Inkjet print apparatus and recovery method of inkjet print apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10214031-B2
Application number	US-201815902194-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2018
Priority date	Feb 24, 2017
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

The invention provides an inkjet print apparatus and a recovery method of an inkjet print apparatus, which can suppress deterioration of productivity. For that purpose, timing, at which a recovery operation is practiced in accordance with a facing time period of a print head and a print medium and a not facing time period thereof, is set.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inkjet print apparatus comprising:
a print unit configured to eject ink to a print medium to implement print;
a recovery unit configured to practice recovery processing to recover an ejection performance for ink of the print unit; and
setting unit configured to set timing at which the recovery unit practices the recovery processing on a basis of a facing time period during which the print unit faces a print medium in a print operation and a not facing time period during which the print unit does not face the print medium in the print operation.

2. The inkjet print apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a conveying unit for conveying a print medium while sucking the print medium by negative pressure generated by a negative pressure generator, wherein
the setting unit obtains the facing time period on a basis of conveying speed of the conveying unit and a dimension of the print medium in a conveying direction.

3. The inkjet print apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a detector for detecting presence/absence of a print medium, wherein
the setting unit obtains the facing time period on a basis of a detection result of the detector.

4. The inkjet print apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the recovery processing practiced by the recovery unit is preliminary ejection in which the print unit ejects ink not contributing to print.

5. The inkjet print apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the setting unit sets timing at which the recovery unit practices the recovery processing on a basis of a type of ink to be used in print.

6. The inkjet print apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the setting unit sets timing at which the recovery unit practices the recovery processing on a basis of environmental conditions in a print operation.

7. The inkjet print apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the setting unit sets timing at which the recovery unit practices the recovery processing on a basis of a type of a print medium to be printed.

8. The inkjet print apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a capping unit configured to cap the print unit, wherein
the setting unit sets timing at which the recovery unit practices the recovery processing on a basis of the facing time period and the not facing time period in a state where the capping unit does not cap the print unit.

9. A recovery method of an inkjet print apparatus, comprising:
a print step in which a print unit ejects ink to a print medium;
a recovery step practicing recovery processing to recover an ejection performance for ink of the print unit; and
a setting step setting timing at which the recovery processing is practiced on a basis of a facing time period during which the print unit faces a print medium and a not facing time period during which the print unit does not face a print medium in the print step.

10. An inkjet print apparatus comprising:
a print unit configured to eject ink to a print medium to implement print;
a conveying unit configured to convey the print medium;
a recovery unit configured to practice recovery processing to recover an ejection performance for ink of the print unit; and
a setting unit configured to set timing at which the recovery processing is practiced,
wherein the setting unit is capable of selecting one mode from a plurality of modes including a first mode in which an interval from a rear end in a conveying direction of a preceding print medium to a front end in a conveying direction of a subsequent print medium is set as a first interval and a second mode in which an interval different from the first interval is set as a second interval, and that causes timing at which the recovery processing is practiced to be varied between the first mode and the second mode, in a case where print is implemented continuously at a predetermined conveying speed for a plurality of print medium with a predetermined size conveyed by the conveying unit.

11. The inkjet print apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the setting unit sets the timing at which the recovery unit practices the recovery processing in the second mode earlier than the timing at which the recovery unit practices the recovery processing in the first mode, in a case where the second interval is broader than the first interval.

12. The inkjet print apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the conveying unit conveys a print medium while sucking the print medium by negative pressure generated by a negative pressure generator.

13. The inkjet print apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein
the setting unit sets timing at which the recovery unit practices the recovery processing on a basis of magnitude of negative pressure generated by the negative pressure generator.

14. A recovery method of an inkjet print apparatus, comprising:
a print step in which a print unit ejects ink to a print medium;
a recovery step practicing recovery processing to recover an ejection performance for ink of the print unit; and
a setting step setting a first timing at which the recovery processing is practiced for a first mode including an interval from a rear end in a conveying direction of a preceding print medium to a front end in a conveying direction of a subsequent print medium as a first interval and a second timing different from the first timing for a second mode including an interval different from the first interval as a second interval.

Assignees

• Canon Finetech Nisca Inc

Inventors

• Ito Hideyuki

Classifications

• B41J2/165

  Prevention {or detection} of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles · CPC title

• B41J11/0095

  Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end · CPC title

• B41J13/0027

  in the printing section of automatic paper handling systems · CPC title

• B41J11/0085 Primary

  Using suction for maintaining printing material flat (on rotatable drums B41J13/226) · CPC title

• B41J2002/16573

  Cleaning process logic, e.g. for determining type or order of cleaning processes · CPC title