Printing apparatus and maintenance method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12227010-B2
Application number	US-202217696559-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2022
Priority date	Mar 24, 2021
Publication date	Feb 18, 2025
Grant date	Feb 18, 2025

Abstract

A technique for suppressing ejection failure at an ejection port, which is caused by reaction of reaction liquid and ink during a wiping operation, is to be provided. Before the ejection port surface, on which the first ejection port array that is capable of ejecting the ink and the second ejection port array that is capable of ejecting the reaction liquid which reacts with the ink are formed, is wiped by the maintenance unit that is capable of receiving the ink and the reaction liquid, ink that does not contribute to printing is ejected to an area of the maintenance unit between an area abutted by the first ejection port array during the wiping and an area abutted by the second ejection port array during the wiping.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a printing unit in which a first ejection port array provided along a predetermined direction for ejecting ink, and a second ejection port array provided along the predetermined direction ejecting reaction liquid that reacts with the ink, are formed side by side in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction on the same plane;
a maintenance unit configured to be capable of receiving the ink and the reaction liquid that are ejected from the printing unit and capable of wiping an ejection port surface of the printing unit on which the first ejection port array and the second ejection port array are formed; and
a control unit configured to control at least one of the printing unit and the maintenance unit so that the ejection port surface is wiped by the maintenance unit along the predetermined direction by moving at least one of the printing unit and the maintenance unit in a relative manner,
wherein the control unit is further configured such that, before the wiping is performed, the control unit executes preliminary ejection by the first ejection port array in which ink is ejected to an area of the maintenance unit between an area abutted by the first ejection port array during the wiping and an area abutted by the second ejection port array during the wiping and in which ink is not ejected to the area abutted by the first ejection port array during the wiping or the area abutted by the second ejection port array during the wiping.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the maintenance unit wipes the first ejection port array and the second ejection port array at the same time while applying pressure to the ejection port surface, and
wherein, at the time of executing the preliminary ejection, the control unit increases an ink ejection amount to a largest amount at a position corresponding to an area of the maintenance unit that applies pressure to the ejection port surface at the time of wiping.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit performs the preliminary ejection in a state where the printing unit and the maintenance unit are stopped.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit performs the preliminary ejection while moving at least one of the printing unit and the maintenance unit in a relative manner.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit preforms the preliminary ejection based on a number set in advance which designates shots of ink in preliminary ejection for each ink ejection port configuring the first ejection port array.

6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit preforms the preliminary ejection based on an ejection duty that is set in advance for each ink ejection port configuring the first ejection port array.

7. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising
a detection unit configured to be capable of detecting a temperature of the printing unit,
wherein the control unit changes an ink ejection amount for the preliminary ejection, based on a detection result of the detection unit.

8. The printing apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the detection unit is installed on at least one end side of the second ejection port array in the predetermined direction.

9. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit determines an ink ejection amount and a number of wiping times for the preliminary ejection, based on a ratio of an ink ejection amount ejected in printing after the previous wiping to a maximum ink ejection amount that can be ejected from the first ejection port array in the printing.

10. The printing apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the control unit increases the number of wiping times with an increase in the ratio.

11. The printing apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the control unit increases the ink ejection amount for the preliminary ejection with an increase in the number of wiping times.

12. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the maintenance unit
includes a sheet web or a pad-like non-woven fabric, which is made with fibers that are bonded or entangled by melt-adhesion or mechanical or chemical action, and
receives the ink ejected from the printing unit and wipes the ejection port surface with the non-woven fabric.

13. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ink ejected from the first ejection port array is ink containing a solid content, and
wherein the reaction liquid ejected from the second ejection port array is liquid containing a reactive component that reacts with the solid content to aggregate or gel the solid content.

14. A maintenance method of a printing apparatus in which the printing apparatus includes:
a printing unit in which a first ejection port array provided along a predetermined direction for ejecting ink, and a second ejection port array provided along the predetermined direction for ejecting reaction liquid that reacts with the ink, are formed side by side in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction on the same plane; and
a maintenance unit configured to be capable of receiving the ink and the reaction liquid that are ejected from the printing unit and capable of wiping an ejection port surface of the printing unit on which the first ejection port array and the second ejection port array are formed,
wherein the maintenance method comprises:
a step for executing preliminary ejection by the first ejection port array, in which ink is ejected to an area of the maintenance unit between an area abutted by the first ejection port array during the wiping and an area abutted by the second ejection port array during the wiping and in which ink is not ejected to the area abutted by the first ejection port array during the wiping or the area abutted by the second ejection port array during the wiping, before the wiping is performed by the maintenance unit; and
a step for wiping the ejection port surface along the predetermined direction with the maintenance unit by moving at least one of the printing unit and the maintenance unit in a relative manner.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Ishii Yosuke
• Takekoshi Rie
• Ishimi Keita

Classifications

• B41J2/16508

  connected with the printer frame · CPC title

• B41J2/2114 Primary

  Ejecting specialized liquids, e.g. transparent or processing liquids (B41J2/211 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B41J2/16552

  using cleaning fluids · CPC title

• B41J2/16526

  by applying pressure only · CPC title

• B41J2002/1655

  with wiping surface parallel with nozzle plate and mounted on reels, e.g. cleaning ribbon cassettes · CPC title