Patent Application
20230202186
The present disclosure relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium and a control method thereof.
Conventionally, there has been known an ink jet recording apparatus which records an image on a recording medium by applying ink thereto. In a case where the above-described ink jet recording apparatus does not either record an image or eject ink from nozzles (ejection ports) for a long time, moisture contained in the ink evaporates, so that the ink is thickened. This may result in occurrence of ejection failure of the ink from the nozzles. In order to prevent occurrence of the above-described ejection failure, the ink jet recording apparatus executes what is called a preliminary ejection, i.e., an operation for ejecting and discharging thickened ink in the nozzles to a cap at a timing when a recording operation of an image is not executed.
In a configuration discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-221796, in order to prevent an overflow of ink ejected to a cap, an amount of ink ejected to the cap through a preliminary ejection is calculated, and an idle suction operation for discharging ink to the outside of the cap is executed when the amount of ink stored in the cap is a threshold value or more.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording unit configured to execute a recording operation of an image and on which nozzle arrays each including a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink onto a recording medium are arranged, a cap configured to receive ink preliminarily ejected from the recording unit, and a control unit configured to control an ejection operation of ink ejected from the recording unit in response to receipt of a recording command to cause an amount of ink ejected from a first nozzle group in a first preliminary ejection executed prior to the recording operation of the image to be smaller than an amount of ink ejected from a second nozzle group different from the first nozzle group in a second preliminary ejection executed prior to the recording operation of the image in a case where the recording command includes an instruction for recording the image by using the second nozzle group without using the first nozzle group among the plurality of nozzles.
Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the appended drawings. In an example where a recording command includes an instruction for recording an image without using some nozzles, an amount of ink stored in a cap because of a preliminary ejection can be reduced by controlling an ejection operation to prevent the nozzles not used for recording from executing a preliminary ejection.
The sheet feeding mechanism 2 pushes and conveys recording media P stacked on a sheet feeding tray 1, and separates the recording media P one from another by making the recording media P abut on a separation member 4. The sheet feeding mechanism 2 conveys a separated recording medium P to the intermediate roller 6 and a pinch roller 7 that operate as a pair. A leading end of the recording medium P comes in contact with an outer circumference of a U-shaped paper guide after passing through the intermediate roller 6, and a conveyance direction thereof is reversed along the paper guide. Then, the leading end of the recording medium P reaches the conveyance roller 10 and a pinch roller 11 that operate as a pair. When the leading end of the recording medium P approaches a nip portion of the conveyance roller 10, a position of the leading end is adjusted depending on a type of the recording medium P, so that skew feeding of the recording medium P is corrected. The above-described adjustment of the position of the leading end is also called “leading end registration”. When the leading end registration is executed, the conveyance roller 10 can also be rotated in a direction in which the recording medium P is conveyed backward, i.e., a direction opposite to the conveyance direction, by being driven by the motor 21. Meanwhile, the intermediate roller 6 is constantly rotated forward in the conveyance direction, i.e., a direction in which the recording medium P is discharged, regardless of a driving direction of the motor 21. With the above-described configuration of the two rollers 6 and 10, a loop can be formed on the recording medium P at a position just before the conveyance roller 10. When the recording medium P has reached the conveyance roller 10, the motor 21 reverses the driving direction to make the conveyance roller 10 rotate in a direction in which the recording medium P is conveyed backward. Then, the conveyance roller 10 is rotated in a forward direction again, and the recording medium P is conveyed in a discharge direction. In this way, the leading end registration is completed. After the leading end registration is executed, the recording medium P is conveyed to a platen, and a sheet feeding operation is completed.
A recording unit 714 for scanning the recording medium P in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the recording medium P is arranged on the platen. The recording apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment is what is called a serial recording-type recording apparatus which includes the recording unit 714 configured to scan the recording medium P in a scanning direction (the X direction in
In addition, an ink flow path (not illustrated) for supplying ink to each of the nozzles is arranged on the recording head 717. Further, a recording element for generating energy used for ejecting ink as droplets is arranged inside each of the nozzles. In the present exemplary embodiment, an electro-thermal conversion element which converts electric energy into thermal energy is used as the recording element. However, the recording element is not limited thereto, and a piezoelectric conversion element can also be used.
