Inkjet recording apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12528286-B2
Application number	US-202418639356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2024
Priority date	Apr 20, 2023
Publication date	Jan 20, 2026
Grant date	Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

The inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a cap member, a humidifying part for humidifying interior of the cap member, a cap moving mechanism, a controller, and a storage part. The storage part has stored a non-capping period table in which a number of vibrations of ink level within each nozzle is increased based on a non-capping period of an ink ejection surface, and a capping period table in which the number of vibrations is decreased based on a capping period of the ink ejection surface. In response to respective lengths of the non-capping period and the capping period from an end of ink ejection until a start of next ink ejection, the controller sets the number of vibrations at a start time of next ink ejection by using the non-capping period table and the capping period table.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An inkjet recording apparatus comprising:
a recording head having an ink ejection surface in which nozzles for ejecting ink onto a recording medium are opened; a head driving part for vibrating a liquid level of ink within each nozzle to generate ink drops; a cap member which is settable to and removable from the ink ejection surface and which covers the ink ejection surface; a humidifying part for humidifying interior of the cap member; a cap moving mechanism for moving the cap member selectively between a capping position for coverage of the ink ejection surface and a non-capping position for retraction from the ink ejection surface; a controller for controlling operations of the recording head, the head driving part, the humidifying part, and the cap moving mechanism; and a storage part for storing control tables related to operations of the head driving part and the cap moving mechanism, wherein the controller is enabled to execute pre-ejection vibrations for vibrating the liquid level to a specified times of vibrations without executing ink ejection at a start time of ink ejection from the nozzles, the control tables include a non-capping period table in which the number of vibrations is increased based on a non-capping period of the ink ejection surface and a capping period table in which the number of vibrations is decreased based on a capping period of the ink ejection surface, and in response to respective lengths of the non-capping period and the capping period from an end of ink ejection through the nozzles until a start of next ink ejection, the controller sets the number of vibrations for the pre-ejection vibrations at a start time of next ink ejection by using the non-capping period table and the capping period table.

2 . The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control tables include a plurality of the capping period tables that differ thereamong in a ratio of the number of vibrations relative to the capping period, and in response to a setting of the number of vibrations based on the capping period, the controller selects one out of the plurality of capping period tables on a basis of the number of vibrations acquired from the non-capping period table.

3 . The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
on condition that the capping period is included during a period from an end of ink ejection through the nozzles until a start of next ink ejection, the controller provides three periods of a first aforementioned non-capping period, the capping period, and a second aforementioned non-capping period, in this order, to control the cap moving mechanism, and moreover the controller sets the number of vibrations for the pre-ejection vibrations at a start time of next ink ejection.

4 . The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
in response to a setting of the number of vibrations based on the second non-capping period, the controller starts measurement of the second non-capping period by starting with measurement of an elapsed time corresponding to the number of vibrations of the non-capping period table identical in number to the number of vibrations acquired from the capping period table.

5 . The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the humidifying part includes a vapor generating part for generating vapor, and feeds the vapor to within the cap member.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Kusunoki Yoshiya
• Yuasa Yuzuru
• Tamekuni Yusuke

Classifications

• B41J2/16505 Primary

  Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out · CPC title

• B41J29/393

  Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine {; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns} · CPC title

• B41J2/165

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

• B41J2/16526

  by applying pressure only · CPC title

• B41J2/16508

  connected with the printer frame · CPC title