JP2001018408A - INK JET RECORDING APPARATUS AND MOISTURE LIQUID DISCHARGE CONTROL METHOD IN THE APPARATUS - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a recording apparatus capable of reducing the frequency of execution of a cleaning operation by using a moisturizing liquid. SOLUTION: A moisturizing liquid tank 6 for storing a moisturizing liquid is mounted on a carriage 1, and the moisturizing liquid can be dropped from the moisturizing liquid tank 6 into capping means 7 in accordance with the movement of the carriage 1. It is configured as follows. As a result, the evaporation of the ink solvent at the nozzle openings of the recording head in the capped state can be effectively suppressed, and the reliability of the printing operation can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head for discharging ink droplets toward recording paper based on print data, and more particularly, to sealing a nozzle forming surface of the recording head. The present invention relates to an ink jet type recording apparatus having a moisturizing liquid tank for discharging a moisturizing liquid in a capping unit that performs moisturizing liquid discharge control in the same apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet recording apparatuses have been used in many types of printing including color printing in recent years, since noise at the time of printing is relatively small and small dots can be formed at a high density. Such an ink jet recording apparatus includes an ink jet recording head that receives supply of ink from an ink cartridge, and a paper feeding unit that relatively moves a recording sheet with respect to the recording head. Recording is performed by ejecting ink droplets on recording paper while moving the recording paper to form dots.

A recording head on which black, yellow, cyan, and magenta inks are ejected is provided on a carriage. In addition to text printing using black ink, full-color printing can be performed by changing the ejection ratio of each ink. I have.

In such an ink jet type recording head, since the ink pressurized in the pressure generating chamber is ejected from a nozzle as an ink droplet to a recording sheet to perform printing, the ink viscosity caused by the evaporation of the solvent from the nozzle opening is printed. Rise,
There is a problem that clogging of nozzle openings occurs due to solidification of ink, adhesion of dust, and mixing of air bubbles, resulting in poor printing.

[0005] For this purpose, the ink jet recording apparatus is provided with capping means for sealing the nozzle openings of the recording head during non-printing and a wiping member for cleaning the nozzle forming surface as required. This capping means not only functions as a lid for preventing drying of the ink at the nozzle opening described above, but also when the nozzle opening is clogged, the nozzle forming surface is sealed by the capping means, and the suction pump is used. With the negative pressure, the ink is sucked and discharged from the nozzle opening to eliminate the clogging of the nozzle opening.

[0006] Forcible suction and discharge processing of ink for eliminating clogging of the recording head is called a cleaning operation. For example, when printing is resumed after a long period of suspension of the recording apparatus, or when the user performs printing. This operation is performed when the cleaning switch is operated upon recognizing a state defect, and after the ink is discharged from the recording head, an operation of wiping the nozzle forming surface of the recording head with a wiping member made of an elastic plate such as rubber is involved. Will be

[0007] The recording head also has a function of applying a drive signal unrelated to printing to eject ink droplets, which is called a flushing operation, which is mainly performed by a wiping member during a cleaning operation. In order to recover the irregular meniscus generated near the nozzle opening of the head by the wiping operation by the wiping operation, and to prevent clogging due to thickening of the ink at the nozzle opening where the ink droplets are discharged little during printing, at regular intervals This is the operation to be executed.

[0008]

As described above, in the ink jet type recording apparatus, the capping means is used by the capping means during non-printing or when the operation power to the recording apparatus is not turned on (power off state). It is configured to seal the nozzle forming surface. In addition, in order to minimize evaporation of the ink solvent at the nozzle opening from the recording head in the capping state, a predetermined amount of ink is ejected from the recording head immediately before the capping operation into the capping unit, and the inside of the capping unit is discharged. Control means for maintaining a wet state is employed.

By the way, polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin or diethylene glycol are mixed in the printing ink for keeping the inside of the capping means in a wet state. These polyhydric alcohols have a property of absorbing (embracing) water in the air. By using this as an ink solvent, it is possible to mainly prevent clogging of fine nozzle openings in a recording head. Is considered.

On the other hand, when the printing ink is flushed into the capping means as described above while the recording head is held in the capping state,
The glycerin or diethylene glycol or the like contained in the flushed ink absorbs moisture in the internal space of the capping means by its moisturizing action, and rather causes the action of promoting the evaporation of moisture in the ink at the nozzle opening in the recording head. Have been found by the present inventor.

