Inkjet printing apparatus and method for controlling inkjet printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9827766-B2
Application number	US-201615227912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2016
Priority date	Sep 20, 2013
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus capable of performing a printing operation to eject ink from an ejection port provided for a print head to a print medium while covering the ejection port with a capping portion in a standby state in which the printing operation is not performed, the apparatus including: a humidifying unit configured to perform a humidification operation to humidify a space formed between the capping portion and the print head in the standby state; and a control unit configured to cause the humidifying unit to perform the humidification operation on the space in the standby state, wherein the control unit suspends the humidification operation at a predetermined timing after performing the humidification operation multiple times.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inkjet printing apparatus capable of performing a printing operation to eject ink from an ejection port provided for a print head to a print medium while covering the ejection port with a capping portion in a standby state in which the printing operation is not performed, the apparatus comprising:
a humidifying unit configured to perform a humidification operation to humidify a space formed between the capping portion and the print head in the standby state; and
a control unit configured to cause the humidifying unit to perform the humidification operation on the space in the standby state, wherein
the control unit causes the humidity unit to perform the humidification operation at predetermined intervals and predetermined number of times, the predetermined intervals and the predetermined number of times being set based on at least one type of information selected from duration in which the print head is separated from the capping portion, humidity in the inkjet printing apparatus at a time when the space is formed by the capping portion and the print head, an amount of a liquid accumulated in the capping portion, a duration in which the humidification operation have been performed, and a duration of the standby state, and stop the humidification operation when the humidification operation of the predetermined number of times is performed and a predetermined time period is elapsed.

2. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit sets a number of times of performing the humidification operation until the humidification operation is stopped, based on at least one type of information selected from a duration in which the print head is separated from the capping portion, humidity in the inkjet printing apparatus at the time when the space is formed by the capping portion and the print head, an amount of a liquid accumulated in the capping portion, a time in which the humidification operation is performed, and a duration of the standby state.

3. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the humidifying unit includes the print head for ejecting ink to the space.

4. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines the number of recovery ejections performed before the next printing operation based on an elapsed time from the time when the humidification operation is suspended in the standby state.

5. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, the control unit sets an interval between a recovery ejection and a humidification ejection performed before the next printing operation based on the cumulative number of humidification operations performed on the capping portion by the time the humidification operation in the standby state is suspended.

6. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit performs a recovery ejection to eject ink from the ejection port to refresh the ink in the print head immediately after the time when the space between the capping portion and the print head is formed, and performs the humidification operation after the recovery ejection.

7. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the humidification operation is a humidification ejection for humidifying the space by ejecting ink from the ejection port of the print head to the space.

8. The inkjet printing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit allows changing respective ejection frequencies of the recovery ejection and the humidification ejection.

9. A method for controlling an inkjet printing apparatus capable of performing a printing operation to eject ink from an ejection port provided for a print head to a print medium while covering the ejection port with a capping portion in a standby state in which the printing operation is not performed, the method comprising:
a humidifying step of performing a humidification operation to humidify a space formed between the capping portion and the print head in the standby state;
a control step of controlling the humidification operation on the space in the standby state, wherein
the control step performs the humidification operation at predetermined intervals and number of times, the predetermined intervals and times being set based on at least one type of information selected from duration in which the print head is separated from the capping portion, humidity in the inkjet printing apparatus at a time when the space is formed by the capping portion and the print head, an amount of a liquid accumulated in the capping portion, a time in which the humidification operation is performed, and a duration of the standby state, and stops the humidification operation when the humidification operation of the predetermined number of times is performed and a predetermined time period is elapsed.

Assignees

• Canon Finetech Inc

Inventors

• Ito Hideyuki

Classifications

• B41J2/16517 Primary

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

• B41J2/16526

  by applying pressure only · CPC title

• B41J2002/16573

  Cleaning process logic, e.g. for determining type or order of cleaning processes · CPC title

• B41J2/16508 Primary

  connected with the printer frame · 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