Patent Grant
9199467
This patent application is based on and claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-223868, filed on Oct. 29, 2013 in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ink ejecting printer, ink ejecting printing system, ink ejecting printer control method, and a non-transitory recording medium storing an ink ejecting printer control program.
2. Background Art
Ink ejecting printers such as inkjet printers are used for recording images on various recording media such as plain paper, roll paper, and film. Recently, ink ejecting printers are also used for recording images on thick recording media such as corrugated cardboard (including boxes).
There are two methods for ink ejecting printing. One is a so-called serial method, which records images by moving a recording head that includes nozzles in the main scanning direction and ejecting ink droplets to the recording medium. The other is a so-called line method, which records images by keeping a recording head that includes nozzles of recording width stationary while ejecting ink droplets on the recording medium.
Regarding the ink ejecting printers that record images on the thick recording media such as the corrugated cardboard, serial ink ejecting printers are not suitable since the recording medium is voluminous such as the corrugated cardboard and conveyed by conveyance units such as belt conveyors.
Therefore, regarding the ink ejecting printers that record images on the thick recording media such as the corrugated cardboard, the line ink ejecting printers are used conventionally.
The line ink ejecting printers include a recording head on which nozzles are formed over a recording length at least in the main scanning direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the thick recording medium such as the corrugated cardboard. The recording head is mounted on a supporting frame member installed on the belt conveyor (the conveyance unit) that transfers the recording medium such as the corrugated cardboard, and clearance between the recording head (i.e., the nozzles) and the recording medium such as the corrugated cardboard conveyed by the belt conveyor is ordinarily about 1 to 2 millimeters.
The ink ejecting printers perform dummy ejection appropriately to prevent nozzles from drying out or plugging up. In this case, the serial ink ejecting printers move the recording head to a position where a cap is located at a non-recording area in the main scanning direction and perform dummy ejection after capping the recording head with the cap.
However, line ink ejecting printers do not have a configuration that moves the recording head in the main scanning direction. Therefore, it is not possible to perform dummy ejection.
To cope with this issue, conventionally line ink ejecting printers perform dummy ejection during intervals between successive prints. In this case, basically, the line ink ejecting printers perform dummy ejection by moving a cap member that is long in the main scanning direction from a downstream side lower than a passing position of the recording medium toward the recording head and covering the recording head with the cap member.
Example embodiments of the present invention provide a novel ink ejecting printer that includes a recording head disposed with a prescribed clearance between the recording head and disposed with a prescribed clearance between the recording head and a recording surface of a conveyed recording medium, has a predetermined recording length in the main scanning direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the recording medium, and ejects an ink droplet on the recording surface, a partitioning member that is longer than the recording length of the recording head, has a predetermined width in the conveyance direction and can move from a position facing the recording head to a retracted position away from the position facing the recording head and vice versa in parallel with the recording surface between the recording head and the recording surface, a supporting member that supports the partitioning member movable between the position facing the recording head and the retracted position, a biasing unit that biases the supporting member toward the partitioning member is located at the retracted position, a moving unit that moves the supporting member toward the partitioning member is located at the position facing the recording head against biasing force of the biasing unit, and a drive controller that moves the partitioning member to the position facing the recording head by driving the moving unit and instructs the recording head to eject an ink droplet on the partitioning member by performing dummy ejection by driving the recording head at predetermined drive timing.
Further example embodiments of the present invention provide an ink ejecting printing control method, and a non-transitory recording medium storing an ink ejecting printing control program.
A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In describing preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have the same function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result.
In the conventional technologies described above, the line ink ejecting printer performs dummy ejection by moving a cap member that is long in the main scanning direction from downstream side lower than a passing position of the recording medium toward the recording head and covering the recording head with the cap member. However, this dummy ejection method cannot handle thick recording media such as corrugated cardboard.
That is, in the ink ejecting printer that records an image on the thick recording medium such as the corrugated cardboard built in box-shape), the recording medium is conveyed by the conveyance unit such as the belt conveyor, and the ink ejecting printer is mounted on the conveyance unit detachably. The ink ejecting printer records an image by ejecting ink droplets on the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance unit on which the ink ejecting printer is mounted. In addition, clearance between the recording head and the recording medium is set narrow, i.e., from 1 mm to 2 mm normally, in order to achieve high image quality. Therefore, it is difficult to create the gap where the cap member is housed on the transferring member such as the belt conveyor of the conveyance unit, move the cap member to a position nearby the recording head, perform the dummy ejection, and move the cap member back to the gap. In order to move the cap member in the way described above, it is necessary to stop the conveyance unit such as the belt conveyor transferring temporarily, perform the dummy ejection, and drive the conveyance unit again. That degrades the work efficiency.