In
In the present exemplary embodiment, what is called a multi-pass recording method is employed, in which a recording operation of an image in a unit area of the recording medium P is completed by a plurality of times of scanning executed on the unit area. A recording scan executed by the recording unit 714 is also called a “pass”, and the number of times of recording scans, which the recording head 717 executes in order to complete a recording operation with respect to a predetermined unit area, is called “the number of passes”. When recording of an image is ended, the recording medium P is conveyed and discharged forward in the conveyance direction by a discharge roller 12 and a spur 13 that operate as a pair.
A gear (not illustrated) attached to a rotation shaft of the motor 21 is coupled to a conveyance input gear 23 attached to a shaft of the conveyance roller 10 via an idler gear 22. A code wheel (not illustrated) on which markings are formed is attached to the conveyance input gear 23, so that a rotation amount of the motor 21 can be detected thereby. A rotation amount of the conveyance roller 10 can be controlled by reading the code wheel by an encoder sensor (not illustrated). A conveyance output gear 24 is attached to another end portion of the shaft of the conveyance roller 10. The driving force is transmitted to a sun gear 31 from the conveyance output gear 24 via an idler gear 25. The sun gear 31 is configured as a clutch gear.
With the above-described configuration, when the sun gear 31 is rotated in the forward direction indicated by an arrow s, driving force applied to the sun gear 31 is transmitted to the step 38 of the multistep gear 37 via the sun gear 32 rotated together with the sun gear 31. On the other hand, when the sun gear 31 is rotated in the reverse direction indicated by an arrow t, the swing arm 34 is moved in a direction indicated by an arrow u in
The cap 41 is used for the ejection port surface of the cyan, magenta, and yellow color inks, and the cap 42 is used for the ejection port surface of the black ink. Cap holders 44 and 45 are mounted on the slider 40. Depending on the movement of the recording head 717, the slider 40 can move in a moving direction of the recording unit 714 and a direction in which the caps 41 and 42 move close to or away from the ejection port surfaces of the color inks and the black ink of the recording head 717, in an area different from the recording area. Pump tubes 51a and 51b are respectively attached to the caps 41 and 42, and are also connected to a pump mechanism including a suction pump for generating negative pressure. By driving the suction pump, the recording apparatus can execute a recovery operation where ink is suctioned from the respective ejection ports via the caps 41 and 42.
When the negative pressure is generated in a state where the ejection port surfaces of the recording head 717 are respectively capped and closely attached to the caps 41 and 42, ink can be suctioned from the ejection ports of the recording head 717 via the caps 41 and 42. On the other hand, when the negative pressure is generated in a state where the ejection port surfaces are not capped, ink stored in the caps 41 and 42 because of a preliminary ejection can be suctioned and discharged by a discharge operation (idle suction operation). Further, by individually squeezing the pump tubes 51a and 51b in the idle suction operation, suction of ink from the nozzles or idle suction of ink stored in the caps 41 and 42 can individually be executed on the caps 41 and 42.
In order to release the negative pressure inside the pump tubes 51a and 51b after the suction operation for suctioning ink is ended, the pump roller holder 62 is driven and rotated in a reverse direction, i.e., the conveyance roller 10 is driven and rotated in the forward direction. The negative pressure inside the pump tubes 51a and 51b can be released by cancelling the squeezed state of the pump tubes 51a and 51b caused by the pump rollers 64. As described above, the pump tubes 51a and 51b are driven by the motor 21 which commonly drives the conveyance roller 10 and the intermediate roller 6, and negative pressure is generated inside the pump tubes 51a and 51b when the motor 21 drives the conveyance roller 10 in the reverse direction.
As described above, the recording apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment executes the suction operation by generating negative pressure in the caps 41 and 42 by rotating the conveyance roller 10 in the reverse direction. Thus, in a state where the recording medium P is nipped by the conveyance roller 10, negative pressure cannot be generated in the caps 41 and 42 without moving the recording medium P in the Y direction. Accordingly, when a capping operation for making the recording head 717 be closely attached to the caps 41 and 42 and an idle suction operation for discharging ink stored in the caps 41 and 42 are to be executed, it is necessary to release the recording medium P nipped by the conveyance roller 10. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the recording apparatus having the above-described configuration.
