Patent Grant
8018615
This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-136260, filed on May 26, 2008, the entire subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Technical Field
An aspect of the present invention relates to a printing apparatus, more specifically, a printing apparatus to print images on fabrics.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, a printing apparatus for printing an image on a piece of fabric, having a platen to hold the fabric, an inkjet head to eject inks onto the fabric, a carriage to move the inkjet head, an operation panel, and a set of colored inks, has been known. Such a printing apparatus is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2004-268506. According to the printing apparatus, an image represented by a piece of print data is formed on a piece of fabric as the carriage is moved in a main scanning direction and the platen is moved in an auxiliary direction.
For another example, in United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2005/0179708 A1, a printing apparatus having a plurality of platens to hold a plurality of pieces of fabric aligned on a same horizontal plane is disclosed. According to the latter publication, two images are successively formed on the respective pieces of fabric in inks ejected from an inkjet head so that the images can be formed successively on the plurality of pieces of fabric in shorter lead time.
Prior to and after a printing operation, an inkjet printing apparatus conducts a pre-printing operation and an after-printing operation. That is, when the inkjet printing apparatus completes a printing operation, the carriage with the inkjet heads is moved to a maintenance position, and a nozzle surface of the inkjet head is wiped and capped (after-print operation), in order to prevent the nozzle surface from being dried out. When the inkjet printing apparatus starts a printing operation, the cap covering the nozzle surface of the inkjet head is detached, the uncovered nozzle surface is wiped, and the carriage is moved to a print-start position, in which the inkjet head starts ejecting inks (pre-print operation).
In the printing apparatus disclosed in the latter publication, it is understood that when a printing operation is conducted for each of the pieces fabrics held on the platens successively, although not specifically described, the after-printing operation is conducted after a first printing operation to a first piece of fabric, and the pre-printing operation is conducted immediately thereafter and prior to a second printing operation to a second piece of fabric. In other words, the nozzle surface of the inkjet head is wiped and capped in the after-printing operation, and uncapped in the pre-printing operation. The after-printing operation and the pre-printing operation successively conducted between the first printing operation and the second printing operation can be redundant and may unnecessarily take time between the two printing operations. Accordingly, non-operative time for the inkjet heads is increased, and productivity of the printing apparatus per unit of time is decreased.
In view of the above, the present invention is advantageous in that a printing apparatus with less non-operative time for the inkjet heads and with higher productivity per unit of time is provided.
According to an aspect of the invention, a printing apparatus capable of forming images successively on a plurality of pieces of recording media is provided. The printing apparatus includes at least two medium holders including a first medium holder to hold a first recording medium and a second medium holder to hold a second recording medium, at least one print head, which is driven according to print data to eject ink onto the first recording medium and the second recording medium, at least one print head drive unit to drive the at least one print head in a main scanning direction, at least two holder drive units to drive each of the at least two medium holders including a first holder drive unit to drive the first medium holder in an auxiliary direction, which is perpendicular to the main scanning direction, and a second holder drive unit to drive the second medium holder in the auxiliary direction, at least one ink cartridge to store ink therein and supply the ink to the at least one print head, and a cooperation controlling system to control printing operations in the printing apparatus. The printing operations include a first printing operation to print an image on the first recording medium in cooperation with the at least one print head, the at least one print head drive unit, and the first holder drive unit, a first pre-print operation including a maintenance behavior in a maintenance position, by which the at least one print head is maintained in condition for printing, and a moving behavior, by which the at least one print head is moved from the maintenance position to a first starting position, a first after-print operation including a moving behavior, by which the at least one print head is moved from a first ending position to the maintenance position, and a maintenance behavior in the maintenance position, by which the at least one print head is maintained in condition for printing, a second printing operation to print an image on the second recording medium in cooperation with the at least one print head, the at least one print head drive unit, and the second holder drive unit, a second pre-print operation including a maintenance behavior in a maintenance position, by which the at least one print head is maintained in condition for printing, and a moving behavior, by which the at least one print head is moved from the maintenance position to a second starting position, and a second after-print operation including a moving behavior, by which the at least one print head is moved from a second ending position to the maintenance position, and a maintenance behavior in the maintenance position, by which the at least one print head is maintained in condition for printing. One of redundant behaviors included in the first after-print operation and the second pre-print operation is omitted by the cooperation controlling system when the second printing operation is conducted successively to the first printing operation.
With the printing apparatus according to the above configuration, behaviors in the printing apparatus which can be repetitive redundant can be omitted so that non-operative time, in which neither of the first printing operation or the second printing operation occupies the printing apparatus, can be decreased. Accordingly, productivity of the printing apparatus per unit of time can be increased.