In the following embodiment, an inkjet printer that performs the dummy ejection of the recording head that ejects ink droplets on the thick recording medium quickly at appropriate timing is provided.
The first embodiment is described below with reference to from
In
The belt conveyor 2 transfers the transferring belt 7 in the conveyance direction as predetermined transferring velocity by driving by the driving motor 6. In the belt conveyor 2, for example, a corrugated cardboard box as a thick recording medium Pb (shown in
In the inkjet printing system 1, an inkjet printer (ink ejecting printer) 10 is laid out on the way in the conveyance direction of the belt conveyor 2. As shown in
The supporting arm 12 is mounted on the base 11 and supports the carriage 13 movably in the vertical direction and the conveyance direction.
The carriage 13 holds a recording head 13a (shown in
The moving unit 14 moves in the width direction parallel to the conveyance direction and the transferring surface of the transferring belt 7 and perpendicular to the conveyance direction. That is, the moving unit 14 includes a width direction moving unit 14a and a conveyance direction moving unit 14b and moves the carriage 13 supported by the supporting arm 12 in the width direction and the conveyance direction by the width direction moving unit 14a and the conveyance direction moving unit 14b. The carriage 13 moves to the direction vertical to the width direction, the conveyance direction and the transferring belt 7 by the moving unit 14 and the supporting arm 12.
The replaceable ink cartridge 15 is housed in a cartridge housing unit (not shown in figures) laid out on the base 11 and supplies ink to the nozzles 13n in the recording head 13a via an ink tube (not shown in figures). The ink cartridge 15 includes a collection tank 15a that contains waste ink.
As described later, the controller 17 controls the whole part of the inkjet printer 10, prints an image on the thick recording medium Pb, and performs the control method of the ink ejecting printing that performs the dummy ejection appropriately in the present invention.
The power supply 18 generates electrical power in voltages and currents necessary for the inkjet printer 10 to operate from commercial power supplied via the power cord and supplies them to each unit in the inkjet printer 10,
The guide fence 19 determines a position of the recording medium Pb conveyed on the transferring belt 7 against the recording head 13a.
In the pressing rollers 22a and 22b, the rollers are supported rotatably by an arm, and the arm is mounted on a mounting unit of the base 21 parallel to the surface of the transferring belt 7 in the width direction of the transferring belt 7. The pressing rollers 22a and 22b presses the recording medium Pb conveyed on the transferring belt 7 by the transferring belt 7 to the guide fence 19 and transfers the recording medium Pb to the position facing to the recording head 13a while the recording medium Pb is cohered to the guide fence 19.
The recording medium detection sensor 23 detects the recording medium Pb conveyed on the transferring belt 7 to the inkjet printer 10 by the belt conveyor 2.
The maintenance unit 16 performs capping to maintain and recover printing performance of the nozzles 13n in the recording head 13a and receives ink in performing the dummy ejection. As shown in
In the supporting arms 32a and 32b, a receiving members 34a and 34b are mounted between the axis fixing members 31a and 31b and near the axis fixing member 321. The supporting arms 32a and 32b are laid out between the receiving members 34a and 34b and the axis fixing member 31b binding compression coil springs 35a and 35b. The compression coil springs (biasing unit) 35a and 35b biases the ink receiving plate member 33a of the partitioning plate 33 to the direction located at the retracted position by biasing the receiving members 34a and 34b in the direction away from the axis fixing member 31b.
In the receiving members 34a and 34b, a permanent magnet 36 is mounted on the side facing to the axis fixing member 31a, and the permanent magnet 36 is mounted so that its SN axis direction corresponds to the axis direction of the supporting arms 32a and 32b.
On the side of the axis fixing member 31a facing to the axis fixing member 31b, an electromagnet 37 is laid out between the supporting arms 32a and 32b. The electromagnet (moving unit) 37 generates magnetic poles by turning on electricity, and the electromagnet 37 is laid out so that its SN axis direction of the magnetic poles corresponds to the axis direction of the supporting arms 32a and 32b and the magnetic poles on the surface facing to the permanent magnet 36 correspond to the magnetic poles of the permanent magnet 36. Therefore, the electromagnet 37 generates repulsive force against the permanent magnet 36 by turning on electricity and moves the supporting arms 32a and 32b on which the receiving member 34a and 34b are mounted to the conveyance direction against the biasing power of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b. Consequently, the electromagnetic (moving unit) 37 moves the ink receiving plate member 33a of the partitioning plate 33 to the position facing the recording head described above by turning on electricity via the receiving members so 34a and 34b and supporting arms 32a and 32b,
In the supporting arms 32a and 32b, stoppers 38a and 38b are mounted on an end opposite to the partitioning plate 33 that goes though the through hole of the axis fixing member 31a. The stoppers 38a an 38b are mounted in a position that prevents the connecting plate 33b of the partitioning plate 33 from colliding with the recording head 13a when the supporting arms 32a and 32b move to the direction of the recording head 13a after the electromagnetic 37 is turned on electricity.