That is, in the conventional recording apparatus, even if the nozzle opening is sealed by the capping means, the humectant in the flushed ink is damaged as described above, and the ink at the nozzle opening portion of the recording head is damaged. It has been found that the viscosity of the ink is rather accelerated, and the nozzle opening is clogged, resulting in poor printing.

The present invention has been made on the basis of the above-mentioned technical viewpoint. In a state where the recording head is kept in a capping state, the flushing of the printing ink into the capping means is avoided, and the moisturizing tank is maintained. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of effectively reducing the occurrence of printing defects by using the moisturizing liquid stored in the apparatus, and a method for controlling the discharge of the moisturizing liquid in the apparatus.

[0013]

A preferred embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, which has been made to achieve the above object, is mounted on a carriage and ejects ink droplets from nozzle openings based on print data. Inkjet recording head, a capping means for sealing the nozzle forming surface of the recording head during a pause of the apparatus, and a moisturizing liquid tank mounted on the carriage and storing a moisturizing liquid. And a control means for generating a control signal for discharging the moisturizing liquid from the moisturizing liquid tank in the capping means in response to the movement of the carriage.

In this case, an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the recording head is preferably mounted on a carriage, and the moisturizing liquid tank is arranged adjacent to the ink cartridge. The moisturizing liquid tank is provided with valve means for opening the valve according to the control signal and discharging the moisturizing liquid. Preferably, the valve means is arranged at a discharge port of the moisturizing liquid tank and at an upper portion of the moisturizing liquid tank in the direction of gravity.

On the other hand, the control signal generated by the control means includes a control signal capable of controlling the amount of the moisturizing liquid discharged from the moisturizing liquid tank into the capping means.
In this case, in a preferred embodiment, the valve opening time of the valve means can be controlled by the control signal.

Preferably, the humectant tank is provided with a filling port for filling the humectant at an upper portion of the humectant tank in the direction of gravity, and the humectant tank is stored therein. It is desirable to be made of a transparent or translucent material that can be visually recognized through the amount of the moisturizing liquid.

In addition to the above arrangement, there is further provided an input means for allowing a user to set the discharge amount of the moisturizing liquid from the moisturizing liquid tank, and when the set value of the discharge amount is not inputted to the input means. Preferably, a predetermined default value is set in the control means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling the discharge of a moisturizing liquid in an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: an ink jet recording head mounted on a carriage for discharging ink droplets from nozzle openings based on print data; A capping means for sealing a nozzle forming surface of the recording head, a moisturizing liquid tank mounted on the carriage for storing a moisturizing liquid, and a control means for generating a control signal for discharging the moisturizing liquid from the moisturizing liquid tank. A method for controlling the discharge of a moisturizing liquid in an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: controlling the position of the capping means with the moisturizing liquid tank mounted on the carriage when detecting that the operation power of the apparatus is shut off. Control signal to move the moisturizing liquid from the moisturizing liquid tank. It is adapted to execute a control step of generating successively.

Further, the control means, when detecting that the idle period of the apparatus exceeds a predetermined time, sends a control signal for moving the moisturizing liquid tank mounted on the carriage to a position where the capping means is disposed. In some cases, control steps for generating a control signal for discharging the moisturizing liquid from the moisturizing liquid tank after that are performed sequentially.
In this case, the means for detecting that the suspension period of the apparatus has exceeded the predetermined time preferably uses the elapsed time after the previous cleaning operation.

According to the ink jet recording apparatus configured as described above, when capping the recording head when the recording apparatus shifts to the rest state, the moisturizing liquid is supplied from the moisturizing liquid tank into the capping means. As this moisturizing liquid, for example, ordinary water can be suitably used, and the wet state in the internal space of the capping means is kept good,
Thereby, it works to effectively suppress the evaporation of the ink solvent at the nozzle openings of the recording head.

In this case, an appropriate amount of the moisturizing liquid can be dropped into the capping means by controlling the opening and closing of the valve means disposed in the moisturizing liquid tank by a signal generated by the control means. The moisturizing liquid tank is provided with a filling port that can be filled with the moisturizing liquid, and the amount of the moisturizing liquid stored inside the moisturizing liquid tank is configured to be visible and visible. Can be easily managed.

