective in discharge, and appropriate cleaning has not been performed and a cleaning error has occurred. (Step SA10), the display unit 25 is controlled, and this is displayed on the display panel. In this case, the normal operation is not performed and a standby state is entered.
Since the head failure error and the cleaning error will be described later in detail, the description thereof is omitted.

The conventional inkjet printer 1 that operates as described above has the following problems.
That is, if it is determined that a head failure error (step SA9) or a cleaning error (step SA10) has occurred, the display panel displays that each error has occurred without shifting to normal operation. . In this case, by referring to the display panel, the user recognizes that a head failure error or a cleaning error has occurred and has shifted to the standby state, and based on the recognition, the user should cancel the standby state. In order to reset the inkjet printer 1 once, the power may be turned off and then turned on again. When it is determined that a head failure error or a cleaning error has occurred due to a software factor, the error may be resolved by a reset associated with power off / on.
When the power is turned on again by the user, various reset processes and various initial processes (including a process for resetting the variable ACL to the default value “0”) are executed in conjunction with the power on. Again, the operations shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2 are sequentially executed starting from step SA1. In this case, since the head failure error and the cleaning error have not been eliminated, there is a high possibility that the nozzle check process and the cleaning process are repeatedly executed by the upper limit number of times J1 in the operation after the power is turned on. In this case, in a situation where the ejection failure has already occurred and it has been found that the ejection failure has not been eliminated even after the upper limit number of times J1 nozzle check processing or cleaning processing is performed, the nozzle is again used. The check process and the cleaning process are repeatedly executed, and there may be a situation in which the nozzle check process and the cleaning process that may be unnecessary are performed. This sucks ink many times, which may lead to wasteful consumption of ink. In addition, processing time is required. Further, since the nozzle check process and the cleaning process are repeated unnecessarily, the failure and the life of each mechanism are shortened.
Based on the above, the inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment performs the following operations.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment.
In the following description, the functions of the nozzle check execution unit 40, the nozzle check result storage unit 45, and the cleaning execution unit 41 are realized by cooperation of hardware and software, such as a CPU reading and executing firmware. .
The operation of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is triggered automatically when the power supply of the ink jet printer 1 is turned on, or when an error relating to recording occurs in the ink jet printer 1 such as an ejection failure or automatically. It is executed based on an explicit instruction.
In the following description, for convenience of explanation, a case where the operation according to the flowchart of FIG. 3 is executed for the first time and a case where the operation according to the flowchart of FIG. The case where the operation according to the flowchart of FIG. 3 is executed for the first time is when the power is turned on for the first time for the inkjet printer 1.

First, the case where the operation | movement which concerns on the flowchart of FIG. 3 is performed for the first time is demonstrated.
In step SB1, the nozzle check execution unit 40 executes nozzle check processing (step SB1).
Next, the cleaning execution unit 41 determines whether or not ejection failure has occurred in any of the nozzles (step SB2). When no discharge failure has occurred in any of the nozzles (step SB2: NO), the process finally moves to the normal operation (step SB12), but no discharge failure has occurred in any of the nozzles. The processing (steps SB10, 11, and 12) performed in the above will be described later.
As a result of the nozzle check process in step SB1, when it is determined that a discharge failure has occurred in any of the nozzles (step SB2: YES), the cleaning execution unit 41 appropriately performs steps SB3, SB4, and SB5. In the case where the operation according to the flowchart of FIG. 3 is executed for the first time, if the determination in step SB2 is “YES” (= if any of the nozzles has an ejection failure), the reason will be described later. Since the process procedure always proceeds to step SB6 and the process of step SB6 is executed, for the convenience of explanation, steps SB3, SB4, SB5 and the accompanying processes (steps SB13, 14) are described. This will be described later.