Hereinafter, an embodiment according to an aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
An inkjet printer 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
The inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment is an inkjet printer having a first print head 23 to eject white (W) ink onto a recording medium and a second print head 21, from which inks in colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) are ejected onto the recording medium. The recording medium in the present embodiment is a piece of fabric, for example a T-shirt, and an image according to image data inputted in the inkjet printer 1 from an external data processing apparatus is formed on the T-shirt. As shown in
In the present embodiment, a left-hand side which appears in
Inside the casing 10, the inkjet printer 1 is provided with an inkjet printing mechanism, which includes the first print head 23, the first carriage 26, and a guide rail 12. The guide rail 12 is arranged in parallel with the main scanning direction to guide the first carriage 26 with the first print head 23 there-along. Further, a first carriage motor 25, a pulley (not shown), and a carriage belt (not shown) are provided. The first carriage motor 25 is in vicinity to one end (an upper end in
The inkjet printer 1 is further provided with a maintenance station 40 for the first print head 23 on the right-hand end of the guide rail 12. The maintenance station 40 includes, as shown in
Further inside the casing 10, the inkjet printer 1 is provided with a guide rail 11, which is arranged in parallel with the main scanning direction to guide the second carriage 22 with the second print head 21 there-along. Furthermore, a second carriage motor 24, a pulley (not shown), and a carriage belt (not shown) are provided. The second carriage motor 24 is in vicinity to one end (an upper end in
On the left-hand side of the guide rail 11, as shown in
Next, platens 5, 6 of the inkjet printer 1 according to the present embodiment to hold the recording medium will be described. The inkjet printer 1 is provided with a pair of platens, a first platen 5 and a second platen 6, which have shapes identical to each other. The first platen 5 and the second platen 6 are movable in parallel with an auxiliary scanning direction, which is substantially perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the print heads 21, 23 (i.e., a horizontal direction in
In order to drive the platens 5, 6, in the auxiliary direction respectively, the inkjet printer 1 is provided with a first drive mechanism 7 and a second drive mechanism 8, which are arranged in parallel with each other. The first drive mechanism 7 is to drive the first platen 5 and includes guide rails 77, 77 (see
Similarly, the second drive mechanism 8 is provided to drive the second platen 6 and includes guide rails 87, 87 (see
Each of the first platen 5 and the second platen 6 is formed to have a pentagonal shape in a plane view. More specifically, a front end of each platen is formed in an obtuse V-like shape protruding toward the front of the inkjet printer 1 so that the recording medium (i.e., a T-shirt in the present embodiment) can be placed horizontally over a top surface of the platen. In the present embodiment, hereinafter, a recording medium (i.e., a piece of fabric in the present embodiment) being set over the first platen 5 is referred to as a first recording medium, and a recording medium being set over the second platen 6 is referred to as a second recording medium.
The inkjet printer 1 is further provided with a first obstacle sensor 55 and a second obstacle sensor 65 on the front side (left-hand side in
Furthermore, as shown in
The inkjet printer 1 is provided with a first ink cartridge storage unit 32, in which ink cartridges 321, 322, 323, 324 are stored, on the right-hand side in the casing 10, as shown in
The inkjet printer 1 is further provided with a second ink cartridge storage unit 31, in which ink cartridges 311, 312, 313, 314 are stored, on the left-hand side in the casing 10, as shown in
As shown in
Also as shown in
Next, referring to
The wiper unit 30 includes a wiper 37, a wiper mount 38, a guide 33, gears 34, a wiper cleaner 35, and a sensor 36. The wiper 37 wipes inks off of the nozzle surface of the first print head 23 or the second print head 21. The wiper mount 38 is a unit on which the wiper 37 is mounted. The guide 33 guides the wiper mount 38 there-along. The gears 34 are a drive force transmitter to transmit drive force from a motor (not shown) to the wiper mount 38 so that the wiper mount 38 is moved along the guide 33. The wiper cleaner 35 cleans the wiper 37 after wiping the nozzle surface and maintains the wiper 37 in condition for wiping. The sensor 36 detects an original point for the wiper mount 38 so that a position of the wiper mount 38 being moved is controlled with respect to the original point.
Behaviors of the wiper unit 30 configured as above will be described herein below. When a white printing operation is completed, the first carriage 26 having been driven to eject the white ink onto one of the first and the second recording media is moved from an ending position to a maintenance position. The ending position according to the present embodiment refers to a position at which the first print head 23 is located when the white printing operation completes. The ending position includes a first ending position, at which the first print head 23 is located when the white printing operation to the first recording medium completes, and a second ending position, at which the first print head 23 is located when the white printing operation to the second recording medium completes. The maintenance position refers to a position, as shown in
Behaviors of the wiper unit 30 are similar in a colored-printing operation with the second print head 21 to eject the colored inks onto one of the first and the second recording media. When a colored-printing operation is completed, the second carriage 22 having been driven to eject the colored inks onto one of the first and the second recording media is moved from an ending position to a maintenance position. The ending position refers to a position, at which the second print head 21 is located when the colored-printing operation completes, and includes the first ending position and the second ending position. The maintenance position refers to a position, as shown in
When a white printing operation starts, the wiper unit 30 manipulates the drive unit to shift the suction cap 15 downward so that the suction cap 15 is detached from the nozzle surface of the first print head 23 (i.e., uncapping). Thereafter, the wiper unit 30 drives the motor to move the wiper mount 38 along the guide 33 so that the nozzle surface of the first print head 23 is wiped by the wiper 37 (i.e., pre-print wiping). The first carriage 26 is moved from the maintenance position corresponding to the maintenance station 40 to a starting position. The starting position according to the present embodiment refers to a position at which the first print head 23 starts ejecting the ink onto one of the first and the second recording media. The starting position includes a first starting position, at which the first print head 23 starts ejecting the ink onto the first recording medium, and a second starting position, at which the first print head 23 starts ejecting the ink onto the second recording medium. The first print head 23 moved to the starting position is driven according to the white printing operation.