As shown in
The ROM 42 stores a base program of the inkjet printer 10, an inkjet ejecting printing control program (described later), and data necessary for executing each program preliminarily. Especially, the ROM 42 stores drive timing for the recording head 13a that performs dummy ejection of the recording head 13a that ejects ink droplets on the thick recording medium Pb quickly at appropriate timing in table format for example.
The CPU (drive controller) 41 utilizes the RAM 43 as a work memory based on the program stored in the ROM 42, controls each unit in the inkjet printer 10, executes a basic sequence as the inkjet printer 10, and performs the ink ejecting printing control method described later.
That is, the inkjet printer 10 is constructed as the ink ejecting printer that performs dummy ejection of the recording head 13a that ejects ink droplets on the thick recording medium Pb quickly at appropriate timing (described later) by reading an ink ejecting printing control program to execute an ink ejecting printing control method of the present invention stored in a computer-readable medium such as a ROM, Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), EPROM, flash memory, flexible disk, Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Compact Disc Rewritable (CD-RW), Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), Secure Digital (SD) card, and Magneto-Optical disc (MO) etc. and install it in the ROM 42 etc., and the inkjet print system 1 is constructed as an ink ejecting printing system that includes the inkjet printer 10. The ink ejecting printing control program is a computer-executable program written in legacy programming language and object oriented programming language such as assembler, C, C++, C#, and Java etc. and can be distributed being stored in the recording medium described above.
After the recording medium detection sensor 23 detects the recording medium Pb or its edge, the CPU 41 controls the recording head 13a by the head driving circuit 45 to instruct to record an image on the recording medium Pb conveyed being pressed to the guide fence 19 by the pressing rollers 22a and 22b. As described later, the CPU 41 performs an ink ejecting printing control process that performs dummy ejection quickly by controlling the magnet driving circuit 46 and the head driving circuit 45 at appropriate timing such as an interval between recording an image on the recording medium Pb etc. That is, the CPU 41 expands image data taken from outside via the external I/F 44 into a driving signal in data format usable by the head driving circuit 45 using the RAM 43 and passes the driving signal to the head driving circuit 45. The head driving circuit 45 drives the recording head 13a based on the driving signal. In addition, the CPU 41 controls drive timing of the magnet driving circuit 46 and the head driving circuit 45 based on the dummy ejection period time timed by the timer 41a and timing of dummy ejection.
The RAM 43 is used as a work memory of the CPU 41, and a program read from the ROM 42 and various variables are expanded in the RAM 43. Especially, data such as timing of dummy ejection used in the ink ejecting printing control process that performs dummy ejection quickly of the present invention described later is stored in the RAM 43 by the CPU 41.
The timer 41a includes an oscillator and a frequency demultiplier, etc. and times current time and preset time.
The input/output port 41b is connected to the head driving circuit 45 and the magnet driving circuit 46 and exchanges signals with the head driving circuit 45 and the magnet driving circuit 46.
The CPU 41 drives the magnet driving circuit 46 and the head driving circuit 45 via the input/output port 41b based on timing of dummy ejection timed by the timer 41a and controls dummy ejection.
The head driving circuit 45 is connected to the input/output port 41b in the CPU 41 and the bus 47, drives the recording head 13a to eject ink droplets in a driving state in accordance with the driving signal, and instructs the recording head 13a to perform dummy ejection of all nozzles 13n based on a dummy ejection signal from the input/output port 41b.
The magnet driving circuit 46 is connected to the input/output port 41b in the CPU 41 and controls driving/stopping the electromagnet 37 by turning on/off electricity to the electromagnet 37 in the maintenance unit 16.
Next, an operation of this embodiment is described. The inkjet printer 10 in this embodiment performs dummy ejection of the recording head 13a that ejects ink droplets on the thick recording medium Pb quickly at appropriate timing.
In the inkjet printing system 1, it is necessary to perform dummy ejection of the recording head 13a in an appropriate period so that the inkjet printer 10 can perform printing with good image quality.
The inkjet printer 10 includes a maintenance unit 6 that receives ink droplets in performing dummy ejection by the recording head 13a. In the maintenance unit 16, the ink receiving plate 33a moves between the position facing the recording head and the retracted position by the repulsive force of the electromagnetic 37 and the biasing force of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b.
