JP2007069451A - Liquid jetting apparatus and method for controlling liquid jetting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jetting apparatus or the like capable of judging accumulation of an ink without providing a sensor and removing the accumulated ink. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid jetting apparatus 10 comprises a liquid jetting head 30 which jets a plurality of kinds of liquids containing an easily accumulating liquid being a liquid easily accumulated and a not-easily accumulating liquid being a liquid hardly accumulated in comparison with the easily accumulating liquid, and a platen part 12 on which a target 29 is arranged. The liquid jetting apparatus 10 comprises a liquid consumption amount storing means 72 for storing the amounts of consumption of respective liquids, an accumulation anticipating information forming means 7 for forming accumulation anticipating information R1 indicating a liquid accumulating condition at the platen part 12 based on the amount of consumption of the easily accumulating liquid and the amount of consumption of the non-easily accumulating liquid at the time of edge-free printing, and a platen part cleaning means for cleaning the platen part 12 by discharging a liquid from an opening of a nozzle of the liquid jetting head 30 based on the accumulation anticipating information R1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid and a method for controlling the liquid ejecting apparatus.

  The present invention relates to a general liquid ejecting apparatus using a liquid ejecting head used in an image recording apparatus such as a printer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printer devices that record images and characters on recording paper have an ink jet recording head (hereinafter referred to as “recording head”) that ejects ink droplets from nozzle openings by expansion and contraction of a piezoelectric vibrator.

In such a printer apparatus, for example, when an image or a character is recorded on a rectangular recording sheet, borderless printing is performed in which printing is performed without margins on the edges of the four sides.
In order to perform recording such as printing without margins, the recording head needs to be positioned across the edge of the recording paper. When the recording head ejects ink droplets at that position, the ink drops are separated from the edge of the recording paper. It is discharged outside the recording paper. The ink droplets ejected to the outside of the recording paper adhere to the recording paper passage portion (platen portion) of the printer apparatus and gradually accumulate.

If printing is further performed on the recording paper in this state, the accumulated ink adheres to the recording paper, causing problems such as staining the recording paper.
On the other hand, the height and position of the accumulated ink is detected by a sensor, and based on the detection result, the deposited ink is removed by ejecting ink to the accumulated portion or mechanically removing the accumulated portion. A technique for removal has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-167945 A (FIG. 2 etc.)

  However, in the above-described technique, it is necessary to provide a sensor such as an optical sensor as means for determining ink deposition. For this reason, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the printer device and the production cost may increase. Furthermore, depending on the accuracy of the sensor, there is a problem that the error in detecting the height and position of the ink deposited by the sensor is large and the reliability may be lacking.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus and a liquid ejecting apparatus control method that can determine ink accumulation without providing a sensor and remove the accumulated ink.

  In the present invention, the present invention injects a plurality of types of liquids including an easy-to-deposit liquid that is easy to deposit and a non-depositing liquid that is difficult to deposit as compared to the easy-to-deposit liquid. A liquid ejecting apparatus having a liquid ejecting head and a platen unit on which a target is disposed, the liquid consumption storing means for storing the consumption of each of the liquids, and the consumption of the easily depositing liquid during borderless printing And a predicted deposition information generating means for generating predicted deposition information indicating the deposition state of the liquid in the platen unit based on the consumption of the non-deposited liquid, and based on the predicted deposition information, It is achieved by a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a platen part cleaning means for discharging the liquid from a nozzle opening and cleaning the platen part.

With such a configuration, the liquid ejecting apparatus can generate the predicted deposition information, and can clean the platen unit based on the predicted deposition information.
Thereby, according to the liquid ejecting apparatus, it is possible to determine the accumulation of ink without providing a sensor and to remove the accumulated ink.

In this case, the liquid consumption storage means is configured to store the consumption quantity of the liquid containers that store the liquids, and the accumulation prediction information generation means consumes the liquid containers that store the easy-to-deposit liquids. It is desirable that the deposition prediction information is generated based on the quantity and the consumed quantity of the liquid container storing the non-deposition liquid.
According to such a configuration, when the liquid container is replaced, it is sufficient to add the consumption quantity. Therefore, the liquid ejecting apparatus is a method in which the number of storage operations is small and the burden on the storage amount is small. The deposition prediction information can be generated.