In step SB6, the cleaning execution unit 41 determines whether or not the number of times the cleaning process has been performed is less than the upper limit number J2 (“5 times in the present embodiment)”. The upper limit number J2 is a threshold set for the same purpose as the upper limit number J1 described above.
When the number of times the cleaning process has been executed is less than the upper limit number J2 (step SB6: YES), the cleaning execution unit 41 executes the cleaning process (step SB7), increments the variable ACL (step SB8), and the process The procedure returns to step SB1.
On the other hand, when the number of times the cleaning process has been executed is the upper limit number J2 (step SB6: NO), the cleaning execution unit 41 executes an abnormality diagnosis process (step SB9).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the inkjet printer 1 in the abnormality diagnosis process in step SB9 of FIG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for use in explaining the abnormality diagnosis process of FIG.
In the abnormality diagnosis process, first, the cleaning execution unit 41 performs the same nozzle over the allowable number K1 (in this embodiment, “1”) in the nozzle check process that is performed the upper limit number of times J2 (5 times). Then, it is detected whether or not an ejection failure is detected continuously for the upper limit number of times J2 (step SC1).
FIG. 5A shows that when “YES” is determined in step SC1, in other words, for the same nozzle that exceeds the allowable number K1 (one), ejection failure is detected continuously for the upper limit number of times J2. It is a figure for demonstrating the case where it has shown, and the nozzle arrange | positioned at the inkjet head 11 is shown typically. In FIG. 5A, a total of 16 nozzles, 4 in length and 4 in width, are arranged in a matrix. In order to specify each nozzle, A, B, C, and D are assigned horizontally from left to right, 1, 2, 3, and 4 are assigned vertically from top to bottom, and each nozzle is assigned to nozzle B2 ( In FIG. 5A, the second nozzle from the left and the second nozzle from the top are expressed. Further, in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the nozzle in which the ejection failure is detected is painted black and drawn.

The case where “YES” is determined in step SC1 is a situation as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, in the first nozzle check process, ejection defects are detected in two nozzles A2 and B3 (the number exceeding the allowable number K1), and then all nozzles are detected. In the check process, even when cleaning is performed, ejection failure is continuously detected for nozzle A2 and nozzle B3.
Hereinafter, such an error is referred to as a “nozzle clogging error”.
Here, the allowable number K1 is an allowable number as the number of nozzles in which ejection failure has occurred from the viewpoint of maintaining print quality, and the value is appropriately determined in accordance with the above viewpoint. Is set. In the present embodiment, the allowable number K1 is “1”. However, if the number of nozzles in which ejection failure has occurred is within “1”, printing was performed without eliminating the ejection failure. Even so, the print quality is maintained. On the contrary, if there are “two” or more nozzles in which ejection failure has occurred, the print quality cannot be guaranteed.
If the discharge failure is not eliminated even after cleaning the upper limit number of times J2 for the number of specific nozzles exceeding the allowable number K1, an error occurs in the nozzle itself or the ink jet head 11 for these specific nozzles. Therefore, even if cleaning is performed, the ejection failure is not eliminated, and at least the recording to the recording medium is performed until the number of nozzles where the ejection failure is detected is within the allowable number K1. This is a situation that should not be done.

In step SC1, if the ejection failure is detected continuously for the same nozzle exceeding the allowable number K1 (one) J2 times (step SC1: YES), the control unit 23 indicates that a nozzle clogging error has occurred. It is determined that it has occurred (step SC2). Next, the nozzle check result storage unit 45 of the control unit 23 stores the nozzle clogging error data 50 in the storage unit 27 (step SC3). This nozzle clogging error data 50 includes information indicating that a nozzle clogging error has occurred, and information specifying a nozzle in which a discharge failure has occurred (in the example of FIG. 5A, nozzle A2 and This data includes information specifying the nozzle B3. In the present embodiment, it is configured to manage whether or not a nozzle clogging error has occurred depending on whether or not the nozzle clogging error data 50 is stored in the storage unit 27, and when the nozzle clogging error is resolved, The control unit 23 deletes the nozzle clogging error data 50 from the storage unit 27. Of course, the occurrence of a nozzle clogging error may be managed using a predetermined flag.
After the nozzle clogging error data 50 is stored in the storage unit 27 by the nozzle check result storage unit 45, the cleaning execution unit 41 displays on the display panel that a nozzle clogging error has occurred, and does not shift to normal operation. , Transition to the standby state. In this case, as described above, the user may turn off and on the power.