Behaviors of the wiper unit 30 in a colored-printing operation are similar to the above behaviors of the wiper unit 30 in the white printing operation. When a colored-printing operation is started, the wiper unit 30 manipulates the drive unit to shift the suction cap 15 downward so that the suction cap 15 is detached from the nozzle surface of the second print head 21 (i.e., uncapping). Thereafter, the wiper unit 30 drives the motor to move the wiper mount 38 along the guide 33 so that the nozzle surface of the second print head 21 is wiped by the wiper 37 (i.e., pre-print wiping). The second carriage 22 is moved from the maintenance position corresponding to the maintenance station 50 to a starting position. The first print head 23 moved to the starting position is driven according to the colored-printing operation.
Next, referring to
The first drive mechanism 7 is provided with a motor pulley 73, a greater pulley 72, and a motor belt 79, and the motor belt 79 encircles the motor pulley 73 and the greater pulley 72. As the first platen drive motor 71 rotates, the motor pulley 73 is rotated, and the greater pulley 72 is rotated accordingly. The first drive mechanism 7 is provided with a first belt pulley 74, which is attached to the greater pulley 72 to rotate coaxially and in synchronization with the greater pulley 72. The first platen drive motor 71, the motor pulley 73, the greater pulley 72, and the first belt pulley 74 are arranged in the casing 10 in positions lower than a horizontal plane on which the first platen 5 is shifted. Further, a timing belt 78 is provided to encircle the first belt pulley 74 and a second belt pulley 75. The second belt pulley 75 is provided in a position closer to the front of the inkjet printer 1 (i.e., on the left-hand side in
In the inkjet printer 1, the first belt pulley 74 and the second belt pulley 75 are arranged in positions such that a line connecting a rotation axis of the first belt pulley 74 and a center of the second belt pulley 75 is perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the first print head 23 (i.e., an axial direction of the guide rail 12), and the timing belt 78 is oriented perpendicularly to the main scanning direction of the first print head 23. The timing belt 78 is fixed to the first platen 5 by a platen attachment 51 so that the first platen 5 is shifted in a direction indicated by an arrow A in
The second drive mechanism 8 is in a similar configuration to the configuration of the first drive mechanism 7, and description of that is herein omitted.
Next, referring to
The first controlling circuit 100 is a circuit to control a printing operation to print an image on the fabric supported by the first platen 5. The first controlling circuit 100 is provided within the first operation panel 28 and includes a CPU 101, a ROM 102 to store various controlling programs to be executed by the CPU 101, and a RAM 103 to temporarily store various data. The second controlling circuit 200 is a circuit to control a printing operation to print an image on the fabric supported by the second platen 6. The second controlling circuit 140 is provided within the second operation panel 27 and includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, and a RAM 203, similarly to the first controlling circuit 100. The first controlling circuit 100 and the second controlling circuit 200 are connected to each other through a bus 104 to exchange information therebetween and share various information necessary to control the operations. Further, the first and the second controlling circuits 100, 200 are connected with the first print control circuit 120 and the second print control circuit 140 through the bus 104. Furthermore, the first and the second controlling circuits 100, 200 are connected with a PC (personal computer) 90, in which print data is generated, via a communication unit 107.
The first print control circuit 120 is a circuit to control behaviors of the first platen 5, the first print head 23, and the first carriage 26 and includes a first print head drive circuit 121, a first carriage motor drive circuit 122, and a first platen motor drive circuit 123. The first print head drive circuit 121 is to activate and inactivate piezoelectric actuators in each channel in the first print head 23. The first carriage motor drive circuit 122 is to activate and inactivate the first carriage motor 25, and the first platen motor drive circuit 123 is to activate and inactivate the first platen drive motor 71. The first print control circuit 120 further includes a first sensor I/O circuit 124 and an indicator control circuit 125. The first sensor I/O circuit 124 accepts information inputted by the first print start button 281, the first print data obtain button 282, the first cancel button 283, a warning stop button 288 to stop the warning sound from the speaker 285, a first platen position sensor 291, which is to detect a position of the first platen 5, and the first obstacle sensor 55. The indicator control circuit 125 controls the data lamp 286, the error lamp 287, a warning indicator lamp 289, which indicates the warning stop button 288 needs to be operated, the display 284, and the speaker 285.
The second print control circuit 140 is a circuit to control behaviors of the second platen 6, the second print head 21, and the second carriage 22 and includes a second print head drive circuit 141, a second carriage motor drive circuit 142, and a second platen motor drive circuit 143. The second print head drive circuit 141 is to activate and inactivate piezoelectric actuators in each channel in the second print head 21. The second carriage motor drive circuit 142 is to activate and inactivate the second carriage motor 24, and the second platen motor drive circuit 143 is to activate and inactivate the second platen drive motor 81. The second print control circuit 140 further includes a second sensor I/O circuit 144 and an indicator control circuit 145. The second sensor I/O circuit 144 accepts information inputted by the second print start button 271, the second print data obtain button 272, the second cancel button 273, a warning stop button 278 to stop the warning sound from the speaker 275, a second platen position sensor 292, which is to detect a position of the second platen 6, and the second obstacle sensor 65. The indicator control circuit 145 controls the data lamp 276, the error lamp 277, a warning indicator lamp 279, which indicates the warning stop button 278 needs to be operated, the display 274, and the speaker 275.
The first print controlling system 111 includes controlling of movements of the first platen 5 and controlling of printing behaviors of the first carriage 26 and the second carriage 22. In other words, the first print controlling system 111 controls white and colored printing operations to the first recording medium held by the first platen 5. Therefore, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the first print control circuit 120 through the bus 104 in order to control the first print head drive circuit 121, the first carriage motor drive circuit 122, and the first platen motor drive circuit 123 and to drive the first print head 23, the first carriage motor 25, and the first platen drive motor 71. Further, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the second print control circuit 140 through the bus 104 in order to control the second print head drive circuit 141 and the second carriage motor drive circuit 142 and to drive the second print head 21 and the second carriage motor 24.