In this case, the liquid consumption amount storage unit is configured to store the consumption amount of each liquid calculated based on the print data, and the accumulation prediction information generation unit calculates the deposition calculated based on the print data. It is preferable that the deposition prediction information is generated based on the consumption amount of the easy liquid and the consumption amount of the non-deposition liquid.
According to such a configuration, the liquid ejecting apparatus can generate the accumulation prediction information that shows the ink accumulation state in detail.

In this case, it is desirable that the liquid consumption amount storage unit is configured to store the consumption amount of each liquid in the peripheral area including the edge portion of the target that is defined in advance.
According to such a configuration, the liquid ejecting apparatus can generate the predicted accumulation information that indicates in detail the accumulation state of the ink in the platen unit.

In this case, it is preferable that the platen section cleaning unit is configured to determine the amount of the liquid discharged from the nozzle opening of the liquid ejecting head based on the predicted deposition information.
According to such a configuration, the liquid ejecting apparatus can determine the amount of the liquid for reliably eliminating ink accumulation and clean the platen portion.

  In the present invention, the present invention injects a plurality of types of liquids including an easy-to-deposit liquid that is easy to deposit and a non-depositing liquid that is difficult to deposit as compared to the easy-to-deposit liquid. A liquid ejecting apparatus having a liquid ejecting head and a platen unit on which a target is disposed includes a liquid consumption storing step for storing the consumption of each of the liquids, and the liquid ejecting apparatus facilitates the deposition during borderless printing. A predicted deposition information generating step for generating predicted deposition information indicating a deposition state of the liquid in the platen unit based on a consumption amount of the liquid and a consumption amount of the non-deposition liquid; And a platen part cleaning step for cleaning the platen part by discharging the liquid from the nozzle opening of the liquid jet head based on the information. It is achieved by the control method of a liquid jet apparatus symptoms.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an ink jet recording apparatus 10 (hereinafter referred to as a recording apparatus 10) and the like according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The recording apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is also called an inkjet printer. The recording apparatus 10 has a main body 1. The main body 1 includes a guide rail 17, a platen 12, a carriage 14, an ink suction device 20, and a recording head 30. The recording head 30 is an example of a liquid ejecting head that ejects a plurality of types of liquid, and is also referred to as a print head.

A recording apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called on-carriage recording apparatus, and has a configuration in which a plurality of ink cartridges 2, 3, 4 and 5 can be detachably mounted on an upper portion of a carriage. The ink cartridge 2 or the like stores ink that is an example of a liquid. The ink cartridge 2 stores black ink, the ink cartridge 3 stores cyan ink, the ink cartridge 4 stores magenta ink, and the ink cartridge 5 stores yellow ink. Is stored. The ink cartridge 2 is an example of a liquid container.
Black ink has high viscosity and is easy to deposit, and is an example of an easily depositing liquid. Cyan, yellow, and magenta inks are inks that are harder to deposit than black inks, and are examples of non-easy to deposit liquids.
A recording head 30 is provided below the carriage 14. A nozzle plate surface 30 a that the recording head 30 faces the paper 29 is provided with nozzle openings for ejecting ink (hereinafter also referred to as ejection).
The paper 29 is disposed on the platen 12. The paper 29 is an example of a target, and the platen 12 is an example of a platen unit.

  The carriage 14 is connected to a motor 16 via a belt 15. When the motor 16 operates, the carriage 14 reciprocates along the guide rail 17 in the main scanning direction T that is the axial direction of the platen 12. As the carriage 14 reciprocates in the main scanning direction T while ejecting ink from the recording head 30, an image is recorded on the paper 29.

  A home position 18 is disposed at one end of the guide rail 17. The home position 18 is a non-printing area at the end of the carriage travel path. The recording head 30 of the carriage 14 in FIG. 1 moves to the home position 18 along the T1 direction. The ink suction device 20 prevents the ink in the nozzle openings of the recording head 30 from drying out while the cap body 21 is in close contact with the recording head 30, and the negative pressure from the suction pump 19 acts on the nozzle openings. Thus, the recording head 30 is cleaned by forcibly sucking and discharging the ink from the nozzle openings.