On the other hand, when the interruption of the operation power of the apparatus is detected, the step of moving the moisturizing liquid tank mounted on the carriage to the position of the capping means and the step of discharging the moisturizing liquid from the moisturizing liquid tank are sequentially performed. By adopting the moisturizing liquid ejection control method to be executed, the frequency at which the cleaning operation involving the suction operation of the ink from the recording head is executed when the next power supply to the apparatus is turned on can be reduced. By performing the cleaning operation at the time, the problem of imposing a waiting time on the user can be solved.

Further, when it is detected that the idle period of the apparatus has exceeded a predetermined time, the discharging operation of the moisturizing liquid is executed in the same manner as described above, so that it is possible to reduce this in the period when printing is almost unused. This can be done automatically, and similarly, the frequency of performing the cleaning operation involving the suction operation of the ink from the recording head can be reduced.

Either of the above-described control methods can reduce waste of ink from the ink cartridge due to the cleaning operation, prolong the life of the ink cartridge, and reduce the running cost burden on the user. Can be done.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an ink jet recording apparatus employing a humectant discharge control method according to the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment. FIGS. 1 to 3 schematically show the positional relationship between the carriage and the capping means. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the carriage has moved to the moisturizing liquid drop position, and FIG. 2 shows a state in which the carriage has moved to the flushing position. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the nozzle forming surface of the recording head mounted on the carriage is sealed by capping means.

Reference numeral 1 in FIGS. 1 to 3 denotes a carriage. The carriage 1 is configured to be reciprocated while being guided by a guide member 2 via a timing belt that reciprocates by driving a carriage motor described later. ing. An ink jet recording head 3 is mounted on the lower surface of the carriage 1, and a black ink cartridge 4 for supplying ink to the recording head 3 and a color ink cartridge 5 are detachably mounted above the ink jet recording head 3. ing. A moisturizing liquid tank 6 is mounted on the carriage 1 so as to be adjacent to the color ink cartridge 5.

On the other hand, reference numeral 7 denotes capping means arranged at a home position outside the printing area, and this capping means is a square cap case having an open upper surface as shown by reference numeral in FIG. 7a and a cap member 7b housed in the cap case 7a and also formed in a square shape by a flexible material such as rubber, and the upper edge of the cap member 7b slightly protrudes from the cap case 7a. It has a configuration. In addition, an ink absorbing material 7c formed of a porous material is accommodated in an inner bottom portion of the cap member 7b.

A suction port 7d is formed in the lower bottom of the cap case 7a so as to penetrate the cap member 7b, and a suction pump 9 is connected to the suction port 7d via a tube 8. The discharge side of this suction pump is
It is connected to a waste ink tank described later. A cap member 7b is also provided on the lower bottom of the cap case 7a.
The air opening port 7e is formed so as to penetrate through the air, and an air opening valve 11 is connected to the air opening port 7e via a tube 10.

The capping means 7 moves upward in synchronization with the movement of the carriage 1 toward the home position as shown by an arrow A in FIG. 3 to seal the nozzle forming surface 3a of the recording head 3. It is configured to be able to.

The capping means 7 functions as an ink receiver at the time of a flushing operation as shown in FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. 3 during a pause period of a printing operation including an OFF state of an operation power supply of the recording apparatus. In addition to sealing the nozzle forming surface 3a of the recording head 3 so as to prevent the ink from drying at the nozzle openings, the negative pressure from the suction pump 9 is applied to the recording head, and The ink is sucked and discharged to perform a cleaning function for eliminating clogging of the nozzle opening.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the structure of the moisturizing liquid tank 6 mounted on the carriage 1. A damp port (discharge port) 6a for the moisturizing liquid is formed in a lower part of the moisturizing liquid tank 6 in the direction of gravity, and a drip port valve 21 for opening and closing the drip port is disposed in the drip port.
At the top of the humectant tank 6 in the direction of gravity, an air inlet 6 through which air can be introduced into the tank 6.
The air inlet port is provided with an air inlet valve 22 for opening and closing the air inlet port. Each of the two valves 21 and 22 is configured by an electromagnetic valve that can be controlled to open and close by an electric signal.