The second print controlling system 112 includes controlling of movements of the second platen 6 and controlling of printing behaviors of the first carriage 26 and the second carriage 22. In other words, the second print controlling system 112 controls white and colored printing operations to the second recording medium held by the second platen 6. Therefore, the second print controlling system 112 transmits controlling signals to the first print control circuit 120 through the bus 104 in order to control the first print head drive circuit 121 and the first carriage motor drive circuit 122 and to drive the first print head 23 and the first carriage motor 25. Further, the second print controlling system 112 transmits controlling signals to the second print control circuit 140 through the bus 104 in order to control the second print head drive circuit 141, the second carriage motor drive circuit 142, and the second platen motor drive circuit 143 and to drive the second print head 21, the second carriage motor 24, and the second platen drive motor 81.
Next, with reference to
According to the present embodiment, a second print controlling operation, which is substantially similar to the first print controlling operation, can be run in the second print controlling system 112 in parallel with the first print controlling operation running in the first print controlling system 111. In the following description, solely the first print controlling operation will be described, and description of the second print controlling operation will be omitted.
When the first print controlling operation starts, in S3, the first controlling system 111 resets a flag Fw and a flag Fc to zero. The flag Fw indicates that capping of the first print head 23 was omitted in a white carriage after-printing process, which will be described later in detail. The flag Fc indicates that capping of the second print head 21 was omitted in a color carriage after-printing operation, which will be described later in detail. When the flag Fw is reset to zero, it indicates that capping of the first print head 23 was not omitted but performed. Similarly, when the flag Fc is reset to zero, it indicates that capping of the second print head 21 was not omitted but performed.
In S5, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether a user of the inkjet printer 1 has operated the first print start button 281 based on input signals provided from the first sensor I/O circuit 124 of the first print controlling circuit 120. When an operation to the first print start button 281 is detected (S5: YES), the flow proceeds to S10.
In S10, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether print data, which is to be used for printing an image in the white ink with the first print head 23 or in the colored inks with the second print head 21, is contained in the RAM 103 of the first control circuit 100. When no print data for white printing or colored printing is contained in the RAM 103 (S10: NO), in S15, the first print controlling system 111 transmits error signals to the indicator control circuits 125 of the first print control circuit 120 so that the user can be notified of an error, for example, by a warning sound from the speaker 285. In S10, if the print data is contained in the RAM 103 (S10: YES), the CPU 101 proceeds to S20.
In S20, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether the print data contained in the RAM 103 is data to form the image in the white ink by driving the first print head 23. If the print data does not represent the image to be formed in the white ink (S20: NO), the flow proceeds to S40. If the print data represents the image to be formed in the white ink (S20: YES), the flow proceeds to S25.
In S25, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether status of the first carriage 26 is “ready” for the print data. If the first carriage 26 is not ready (S25: NO), the flow proceeds to S30. When the first carriage 26 is ready (S25: YES), the flow proceeds to S35. In the present embodiment, status of the first and the second carriages 26, 22 includes “printing,” in which image forming with the first or the second carriage 26, 22 is in progress. The status “printing” further includes the first or the second carriage 26, 22 in a pre-printing operation and an after-printing operation. When the first or the second carriage 26, 22 is not in “printing,” the status of the first or the second carriage 26, 22 is referred to as “ready.”
In S30, the first print controlling system 111 sets status of the first platen 5 to “standing by for white carriage” and transmits information concerning the status to the other one of the print controlling systems (i.e., the second print controlling system 112). The flow returns to S25. The status of the platen refers to information indicating a current behavior the first platen 5 or the second platen 6. According to the present embodiment, when the first carriage 26 is in “printing,” the first platen 5 (or the second platen 6) is in “standing by for white carriage” and waiting for the first carriage 26 to be released. Similarly, when the second carriage 22 is in “printing,” the first platen 5 (or the second platen 6) is in “standing by for color carriage” and waiting for the second carriage 22 to be released. Further, the status of the platen includes “activating from standby,” in which the first carriage 26 or the second carriage 22 having been waited by the first platen 5 (or the second platen 6) is being released. The flow repeats S25 and S30 until the status of the first carriage 26 indicates “ready.” When the status of the first carriage 26 indicates “ready” (S25: YES), the flow proceeds to S35.
In S35, the first print controlling system 111 sets the status of the first platen 5 to “activating from standby” and transmits information concerning the status to the second print controlling system 112.
In S100, the first print controlling system 111 conducts the white carriage pre-print operation, in which the suction cap 15 sealing the nozzle surface of the first print head 23 is detached therefrom, the ink adhered to the nozzle surface is wiped off, and the first carriage 26 is moved from the maintenance position to the print starting position.
The white carriage pre-print operation will be described with reference to
In S115, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether the flag Fw is set to 1, which indicates that capping the first print head 23 was omitted in a white carriage after-print operation. The white carriage after-print operation will be described later in detail. When the flag Fw is 0 (S15: NO), it indicates that capping the nozzle surface of the first print head 23 was not omitted in a previous white printing operation, and the suction cap 15 has been attached to the nozzle surface of the first print head 23. That is, the current white printing operation is not continuous from the previous white printing operation. The flow proceeds to S120. When the flag Fw is 1 (S115: YES), it indicates that capping the nozzle surface was omitted, i.e., the current white printing operation is continuous from the previous white printing operation. Therefore, the flow skips S120 and S130, and proceeds to S140.
