JP2014028482A - Liquid discharge device, control method of liquid discharge device, and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid discharge device capable of preventing an inside of the device from being soiled by a liquid discharged from a liquid discharge head, and suppressing decrease of overall throughput of the device.SOLUTION: Determination means, when a plurality of recording media continuously pass through a facing region which faces to a plurality of discharge ports, in each of passing periods between recording media, determines whether or not a liquid needs to be discharged from the discharge port to a liquid receptacle by liquid discharge means (A4). Then, the liquid discharge means discharges the liquid in the passing period between recording media in which the determination means determines that the liquid needs to be discharged (A6). After that, control means, only if an amount of the remaining liquid on the liquid receptacle is a first specified amount or greater (A7:YES), removes the remaining ink on the liquid receptacle (A8).

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus, a control method for a liquid ejection apparatus, and a control program.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an ink jet recording apparatus including an ink jet head that ejects ink as a liquid ejecting apparatus. In this ink jet recording apparatus, for the purpose of removing the thickened ink in the nozzles, preliminary ejection is performed to discharge ink unrelated to recording from the ink jet head to the ink receiving portion.

JP 2005-131873 A

  However, in the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when ink preliminarily ejected on the ink receiving portion is accumulated, ink discharged from the ink jet head in the subsequent preejection is accumulated in the ink receiving portion. There is a problem that the inside of the apparatus is contaminated by colliding with the deposited ink and scattering around the ink or overflowing ink from the ink receiving portion. Here, it is conceivable to remove the ink discharged to the ink receiving portion every time the preliminary ejection is performed, but in this case, the apparatus executes a predetermined command because the processing time related to the preliminary ejection becomes long. The throughput of the entire apparatus, which is the time from completion of the process until completion of the predetermined instruction, is reduced.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus and a liquid that can prevent the inside of the apparatus from being contaminated by the liquid discharged from the liquid ejecting head and can suppress a decrease in the throughput of the entire apparatus. It is to provide a control method and a control program for a discharge device.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention performs recording so that a liquid ejection head having a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting liquid and an opposing region facing the plurality of ejection ports are passed. A transport mechanism for transporting the medium in a transport direction, a liquid discharge means for discharging liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports, and a state facing the plurality of discharge ports, A liquid receiver for receiving liquid discharged from a plurality of ejection openings, a liquid removal mechanism for removing the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver, and a plurality of recording media being continuously provided by the transport mechanism in the opposed region When the recording medium is passed, the passage between the recording media is a period from when the upstream end portion of the recording medium in the transport direction passes through the facing area to the arrival of the downstream end portion of the next recording medium in the transport direction. Period In each case, a judgment means for judging whether or not the liquid discharge means needs to discharge liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge openings to the liquid receiver; A remaining liquid amount calculating means for calculating a remaining amount of liquid to be performed, and a control means for controlling the transport mechanism, the liquid discharge means, and the liquid removal mechanism, and the control means performs a plurality of recording operations by the transport mechanism. When the medium is continuously passed through the facing area, it is necessary to discharge the liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports by the determination unit during the passage period between the recording media. In the determined inter-recording-medium passage period, liquid is discharged to the liquid receiver from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports determined to be necessary. The liquid discharging means is controlled as described above, and after that, only when the remaining amount calculated by the liquid remaining amount calculating means is equal to or larger than the first specified amount, The liquid is set so that the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is less than the first specified amount in the passage period between the recording media until the liquid is discharged from the at least one ejection port to the liquid receiver. The removal mechanism is controlled.

  In addition, according to the control method of the liquid ejection apparatus of the present invention, the recording medium is transported in a transport direction so as to pass through a liquid ejection head having a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting liquid and a facing region facing the plurality of ejection ports. A plurality of discharge ports in a state of being opposed to the plurality of discharge ports, a transport mechanism for transporting the liquid, a liquid discharge means for discharging liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports, A method for controlling a liquid ejection apparatus comprising a liquid receiver for receiving liquid discharged from a liquid receiver and a liquid removal mechanism for removing liquid remaining on the liquid receiver, wherein a plurality of recordings are recorded by the transport mechanism. When the medium is continuously passed through the counter area, the upstream end of the recording medium in the transport direction passes through the counter area until the downstream end of the next recording medium in the transport direction reaches. Period of A determination process for determining whether or not it is necessary for the liquid discharger to discharge liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports to the liquid receiver in each of the passages between recording media; A remaining liquid amount calculation process for calculating a remaining amount of liquid remaining on the liquid receiver, and a passage period between the recording media when a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism. The plurality of discharges determined to be necessary in the inter-recording medium passage period in which it is determined by the determining means that the liquid needs to be discharged from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports. A discharge process for controlling the liquid discharge means so that liquid is discharged from at least one discharge port of the outlets to the liquid receiver; and after the discharge process, the liquid Only when the remaining amount calculated by the remaining amount calculating means is equal to or larger than the first specified amount, the liquid is then discharged from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports to the liquid receiver by the liquid discharging device. A removal process for controlling the liquid removal mechanism so that the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is less than the first specified amount during the passage period between the recording media until Features.

  Also, the control program of the present invention is for transporting a recording medium in the transport direction so as to pass through a liquid discharge head having a plurality of discharge ports for discharging a liquid and a facing region facing the plurality of discharge ports. And a liquid discharge means for discharging liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports, and the plurality of discharge ports in a state of being opposed to the plurality of discharge ports. A liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid receiver for receiving a liquid and a liquid removing mechanism for removing the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver. When passing, the inter-recording-medium passing period, which is a period from when the upstream end of the recording medium in the transport direction passes through the counter area to the arrival of the downstream end of the next recording medium in the transport direction In each case, a determination means for determining whether or not the liquid discharge means needs to discharge liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge openings to the liquid receiver, and remains on the liquid receiver. A remaining liquid amount calculating means for calculating a remaining amount of liquid to be performed, and when a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, the determining means includes the determining means of the passage period between the recording media. At least one of the plurality of ejection ports determined to be necessary during the inter-recording medium passage period in which it is determined that the liquid needs to be discharged from at least one of the plurality of ejection ports. Discharge control means for controlling the liquid discharge means so that liquid is discharged from one discharge port to the liquid receiver; and after the liquid is discharged to the liquid receiver, the liquid residue Only when the remaining amount calculated by the amount calculating means is greater than or equal to the first specified amount, the liquid is then discharged from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports to the liquid receiver by the liquid discharging device. The liquid removal control means functions to control the liquid removal mechanism so that the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is less than the first specified amount during the passing period between the recording media up to. And

  According to the above configuration, when the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is equal to or more than the first specified amount after the liquid is discharged from the discharge port by the liquid discharging means, the liquid removing mechanism The remaining liquid is removed. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the inside of the apparatus from being contaminated by the liquid discharged from the discharge port by the subsequent liquid discharging means. Further, when the remaining amount is less than the first specified amount, the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is not removed by the liquid removing mechanism, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in the throughput of the entire apparatus. .

