Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016129693-A1
Application number	US-201514934427-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 6, 2015
Priority date	Nov 7, 2014
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a liquid discharge head, a temperature detector, a memory, and a controller. The temperature detector detects a temperature of the liquid discharge head. The memory stores the temperature of the liquid discharge head detected with the temperature detector. The controller controls a bubble purge operation to purge bubbles in the liquid discharge head. When a current temperature of the liquid discharge head acquired by the temperature detector is higher than a stored temperature stored in the memory and a deviation of the acquired current temperature and the stored temperature is equal to or more than a predefined threshold value, the controller executes control to execute the bubble purge operation, and when the current temperature acquired by the temperature detector is lower than the stored temperature, the controller executes control to update the stored temperature stored and retained in the memory with the acquired current temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a liquid discharge head to discharge a droplet; a temperature detector to detect a temperature of the liquid discharge head; a memory to store the temperature of the liquid discharge head detected with the temperature detector; and a controller to control a bubble purge operation to purge bubbles in the liquid discharge head, wherein, when a current temperature of the liquid discharge head acquired by the temperature detector is higher than a stored temperature stored in the memory and a deviation of the acquired current temperature and the stored temperature is equal to or more than a predefined threshold value, the controller executes control to execute the bubble purge operation, and when the current temperature acquired by the temperature detector is lower than the stored temperature, the controller executes control to update the stored temperature stored and retained in the memory with the acquired current temperature.

2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, after the bubble purge operation is executed, the controller updates the stored temperature with the current temperature acquired before the bubble purge operation is executed.

3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when a recovery operation of the liquid discharge head is instructed, the controller determines whether the bubble purge operation is to be executed.

4 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a discharge detector to detect a discharge state of the liquid discharge head, wherein, when the discharge detector detects non-discharge of the liquid discharge head, the controller determines whether the bubble purge operation is to be executed.

5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, after an image is formed, the controller acquires the current temperature of the liquid discharge head with the temperature detector.

6 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a recovery device to perform maintenance and recovery of the liquid discharge head, wherein, when the recovery device performs a recovery operation, the controller acquires the current temperature of the liquid discharge head with the temperature detector.

7 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller acquires the current temperature with the temperature detector, each time a predetermined time period elapses.

8 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
a liquid discharge head to discharge a droplet; a temperature detector to detect a temperature of the liquid discharge head; a memory to store the temperature of the liquid discharge head detected with the temperature detector; and a controller to control a bubble purge operation to purge bubbles in the liquid discharge head, wherein, when a current temperature acquired by the temperature detector is equal to or higher than a threshold temperature stored and retained in the memory, the controller executes control to execute the bubble purge operation and when the current temperature acquired by the temperature detector is a temperature lower than a predetermined temperature with respect to the threshold temperature, the controller executes control to update the threshold temperature stored and retained in the memory with a temperature obtained by adding the predetermined temperature to the acquired current temperature.

9 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein, after the bubble purge operation is executed, the controller updates the threshold temperature with a temperature obtained by adding the predetermined temperature to the current temperature acquired before the bubble purge operation is executed.

10 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein, when a recovery operation of the liquid discharge head is instructed, the controller determines whether the bubble purge operation is to be executed.

11 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a discharge detector to detect a discharge state of the liquid discharge head, wherein, when the discharge detector detects non-discharge of the liquid discharge head, the controller determines whether the bubble purge operation is to be executed.

12 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein, after an image is formed, the controller acquires the current temperature of the liquid discharge head with the temperature detector.

13 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a recovery device to perform maintenance and recovery of the liquid discharge head, wherein, when the recovery device performs a recovery operation, the controller acquires the current temperature of the liquid discharge head with the temperature detector.

14 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the controller acquires the current temperature with the temperature detector, each time a predetermined time period elapses.

Assignees

• Moriwaki Yuta
• Sawase Hiroshi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Moriwaki Yuta
• Sawase Hiroshi

Classifications

• B41J2/16523

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

• B41J2/16508 Primary

  connected with the printer frame · CPC title

• B41J2/16517 Primary

  Cleaning of print head nozzles (B41J2/16505, B41J2/1707 take precedence) · CPC title

• B41J2/04586 Primary

  controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type · CPC title

• B41J2/0454

  involving calculation of temperature · CPC title