FIG. 4 (a) shows the two valves 21 and
2 shows a state in which both valves are closed, and FIG.
This shows a state in which the two valves 21 and 22 are both opened. As shown in FIG.
Is opened, the tank 6 is opened from the atmosphere opening port 6b.
When the drip port valve 21 is opened, the moisturizing liquid is dropped from the drip port 6a according to gravity. Therefore, the atmosphere introduction valve 2
The approximate amount of the moisturizing liquid dropped from the tank 6 can be controlled by the valve opening time of the drip port valve 21 in a state where the valve 2 is opened.

The air introduction valve 22 is opened when the moisturizing liquid is dropped as described above, and acts to bring air into the tank 6. At the same time, acts to prevent evaporation of the moisturizing liquid from inside the tank 6, and the reciprocating movement of the carriage causes the moisturizing liquid in the tank 6 to swing,
The humectant is prevented from overflowing from the air inlet 6b and contaminating printing paper and the like.

The humectant tank 6 is provided with a filling port 6c for filling the humectant, which is arranged above the humectant tank in the direction of gravity, and is always closed by a cap 6d. Further, the moisturizing liquid tank 6 is made of a transparent or translucent material, so that the amount of the moisturizing liquid stored in the tank can be seen through.

Next, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a control circuit mounted on the recording apparatus having the above-described configuration. In FIG. 5, the carriage 1, the recording head 3, the ink cartridges 4, 5, the moisturizing liquid tank 6, the capping means 7, the suction pump 9, and the atmosphere release valve 11, which have already been described, are denoted by the same reference numerals.
Therefore, the description thereof will be appropriately omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the carriage motor 25
Is configured to reciprocate the timing belt 26, and the carriage 1 coupled to a part of the timing belt 26 is configured to be reciprocated by being guided by the guide member 2 as described above. . Further, the discharge side of the suction pump 9 whose one end is connected to the suction port of the capping means 7 is connected to a waste ink tank denoted by reference numeral 27, and waste liquid accompanying cleaning operation or the like is stored in the waste ink tank 27. It is configured to be.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 30 denotes a host computer. The host computer 30 has a built-in printer driver 31. Then, on the utility of the printer driver 31, the input device 32 selects a known paper size, monochrome / color printing,
It is configured such that selection of a recording mode, data such as a font, a print command, and the like are input, and data of the discharge amount of the moisturizing liquid from the moisturizing liquid tank 6 can also be input.

The print data is sent from the printer driver 31 to the print control means 33 in response to the input of the print command.
Generates bitmap data based on the print data, and uses the bitmap data to
Is configured to generate a driving signal and eject ink droplets for printing from the recording head 3. Also,
A control signal is sent from the print control unit 33 to the carriage motor control unit 35 so that the drive control of the carriage motor 25 is performed.

The head drive unit 34 is configured to output a drive signal for a flushing operation to the recording head 3 in response to a flushing command signal from a flushing control unit 36 in addition to a drive signal based on print data. ing. The flushing control unit 36 outputs the suction end signal from the cleaning control unit 37 immediately before the printing operation is started, or when the printing operation is continued for a certain period of time, and a flushing command is output from the printing control unit 33. It operates when it is output or when the operation power of the printing apparatus is turned on.

At this time, at the same time, the carriage motor control means 35 operates in response to a command from the print control means 33 to move the recording head 3 mounted on the carriage 1 to the flushing position, that is, as shown in FIG. Moved right above. The recording head 3 is configured to discharge the ink droplets idle from the nozzle openings a predetermined number of times, thereby preventing clogging of the nozzle openings and eliminating clogging.

Reference numeral 37 denotes cleaning control means.
Cleaning (hereinafter also referred to as CL) command detecting means 38,
CL elapsed time detecting means 39 and printer driver 3
In response to a signal from the central processing unit 40 that receives a cleaning command input on the first utility, the pump driving unit 41 is controlled to operate the suction pump 9. Furthermore, the control signal from the cleaning control means 37 is configured to control the opening and closing of the atmosphere release valve 11 connected to the capping means 7.

At this time, at the same time, a control signal is sent from the central processing means 40 to the carriage motor control means 35, whereby the carriage 1 is moved to the home position, and the capping means 7 controls the nozzle forming surface of the recording head 3. And a series of cleaning sequences is executed.

