Ink jet recording apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9586398-B2
Application number	US-201615073443-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2016
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

An ink jet recording apparatus is capable of suppressing an increase of waste ink while solving an increase in density of ink within a supply tube. An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording head configured to discharge ink, a tank configured to store ink, a supply tube configured to supply ink to the recording head from the tank, a discharge unit configured to execute a discharge operation for discharging ink within the supply tuber a control unit configured to make the discharge unit execute a discharge operation when an elapsed time from a previous discharge operation is greater than a predetermined time, and a changing unit configured to change at least any one of the elapsed time or the predetermined time based on an ink consumption amount consumed through the recording head after the previous discharge operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
a recording head configured to discharge ink;
a tank configured to store ink to be supplied to the recording head;
a supply tube configured to supply ink to the recording head from the tank;
a discharge unit configured to execute a discharge operation for discharging ink within the supply tube;
a control unit configured to make the discharge unit execute a discharge operation when an elapsed time from a previous discharge operation is greater than a predetermined time; and
a changing unit configured to change at least any one of the elapsed time or the predetermined time based on an ink consumption amount consumed through the recording head after the previous discharge operation.

2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where the ink consumption amount is greater than a threshold value, the changing unit changes a value of the elapsed time to be smaller than in a case where the ink consumption amount is less than the threshold value.

3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where the ink consumption amount is greater than a threshold value, the changing unit changes a value of the predetermined time to be greater than in a case where the ink consumption amount is less than the threshold value.

4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge unit executes a discharge operation for discharging ink of an amount greater than a volume of the supply tube.

5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ink consumption amount includes an amount of ink consumed through the recording head by a recording operation in which the recording head records an image on a recording medium.

6. The ink let recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ink consumption amount includes an amount of ink consumed through the recording head by a recovery operation in which the recording head discharges ink in order to recover the recording head.

7. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a measurement unit configured to measure an elapsed time from a previous discharge operation; and
a storage unit configured to store a plurality of the elapsed times measured by the measurement unit,
wherein the changing unit changes the plurality of the elapsed times based on an ink consumption amount consumed through the recording head after a previous discharge operation.

8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein, with regard to the plurality of the elapsed times, a number of elapsed times values of which are changed is greater, in a case where the ink consumption amount is greater than a threshold value, than in a case where the ink consumption amount is less than the threshold value.

9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein, in a case where the ink consumption amount is greater than a threshold value, the changing unit changes a value of the elapsed time to be smaller than in a case where the ink consumption amount is less than the threshold value.

10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein, with regard to the plurality of the elapsed times, in a case where a number of the elapsed times greater than a predetermined time is greater than a predetermined number, the control unit controls an amount of ink that is to be discharged by the discharge unit to be greater than in a case where the number of the elapsed times greater than the predetermined time is less than the predetermined number.

11. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a valve capable of switching a state between a first state in which ink can be supplied to the recording head from the tank and a second state in which ink cannot be supplied to the recording head from the tank,
wherein the valve switches the state to the second state when the discharge operation is to be executed, and switches the state to the first state after the discharge operation is executed.

12. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a suction cap contacting the recording head, configured to suck ink from the recording head,
wherein the discharge operation includes a suction operation in which ink is sucked by the suction cap.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kato Masataka
• Uetsuki Masaya
• Danzuka Toshimitsu
• Suzuki Kazuo
• Ibe Tsuyoshi
• Genta Shin
• Tomida Asako

Classifications

• B41J2/16508

  connected with the printer frame · CPC title

• B41J2/04586

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

• B41J2/17566 Primary

  Ink level or ink residue control · CPC title

• B41J2/04573 Primary

  Timing; Delays · 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