  The liquid ejection apparatus of the present invention transports a recording medium in the transport direction so as to pass through a liquid ejection head having a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting liquid and a facing region facing the plurality of ejection ports. A discharge mechanism for discharging liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports, and a plurality of discharge ports in a state facing the plurality of discharge ports. A liquid receiver for receiving a liquid, a liquid removing mechanism for removing the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver, and a plurality of recording media being continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, In each of the inter-recording-medium passing periods, which is a period from when the upstream end of the recording medium in the transport direction passes through the counter area to the arrival of the downstream end of the next recording medium in the transport direction, Determination means for determining whether or not it is necessary to discharge liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports to the liquid receiver by the discharge unit; and among the plurality of discharge ports by the liquid discharge unit When the liquid is discharged from the at least one discharge port toward the liquid receiver, the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver, and at least one of the plurality of discharge ports by the liquid discharge unit A liquid remaining amount calculating means for calculating a total amount of liquid discharged from one discharge port toward the liquid receiver, and a control means for controlling the transport mechanism, the liquid discharging means, and the liquid removing mechanism; And when the plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, the control means includes a control unit that determines whether the determination means includes At least one of the plurality of ejection ports determined to be necessary during the inter-recording medium passage period in which it is determined that the liquid needs to be discharged from at least one of the plurality of ejection ports. The liquid discharging means is controlled so that liquid is discharged from one discharge port to the liquid receiver, and the amount of liquid discharged to the liquid receiver in the passage period between the recording media is calculated by the remaining liquid amount calculating means. Only when the sum of the discharge amount and the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is equal to or greater than a first specified amount, at least one of the plurality of ejection ports in the inter-recording medium passage period. Before discharging the liquid from one discharge port, the liquid discharger can reduce the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver so that the total amount becomes less than the first specified amount. The stage and the liquid removing mechanism are controlled.

  According to the above configuration, before the liquid is discharged from the discharge port by the liquid discharge unit, the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver and the discharge amount of the liquid discharged from the discharge port by the discharge unit When the total amount is equal to or greater than the first specified amount, the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is removed by the liquid removal mechanism. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the inside of the apparatus from being contaminated by the liquid discharged from the discharge port by the liquid discharging means. Further, when the total amount is less than the first specified amount, the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is not removed by the liquid removal mechanism, so that it is possible to suppress the throughput of the entire apparatus from being reduced by that amount. .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the inside of the apparatus from being contaminated by the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge head, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the throughput of the entire apparatus.

1 is a schematic side view illustrating an overall configuration of an inkjet printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (A) is an operation state diagram of the platen and the liquid receiver during the image recording process, (b) is an operation state diagram of the platen and the liquid receiver during the discharge process, and (c) is an operation state diagram of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows area | region VI enclosed with the dashed-dotted line. (A) is an operation state diagram of the removal mechanism and the liquid receiver during the image recording process, and (b) is an operation state diagram of the removal mechanism and the liquid receiver during the removal process. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a flow path unit and an actuator unit of the liquid discharge head of the printer of FIG. 1. FIG. 4A is an enlarged view showing a region III surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. (C) is an enlarged view showing a region surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the control part shown in FIG. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the control part shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the control part in the inkjet printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the control part shown in FIG.

  As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a liquid ejecting apparatus is applied to an ink jet printer and will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
First, the overall configuration of the inkjet printer 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped casing 1a. A paper discharge unit 35 is provided on the top plate of the housing 1a. In the space defined by the housing 1a, there is a sheet conveyance path along which a sheet P as a recording medium is conveyed along a thick arrow shown in FIG. Is formed.

  The housing 1a includes a head (liquid ejection head) 10, a paper feed mechanism 1c, a transport mechanism 30, a platen 40 that supports the paper P during image recording, a guide mechanism 25, and a cartridge that stores black ink supplied to the head 10 (see FIG. Not shown), liquid receiver 8, liquid removing mechanism 55 (see FIG. 3), elevating mechanism 96 (see FIG. 6), measurement sensor 51 (see FIG. 6) for measuring the temperature and humidity in the case 1a, and printer The control part 100 etc. which control operation | movement of each part of 1 are accommodated. The cartridge is connected to the head 10 via a tube (not shown) and a pump 54 (see FIG. 6).

  The head 10 is a line head that is positioned and fixed at a predetermined position, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the main scanning direction. The lower surface of the head 10 is a discharge surface 10a in which a large number of discharge ports 108 (see FIG. 5) are opened. During image recording, black ink is ejected from the ejection port 108. The head 10 is supported by the housing 1a via the head holder 3. The head holder 3 holds the head 10 so that a predetermined gap suitable for recording is formed between the ejection surface 10 a and the upper surface of the platen 40. An annular lip member 61 constituting a cap mechanism 60 is disposed around the head 10. The lip member 61 is attached to the head holder 3 and surrounds the outer periphery of the head 10 in plan view. The configurations of the head 10 and the cap mechanism 60 will also be described in detail later.

  The transport mechanism 30 includes transport nip rollers 31, 32 and the like disposed on both sides of the platen 40 in the transport direction, and transports the paper P so as to pass through the facing area S1 facing the ejection surface 10a. The conveyance nip rollers 31 and 32 each have a pair of roller members arranged to face each other so as to sandwich the sheet P in the vertical direction, and the conveyance force is applied to the sheet P so that the sandwiched sheet P is conveyed in the conveyance direction. Is granted. The paper P to which the transport force is applied by the transport nip roller 31 disposed on the upstream side in the paper transport direction is transported in the paper transport direction while being supported on the upper surface of the platen 40. The paper P that has passed through the upper surface of the platen 40 is given a transport force by the transport nip roller 32 and is transported further downstream from the platen 40 in the paper transport direction.

  The platen 40 includes a pair of door members 41 and 42, and is supported by a pair of rotating shafts 40a that can be opened and closed with the discharge surface 10a sandwiched therebetween in a plan view and parallel to the discharge surface 10a. The platen 40 is rotated by the platen motor 43 (see FIG. 6) around the rotation axis 40a, and is opposed to the discharge surface 10a (see FIG. 2A) parallel to the horizontal plane and the discharge surface 10a. A non-opposing position (refer to FIG. 2B) that hangs down without being opposed can be selectively taken. The platen 40 takes a non-facing position during maintenance, and takes a facing position during image recording processing. When the platen 40 is disposed at the opposing position, the interval between the ejection surface 10a and the platen 40 is smaller than the interval between the ejection surface 10a and the liquid receiver 8. The upper surface of the platen 40 that faces the ejection surface 10a when placed at the facing position is a support surface that supports the paper P, and materials and processing are devised so that the paper P can be held. .