The post-CL elapsed time detecting means 39 is for sending a cleaning end signal from the cleaning control means 37 immediately after the cleaning is executed by the cleaning control means 37 and counting the elapsed time after cleaning. Then, when the elapsed time after the previous cleaning operation exceeds a predetermined time, the central processing unit 4
The control signal is sent to 0, and an operation of dropping the moisturizing liquid into the capping means from the moisturizing liquid tank is executed as described later.

Reference numeral 42 in FIG. 5 indicates a cleaning command switch provided on a control panel or the like of the case. When the user recognizes blurred printing or the like, the user pushes the switch to operate the CL command detecting means. 3
8 is operated to execute a manual cleaning operation.

On the other hand, a moisturizing liquid amount detecting means 43 for detecting the amount of the moisturizing liquid stored in the moisturizing liquid tank 6 mounted on the carriage 1 is provided.
When the amount of the moisturizing liquid in the tank becomes less than the specified value,
It is configured to output the information. Although the specific configuration of the detecting means is not shown in the drawing, for example, a float member is disposed in the moisturizing liquid tank 6, and the amount of the moisturizing liquid in the tank becomes less than a predetermined value depending on the position of the float member. It can be realized by detecting a state and outputting a signal.

When the amount of the moisturizing liquid in the tank becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, a signal output from the moisturizing liquid amount detecting means 43 is sent to a display means 44. An error message is displayed and sent to the central processing means 40.

Further, valve control means 45 and 46 are connected to the central processing means 40, and from the valve control means 45 and 46, the moisturizing liquid tank 6 shown in FIG.
Drop valve 21 and air introduction valve 2 installed in
2 is configured to output a signal for controlling the opening and closing of the valve 2.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 50 denotes a commercial power supply supplied to the recording apparatus, which is supplied to a power supply circuit 52 via a power supply breaker 51. A voltage is generated.
The power supply breaker 51 is configured to be turned on and off via a power-off timer 54 based on an operation of a power switch 53 arranged on, for example, an operation panel of the apparatus.

That is, when operating power is supplied to the apparatus by operating the power switch 53, the power-off timer 54 immediately controls the power breaker 51 to the on state. Further, when the operation power supply to the apparatus is to be cut off by operating the power switch 53, the power-off timer 54 controls the power supply breaker 51 to be in an off state after a predetermined time has elapsed. By the delay operation when the power is turned off, a predetermined amount of the moisturizing liquid is dropped from the moisturizing liquid tank into the capping means as described later, and the operation of sealing the recording head by the capping means is performed.

FIG. 6 shows an operation sequence of the moisturizing liquid ejection control performed by the recording apparatus having the above-described configuration. Note that the sequence shown in FIG. 6 shows an operation mode when the power is turned off.

When a power-off input is performed based on the operation of the power switch 53 shown in FIG. 5, the operation power is maintained by the operation of the power-off timer 54 as described above. Then, the operation of empty suction of the cap is performed as shown in step S11. In this case, a control signal is supplied from the power-off timer 54 to the central processing unit 40, and the central processing unit 40 activates the pump driving unit 41 via the cleaning control unit 37, so that the ink remaining inside the capping unit 7 is removed. , To discharge the waste ink to the waste ink tank 27.

Subsequently, as shown in step S12, an operation of moving the carriage to the moisturizing liquid drop position is performed. In this case, the carriage motor control means operates in response to a control signal from the central processing means 40, and controls the number of pulses given to the carriage motor 25 constituted by, for example, a pulse motor, so that the rotation amount (step amount) of the carriage motor 25 is controlled. To be controlled. As a result, the carriage 1 is moved so that the drip port of the moisturizing liquid tank 6 is located almost immediately above the center of the capping means 7 as shown in FIG.

Subsequently, in step S13, it is determined whether or not the dripping amount of the moisturizing liquid has been set. As described above, the drop amount of the moisturizing liquid can be input by the input device 32 on the utility of the printer driver 31. The central processing unit 40 includes the printer driver 3
1 is read, and when it is determined that the drop amount of the moisturizing liquid is not set (No), the process proceeds to step S1.
As shown in FIG. 4, a predetermined default value is selected as the dropping amount of the moisturizing liquid.

When it is determined that the dropping amount of the moisturizing liquid is set (Yes), the data is taken into the central processing means 40. Then, in step S15, the remaining amount of the moisturizing liquid is determined. This can be determined by acquiring the status signal from the moisturizing liquid amount detecting means 43 in the central processing means 40.