  In addition, a wiper 23 is provided beside the ink suction device 20. The wiper 23 wipes ink on the nozzle plate surface 30a of the recording head 30 as necessary.

  As the cleaning of the recording head 30, there is flushing that is a method of ejecting ink from the nozzle openings regardless of the printing operation. In this embodiment, this flushing eliminates ink accumulation described later.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the plurality of ink cartridges 2, 3, 4, and 5 are directly mounted on the carriage 14, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the ink cartridge 2 or the like is located at a position different from the carriage 14. Of course, a so-called off-carriage type ink jet recording apparatus mounted on the printer may be adopted.

The recording apparatus 10 can perform so-called borderless printing in which printing is performed without leaving margins on the four sides of the paper 29.
2 and 3 are schematic views showing an example of a borderless printing method.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing ink and the like deposited on the platen 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the recording apparatus 10 starts borderless printing on the paper 29, the paper 29 is first placed on the platen 12.
As shown in FIG. 2, for example, when performing borderless printing of the right end portion 29 a, the recording head 30 moves to a position where the nozzle opening straddles the right end portion 29 a of the paper 29 and ejects ink.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view seen from the direction of the arrow X in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3A, during printing, the ink ejected from the right end portion 29a adheres to the position A of the platen 12, and the ink ejected from the left end portion 29b is positioned to the position B of the platen 12. Adhere to.
Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, when borderless printing of one sheet 29 is completed and the sheet 29 is discharged, ink is attached to the position A and position B of the platen 12. Remains in a state.

In this way, when the recording apparatus 10 performs borderless printing on many sheets of paper 29, the ink ejected from the recording head 30 may solidify and accumulate at the positions A and B of the platen 12. There is a problem that there is.
Although it is possible to dispose an absorbing material that absorbs ink at the position A and the position B, in this case as well, when the ink is dried and solidified in the absorbing material, a problem of accumulation similarly occurs.

That is, for example, black ink is a pigment ink and has a particularly high viscosity. Therefore, a mountain-shaped obstacle may be formed by depositing at position A and position B of the platen 12, for example, pigment ink is deposited. There is a possibility that the problem that the ink piles formed as shown in IY in FIG.
In this regard, the recording apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment can predict ink accumulation on the platen 12 and eliminate ink accumulation as described below.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of electrical connection of the recording apparatus 10.
The control device 7 of the recording device 10 is connected to the printer driver 81 of the host computer 80 via a local printer cable or a communication network. The printer driver 81 includes software for sending a command for causing the recording apparatus 10 to execute printing, cleaning operation, or ink suction operation.

The recording apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 5 includes an ink suction device 20, ink cartridges 2, 3, 4, and 5, a recording head 30, and a carriage driving device 25 in addition to the control device 7. The carriage driving device 25 is the motor 16 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 7 includes a storage unit 72 that stores various information and a CL control unit 74 that controls cleaning.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the storage unit 72.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the storage unit 72 stores ink consumption counters 72a, 72b, 72c, and 72d. The ink consumption counter 72a indicates the consumption quantity B1 of the black ink cartridge 2 (hereinafter referred to as consumption cartridge number B1). The ink consumption counter 72b indicates the consumption quantity C1 of the cyan ink cartridge 3 (hereinafter referred to as the consumption cartridge number C1). The ink consumption counter 72c indicates the consumption quantity M1 of the magenta ink cartridge 4 (hereinafter referred to as the consumption cartridge number M1). The ink consumption counter 72d indicates the consumption quantity Y1 of the yellow ink cartridge 5 (hereinafter referred to as the consumption cartridge number Y1).
The total number of consumed cartridges C1, M1, and Y1 is defined as the consumed cartridge number Z1.
The above-mentioned consumption cartridge number B1 is an example of the liquid consumption. The storage unit 72 is an example of a liquid consumption storage unit.