That is, in the maintenance unit 16, the ink receiving plate 33a is biased in the direction moving from the position facing the recording head to the retracted position by the biasing force of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b. In the maintenance unit 16, after the electromagnet 37 is turned on electricity and driven, the repulsive force is provided to the permanent magnet 36 in the direction that the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 moves from the retracted position to the position facing the recording head against the biasing force of the compression coil spring 35. The supporting arms 32a and 32b that the partitioning plate 33 is mounted prevents the connecting board 33b of the partitioning plate 33 from colliding with the recording head 13a by making the stoppers 38a and 38b contact with the axis fixing member 31a and locates the ink receiving plate 33a at the position facing the recording head. In the maintenance unit 16, after the electromagnet 37 is turned off electricity and not driven, the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 moves (recovers) from the position facing the recording head to the retracted position along with the supporting arm 32a and the 32b by the biasing power of the compression coil spring 35.
In the inkjet printer 10, while the ink receiving plate 33a of the maintenance unit 16 is located at the position facing the recording head 13a, the recording head 13a is driven to perform dummy ejection. That is, the ink receiving plate 33a has a predetermined width in the conveyance direction and is located at the position facing the recording head 13a during predetermined period even when the ink receiving plate 33a is moving.
In the inkjet printing system 1, usually, the gap between the recording head 13a and the recording medium Pb is about 1 mm to 2 mm. Therefore, in the inkjet printing system 1, in case of performing dummy ejection at the same position on the ink receiving plate 33a, ink droplets due to dummy ejection is piled up on the side of the ink receiving plate 33a facing to the recording head 13a, and the ink touches the recording head 13a. As a result, that results in proceeding stopping up the nozzles in the recording head 13a contrarily, and it is possible to degrade the image quality.
To cope with this issue, in the inkjet printer 10 in the present embodiment, timing of dummy ejection at the position facing the recording head where the ink receiving plate 33a faces to the recording head 13a is changed appropriately, and it is prevented that the ink droplets due to dummy ejection are ejected at the same spot and piled up.
That is, as shown in
Next, the CPU 41 turns off electricity to the electromagnet 37 via the magnet driving circuit 46. While the ink receiving plate 33a is located at the position facing the recording head 13a in the “off time” Toff, the CPU 41 instructs all nozzles 13n in the recording head 13a to perform dummy ejection. The number of this dummy ejection operation is not limited to once and not limited as far as during the period while the ink receiving plate 33a faces to the recording head 13a and the ink receiving plate 33a can receive ink droplets due to dummy ejection. After the electromagnet 37 is turned off electricity, the ink receiving plate 33a moves to the retracted position where the permanent magnet 36 mounted on the receiving members 34a and 34b contacts with the electromagnet 37 by the biasing force of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b.
In the above description, the CPU 41 performs dummy ejection at the position facing the recording head on the way of homeward moving from the position facing the recording head to the retracted position. The reason why dummy ejection is performed at the position facing the recording head where the ink receiving plate 33a faces to the recording head 13a not on the way of outward but on the way of homeward is described below.
That is, in the maintenance unit 16, on the way of outward, the ink receiving plate 33a is moved to the position facing the recording head by the repulsive force of the electromagnet 37 against the permanent magnet 36 against the compressing force of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b. As a result, since the two forces act with each other and the repulsive force by the electromagnet 37 is high speed, it is difficult to calculate time when the ink receiving plate 33a faces to the recording head 13a and dummy ejection can be performed accurately. By contrast, since the maintenance unit 16 moves to the position facing the recording head to the retracted position by the biasing force of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b on the way of homeward, it is possible to calculate time when the maintenance unit 16 is located at the position facing the recording head easily from elastic motion of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b only after starting moving from the stopping position by the stoppers 38a and 38b. That is, in moving from the stopping position to the retracted position, due to the compression coil springs 35a and 35b only and accelerated motion from zero velocity, it is possible to calculate positional relationship between the ink receiving plate 33a and the recording head 13a accurately compared to outward. As a result, the CPU 41 instructs the recording head 13a to perform dummy ejection at the timing the ink receiving plate 33a faces to the recording head 13a appropriately on the way of homeward that the receiving plate 33a moves from the position facing the recording head to the retracted position. That is, the CPU 41 configures appropriate timing during period when the electromagnet 37 shown in
For example, here, it is assumed that dummy ejecting position is selected from five dummy ejection positions each time performing dummy ejection. As shown in
That is, after the inkjet printer 10 is turned on, the CPU 41 performs the dummy ejection time configuration process shown in
After generating the dummy ejection table Tb1, the CPU 41 acquires the dummy ejection start time Tfire for the next dummy ejection from the dummy ejection table Tb1 using the number of past dummy ejections, stores the dummy ejection start time Tfire for the next dummy ejection in the RAM 43, and finishes the dummy ejection time configuration process in S102.
That is, the relationship between the elapsed time T from the stopping position after the electromagnet 37 is turned off and the position X where dummy ejection is performed on the ink receiving plate 33a is illustrated in
In dummy ejection, the CPU 41 performs the dummy ejection control process as shown in
After the electromagnet 37 is turned off and the dummy ejection start time Tfire elapses, the CPU 41 performs dummy ejection by driving the recording head 13a in S205.