Based on a signal received from the motor driver 73, a sheet feeding motor 74 corresponding to the above-described motor 21 for driving the conveyance roller 10 drives a sheet feeding/discharging roller unit 76 via a conveyance driving force transmission system 75 and a driving force switching mechanism 77. Further, a sheet feeding roller unit 78 and an intermediate roller unit 79 respectively corresponding to the above-described conveyance roller 10 and the intermediate roller 6 are similarly driven thereby. The sheet feeding motor 74 drives the pump tubes 51a and 51b of a recovery unit (recovery mechanism) 715.
A recording unit motor 713 drives the recording unit 714 based on a signal received from the motor driver 712. A position of the recording medium P, the number of rotations of the conveyance roller 10, and a recording position of the recording unit 714 are detected by various sensors 711 arranged on a sheet feeding unit and the recording unit 714. The control unit 72 outputs appropriate control signals to the motor drivers 73 and 712 by receiving detection signals.
The control unit 72 further drives the recording head 717 by outputting recording data to a head driver 716. Recording data includes not only data of an image to be recorded but also preliminary ejection data used to maintain the ejection performance of the recording head 717. In the present exemplary embodiment, a pre-recording preliminary ejection, an in-recording preliminary ejection, and a stand-by preliminary ejection are executed as preliminary ejection operations. The pre-recording preliminary ejection is executed prior to the recording operation for recording an image on a recording medium, the in-recording preliminary ejection is executed while the recording operation is being executed, and the stand-by preliminary ejection is executed to be prepared for the next recording command. In the present exemplary embodiment, the recording apparatus executes the above-described preliminary ejections to discharge ink thickened in the vicinities of ejection ports, and ink is ejected to the caps 41 and 42. Through the preliminary ejections, the color inks are ejected to the cap 41, whereas the black ink is ejected to the cap 42.
First, in step S91, a cap opening operation is executed, so that the ejection port surfaces of the recording head 717 in contact with the caps 41 and 42 are separated from the caps 41 and 42. In step S92, the recording medium P is fed to a sheet feeding position. While the recording medium P is being fed thereto, in step S93, nozzles used for recording an image are determined in a used nozzle determination sequence. Herein, a “nozzle group” is a group including one or more nozzles included in the nozzle arrays arranged on the recording head 717. In step S94, based on a determination result acquired in step S93, a preliminary ejection pattern is read and acquired from the ROM included in the control unit 72. In step S95, based on the acquired preliminary ejection pattern, a preliminary ejection operation is executed on the caps 41 and 42. In step S96, a recording operation of the image is executed. Then, in step S97, the recording operation is ended. The pre-recording preliminary ejection and the in-recording preliminary ejection are included in the preliminary ejection operation executed in step S95. The pre-recording preliminary ejection is executed before a recording operation for recording an image on a recording medium is started, and the in-recording preliminary ejection is executed after the recording operation is started. The pre-recording preliminary ejection is executed before the recording head 717 ejects ink to the recording medium P. The in-recording preliminary ejection is executed based on the preliminary ejection pattern acquired in step S94, in a period after one recording scan is completed by the recording unit 714 and before a next recording scan is started thereby. The in-recording preliminary ejection may be executed every time the recording scan is executed, or may be executed every several times the recording scan is executed.
The control unit 72 counts an amount of ink ejected to each of the caps 41 and 42 in the preliminary ejection operation executed in step S95, and stores a counted value in the RAM of the control unit 72. In the present exemplary embodiment, counted values are integrated, and an integrated value stored in the RAM is reset when the ink stored in the caps 41 and 42 is discharged in the idle suction operation. After the recording operation is ended in step S97, in step S98, the integrated value of the amount of ink stored in the caps 41 and 42 is compared with a threshold value X stored in advance. If the integrated value of the amount of ink stored in the caps 41 and 42 is the threshold value X or less (NO in step S98), the processing proceeds to step S99, and the CPU stands by for a certain period of time until the next recording command is received. The preliminary ejection (stand-by preliminary ejection) may be executed in the stand-by period. In that case, an amount of ink ejected through the stand-by preliminary ejection is also added to the above-described integrated value. In a case where the recording command is received in the stand-by period, the processing returns to the used nozzle determination sequence in step S93, and the processing in step S93 and subsequent steps is executed repeatedly. On the other hand, in a case where the integrated value of the amount of ink stored in the caps 41 and 42 is greater than the threshold value X (YES in step S98), the processing proceeds to step S910. In step S910, the recording medium P is discharged, and a nip is released. Then, in step S911, in a state where the caps 41 and 42 are separated from the ejection port surfaces of the recording head 717, the CPU executes the idle suction operation to discharge ink stored in the caps 41 and 42 by rotating the conveyance roller 10 in the reverse direction. By executing the idle suction operation, the integrated value stored in the RAM is reset.