  The guide mechanism 25 includes an upstream guide portion and a downstream guide portion that are arranged with the transport mechanism 30 interposed therebetween. The upstream guide portion has three guides 26 a, 26 b, 26 c and two pairs of feed rollers 27. The upstream guide unit connects the paper feed mechanism 1 c and the transport mechanism 30. The downstream guide portion has three guides 28 a, 28 b, 28 c and three pairs of feed rollers 29. The downstream guide unit connects the transport mechanism 30 and the paper discharge unit 35.

  The paper feed mechanism 1 c has a paper feed tray 23 and a paper feed roller 24. The paper feed tray 23 is a box that opens upward, and can accommodate paper P. The paper feed roller 24 rotates under the control of the control unit 100 and sends out the paper P that is on the uppermost side of the paper feed tray 23. Here, the sub-scanning direction is a direction parallel to the conveyance direction of the paper P by the conveyance mechanism 30, and is a direction parallel to the horizontal direction in FIG. The main scanning direction is a direction parallel to the horizontal plane and orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction in FIG.

  The liquid receiver 8 is a rectangular flat plate member whose longitudinal direction is the main scanning direction and whose short direction is the sub-scanning direction. The liquid receiver 8 is made of a hard material such as glass. The liquid receiver 8 has a size that is slightly larger than the ejection surface 10a in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, and is configured to be able to receive all of the ink ejected from the ejection ports 108 during ejection processing described later. ing. Further, the liquid receiver 8 is always located in the facing region S1 facing the discharge surface 10a (including a state in which the platen 40 is sandwiched between the discharge surface 10a and the liquid receiver 8). As a result, when the printer 1 is viewed from vertically above, the total area of the projected area of the head 10 and the projected area of the liquid receiver 8 can be reduced, so that the printer 1 can be made compact.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid removing mechanism 55 includes a wiper 56 a, a base portion 56 b that supports the wiper 56 a, and a wiper moving mechanism 57. The wiper 56 a is a plate-like elastic member (for example, rubber) and is slightly longer than the width of the liquid receiver 8 in the sub-scanning direction. The wiper moving mechanism 57 includes a guide 58 extending along the main scanning direction and a wiper drive motor 59 (see FIG. 6). The base portion 56 b is connected to the wiper drive motor 59, and reciprocates along the guide 58 by the drive of the wiper drive motor 59. In the removal process described later, the base 56b is moved along the main scanning direction after waiting for the liquid receiver 8 to move to a second position (described later). As a result, the wiper 56a moves relative to the liquid receiver 8 while being in contact therewith. As a result, the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is wiped away.

  The waste liquid tray 85 is disposed below the liquid receiver 8 and communicates with a waste liquid tank (not shown). Further, the waste liquid tray 85 has a size that is slightly larger than the liquid receiver 8 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, and receives ink dripping from the liquid receiver 8 during the removal process.

  The elevating mechanism 96 performs the elevating operation of the liquid receiver 8 under the control of the control unit 100. Specifically, the elevating mechanism 96 selectively moves the liquid receiver 8 to the first position, the second position, and the third position. Here, as shown in FIG. 2A, the first position is a position at which the liquid receiver 8 is disposed during an image recording process described later. As shown in FIG. 3B, the second position is a position above the first position, and is a position where the distance from the ejection surface 10a is narrower than the first position. The removal process is performed when the liquid receiver 8 is disposed at the second position. When the liquid receiver 8 is disposed at the second position, the wiper 56a and the base 56b can move in the space between the head 10 and the liquid receiver 8 (see FIG. 3B). As shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, the third position is a position above the second position. When the later-described movable body 63 of the cap mechanism 60 is lowered while the liquid receiver 8 is disposed at the third position, the tip 61a of the lip member 61 and the liquid receiver 8 come into contact with each other, and the lip member 61 and the liquid receptacle 8 cover the ejection port 108 of the head 10 (see FIG. 2C). Further, the discharge process described later is performed when the liquid receiver 8 is disposed at the third position.

  The control unit 100 controls the operation of each part of the printer 1 and controls the operation of the entire printer 1. The control unit 100 receives a print command transmitted from an external device (such as a PC connected to the printer 1) via the interface 50 (see FIG. 6). Then, an image recording process is performed based on the received print command. In the image recording process, the control unit 100 controls the transport operation of the paper P, the ink discharge operation synchronized with the transport of the paper P, and the like. The paper P sent out from the paper feed tray 23 by the transport operation of the control unit 100 is guided by the guides 26 a, 26 b, 26 c and sent to the transport mechanism 30 while being sandwiched by the feed roller pair 27. The transport mechanism 30 sends the paper P to a facing area S1 (between the head 10 and the platen 40) facing the ejection surface 10a. Then, ink is sequentially ejected from the ejection ports 108 on the paper P sent to the facing area S1 by the transport mechanism 30, and a monochrome image is formed on the paper P. The ink ejection operation from the ejection port 108 is performed under the control of the control unit 100 based on the detection signal from the paper sensor 37. The paper P is then guided upward by the guides 28a, 28b, 28c and conveyed upward while being sandwiched by the pair of feed rollers 29, and is discharged from the opening 38 formed in the upper part of the housing 1a to the paper discharge unit 35.

  The control unit 100 also performs maintenance for maintaining / recovering the ink ejection characteristics of the head 10. Maintenance includes discharge processing, removal processing, capping processing, and the like. The discharge process is a process for discharging ink from the ejection port 108. In the present embodiment, the discharge processing is flushing that forcibly ejects ink from a part or all of the ejection ports 108 by driving a part or all of the actuators of the head 10. In the present embodiment, the actuator of the head 10 corresponds to the liquid discharge means of the present invention.

  The capping process is a process of covering the ejection port 108 of the head 10 with the lip member 61 and the liquid receiver 8 as shown in FIG. Thereby, drying of the ink in the ejection port 108 of the head 10 is suppressed. The capping process is performed when the printer 1 is stopped or stopped, for example.