In S120, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling singles to the wiper unit 30 to shift the suction cap 15 downward to uncap the nozzle surface of the first print head 23.
In S130, the first print controlling system 111 wipes the nozzle surface of the first print head 23. Specifically, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the wiper unit 30 to drive the motor and moves the wiper mount 38 along the guide 33 so that the nozzle surface of the first print head 23 is wiped by the wiper 37.
In S140, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the first carriage motor drive circuit 122 in the first print control circuit 120 to drive the first carriage motor 25 so that the first carriage 26 is moved from the maintenance position corresponding to the maintenance station 40 to the print starting position. The white carriage pre-print operation is completed thereafter.
The flow returns to the first print controlling operation shown in
When the white carriage printing operation starts, in S210, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the first platen motor drive circuit 123 in the first print control circuit 120 to drive the first platen drive motor 71 so that the first platen 5 starts moving toward the print starting position for white printing with the first platen 5.
In S220, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether the first platen 5 has reached the print starting position for white printing based on signals transmitted from the first platen position sensor 291 and received through the first sensor I/O circuit 124 in the first print control circuit 120. The examination is repeated until the first platen 5 reaches the print starting position for white printing (S220: NO). When the first platen 5 reaches the print starting position (S220: YES), the flow proceeds to S230.
In S230, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the first carriage motor drive circuit 122, the first print head drive circuit 121, and the first platen motor drive circuit 123 in the first print control circuit 120 so that the first carriage 26, the first print head 23, and the first platen 5 are manipulated in cooperation with one another to form a white image in the white ink ejected from the first print head 23 on the first recording medium. More specifically, the first carriage 26 is driven in the main scanning direction to eject the white ink for one line on the first recording medium to form a partial image. The first platen 5 is thereafter moved in the auxiliary direction for an amount corresponding to one line, and the first carriage 26 is again driven to form a next line of the image. Thus, the image is formed on the first recording medium in the white ink (i.e., white printing).
In S240, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether white printing has been completed. When white printing is not completed (S240: NO), the first print controlling system 111 repeats S240. When white printing is completed (S240: YES), the white printing operation is terminated.
The flow returns to the first print controlling operation shown in
When the white carriage after-print operation starts, in S310, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the first carriage motor drive circuit 122 in the first print control circuit 120 to drive the first carriage motor 25 so that the first carriage 26 is moved from the print ending position to the maintenance position corresponding to the maintenance station 40.
In S320, the first print controlling system 111 wipes the nozzle surface of the first print head 23. Specifically, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the wiper unit 30 to drive the motor and moves the wiper mount 38 along the guide 33 so that the nozzle surface of the first print head 23 is wiped by the wiper 37.
In S330, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether status of the second platen 6 is “standing by for white carriage.” When the status of the second platen 6 is “standing by for white carriage” (S330: YES), a succeeding white printing operation to follow the current white printing operation (continuous printing) is reserved. Therefore, in S340, the first print controlling system 111 sets the flag Fw to 1, which indicates that capping the nozzle surface will be omitted in the current white carriage after-print process. Further, information concerning the flag Fw indicating 1 is transmitted to the second print controlling system 112. Thereafter, the flow proceeds to S360. In S330, when the status of the second platen 6 indicates “activating from standby,” no succeeding white printing to follow the current white printing is reserved. The flow proceeds to S350.
In S350, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the wiper unit 30 to uplift the suction cap 15 so that the suction cap 15 is attached to the nozzle surface of the first print head 23.
In S360, the first print controlling system 111 sets the status of the first carriage 26 to “ready” and transmits information concerning the status to the second print controlling system 112. The white carriage after-print operation is terminated thereafter.
The flow returns to the first print controlling operation shown in
In S45, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether status of the second carriage 22 is “ready” for the print data. If the second carriage 22 is not ready (S45: NO), in S50, the first print controlling system 111 sets the status of the first platen 5 to “standing by for color carriage” and transmits information concerning the status to the second print controlling system 112. The flow returns to S45 and repeats S45-S50 until the second carriage 22 becomes ready. When the second carriage 22 is ready (S45: YES), the flow proceeds to S55.
In S55, the first print controlling system 111 sets the status of the first platen 5 to “activating from standby” and transmits information concerning the status to the second print controlling system 112.
In S400, the first print controlling system 11 conducts a color carriage pre-print operation, in which the suction cap 15 sealing the nozzle surface of the second print head 21 is detached therefrom, the ink adhered to the nozzle surface is wiped off, and the second carriage 22 is moved from the maintenance position to the print starting position.
The color carriage pre-print operation will be described with reference to
In S415, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether the flag Fc is set to 1, which indicates that capping the second print head 21 was omitted in a color carriage after-print operation. The color carriage after-print operation will be described later in detail. When the flag Fc is 0 (S415: NO), it indicates that capping the nozzle surface of the second print head 21 was not omitted in a previous colored-printing operation, and the suction cap 15 has been attached to the nozzle surface of the second print head 21. That is, the current colored-printing operation is not continuous from the previous colored-printing operation. The flow proceeds to S420. When the flag Fc is 1 (S415: YES), it indicates that capping the nozzle surface was omitted, i.e., the current colored printing operation is continuous from the previous colored-printing operation. Therefore, the flow skips S420 and S430, and proceeds to S440.