Next, in order to set the position of the next dummy ejection different from the position of the current dummy ejection, the CPU 41 increments the number of dummy ejections by one in S206. The CPU 41 reads the dummy ejection start time Tfire for the next dummy ejection from the dummy ejection table Tb1 and stores it in the RAM 43 in S207. Consequently, the dummy ejection control process ends.
As described above, in the inkjet printing system 1 in this embodiment, the inkjet printer 10 is laid out creating predetermined clearance against the recording surface of the conveyed recording medium Pb. The inkjet printer 10 includes the recording head 13a that has a predetermined recording length in the main scanning direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium Pb, the partitioning plate (partitioning member) 33 that is longer than the recording length of the recording head 13a and has a predetermined width in the conveyance direction and can be moved in parallel with the recording surface between the position facing the recording head 13a and the retracted position away from the position facing the recording head, the supporting arms (supporting member) 32a and 32b that supports the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 movable between the position facing the recording head and the retracted position, the compression coil springs (biasing units) 35a and 35b that biasing the supporting arms 32a and 32b to the retracted position where the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 is located at the retracted position, the electromagnet (moving unit) 37 that moves the supporting arms 32a and 32b to the position where the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 is located at the position facing the recording head against the biasing force exerted by the compression coil springs 35a and 35b, and the CPU (drive controller) 41 that moves the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 to the position facing the recording head by driving the electromagnet 37 and instructs to perform dummy ejection against the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 by driving the recording head 13a at the predetermined drive timing.
Consequently, it is possible to move the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 to the gap between the recording surface of the thick recording medium Pb and the recording head 13a at timing of dummy ejection and instruct the recording head 13a to perform dummy ejection. As a result, it is possible to perform dummy ejection of the recording head 13a that ejects ink droplets on the thick recording medium Pb quickly at appropriate timing.
The inkjet printing system 1 includes the belt conveyor (conveyance unit) 2 that transfers the thick recording medium Pb at constant velocity and the inkjet printer (ink ejecting printer) 10 that records an image by ejecting ink droplets in a stationary state. The inkjet printer 10 is laid out creating predetermined clearance against the recording surface of the conveyed recording medium Pb. The inkjet printer 10 includes the recording head 13a that has a predetermined recording length in the main scanning direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium Pb, the partitioning plate (partitioning member) 33 that is longer than the recording length of the recording head 13a and has a predetermined width in the conveyance direction and can be moved in parallel with the recording surface between the position facing the recording head 13a and the retracted position away from the position facing the recording head, the supporting arms (supporting member) 32a and 32b that supports the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 movable between the position facing the recording head and the retracted position, the compression coil springs (biasing units) 35a and 35b that biasing the supporting arms 32a and 32b to the retracted position where the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 is located at the retracted position, the electromagnet (moving unit) 37 that moves the supporting arms 32a and 32b to the position where the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 is located at the position facing the recording head against the biasing force by the compression coil springs 35a and 35b, and the CPU (drive controller) 41 that moves the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 to the position facing the recording head by driving the electromagnet 37 and instructs to perform dummy ejection against the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 by driving the recording head 13a at the predetermined drive timing.
Consequently, it is possible to move the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 to the gap between the recording surface of the thick recording medium Pb conveyed by the conveyance unit such as the belt conveyor 2 etc. and the recording head 13a at timing of dummy ejection and instruct the recording head 13a to perform dummy ejection. As a result, it is possible to perform dummy ejection of the recording head 13a that ejects ink droplets on the thick recording medium Pb quickly at appropriate timing.
The inkjet printer 10 in the inkjet printing system 1 in this embodiment performs an ink ejecting printing control method. The ink ejecting printing control method includes the steps of ejecting ink droplets on the recording surface by driving the recording head 13a that is laid out creating predetermined clearance against the recording surface of the conveyed recording medium Pb and has a predetermined recording length in the main scanning direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium Pb, moving the partitioning plate (partitioning member) 33 that is longer than the recording length of the recording head 13a and has a predetermined width in the conveyance direction in parallel with the recording surface between the position facing the recording head 13a and the retracted position away from the position facing the recording head, biasing the supporting arms (supporting member) 32a and 32b that supports the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 movable between the position facing the recording head and the retracted position to the direction where the ink receiving plate 33a is located at the retracted position, moving the supporting arms 32a and 32b to the position where the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 is located at the position facing the recording head against the biasing force, moving the ink receiving plate 33a to the position facing the recording head and instructs to perform dummy ejection against the ink receiving plate 33a at the predetermined drive timing.
Consequently, it is possible to move the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 to the gap between the recording surface of the thick recording medium Pb and the recording head 13a at timing of dummy ejection and instruct the recording head 13a to perform dummy ejection. As a result, it is possible to perform dummy ejection of the recording head 13a that ejects ink droplets on the thick recording medium Pb quickly at appropriate timing.