  The removal process is a process of removing the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 by controlling the liquid removal mechanism 55. The removal process includes a first removal process and a second removal process. The first removal process is a process of controlling the liquid removal mechanism 55 so that the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is less than the first specified amount. The second removal process is a process of controlling the liquid removal mechanism 55 so that the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is less than the second specified amount that is less than the first specified amount. Here, the “first specified amount” means that when the ink is discharged onto the liquid receiver 8 by the discharge process and collides with the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8, the ink scatters around or from the liquid receiver 8. Of the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 that may overflow, the remaining amount is the smallest. In other words, if the remaining amount of the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is less than the first specified amount, even if the ink is discharged onto the liquid receiver 8 by the discharge process, the ink may scatter around the liquid receiver 8 There will be no overflow from the receiver 8. Further, the “second specified amount” means that when the lip member 61 comes into contact with the liquid receiver 8 as will be described later, a large amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 adheres to the lip member 61 and is caused by capping processing. This is the smallest remaining amount among the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 that may significantly reduce the effect of suppressing drying of the ink in the ejection port 108.

  By the way, when the removal process is performed, factors that adversely affect image recording such as vibration and power supply current fluctuation may occur compared to when the removal process is not performed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the image recording on the paper P is not performed when the removal process is performed. As a result, the quality of the image recorded on the paper P can be improved.

  Next, the head 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. In FIG. 5A, for convenience of explanation, the pressure chamber 110 and the discharge port 108 that are to be drawn with a broken line below the actuator unit 21 are drawn with a solid line.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the head 10 is a laminated body in which eight actuator units 21 are fixed to the upper surface 9 a of the flow path unit 9. A pressure chamber 110 is opened on the upper surface 9a. As shown in FIG. 5B, the actuator unit 21 seals this opening and constitutes the side wall of the pressure chamber 110. As shown in FIG. 5B, the flow path unit 9 is a laminate in which nine stainless steel plates 122 to 130 are laminated. An ink flow path is formed inside the flow path unit 9. The ink flow path has an ink supply port 105b on the upper surface as one end, the manifold flow channel 105 branched to the sub manifold flow channel 105a, and the outlet of the sub manifold flow channel 105a from the outlet of the sub manifold channel 105a to the discharge port 108 on the lower surface. Includes individual ink channels.

  Next, the actuator unit 21 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the eight actuator units 21 has a trapezoidal planar shape, and is arranged along the main scanning direction so as to avoid the ink supply port 105b. The actuator unit 21 is a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic having ferroelectricity, and includes three piezoelectric layers 136 to 138 as shown in FIG. The uppermost piezoelectric layer 136 has a plurality of individual electrodes 135 formed on the upper surface and is polarized in the thickness direction. A portion sandwiched between the individual electrode 135 and the pressure chamber 110 functions as an individual unimorph actuator. When an electric field in the polarization direction is generated between the individual electrode 135 and the common electrode 134, the actuator portion protrudes toward the pressure chamber 110 (unimorph deformation). At this time, pressure is applied to the ink in the pressure chamber, and ink is ejected from the ejection port 108. Here, the common electrode 134 is always at the ground potential. Further, the drive signal is selectively supplied to the individual electrode 135.

  In the present embodiment, a striking method is employed when ink is ejected. The individual electrode 135 is at a predetermined potential in advance, and the actuator is unimorph deformed. When the drive signal is supplied, the individual electrode 135 once has the same potential as the common electrode 134 and returns to the predetermined potential after a predetermined time. At the same potential, the actuator eliminates unimorph deformation and ink is sucked into the pressure chamber 110. At the return timing of the potential, the actuator is deformed again by unimorph, and an ink droplet is ejected from the ejection port 108. In the present embodiment, the actuator corresponds to the discharge mechanism of the present invention.

  Next, the configuration of the head holder 3 and the cap mechanism 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. The head holder 3 is a frame-shaped frame made of metal or the like, and supports the side surface of the head 10 over the entire circumference. A lip member 61 constituting a cap mechanism 60 is attached to the head holder 3.

  The cap mechanism 60 includes a lip member 61, a gear 64, and a lifting motor 65 (see FIG. 6). The lip member 61 has an elastic body 62 and a movable body 63. The elastic body 62 is made of an annular elastic material such as rubber and surrounds the head 10 in plan view. As shown in FIG. 2C, the elastic body 62 includes a base portion 62x, a protruding portion 62a protruding from the lower surface of the base portion 62x, a fixing portion 62c fixed to the head holder 3, and a base portion 62x and a fixing portion 62c. A connecting portion 62d to be connected is included. Among these, the protrusion 62a has a triangular cross section. The fixing portion 62c has a T-shaped cross section. The upper end portion of the fixing portion 62c is fixed to the head holder 3 with an adhesive or the like. The connecting portion 62d is curved from the lower end of the fixed portion 62c and extends outward (in a direction away from the ejection surface 10a in plan view), and is connected to the lower side surface of the base portion 62x. The connecting portion 62d is deformed as the movable body 63 is raised and lowered. A recess 62b is formed on the upper surface of the base 62x, and is fitted to the lower end of the movable body 63.

  The movable body 63 is made of an annular rigid material (for example, stainless steel) and surrounds the outer periphery of the head 10 in plan view. The movable body 63 is supported by the elastic body 62 and is movable relative to the head holder 3 in the vertical direction. The movable body 63 is connected to a plurality of gears 64. When the lifting motor 65 (see FIG. 6) is driven under the control of the control unit 100, the gear 64 rotates and the movable body 63 moves up and down. At this time, the base 62x also moves up and down. Thereby, the relative position of the front-end | tip 61a of the protrusion part 62a and the discharge surface 10a changes to a perpendicular direction. The protruding portion 62a is a contact position where the tip 61a contacts the liquid receiver 8 as the movable body 63 moves up and down when the liquid receiver 8 is disposed at the third position (see FIG. 2B). (See FIG. 2C) and a separation position (see FIG. 2B) separated from the liquid receiver 8 are selectively taken.

  Next, the control unit 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a control program executed by the CPU, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores data used for these control programs in a rewritable manner, and temporarily stores data when the control program is executed. RAM (Random Access Memory) which memorize | stores automatically. Each functional unit constituting the control unit 100 is constructed by cooperation of these hardware and software in the ROM. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the control unit 100 includes a reception unit 141, an image recording unit 142, a maintenance control unit 143, a determination unit 144, a remaining liquid amount calculation unit 145, a removal determination unit 146, and a history storage as each functional unit. Part 147.

  The receiving unit 141 receives a print command from an external device via the interface 50. The print command includes image data to be recorded on at least one sheet P.

  The image recording unit 142 performs an image recording process for recording an image on the paper P based on the print command received by the receiving unit 141. Specifically, the image recording unit 142 controls each operation of the paper feed mechanism 1c, the guide mechanism 25, and the transport mechanism 30 so that the paper P is transported at a predetermined speed along the transport direction. Further, the image recording unit 142 controls the head 10 (actuator) so that ink is ejected toward the paper P conveyed to the facing region S1 facing the ejection surface 10a based on the image data included in the print command. To do. Here, in the continuous image recording process in which the image recording unit 142 continuously records images on a plurality of papers P, the distance between the papers P to be continuously transported is the length in the transport direction of the ejection surface 10a. (Length in the sub-scanning direction) is set. That is, two or more sheets P are not simultaneously positioned in the facing area S1. Here, the continuous image recording process includes a case where the image recording process for a plurality of sheets P by one print command and the image recording process by a plurality of print commands are continuously performed.

