Printing apparatus, control method thereof and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11247471-B2
Application number	US-202016855250-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2020
Priority date	Apr 25, 2019
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

The object of the present disclosure is to optimize the time necessary for filling and the ink consumption. One embodiment of the present disclosure is a printing apparatus having: a storage unit; a print head having an ejection port from which ink supplied from the storage unit is ejected; an ink supply path that connects the storage unit and the print head; a suction unit configured to perform suction at the ejection port; and a supply control unit configured to supply ink stored in the storage unit to the ink supply path and the print head by performing suction at the ejection port by the suction unit, and the printing apparatus has an acquisition unit configured to acquire information relating to ink discharge from the ink supply path and the supply control unit determines the number of times of suction by the suction unit based on the information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a storage unit configured to store ink;
a print head having an ejection port from which ink supplied from the storage unit is ejected;
an ink supply path that connects the storage unit and the print head;
a suction unit configured to perform suction at the ejection port;
a supply control unit configured to supply ink stored in the storage unit to the ink supply path and the print head by performing suction at the ejection port by the suction unit; and
an acquisition unit configured to acquire information on a point in time of the suction,
wherein the supply control unit determines a number of times of suction by the suction unit based on the information, such that the number of times of suction in a case where an elapsed time from a point in time of the suction is first elapsed time is smaller than the number of times of suction in a case where the elapsed time is second elapsed time which is shorter than the first elapsed time.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
by the suction unit performing suction at the ejection port, a discharge operation to discharge ink inside the storage unit, the ink supply path, and the print head is performed.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the acquisition unit acquires, as the information, information on a date the discharge operation is completed.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a calculation unit configured to calculate the elapsed time from a date the discharge operation is completed, wherein
the supply control unit determines a number of times of suction by the suction unit based on the elapsed time.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the acquisition unit acquires, as the information, a value of a flag indicating whether or not the discharge operation has been performed.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the number of times of suction in a case where a value of the flag acquired by the acquisition unit indicates that the discharge operation has been performed is larger than the number of times of suction in a case where the value indicates that the discharge operation has not been performed.

7. A control method of a printing apparatus, wherein the printing apparatus comprises:
a storage unit configured to store ink;
a print head having an ejection port from which ink supplied from the storage unit is ejected;
an ink supply path that connects the storage unit and the print head; and
a suction unit configured to perform suction at the ejection port,
wherein the control method comprises:
a step of acquiring information on a point in time of the suction;
a supply step of supplying ink stored in the storage unit to the ink supply path and the print head by the suction unit performing suction at the ejection port; and
a determination step of determining a number of times of suction to be performed by the suction unit at the supply step based on the information, such that the number of times of suction in a case where an elapsed time from a point in time of the suction is first elapsed time is smaller than the number of times of suction in a case where the elapsed time is second elapsed time which is shorter than the first elapsed time.

8. A printing apparatus comprising:
a storage unit configured to store ink;
a print head having an ejection port from which ink supplied from the storage unit is ejected;
an ink supply path that connects the storage unit and the print head;
a suction unit configured to perform suction at the ejection port;
a supply control unit configured to supply ink stored in the storage unit to the ink supply path and the print head by performing suction at the ejection port by the suction unit; and
an acquisition unit configured to acquire temperature information in a case where the suction is performed,
wherein the supply control unit determines a number of times of suction by the suction unit based on the information, such that the number of times of suction in a case where a temperature indicated by the temperature information is higher than first temperature is smaller than the number of times of suction in a case where the temperature is second temperature which is lower than the first temperature.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
by the suction unit performing suction at the ejection port, a discharge operation to discharge ink inside the storage unit, the ink supply path, and the print head is performed.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
the acquisition unit acquires, as the information, a value of a flag indicating whether or not the discharge operation has been performed.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the number of times of suction in a case where a value of the flag acquired by the acquisition unit indicates that the discharge operation has been performed is larger than the number of times of suction in a case where the value indicates that the discharge operation has not been performed.

12. A control method of a printing apparatus, wherein the printing apparatus comprises:
a storage unit configured to store ink;
a print head having an ejection port from which ink supplied from the storage unit is ejected;
an ink supply path that connects the storage unit and the print head;
a suction unit configured to perform suction at the ejection port; and
a supply control unit configured to supply ink stored in the storage unit to the ink supply path and the print head by performing suction at the ejection port by the suction unit,
wherein the control method comprises:
a step of acquiring temperature information in a case where the suction is performed; and
a determination step of determining a number of times of suction by the suction unit based on the information, such that the number of times of suction in a case where a temperature indicated by the temperature information is higher than first temperature is smaller than the number of times of suction in a case where the temperature is second temperature which is lower than the first temperature.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Narumi Kazuki
• Kato Masataka
• Danzuka Toshimitsu
• Fujimoto Yasunori
• Genta Shin
• Yamamuro Tomoki
• Kango Hiroto
• Sato Kazuhiko
• Suzuki Kazuo

Classifications

• B41J2/16508 Primary

  connected with the printer frame · CPC title

• B41J2/16523

  Waste ink transport from caps or spittoons, e.g. by suction (Collecting or collectors of waste ink B41J2/1721) · CPC title

• B41J2/1652 Primary

  by driving a fluid through the nozzles to the outside thereof, e.g. by applying pressure to the inside or vacuum at the outside of the print head · CPC title

• B41J2/16532

  by applying vacuum only · CPC title