If the remaining amount of the moisturizing liquid is in the end state (No), an error is displayed on the display means 44 as shown in step S16. Therefore, the user fills the moisturizing liquid from the filling port 6c of the moisturizing liquid tank 6, and the process proceeds to step S17.

In step S17, the operation of opening the air introduction valve is performed. That is, the central processing means 40
The control signal is supplied to the valve control means 46, whereby the valve control means 46 controls the atmosphere introduction valve 22 arranged at the atmosphere introduction port 6b of the moisturizing liquid tank 6 to the open state. Subsequently, the opening operation of the drip port valve is performed as shown in step S18. That is, the central processing means 4
A control signal is supplied from 0 to the valve control means 45, whereby the valve control means 45 controls the drip port valve 21 arranged at the drip port 6a of the moisturizing liquid tank 6 to an open state.

When the drip port valve 21 is opened, as shown in step S19, the drip port 6a of the moisturizing liquid tank 6 is opened.
More moisturizing liquid is dropped into the capping means 7. Subsequently, as shown in step S20, the closing operation of the drip port valve is performed. Similarly, a control signal is supplied from the central processing means 40 to the valve control means 45, whereby the valve control means 45 controls the drip port valve 21 to be in the closed state. The drip of the moisturizer is stopped.

Here, the time from step 18 to step 20 is managed, and this time is a time corresponding to the drop amount taken into the central processing means 40 in step S13 or employed in step S14. Is set to the time corresponding to the set default value. Thus, the drop amount input by the input device 32 or the drop amount corresponding to the default value is dropped into the capping unit 7 on the utility of the printer driver 31.

Subsequently, in step S21, the operation of closing the air introduction valve is performed. Similarly, a control signal is supplied from the central processing unit 40 to the valve control unit 46,
As a result, the valve control means 46 controls the atmosphere introduction valve 22.
Is controlled to a closed state. Then, an operation of moving the carriage to the home position is performed as shown in step S22. In this case, the carriage motor control means 35 operates according to a control signal from the central processing means 40, and the number of drive pulses applied to the carriage motor 25 is controlled. Accordingly, the recording head 3 is capped by the capping means 7 as shown in FIG.

After the above steps are completed, the power is turned off as shown in step 23 in FIG. This is an operation in which the power-off timer 54 times out and controls the power supply circuit breaker 51 to an off state as described above.

FIG. 7 shows another example of the moisturizing liquid discharging operation sequence performed by the above-described recording apparatus. The sequence shown in FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which the operation of dropping the moisturizing liquid into the capping means is executed when it is detected that the suspension period of the apparatus has exceeded a predetermined time.

In this sequence, the elapsed time after the previous cleaning operation is used, and it is determined in step S10 whether the elapsed time has exceeded a predetermined time. This is Figure 5
When the elapsed time after the previous cleaning operation exceeds a predetermined time, the control signal is sent to the central processing means 40 in the post-CL elapsed time detecting means 39 shown in FIG. Thus, a series of steps S11 to S22 shown in FIG. 6 for dropping the moisturizing liquid into the capping means are performed, and the recording head is kept capped by the capping means moistened with the moisturizing liquid.

[0063]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the ink jet recording apparatus employing the method for controlling the discharge of the moisturizing liquid according to the present invention, the moisturizing liquid tank for storing the moisturizing liquid is mounted on the carriage, and the movement of the carriage is controlled. Is controlled so that the moisturizing liquid is discharged into the capping means. Therefore, for example, when the recording head is capped when the recording apparatus shifts to the rest state, the above-described operation is performed, so that the internal space of the capping unit is kept in a wet state by the moisturizing liquid. As a result, the evaporation of the ink solvent in the nozzle openings of the recording head in the capping state can be effectively suppressed, and a highly reliable recording apparatus free from print trouble and the like can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a carriage in an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention has been applied has moved to a position for dropping moisturizing liquid droplets.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the carriage has moved to a flushing position.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a recording head similarly mounted on a carriage is sealed by capping means.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a moisturizing liquid tank mounted on a carriage.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a control circuit mounted on the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence of a moisturizing liquid ejection control performed by the recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing another operation sequence of the moisturizing liquid discharge control.

