Printing apparatus and method for controlling printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9597875-B2
Application number	US-201414446523-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2014
Priority date	Aug 13, 2013
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

A needed job is quickly performed even if a recovery operation for a print head performed by a recovery mechanism needs a long time as a result of sharing of the same drive source between a discharge roller and the recovery mechanism. To achieve this, a recovery operation for the print head is suspended when a print job is received while the recovery operation is being performed, on a condition that a printing apparatus is in a state where the printing apparatus permits the print job to be performed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing apparatus comprising:
a print head configured to perform a printing operation for printing an image on a sheet;
a drive source configured to rotate in a first direction and a second direction, the second direction being opposite to the first direction;
a discharge roller configured to discharge the sheet printed by the print head when the drive source rotates in the first direction;
a discharge tray configured to be opened and closed with respect to the printing apparatus, the discharge tray being opened in a case where a rotation amount of the drive source in the first direction is equal to or larger than a predetermined rotation amount;
a recovery unit configured to be driven by rotation of the drive source in the first direction so as to perform a recovery operation for recovering the print head, the recovery unit being moveable, during the recovery operation, to a first position for allowing performance of the printing operation and a second position for not allowing performance of the printing operation; and
a control unit configured to rotate the drive source in the second direction so as to inhibit the drive source from rotating a rotation amount in the first direction that is equal to or larger than the predetermined rotation amount during the recovery operation;
wherein, in a case where the recovery unit is in the first position, the control unit determines whether a particular job has been received, and in a case where the recovery unit is in the second position, the control unit does not determine whether a particular job has been received,
wherein, in a case where the control unit determines that the particular job has been received, the control unit suspends the recovery operation and executes the particular job.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the particular job is at least one of a print job in which the image is printed on the sheet using ink ejected by the print head, a job in which a replaceable consumable component provided in the printing apparatus is replaced, and a cleaning job in which a component provided in the printing apparatus is cleaned.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the recovery unit performs the recovery operation using a drive force of the drive source utilized to rotate the discharge roller in the first direction.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the recovery operation includes at least one of a wiping operation for wiping the print head, a movement of a carriage lock pin for regulating a position of a carriage on which the print head is mounted, and a movement of the cap.

5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit rotates the drive source in the second direction in a state where a drive force of the drive source is not transmitted to the recovery unit.

6. A method for controlling a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus having a print head configured to perform a printing operation for printing an image on a sheet, a drive source configured to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, a discharge roller configured to discharge the sheet printed by the print head when the drive source rotates in the first direction, a discharge tray configured to be opened and closed with respect to the printing apparatus, the discharge tray being opened in a case where a rotation amount of the drive source in the first direction is equal to or larger than a predetermined rotation amount, and a recovery unit configured to be driven by rotation of the drive source in the first direction so as to perform a recovery operation for recovering the print head, the recovery unit being moveable, during the recovery operation, to a first position for allowing performance of the printing operation and a second position for not allowing performance of the printing operation, the method comprising the steps of:
rotating the drive source in the first direction to perform the recovery operation;
rotating the drive source in the second direction so as to inhibit the drive source from rotating a rotation amount in the first direction that is equal to or larger than the predetermined rotation amount;
determining, during the recovery operation, whether or not a particular job has been received in a case where the recovery unit is in the first position, and not determining whether or not the particular job has been received in a case where the recovery unit is in the second position; and
suspending the recovery operation in a case where it is determined that the particular job has been received.

7. A method for controlling a printing apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:
rotating a drive source in a first direction to perform a recovery operation for recovering a print head with a recovery unit, the recovery unit being moveable, during the recovery operation, to a first position for allowing performance of a printing operation and a second position for not allowing performance of the printing operation;
rotating the drive source in a second direction so as to inhibit the drive source from rotating a rotation amount in the first direction that is equal to or larger than a predetermined rotation amount, the second direction being opposite to the first direction;
determining, during the recovery operation, whether or not a particular job has been received in a case where the recovery unit is in the first position, and not determining whether or not the particular job has been received in a case where the recovery unit is in the second position; and
suspending the recovery operation in a case where it is determined that the particular job has been received.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Aoyama Naoki
• Kuroda Toshiyuki

Classifications

• B41J2/165 Primary

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

• B41J29/38

  Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism · CPC title

• B41J23/025

  using a single or common power source for two or more functions · CPC title

• B41J29/13

  Cases or covers · CPC title

• B41J13/03

  driven, e.g. feed rollers separate from platen · CPC title