  The maintenance control unit 143 controls the head 10 (actuator), the pump 54, the platen motor 43, the wiper drive motor 59, the lifting motor 65, and the lifting mechanism 96 in maintenance such as discharge processing, removal processing, and capping processing. To do.

  The determination unit 144 determines whether or not the discharge process needs to be performed in each of the inter-recording medium passing periods of the continuous image recording process. Here, the “intermediate recording medium passage period” refers to the conveyance direction of the next sheet P after the upstream end in the conveyance direction of the sheet P passes through the facing area S1 (indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2A). This is a period until the downstream end (indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 2A) reaches the facing region S1. That is, the inter-recording medium passing period is a period in which the paper P is not positioned in the facing area S1 during the continuous image recording process. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 144 includes a discharge port 108 in which a period during which ink is not discharged (non-discharge period) is equal to or greater than a predetermined period during the continuous image recording process. Therefore, it is determined that it is necessary to perform the discharge process because the ink needs to be discharged from the ejection port 108. In this discharge process, ink is discharged only from the discharge ports 108 whose non-discharge period is equal to or longer than a predetermined period.

  The liquid remaining amount calculation unit 145 calculates the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8. Specifically, first, the remaining liquid amount calculation unit 145 first includes the contents of past discharge processing stored in the history storage unit 147 (e.g., the discharged amount of discharged ink and the time when the discharge processing was executed)) And the content of the removal process (the number of times the wiper 56a has moved relative to the liquid receiver 8 and the time when the removal process was executed) remain on the liquid receiver 8 without considering the drying of the ink. The assumed remaining amount of ink is calculated. Thereafter, the liquid remaining amount calculation unit 145 calculates the amount of drying that the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 dries over time based on the measurement results of the temperature and humidity of the measurement sensor 51 from each discharge process to the present. Then, the remaining liquid amount calculation unit 145 sets an amount obtained by subtracting the dry amount from the calculated assumed remaining amount as the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8. As a modification, the amount of ink currently remaining on the liquid receiver 8 may be obtained by actual measurement using detection means such as a sensor.

  By the way, if the removal process is uniformly performed after the discharge process in the passage period between the recording media in which the discharge process is performed, the throughput of the entire apparatus is lowered. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the removal determination unit 146 does not perform the removal process uniformly after the discharge process in the passage period between the recording media in which the discharge process is performed. In the passage period, it is determined whether or not the removal process is performed after the discharge process, and the removal process is performed only when it is determined to perform the removal process. The removal determination unit 146 performs the removal process when the remaining amount of ink remaining in the liquid receiver 8 calculated by the liquid remaining amount calculation unit 145 is equal to or more than the first specified amount after the discharge processing is performed. It is determined to be performed, and when it is less than the first specified amount, it is determined not to perform the removal process. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the throughput of the entire apparatus, and even when ink is discharged onto the liquid receiver 8 by the next discharge processing, the ink scatters around or overflows from the liquid receiver 8. Can be prevented.

  The history storage unit 147 stores the content of the discharge process executed by the maintenance control unit 143 and the content of the removal process executed by the maintenance control unit 143.

  Next, a maintenance operation at the time of continuous image processing will be described with reference to FIG. The state at the start of the operation flow shown in FIG. 7 is a state in which the receiving unit 141 has received a print command indicating continuous image recording on 100 sheets of paper P1, for example. Moreover, the liquid receiver 8 is arrange | positioned in the 1st position, and the platen 40 is arrange | positioned in the opposing position. Further, the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is less than the second specified amount.

  First, the image recording unit 142 controls the paper feeding mechanism 1c, the guide mechanism 25, and the transport mechanism 30 to start the continuous image recording process based on the print command received by the receiving unit 141, so that the paper P is loaded. The paper is sequentially fed out from the paper feed tray 23 and conveyed toward the facing area S1 (A1). Next, the image recording unit 142 controls the head 10 to eject ink onto one sheet of paper P sent out to the facing area S1 to record an image (A2).

  Next, the image recording unit 142 determines whether or not the continuous image recording process based on the received print command is completed (A3). When it is determined that the continuous image recording process has not been completed (A3: NO), the determination unit 144 passes the counter area S1 at the upstream end in the transport direction of the sheet P on which the image is recorded in the process of step A2. After that, it is determined whether or not the discharge process needs to be performed in the passage period between the recording media until the downstream end portion in the transport direction of the sheet P on which the next image recording is performed reaches the facing area S1. (A4). If it is determined that it is not necessary to perform the discharge process (A4: NO), the process returns to step A2 to continue the continuous image recording process.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step A4 that the discharge process needs to be performed (A4: YES), the image recording unit 142 controls the paper feed mechanism 1c, the guide mechanism 25, and the transport mechanism 30. Then, the conveyance of the paper P is interrupted (A5). The maintenance control unit 143 controls the platen motor 43 and the lifting mechanism 96 so that the platen 40 is moved to the non-facing position and the liquid receiver 8 is moved to the third position. After that, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the head 10 (actuator) to perform flushing, and discharges ink to the liquid receiver 8 only from the ejection port 108 whose non-ejection period is equal to or longer than a predetermined period (A6). Next, the removal determining unit 146 determines whether or not the remaining amount of ink remaining in the liquid receiver 8 calculated by the remaining liquid amount calculating unit 145 is equal to or more than the first specified amount (A7). When it is determined that the remaining amount is less than the first specified amount (A7: NO), the removal determining unit 146 determines not to perform the removal process. The maintenance control unit 143 controls the platen motor 43 and the lifting mechanism 96 so that the platen 40 is moved to the opposite position and the liquid receiver 8 is moved to the first position, and then the process proceeds to step A9. .

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step A7 that the remaining amount of ink remaining in the liquid receiver 8 is equal to or greater than the first specified amount (A7: NO), the removal determining unit 146 determines to perform the removal process. . Then, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the lifting mechanism 96 so that the liquid receiver 8 is moved to the second position. Thereafter, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the wiper drive motor 59 to perform the first removal process (A8). At this time, the number of times the wiper 56a is moved relative to the liquid receiver 8 is the number of times necessary to make the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 less than the first specified amount. When the process of step A8 is completed, the process proceeds to step A9.