[Description of Signs] 1 carriage 3 recording head 3a nozzle forming surface 4 black ink cartridge 5 color ink cartridge 6 moisturizing liquid tank 6a moisturizing liquid droplet lower port (discharge port) 6b air inlet 6c filling port 7 capping means 9 suction pump 11 air Opening valve 21 Dropper valve 22 Atmospheric introduction valve 25 Carriage motor 30 Host computer 31 Printer driver 32 Input device 33 Printing control means 34 Head driving means 35 Carriage motor control means 36 Flushing control means 37 Cleaning control means 38 Cleaning command detection means 39 Cleaning Elapsed time detecting means 40 Central processing means 41 Pump driving means 43 Moisturizing liquid amount detecting means 44 Display means 45 Valve control means 46 Valve control means 50 Commercial power supply 51 Power supply Cross 52 power supply circuit 53 power switch 54 power off timer

Claims (12)

[Claims] An ink jet recording head mounted on a carriage for discharging ink droplets from nozzle openings based on print data; capping means for sealing a nozzle forming surface of the recording head during an idle period of the apparatus;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a moisturizing liquid tank mounted on the carriage and storing a moisturizing liquid, wherein the moisturizing liquid is discharged from the moisturizing liquid tank into the capping unit in response to the movement of the carriage. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising control means for generating a control signal. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an ink cartridge for supplying ink to the recording head is mounted on a carriage, and the moisturizing liquid tank is arranged adjacent to the ink cartridge. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moisturizing liquid tank is provided with valve means for opening a valve in response to a control signal and discharging the moisturizing liquid. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the valve means is disposed at a discharge port of the moisturizing liquid tank and an upper portion of the moisturizing liquid tank in the direction of gravity. 5. The control signal generated by the control means includes a control signal capable of controlling an amount of the moisturizing liquid discharged from the moisturizing liquid tank into the capping means. An ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the above. 6. The moisturizing liquid tank is provided with valve means for opening a valve in response to a control signal and discharging the moisturizing liquid, and the valve opening time of the valve means can be controlled by the control signal. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to 5. 7. The moisturizing liquid tank according to claim 1, wherein a filling port capable of filling the moisturizing liquid is arranged at an upper portion of the moisturizing liquid tank in the direction of gravity. Ink jet recording device. 8. The moisturizing liquid tank according to claim 1, wherein the moisturizing liquid tank is made of a transparent or translucent material that allows the amount of the moisturizing liquid stored in the tank to be visually recognized. Ink jet recording device. 9. An input unit which allows a user to set a discharge amount of the moisturizing liquid from the moisturizing liquid tank, and when a set value of the discharge amount is not input to the input unit, the input unit is preset. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a default value set in said control means is set. 10. An ink jet recording head mounted on a carriage and ejecting ink droplets from nozzle openings based on print data, and capping means for sealing a nozzle forming surface of the recording head during an idle period of the apparatus. A moisturizing liquid ejection control method for an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: a moisturizing liquid tank that is mounted on the carriage and stores a moisturizing liquid; and a control unit that generates a control signal for discharging the moisturizing liquid from the moisturizing liquid tank. A step of generating a control signal for moving a moisturizing liquid tank mounted on the carriage to a position at which the capping means is arranged, when the control means detects that the operation power supply of the apparatus has been cut off; and Steps for sequentially generating a control signal for discharging the moisturizing liquid from the liquid tank are sequentially executed. Moisture discharge control method in Kujetto jet recording apparatus. 11. An ink jet recording head mounted on a carriage for ejecting ink droplets from nozzle openings based on print data, and capping means for sealing a nozzle forming surface of the recording head during an idle period of the apparatus.
A moisturizing liquid ejection control method for an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: a moisturizing liquid tank that is mounted on the carriage and stores a moisturizing liquid; and a control unit that generates a control signal for discharging the moisturizing liquid from the moisturizing liquid tank. Generating a control signal for moving a moisturizing liquid tank mounted on the carriage to a position where the capping means is arranged, when the control means detects that the suspension period of the apparatus has exceeded a predetermined time; And a step of sequentially generating a control signal for discharging the moisturizing liquid from the moisturizing liquid tank after this step. 12. The moisturizing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the means for detecting that the inactive period of the apparatus has exceeded a predetermined time uses an elapsed time after a previous cleaning operation. Liquid discharge control method.