The control device 7 of the recording device 10 calculates the ease of deposition R1 shown in FIG. 6B during borderless printing. The ease of accumulation R1 is calculated based on the number of consumed cartridges B1 and the number of consumed cartridges Z1 during the current borderless printing since the ink accumulation on the platen 12 was canceled last time. Specifically, the control device 7 calculates the ratio of the consumed cartridge number B1 to the total consumed cartridge number by dividing the consumed cartridge number B1 by the total quantity of the consumed cartridge number B1 and the consumed cartridge number Z1. The ease of deposition R1 is information indicating the state of ink deposition on the platen 12. However, the recording apparatus 10 does not actually measure the ink accumulation state on the platen 12 by a sensor, but calculates the deposition easiness R1 based on the ink consumption counter 72a of the storage unit 72, etc. Predict the state.
The above described deposition easiness R1 is an example of deposition prediction information. The control device 7 is an example of a predicted accumulation information generating unit.

The CL control unit 74 of the recording apparatus 10 cleans the platen 12 by discharging ink from the nozzle openings of the recording head 30 based on the above-described deposition easiness R1. Specifically, the CL control unit 74 sets the recording head 30 to the position A and the position B of the platen 12 when the deposition easiness R1 is a predetermined deposition easiness threshold value RH, for example, 50% or more. A running-out sequence for discharging all or part of cyan, magenta, and yellow, which are inks that are difficult to deposit from the nozzle openings, is performed. The ink deposition on the positions A and B is eliminated by this flow-out sequence.
Deposition ease threshold RH is defined in advance by the following criteria. That is, the ink deposited on the paper 29 does not adhere depending on the printing immediately after the calculation of the deposition easiness R1, but the paper 29 is printed at a certain number of times, for example, when printing after borderless printing on five papers 29. It is defined as an expected deposition range where ink is expected to be deposited to such an extent that the deposited ink adheres.
The CL control unit 74 is an example of a platen unit cleaning unit.

As described above, the recording apparatus 10 can calculate the deposition ease R1, and can clean the platen 12 based on the deposition ease R1.
Thereby, according to the recording apparatus 10, it is possible to determine the accumulation of ink without providing a sensor and to remove the accumulated ink.

Further, the storage unit 72 is configured to store the consumption amount of each of the ink cartridges 2 to 5 (see FIG. 1), and the control device 7 is configured to store the consumption amount of the ink cartridge 2 storing black ink, cyan, It is configured to calculate the deposition easiness R1 based on the consumed quantity of the ink cartridges 3 to 5 storing magenta and yellow inks.
As described above, the recording apparatus 10 only has to add the consumed quantity when the ink cartridge 2 or the like is replaced. Therefore, the recording apparatus 10 can be easily deposited by a method in which the number of storage operations is small and the burden on the storage amount is small. R1 can be generated.

Hereinafter, a method for performing borderless printing according to the present embodiment will be described in detail mainly using FIG.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for performing borderless printing according to the first embodiment.

First, every time one of the ink cartridges 2 to 5 (see FIG. 1) is replaced, the recording apparatus 10 adds the ink consumption counters 72a to 72d (see FIG. 6A) and stores a new numerical value. (Step ST1 in FIG. 7). This step ST1 is an example of a liquid consumption storage step.
When the ink cartridge is replaced, the recording apparatus 10 calculates the deposition easiness R1 (step ST2). This step ST2 is an example of a predicted deposition information generation step.

Subsequently, the recording apparatus 10 determines whether or not the deposition ease R1 is equal to or greater than the deposition ease threshold RH (step ST3).
In step ST3, when the recording apparatus 10 determines that the deposition easiness R1 is equal to or greater than the deposition easiness threshold value RH, the recording apparatus 10 determines whether the paper discharge is completed (step ST4). Here, the end of paper discharge means the end of borderless printing.
In step ST4, the recording apparatus 10 determines whether or not the sheet 29 is present on the platen 12 in order to prevent ink from adhering to the sheet 29 when flushing. When the recording apparatus 10 determines that the paper discharge has been completed, the recording apparatus 10 executes a pour-out sequence (step ST5).
Steps ST3 to ST5 described above are an example of a platen section cleaning step.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of the non-stop sequence in step ST5.
First, the carriage 14 moves to position A (see FIG. 3B) (step ST61 in FIG. 8).
Subsequently, the recording apparatus 10 performs flushing with cyan, magenta, and yellow ink (step ST62). Note that high-viscosity black ink is not used for flushing.
Subsequently, the recording apparatus 10 moves to position B (see FIG. 3B) (step ST63).
Subsequently, the recording apparatus 10 performs flushing with cyan, magenta, and yellow ink (step ST64).