  In step A9, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the platen motor 43 and the lifting mechanism 96 so that the liquid receiver 8 is moved to the first position and the platen 40 is moved to the non-opposing position. Then, the image recording unit 142 controls the paper feed mechanism 1c, the guide mechanism 25, and the transport mechanism 30 to resume transport of the paper P to the facing area S1, and returns to the process of step A2.

  On the other hand, in the process of step A3, when the image recording unit 142 determines that the continuous image recording process is completed (A3: NO), the maintenance control unit 143 moves the liquid receiver 8 to the second position. Then, the platen motor 43 and the lifting mechanism 96 are controlled so that the platen 40 is moved to the non-opposing position. Then, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the wiper drive motor 59 to perform the second removal process (A10). At this time, the number of times the wiper 56a is moved relative to the liquid receiver 8 is the number of times necessary to make the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 less than the second specified amount. Thereby, when performing capping, the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 can be reduced, so that the ink can be prevented from adhering to the lip member 61. Furthermore, when the next continuous image recording process is started, the amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 can be reduced.

  Next, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the lifting mechanism 96 so that the liquid receiver 8 is moved to the third position in order to perform the capping process, and then controls the lifting motor 65 to move the movable body 63. The tip 61a of the lip member 61 is brought into contact with the liquid receiver 8 (A11). As a result, it is possible to suppress the ink in the ejection port 108 from evaporating and increasing the viscosity. When the process of step A11 ends, this processing operation ends. The maintenance operation according to the present embodiment has been described above.

  As described above, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, when the remaining amount of the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is equal to or more than the first specified amount after the ink is discharged from the discharge port 108 by the discharge process, the liquid removal is performed. The ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is removed by the mechanism 55. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the inside of the apparatus from being soiled by the ink discharged from the discharge port 108 in the subsequent discharge processing. Further, when the remaining amount of the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is less than the first specified amount, the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is not removed by the liquid removing mechanism 55. A reduction in throughput can be suppressed.

  In addition, since the image recording on the paper P is not performed during the removal process, the quality of the image recorded on the paper P can be improved.

  Furthermore, the liquid remaining amount calculation unit 145 calculates the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 in consideration of the amount of drying that the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 dries over time. Compared with the case where the amount is not taken into account, the possibility of calculating that the remaining amount of the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is not less than the first specified amount can be reduced. As a result, there are cases where the number of removal processes performed during the continuous image recording process can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 before the discharge process and the discharge process are discharged in the passage period between the recording media in which the discharge process is performed. The removal process is performed before the discharge process when the total amount with the discharge amount of the ink is equal to or more than the first specified amount. The discharge process is a purge that forcibly discharges ink from all the ejection ports 108 by applying pressure to the ink in the head 10 by the pump 54 (see FIG. 6). Below, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the location same as 1st Embodiment mentioned above, and the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably. Note that the pump 54 of the present embodiment corresponds to the liquid discharging means of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 100 includes a reception unit 141, an image recording unit 142, a maintenance control unit 143, a determination unit 144, a remaining liquid amount calculation unit 145, and a removal determination unit 146 as functional units. In addition to the history storage unit 147, a discharge amount calculation unit 148 and a total amount calculation unit 149 are provided.

  In the present embodiment, the determination unit 144 needs to perform the discharge process for the first inter-recording medium passage period after a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the previous discharge process in the inter-recording medium passage period of the continuous image recording process. It is determined that there is no need to perform the discharge process for the other inter-recording-medium transit periods. As a modified example, in the continuous image recording process, if the inter-sheet distance and the conveyance speed of the continuously conveyed paper P are constant, the paper P on which the image is recorded by the image recording unit 142 reaches a predetermined number. Each time, the first inter-recording-medium passage period after reaching may be configured to determine that it is necessary to perform the discharge process.

  The discharge amount calculation unit 148 calculates the discharge amount of the ink that is to be discharged from the ejection port 108 by the discharge process during the inter-recording medium passage period in which the determination unit 144 determines that the discharge process needs to be performed. The total amount calculation unit 149 calculates a total amount by adding the ink discharge amount calculated by the discharge amount calculation unit 148 and the residual amount calculated by the liquid remaining amount calculation unit 145. In the present embodiment, the discharge amount calculation unit 148, the remaining liquid amount calculation unit 146, and the total amount calculation unit correspond to the remaining liquid amount calculation unit of the present invention.

  The removal determining unit 146 performs the removal process when the total amount calculated by the total amount calculating unit 149 is equal to or more than the first specified amount during the inter-recording medium passage period in which the determination unit 144 determines that the discharge processing needs to be performed. If it is less than the first specified amount, it is determined not to perform the removal process.

  Next, a maintenance operation at the time of continuous image processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The state at the start of the operation flow shown in FIG. 9 is the same as the state at the start of the operation flow shown in FIG.

  In the process of steps B1 to B5, the same process as the process of steps A1 to A5 in the first embodiment described above is performed. When the process of step B5 ends, the removal determination unit 146 determines whether or not the total amount calculated by the total amount calculation unit 149 is greater than or equal to the first specified amount (B6). When it is determined that the total amount is less than the first specified amount (B6: NO), the removal determination unit 146 determines that it is not necessary to perform the removal process before the discharge process in the passage period between the recording media. Then, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the platen motor 43 and the lifting mechanism 96 so that the platen 40 is moved to the non-opposing position and the liquid receiver 8 is moved to the third position, and the process of step B8 is performed. Move on. On the other hand, when it is determined that the total amount is equal to or greater than the first specified amount (B6: YES), the removal determining unit 146 needs to perform the removal process before the discharge process in the passage period between the recording media. In order to perform the removal process, the process proceeds to step B7.

  In the process of step B7, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the platen motor 43 and the lifting mechanism 96 so that the platen 40 is moved to the non-opposing position and the liquid receiver 8 is moved to the second position. Thereafter, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the wiper drive motor 59 to perform the first removal process. At this time, the number of times the wiper 56a is moved relative to the liquid receiver 8 is the number of times required until the remaining amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is reduced and the total amount becomes less than the first specified amount. is there. Thereafter, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the lifting mechanism 96 so that the liquid receiver 8 is moved to the first position, and the process proceeds to step B8.

  In the process of step B8, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the pump 54 to discharge ink from all the ejection ports 108 to the liquid receiver 8 in order to perform purging. Next, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the platen motor 43 and the lifting mechanism 96 so that the liquid receiver 8 is moved to the first position and the platen 40 is moved to the non-opposing position. Thereafter, the image recording unit 142 controls the paper feed mechanism 1c, the guide mechanism 25, and the transport mechanism 30 to resume transport of the paper P to the facing area S1 (B9), and returns to the process of step B2.