Then, in step S912, a cap closing operation is executed, in which the caps 41 and 42 are brought into contact with and closely attached to the ejection port surfaces. Then, the processing is ended.
The threshold value X to which the integrated value of the amount of ink stored in the caps 41 and 42 is compared is a value less than the capacity of the caps 41 and 42. Further, it is desirable that the integrated value be a value less than the cap capacity even if the pre-recording preliminary ejection and the in-recording preliminary ejection are executed in response to receipt of the next recording command.
Now, nozzle groups which are used for recording in different recording modes will be described.
In the present exemplary embodiment, a used nozzle group A (S1004) is used for recording when a preferred image quality and the recording mode are “Line Drawing” and “Black Mode”, respectively. A used nozzle group B (S1005) is used for recording when the preferred image quality is not the line drawing, i.e., when a photograph mode such as “Photograph” is selected. While details will be described below, the used nozzle group A corresponds to nozzles included in a shaded area 1101 in
The description will return to the used nozzle determination sequence in
In step S1002, the CPU determines whether the recording mode is a black mode which uses only the black ink for recording an image or a color mode which uses both the black ink and the color inks for recording an image. As illustrated in the configuration of the nozzle arrays a to h in
In step S1003, the CPU determines whether a nozzle switching mode is on or off, and switches the nozzles to be used for recording depending on a determination result. Further, the nozzles that execute the preliminary ejection are also determined based on the determination result. Details thereof will be described below.
In a case where the preferred image quality and the recording mode are respectively determined as “Line Drawing” and “Black Mode” in the above-described determination executed in steps S1001 and S1002, the used nozzle group A in
On the other hand, in a case where the preferred image quality is not determined as “Line Drawing”, the used nozzle group B in
Determination on whether the nozzle switching mode is on or off executed in step S1003 and the used nozzle group C illustrated in
It is assumed that “Line Drawing” and “Color Mode” are respectively selected as the preferred image quality and the recording mode for executing recording of one page, and image data to be recorded on that page includes both a band recordable with only the black ink and a band to be recorded using both the black ink and the color inks. As described above, because the length of each of the black ink nozzle arrays g and h is longer than the length of each of the color ink nozzle arrays a to f, recording speed of the band recordable with only the black ink can be increased by using all of the nozzles included in the black ink nozzle arrays g and h. In other words, it is desirable that the band be recorded using the used nozzle group A in
Now, the determination on whether the nozzle switching mode is on or off in step S1003, and a used nozzle group determined based on the determination will be described. In a case where the nozzle switching mode is off, the used nozzle group B is used for executing recording of “Line Drawing” in the color mode. Accordingly, the preliminary ejection with respect to the recording command is also executed using the used nozzle group B. On the other hand, in a case where the nozzle switching mode is on, the used nozzle group A in
As described above, in the determination sequence according to the present exemplary embodiment, the nozzles used for recording and the nozzles that execute the preliminary ejection are determined. When the preferred image quality is not “Line Drawing”, the used nozzle group B is used for recording, and the preliminary ejection is executed by the used nozzle group B. When the preferred image quality and the recording mode are “Line Drawing” and “Black Mode”, the used nozzle group A is used for recording, and the preliminary ejection is executed by the used nozzle group A. When the preferred image quality and the recording mode are “Line Drawing” and “Color Mode”, the used nozzle group B is used for recording. At this time, in a case where the nozzle switching mode is off, the preliminary ejection is executed by the used nozzle group B. However, in a case where the nozzle switching mode is on, the preliminary ejection is executed by the used nozzle group C.