The present invention also encompasses a non-transitory recording medium storing a program that executes a method of controlling ink ejecting printing. The method of controlling ink ejecting printing includes the steps of ejecting ink droplets on the recording surface by driving the recording head 13a that is laid out creating predetermined clearance against the recording surface of the conveyed recording medium Pb and has a predetermined recording length in the main scanning direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording medium Pb, moving the partitioning plate (partitioning member) 33 that is longer than the recording length of the recording head 13a and has a predetermined width in the conveyance direction in parallel with the recording surface between the position facing the recording head 13a and the retracted position away from the position facing the recording head, biasing the supporting arms (supporting member) 32a and 32b that supports the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 movable between the position facing the recording head and the retracted position to the direction where the ink receiving plate 33a is located at the retracted position, moving the supporting arms 32a and 32b to the position where the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 is located at the position facing the recording head against the biasing force, moving the ink receiving plate 33a to the position facing the recording head and instructs to perform dummy ejection against the ink receiving plate 33a at the predetermined drive timing.
Consequently, it is possible to move the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 to the gap between the recording surface of the thick recording medium Pb and the recording head 13a at timing of dummy ejection and instruct the recording head 13a to perform dummy ejection. As a result, it is possible to perform dummy ejection of the recording head 13a that ejects ink droplets on the thick recording medium Pb quickly at appropriate timing.
Furthermore, in the inkjet printer 10 in the inkjet printing system 1 in this embodiment, the CPU 41 as the drive controller changes the drive timing as appropriate while the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 is located at the position facing the recording head.
Consequently, it is possible to perform dummy ejection at different positions on the ink receiving plate 33a and prevent from forming ink clod at a specific position on the ink receiving plate 33a and getting the ink recording head 13a dirty when the ink receiving plate 33a moves. As a result, it is possible to enhance ink ejecting performance and improve image quality much more.
In the above description, assuming spring constant of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b is constant, the timing (dummy ejection start time Tfire) that sets the position of dummy ejection performed on the ink receiving plate 33a different each time is configured. However, the sprint constant of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b actually varies due to elapsed time and repetition of dummy ejection. To cope with this issue, for example, as shown in
That is, the CPU 41 first turns the electromagnet 37 on at timing of dummy ejection in S201 and keeps the electromagnet 37 turned on during the preset “on time” Ton in S202. After turning the electromagnet 37 on for the “on time” Ton, the CPU 41 turns the electromagnet 37 off in S203 and calculates corrected dummy ejection start time Tfire correcting the preset dummy ejection start time Tfire in S301. The CPU 41 calculates the corrected dummy ejection start time Tfire′ by multiplying preset correction coefficient α and operating time or the number of dummy ejection (α×(operating time or the number of dummy ejection)) and adding the multiplying result to the dummy ejection start time Tfire.
After calculating the corrected dummy ejection start time Tfire′, and after the corrected dummy ejection start time Tfire′ elapses in S302, the CPU 41 performs dummy ejection by driving the recording head 13a in S205.
Next, in order to set the position of the next dummy ejection different from the position of the current dummy ejection, the CPU 41 increments the number of dummy ejections by one in S206. The CPU 41 reads the dummy ejection start time Tfire for the next dummy ejection from the dummy ejection table Tb1 and stores it in the RAM 43 in S207.
As described above, the inkjet printer 10 in the inkjet printing system 1 in this embodiment further includes the CPU (calculator) 41 that calculates at least either one of the number of driving the electromagnet 37 as the moving unit and utilization time of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b. The CPU 41 as the drive controller corrects the driving time based on at least either one of the number of driving the electromagnet 37 and the utilization time of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b calculated by the CPU 41 as the calculator and drives the recording head 13a in accordance with the corrected drive timing.
Consequently, it is possible to adjust the drive timing of the recording head 13a depending on the degree of deterioration over time of the compression coil springs 35a and 35b as the biasing member and perform dummy ejection at different positions on the ink receiving plate 33a appropriately much more. As a result, it is possible to prevent from forming ink up at a specific position on the ink receiving plate 33a and getting the ink recording head 13a dirty when the ink receiving plate 33a moves. As a result, it is possible to enhance ink ejecting performance and improve image quality much more.
The second embodiment is described below with reference to from
The maintenance unit 16 in the second embodiment is similar to the one in the inkjet printer 10 in the inkjet printing system 1 of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, same signs are assigned to the configuration components same as the first embodiment, and description for those configuration components are omitted or simplified. In addition, same signs used in the first embodiment are used for components not shown in figures if necessary.