  If the image recording unit 142 determines that the continuous image recording process has been completed in the process of step B3 (B3: NO), the maintenance control unit 143 moves the liquid receiver 8 to the second position. Then, the platen motor 43 and the lifting mechanism 96 are controlled so that the platen 40 is moved to the non-opposing position. Then, the maintenance control unit 143 controls the wiper drive motor 59 to perform the second removal process (B10). The processing time of the second removal process at this time is longer than the processing time of the first removal process. Thereby, when the capping process is performed, the remaining amount of the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 can be reduced, so that the ink can be prevented from adhering to the lip member 61. Furthermore, when the next continuous image recording process is started, the amount of ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 can be reduced. When the process of step B10 ends, the same process as the process of step A11 in the first embodiment described above is performed, and this processing operation ends. The maintenance operation according to the present embodiment has been described above.

  As described above, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, before the ink is discharged from the discharge port 108 by the discharge process, the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver 8 and the ink is discharged from the discharge port 108 by the discharge process. When the total amount of ink discharged is equal to or greater than the first specified amount, the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is removed by the liquid removal mechanism 55. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the inside of the apparatus from being soiled by the ink discharged from the ejection port 108 by the discharge process. Further, when the total amount is less than the first specified amount, the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8 is not removed by the liquid removing mechanism 55, and thus the throughput of the entire apparatus is prevented from being lowered by that amount. Can do.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the discharge process is a purge that discharges ink from all of the ejection ports 108, and the determination unit 144 passes through the first recording medium after a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous discharge process. About a period, it is comprised so that it may judge that discharge processing needs to be performed. Therefore, the determination unit 144 can easily determine whether or not it is necessary to perform the discharge process for each of the inter-recording medium passing periods of the continuous image recording process.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made as long as they are described in the claims. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the tip 61a of the lip member 61 is movable up and down, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the tip 61a of the lip member 61 may be fixed to the head holder so as not to move, and the relative position of the tip 61a of the lip member 61 with respect to the ejection surface may be constant. In this case, it is only necessary that the tip 61a of the lip member 61 and the liquid receiver 8 are in contact with each other when the liquid receiver 8 is disposed at the contact position.

  In the above-described embodiment, the determination unit 144 determines whether it is necessary to perform the discharge process during the passage period between the recording media during the passage period between the recording media in the continuous image recording process. Before starting the continuous image recording process, it may be determined in advance whether or not it is necessary to perform the discharge process for each passing period between the recording media of the continuous image recording process. Similarly, the removal determining unit 146 may determine in advance whether or not it is necessary to perform the removal process for each of the inter-recording-medium passage periods of the continuous image recording process before starting the continuous image recording process. Good

  In the first embodiment described above, the removal process is performed during the inter-recording-medium passage period in which the ejection process is performed. However, the inter-recording-medium passing period until the next ejection process is performed. For example, the removal process may be performed in any recording medium passage period.

  Further, in the first embodiment described above, the discharge process performed in the inter-recording medium passage period is configured to discharge ink only from the plurality of discharge ports 108 whose discharge failure period is equal to or longer than a predetermined period. However, the ink may be discharged from all the ejection openings 108 as in the second embodiment.

  In the above-described embodiment, image data is included in the print command, but it may not be included. That is, when the control unit 100 first receives image data from the external device and then receives a print command for instructing recording of the image data on the paper P via the interface 50, the image recording process is started. It may be configured to. In this case, in the printer 1, the interface 50 that receives the print command may be different from the interface that receives the image data. For example, the interface 50 that receives a print command may be a user interface that uses a touch panel provided in the printer 1. According to this, the printing command can be output to the receiving unit 141 by the user operating the touch panel.

  The ink jet printer may be an ink jet printer that can structurally execute the image recording process and the removal process at the same time. The liquid removal mechanism may use various other means as long as it can remove the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the liquid remaining amount calculation unit 145 calculates the remaining amount of ink in consideration of the drying of the ink remaining on the liquid receiver 8, but does not consider the ink drying amount. Alternatively, the remaining amount of ink remaining in the liquid receiver 8 may be calculated.

  In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 100 may be configured by a single CPU, or may be controlled by a plurality of CPUs, a specific application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a combination of a CPU and a specific ASIC. The unit 100 may be configured.

  The present invention can also be applied to a serial ink jet printer. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to a printer, but can be applied to a facsimile machine, a copier, and the like, and can also be applied to a liquid ejecting apparatus that performs recording by ejecting a liquid other than ink. The recording medium is not limited to the paper P, and may be various recording media. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied regardless of the ink ejection method.

1 Inkjet printer (liquid ejection device)
8 Liquid receiver 10 Inkjet head (liquid discharge head)
30 transport mechanism 55 liquid removal mechanism 100 control unit 145 liquid remaining amount calculating unit (liquid remaining amount calculating means)
144 Judgment Unit (Judgment Means)

Claims (11)