Further, even in the case where the nozzle switching mode is on in step S1003, the preliminary ejection may be executed by all of the nozzles included in the nozzle arrays a to f, i.e., a used nozzle group D in
In the present exemplary embodiment, with respect to the determination results acquired in the used nozzle determination sequence in
As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, the preliminary ejection is not always executed by all of the nozzles, but executed by only the nozzles used for recording depending on the recording command. In this way, an amount of ink stored in the caps 41 and 42 through the preliminary ejection can be reduced, and an overflow of ink from the cap 41 or 42 can be prevented. Further, because the nozzles which execute recording also execute the preliminary ejection in a period before a recording operation is started (i.e., pre-recording preliminary ejection) and in a period between one recording scan and another recording scan (i.e., in-recording preliminary ejection), it is possible to suppress thickening of ink caused by evaporation of moisture contained in the ink from the nozzle surfaces. With the above-described configuration, ejection failure occurring in the nozzles can be prevented, so that it is possible to maintain image quality.
As illustrated in
In step S1204, the CPU determines whether a determination result is the same as the determination result acquired according to the last recording command. If the determination result is the same (YES in step S1204), the processing proceeds to step S1205. In step S1205, the preliminary ejection pattern which corresponds to the determination result acquired according to the last recording command is called. Thereafter, the processing similar to the processing in
After the recording operation is ended, the CPU discharges the recording medium, releases the nip, and may further execute what is called a suction recovery operation to forcibly discharge ink from the nozzles in a state where the caps 41 and 42 are in contact with the recording head 717.
Similar to the first exemplary embodiment, the nozzles included in the shaded area 1101 in
The description will return to
The operation executed after the recording operation is ended is similar to the operation described in the first exemplary embodiment, so that descriptions thereof are omitted. Similar to the first exemplary embodiment, in order to limit the nozzles that execute the preliminary ejection to the nozzles which are determined to be used for the recording operation of each recording scan, the preliminary ejection pattern according to the present exemplary embodiment is applied to the pre-recording preliminary ejection and the in-recording preliminary ejection. As a result, an amount of ink stored in the caps 41 and 42 through the preliminary ejection can be reduced more efficiently since the preliminary ejection is not always executed by all of the nozzles.
A configuration of the recording apparatus and a flowchart of the recording operation according to a third exemplary embodiment are similar to those described in the second exemplary embodiment, so that descriptions thereof are omitted. Generally, an ink jet recording apparatus executes masking processing on image data input to the control unit 72 to generate image data corresponding to a plurality of times of recording scans. In the present exemplary embodiment, nozzles used for each recording scan are determined depending on a mask used for the masking processing, and the preliminary ejection is executed using the mask.
In the present exemplary embodiment, the nozzles used for recording are determined based on a recording mode, a color of ink used for one recording scan, and information about a mask. As illustrated in
Determination of a preferred image quality in step S1601 is similar to the determination in step S1001 in
Further, in step S1605, based on the type of mask, the nozzles used for recording is determined more specifically. The mask consists of binary data of a recordable pixel (on) and a non-recordable pixel (off), and a pixel where ink is to be ejected is determined by logical multiplication of the binary data and image data. Generally, on the ink jet recording apparatus, the image data is divided into data corresponding to a plurality of times of recording scans by the masking processing. A total percentage of the recordable pixels of a plurality of masks corresponding to respective scans is 100%.
In a case where the mask that limits the used nozzles is used (YES in step S1605 (S1607)), the information about a division number by which the image data is divided by the mask and the information about a mask shape are acquired from the ROM of the control unit 72. Then, in step S1606 (S1608), depending on whether a recording scan is a first recording scan (first pass), a used nozzle group is determined based on the mask information. In the above-described processing in
In
On the other hand, in a case where the interlaced mask in
Further, a different mask may be used for each of the recording modes depending on the purpose. More specifically, a random mask may be used for recording a photograph in order to reduce color unevenness of a recorded image, and an interlaced mask may be used for recording a line drawing in order to stabilize an ejection state of ink droplets. In a case where the number of times of ejection of ink in one recording scan becomes a threshold value or more, a pass may be divided using the interlaced mask in order to limit the ejection amount of ink.
Similar to the above-described exemplary embodiments, in the present exemplary embodiment, a preliminary ejection pattern is called for each scan depending on a determination result acquired in the used nozzle determination sequence, and the in-recording preliminary ejection and the recording operation are executed. The operation executed after the recording operation is ended is similar to the operation described in the above-described exemplary embodiments. Similar to the first exemplary embodiment, the preliminary ejection pattern according to the present exemplary embodiment is used to limit the nozzles that execute the preliminary ejection to the nozzles determined as a nozzle group to be used for recording. In comparison to the configurations according to the above-described exemplary embodiments, the number of nozzles that execute the preliminary ejection can be reduced, so that an overflow of ink from the cap 41 or 42 can be prevented more efficiently.