As described above, the recording apparatus 10 can calculate the deposition easiness R1 when the ink cartridge is replaced, and can clean the platen 12 based on the easiness of deposition R1.
Thereby, according to the recording apparatus 10, it is possible to determine the accumulation of ink without providing a sensor and to remove the accumulated ink.
In addition, when the viscosity of the ink used by the recording apparatus 10 is low, such as the above-described type of black ink having a relatively low viscosity, a certain amount of ink is applied to the platen 12 over a certain period of time. As a result, the ink is further accumulated in a state where the ink is dried and solidified, and the ink is accumulated. Here, the replacement of the ink cartridge is not performed for a short time each time a sheet of paper 29 is printed, but for a certain long time. Further, replacing the ink cartridge is certain that the ink stored in the ink cartridge before the replacement has been consumed. For this reason, as described above, by determining the deposition easiness R1 when replacing the ink cartridge, the number of storage operations is small and the amount of storage is small. Ink accumulation can be determined. As described above, the first embodiment described above is effective when used for ink that requires a certain amount of time until the ink is deposited.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, an ink jet recording apparatus 10A (see FIG. 1) according to a second embodiment will be described. The configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus 10A (hereinafter referred to as the recording apparatus 10A) of the second embodiment is the same as that of the recording apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, so the common parts are the same. The description will be omitted, and the description will be focused on the differences.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the storage unit 72A of the recording apparatus 10A.
As shown in FIG. 9A, the storage unit 72A stores ink consumption counters 72Aa, 72Ab, 72Ac, and 72Ad. The ink consumption counter 72Aa indicates a black ink consumption quantity B2 (hereinafter referred to as an ink consumption quantity B2) calculated based on the print data. The ink consumption counter 72Ab indicates a cyan ink consumption C2 (hereinafter referred to as ink consumption C2) calculated based on the print data. The ink consumption counter 72Ac indicates the magenta ink consumption M2 (hereinafter referred to as ink consumption M2) calculated based on the print data. The ink consumption counter 72Ad indicates the yellow ink consumption Y2 (hereinafter referred to as ink consumption Y2) calculated based on the print data.
The recording apparatus 10A calculates the above ink consumption B2 and the like based on the print data, for example, the number of dots of ink ejected from the nozzle openings of the recording head 30, and the number of dots and the ink weight corresponding to each dot Calculated by
The total amount of ink consumptions C2, M2, and Y2 is defined as ink consumption Z2.
The ink consumption B2 and the like described above are examples of the liquid consumption. The storage unit 72A is an example of a liquid consumption storage unit.

The control device 7A of the recording device 10A calculates the deposition easiness R2 shown in FIG. 9B during borderless printing. The easy accumulation R2 is calculated based on the ink consumption B2 and the ink consumption Z2 between the end of the previous borderless printing after the previous accumulation of ink on the platen 12 was canceled. Specifically, the ratio of the ink consumption B2 to the total ink consumption is calculated by dividing the ink consumption B2 by the total amount of the ink consumption B2 and the ink consumption Z2.
The above-described deposition ease R2 is an example of deposition prediction information. The control device 7A is an example of a predicted accumulation information generating unit.

The CL control unit 74A of the recording apparatus 10A cleans the platen 12 by discharging ink from the nozzle openings of the recording head 30 based on the above-described easiness of deposition R2. Specifically, the CL control unit 74A sets the recording head 30 at the position A and the position B of the platen 12 when the deposition easiness R2 is a predetermined deposition easiness threshold value RH, for example, 50% or more. By performing a flow-out sequence that discharges all or part of cyan, magenta, and yellow, which are inks that are difficult to deposit from the nozzle openings, the accumulation of ink on positions A and B is eliminated.
The CL control unit 74A is an example of a platen unit cleaning unit.

As described above, the recording apparatus 10 </ b> A can calculate the deposition easiness R <b> 2 indicating the ink deposition state on the platen 12 in detail, and can clean the platen 12 based on the deposition easiness R <b> 2.
Thereby, according to the recording apparatus 10A, it is possible to determine the accumulation of ink in detail without providing a sensor, and to remove the accumulated ink.