On the other hand, in step SC1, for the same nozzle that exceeds the allowable number K1 (one), if the discharge failure is not detected continuously for the upper limit number of times J2 (step SC1: NO), the cleaning execution unit 41 Determines whether or not a discharge failure has been detected continuously for the same number of nozzles within the allowable number K1 (1) and the upper limit number of times J2 and no discharge failure has been detected for other nozzles. (Step SC4).
FIG. 5B shows that the same number of nozzles within the allowable number K1 (one) has been detected as having failed ejection continuously for the upper limit number of times J2, and no ejection failure has been detected at other nozzles. It is a figure for demonstrating a case (when it determines with "YES" by step SC4).
As shown in FIG. 5B, when “YES” is determined in step SC4, for example, in the first nozzle check process, a discharge failure is detected in the nozzle A1, and thereafter in all nozzle check processes, This is a case where the ejection failure is continuously detected for the nozzle A1, and the ejection failure is not detected for the other nozzles.
Hereinafter, such an error is referred to as a “head failure error”.

As described above, the allowable number K1 is an allowable number as the number of nozzles in which ejection defects have occurred from the viewpoint of maintaining print quality. In the present embodiment, the allowable number K1 is “1”. However, if the number of nozzles in which ejection failure has occurred is within “1”, recording is performed without eliminating the ejection failure. Even if executed, the print quality is maintained.
Then, for the specific nozzles within the allowable number K1, if the ejection failure is not eliminated even after cleaning the upper limit number of times J2 times (when a head failure error has occurred), the nozzle itself or An error has occurred in the inkjet head 11, and even if cleaning is performed, the ejection failure is not eliminated. On the other hand, as long as it is within the allowable number K1, recording is performed without eliminating the ejection failure. Even in this case, it means that the print quality is maintained.

In step SC4, when the same number of nozzles within the allowable number K1 (one) are detected as being defective in discharge continuously for the upper limit number of times J2, and no discharge failure is detected in other nozzles (step S4) (SC4: YES), the cleaning execution unit 41 determines that a head failure error has occurred (step SC5).
Next, the nozzle check result storage unit 45 of the control unit 23 includes warning information data 51 including information indicating that a head failure error is displayed on the display panel when the power is turned on again. Is stored in the storage unit 27 (step SC6). In this embodiment, when the power is turned on, the control unit 23 accesses the storage unit 27. When the warning information data 51 is stored, the control unit 23 controls the display unit 25 to display a head failure error on the display panel. It is the structure which displays the information to have generate | occur | produced.
Further, the nozzle check result storage unit 45 stores the head failure error data 52 in the storage unit 27 (step SC7). The head failure error data 52 clearly indicates information indicating that a head failure error has occurred, and information for specifying a nozzle in which an ejection failure has occurred (in the example of FIG. 5B, the nozzle A1). Information).
In the present embodiment, whether or not a head failure error has occurred is managed based on whether or not the head failure error data 52 is stored in the storage unit 27, and the head failure error has been resolved. The controller 23 deletes the head failure error data 52 from the storage unit 27. Of course, the occurrence of a head failure error may be managed using a predetermined flag.
After the head failure error data 52 is stored in the storage unit 27 by the nozzle check result storage unit 45, the cleaning execution unit 41 displays on the display panel that a head failure error has occurred, and without shifting to normal operation. , Transition to the standby state. In this case, as described above, the user turns off and on the power.

FIG. 5C shows that in step SC4, ejection failure is detected continuously for the same number of nozzles within the allowable number K1 (1) and the upper limit number of times J2 times, and ejection failure occurs in other nozzles. It is a figure which shows an example when it is not in the state which is not detected (when it determines with "NO" by step SC4).
As shown in FIG. 5C, when NO is determined in step SC4, for example, in the nozzle check process performed for the upper limit number of times J2, the ejection failure is continuously detected in the nozzle A1. In each nozzle check process, ejection failure may be detected for different nozzles. In such a case, there is a problem with the cleaning process itself, such as the cleaning process not being performed properly, and as a result, in the nozzle check process that is performed after the cleaning process, ejection defects are detected inconsistently at the nozzles. It is assumed that
FIG. 5D illustrates another example.
As shown in FIG. 5D, when NO is determined in step SC4, for example, in the nozzle check process performed for the upper limit number of times J2, there are nozzles for which ejection failure is continuously detected. First, in each nozzle check process, ejection failure may be detected for different nozzles. Also in this case, it is assumed that there is some problem in the cleaning process itself, and due to this, in the nozzle check process performed after the cleaning process, ejection failure is detected in the nozzles inconsistently.
In other words, if NO is determined in step SC4, that is, “the same nozzle within the allowable number K1 (one) has been detected to have a defective discharge continuously for the upper limit number of times J2 times, and other nozzles. If it is not in a state in which no discharge failure is detected, an error occurs in the cleaning process itself, and due to this, even if the upper limit number of times J2 is performed, the discharge failure for all nozzles is not detected. It is assumed that it will not be resolved.
Hereinafter, such an error is referred to as a “cleaning error”.