A configuration of the recording apparatus according to a fourth exemplary embodiment is similar to the configuration thereof described in the above-described exemplary embodiments.
In the present exemplary embodiment, in a case where the input image length is the threshold value Y or less, ink ejected through the preliminary ejection is less likely to overflow from the cap 41 or 42. Thus, the preliminary ejection may be executed by all of the nozzles for each recording scan without executing the used nozzle determination sequence. Further, the preliminary ejection may be executed by all of the nozzles at regular intervals instead of being executed for each recording scan. After ending the recording operation, if the amount of ink in the cap is the threshold value X or less (NO in step S1922), the CPU waits for the next recording command for a certain period of time. In a case where the recording command is received (YES in step S1923), the processing returns to step S1903, so that the processing in step S1903 and subsequent steps is executed repeatedly. In a case where the cap capacity is greater than the threshold value X (YES in step S1922), in step S1924, the recording medium is discharged, and the nip is released. Then, in step S1925, the idle suction processing is executed. In step S1926, the cap closing operation is executed. Then, the recording operation is ended.
As described above, when the length of the input image is long, the number of times of in-recording preliminary ejection is increased. Thus, the preliminary ejection is executed by only the nozzle group to be used for the recording operation. With this configuration, an amount of ink ejected and stored in the cap 41 or 42 through the preliminary ejection can be reduced, so that it is possible to prevent an overflow of ink from the cap 41 or 42. Further, the suction recovery operation of the recording head 717 is executed after the recording operation is ended, so that thickening of ink occurring in the vicinities of the nozzles not used for recording can be prevented. On the other hand, when the image length is short, the preliminary ejection is executed by all of the nozzles, so that it is possible to prepare for the next recording command.
A configuration of a recording apparatus according to a fifth exemplary embodiment is similar to the configuration thereof described in the third exemplary embodiment.
Then, in step S2102, the CPU determines whether the input image length is greater than a threshold value Y1. In a case where the CPU determines that the input image length is the threshold value Y1 or less (NO in step S2102), “Preliminary Ejection Pattern 1” is selected, and the number of droplets ejected through the preliminary ejection is set based on table 1. Herein, “i Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from both of the nozzles used and not used for recording, included in the black ink nozzle arrays g and h. Then, “k Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles included in the color ink nozzle arrays a to f.
In a case where the input image length is greater than the threshold value Y1 (YES in step S2102), “Preliminary Ejection Pattern 2” is selected. Then, “i Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles used for recording, included in the black ink nozzle arrays g and h, and “j Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles not used for recording included in the black ink nozzle arrays g and h. Herein, “j” is a number smaller than “i”. In addition, “k Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles included in the color ink nozzle arrays a to f.
When the recording operation is ended in step S2007 in
In step S2009, the nip is released. Then, in step S2010, the suction recovery operation of the recording head 717 is executed. In a case where “Preliminary Ejection Pattern 2” is not selected (NO in step S2008), the processing is ended.
In the present exemplary embodiment, as the recovery operation, the suction recovery operation of the recording head 717 is executed. However, the preliminary ejection of a certain degree, which makes it possible to recover the recording head 717, may be executed. In this case, the recovery operation can be executed without releasing the nip.
In a sixth exemplary embodiment, a configuration of a recording apparatus, a flowchart of a recording operation, and a preliminary discharge pattern are similar to those described in the above-described exemplary embodiments. Thus, descriptions thereof are omitted. In a used nozzle determination sequence according to the present exemplary embodiment, a threshold value of the number of recording passes is also taken into consideration.
In a case where the number of recording passes is “1” (YES in step S2202), the processing proceeds to step S2204. In step S2204, the CPU determines whether the image length is greater than a threshold value Y2. In a case where the input image length is the threshold value Y2 or less (NO in step S2204), “Preliminary Ejection Pattern 1” is selected. Then, based on table 1, “i Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from both of the nozzles used and not used for recording included in the black ink nozzle arrays g and h, and “k Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles included in the color ink nozzle arrays a to f. In a case where the input image length is greater than the threshold value Y2 (YES in step S2204), “Preliminary Ejection Pattern 2” is selected. Then, “i Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles used for recording included in the black ink nozzle arrays g and h, and “j Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles not used for recording and included in the black ink nozzle arrays g and h. Herein, “j” is a number smaller than “i”. Further, “k Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles included in the color ink nozzle arrays a to f. “Used Nozzle Group C” is selected with respect to both of the above-described cases.