Hereinafter, a method for performing borderless printing according to the present embodiment will be described in detail mainly using FIG.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for performing borderless printing according to the second embodiment.
First, when a user command receiving unit (not shown) of the control device 7A of the recording device 10A in FIG. 5 receives a borderless print execution command input by the user, the recording device 10A starts borderless printing (step ST101).
Subsequently, the recording apparatus 10A adds the ink consumption counter 72a for each color in the current borderless printing based on the print data (step ST102). This step ST102 is an example of a liquid consumption storage step.
Subsequently, the recording apparatus 10A calculates the deposition easiness R2 (step ST103). This step ST103 is an example of a predicted deposition information generation step.

Subsequently, the recording apparatus 10A determines whether or not the deposition ease R2 is equal to or greater than the deposition ease threshold RH (step ST104).
In step ST104, when the recording apparatus 10A determines that the deposition ease R2 is equal to or greater than the deposition ease threshold RH, the recording apparatus 10A determines whether or not the paper discharge is completed (step ST105).
In step ST105, when the recording apparatus 10A determines that the paper discharge has been completed, the recording apparatus 10A executes a pouring sequence (see FIG. 8) (step ST106).
Steps ST104 to ST106 described above are an example of a platen section cleaning step.

  Subsequently, the recording apparatus 10A adds each color ink consumption counter 72Ab and the like corresponding to the ink used for the non-feeding in step ST106 (step ST107). This step ST107 is also an example of the liquid consumption storage step.

As described above, each time the ink is consumed during borderless printing, the recording apparatus 10 </ b> A calculates the deposition ease R <b> 2 indicating in detail the state of ink deposition on the platen 12. For this reason, since the deposition ease R2 is information that can accurately determine whether or not ink is deposited, the recording apparatus 10 cleans the platen 12 based on the deposition ease R2. Ink deposition can be reliably prevented.
The second embodiment described above is effective when the recording apparatus 10 uses ink that easily deposits.

(Third embodiment)
Next, an ink jet recording apparatus 10B (see FIG. 1) according to a third embodiment will be described. The configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus 10B (hereinafter referred to as the recording apparatus 10B) of the third embodiment is the same as that of the recording apparatus 10A of the second embodiment, so the common parts are the same. The description will be omitted, and the description will be focused on the differences.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the storage unit 72B of the recording apparatus 10B.
As shown in FIG. 11A, the storage unit 72B stores ink consumption counters 72Ba, 72Bb, 72Bc, and 72Bd. The ink consumption counter 72Ba indicates the black ink consumption B3 (hereinafter referred to as ink consumption B3) in the ranges P1 and P2 of FIG. 11B calculated based on the print data. As shown in FIG. 11B, the ink consumption amount B3 indicates the black ink consumption amount in the ranges P1 and P2 including the edge portions P1a and P2a of the paper 29 at the time of borderless printing. The ranges P1 and P2 also include positions P1b and P2b on the platen 12 to which ink leaked from the paper edges P1a and P2a adheres during borderless printing, respectively.
Here, the ranges P1 and P2 are not limited to the range in which the ink on the paper 29 is ejected, such as variations in the position of the paper 29 on the platen 12, variations in the size of the paper 29 itself, variations in the position of the recording head 30, and the like. This is because the range in which the ink is ejected has a certain variation. As described above, since the range in which the ink is ejected has a certain variation, the ranges P1 and P2 are ranges including the edges P1a and P2a of the paper 29 as described above.
The above-mentioned ranges P1 and P2 are defined in advance and are an example of an edge peripheral range.

Similarly, the ink consumption counter 72Bb indicates the cyan ink consumption C3 (hereinafter referred to as ink consumption C3) in the ranges P1 and P2 of FIG. 11B calculated based on the print data. The ink consumption counter 72Bc indicates the magenta ink consumption M3 (hereinafter referred to as ink consumption M3) in the ranges P1 and P2 of FIG. 11B calculated based on the print data. The ink consumption counter 72Bd indicates the yellow ink consumption Y3 (hereinafter referred to as ink consumption Y3) in the ranges P1 and P2 of FIG. 11B calculated based on the print data.
The total amount of ink consumptions C3, M3, and Y3 is defined as ink consumption Z3.
The ink consumption B3 and the like described above are examples of the liquid consumption. The storage unit 72B is an example of a liquid consumption storage unit.