In step SC4, a discharge failure is detected continuously for the same number of nozzles within the allowable number K1 (one), the upper limit number of times J2, and no discharge failure is detected in other nozzles. If not (step SC4: NO), the cleaning execution unit 41 determines that a cleaning error has occurred (step SC8).
Next, the nozzle check result storage unit 45 of the control unit 23 stores the cleaning error data 53 in the storage unit 27 (step SC9). The cleaning error data 53 is data including information indicating that a cleaning error has occurred. In the present embodiment, whether or not a cleaning error has occurred is managed based on whether or not the cleaning error data 53 is stored in the storage unit 27. When the cleaning error is eliminated, the control is performed. The unit 23 deletes the cleaning error data 53 from the storage unit 27. Of course, the occurrence of a cleaning error may be managed using a predetermined flag.
After the cleaning error data 53 is stored in the storage unit 27 by the nozzle check result storage unit 45, the cleaning execution unit 41 displays on the display panel that a cleaning error has occurred, and waits without shifting to normal operation. Transition to the state. In this case, as described above, the user turns off and on the power.

Returning to FIG. 3, the operation of the ink jet printer 1 when the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 is executed after the second time will be described.
First, in step SB1 in FIG. 3, the nozzle check execution unit 40 executes the nozzle check process using a predetermined event such as power-on again as a trigger.
Next, the cleaning execution unit 41 determines whether or not it is detected that an ejection failure has occurred in any of the nozzles as a result of the nozzle check process in step SB1 (step SB2).
When no ejection failure has occurred in any of the nozzles (step SB2: NO), the cleaning execution unit 41 accesses the storage unit 27, and when the warning information data 51 is stored, the warning information data 51 Is deleted (step SB10). As described above, the warning information data 51 is data for the control unit 23 to determine whether or not to display information indicating that a head failure error has occurred when the power is turned on. If no discharge failure occurs, the head failure error has been resolved, and after that, when the power is turned on, the head failure error should not be displayed. .
Next, the cleaning execution unit 41 resets the variable ACL (step SB11) and shifts to a normal operation (step SB12).

On the other hand, if a discharge failure is detected for any of the nozzles in step SB2 (step SB2: YES), the cleaning execution unit 41 has the number of nozzles in which the discharge failure is detected within an allowable number K1, In addition, for each of the nozzles in which the ejection failure is detected, it is determined whether or not ejection failure has been detected as a head failure error in the abnormality diagnosis process performed in the past (step SB3).
The processing in step SB3 will be described in detail. The cleaning execution unit 41 refers to the storage unit 27 and determines whether or not the head failure error data 52 is stored in the storage unit 27.
When the head failure error data 52 is not stored, it is not determined that a head failure error has occurred in the abnormality diagnosis process performed in the past, and therefore the cleaning execution unit 41 proceeds to step SB4. .
On the other hand, when the head failure error data 52 is stored, the cleaning execution unit 41 refers to the contents of the data, and when determining that a head failure error has occurred, a discharge failure has occurred. The nozzle determined as is identified. In the example of FIG. 5B, the nozzle A1 corresponds.
Next, the cleaning execution unit 41 completely matches the nozzle determined to have an ejection failure in step SB2 with the nozzle that has been determined to have an ejection failure as a head failure error in the past. It is determined whether or not to do so. If they do not match completely, the cleaning execution unit 41 proceeds to step SB4.

On the other hand, if they completely match, the cleaning execution unit 41 proceeds to step SB11, resets the variable ACL, and proceeds to normal operation (step SB12).
As described above, in the present embodiment, the number of nozzles in which ejection failure is detected is within the allowable number K1, and in the most recent nozzle check process, it is determined that ejection failure has occurred, In the past, if the nozzle that was determined to have a discharge failure as a head failure error is completely consistent, normal operation is not performed without performing a cleaning process (= no attempt to eliminate the discharge failure). Migrate to This is due to the following reason.
That is, in the above case, even when the cleaning process is performed again for the nozzle in which the ejection failure has occurred, the possibility that the ejection failure will be eliminated is low, and the ejection failure has occurred. This is because, since the number of nozzles is within the allowable number K1, the print quality is maintained even when recording on a recording medium without eliminating the ejection failure. In such a case, by shifting to the normal operation without executing the cleaning process, unnecessary cleaning process can be avoided and wasteful ink consumption can be suppressed.