In S420, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling singles to the wiper unit 30 to shift the suction cap 15 downward to uncap the nozzle surface of the second print head 21.
In S430, the first print controlling system 111 wipes the nozzle surface of the second print head 21. Specifically, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the wiper unit 30 to drive the motor and moves the wiper mount 38 along the guide 33 so that the nozzle surface of the second print head 21 is wiped by the wiper 37.
In S440, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the second carriage motor drive circuit 142 in the second print control circuit 140 to drive the second carriage motor 24 so that the second carriage 22 is moved from the maintenance position corresponding to the maintenance station 50 to the print starting position. The color carriage pre-print operation is completed thereafter.
The flow returns to the first print controlling operation shown in
When the color carriage printing operation starts, in S510, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the first platen motor drive circuit 123 in the first print control circuit 120 to drive the first platen drive motor 71 so that the first platen 5 starts moving toward the print starting position for colored-printing with the first platen 5.
In S520, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether the first platen 5 has reached the print starting position for colored-printing based on signals transmitted from the first platen position sensor 291 and received through the first sensor I/O circuit 124 in the first print control circuit 120. The examination is repeated until the first platen 5 reaches the print starting position for colored-printing (S520: NO). When the first platen 5 reaches the print starting position (S520: YES), the flow proceeds to S530.
In S530, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the second carriage motor drive circuit 142 and the second print head drive circuit 141 in the second print control circuit 140, and the first platen motor drive circuit 123 in the first print control circuit 120 so that the second carriage 22, the second print head 21, and the first platen 5 are manipulated in cooperation with one another to form a colored image in the colored inks ejected from the second print head 21 on the first recording medium. More specifically, the second carriage 22 is driven in the main scanning direction to eject the colored inks for one line on the first recording medium to form a partial image. The first platen 5 is thereafter moved in the auxiliary direction for an amount corresponding to one line, and the second carriage 22 is again driven to form a next line of the image. Thus, the image is formed on the first recording medium in the colored inks (i.e., colored printing).
In S540, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether colored-printing has been completed. When colored-printing is not completed (S540: NO), the first print controlling system 111 repeats S540. When the colored-printing is completed (S540: YES), the colored printing operation is terminated.
The flow returns to the first print controlling operation shown in
When the color carriage after-print operation starts, in S610, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the second carriage motor drive circuit 142 in the second print control circuit 140 to drive the second carriage motor 24 so that the second carriage 22 is moved from the print ending position to the maintenance position corresponding to the maintenance station 50.
In S620, the first print controlling system 111 wipes the nozzle surface of the second print head 21. Specifically, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the wiper unit 30 to drive the motor and moves the wiper mount 38 along the guide 33 so that the nozzle surface of the second print head 21 is wiped by the wiper 37.
In S630, the first print controlling system 111 examines as to whether status of the second platen 6 is “standing by for color carriage.” When the status of the second platen 6 is “standing by for color carriage” (S630: YES), a succeeding colored-printing operation to follow the current colored-printing operation (continuous printing) is reserved. Therefore, in S640, the first print controlling system 111 sets the flag Fc to 1, which indicates that capping the nozzle surface will be omitted in the current color carriage after-print process. Further, information concerning the flag Fc indicating 1 is transmitted to the second print controlling system 112. Thereafter, the flow proceeds to S660. In S630, when the status of the second platen 6 indicates “activating from standby,” no succeeding colored-printing to follow the current colored-printing is reserved. The flow proceeds to S650.
In S650, the first print controlling system 111 transmits controlling signals to the wiper unit 30 to uplift the suction cap 15 so that the suction cap 15 is attached to the nozzle surface of the second print head 21.
In S660, the first print controlling system 111 sets the status of the second carriage 22 to “ready” and transmits information concerning the status to the second print controlling system 112. The color carriage after-print operation is terminated thereafter.
The flow returns to the first print controlling operation shown in
Next, with reference to
As shown in
Whilst the white carriage pre-print operation is in progress, the operator sets a second recording medium on the second platen 6 (601). When the operator operates the second print start button 271 in the second operation panel 27 (602), the second print controlling system 112 refers to status of the first carriage 26, which is “printing,” and therefore stands by (603). When the white printing operation (505) completes, status of the first carriage 26 is updated to “ready.” Accordingly, the second print controlling system 112 releases the first carriage 26 and conducts the white carriage pre-print operation, including uncapping and wiping the nozzle surface of the first print head 23, and moving the first carriage 26 to the print starting position, for the second recording medium (604). Succeeding operations are similar to the above described procedures 504-509 for the first platen 5. That is, the second print controlling system 112 conducts a white carriage printing operation (605) and a white carriage after-print operation including moving the first carriage 26 to the maintenance position, wiping the nozzle surface of the first print head 23, and capping the nozzle surface (606). Thereafter, the second print controlling system 112 conducts a color carriage pre-print operation for the second recording medium, which includes uncapping the nozzle surface of the second print head 21, wiping the nozzle surface, and moving the second carriage 22 to the print starting position (607). Further, the second print controlling system 112 conducts a color carriage printing operation (608) and a color carriage after-print operation including moving the second carriage 22 to the maintenance position, wiping the nozzle surface of the second print head 21, and capping the nozzle surface (609). Thereafter, the second print controlling system 112 drives the second platen 6 to the removal position. The operator removes the second recording medium with the image formed thereon from the second platen 6 (610). Thus, the printing operation to the second recording medium is completed.