The control device 7B of the recording device 10B calculates the deposition easiness R3 shown in FIG. 11C at the time of borderless printing. The easy accumulation R3 is calculated based on the ink consumption B3 and the ink consumption Z3 from the end of the previous ink accumulation on the platen 12 to the end of the current borderless printing. Specifically, the ratio of the ink consumption B3 to the total ink consumption is calculated by dividing the ink consumption B3 by the total amount of the ink consumption B3 and the ink consumption Z3.
The above described deposition easiness R3 is an example of deposition prediction information. The control device 7B is an example of a predicted accumulation information generating unit.

The CL control unit 74B of the recording apparatus 10B cleans the platen 12 by discharging ink from the nozzle openings of the recording head 30 based on the above-described deposition easiness R3. Specifically, the CL control unit 74B sets the recording head 30 to the position A and the position B of the platen 12 when the deposition easiness R3 is, for example, 50% or more, which is a predetermined deposition easiness threshold value RH. The ink deposition on positions A and B is eliminated by performing a flow-out sequence that discharges all or part of cyan, magenta, and yellow, which are inks that are difficult to deposit from the nozzle openings of the nozzles. .
The CL control unit 74B determines the amount of ink to be discharged (flow amount F) for cleaning the platen 12 based on the ease of deposition R3. Specifically, the CL control unit 74B increases the amount of ink as the deposition easiness R3 increases.
The CL control unit 74B is an example of a platen unit cleaning unit.

As described above, since the recording apparatus 10B calculates the deposition easiness R3 from the print data of the portion that may be ejected outside the paper 20, the deposition easiness R3 indicates the ink accumulation state on the platen 12. It is information shown in more detail. The recording apparatus 10 can more reliably prevent ink deposition by cleaning the platen 12 based on the ease of deposition R3.
Thereby, according to the recording apparatus 10B, it is possible to determine the accumulation of ink in detail without providing a sensor, and to remove the accumulated ink.
The third embodiment described above is effective when the recording apparatus 10 uses ink that is easily deposited in a short time. Further, when the amount of ink consumed in the entire sheet 29 and the amount of ink consumed in the borderless portions (the above-described ranges P1 and P2) are greatly different, the ink accumulation state on the platen 12 is shown more accurately. Deposition ease R3 can be calculated.

Hereinafter, a method for performing borderless printing according to the present embodiment will be described in detail mainly using FIG.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for performing borderless printing according to the third embodiment.
Steps ST201 to ST204 in FIG. 12 are the same as steps ST101 to ST104 (see FIG. 10) of the second embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.
In Step ST204, when the recording apparatus 10B determines that the deposition ease R3 is equal to or greater than the deposition ease threshold RH, the recording apparatus 10B determines the flow amount F based on the deposition ease R3 (Step ST205).
Subsequently, the recording apparatus 10B executes Step ST206 and Step ST207. Since step ST206 and step ST207 are the same as step ST105 and step ST106 (see FIG. 10) of the second embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.
Subsequent to step ST207, the recording apparatus 10B resets each color ink consumption counter (step ST208). In the above-described step ST205, since the flow amount F is determined so that the ink deposited on the platen 12 can be eliminated, the ink deposition on the platen 12 is eliminated. For this reason, the recording apparatus 10B resets each color ink consumption counter, and resets each color ink consumption counter again from the next borderless printing.

As described above, the recording apparatus 10 </ b> B can calculate the deposition ease R <b> 3 that indicates in detail the ink deposition state in the ranges P <b> 1 and P <b> 2 of the platen 12, and cleans the platen 12 based on the deposition ease R <b> 3. can do.
Furthermore, since the recording apparatus 10B determines the casting amount F based on the deposition easiness R3, the recording apparatus 10B can determine the amount of ink for reliably eliminating ink deposition and clean the platen 12.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment as an ink jet recording apparatus, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments may be combined with each other. Further, the present invention is not limited to an ink jet recording apparatus, but a recording head used in an image recording apparatus such as a printer, a color material ejection head used in manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and an FED (surface emitting). Electrode material ejection heads used for electrode formation such as displays), liquid ejection devices using liquid ejection heads that eject liquids such as bio-organic matter ejection heads used in biochip manufacturing, sample ejection devices as precision pipettes, etc. Applicable.