In the subsequent step SB4, the cleaning execution unit 41 has performed abnormality diagnosis in the past for each of the nozzles in which the number of nozzles in which ejection failure has been detected exceeds the allowable number K1, and in which ejection failure has been detected. In the process, it is determined whether or not a discharge failure is detected as a nozzle clogging error.
The processing in step SB4 will be described in detail. The cleaning execution unit 41 refers to the storage unit 27 and determines whether the nozzle clogging error data 50 is stored in the storage unit 27.
If the nozzle clogging error data 50 is not stored, it is not determined in the past abnormality diagnosis process that a nozzle clogging error has occurred, and therefore the cleaning execution unit 41 proceeds to step SB5. .
On the other hand, when the nozzle clogging error data 50 is stored, the cleaning execution unit 41 refers to the contents of the data, and when determining that a nozzle clogging error has occurred, a discharge failure has occurred. The nozzle determined as is identified. In the example of FIG. 5B, the nozzle A2 and the nozzle B3 correspond.
Next, the cleaning execution unit 41 completely matches the nozzle determined to have a discharge failure in step SB2 with the nozzle that has been determined to have a discharge failure as a nozzle clogging error in the past. It is determined whether or not to do so. If they do not completely match, the cleaning execution unit 41 proceeds to step SB5.

On the other hand, if they completely match, the cleaning execution unit 41 proceeds to step SB13 and determines that a nozzle clogging error has occurred. After the determination, the cleaning execution unit 41 displays that a nozzle clogging error has occurred and shifts to a standby state. In this case, the cleaning process is not executed.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the number of nozzles in which ejection failure has been detected exceeds the allowable number K1, and the nozzles in which ejection failure has been detected as a nozzle clogging error in the past are continuously displayed. If it is determined in the nozzle check process that an ejection failure has occurred, it is determined that a nozzle clogging error has occurred without executing the cleaning process, and the process proceeds to a standby state. This is due to the following reason.
That is, in the above case, even when the cleaning process is performed again for the nozzle in which the ejection failure has occurred, the possibility that the ejection failure will be eliminated is low, and the ejection failure has occurred. This is because, since the number of nozzles exceeds the allowable number K1, printing quality cannot be guaranteed when recording on a recording medium without eliminating ejection defects. In such a case, by shifting to the standby state without executing the cleaning process, unnecessary cleaning process can be avoided and wasteful ink consumption can be suppressed.

Further, in the subsequent step SB5, the cleaning execution unit 41 determines whether or not it is determined that a cleaning error has occurred in the abnormality diagnosis process performed in the past (step SB5).
The processing in step SB5 will be described in detail. The cleaning execution unit 41 refers to the storage unit 27 and determines whether or not the cleaning error data 53 is stored in the storage unit 27.
If the cleaning error data 53 is not stored, it is not determined that a cleaning error has occurred in the abnormality diagnosis process performed in the past, and the cleaning execution unit 41 proceeds to step SB6.
On the other hand, when the cleaning error data 53 is stored, the cleaning execution unit 41 determines that it is determined that a cleaning error has occurred in the abnormality diagnosis process performed in the past, and the processing procedure is stepped. The process proceeds to SB14. In step SB14, the cleaning execution unit 41 determines that a cleaning error has occurred. After the determination, the cleaning execution unit 41 displays that a cleaning error has occurred and shifts to a standby state. In this case, the cleaning process is not executed.
As described above, in this embodiment, under a situation where a cleaning error has already occurred, the cleaning execution unit 41 determines that a cleaning error has occurred without executing the cleaning process, and shifts to a standby state. To do. This is due to the following reason.
That is, in the above case, there is a problem with the cleaning process itself, and the cleaning process should not be executed. In such a case, by shifting to the standby state without executing the cleaning process, unnecessary cleaning process can be avoided and wasteful ink consumption can be suppressed.