In step S2202, in a case where the number of recording passes is not “1” (NO in step S2202), the processing proceeds to step S2203. In step S2203, the CPU determines whether the number of recording passes is “3”. In a case where the CPU determines that the number of recording passes is “3” (YES in step S2203), the processing proceeds to step S2205. In step S2205, the CPU determines whether the image length is greater than a threshold value Y3. Determination executed in step S2205 is similar to the determination executed in step S2204, so that descriptions thereof are omitted. In step S2203, in a case where the CPU determines that the number of recording passes is not “3” (NO in step S2203), the number of recording passes should be “5”. Thus, the CPU advances the processing to step S2206 without executing the determination of the number of recording passes. Processing executed in step S2206 is similar to the processing executed when the number or recording passes is “1” or “3”, except when a threshold value for determining the image length is “Y4”. Thus, descriptions thereof are omitted.
As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, in comparison to the configuration according to the fifth exemplary embodiment where the image length determination is executed by using the same threshold value for all of the recording modes, the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles not used for recording can be increased in a larger number of recording cases. As a result, it is possible to prevent ink from sticking to the nozzles.
In a seventh exemplary embodiment, a configuration of a recording apparatus, a flowchart of a recording operation, and a preliminary discharge pattern are similar to those described in the fifth exemplary embodiments. Thus, descriptions thereof are omitted. In the present exemplary embodiment, a preliminary ejection pattern is determined based on the amount of ink stored in the cap 41 (42), estimated from the image data and the recording operation.
First, based on table 2, an image length is acquired from the image data for each job. Further, based on the image and the determined recording mode, the number of recording passes for recording the image is acquired. Then, based on the image length, the number of scans necessary to record the image is calculated. At this time, in a case where the amount of ink ejected to the image is great, the number of necessary scans is calculated in consideration of monitor division control for dividing the number of recording passes. The number of droplets necessary to be ejected through the in-recording preliminary ejection is calculated from the calculated number of scans. The amount of ink stored in the cap 41 (42) is estimated from a total number of droplets ejected through the pre-recording and post-recording preliminary ejections as well as the amount of black ink ejected through the preliminary ejection.
In step S2302, with respect to each of the jobs, the CPU determines whether an estimated amount of ink stored in the cap 41 (42) is greater than a threshold value Y5. In a case where the estimated amount thereof is the threshold value Y5 or less (NO in step S2302), “Preliminary Ejection Pattern 1” is selected. Then, based on table 1, “i Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from both of the nozzles used and not used for recording included in the black ink nozzle arrays g and h, and “k Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles included in the color ink nozzle arrays a to f. In a case where the estimated amount of ink stored in the cap 41 (42) is greater than the threshold value Y5 (YES in step S2302), “Preliminary Ejection Pattern 2” is selected. Then, “i Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles used for recording included in the black ink nozzle arrays g and h, and “j Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles not used for recording included in the black ink nozzle arrays g and h. Herein, “j” is a number smaller than “i”. Further, “k Droplets” is set as the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles included in the color ink nozzle arrays a to f. The recovery operation executed after ending of the recording operation is similar to the recovery operation described in the fifth exemplary embodiment, so that descriptions thereof are omitted.
With the above-described configuration, in comparison to the fifth and sixth exemplary embodiments, the number of droplets preliminarily ejected from the nozzles not used for recording can be increased while taking appropriate measures to monitor division relevant to image data. Therefore, it is possible to prevent ink from sticking to the nozzles more efficiently.
With the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent an overflow of ink from the cap while preventing lowering of image quality caused by ejection failure.
Embodiment(s) of the present disclosure can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a ‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.
While the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Applications No. 2021-209576, filed Dec. 23, 2021, and No. 2022-147450, filed Sep. 15, 2022, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-209576 | Dec 2021 | JP | national |
| 2022-147450 | Sep 2022 | JP | national |