In the above comparative example, the nozzle surface of the first print head 23 is covered with the suction cap 15 in the white carriage after-print operation (505) and is uncovered immediately thereafter in the white carriage pre-print operation (604). Such repetitive capping and uncapping can be redundant and may unnecessarily take time between the two printing operations. Similarly, repetitive capping and uncapping in the color carriage after-print operation (508) and the color carriage pre-print operation (607) respectively can be redundant. Accordingly, non-operative time for the inkjet heads 23, 21 is increased, and productivity of the printing apparatus per unit of time is decreased.
Next, the behaviors of the inkjet printer 1 in the printing operation according to the embodiment will be described. As shown in
When the white printing operation (515) completes, status of the first carriage 26 is updated to “ready.” Accordingly, second print controlling system 112 releases the first carriage 26 and conducts the white carriage pre-print operation. In this regard, the second print controlling system 112, receiving the information concerning the flag Fw, which is 1 indicating omission of capping the nozzle surface in the white carriage after-print operation (515), omits detachment of the suction cap 15 from the nozzle surface and wiping the same. Therefore, the white carriage pre-print operation, solely including moving the first carriage 26 to the print starting position, is conducted (614) (see S115 and S140 in
Meanwhile, upon completion of the white carriage after-print operation (515), the first print controlling system 111 conducts a color carriage pre-print operation, which includes detaching the suction cap 15 from the nozzle surface of the second print head 21, wiping the nozzle surface, and moving the second carriage 22 to the print starting position (516). Further, the first print controlling system 111 conducts a color carriage printing operation (517) and a color carriage after-print operation. In this regard, the second print controlling system 112 refers to status of the second carriage 22, which is “printing,” and therefore stands by (617). Meanwhile, the status of the second platen 6 is updated to “standing by for color carriage” (see S45 and S50 in
When the color carriage after-print operation (518) completes, status of the second carriage 22 is updated to “ready.” Accordingly, the second print controlling system 112 releases the second carriage 22 and conducts the color carriage pre-print operation, including detaching the suction cap 15, whipping the nozzle surface of the second print head 21, and moving the second carriage 22 to the print starting position, for the second recording medium (618) (see also S415 and S440 in
In the above embodiment, the repetitive behaviors in the white carriage after-print operation (515) and the white carriage pre-print operation (614) can be omitted. Similarly, the repetitive behaviors in the color carriage after-print operation (518) and the color carriage pre-print operation (618) can be omitted. Therefore, non-operative time for the inkjet heads 23, 21 is effectively omitted, and productivity of the printing apparatus per unit of time can be increased.
Next, with reference to
As shown in
Whilst the color carriage pre-print operation is in progress, the operator sets a second recording medium on the second platen 6 (631). When the operator operates the second print start button 271 in the second operation panel 27 (632), the second print controlling system 112 refers to status of the second carriage 22, which is “printing,” and therefore stands by (633). When the color carriage after-print operation (535) completes, status of the second carriage 22 is updated to “ready.” Accordingly, the second print controlling system 112 releases the second carriage 22 and conducts a color carriage pre-print operation, including detaching the suction cap 15, whipping the nozzle surface of the second print head 21, and moving the second carriage 22 to the print starting position for the second recording medium (634). Thereafter, the second print controlling system 112 conducts a color carriage printing operation (635) and a color carriage after-print operation including moving the second carriage 22 to the maintenance position, wiping the nozzle surface of the second print head 21, and capping the nozzle surface (636). Thereafter, the second print controlling system 112 drives the second platen 6 to the removal position. The operator removes the second recording medium with the image formed thereon from the second platen 6 (637). Thus, the printing operation to the second recording medium is completed.
In the above comparative example, the nozzle surface of the second print head 21 is covered with the suction cap 15 in the color carriage after-print operation (535) and is uncovered immediately thereafter in the color carriage pre-print operation (634). Such repetitive capping and uncapping can be redundant and may unnecessarily take time between the two printing operations. Accordingly, non-operative time for the inkjet head 21 is increased, and productivity of the printing apparatus per unit of time is decreased.
Next, the behaviors of the inkjet printer 1 in the printing operation according to the embodiment will be described. As shown in
When the color carriage after-print operation (545) completes, status of the second carriage 26 is updated to “ready.” Accordingly, second print controlling system 112 releases the second carriage 22 and conducts a color carriage pre-print operation. In this regard, the second print controlling system 112, receiving the information concerning the flag Fc, which is 1 indicating omission of capping the nozzle surface in the color carriage after-print operation (545), omits detachment of the suction cap 15 from the nozzle surface and wiping the same. Therefore, the color carriage pre-print operation, solely including moving the second carriage 22 to the print starting position, is conducted (644) (see S415 and S440 in
In the above embodiment, the repetitive behaviors in the color carriage after-print operation (545) and the white carriage pre-print operation (644) can be omitted. Therefore, non-operative time for the second inkjet head 21 is effectively omitted, and productivity of the printing apparatus per unit of time can be increased.
According to the above-described inkjet printer 1 in the present embodiment, when a series of printing operations, including the white carriage printing operation and the color carriage printing operation, is performed to the first recording medium on the first platen 5, and another series of printing operations is performed to the second recording medium on the second platen 6 successively, several behaviors in the after-print operations, including the white carriage after-print operation and the color carriage after-print operation (i.e., capping the nozzle surface in the after-print operations, detaching the suction cap 15 from the nozzle surface and wiping in the pre-print operations) are omitted. Therefore, non-operative time for the inkjet heads 23, 21 is effectively omitted, and productivity of the printing apparatus per unit of time can be increased.