As described above, the inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment includes the inkjet head 11 having a plurality of nozzles, the nozzle check execution unit 40 that executes the nozzle check process, and the nozzle check that is executed by the nozzle check execution unit 40. A nozzle check result storage unit 45 that stores the processing result and a cleaning execution unit 41 that executes cleaning of the inkjet head 11 are provided. Then, when the nozzle check processing is executed by the nozzle check execution unit 40, the cleaning execution unit 41 executes the result of executing the nozzle check processing and the past nozzle check processing stored by the nozzle check result storage unit 45. Based on the result, it is determined whether or not cleaning is to be executed.
According to this, in order to determine whether or not to perform the nozzle check after reflecting the result of the nozzle check process performed in the past, instead of performing cleaning uniformly according to the result of the nozzle check process. In consideration of the result of the nozzle check performed in the past, it is possible not to execute the cleaning that is determined to be unnecessary, and it is possible to suppress unnecessary cleaning.

Further, in this embodiment, when the nozzle check processing is executed by the nozzle check execution unit 40 and the ejection failure is detected in any of the nozzles, the cleaning execution unit 41 performs cleaning again by the cleaning execution unit 41. The operation to be executed is executed until the discharge failure at all the nozzles is resolved with the upper limit number J2 as the upper limit, and when the discharge failure is not detected or the discharge failure at all the nozzles is resolved, the normal operation is performed. If the discharge failure is not resolved even after the upper limit number of times J2 and the cleaning process are executed, it is determined that various errors have occurred, and the nozzle check result storage unit 45 stores various data including the result of the nozzle check ( Nozzle clog error data, head failure error data 52, and cleaning error data Storing data 53) in the storage unit 27.
When the nozzle check process is executed by the nozzle check execution unit 40, the cleaning execution unit 41 is a case where a discharge failure is detected for a predetermined nozzle within the allowable number K1 by the nozzle check process. The nozzle check result storage unit 45 stores head failure error data 52 including information indicating a result indicating that ejection failure that has not been eliminated by cleaning has occurred in each of the predetermined nozzles in the past nozzle check. If it is, the process moves to the normal operation without executing the cleaning process.
According to this, there is a discharge failure that cannot be eliminated even if the cleaning process is performed, and furthermore, the nozzle in which the discharge failure has occurred is a specific nozzle within the allowable number, and therefore the cleaning process cannot be executed. If the normal operation can be started without cleaning, the cleaning process is not executed, and unnecessary cleaning can be suppressed.

In the present embodiment, when the nozzle check processing is executed by the nozzle check execution unit 40, the cleaning execution unit 41 detects ejection failure for a predetermined number of nozzles exceeding the allowable number K1 by the nozzle check processing. In this case, the nozzle check result storage unit 45 includes information indicating a result indicating that an ejection failure that has not been eliminated by the cleaning process has occurred for each of the predetermined nozzles in the past nozzle check process. When the nozzle clogging error data 50 is stored, it is determined that the cleaning process is not executed and an error has occurred.
According to this configuration, when an ejection failure that cannot be eliminated by the cleaning process has occurred for the number of nozzles exceeding the allowable number K1, the cleaning process is not performed and it is determined that an error has occurred. Therefore, unnecessary cleaning processing can be suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the cleaning execution unit 41, when the nozzle check processing is executed by the nozzle check execution unit 40, even when a discharge failure is detected for any nozzle by the nozzle check, If the nozzle check result storage unit 45 stores cleaning error data 53 including information indicating a result indicating that an error due to cleaning has occurred in the past nozzle check process, the cleaning process should be executed. And it is determined that an error has occurred.
According to this, since the cleaning process is prevented from being performed in a situation where an error has occurred in the cleaning process itself, an unnecessary cleaning process can be suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the cleaning execution unit 41 detects the ejection failure at different nozzles in each cleaning process when the ejection failure at all the nozzles has not been eliminated after the cleaning process is performed J2 times. If it is determined that the error has occurred due to the cleaning process, the nozzle check result storage unit 45 stores the cleaning error data 53 including such information.
According to this, it is possible to appropriately detect that an error due to the cleaning process has occurred.