In
In the inkjet printer 10, the recording medium detection sensor 23 is laid out in the upstream side of the recording head 13a in the conveyance direction of the recording medium Pb,
The recording medium detection sensor (detector) detects the recording medium Pb as described above and the ink receiving plate 33a.
For example, a reflex optical sensor is used for the recording medium detection sensor 23, and the recording medium detection sensor 23 illuminates detection light in the direction of the belt conveyor 2 that transfers the recording medium Pb from a light emitting device and receives the reflected light by the light receiving device. The recording medium detection sensor 23 detects the recording medium Pb conveyed to the recording head 13a by the belt conveyor 2 and the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 moved from the retracted position to the position facing the recording head and outputs the detecting result to the CPU 41.
That is, as shown in
As shown in
Next, the inkjet printer 10 in this embodiment performs the dummy ejection controlling process as shown in
In
The CPU 41 checks if the edge of the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 passes through the mounting position of the recording medium detection sensor 23 in S402 and waits until the edge of the ink receiving plate 33a passes through if the edge of the ink receiving plate 33a has not passed through the mounting position yet.
If the edge of the partitioning plate 33 passes through the mounting position of the recording medium detection sensor 23 (YES in S402), the CPU 41 waits until the dummy ejection start time Tfire held preliminarily elapses after the partitioning plate 33 passes through in S403. That is, in the inkjet printer 10 in this embodiment, as the dummy ejection table associated with the number of dummy ejections and the dummy ejection start time Tfire shown in
After the leading edge of the partitioning plate 33 passes through and the dummy ejection start time Tfire elapses, the CPU 41 performs dummy ejection by driving the recording head 13a in S205.
Next, in order to set the position of the next dummy ejection different from the position of the current dummy ejection, the CPU 41 increments the number of dummy ejections by one in S206. The CPU 41 reads the dummy ejection start time Tfire for the next dummy ejection from the dummy ejection table Tb1 and stores it in the RAM 43 in S207. Consequently, the dummy ejection control process ends.
As described above, the inkjet printer 10 in the inkjet printing system 1 in this embodiment further includes the recording medium detection sensor (detector) 23 that detects the position of the ink receiving plate 33a in the partitioning plate 33, and the CPU 41 as the drive controller configures the driving time based on the position of the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 detected by the recording medium detection sensor 23.
Consequently, it is possible to figure out the position of the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 accurately and control dummy ejection of the recording head 13a. Therefore, it is possible to perform dummy ejection at different positions on the ink receiving plate 33a appropriately much more. As a result, it is possible to prevent from forming ink clod at a specific position on the ink receiving plate 33a and getting the ink recording head 13a dirty when the ink receiving plate 33a moves. As a result, it is possible to enhance ink ejecting performance and improve image quality much more.
In addition, in the inkjet printer 10 in the inkjet printing system 1 in this embodiment, the position of the ink receiving plate 33a is detected using the recording medium detection sensor 23 necessary for the inkjet printer 10 in the inkjet printing system 1.
Consequently, it is possible to figure out the position of the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 reasonably and accurately and perform dummy ejection at different positions on the ink receiving plate 33a reasonably and appropriately.
The third embodiment is described below with reference to from
The maintenance unit 160 in the second embodiment is similar to the one in the inkjet printer 10 in the inkjet printing system 1 of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, same signs are assigned to the configuration components same as the first embodiment, and description for those configuration components are omitted or simplified. In addition, same signs used in the first embodiment are used for components not shown in figures if necessary.
In
The cleaning roller (removing unit) 101 removes ink attached on the surface of the ink receiving plate 33a when the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 moves between the retracted position and the position facing the recording head and cleans the surface of the ink receiving plate 33a facing the recording head 13a.
In this embodiment, the cleaning roller 101 is laid out at a position between the edge of the ink receiving plate 33a facing the recording head 13a and the recording head 13a. The cleaning roller 101 is also laid out at a position where the bottom side of the cleaning roller 101 contacts the surface of the ink receiving plate 33a facing the recording head 13a closely as the ink receiving plate 33a moves. Any appropriate mechanism and material that can remove ink on the ink receiving plate 33a can be used for the cleaning roller 101. For example, cloth or spiral blade etc. can be used for the cleaning roller 101.
In the inkjet printer 10, if the CPU 41 turns the electromagnet 37 on and off to perform dummy ejection, the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 moves reciprocally between the retracted position and the position facing the recording head via the supporting arms 32a and 32b as shown in
In the inkjet printer 10, when the ink receiving plate 33a moves reciprocally between the retracted position and the position facing the recording head, the cleaning roller 101 contacts the surface of the ink receiving plate 33a facing to the recording head 13a and removes ink attached on the ink receiving plate 33a by dummy ejection. Especially, on the homeward moving, ink can be removed effectively since ink that has been just ejected and not dried yet is attached.