  Moreover, each structure of the said embodiment can abbreviate | omit one part or can be arbitrarily combined so that it may differ from the above. For example, the host computer 80 may have the functions of the storage unit 72 and the CL control unit 74 of the ink jet recording apparatus 10. In this case, the ink jet recording apparatus 10 and the host computer 80 are examples of the liquid ejecting apparatus.

1 is a schematic view showing an ink jet recording apparatus. It is the schematic which shows an example of the method of borderless printing. It is the schematic which shows an example of the method of borderless printing. It is a figure which shows an example of the ink deposited on the platen. It is the schematic which shows the example of an electrical connection of an inkjet recording device. It is a figure which shows an example etc. of the information memorize | stored in a memory | storage part. It is a schematic flowchart which shows the operation example of an inkjet recording device. It is a schematic flowchart which shows the operation example of an inkjet recording device. It is a figure which shows an example etc. of the information memorize | stored in a memory | storage part. It is a schematic flowchart which shows the operation example of an inkjet recording device. It is a figure which shows an example etc. of the information memorize | stored in a memory | storage part. It is a schematic flowchart which shows the operation example of an inkjet recording device.

Explanation of symbols

  10, 10A, 10B ... Inkjet recording device, 20 ... Ink suction device, 21 ... Cap body, 30 ... Recording head, 30a ... Nozzle plate surface, 72, 72A, 72B ...・ Storage unit, 74, 74A, 74B ... CL control unit

Claims (6)

A liquid ejecting head that ejects a plurality of kinds of liquids including an easy deposition liquid that is a liquid that is easy to deposit and a non-deposition liquid that is a liquid that is difficult to deposit compared to the easy deposition liquid;
A liquid ejecting apparatus having a platen portion on which a target is disposed,
Liquid consumption storage means for storing the consumption of each of the liquids;
A predicted deposition information generating unit configured to generate predicted deposition information indicating a deposition state of the liquid in the platen unit based on the consumption of the easy deposition liquid and the consumption of the non-deposition liquid during borderless printing;
A platen part cleaning means for discharging the liquid from a nozzle opening of the liquid jet head and cleaning the platen part based on the predicted deposition information;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: The liquid consumption amount storage means is configured to store a consumption amount of a liquid container that stores the liquid,
The accumulation prediction information generation means is configured to generate the accumulation prediction information based on the consumption quantity of the liquid container storing the easy deposition liquid and the consumption quantity of the liquid container storing the non-deposition liquid. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1. The liquid consumption storage means is configured to store the consumption of each liquid calculated based on print data,
The deposition prediction information generation unit is configured to generate the deposition prediction information based on the consumption amount of the easy deposition liquid calculated based on print data and the consumption amount of the non-deposition liquid. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1.   The liquid ejection according to claim 3, wherein the liquid consumption amount storage unit is configured to store a consumption amount of each liquid in an edge peripheral range including a predetermined edge portion of the target. apparatus.   5. The platen section cleaning unit is configured to determine an amount of the liquid to be discharged from a nozzle opening of the liquid ejecting head based on the predicted accumulation information. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to any one of the above. A liquid ejection head that ejects a plurality of types of liquids including an easy deposition liquid that is a liquid that is easy to deposit and a non-deposition liquid that is a liquid that is difficult to deposit as compared to the easy deposition liquid, and a platen unit on which a target is disposed A liquid consumption storage step for storing a consumption amount of each of the liquids,
The liquid ejection device generates deposition prediction information indicating the liquid deposition state in the platen unit based on the consumption amount of the easy deposition liquid and the consumption amount of the non-deposition liquid during borderless printing. An information generation step;
A platen part cleaning step in which the liquid ejecting apparatus discharges the liquid from a nozzle opening of the liquid ejecting head and cleans the platen part based on the predicted deposition information;
A control method for a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

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