A liquid discharge head having a plurality of discharge ports for discharging liquid;
A transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium in the transport direction so as to pass through a facing region facing the plurality of ejection openings;
Liquid discharging means for discharging liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports;
A liquid receiver for receiving liquid discharged from the plurality of discharge ports in a state of facing the plurality of discharge ports;
A liquid removal mechanism for removing liquid remaining on the liquid receiver;
When a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, the upstream end of the recording medium in the transport direction passes through the facing area in the transport direction of the next recording medium. Whether it is necessary to cause the liquid discharge means to discharge liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports to the liquid receiver in each of the recording medium passage periods that are the period until the downstream end reaches. A determination means for determining whether or not,
A liquid remaining amount calculating means for calculating a remaining amount of liquid remaining on the liquid receiver;
A control means for controlling the transport mechanism, the liquid discharge means, and the liquid removal mechanism,
The control means is configured such that, when a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, at least one of the plurality of ejection ports by the determination means during the inter-recording medium passage period. In the passage period between the recording media where it is determined that the liquid needs to be discharged from one discharge port, the liquid is received from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports determined to be necessary. The liquid discharge means is controlled so that the liquid discharge means is discharged, and after that, only when the remaining amount calculated by the liquid remaining amount calculation means is equal to or greater than the first specified amount, The remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver in the passage period between the recording media until the liquid is discharged to the liquid receiver from at least one discharge port of the outlets. A liquid discharge apparatus characterized by controlling the liquid removal mechanism so as to a serial first prescribed amount less than. A liquid discharge head having a plurality of discharge ports for discharging liquid;
A transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium in the transport direction so as to pass through a facing region facing the plurality of ejection openings;
Liquid discharging means for discharging liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports;
A liquid receiver for receiving liquid discharged from the plurality of discharge ports in a state of facing the plurality of discharge ports;
A liquid removal mechanism for removing liquid remaining on the liquid receiver;
When a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, the upstream end of the recording medium in the transport direction passes through the facing area in the transport direction of the next recording medium. Whether it is necessary to cause the liquid discharge means to discharge liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports to the liquid receiver in each of the recording medium passage periods that are the period until the downstream end reaches. A determination means for determining whether or not,
When the liquid is discharged from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports toward the liquid receiver by the liquid discharge means, the remaining amount of liquid remaining on the liquid receiver, and the liquid discharge Liquid remaining amount calculating means for calculating a total amount of discharged liquid discharged from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports toward the liquid receiver by means;
A control means for controlling the transport mechanism, the liquid discharge means, and the liquid removal mechanism,
The control means is configured such that, when a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, at least one of the plurality of ejection ports by the determination means during the inter-recording medium passage period. In the passage period between the recording media where it is determined that the liquid needs to be discharged from one discharge port, the liquid is received from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports determined to be necessary. The liquid discharge means is controlled so that the liquid is discharged, and the discharge amount of the liquid discharged to the liquid receiver during the passage period between the recording media, calculated by the liquid remaining amount calculation means, and the liquid receiver Only when the total amount of the remaining amount of the liquid remaining above becomes equal to or more than the first specified amount, at least one of the plurality of ejection ports in the passage period between the recording media. Before discharging the liquid from the discharge port, the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is reduced so that the total amount becomes less than the first specified amount. A liquid ejection apparatus characterized by controlling.   When the liquid removal mechanism is controlled so that the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is removed, the control means does not transport the recording medium to the facing area and does not eject the liquid from the ejection port. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism and the liquid ejecting head are controlled. The liquid discharge head is a line head that discharges liquid from the plurality of discharge ports in a state where the liquid discharge head is positioned and fixed at a predetermined position.
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid removing mechanism is disposed in the facing region when removing the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver. An annular lip member disposed around the liquid discharge head so as to surround the liquid discharge head, the tip of the lip member is brought into contact with the liquid receiver, and the plurality of discharge ports are formed in the liquid A capping mechanism for performing capping to be covered by the receiver and the lip member;
The control means includes
After a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, the amount of liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is less than a second specified amount that is less than the first specified amount. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capping mechanism is controlled such that the removing mechanism is controlled and then the capping is performed.   The control means remains on the liquid receiver for a longer time than when the plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, compared to the case where the recording medium is passed between the recording media. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the removing mechanism is controlled so that the liquid to be removed is removed. The control means is configured so that all of the plurality of ejection openings are in the passage period between the recording media when the determination means determines that there is at least one ejection opening among the plurality of ejection openings that needs to discharge liquid. The liquid discharging means is controlled so that the liquid is discharged from
The determination unit is configured to perform a first operation after a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the liquid was discharged from all of the plurality of ejection openings previously when a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that there is at least one discharge port among the plurality of discharge ports that needs to discharge the liquid by the liquid discharge unit during the passage period between the recording media. The liquid ejection device according to any one of the above. The liquid discharge means has an actuator that discharges liquid from each of the plurality of discharge ports by applying pressure to the liquid in the liquid discharge head,
7. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the controller selectively discharges liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports by controlling the actuator. 8. Liquid discharge device. It further comprises measuring means for measuring the temperature and humidity in the liquid ejection device,
The liquid remaining amount calculating unit calculates the remaining amount based on a measurement result of the measuring unit in consideration of a dry amount that the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver dries with time. Item 9. The liquid ejection device according to any one of Items 1 to 8. A liquid ejection head having a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting liquid, a transport mechanism for transporting a recording medium in a transport direction so as to pass through a facing region facing the plurality of ejection ports, and the plurality of ejection ports A liquid discharge means for discharging liquid from at least one of the outlets; a liquid receiver for receiving the liquid discharged from the plurality of discharge ports in a state of being opposed to the plurality of discharge ports; A control method of a liquid ejection device comprising a liquid removal mechanism for removing liquid remaining on the liquid receiver,
When a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, the upstream end of the recording medium in the transport direction passes through the facing area in the transport direction of the next recording medium. Whether it is necessary to cause the liquid discharge means to discharge liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports to the liquid receiver in each of the recording medium passage periods that are the period until the downstream end reaches. A determination process for determining whether or not,
A liquid remaining amount calculating process for calculating a remaining amount of liquid remaining on the liquid receiver;
When a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, liquid is discharged from at least one of the plurality of ejection ports by the determination means during the inter-recording medium passage period. The liquid is discharged to the liquid receiver from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports determined to be necessary in the inter-recording medium passage period determined to be discharged. A discharge process for controlling the liquid discharge means;
After the discharging process, only when the remaining amount calculated by the liquid remaining amount calculating unit is equal to or larger than the first specified amount, the liquid discharging unit next releases at least one of the plurality of discharging ports. Removal that controls the liquid removal mechanism so that the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is less than the first specified amount in the passage period between the recording media until the liquid is discharged to the liquid receiver. And a liquid ejection apparatus control method. A liquid ejection head having a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting liquid, a transport mechanism for transporting a recording medium in a transport direction so as to pass through a facing region facing the plurality of ejection ports, and the plurality of ejection ports A liquid discharge means for discharging liquid from at least one of the outlets; a liquid receiver for receiving the liquid discharged from the plurality of discharge ports in a state of being opposed to the plurality of discharge ports; A liquid ejection device comprising a liquid removal mechanism for removing the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver,
When a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, the upstream end of the recording medium in the transport direction passes through the facing area in the transport direction of the next recording medium. Whether it is necessary to cause the liquid discharge means to discharge liquid from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports to the liquid receiver in each of the recording medium passage periods that are the period until the downstream end reaches. Judgment means for judging whether or not,
A liquid residual amount calculating means for calculating a residual amount of liquid remaining on the liquid receiver;
When a plurality of recording media are continuously passed through the facing area by the transport mechanism, liquid is discharged from at least one of the plurality of ejection ports by the determination means during the inter-recording medium passage period. The liquid is discharged to the liquid receiver from at least one of the plurality of discharge ports determined to be necessary in the inter-recording medium passage period determined to be discharged. A discharge control means for controlling the liquid discharge means, and
After the liquid is discharged to the liquid receiver, only when the remaining amount calculated by the liquid remaining amount calculating unit is equal to or more than a first specified amount, at least one of the plurality of discharge ports is then discharged by the liquid discharging unit. The liquid removal is performed so that the remaining amount of the liquid remaining on the liquid receiver is less than the first specified amount in the passage period between the recording media until the liquid is discharged from one ejection port to the liquid receiver. A control program which functions as a liquid removal control means for controlling the mechanism.

Images