Further, in the above embodiment, a continuous printing operation can be reserved so that the user is not kept waiting for a previous printing operation to complete. More specifically, when the user operates the second print start button 271 after a white carriage pre-print operation to the first recording medium started, a white carriage pre-print operation to the second recording medium is started after completion of the white carriage after-print operation to the first recording medium, and a color carriage pre-print operation to the second recording medium is started after completion of the color carriage after-print operation to the first recording medium. Therefore, waiting time for the user to wait for completion of a previous printing operation is omitted.
Furthermore, the inkjet printer 1 in the above embodiment is provided with two print heads, i.e., the first print head 23 and the second print head 21 which enable varieties of color tones and shadings on the recording media. Therefore, improved images with higher reproducibility can be achieved.
In the above embodiment, the inkjet printer 1 is provided with the wiper units 30 with the wipers 37, which wipes inks off of the nozzle surfaces of the first print head 23 and the second print head 21. Specifically, the nozzle surfaces are cleaned in the after-print operations at the end of white and colored printing operations, and preliminarily in the pre-print operations in the beginning of the white and colored printing operations.
When a series of printing operations is performed to the first recording medium on the first platen 5 and another series of printing operations is performed to the second recording medium on the second platen 6 successively, several behaviors (i.e., capping the nozzle surface in the after-print operations, uncapping the nozzle surface and wiping in the pre-print operations) are omitted. Meanwhile wiping the nozzle surfaces is not omitted from the after-print operations. Thus, behaviors to clean the nozzle surfaces are maintained whilst non-operative time for the inkjet heads 23, 21 is effectively omitted, and productivity of the printing apparatus per unit of time can be increased.
In the above embodiment, the wiper unit 30 in the inkjet printer 1 is provided with an attachable/detachable suction cap 15, which can seal the nozzle surface of the first print head 23, 21. Therefore, the nozzle surface wiped by the wiper 37 can be sealed with the suction cap 15 in the after-print operations to be maintained clean. The sealed nozzle surface is released prior to wiping in pre-print operations when the suction cap 15 is detached from the nozzle surface.
In the above embodiment, when a series of printing operations is performed to the first recording medium on the first platen 5 and another series of printing operations is performed to the second recording medium on the second platen 6 successively, behaviors to attach the suction cap 15 to the nozzle surface in the after-print operations and detach the suction cap 15 from the nozzle surface in the pre-print operations are omitted. Therefore, releasing and sealing the nozzle surfaces of the first and the second print heads 23, 21 can be conducted whilst non-operative time for the inkjet heads 23, 21 is effectively omitted, and productivity of the printing apparatus per unit of time can be increased.
Although an example of carrying out the invention has been described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the printing apparatus that falls within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. It is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or act described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
For example, the inkjet printer 1 may not necessarily be provided with two print heads, which are the first print head 23 and the second printer head 21, but may be provided with a single print head.
For another example, in the above embodiment, wiping of the nozzle surface in an after-print operation is conducted and wiping in a pre-print operation is omitted between the two successive printing operations to the first recording medium and the second recording medium; however, wiping in a pre-print operation can be conducted and wiping in an after-print operation can be omitted.
Further, wiping the nozzle surfaces of the first and the second print heads 23, 21 may not necessarily be conducted in each after-print operation, but may be conducted once in a predetermined number of after-print operations. Therefore, wiping may be omitted until the number of times of the after-print operations reaches the predetermined number.
Furthermore, an inkjet printer may be provided with a flushing system, by which inks adhered to the nozzle surface of the print head is flushed out of the nozzles by ejection of the inks in unison. Such an inkjet printer with the flushing system may conduct flushing each time after the nozzle surface is wiped in the pre-print operation so that the adhered inks are removed from the nozzle surface prior to a first printing operation and a second printing operation. The flushing behavior can be omitted when a printing operation to the second recording medium is continuously conducted after a printing operation to the first recording medium. Therefore, the nozzle surfaces prior to a printing operation can avoid adherence of the inks whilst non-operative time for the inkjet head is effectively omitted, and productivity of the printing apparatus per unit of time can be increased.
In the above embodiment, the inkjet printer 1 conducts white printing with the first print head 23 and colored-printing with the second print head 21 thereafter so that, for example, a base layer in white ink is formed on a dark-colored recording medium and a colored layer in colored inks is formed on the base layer to obtain a clearer image on the recording medium. However, the present invention can be applied to an inkjet printer when, for example, the inkjet printer conducts colored printing with the second print head 23 and white printing with the first print head 23 thereafter so that, for example, a base layer in colored inks is formed on a light-colored recording medium and a white layer in a white ink is formed on the base layer to obtain a clearer image on the recording medium. Moreover, the present invention can be applied to an inkjet printer when, for example, the inkjet printer conducts white printing over white printing with the first print head 23 or colored-printing over colored-printing with the second print head 21 on a recording medium.
In the above embodiment, arrows shown in the accompanying drawings, specifically in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-136260 | May 2008 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7086716 | Steinfield et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
| 7338155 | Niimi | Mar 2008 | B2 |
| 20040165231 | Mitsuzawa | Aug 2004 | A1 |
| 20050179708 | Ben-Zur | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 0 628 414 | Dec 1994 | EP |
| A-2004-268506 | Sep 2004 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090289987 A1 | Nov 2009 | US |