The above-described embodiment is merely an aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied within the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the upper limit number J2 is exemplified as five times and the allowable number K1 is one, but it goes without saying that the upper limit number J2 is not limited to the value of the allowable number K1. Yes.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inkjet printer (recording apparatus), 11 ... Inkjet head (recording head), 23 ... Control part, 40 ... Nozzle check execution part, 41 ... Cleaning execution part, 45 ... Nozzle check result storage part.

Claims (4)

A recording head having a plurality of nozzles;
A nozzle check execution unit for executing a nozzle check for detecting a discharge failure of the nozzle;
A nozzle check result storage unit for storing the result of the nozzle check executed by the nozzle check execution unit;
A cleaning execution unit for cleaning the recording head,
With the predetermined event of 1 as a trigger, the nozzle check execution unit executes the nozzle check up to a predetermined number of times until no nozzle discharge failure is detected, and the cleaning execution unit If the cleaning is executed based on the result of the nozzle check by the execution unit, and if the nozzle discharge failure is not resolved even after the nozzle check is executed for the predetermined number of times, the nozzle check executed for the predetermined number of times. If a discharge failure is detected continuously for a specific nozzle that exceeds the allowable number, depending on the mode of change of the nozzle in which the discharge failure is detected in When ejection failure is detected continuously for a specific nozzle, it is determined that the head has failed, and the predetermined number of times When ejection failure is detected in different nozzles in the performed nozzle check process, the nozzle check result storage unit determines that a cleaning error has occurred in the cleaning process, and the nozzle check result storage unit displays the determination result. Memorize information
When a discharge failure of the nozzle is detected in the nozzle check executed by the nozzle check execution unit triggered by a predetermined event next to the predetermined event of the one,
The cleaning execution unit
When the nozzle check result storage unit stores information indicating the head failure error, the process proceeds to a normal operation without performing the cleaning,
When the nozzle check result storage unit stores information indicating the nozzle clogging error or the cleaning error, the recording apparatus shifts to a standby state without executing the cleaning . The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined event is power-on. A method for controlling a recording apparatus including a recording head having a plurality of nozzles,
The nozzle check is performed with the predetermined number of times as an upper limit until a nozzle discharge failure is no longer detected using the predetermined event of 1 as a trigger, and the cleaning is performed based on the result of the nozzle check. If the discharge failure of the nozzle is not resolved even after the nozzle check is executed, the allowable number is exceeded in accordance with the mode of change of the nozzle in which the discharge failure is detected in the nozzle check executed the predetermined number of times. When a discharge failure is detected continuously for the specific nozzle, it is determined as a nozzle clogging error, and when a discharge failure is continuously detected for the specific nozzle within the allowable number, a head failure error is detected. And when a defective discharge is detected in the different nozzles in the nozzle check process executed the predetermined number of times, Abnormality determines that cleaning errors occurring in the process according to the cleaning, and stores information indicating the discrimination results,
When a discharge failure of the nozzle is detected by the nozzle check executed using a predetermined event next to the predetermined event as a trigger,
If the information indicating the head failure error is stored, the normal operation is performed without performing the cleaning,
A control method for a recording apparatus , wherein when information indicating the nozzle clogging error or the cleaning error is stored , the recording apparatus shifts to a standby state without executing the cleaning . A program executed by a control unit that controls each unit of a recording apparatus including a recording head having a plurality of nozzles,
To the control unit,
With the predetermined event of 1 as a trigger, the nozzle check is executed up to a predetermined number of times until no nozzle discharge failure is detected, and cleaning is executed based on the result of the nozzle check. If the discharge failure of the nozzle is not resolved even after the nozzle check is executed, the allowable number is exceeded in accordance with the mode of change of the nozzle in which the discharge failure is detected in the nozzle check executed the predetermined number of times. When a discharge failure is detected continuously for the specific nozzle, it is determined as a nozzle clogging error, and when a discharge failure is continuously detected for a specific nozzle within an allowable number, a head failure error is detected. When a defective nozzle is detected in a different nozzle in the nozzle check process that has been executed the predetermined number of times The was determined that cleaning errors abnormality processing according to the cleaning has occurred, it is stored information indicating the determination result,
When a discharge failure of the nozzle is detected by the nozzle check executed using a predetermined event next to the predetermined event as a trigger,
When information indicating the head failure error is stored, the normal operation is performed without performing the cleaning,
When information indicating the nozzle clogging error or the cleaning error is stored , the program shifts to a standby state without executing the cleaning .

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