As described above, in the inkjet printer 10 in the inkjet printing system 1 in this embodiment, the cleaning roller (removing unit) 101 that removes ink ejected on the ink receiving plate 33a by dummy ejection of the recording head 13a as the ink receiving plate 33a of the partitioning plate 33 moves between the retracted position and the position facing the recording head is laid out.
Consequently, it is possible to prevent image quality of a printed image from deteriorating because ink ejected on the ink receiving plate 33a by dummy ejection does not attach to the recording head 13a etc.
The fourth embodiment is described below with reference to from
The inkjet printer 10 in the fourth embodiment is similar to the inkjet printer 10 in the inkjet printing system 1 of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, same signs are assigned to the configuration components same as the first embodiment, and description for those configuration components are omitted or simplified. In addition, same signs used in the first embodiment are used for components not shown in figures if necessary.
As shown in
That is, in the inkjet printer 10, as shown in
For example, in the inkjet printer 10, strength configuration information that enhances strength of the electromagnet 37 in performing dummy ejection is stored in the ROM 42 etc. preliminarily. After reading the strength configuration information from the ROM 42 etc., the CPU 41 controls the driving force signal output to the magnet driving circuit 46 via the control signal line L based on the strength configuration information. For example, in case of driving the electromagnet 37 at strength stronger than normal strength only once in predetermined times, the predetermined times (e.g., five times) and values of driving force at the normal strength and the stronger strength are registered in the strength configuration information. If the strength configuration information described above is registered, the CPU 41 counts the number of dummy ejections. If the counted number of dummy ejections is equal to multiple of preset numbers (e.g., multiple of five), the CPU 41 outputs the strength control signal that sets the strength of the electromagnet 37 stronger as configured to the magnet driving circuit 46 via the control signal line L.
After determining the strength of the electromagnet 37, the CPU 41 outputs the strength control signal to the magnet driving circuit 46 via the control signal line L. Simultaneously, the CPU 41 outputs the driving signal via the input/output port 41b and turns the electromagnet 37 on at the strength indicated by the strength control signal via the magnet driving circuit 46 in S201.
As described above, after turning the electromagnet 37 on, the CPU 41 keeps the electromagnet 37 turned on during the preset “on time” Ton in S202. After turning the electromagnet 37 on for the “on time” Ton, the CPU 41 turns the electromagnet 37 off in S203 and waits the preset dummy ejection start time Tfire elapse in S204.
After the electromagnet 37 is turned off and the dummy ejection start time Tfire elapses, the CPU 41 performs dummy ejection by driving the recording head 13a in S205.
Next, in order to set the position of the next dummy ejection different from the position of the current dummy ejection, the CPU 41 increments the number of dummy ejections by one in S206. The CPU 41 reads the dummy ejection start time Tfire for the next dummy ejection from the dummy ejection table Tb1 and stores it in the RAM 43 in S207. Consequently, the dummy ejection control process ends.
In this case, even if the ink receiving plate 33a is interfered in moving because ink ejected on the ink receiving plate 33a by dummy ejection is dried out, gets solidified, and contacts the recording head 13a, the issue can be solved by driving the electromagnet 37 by the stronger strength.
As described above, in the inkjet printer 10 in the inkjet printing system 1 in this embodiment, the CPU 41 as the drive controller drives the electromagnet 37 as the moving unit by making the driving force stronger with appropriate strength at predetermined times.
Consequently, even if ink ejected on the ink receiving plate 33a by dummy ejection becomes clod and interferes with the recording head 13a, it is possible to move the ink receiving plate 33a to the position facing the recording head facing to the recording head 13a appropriately. As a result, it is possible to perform dummy ejection appropriately.
Numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the disclosure of this patent specification may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. For example, it is possible that the image forming apparatus includes the document holding determination unit only. Alternatively, it is possible that the image forming apparatus includes the document holding determination unit and any one of or any combination of the rangefinder, the user authentication unit, the recovery processor, the print job acquisition unit, the auxiliary parameter setting unit, and the facsimile number setting unit.
As can be appreciated by those skilled in the computer arts, this invention may be implemented as convenient using a conventional general-purpose digital computer programmed according to the teachings of the present specification. Appropriate software coding can readily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the present disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the software arts. The present invention may also be implemented by the preparation of application-specific integrated circuits or by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component circuits, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the relevant art.
Each of the functions of the described embodiments may be implemented by one or more processing circuits. A processing circuit includes a programmed processor, as a processor includes circuitry. A processing circuit also includes devices such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and conventional circuit components arranged to perform the recited functions.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-223868 | Oct 2013 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7628468 | Silverbrook | Dec 2009 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 4-371849 | Dec 1992 | JP |
| 8-318623 | Dec 1996 | JP |
| 2007-296802 | Nov 2007 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20150116399 A1 | Apr 2015 | US |
